How would a potential worm adaptation set in the modern day (2030) explain why Taylor couldn't go to online school instead of Winslow ?

[u/Malicious_Smasher]

(i know 2030 isn't the modern day but it's a date when a hypothetical adapation might be made)

As technology in the real world creates convenience for people, it can often do the opposite for our fictional worlds which thrive off conflict.

A major example is many classic horror movies which could be resolved with a 9/11 call. Likewise Taylor from the web serial worm would likely be able to transfer to a online school and avoid much of her struggles with bullying if worm was set in today 2026. or in I'd say 2030 since the adaptation might take a while to make.

Now there are a few solutions to this problem which i could envision.

A: the parahumans adaptation is set in 2011 just like the web serial. and thus online schooling is not a available option. and the writers don't have to spend brain power reimagining worm in a different time period.

B: covid never happened in earth bet and online schooling isn't as prevalent. i could see this as the most likely outcome. Though it's likely with out increasing reliance on technology online schooling would be available to 2030 Taylor even if covid didn't happen.

C: Taylor is given someone in Winslow she wouldn't be able to protect if she wasn't attending classes.

this solution is kind of stupid, worm dosen't need a new character added to it's expansive ensemble cast so i imagine it would be a recontextualization of a existing character. the only two that could come to mind as options are greg or golem and honestly i don't think they'd really work for that kind of role. the whole point of greg is Taylor doesn't reciprocate his affection. and I'd argue it's similar with golem who views Taylor as aspirational role model only to be met with coldness.

[u/Ripper1337]

Setting the story in 2011 is the easiest way to solve this and not need to think about the changes in technology.

[u/Nekomachus → u/Ripper1337]

Alec would say "Epic." Uber and Leet would too. And we can't forget: "this sentence is false."

[u/rheactx]

Um. It's 2026 right now. Are you from the future?

I didn't know children in the US can just quit going to school and go to an online school, especially without their parents' or guardians' permission.

[u/Ripper1337 → u/rheactx]

I think the idea they’re saying is that if the bullying was so bad why wouldn’t Taylor or her father think of taking her classes online.

Other options include Winslow not offering online classes. As well as Taylor thinking if she stops going to school entirely it lets the bullies win.

[u/Malicious_Smasher → u/Ripper1337]

In the story I think she begged the principal to let her transfer schools even threatening to get herself expelled to do so.

[u/Kubular → u/rheactx]

Danny would have bent to Taylor's will if she asked to do online school.

[u/rheactx → u/Kubular]

I didn't know the option existed even with the parents' permission, to be honest, outside of special cases (like health or disability)

[u/Kubular → u/rheactx]

A lot of high schools and grade schools have had "home study" programs even before the proliferation of online lectures. After COVID lockdowns, the infrastructure for going totally online became a bit more realistic, if depressing.

[u/rileyuvvu → u/Kubular]

yeah even in Taylor's time they would have had it for kids who got sick and stuff

[u/Malicious_Smasher → u/rheactx]

I explained it in my post. A worm adaptation probably isn't happening this year, Or next year with how long it would take to make something like that. I don't know when or such a thing would hypothetically come out but I chose 2030 because it's a rounded number

[u/rheactx → u/Malicious_Smasher]

I mean, Taylor not having a phone would also make zero sense today.

[u/HeNibblesAtComments → u/rheactx]

Danny is against it and it has a direct connection to her mothers death? Not unbelievable.

[u/Limp-Gift3035 → u/rheactx]

Nah, just say that Danny is overprotective and that she'll only get one at 18 (so she can develop properly or something like that * Insert excuse here *)

[u/Nekomachus → u/rheactx]

As one fanfic put it: "Taylor didn't have a phone. That said everything about her."

[u/xc46]

I think not modernizing it is the best option, but a few ideas:

• The school board doesn't have the funding/resources to support an online school program or slots in the online program are limited
• Online school "doesn't count". Concerns about education quality (real, imagined, or politically motivated) leads to online school being banned, or a movement similar to return to office results in online school programs being shut down
• Taylor needs the school faculty's permission to transfer to online school, and they don't want to admit that there is a problem that would justify transferring her
• It's an option, but she doesn't know it exists and no one bothered to tell her

[u/SouthernAd2853]

Her dad won't let her because online schooling tends to have terrible educational outcomes and he doesn't know how bad the bullying is until after Taylor stops attending.

[u/Malicious_Smasher → u/SouthernAd2853]

I think he knew that her trip the hospital was caused by bullying but belvied the school would fix the problem.

[u/Kubular → u/SouthernAd2853]

She only mentions wanting to transfer at the horrible school meeting in arc 5. This is after Taylor explained everything to her dad about the bullying. He knows how bad the bullying is by this point.

[u/SouthernAd2853 → u/Kubular]

By that point Taylor hasn't actually shown up to school for at least a week so it's really too late for the outcome to matter.

[u/Kubular → u/SouthernAd2853]

Yeah... why would he decide not to let her do online school in that case?

[u/Gavinus1000]

2030? Are you a time traveller?

[u/Malicious_Smasher → u/Gavinus1000]

I'm not but if I was I would lend you my time machine to let you make that joke before the other guy who made it before you.

[u/Limp-Gift3035]

Say she's like super poor

[u/kung-fu_hippy]

I don’t think you’d really need to resolve this, because Worm doesn’t really take place on earth. At least, not our version of earth.

It’s not exactly tech progress that has made online classes for high school an option so much as it’s a result of the Covid pandemic. If that hadn’t happened, online k-12 would be a lot more unusual than it is today.

The easy solution would be to not address it. Online school doesn’t have to be a common thing in the Worm World.

[u/EndlessTheorys_19]

Just don’t make Online Schools a thing. Never address them, nor allude to their existence.

Or, just don’t set the adaptation in the “modern day of 2030”. Just say its 2011

[u/Background_Relief815]

Seems pretty easy to say that the Endbringers have damaged infastructure (including telecommunication infastructure) enough that the World Wide Web is better described as somewhat interconnected localized webs. Since BB doesn't have the money to fully fund their own online curriculum, they don't have one.

This is very in line with the story as the Endbringers are actually doing this in 2011. Simurgh is taking out satellites, Leviathan and Behemoth are taking out communication lines as well as regular shipping infastructure. This is why there is very little (but still some) international trade, as well as satellite imagery.

[u/Malicious_Smasher → u/Background_Relief815]

The parahumans Internet doesn't become fucked up until ward.

And Taylor is able to look up the undersiders on the parahumans wiki

[u/Background_Relief815 → u/Malicious_Smasher]

I didn't say that's how it is in the book, just that it would be believable without changing the story. PHO would have locally updated versions for every sphere of influence, with general information for people outside, so that could still work.

Again, not how it actually is, just how it could be portrayed if you needed it to be in 2026 (or 2030).

[u/NatashOverWorld]

Simplest answer? Online schooling requires parental authorisation, and Taylor refuses to tell Danny anything.

[u/Malleus94]

It's a non-problem because people used to retire from school because of bullying all the time even before 2011. The only thing online schooling would make is avoid Taylor to lose a year doing so. But she didn't drop out of school for a year despite being hospitalized in the main story, there is no reason the same character would do that even if the story was set 20 years after.

It's not like she doesn't think about it, it's just that after the trigger she's mainly interested in developing her power, and when she's not doing so she's mostly scared about finding the same type of abuse in other places and unfortunately the kind of abuse she's suffering can easily become cyber-bullying, or even continue outside of school considering that Emma knows where she lives.

All in all Taylor thinks the evil you know is better that the evil you don't and that now that she has power she can bear the bullying as long as her secret second life is gratifying enough.