Taylor Dreese

**Taylor Dreese** is a character in *Magical Girl Policy*. He is the paternal uncle and guardian of Rob, who calls him **Uncle Taylor**. Rob left Taylor in Deepwater to attend SAU, but the two keep in touch over the phone.

## Appearance

Taylor is about 5'7'' and has a beard. Hailing from the southern United States, he speaks with a distinct country accent.

## Personality

Taylor is relatively introverted, as he is a private person and hesitant to talk about his personal issues. He is similar to Rob in this regard, but he lacks his nephew's reclusiveness and is a bit more outgoing in comparison. Taylor places great value in hard work, responsibility, and honesty. He can accurately judge the sincerity of others, which Rob describes as a "bullshit detector". He is known for his unusual sayings, which are usually variations of existing ones. He is frugal with his money.

Taylor suddenly became the guardian of his three-year-old nephew at only 22, and while his parenting is never suggested to be harmful, it is said he never quite learned how to maintain a family. Taylor has dated, but has never entered a serious relationship for two reasons: the first is that he is content with where his life is, so he is hesitant to introduce something as life-altering as a partner into it, and the second is that he feels weird about bringing such a woman into his mother's home, a hangup that persists even after her death.

Due to his experience as a dental hygienist, Taylor prefers to be healthy with his diet, particularly making a point to avoid things that are harmful to the teeth. He likes to listen to classic rock music, with one of his favorite bands being Creed of Charisma. He is unfamiliar with internet culture, with Rob believing he would not understand the concept of friendships without any in-person contact.

## Abilities

Taylor works as a dental hygienist.

He is said to quite skilled at cooking on the grill, but otherwise his cooking skills are basic.

## Biography

### Background

Taylor Dreese was born the son of Robynne Dreese and the brother of Ellis. He lives in Deepwater, a small town in the southern United States. When Ellis and his wife died in a car accident, at age 22 Taylor became the guardian of their three-year-old son Robert. Taylor and his mother raise Robert until her death five years later, at which point Robert became his only remaining family.

During Robert's sophomore year of high school, Rob becomes constantly grumpy at his lowered placement on the football team's depth chart due to Dustin overtaking and picking a fight with him. This wears on Taylor, who then suggests Rob improve his skill so much that the coach would have to move him back up, specifically by taking ballet lessons to improve his leg strength and balance like Ellis had. Robert agrees to this on the condition that it be done out of town so no one at school would know, but it was somehow discovered by Evelyn, leading to drama that ended in Rob breaking up with his girlfriend Brook and quitting the team.

After graduating high school, Robert decides to attend Schuyler Adamson University, where his parents had met. Taylor wanted him to go somewhere closer to home, but Rob was happy Kessia City is halfway across the country as he could get away from the drama at Deepwater. Taylor, lonely without his nephew, takes to calling him several times a week.

### Week 1

After Robert's first day at classes, he is called by Taylor. Rob talks about his meeting with Angela and her strange theory of the Standridge Hill Stone Circle being constructed via magic. He adds that he's already befriended his roommates Cory and Eli, and is hopeful that his third roommate Dale doesn't show up so he can have a room to himself. Robert decides not to mention getting attacked by Polygal and his encounter with the Spirit Guard from the day before, believing Taylor would fear for his safety and order him back home. Their conversation is cut short as Rob receives another call from campus counselor Ms. Kuna.

The next night, Robert is on his way to meet the Spirit Guard at the Standridge Circle to learn why he glowed during the Polygal attack. He is about to call Taylor to relieve his tension when he receives a call from Taylor himself. Rob presents the meeting as an important group research project that was started without him, and Taylor assures him that since he's prepared as best he can, there's nothing to worry about. Their call is interrupted by one from Eli, who is to remotely record the meeting's sound via Rob's phone.

The battle with Day LaMode sees Robert transform into Spirit Guard Serenity, forcing him into a female body. Afterwards, Rob works with Ms. Kuna to create the new identity of Robynne Darling. A few options for how to explain Rob's transformation to Taylor are presented, with it being decided they won't speak on the phone until they can meet in person where the Standridge Stones's perception filter will hopefully render him more open to the idea of the Spirit Guard. The Hush Corps will rig a contest to win Taylor a trip to the Homecoming football game in 28 days.

That evening, Robynne has her friends leave her alone in her new dorm so she can try to process her transformation, but fails to relieve her stress. Needing her uncle, she nearly answers his phone call, but finds herself unable to out of fear he won't believe she's his nephew. Upon listening to his voicemail where he misses Robert and wonders how the "group project" went, Robynne is overcome by the loneliness her transformation has inflicted on her uncle and herself, and laments that going to a college near Deepwater like Taylor wanted would've prevented all of this. She breaks down in tears for the first time since the death of her grandmother ten years ago.

### Weeks 2-4

Two days later, Noriko presents a binder of Robynne's new documentation made by Nick and Will, including updated records for Taylor's eventual use.

Upon returning to class, Robynne works around the risk of Taylor not recognizing her voice by texting him throughout the day instead, claiming her phone's receiver is in need of repairs that will eventually be made by a friend. She refrains from mentioning her transformation and other Spirit Guard-related business.

Mallory's near death experience against Day LaMode has her decide it'd be for the best to tell her mother and father she's a Spirit Guard in the near future. She tells this to Robynne, who asks to know how it goes so she can figure out how to explain her own situation to Taylor.

### Week 5

Some weeks later, Robynne is told by Eli that Mallory revealing her superhero career to her parents went over well. Rob is relieved to hear this, but still doesn't know how she'll approach Taylor.

While debriefing after the Cell-celia battle later that day, the Spirit Guard's plan of nightly patrols around the city to snuff out newly planted monsters is put off until Robynne can explain her situation to her uncle. She panics when told the Hush Corps will contact him tomorrow so he can arrive in Kessia City later this week. That night, Robynne sees her reflection wearing Robert's oversized football jersey and realizes how much of her new life has become routine. She has no idea who she is anymore and is terrified at the thought of her uncle not recognizing the person who doesn't even recognize herself.

The next day, the Spirit Guards go over the plan for Robynne will meet Taylor: Angela and Mallory will pose as representatives for the contest he won and lead him to his hotel room, where Robynne will be waiting, with the surrounding rooms also rented out for their privacy and Noriko on standby. Later, Kara asks Rob why Taylor has never married, so Rob explains that Taylor never maintained a serious relationship because he is a less outgoing person who's hesitant to shake up the life he's content with, and is also apparently uncomfortable with bringing a woman into his mother's home that he lives in.

## Relationships

### Robert Dreese/Robynne Darling

Taylor has been the guardian of his nephew Robert since the latter was three years old, and the two have been each other's only family since Taylor's mother died. Taylor raised Robert to be responsible and hardworking, with Rob attributing much of his character to his uncle, even picking up some of his strange witticisms. While Taylor and Rob deeply love one another, Rob describes them as not being good at being a family, with both of them letting their private natures keep them from being very open with each other. Taylor is lonely with Robert at SAU on the other side of the country, so they talk on the phone several times a week. Rob avoids mentioning the Spirit Guard and monster attacks in Kessia City so his uncle won't fear for Rob's safety and make him return to Deepwater. After transforming, Robynne frets over how to explain her situation to him, deciding to wait until she can tell him in person while he's under the Standridge Stones' perception filter. In the meantime, Robynne claims her phone's receiver is currently broken, so she and her uncle periodically text each other instead.

### Dreese family

Taylor maintained a close relationship with his mother Robynne (whom he calls "Grammy" to Robert), his brother Ellis, and Ellis's wife. When Ellis and his wife died in a car accident fifteen years ago, Taylor adopted their three-year-old son Robert. Taylor lived with Robert and Robynne in the latter's house, and continues to live there after Robynne death ten years ago. Robynne's death deeply affected Taylor and made maintaining his family more difficult. One of the reasons Taylor has never married is that he is uncomfortable at the idea of bringing a partner into his mother's home, a feeling that persists even after her death.

### Brook

Taylor is acquainted with Brook, Robert's high school girlfriend. Taylor liked Brook and was pleased when he'd see Robert bring her over to their house.

## In *MGP Alpha*

In *MGP Alpha*, Taylor, full name Taylor Dirken, was similar to his incarnation in the current series. After Robert transforms, he stops taking Taylor's calls, leaving his uncle in the dark about Rob's misadventures at the Peavy Academy boarding high school. One day, however, Taylor makes a surprise visit to the dorm he's under the impression Rob still lives in, forcing Cory and Eli to claim Robert is out at the moment and make an impromptu plan with Robynne to have her meet Taylor at a park. The pair brings Taylor to the park they say Robert will meet them at, and keep Taylor occupied until Robynne can arrive and work up the courage to approach the group. Taylor is annoyed at Cory and Eli's stall tactics and Robynne's claims that she is his nephew, believing all of it to be an elaborate prank Robert had his friends do. Robynne finally convinces him of her identity after recounting in detail Robert's most guarded secret of his humiliating middle school experience, and they spend the night catching up on all that has happened to her. Though Taylor doesn't like how dangerous Robynne's Spirit Guard work is, he feels he can't dissuade her from continuing it and is supportive. He is, however, angered at what it has put her through and meets with Kunapipi to demand answers to questions such as why children are made to do dangerous magical girl work and why Fate chose Rob, though he does not learn much that Rob didn't already know. Taylor has a hard time adjusting to Robynne's new name, so at her suggestion he starts using the "Robby" nickname Grandma Dirken would use. Robynne reestablishes regular contact with her uncle, and he also decides to look for work in the area so he may move there and be close to Robynne.

Taralynn Andrews has been critical of how she handled Taylor in *MGP Alpha*, particularly in regards to making who should be an important character an afterthought for most of the series. For the rebooted *Magical Girl Policy*, she makes a point out of introducing his relationship with Rob very early on.