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redflagshipwriter · 7 months ago

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Nest Swap 9

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Having a mission changed everything.

Tim took full advantage of his new knowledge of the holy manuals. The first rule that he took to heart was that he was meant to be armed. Of course! It made sense.

Unfortunately, he was also not meant to take any weapon onto the field that he hadn’t trained with. Tim thought hard for a while whether or not a suburban house counted as ‘in the field’, but it seemed like he should pay lip service to Batman’s rule. So he got some sharp things that seemed interesting and spent some time throwing them at a target. They kind of looked like Batarangs, but… different.

“I don’t think bats change shape in the next ten years or so,” Tim muttered. He gave another half hearted throw. The thing dinged off the wall below his target. “So this isn’t meant to be a bat shape. Did Batman rebrand to the Birdman and no one fixed his wiki page yet? Is this a parallel universe and not my actual future?”

It occurred to him that it might be a bird because of Robin. But come on, Robins didn’t use sharp things. Robin was a child. It was irresponsible for children to use blades.

Tim sent another thingy into the wall. It hit with the pointy end first this time and sank an inch into the wall to the right of the target. He held his breath as it wiggled for a moment. Then it went still without falling.

“Yes!” He punched the air. Thank gosh! He was getting bored with that. It was good to be done with training. It was kind of dull.

Steps one and two were finished. He had a weapon and he had trained with it. Tim went back to his list. The next technical skill set was lock picking. That was super easy and fun! Tim enjoyed the clear diagrams and explanations. There wasn’t anything to practice with, but he thought that he had the concept down handily. He grabbed a set of lockpicks for his khaki pockets.

He needed to do a little more to understand the patterns of the target, as well as their background. Tim considered asking Jason for any information, but he probably didn’t have any. Maybe he wasn’t very good at googling. So he just did it. The Sausage Guy was more commonly known as Benedict Orange, a name that Tim really liked and mentally stored away to use as an alias when he was a superhero.

Anyway. Tim figured out how old the guy was, where he’d gone to school, and a bunch of other stuff like the record of his marriage ten years ago.

“Huh,” Tim said, brows furrowed. “I didn’t find a divorce record. But he’s single now?” Mr. Orange had accounts on a lot of dating sites. He was using his engagement photo for the profile photo, with his wife cut out.

That was weird. He tried to find the wife, but there wasn’t anything more recent than 8 years ago, when she’d announced that she was quitting her job on social media.

…Tim had kind of a bad feeling about that.

He put a pin in it for now, but he had a small theory at the back of his mind that started with ‘I think this guy killed his wife.’

Maybe that was how the human sausage thing started. Maybe he’d killed her on impulse and then needed a way to get rid of the body. And then maybe he’d gotten a taste for it.

Tim shuddered. Okay, okay, he was for real done thinking about this! Big yucky.

Benny Orange was an office worker with a title that Tim didn’t really understand. It seemed vague to the point of uselessness, but then again, that was office work. The relevant thing was that he got home around 6 pm, and he left at 8 am.

It was 10 in the morning. Tim could get over there and toss Benny’s home before the end of the workweek if he hurried. The manual said that you should never spend more than an hour investigating an unsecured location. It also said that you should file a report or directly inform someone of where you’d be.

That part made Tim pause for a moment before he remembered that he’d told Jason. Jason would probably check on him when he woke up, or whatever.

Tim found an equipment belt that he could wrap around his waist twice to buckle on. He put his sharp things in it. Then he untucked his shirt, because he had tucked it in out of habit and that would make it harder to access his weapons. He frowned as he did it. It just felt wrong.

He put on his shoes and got out the door. He didn’t have a lot of time to waste if he wanted to be able to take his time, so Tim hailed a taxi to cross most of the distance this time. He was grateful that Mrs. Henderson was gone and there was no chance of seeing her. Last time had been a little bit of a disaster. Needing civilian help to get into the building was not a winning move.

He had bat-approved lockpicks this time. He went to the front door and did his best.

It turned out that maybe he should have practiced? Tim started to sweat out in the open. It felt like someone was staring at his back. He looked at the houses around. No one was at their windows or walking outside. He started jumping whenever the tall herbs in Mr. Orange's garden swayed in the breeze. He had a lot of plants.

His hands were shaking. The sweat made his shirt stick to his back. He was going to get caught and in so much trouble.

When the door finally opened, Tim offered up a thanks to Bast, because he assumed the cat goddess was more likely to be pro-breaking and entering than other gods. That logic was just based off of what he knew about Catwoman, honestly.

The first glimpse into Benedict Orange's home was disappointingly normal. He had vinyl flooring (easy to clean!), leather furniture, and a big flat TV high up on the wall. He didn’t have enough knickknacks and there was no art. There was a wood and glass case that was full of identical, unlabeled bottles with something red in it. Hot sauce? Was he a hot sauce guy?

Tim mentally reclassified Mr. Orange further down the list of ‘people I could talk to at a cocktail party.’

The place had the same layout as Mrs. Henderson’s place, just in reverse. Tim beelined to the kitchen because.. Well.

He just did.

The counter space where Mrs. Henderson had a hot water kettle, a big stand mixer, and a toaster was mostly clear here. Mr. Orange only had one piece of cooking machinery. Tim didn’t know it. He squinted at it. It was a big shiny stainless steel thing. It had a metal tray, a wheel, and like… a nozzle. When he climbed on a chair to look down, he could see there was a little tunnel tube thing where you could put stuff inside the body of the machine.

Weird. Moving on!

He checked inside the fridge. He stared for a moment of aghast silence. There was a stack of takeout containers, a bunch of seasonings in the door, and a stack of tupperware with something red in them.

Cautiously, Tim dug one out and opened it.

“That’s raw meat,” he said, voice high. He put the box back in and then hesitated. Maybe he should be like, taking it? Or taking a sample? To see what animal it came from?

“I’ll think about it.” Tim shut the fridge a little harder than he needed to and beat feet out of the kitchen. He started checking the other rooms. He found the master bedroom. His nose wrinkled. “I don’t think he’s restyled this since Brenda died,” Tim complained. He looked at the curtains with extreme judgment. They were so outdated it wasn’t even funny, but they also weren’t retro yet!

Oh. Wait. Belatedly, Tim remembered that it was ten years into his future. So, maybe they were retro now. Anyways, Brenda had liked the trend for chickens and roosters. There were chickens and roosters everywhere in the decor, including a cute print of what was obviously intended to be a husband and wife pair snuggling on a sofa.

His heart hurt a little. He looked at it a little too long.

Tim took a deep breath. Then he went back to looking for evidence. There wasn’t much in the bedroom, so clearly Mr. Orange had a personal office elsewhere. There were two more rooms in the apartment.

Tim opened the next door. The room was mostly a guest bedroom, with the notable exception of a huge chest freezer and a weird long wooden bar across the room.

Tim shut the door.

The last room was the office. There was a desk, a file cabinet, and a lockbox full of women’s drivers licenses.

“Yeah, okay,” Tim said under his breath. “He’s a serial killer.” He took photos and sent them to Jason immediately with the subject line “Yeah he’s a killer!!!”

Then he got down to sorting through the papers to see if there was anything else. Jason was a Robin, Tim supposed, so he’d need the evidence to show the police. It would be helpful if he just went and sorted it out now. He found warranties for the TV, the new freezer, and he presumed that ‘Meat Grinder’ meant the thing in the kitchen.

“I appreciate that he’s so organized, actually,” Tim muttered. He was hunched over digging through the bottom drawer now.

A key went into a door.

Tim froze stock still. He slowly, silently shut the drawer. He stared at the closed door to the living room. On the other side of it, Mr. Orange unlocked and opened the front door. Tim slowly looked up, saw 12:14 on the clock, and vaguely registered that sometimes people come home on their lunch breaks.

The front door shut. There was a quiet metal sound that Tim thought was probably the chain lock. The chain lock that was too high for him to move without a chair to stand on.

Okay. Uh. He looked around for a place to hide. The best option was under the desk. Tim crawled through the legs of the chair, heart beating furiously.

He weighed his options. Wait it out and hope Mr. Orange didn’t come in?

…Seemed risky. But there was no way he was going to run out past the guy to the front door. At least, the odds that he’d get grabbed were just not good, not when he didn’t know where Mr. Orange was.

Alright. Tim knew reality. He might not be able to get out of this on his own. At the very least, he should let Jason know what was going on so that they could add his murder to the list of charges. And maybe Jason was close by to help? Wayne Manor was awfully far away, so probably not. But it didn’t hurt to try.

He got his phone back out and was silently very glad that he had it. Jason had responded to his message. Tim didn’t take the time to read it, instead typing up a blank email with the subject line “um might need help asap :( he here”. He sent it. Then he huddled down to wait.

Noises came from the kitchen- the suction as the fridge opened. The beep of the microwave. A man’s voice saying, “What the fuck? Did I leave this here?”

His blood turned ice cold.

‘What did I do?’ Tim desperately tried to remember what he’d touched in the kitchen. Had he really moved something around? He didn’t remember anything! His heart rate went up like crazy.

The door opened. Tim flinched. His whole body started shaking uncontrollably.

Oh. No. It wasn’t this door yet. It was the door to the next room, the spare bedroom. He heard the weird squelch of the chest freezer opening. Then the closet door squeaked open. Something heavy moved around.

“Well, it wasn’t you,” said Mr. Orange. There was a mean satisfaction in his tone. The heavy thing moved again.

Tim’s brain went a bit blank.

Who was he talking to? Was there someone in the apartment? Hidden behind something heavy?

He opened up another email. Jason hadn’t responded, so there was no way to know if he’d seen. Tim hastily typed up, “I think there’s a living hostage in the house” and sent it as the door to the office opened.

He hugged his arms around his knees and squeezed his eyes shut. Oh gosh. Oh heck. Oh no, oh no. He bit his lower lip and broke skin.

‘No. I can’t be a baby about this.’

It was really hard with how stiff his fingers felt. But Tim put the phone in his pocket and wrestled the sharp bird weapon out. He held it clumsily. And he watched Mr. Orange’s feet move around the room. They walked around the room. He saw the curtains move as Mr. Orange pulled them to check no one was hiding there. Then he knew that Mr. Orange was coming to his hiding spot.

Tim swallowed. He waited until Mr. Orange’s feet were in sight. He stabbed his sharp thing down through the top of Mr. Orange’s sock.

Mr. Orange bellowed and fell back against his filing cabinet.

Tim scrambled out and ran.

He went towards the front door on automatic and nearly got there before he looked up and saw that yes, the chain lock was on. He couldn’t reach it.

“You little shit!” Mr. Orange bellowed. He lunged at Tim. Tim barely dodged. He jabbed at him again without looking and barreled towards the door to Mrs. Henderson’s apartment. It only had a doorknob lock. He unlatched it, praying that she had not changed her ideas about the open door policy. The door handle turned.

He threw himself into the room and slammed the door shut. He clicked the little button lock.

Mr. Orange hit the door, hard. It shook. He wasn’t saying anything anymore. There was something about that which struck Tim as absolutely terrifying. Didn’t people bellow and yell when they were mad?

He looked towards Mrs. Henderson’s door. The door shook again as Mr. Orange hit it.

Wood splintered.

If he went out Mrs. Henderson’s front door he could sprint for it. What were the odds he could outrun a grown man? If he did, wouldn’t Mr. Orange just get in his car? Potential witnesses had made Mr. Orange back off before, but he was more invested now in silencing Tim. And there was no one around. Tim had checked.

The door splintered again. He could see Mr. Orange’s shoulder. Then a socked foot.

‘I don’t think I stabbed his foot well enough,’ some distant part of Tim’s brain catalogued. ‘He’s still moving on it. If I live past this, I’m going to commit to the next stabbing with more enthusiasm.’

He bolted for the stand where Mrs. Henderson kept her mace. He was just out of sight from Mr. Orange’s hole in the door. His heart thudded so loud. His shaking had stopped. The mace didn’t feel heavy.

‘If I was taller, i’d aim for the face. I can’t pull that off. I’ll aim for center mass. He may block with an arm, but theoretically his arm will be hurt enough that I’ll be able to pull back and make another swing.’

There was a catastrophic smash from inside Mr. Orange’s apartment.

Then a “What the fuck-” that got cut off a little early. Mr. Orange sounded mad and confused.

A thud. Two smaller thuds. A clicking. Tim wanted so badly to know what was going on.

A hand reached through the hole in the door and unlatched the lock.

Tim swallowed. He readied a swing.

The door opened.

Tim took a step forward and swung Mrs. Henderson’s antique mace with maximum strength directly into the armored center mass of a guy who was NOT Mr. Orange.

“Oh my gosh,” Tim said, horrified, at the instant he connected. The guy was looking forward. He looked down too late, just as the mace hit.

There was sort of a bounce. The mace bounced back off the tummy armor without digging in or drawing blood. Half of Tim was relieved, and half was terrified that his plan had failed.

The guy doubled over and made a sound that was a lot like GURK. He clutched at his torso with one arm and pointed a gun at Tim with the other.

Tim put his hands up.

The guy looked at Tim. Presumably. It was hard to tell through his ugly red motorcycle helmet.

“I really should have known.”

His mechanical voice was scary.

Bad guy!

Tim took his chances and another swing before the guy could shoot him. He expected to hear a shot as he smashed his mace again. The guy yelped and jerked backwards to avoid getting hit. Then there was a thud.

Tim peered through the door cautiously. The guy had tripped over Mr. Orange. Mr. Orange was laying on the floor facedown, arms zip tied behind his back.

“Oh, sorry,” Tim apologized. He took a couple steps over to put the mace back away. He gave Mr. Orange a wide berth.

“I never would have guessed that the Red Hood used kids like this,” Mr. Orange said meanly. He narrowed his eyes at Tim. “Small, even for bait.”

The Red Hood guy pointed his gun at Mr. Orange’s head. Tim shrieked.

The Red guy stopped. He seemed to look at Tim again. He had some really bad words. “Alright.” He got back up to his feet and put the gun away.

Right. He’d probably just been joking or something. Tim belatedly registered the control it must have taken to not accidentally shoot while being attacked and falling over.

Oh. Wait. It was a huge coincidence that a hero came right now, unless-

‘Is this Jason?’ Tim felt his eyebrows go all the way up. He wanted to ask a million questions. His mouth was firmly glued shut, though. Partly it was infosec. But it was also embarrassment.

#red nest swap

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themeraldee · 4 months ago

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Hi! First I need to say you literally have THE BEST fic of Homelander x Reader ever (The Lucky Winner) and omfg you deserve literally every single praise in life for that one, thank you so much for fulfill my mind with content of Homelander!

And I’m here to make an interesting request (know you are picky about requests and do as your wish, I’m glad just for you to read it honestly).

It’s about some Homelander x Idol! Reader. When they meet in a interview for the first time in a TV show and Homelander think Reader is just too bubbly and naive, a truly sunshine person and of course Reader start to getting more attention in the interview. He got a bit jealous and after it start following their social media (maybe even stalking a bit) to see if they are truly all people give her credits for. little detail: Reader is keep being called of “America’s Sweet Idol” and Homelander “America’s Sweetheart”.

BAWLING MY EYES OUT, I LOVE YOUUUUU

Honestly this means the world to me. I was terribly worried about posting it, thinking that my writing was just not good enough to be posted but the feedback I got for it was so unexpected and heart-warming that I still go back to in anytime I don't feel good enough. So honestly massive thank you to you and everyone else who's given me any sort of feedback on my stories!!!

Sorry this is not actually a filled request, by oh myyyyy I love this!!!

And the part of the Boys I particularly enjoyed was just how commercialized superheroes are. Like you have these incredibly super-abled people and you're putting their faces on a box of cereal... And I love how soulless that is! The corporate/commercialized superhero America was always much more interesting to me than the political part that came later.

SO I adore prompts that delve into the social media part of their lives. And how much they really are just media trained puppets that rattle off their lines and curate the perfect image on social media. As much as Homelander loves the attention from people it's also annoying that they're clapping for the Vought approved & perfect image (obvs until we find later when he realizes that they don't care what he does).

So it'd be interesting to me to see him look down on the reader while finding out their life is difficult in the same way? The perfectly manicured and maintained image in front of cameras - just like him! Either bcs he's pissed that they're genuinely as nice and perfect as they seem while he has to keep up the façade or just determined to find out what's wrong with them. What are they hiding behind this persona??

Idk I just love how complicated perceptions of people get when there are cameras involved.

Homelander would wrangle someone from crime analytics to dig up everything they can on the reader, really trying to come up with some dirt that will make them so not the America's Sweet Idol.

I'd loooooove from them be shipped by all the fans so OF COURSE Vought has to spin up a whole fake relationship for the public. Very soon it'd be fake from only reader's perspective once Homelander would settle his claws into the reader and they'd realize what they actually got themselves into.

#first of all I realize that this is just a lot of rambling that makes no sense #second of all a lot of asks I answer but don't fic-fill go into a little bank of ideas to revisit when I've got more spare time to write #this is deffo one of them #bcs like many asks in my inbox I don't want them to rot there unanswered waiting till I've got a spare minute #SOO if i've answered your ask without a fic even though you've requested it there's a chance I'll get back to it #and if you've sent in a fic request and haven't heard back from me I do plan on getting to it!#homelander x reader #asks!

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otakubimbo · 1 year ago

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Weakness

Hawks x F!Reader

It was your first event as a new hero in Japan after coming here from America. You knew you had to put your best foot forward, you just didn't expect someone to try and step on that foot.

Content: Cussing. No other warnings just a small rival type dynamic.

Sticky Note: I don't think there will be a continuation but you can ask <3

masterlist

You were nervous now. It was the night of the gala, and you weren’t the most sociable person due to your upbringing. You came from a very strict household and as the daughter of one of the top heroes of the southern region of America, your father took training and being a hero above anything else in life. Of course, you were perfectly media trained but your social battery ran short, and even shorter was your patience. Before you knew it there was a knock at your door, opening it to reveal a nicely dressed Aizawa. He was sporting a simple black suit, his hair pulled back out of his face for once but neatly in a bun at the nape of his neck.

“Well, don’t you clean up nice” You mention letting him in so you can get your purse and shoes.

“I can say the same about you. Expect it seems you’re always half naked” He comments looking at your dress, causing you to roll your eyes. The dress was a bit risky, but you needed it to be just in case you needed to be in combat. It was a beautiful dress; he did have to admit though. Sage green, backless exposing the wings that could protrude out of your skin at any moment, the slit coming up dangerously high on the floor-length gown with the neckline going dangerously low. Your quirk altered your body and the last thing you wanted was to ruin clothing due to it. (an: it is like Mira Jane's ability in fairy tail)

“You gonna pay to get me new outfits that get destroyed by my quirk?” You question as you make sure to slick down your edges perfectly, your hair was down for once in a twist out but with one side braided back, you wanted to make sure your edges were laid properly. He just scoffs at you.

You turn to him once you finish applying your lipstick, “I do look good though, yes? Cause I know the press is going to be there. And my dad would be pissed at any bad publicity.” You ask nervously trying to make sure you look your best; your image is extremely important to him.

“Yes, you look really pretty.” He says a hint of sympathy in his voice, you’ve told him stories about your father, he’s heard how your father talks to you.

“Okay. Good, good. Let’s go.” You exhale, grab your purse, and head to the door.

When you arrived at the gala, you were correct about the press being there. You groaned, you knew it was time to turn it up for the cameras and you hated this so badly. Aizawa gently squeezed your shoulder reassuringly before he got out of the car to give his keys to the valet and help you out. As soon as you stepped out, the flashing of cameras was automatically blinding. Your biggest fakest smile was plastered on your face as you grasped Aizawa's bicep gently. Your superhero name is being called from all sides as you walk towards the entrance of the gala hall.

“Eraser head! Vixen! This way!” Several photographers shouted at the two of you, you stopped Aizawa for a few pictures and he allowed you to take a few by yourself, not leaving you alone to face the press. Eventually found your way inside away from most of the press and photographers. The smile almost immediately disappears from your face.

“You are really a professional” Aizawa comments looking at your dropped face.

“Shout out to my dad for that.” You say with a shrug, scanning the room filled with Heroes, Sidekicks, and investors. “I need a drink, immediately.” Luckily for you, there wasn’t a waiter too far away carrying champagne. You glide over stealing one for yourself, immediately downing it, and picking up another.

“Okay. I’m ready to mingle” you say as you put your camera smile back on. The night was going well for you despite how much you really hated people. Aizawa’s bored and annoyed expressions kept most people away luckily for you. Everyone wanted to get to know more about the rising American hero working at UA.

“Everyone likes a new face and possible controversy.” You speak as you take down your fifth glass of champagne. “I have to find a bathroom in here, I’ll be back, and you better not dare leave with me!” You say as you hand him your glass. Knowing yourself, you should have asked someone where the bathrooms were located due to your terrible sense of direction. Now you were lost. When you turn the corner, you see a pair of red wings and, finally, a person! You recognized who it was due to Midoriya telling you all about the top heroes, he was a well of knowledge about almost every single one.

“Oh hi, uhm? Quick question” You call as you walk up to him and smirks at you, eyeing you up and down.

“Hmmn, I didn’t know I had fans as pretty as you.” He comments smugly and it takes everything in you not to grimace and roll your eyes. What an asshole.

“Actually, I’m” You start, and he cuts you off before you can even finish your statement.

“Oh, a journalist then? I’m sure you’re gorgeous on camera.” He states cockily and this time you couldn’t hold your facial expressions, your scowl, and disgust takes him aback. What the fuck was with this guy?

“AYE!” A voice calls behind you, Aizawa. Wonderful. You don’t even acknowledge Hawks anymore, turning on your heels. Once you turned, Hawks noticed your back and his eyes widened at the sight. The wings embroidered into your back, it hit him. You weren’t a fan or a journalist, you were that new American hero everyone had been talking about. He watched as you walked away with the older hero, as he guided you to wherever you were trying to go in the first place.

You told Aizawa what happened as he guided you back from the actual bathroom.

“Yeah, I heard that he was like that. He is just a kid.” He says with a shrug as if it was expected.

“We are literally the same age, I think.” You scoff at him.

“And you’re just a kid” He comments making you roll your eyes at him. Once back in the event hall, you continue to mingle and drink. Eventually, Aizawa is taken about by Mic leaving you standing there alone. How awkward. From the corner of your eye, you see that arrogant man approaching you. Everything in you doesn’t want to acknowledge him but since you’re at an event you put your fake smile on when he walks up saying hello.

“What could you possibly fucking want?” You speak with a smile still on your face that doesn’t match your words.

He was taken a bit back by how harsh you sounded yet still smiling at him, “I actually came to apologize to you.” The sincerity in his voice takes you aback, making you drop the fake smile.

“Whatever. Thanks, I guess.” You reply taking a sip of your drink, attempting to scan the room for Aizawa. Hawks could tell what you were doing, looking for an out to stop speaking to him. For some reason, he didn’t like that.

“You looking for Eraserhead?” He asks a bit annoyed by your lack of caring and your gaze falls back onto him.

“I am. It looks like the event is ending soon, so.” You say trying to give him the hint to leave you alone. This was awkward. Hawks was nervous, why was he nervous? You looked so disinterested in him and he wasn’t used to that, he didn’t like it. Luckily for you, you see a reporter walking up now hopefully Hawks will leave.

“Hello, you’re Vixen, right? I’m from the Daily Hero and just wanted to know if we could ask you a few questions.”

The camera-ready smile came right back on your face, “Oh absolutely you can.”

“Wonderful, wonderful. So, the first question, it appears that you came here today with pro-hero Eraserhead. Are the two of you an item? I know there’s a bit of an age gap there but as they say, age isn’t but a number.”

You giggly as fake shyly as you could at the question, you expected it as much, people love that kind of gossip, “Oh no. He’s a dear mentor of mine. Since I work under him at UA, he decided he would accompany me here. It was nice to be escorted by a familiar face.”

“I don’t know I did see a little blush on your face. How kind of him, he’s not really known for his sensitive side.” The reporter jokes. “I would understand if he thought otherwise, you are absolutely gorgeous. Have you seen any heroes who have caught your eye then? Civilians?”

You giggle again before answering, “I’ve barely met anyone since I’ve been here. Between being a hero and a teacher, I’m pretty busy. The only thing that has my attention is helping aspiring heroes and making sure citizens are safe.” Oh, that was a great answer, you thought. Hopefully, your dad would like these interviews.

“You really are the definition of being a hero. The rumors of your charm are true it seems. Even though you may not have an eye on anyone it does look like you may have caught the eye of pro hero Hawks over here.” She comments, having them turn the camera to him. Fuck. You would have thought he would have left. You keep forcing the smile on your face as the interviewer moves the two of you into one frame.

“So, Hawks, what do you think of Vixen?” The reporter turns her attention to him, you pray he doesn’t ruin this interview for you especially since you’ve been rude to him.

“She sure is something, beautiful. I do think she isn’t quite fond of me though” He says with a sly smile toward you and it takes all your professionalism to bite back a scowl. This makes the reporter raise a brow towards you and if on cue you hide your face in your hands feigning embarrassment. You giggle hitting him on the shoulder gently but digging your claws into his skin as a warning.

“That’s not even close to the truth.” You say take your other hand to shade your mouth from his view “ya know, even pro heroes get nervous when they meet someone like him. He’s a big hit with all the students talking him up, anyone would be a bit uneasy at first meeting the top 2 hero of Japan.”

Your eyes flick to Hawks for a second, taking in the slightly shocked expression on his face at your reply. Oh, you were better than he expected you to be in the media, especially being the same age as him. He could feel the smugness radiating from you as you deflected his response turning it back on him.

“Well Hawks it seems you may be too intimidating for the up-and-coming foreign hero. It was nice speaking with the both of you.” The reporter finishes up before thanking you both for your time.

Immediately after they leave your smile drops and you turn to scowl at him.

“It was cute how you tried to ruin my interview.” You say in a huff, taking another sip of your drink.

“You think I’m cute?” He asks with a sly smile but when you look at him, it’s like you can see through him. You flustered him with what he thought was a bit of praise. A small shade of pink was starting to come across his cheeks. Okay, you could admit he was kind of cute.

“I think you’re something for sure.” You say before turning hearing your name being called, it was Aizawa. Great, time to go home. “Well, it was definitely not a pleasure meeting you. Bye Hawks” You saunter away towards Aizawa, grabbing onto his arm looking back at him one last time before leaving. Hawks watched you leave, his heart racing. That small interaction with you has his knees weak. Hawks didn’t have many weaknesses, but you might be a new one.

#bnha #bnha x reader #mha #my hero academia #my hero acedamia #boku no hero academia #mha hawks #bnha hawks #hawks #hawks x reader #keigo takami #takami keigo #hawks mha #aizawa shouta #mha aizawa #aizawa sensei #bnha aizawa

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zepskies · 1 year ago

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Why We Love the Boys

As promised, here is my review of Supes Ain’t Always Heroes. I actually used to write book reviews in my high school journalism days, so here we go!

What this book is: A masterful deep dive. A study on character psychology, the source of the comic and show’s inspiration, and the narrative themes illustrated in The Boys that parallel American culture and our real lives.

It includes interviews from one of the comic’s creators, Darick Robertson, The Krip himself (Eric Kripke), and actors Jim Beaver (Robert Singer), Aya Cash (Stormfront), Chace Crawford (The Deep), Jessie T. Usher (A-Train), Nathan Mitchell (Black Noir), and of course, Jensen Ackles (Soldier Boy).

It also includes a small but significant ode to the creativity of fans and fandom (with a mention of fanfic writers)!

I’ll admit, I felt seen. 😊

Who wrote it: Psychologists Lynn S. Zubernis and Matthew Snyder, among several other contributors. Zubernis is a self-proclaimed fangirl of not only this show, but also of Supernatural and Eric Kripke in general. (That aspect definitely comes through in her writing.)

She is also editor of Family Don’t End with Blood: Cast and Fans on How Supernatural Changes Lives and There’ll Be Peace When you Are Done: Actors and Fans Celebrate the Legacy of Supernatural—both of which I now want to read.

As I mentioned, several other authors also contributed to this book, as their expertise and backgrounds lend to the subjects they’re covering, such as racism, sexism, the entertainment industry, the comic’s inception, and more.

Who wants to read this book: Anyone who enjoys learning about what makes characters tick. What drives their choices, their sense of morality and justice, and their trauma and strife that lead them to do heinous things. This book will help you better understand your favorite characters (and how to write about them).

Perhaps most importantly, this book is for anyone who wants to read it put into words, why many of us love The Boys, as well as Supernatural.

In a way, the latter is more escapism entertainment than The Boys. Because in this show, there isn’t much, if any escape.

Despite this being a “superhero show,” as we all know, it’s so much more than that. It’s a mirror held directly into our own faces: about why we enjoy heroes and antiheroes, and excuse the “bad behavior” of the ones we like.

About mental health, grief and loss, nature and nurture, coping mechanisms and the importance of choice in dealing with trauma; of racism, sexism, misogyny, weaponized social media, politics, corporate greed, and the power (and cruelty) of good marketing.

This book explores the true villain of the story...and it ain’t Homelander.

I’m going to get into my favorite aspects of this book—as well as an amazing chapter on Soldier Boy’s character study (and why we love him, perhaps too much).

There was also one small, but key thing I would add to that argument. But first...

The Mirror of The Boys on Screen

This world is a gritty, bloody, and at times all-too realistic take on how superheroes would be if they lived in our world.

They are the worst of celebrities, professional athletes, and politicians all rolled into one. They are the shiny products of a company and are marketed as such—and worst of all, they often buy into their own hype.

Some of my favorite quotes on this topic:

“The Boys often reflects darkness in our real world that is uncomfortable to watch. While we go through the tedium of our daily lives, trying to get by and using television or comics as an escape, it can feel difficult and overwhelming to confront the very real and insidious sources of authoritarianism, nationalism, and corporatism that are not just part of a story. “This show holds up a mirror and forces us to catch a glimpse of things we need to question, and asks us why we so easily believe the talking points of systems with marketing departments and press flacks behind them that carefully massage every word in order to get us to feel enamored with their product or policy.” (p. 227-228)

“The Boys works to reveal the nonaltruistic, sociopathic nature of contemporary US corporate culture. In a sense, The Boys uses the behavior of its characters to diagnose not an individual, but a culture.” (255)

In studying narrative I’ve learned that the best fiction and art serve to reflect the human experience. In this case, it’s something The Boys does expertly, even though it’s packaged in extreme, shocking, and often uncomfortable ways. But also in brutal, hilarious satire that’s fun to watch.

It “exposes real-world abuses, revealing many” of our own frustrations in American culture and in life in general (267).

Major Themes & Questions Explored

Several Boys themes are explored from a psychological, cultural, and narrative point of view, as I mentioned earlier. These are some of my favorite segments:

Toxic Masculinity & Narcissism

A whopper in The Boys, and the main theme of season 3. This book defines clearly what both of these words actually mean from a psychological point of view.

It also takes the bad taste out of your mouth that you might get from just hearing the words “toxic masculinity,” as it’s a phrase that can be carelessly thrown around to describe men and character traits that aren’t truly toxic...

How being emotionally available to your loved ones and not repressive of your feelings doesn’t make you weak, or less of a man. And how “being strong” doesn’t mean being physically violent and domineering. (AKA: the Big Swinging Dick™️ in the room.)

Narcissism is explored in a very interesting way. The book gives a diagram of different aspects of narcissists and how each character (Soldier Boy, Homelander, Butcher, and the Deep) falls into them.

Soldier Boy, for example, is classified as a “Classic Narcissist,” while Homelander a “Malignant Narcissist.” <- This will play into Soldier Boy’s character study, and the main difference between Soldier Boy and Homelander.

Butcher, however, displays narcissistic tendencies but is not, in fact, a narcissist. (More of an antisocial sociopath. Yay for him.)

Misogyny & Sexism

The classic superhero world of comics dates back to the 1930s and ‘40s. It has been, and in many respects still is a (White) male-dominated industry, where in narrative, female superheroes typically work under a male leading the team, as in Justice League, Teen Titans, and the Avengers.

As much as I love DC and Marvel comics, female characters have also been depicted wildly sexual for male readers and the male gaze, and non-supe characters have been written primarily as love interests and damsels for the hero to save. (Think Lois Lane, Lana Lang, and Mary Jane.)

Modern adaptions have given female characters more agency, but their foundations were rooted in underlying sexism and the mythic hero—an Odysseus-type with certain characteristics of male strength and heroism; and that goes all the way back to classic literature, like The Odyssey, Beowulf, and the Epic of Gilgamesh.

In The Boys, the female supes go through the same issues as their comic counterparts. They are treated how women are treated in the real world—marketable as sexual objects. Starlight’s forced costume change is a prime example.

Author Danielle Turchiano argues in the book that the women in power at Vought (Madelyn Stillwell, later Ashley) are given only so much power as men like Stan Edgar and Homelander give to them.

Stillwell, Ashley, and even Stormfront “drink the Kool Aid” of the misogynistic infrastructure of Vought, but they’re not truly “powerful” in and of themselves (112).

I would add that the only female characters that have or find true agency are Grace Mallory, Annie January/Starlight, and Maggie Shaw/Queen Maeve. Even Victoria Neuman is trying to work the political schematic and Vought by operating within the system Vought has created.

Mental Health, Trauma & Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms

This is a huge section, and rightly so. It kind of spans throughout the book, really, because all of these characters have traumas that inform who they are as adults making the (often grotesque) choices they make.

For many of these characters, it stems from their upbringing and fraught relationships with their parents, whether explicitly or implicitly explored in the show.

Butcher: Is an antisocial sociopath with narcissistic tendencies. Arrogant, emotionally manipulative, violent, and obsessive. He was also physically and emotionally abused by his father, led to use drinking and violence as a means to cope and express himself. His rage is so deep under his skin—he loathes himself for it (and his father), but struggles immensely to escape it.

Homelander (John): A malignant narcissist, the height of arrogance, and emotionally manipulative. He lacks empathy for others' pain, and in fact enjoys inflicting it. Yet according to Jonah Vogelbaum, "John" was a sensitive, gentle child who only wanted connection and love. Vogelbaum raised him like a lab rat and fostered him in a cold, detached cell. He was raised to be entitled and to believe he was an all-powerful god, the lord of his own kingdom within his mind, excused from the responsibility of his actions.

Soldier Boy (Ben): Also a narcissist; violent, arrogant, misogynistic, and often indifferent to the damage he causes, emotional or physical. Yet he was also emotionally abused by his father, who set high and exacting standards for what it meant to be a man. It drives Ben to try and prove his worth to his father, though he’s never able to. It fosters the lack of self-worth he probably feels as he seeks validation through fame, and what he believes power to be.

These three characters have many similarities, but also notable differences that set them apart from one another. And both Butcher and Soldier Boy use substances like drugs and alcohol to cope with their traumas—ones that their forced stoicism and sense of manhood won’t allow them to easily express.

“We see Soldier Boy use substances almost continuously in season three to deal with his PTSD from the childhood emotional abuse he received from his father, the betrayal and assault from his team, and the torture he endured from the Russian scientists.

“In the short term, the use of drugs and alcohol to avoid thoughts and feelings about traumatic experiences can be felt as helpful, but in the long term, it hinders one’s ability to process emotions and can cause a deeper depression from the guilt and shame of both avoidance and substance abuse.” (27)

Heroes, Antiheroes & Villains

This book explores two key questions that the show encourages you to think about:

Who the hell is the hero of this story?

And who is the villain?

The surface-level answer is that Homelander and other supes like him are the villains, and Butcher and his band of bros are the heroes (or antiheroes). But they commit just as questionable, sketchy, and downright murderous acts as the supes they’re trying to take down.

“Butcher is not really a good guy. He’s manipulative and self-centered. His reasons for wanting to take down Homelander are utterly personal. That it serves the greater good is almost a coincidence.” (9)

And if Butcher is not a hero, but a vengeful vigilante, then why do we root for him so much?

Well, we see his incredible flaws, of course, but I sympathize with his struggle in losing his wife and the life he could've continued to have with her. I root for the underdog going against the hydra head of Vought and the psychopathic Homelander.

I see in Butcher, as I also do with Homelander and Soldier Boy, their traumas and their internal conflicts, their deep-rooted self-loathing, and a desire, deep, deep down…to be loved.

(And to foster connection with others, even if they’re unable to sustain them.)

On the flipside, we have antagonists in this show who do truly heinous things. What makes them compelling even sympathetic at times, yet again, are their painful upbringings that have shaped them to be who they are. The supes of this show are byproducts of being treated like products.

Like the saying goes: Villains aren’t born, they’re made.

That’s why the real villain of this story is Vought International. It’s an allegory, and an indictment of the ruthless corporate greed that pervades American culture—and much of the world.

It’s why Stan Edgar is sometimes scarier to me than even Homelander (and was the true villain of my story, Break Me Down), if far more insidious.

Speaking of BMD, let’s get to it, shall we?

Here’s a (lot) bit about the Soldier Boy section of the book.

Soldier Boy: Why We Can’t Hate Him

I had to laugh out loud at the title of Soldier Boy’s chapter:

Loving the Villain: The Confusing Case of Soldier Boy

I’m not gonna lie. I felt called out. 😂

It is a confusing dichotomy. Soldier Boy is an absolute asshole. Misogynistic, narcissistic, arrogant, callous, violent…

But also deeply traumatized, a man-out-of-time, emotionally abused, a byproduct of the historically and culturally different time he was raised in, a man who just doesn’t get it…

And also charming, adorably grumpy, and undoubtedly attractive.

It’s hard to indict “Ben” as an unredeemable villain in the same way I do Homelander, the psychologist-labelled Malignant Narcissist.

Therein lies the main difference between Soldier Boy and Homelander: Soldier Boy doesn’t seem to take joy in harming others the way Homelander does...but, Soldier Boy still harms people, whether he means to or not. He is arrogant and callous, deeply traumatized and vengful.

Zubernis confirms many of my own conclusions and ideas about Soldier Boy, and why I still rooted for him to be better, and didn’t want him to die at the end of season 3.

As Zubernis rightly exclaimed during her own watch of the finale: “Noooo, don’t kill the Danger Grandpa Baby Murder Kitten!” (175)

Because Jensen did what he does best in his roles: He made us feel Ben’s pain.

“What’s funny is, in regard to Jensen playing Soldier Boy, you know he’s fucking fantastic, he’s just so good at bringing the audience, and it’s almost like—what I laugh about is, he was probably a little too good at his job!” Kripke said. (180)

And he continues, “In part it’s because of the fandom. So many people took his side in the finale, they’re like, Were’s on his side, fuck everyone! And you’re like, but he’s the bad guy and he’s trying to kill a ten-year-old.”

Were there fans who held this viewpoint? I’m sure. There are some radicals who don’t care about the humanity of characters or story and will side with their favorites, come whatever. But while I can’t speak for others, that’s not how I interpreted that moment in the season 3 finale when I watched it for the first, second, and even third time.

Yes, I think Soldier Boy was wrongfully willing to fight Ryan after cruelly batting him away. Do I think he would’ve killed him? I’m not sure. I think he would’ve continued to do what he had to do to get Ryan out of his way in his fight with Homelander. Maybe he would’ve been more violent than he intended, in the callous collateral damage he’d shown throughout the season. Maybe he would've held back at the last second. Or maybe he would’ve gone that far, if provoked.

It’s a tough call, as I think this character can go one way or the other in terms of his “villain” nature. We just haven’t seen enough of him in the series yet for me to make that conclusion on the canon-version of Soldier Boy. (In fanfic, I’ve explored my own interpretation.)

But overall, I think The Krip underestimated the power of Jensen’s acting.

…And the ardent nature of his mostly female fanbase. 😂

Why We Love Soldier Boy

The author cites multiple reasons for why we love Ben more than we probably should:

It’s Jensen Ackles: Fair enough. His talent speaks for itself.

Soldier Boy’s backstory: He was emotionally abused by his father and as a result, he has a complex regarding his self-worth, “something to prove,” and I would imagine a secret need for attention, validation, and praise.

He has trauma and PTSD: He is displaced from what is familiar to him and confused when the boys find him, and that is the least of it. He’s been tortured for 40 years. Can you even wrap your mind around that? (*cough cough Dean Winchester in Hell cough*)

He’s charming: In a sexy grandpa, adorably grumpy, lovable asshole kind of way.

We’re drawn to danger: Dangerous “edgy” types are fun, especially when you’re physically attracted to the character.

He has his moments of vulnerability: Jensen’s ability to play the nuance in the character is the ultimate draw. I felt his pain, could see his torture, and his resulting PTSD. He even admits that he longs for a family, even if his ability to bring up those children is questionable at best. 😅

But I think the one aspect that can also be considered is the character’s capacity for change.

Soldier Boy’s Potential

Again, I don’t think you can write off Soldier Boy’s potential for positive character development the same way you can Homelander, or even Butcher.

For one thing, we just haven’t spent enough time with the character. In season 3, a lot of his collateral damage after he escapes imprisonment has been accidental, or PTSD-induced. Though we can’t discount how he murdered M.M.’s grandfather via collateral damage (and was callous about it).

I think this is what drew me to write about Soldier Boy. For all his arrogance, his chauvinism, his massive ego and general bastardry, there’s still humanity in Ben.

In the book, Nathan Mitchell says something amazing about his own character (Black Noir) that resonated with me about Soldier Boy as well:

"One of the ingredients of a compelling character is contradiction. How does one aspect of our personality contradict with one another? [...] Who is he underneath? How might his true nature contrast with the demands of his job?"

Or coded for Soldier Boy/Ben: The pressures he puts on himself to be the type of man he thought his father wanted him to be.

Again, his sexist, misogynistic ideals are shaped by the time he was raised in, by being a product of Vought, and of his father’s emotionally abusive upbringing. Does this excuse or justify all of his behavior? Of course not.

But I do think those 40 years in captivity changed him from the careless alpha dog we saw in 1984 Nicaragua…

He admits to Crimson Countess, with tears in his eyes, that he’d loved her. That he waited for her and his team—arguably the only social system he had in his life—to save him. He’s gutted to realize that not only did she and the rest of the team never love him, they hated him. They traded him for nothing. Just to get him out of their lives.

For all he claims to be afraid of nothing, tough as shit, he is afraid when he goes to face Mindstorm. He knows what the supe is capable of, and he visibly takes a shaky breath and tries to steel himself.

For a moment, he drops the “Soldier Boy” persona that he wears like that fine tailored suit, and he tells Butcher that the backstory Vought created for him was a lie; he grew up a rich kid who got sent to boarding school, but flunked out, because "he was a fuck up." And his father couldn’t be bothered to lay a hand on him, implying he didn’t care enough about his own son to "discipline" him.

He is reluctant to kill Homelander when he finds out he’s Ben’s son (sort of). He even claims that he would’ve been willing to share the spotlight “with his own son.” — Something I doubt even Homelander would do.

Ben even seems to be fighting tears when he levies the same vitriol at Homelander that his own father did at him:

Homelander: “Weak? I’m you.” Soldier Boy: “I know. You’re a fucking disappointment.”

Let me be clear. I don’t think it’s up to someone to change him (like a love interest). I don’t subscribe to that thinking, that a woman can “change” a man.

For example: In season 2, Butcher tells Becca, “Who was I before you? Nothing.”

And yet, she tells him that he put her on an unrealistic and unsustainable pedestal, in which she felt like she wasn’t allowed to fully be herself, unable to keep him from flying off the handle in rage. That kind of relationship (where one is dependent on the other to “keep them in check”) doesn’t work as a lasting, satisfying redemption arc, and it often doesn’t work in real life either.

I do think, however, that a person is capable of change if they’re broken down enough (pun intended), and if they themselves have a desire to change. Someone they encounter can inspire them to be better, like Butcher with Hughie. That person can help support the other.

At the end of the day, however, it’s Ben that has to want to change.

If he wants love and connection, he’ll have to somehow want it, and try (and sometimes fail) to get it, thereby giving him agency and a redemptive character arc.

Now, obviously, it’s up to The Krip where Ben goes from here. He seems to have a more indicting vision of the character than I do (at least, so far). But we’ll see! The fan demand to bring back the character has already had Kripke confirming that Soldier Boy will be back.

Maybe it will encourage him to give the character a more satisfying ending than Dean Winchester got in Supernatural. Though granted, that one wasn’t his doing, apparently he was in favor of that ending, which ultimately culminated 15 years of monster slaying and broments under Baby's roof.

Comparing Dean & Ben

In his interview segment, Jensen talks about what, if any, are the comparisons between Dean Winchester and Soldier Boy. AKA: Wanting a father’s approval, and an undercurrent of “John Wayne”-esque masculinity in John Winchester that Dean sought to emulate.

Jensen also talks about where he drew from to not only embody the character of Soldier Boy, but bring nuance to him—and show the peeks of vulnerability under the bravado and stoicism.

“He’s so fragile and his ego is fragile. Just like Homelander. These bigger-than-life powerful heroes really have a glass jaw… “And everyone walks on eggshells around him [Soldier Boy], and they tell him that they love him, and it’s the same with Homelander. Then when all of a sudden he faces his old team and Crimson Countess says we never loved you, we hated you—that’s a gut punch for him. Because even though on some level he may have known that, he never thought he would hear it. “And he probably propped himself up around trying to believe otherwise, because how can you walk around knowing everyone you’ve ever cared about hates you? It’s too painful.” (191)

It really is. I inherently felt this about Soldier Boy (Ben) when I watched season 3 for the first time. That’s exactly what I got from his performance and thought, there’s more to this guy than the toxic masculinity he represents.

This guy just wants to be loved, like everyone else. He wants to feel important, and even after his father’s dead, “show him” that Ben is the man his father wanted him to be. And so, he bought into the illusion Vought painstakingly crafted for him.

Whether he can come back from that remains to be seen, but I choose to be optimistic until evidence points to the contrary. 😅 (Maybe we’ll see in season 4!)

So that’s my personal take on Soldier Boy and this awesome book. 💚 Thank you again @kaleldobrev for recommending it to me! I hope you all enjoyed my long-winded review and want to check this out.

And if you do read it, let me know! I hope to read your thoughts as well!

Tagging people who said they wanted to read my review on this book: @venus-haze @jessjad @kristophalis @sl33pylilbunny

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wafflesrisa · 1 year ago

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Sometimes I wish the F1 drivers weren’t trained to show no signs of weakness like some kind of unrealistic superhero movie.

There isn’t much recognition of the unacceptable racing conditions on Twitter or any other mainline socials. I wonder whether it’s because all the drivers who needed medical attention toughed it out until they could safely collapse behind closed doors - in the back of a garage, in the medical centre, in the back of an ambulance.

What will it take for the FIA to take this seriously and for social media to have an appropriately strong reaction? Thank goodness it didn’t happen, but would it have helped if a driver had collapsed in parc fermé? Or if Oscar had passed out on the way to the podium?

Sadly I think the answer is yes.

#I almost feel guilty for thinking this #I’m glad it didn’t happen but the drives toughing it out means the fia has leverage to sweep this under the rug #and that’s what they’ll try to do #it’s abhorrent #but it would almost have been better if any of the drivers had forced the fia’s hand #I’m glad everyone is safe #f1 #logan sargeant #Esteban ocon #Oscar piastri #max verstappen #lando norris #george russell #lance stroll #alex albon #fernando alonso #qatar gp 2023

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benzjr · 1 year ago

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The 2024 reboot no one was expecting...

Those of you who have been around for a while might just remember back when I did fanfiction, and if you do, you might remember the story of my Supernoobs OC Josh Carter, the aspiring social butterfly, future superstar and reluctant superhero whose life was getting way more complicated these days...

Back towards the end of 2019, I was really starting to lose steam with him; the inspiration I had for him was really starting to wane, especially given the fandom seemed to peter out and my previous partner-in-angst-crime Pumpkin (@whynotzoidbergdotorg) moved on to other creations. I've definitely missed creating fandom work over the past few years, but between not really finding anything to grab my attention in the same way and a series of setbacks in my life (not to mention the grind of growing my YouTube channel), things just happened to fall by the wayside.

But it seems I wasn't posting into the void after all! Josh and his story left a huge impact on the small but surprisingly resilient Supernoobs fandom, and over the past few months I've been pulled back in, thanks especially to @ghostlyapivorous' @superastral-official and @jaspydunks' @noobs-rewritten. So much so, that I've been re-motivated to return and at least continue (I don't think I should be presumptuous and suggest "finish") Josh's story. In addition to a few unreleased chapters from the original run, I've been working on continuing the story, and I've almost gotten to the end of Dancefest, where we originally left off.

We'll be picking up from there soon, but it didn't seem fully right to go back to using the old 2016 designs of our main cast — my artistic workflow has completely changed since then. So, it was time to give them all a glow-up. The primary goal was mainly to get them looking closer to the show's style, though I've also taken the opportunity to resolve a few longstanding annoyances with some of the characters and change some things up. Despite not being part of the main cast, I also decided to do an image for Zoey, given she's a pretty recurrent character in the series. Just like the first time around, expect to see new art of these kids in the future (though I don't think I'll spin up @joshcartersblog again).

Look out for the continuation of Josh's story very soon, but in the meantime, catch up on how Josh got here:

A Future Super-Something, the first story: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Perfect Disasters, the second story: 1 2 3 4 5 6

Over and Out, the third story: 1 & 2 3 4 5

Diamonds on the Rebound, the fourth story

Reminiscence, the fifth story

A Hero’s Prelude, the sixth story: 1 2 3

Dancefest, the seventh story (so far)

Text versions of everyone's descriptions under the cut.

Josh Carter

Josh Carter has only one goal in mind: becoming one of the popular kids. Enamored with fame and starry-eyed about celebrity, he's chasing the top of the Cornbury Middle School food chain with the help of his friends. Clever, ambitious, and seemingly carefree, he'll stop at nothing in his quest to rise to the top without losing himself, while making plenty of buzz along the way.

…But will something bigger and more destructive than the current popular clique or a mortifying social mishap stop him in his tracks?

Dreams of a social media-perfect lifestyle

Friends with Jock Jockerson despite not being a jock

His "walk-in closet" is practically a department store for one

The Yellow Superdude

As elusive as he is mysterious, the Yellow Superdude is the newest addition to Cornbury's local team of intergalactic virus warriors. But he doesn't seem too happy about having the opportunity of a lifetime; honestly, it seems like he doesn't get along with the other four at all. With the heroes already building local recognition and facing even bigger battles, can he ever become the hero the Earth needs — and does he even want to?

Alias: ???

Powers: Energy blasts, stretchy body, shapeshifting, possibly more if he ever actually went to training

Always has messy hair for some reason

Simon Parker

Josh's best friend since forever, Simon is the realist of the group. As much an inventive strategist as an easygoing wingman, Simon's a true ride-or-die in Josh's popularity adventures, turbocharging their social game while keeping his starstruck bro down-to-earth. They've been there for each other even in their lowest moments, including Simon's brutally public one last year. It's a trust that makes Simon unafraid to be honest with Josh. But despite all this, is Josh keeping a super-sized secret from him?

Enjoys the outdoors with his parents

Still recovering from a 7th-grade incident where he was dubbed "The Whale"

Maintains countless inside jokes and references with Josh

Rebecca Hewitt

Rebecca is a punchy wildcard who's garnered her own notoriety. Since stumbling into Josh's high-flying life in sixth grade, she's been looking to find herself somewhere in the many aesthetics Josh's influencer adventures bring into her world. Rough around the edges but fun at heart, she's not one to mess with, but worth having in your corner.

Recovering horse girl

Still throwing out Mini-Horse Friendship Force merchandise

Best dodgeball player in the class

Zoey Miller

Zoey is the intrepid reporter behind The Cornbury Hound Dog, Cornbury Middle School's unofficial school news blog. Zoey can be eager and persistent to a fault, the perfect attitude for hunting the next big story. She keeps up on all the gossip around the halls — especially Josh's ambitious search for teenage stardom. Totally not because she has a crush on him or anything…

An ace at alliteration

Has a venerable collection of visor hats

Elaborately daydreams of meet-cutes with Josh

#supernoobs #supernoobs oc #josh carter oc #fanart

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detectivereads · 8 months ago

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Superman Vs Meshi vol 2 by Satoshi Miyagawa & Kai Kitago

5/5

This post is for fan entertainment, I’m not being paid.

Click here to see Vol 1

Click here to see Vol 3

Yay! Vol 2 of Superman Vs Meshi! I am glad I picked up the first 3 volumes when I did and didn’t just get Vol 1. I am hooked on this series. I am wondering if they would make an anime of this. But now I am in a rabbit hole of watching Japanese food videos. Watching train bentos is oddly relaxing.

Now reading volume 2, Superman has been paired up with some new Justice League members (Wonder Woman, The Flash and Batman also Cyborg.) Each person got their own chapters with Superman treating them to lunch and them being smitten by Japanese cuisine.

The one chapter I did like a little more than anything is the chapter with Cyborg, it shows a side of Cyborg that we don’t really get to see much. I remember an episode of Teen Titian (not Teen Titian Go!) that it was a Cyborg chapter and Teen Titian was the thing I want to say that got me more interested in DC superhero more than Marvel. This chapter shows Cyborg’s insecurities, that when I read it when Cyborg had his accident and was made into Cyborg that he kind of fell into be more robotic (lack of a better term).

But Superman show him one of his favorite restaurants that he likes and when Cyborg eats some bombastic beef curry that is what sets a spark in Cyborg that he reflects on himself, and he gush about how great the curry is.

Another chapter I enjoyed reading is when Superman gets in a photo war on social media with Lex Luther. Luther had posted delicious, expensive looking meals. Does our boy Superman take that declaration of war lying down…no he does not. So, (and this is why I love this chapter) Superman picks the restaurant that will help him beat Luthor a gyoza restaurant he also orders this amazing looking crab omelet and several different gyoza.

We also see Luther in later chapters, still saying the same old thing that earth doesn’t need Superman.

The last chapter that I read I did feel pity for the man of steel, that Superman does put his life and safety on the line for earth and we got people like Luther complaining about him. But during the chapter I gushed at Superman after reading article that Lois was forced to write about Luther still voicing his opinions and about earth not needing Superman. Superman is naturally hurt by this goes to place to eat his feelings. Introvert ramen bar!!!!!!! At the end of the chapter I was rolling on the floor, I was laughing.

This series is definitely filling that void that Delicious in Dungeon is going to leave me.

#book review #books recommendations #superheroes #dc superheroes #dc comics #manga #food #superman vs meshi #superman #the flash #wonder woman #cyborg #batman #aquaman

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chamberofflowers · 1 year ago

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Haikaveh superhero AU

Alhaitham would definitely be that kind of superhero who would save the world and act like nothing happened.

He doesn’t take praises or gifts from his fans, as he thinks heroes shouldn’t be given attention for doing what they’re trained for.

He doesn't engage in flashy displays of heroism. He gets the job done efficiently and without unnecessary theatrics. His focus is solely on protecting people

Alhaitham doesn't see himself as a traditional hero and often downplays his actions. He might even resist being labeled a hero, seeing his deeds as merely fulfilling a duty rather than something extraordinary.

Alhaitham keeps his civilian life entirely separate from his superhero persona. He may not have a public identity at all.

He actively avoids media attention and public events. Alhaitham believes that true heroism doesn't require accolades or celebrations, and he distances himself from the public eye.

Kaveh would be a vigilant in my eyes, he couldn't be a hero because he isn't coming from a wealthy family and doesn't actually have any useful superpowers.

Kaveh uses his public persona to advocate for social justice issues. He speaks out against inequality and works towards creating a fair and just society for all.

Kaveh becomes a symbol of hope for those who feel marginalized or oppressed. His presence reassures people that there is someone out there actively working to make the world a better place for everyone.

Kaveh's power is an extraordinary level of empathy. He can feel the emotions of those around him, enabling him to understand and address the root causes of societal issues.

Kaveh patrols neighborhoods, not to fight crime with force, but to build relationships. He helps create safer spaces by fostering a sense of community and encouraging people to look out for one another.

"Good work back there," Kaveh acknowledged, his eyes reflecting admiration hidden behind the mask.

Alhaitham grunted in response, the moonlight revealing just a hint of appreciation in his eyes. "Just doing what needs to be done."

As they stood together, the contrast between them was evident—Alhaitham, the shadowy figure, and Kaveh, the empathetic voice of the community.

"I've seen you around," Alhaitham remarked, his tone gruff yet intrigued. "You're not like the other 'heroes.'"

"Heroes come in different forms," Kaveh replied, his voice carrying the weight of empathy. "Some fight in the shadows, protecting without seeking recognition."

Alhaitham arched an eyebrow, sensing an unspoken connection. "And what about you? What's your story?"

Kaveh chuckled softly, "No flashy powers, no grand wealth, not even a hero. Just a guy trying to make a difference where he can."

---

you can also check my ao3 account^^ : https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChamberOfFlowers

#haikaveh #kaveh #genshin impact #headcanon #alhaitham

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rutlancecf · 9 days ago

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Jon Kent isn't a hero anymore.

What happened? Well, the usual. The bad guys appear causing destruction and attacking civilians. Then the good guys come and arrest them, the civilians are saved and we celebrate at the end, right?

That time it didn't happen like that.

That time, a bullet was faster than my super speed.

That time, I failed to protect someone.

I saw them fall to the ground without being able to do anything else. I, who am the son of the greatest hero the earth has ever known, did nothing. And I, literally, exploded.

I'm not lying to you when I tell you that I don't remember exactly what happened. One moment I was standing in the street, and the next, my dad was holding me on the outskirts of the stratosphere, trying to calm me down.

I only remember that I cried, I screamed and that since that day I haven't been able to be at peace with myself. Not only because of what happened, but someone posted a video about it on social media, and it made news around the world. It was a disaster.

My parents tried to diminish the controversy, since they are both reporters, Lois Lane and Clark Kent, as well as the Justice League, but no one wanted to hear them.

People were afraid of me, and my powers. I was afraid of myself. It wasn't like there was a Time Room so I could learn to control my powers without the fear of destroying something. It wasn't like a Kryptonian was going to appear out of nowhere and offer to train me without asking for anything in return. (The most possible thing would be to convince me to help him in his cause by making me believe that it is the right thing to do)

But after many debates, meetings and discussions, everyone came to a solution: that I stop being a superhero. I didn't object. I had no choice.

I had to accept other conditions, such as being analyzed and subjected to experiments by Batman, since he said it was dangerous if the authorities got involved.

So yes, my parents and I went to have the medical tests done in the Batcave (And yes, it is a huge cave, with hundreds of bats, cutting-edge technological equipment, a dinosaur, a giant coin, a giant playing card, and several costumes on display. It was like being in a museum, or a circus fair! Uh, and no, Batman doesn't hang upside down, nor sleep in a coffin like vampires)

I can't tell you the identities of Batman and Robin, you'll know why, but Mr. Bruce Wayne and Tim Drake did their best to make sure I didn't feel uncomfortable while they were doing the tests.

But it was of no use, because in order to fully analyze my powers, I needed to be going through stressful moments, which was impossible because the machines exploded or broke down. In part, it was because my dad didn't allow them to continue, since if we did, we would all be exposed to great danger, and that was precisely what they were avoiding.

So I came to the conclusion that no one on earth could help me because I was a human-kryptonian hybrid.

So I decided to set my own conditions.

Try to understand me, I'm literally a nuclear time bomb that could explode at any moment. They demanded that I give up the mantle of Superboy, and undergo experiments, which hurt a lot by the way.

Because I didn't want to hurt anyone, and I was afraid of accidentally doing it, I asked my parents to live alone on the farm we have in Hamilton, and stop going to school. Of course, at first they refused and said I could live with them, or with my grandparents, but I explained that I didn't want to put anyone at risk.

In the end they accepted.

I'm not going to deny it, the first months were very difficult, thanks to my super hearing. It distressed me to hear the cries for help, gunshots, explosions and so on, and not being able to do anything because I was forbidden to do so. And not only that, but my body tensed as I remembered what a living threat I was. It was horrible just thinking that if I helped and my powers got out of control, there was no way I wouldn't get away with it like last time. Or imagine that that was precisely what the villain in turn was looking for, that I would get out of control and show that the heroes were not to be trusted.

I tried many means, but they were of no use.

So in the end I gave up.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/53654227/chapters/135822013

#jonathan samuel kent #fanfiction #bruce wayne #tim drake #angst #Natural aged Jon Kent #lois lane #clark kent #This is what I think should have happened in DC #I curse you Bendis #Batman isn't a vampire #Emo Jon?#Damian will appear later #Damian cat 🐈‍⬛

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toomanyf4ndoms7 · 21 days ago

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NEW 52 Batgirl Review: part two: Welcome to Burnside.

After Issue 34, Barbara’s Batgirl run was passed from Gail Simone to Cameron Fletcher. It was intended to have a lighter tone than the prior run, which, while I appreciate a few things about it, did have a sense of grittiness.

Barbara had ended Simone’s writing run agreeing to move to another place in Gotham, a fresh start in Burnside. The potential of that idea is something I’ll detail under the cut.

This run is… complicated in my opinion of it. I am reading this with fresh eyes and an attempt at an objective opinion, but I understand why this run inflamed so many Oracle and Barbara fans, especially those who were around to see the difference between post crisis and this one.

I will attempt to make my opinions clear, and I hope you all enjoy this post.

Anyway, grab out your phones, open your favourite social media app and hit record, let’s take a look at Batgirl of Burnside.

Part One: #Bravenewworld

Now, I'm going to start off by saying that the idea of giving Barbara her own corner of Gotham to patrol, where she can assemble her own supporting cast of friends and foes, is a good idea. Again, I wish she was Oracle, New 52, why did you do this to me, etcetera, etcetera, we know this.

But, as a concept? I like it, this could be her Bludhaven. If we can't have Oracle, we can at least have an independent Batgirl with her own space to exist.

Here's the map of Burnside, and I think the area could've done with a little more fleshing out, like a road-trip tour kind of chapter.

Part two: Positives: #BatgirlFTW

I enjoy the art style in these comics, the characters are expressive and with the lighter tone, it fits better than I think the old one would. Not that the earlier style was bad, far from it, it was incredible.

But, different tone, different style.

There's also a common technique where the art expresses Barbara's eidetic memory via blue hologram-like frames. I think that's really cool.

I also think Frankie is a good addition, the supporting cast introduced in Burnside is typically a good set. Frankie's a best friend and a sort of voice in the ear/girl in the chair back at home, Qadir is a bit more tech oriented.

Part three: Negatives: #Burnsideblues

The biggest negative I can lobby against this run is the matter of Oracle. In this continuity, rather than a new identity Barbara made to reclaim her agency, Oracle is the name of a malevolent AI program that turns evil and needs to be shut down by the Good Victim Barbara.

I have ideas instead of this, have Oracle as an AI avatar on Barbara's computer, you can do banter wit that, have Oracle be the name of a superhero contact program, like contacting Canary, Batman, Robin and the like. Reference what Barbara used to be and imply that she could be on her way to a familiar interconnected self.

The easiest way to describe my issues with this run is how it will sometimes feel like Barbara Gordon Lite. Sometimes, it feels less like a continuation of Gail Simone's run and more like someone's idea of an upbeat Batgirl, not necessarily of Barbara Gordon: Photographic memory, recovering trauma victim, looks to the future instead of the past.

And speaking of our dear Barbara Gordon, let's move onto part four.

Part four: #Notmybabs

Now, one of the most polarising things about the Burnside run is the matter of Batgirl herself.

Taken on her own terms, as one of the dozens of elseworld interpretations of Barbara Joan Gordon, she’s not terrible.

This Barbara does have moments of being badass, heartfelt, endearing, clever, and even the odd inspirational moment. I can read this Barbara, and momentarily, I can see her as a hero. Someone with a good heart and good skills, but maybe someone in need of some more fine tuning.

But the thing is… this isn’t an inexperienced Barbara. This is someone who’s been Batgirl before, who’s worked with Nightwing and Batman, with the Birds of Prey against her own villains.

She’s had her training arcs, she’s had her hard earned lessons in crime fighting, she’s learning the power of teamwork. But instead of focusing on Barbara trying to start fresh which would’ve been fun, even if we rely on some old tropes of “dragging the geek to a house party”, we get social media attention and a costume that makes her look like a rookie.

I don’t hate the Burnside Suit by itself, I think it’s a suitable DIY, as a Year one suit? It could work out. But I think it only works in this art style, with popping and vibrantly expressive styles.

Taken on her own terms, this Barbara could’ve been alright. But knowing that she was canon and how she influenced future interpretations? It’s hard not to see her as ground zero for the devaluation of Barbara Gordon as a character beyond supporting Batman or Nightwing.

Sorry, Babs. All the selfies can’t do much against the writing.

Part five: #Closingthoughts

With regard to my opinions, I’m looking at it from multiple perspectives.

On one hand, I’m reading it from the perspective of someone with fresh eyes and an attempt at objectivity. I didn’t want to read a comic expecting to despise it.

On the other hand, I miss Oracle. And I completely understand why this run was so anger inducing for fans of Barbara, especially those who were around for Post Crisis and fell in love with the mature Oracle.

And then there’s the matter of how I’ve only really gotten into DC knuckle deep about a year or two ago, where we at least have Barbara going by Oracle again, even if it’s a muted version with the weird middle ground of sometimes Batgirl.

So. I don’t know. Maybe a 6/10 as a read on its own merits. 2/10 in retrospect? Maybe.

Should you read this? Eh, look. If you really want to do the deep dive into Barbara Gordon through the years or if you want to turn your brain off and pretend this is just an elseworld, you can do what you want.

Me? Well, I've got other things to read.

Thanks for reading, stay safe.

#revelations and stupidity #dc comics #new 52 batgirl #rambling about comics

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crystalninjaphoenix · 1 year ago

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One Last Puppet Show

A JSE Fanfic

SepticHeroes AU: Part 22

First Part | Previous Part

Heyyyy besties :) Are you ready for a nearly 8000 word chapter of this AU? I know I am! I'm actually so excited for this that I'm posting it a whole day early. Think of this chapter as the end of the first arc. Jackie has a confrontation with the Puppeteer. Schneep and Marvin come, too. Things go well, until they don't. And, somehow, we finally see who's behind the Puppeteer's mask =) There are payoffs and twists and a whole bunch of superhero action, so stay tuned! And enjoy :D :D :D

===============

Jackie spent the train ride back to their apartment glued to his phone as he obsessively checked local news and social media. He had no idea what the Puppeteer could possibly be planning, but it wouldn’t stay silent for long. The rest of the city must be panicking. They’d all seen the Puppeteer hijack the airwaves.

He wanted so badly to get off at the next station and fly the rest of the way, but he wasn’t about to leave Chase alone when there was a threat on the loose. So he had to just stand there, one hand holding the train handle, one hand continuously refreshing the feeds on his phone. Chase sat on the seat nearest to him. He was quiet. So were a lot of the other train passengers.

Until—

Vrrr. Vrrr. Vrr. The train car was so silent that the vibrating sound could easily be heard. Chase took his phone out of his pocket, glanced at the screen, then picked it up. “Hey, Schneep,” he said. “No, we’re still on the train. Yeah. Are you with, uhhh, our other friend? Great. What’s—oh. Oh.” Chase’s eyes widened. “All of the buildings, or just central SepTech?”

Jackie’s head snapped over. Chase held up a hand, asking him to wait. Nodding, Jackie looked back at his own phone. He silently cursed that it was so hard to get recent posts on most social medias. It was really helpful to have a live update from the people, but only if he could actually see those updates!

“Oh shit,” Chase cursed. “Yeah no that sounds bad.” He glanced around. A fair number of passengers were staring at him, being the loudest thing on the train at the moment. “Windstorm should get on that. Maybe if he knew where the guy doing this was he could, uh, go after that.” Jackie raised his eyebrows. “Does anyone have any idea about that?... Oh. Well, uh, it’s bound to be at one of the buildings, right? Yeah. Yeah, that’s a great idea. Hey, it’s crazy out there, so be careful, alright? Okay. You can call again later. Or you can call Jackie. Yeah. Promise. Bye.” And then he hung up.

“Is there something going on?” Jackie asked, trying to sound like a curious bystander and not like he absolutely needed whatever information Schneep found.

“Yeah, there’s some crazy stuff happening at one of the SepTech locations,” Chase said. “Maybe all of them.”

“SepTech, huh?” Of course. Jackie adjusted his search, looking for posts that were specifically tagged around the SepTech buildings in Daindover. There were all the live updates. The SepTech buildings had gone dark. Pedestrians on the sidewalk reported people running out of them and screaming. Someone posted a picture of a window with a man inside one of the buildings. A man carrying... was that a baseball bat?

The train announcer came on, reporting that they were nearing the station closest to Chase and Jackie’s apartment. Jackie kept checking and re-checking until the train came to a full stop and the doors opened. At which point he put the phone away and grabbed Chase, pulling him out of the train with Frosty hurrying behind.

“Whoa, hey careful!” Chase protested.

“Sorry,” Jackie muttered, then leaned closer to him and whispered, “What did Schneep say?”

Chase looked around; luckily no other passengers were getting off and the station was fairly empty. He whispered back, “He’s with Marvin, who apparently, uh, mentioned SepTech somehow, and the two of them decided to check it out. There’s like—people storming the buildings. Or at least the center one, they haven’t checked the rest yet. They think the Puppeteer has to be there or at another building, so they’re checking things out. Stealthily. You know, how Schneep does it.”

Jackie nodded. His heart was racing, adrenaline pumping through his veins. “We have to get you home fast. Can you run?”

“Yeah, but if I fall, you have to catch me.”

“I’m fine with that. Let’s go.”

The two of them broke into a sprint.

===============

When they reached their building, Chase encouraged Jackie to fly up to their apartment and get in through the window. “I’ll be there in... a few minutes,” he said, panting. “Your stuff inside... is more important. I’ll... be fine.” Jackie reluctantly agreed; the sooner he was in his supersuit and out there, the better.

He tumbled in through the window, rolling back to his feet and immediately lunging for the box where he’d left his supersuit. It only took him a minute or so to completely change. A new record. If only it happened under different circumstances.

As he was pulling on his gloves, he remembered what Jameson had said before they’d left his shop. Maybe when you go out, you can wear the gift I gave you? The bracelets. He wanted to leave them behind, but then after a second’s hesitation, he grabbed them both and slid them onto one wrist, pulling the glove over them. They were small and under the thick fabric of the suit; they wouldn’t get in the way. And maybe JJ would freak out if he heard Jackie wasn’t wearing his ‘good luck charms.’ Jackie had known some people who put real stock in stuff like that, and JJ had been stressed enough without worrying about little things like that.

His phone rang. Jackie searched through the pockets of his discarded jeans until he found it. “Hello?”

“Jackie? It is me.” Schneep was on the other end.

“Yeah I figured. Chase told me some of what you called him about. You could have called me directly, y’know.”

“Well I was not sure if you had changed yet. Superheroes do not carry their phones with them. I thought Chase was safer.”

In the background of the call, Jackie heard a far-away “Just get on with it!” Spitfire Cat was not known for patience and a cool temper.

“Yes, yes,” Schneep dismissed. “In any case. My friend. We are at the East SepTech location, and we think the Puppeteer is here too.”

Jackie’s stomach dropped. “Did you see him?”

“Distantly. He is on the roof. I saw him peer over the edge.”

“That building is fucking ten stories tall how the fuck did you see—?!”

“I made some modifications to my goggles a while ago,” Schneep said vaguely.

“How?!”

“Is this really the time for that?! The point is I saw a man in black with a green glowing face!”

Jackie took a deep breath. “No, you’re right, it’s not the time for this. What else is there? You told Chase people were storming SepTech?”

“We only saw the Central and East locations, but the same story for both of them. There are people with weapons attacking. No guns, but there are knives and crowbars and axes—”

“How do you get a fucking axe in central Daindover?!”

“It’s actually remarkably easy, but that is not the point. Chances are this is happening at all of the SepTech buildings. The attackers are all breaking things and grabbing people, but I don’t think they are trying to hurt them. We think they are converting them. Putting strings around their wrists.”

“Fuuuuck.” The Puppeteer’s numbers were growing. A breeze swept around the room, matching Jackie’s growing worry. “Okay. Okay. He’s on the roof of the East location. That’s good, actually. I can fly right up there and take him out. Fuck, where’s my neutrinalin?! Oh right.” He’d put the syringes and injection gun at the bottom of his supersuit box. He hurriedly picked up the gun, checking that it was loaded, and then secured it to his belt. And put a couple syringes in his pouch, just in case.

“We are going to help,” Schneep said.

“Are you sure? If they’re stringing people up—I mean, the building is probably full of—of puppets—”

“They will need to touch me first,” Schneep said, a bit smugly.

“What about Spitfire?”

Marvin must have heard that, because Jackie heard the sound of a short scuffle, and then Marvin’s voice. “I said I wasn’t going to let this fucker get away with this! And trust me, I’m more angry at him than scared of them.”

“Let go of my hand, thanks!” Schneep’s voice said, getting louder as he returned the phone to his ear. “We can find a way in without getting puppetted. I am good at this, I can make sure of that. You just get here soon! Hopefully you will be here before we even get to the roof.” And then he ended the call.

“See you th—oh you hung up.” Jackie didn’t have time to be offended at that. He put his phone down on the dresser and instead picked up the Red Line. There was a special app on this gadget. All he had to do was press it, and it would immediately send out a signal for other Heroes to come to its location. If there was ever a time for Heroic reinforcements, this was it. He activated the signal without hesitation.

The apartment door opened. “Jackie?” Chase called.

Jackie ran out of his room and down the hall, stopping at the living room entrance. Chase was there, looking winded, with Frosty, looking excited. “The Puppeteer is at the East SepTech location, and so are Schneep and Spitfire,” he hurriedly said.

“That one?” Chase blinked, surprised, then shook his head. “Well why are you talking to me?! Go go go!”

“Stay safe,” Jackie said, and turned around, running back to his room, shoving the Red Line into his pocket as he went. He opened the window again and jumped out, flying off to the scene of the crime.

===============

The East SepTech building was the newest of the SepTech locations. Not because of age, but because it had collapsed two and a half years ago during a fight between Timekeeper and Earth Shaker. It had been rebuilt in remarkably fast time—something that couldn’t be said for the other buildings around it, many of which were still visibly under construction. The new East building was ten stories of glass and white concrete. It was a triangular shape, with one side that curved outward. Normally there was a green neon sign along the top with SepTech’s logo, but that had gone dark.

Jackie circled above the building, far higher than the roof, hoping that he couldn’t be seen from this distance. He wished his mask had whatever ‘zoom and enhance’ features Schneep’s goggles apparently had. From up here, he could only vaguely make out dots of people on the ground. He dropped lower and lower with every circle, assessing the situation.

There were some people on the sidewalks and streets, but no cars. At least, none moving. He couldn’t tell what they were doing from so high up. But he could clearly see the crowd of people on the roof. How many were there? Thirty? The Puppeteer must have them gathered up there to protect himself. Smart move. But when you could fly, you could just drop right on top of the Puppeteer and inject him with neutrinalin before any of the puppetted crowd could react.

He kept slowly descending until he was able to pick out the Puppeteer. He was the only one wearing all black, standing out against the pale concrete roof. Jackie zeroed in on him and dove.

He was only ten feet away when something slammed into his side. Taken by surprise, Jackie was thrown through the air until he hit a concrete wall. He was only just able to slow himself before impact, barely avoiding what surely would have been broken ribs. Even so, he fell to the roof gasping for air.

“That was an excellent shot,” said a familiar, computerized voice.

Jackie looked up, taking stock of his surroundings. He hit the concrete wall right next to a door—clearly the roof access entrance. It was blocked by about five people holding various weapons. Twenty-five others were scattered around the roof, slowly walking closer to him. They all held weapons. Mostly knives or blunt objects like crowbars. But one man was holding what looked like a giant compound crossbow. And over all of their heads, Jackie could see the Puppeteer’s glowing LED grin.

He gritted his teeth and stood up, trying not to stagger or wince as his body screamed at him. As he moved, he noticed something wrapped around his waist. A metallic rope with two heavy-looking balls on either end. That must be what knocked him out of the air. He glanced back at the man with the strange crossbow and noticed two more ropes coiled at his feet. “Clever,” Jackie grunted, untangling the rope from his waist.

“Isn’t it?” The Puppeteer said, managing to sound delighted despite the robotic tone of his voice. “They just had that in storage here, you know. A prototype built just for this purpose: knocking flying supers out of the sky. It never made it to completion. They branded it ‘too dangerous.’”

“Oh shut up,” Jackie said.

“I don’t think you are in a position to tell me what to do.” The Puppeteer folded his arms, and every single person pointed their weapons at Jackie.

His eyes darted around. Sure enough, he could see strings around many of their wrists. Varying in color, but all there. None of these people wanted to be here. He could see it in their eyes. “Alright,” Jackie said slowly. “So... now what?”

The Puppeteer tilted his head. “What do you mean?”

“Are you going to tell them to kill me? And then are you going to take over the world? Put everyone under your control? Or just Daindover?” He was stalling for time and he knew it. He had to figure a way out of this.

The Puppeteer laughed, a strange sound. “Do you want me to explain my whole scheme to you? That seems very unwise for me.”

“What if I said please?” His back was literally to a wall. Sure there was a door only a few feet away, but he’d have to push past the five knife-wielding puppets guarding it. The Puppeteer was prominently displayed, standing on top of some sort of rooftop industrial unit. He might be able to fly for him, but he no longer had distance and surprise on his side; the poor puppets could attack him before he made it. “I gotta be honest, I don’t understand anything you’ve done so far. So, I’d appreciate some sort of closure in, uh, my last moments.”

“Last moments are never guaranteed,” the Puppeteer said. “But I suppose I could tell you what I had been intending to do. Before your discovery of my plan—and the failure of certain key parts—” His body twitched “—forced me to abandon it all. That would not take too long.”

“Great. Thanks. Much appreciated.” Some of the puppets walked closer, forcing Jackie to move forward to get away from their outstretched weapons. Farther from the door, closer to the Puppeteer. His options were becoming more limited.

“I suppose you know I was the one behind that crime wave in August,” the Puppeteer said. “That was only a test of abilities. That was only me seeing how far I could push. I focused on those with criminal pasts for two reasons. Because I knew the police would not take their claims of mind control seriously, and because of SepTech’s Reformation Program. Do you know about that, Windstorm?”

“It... it’s a program to give ex-convicts jobs at SepTech,” Jackie said slowly.

“Very good.” Again, the Puppeteer managed to give the computerized voice emotion. Now he sounded very condescending. “If I kept control of criminals, I could get them into SepTech through that program. And once I did that, I could get them to spread my control to other employees.”

“But why?” Jackie asked.

The Puppeteer laughed again. “Are you asking me why I would want to gain even more control over one of the biggest technology companies in the British Isles? I think that would be obvious.”

“So... it’s about power, then,” Jackie summarized. “That’s what it always is with you types. Power or money. I’m almost disappointed.”

“I’m glad I don’t exist for your approval then.” The Puppeteer leaned forward slightly. “My plan was going well. Progress was progressing smoothly until—”

“Did you just say ‘progress was progressing’?” Jackie interrupted incredulously.

“Shut up,” the Puppeteer said, now audibly annoyed. “As I was saying. Progress was going smoothly until you discovered my plan—far quicker than I expected. As well as other factors not working.” Again, he twitched. “So, I decided to shift direction. Now I would be more... straightforward.”

“By staging a hostile takeover of the company,” Jackie said. “And killing the city’s only Hero?”

The Puppeteer tensed. “What makes you think—”

Slam!

The roof access door flew open and a bolt of orange energy shot straight for the Puppeteer, barely missing. Jackie spun around and saw Marvin—in full Spitfire Cat costume, standing in the doorway. Then Jackie spun back around and launched himself towards the Puppeteer. The puppets grabbed at him, some throwing their weapons, but his momentum was too great. He tackled the Puppeteer, knocking him right off the industrial unit he was standing on. They rolled across the ground.

For a moment, the puppets regained control of their bodies. Most of them dropped the weapons. Many ran for the door. One woman shrieked in surprise. “Something’s got me!” she shouted.

A figure flickered into view next to her. Schneep, wearing the Specter suit. “Something has got the strings off your wrist,” he said. “Now run! All of you who don’t have them!”

After a few seconds, eight people ran for the roof access door, passing by Marvin as he ran the other direction towards Jackie and the Puppeteer. He jumped onto the unit and peered down at the two of them. “Did we come in time?”

“I would’ve got it,” Jackie said, struggling to pin the Puppeteer to the ground. He kept wriggling and flailing. Jackie tried to take the injection gun off his belt, but he must have secured it a little too well.

Marvin rolled his eyes. “Yeah. Sure.”

“How were things?” Jackie asked through clenched teeth.

“Fine. The Specter knows what he’s doing.”

“Thank you!” Schneep shouted. “But it helps that most of the building was empty. It let me run ahead and find you up here.”

“So, while I was talking, you were invisibly taking the strings off. That’s pretty—hey!” Jackie ducked to the side, barely managing to dodge the wild punch the Puppeteer threw. “Spitfire stop fucking watching and help me the fuck out!”

Marvin chuckled, then climbed to the ground. “I thought you had it.”

“Shut up.” Jackie paused. “And thanks. Both of you.”

Was it over already?

===============

The apartment was deadly quiet after Jackie left. Chase stood at the window and watched him fly off into the distance. He watched until Jackie disappeared from sight, then shook his head. He couldn’t believe that was his roommate.

What does he do now?

He knew he should probably turn on the TV and watch the news to keep up with what was happening. But... quite frankly, he didn’t want to. If things went bad, he wasn’t sure if he wanted to know. If he wanted to sit there in worry. But he would be sitting in worry anyway... ugh.

Chase wandered into his bedroom. Maybe if he had something physical to do while he watched the news, he wouldn’t feel sick with anxiety. What was there to do? He kept his hacky-sack in here. Maybe that. Where was it? On the dresser?

As he moved things around on the dresser by his bed, Chase’s hand brushed against something. It fell to the floor and immediately burst into lots of tiny bits. “Fuck.” He wasn’t going to be able to clean that up, and neither was Frosty. Too small. But... what was it that could have broken like that?

He squinted at the floor. Beads?

Beads. Like from a bracelet.

He looked back at the dresser. This was where he’d left the bracelets JJ had sent him and Jackie. Now only one was left. He picked it up to examine it closely. And as he lifted it up... the beads slowly fell to the ground. Until he was left holding only the string. A string that was still tied in a circle, but which looked less... solid somehow. As Chase stared, the string turned wispy, like a strand of fog, and then faded away.

Fear jolted through his stomach. Strings. Strings. Strings.

Chase fumbled for his phone. He unlocked it and navigated to the photos. The most recent thing on his camera roll was a video he’d made for himself, recounting everything Jackie had told him and the others about the Puppeteer. Just so he would remember. He pressed play, skipping forward every few seconds until he found what he was looking for. “—Jackie says that these strings don’t last forever. He said that when he got them off that uhhh ice lady they became sort of transparent and then fell apart, like... like the way steam fades away, y’know? And then they disappeared. So—”

He paused the video.

The world was tilting beneath his feet. He started listing to the side.

Frosty pressed his head against his side, gently righting Chase before he lost his balance and fell. “Thanks, Frost,” Chase said absentmindedly.

He’d been feeling guilty for constantly forgetting to wear JJ’s gift, but now he was relieved. These were not bracelets. These were the Puppeteer’s strings. How did JJ get them?! Why did he give them to Chase and Jackie?! Unless—he was—

Chase ran into Jackie’s room. He searched every surface for the bracelets—or at least the beads, if the string had faded. But he couldn’t see anything. JJ had asked Jackie to wear the bracelets for this. Jackie must have put them on. He must be wearing them now!

“Shit!” Chase opened up his phone contacts and called Jackie. If he could warn him, maybe—

A gentle ringtone came from the bed.

Dreading what he’d see, Chase glanced towards it. Jackie’s phone. Right there. Left behind.

He couldn’t reach him. He couldn’t tell him.

Unless—the East SepTech location—He knew how to get there, the Yellow train line had a station right in front of it. He might not be much use if there was a fight, but—but he had to tell Jackie!

“Come on, Frosty,” Chase said, running out of the room and towards the door. He wished he could leave him behind, but if there was ever a time he needed to avoid a fall, this was it.

===============

“Just hold him long enough for me to get this thing, okay?” Jackie said.

“Easier said than done,” Marvin grunted. “God damn, this guy’s a wriggly bitch. Hey!” He shot a pencil-thin beam of red energy at the ground right by the Puppeteer’s head. The Puppeteer immediately stopped moving. “That’s what I thought.”

Jackie leaned away from the struggle and glanced around. None of the puppetted victims were being controlled. In fact, Schneep had managed to free even more of them, leaving only half left. They were trying to help each other with the strings, but even with this lack of active control, they were unable to remove them on their own. He looked back at Marvin and the Puppeteer. Marvin had him incapacitated for the moment, twisting one of his arms behind his back. But Jackie knew this wouldn’t last forever. He had to—yes! Finally! He managed to take the injection gun off his belt. “Should’ve just put it in the bag,” he muttered.

Marvin glanced over at him. “That’s neutrinalin.” It wasn’t a question.

“Yep.”

“Well I don’t know if the needle will get through this outfit. That’s what the armor’s for.”

“I think there’s a spot near his neck. Can you hold his head still?”

The Puppeteer spoke up for the first time in a while. “Do you really think this is the end?”

“That’s what they all say,” Jackie muttered. “Spitfire?”

“Got it.” Marvin pushed the Puppeteer’s head to the roof. “I wasn’t kidding about the wriggliness, by the way. Do it fast!”

Jackie nodded. He made sure the gun was ready, then reached forward, and...

Stopped.

Marvin looked at him. “I said fast! This isn’t the time to hesitate!”

“I’m not, I’m—” His arm was trembling slightly. He tried to move it forward, but it simply would not respond to his commands.

The Puppeteer laughed.

Suddenly, Jackie’s arm darted forward, aiming not for the Puppeteer, but for Marvin. He gasped and ducked. The injection gun barely missed him, but the sudden movement gave the Puppeteer enough momentum to throw him off. Marvin went rolling as the Puppeteer climbed to his feet. Jackie stood as well and tried to grab him, but again, he suddenly stopped. “Wha...?”

“Windstorm, what the fuck?!” Marvin recovered and got up.

“I’m not—this i-isn’t—!” Jackie tried again to grab the Puppeteer, but he wasn’t able to get within arm’s reach. He strained, trying to take a step forward. He only managed to stumble for a second.

“I said it wasn’t the end.” The Puppeteer calmly walked away, going around the industrial unit he’d been standing on.

Marvin’s eyes widened. His head darted towards Jackie. “When did he get you?!”

“He didn’t!” Jackie protested. “I-I don’t know what—”

“Maybe you should double-check your gifts next time,” the Puppeteer said calmly.

Jackie’s heart dropped. “You mean—Jameson, the—the bracelets—?”

“Bracelets?!” Marvin gasped. “Jackie, you fucking idiot! Your friend gave you bracelets and you put them on even though I told you not to?!”

“When did you tell me not to put on bracelets?!”

“In the email! When I told you SepTech was compromised!”

“You didn’t say shit about bracelets!”

“You have to be careful sending messages online,” the Puppeteer said. “Sometimes parts of the message gets lost in transition.” He tilted his head. “Email isn’t that secure, anyway. I thought you would have learned that, Spitfire, after the fake mail I sent you from your Kanchana friend.”

Marvin snapped back towards the Puppeteer. His eyes narrowed and a growl escaped his throat. He clenched his fists and spheres of orange energy appeared around them. “You motherfucker. I’m going to kill y—”

“No you’re not.”

Against his will, Jackie stepped forward, right in front of Marvin, blocking the Puppeteer from his sight. Feeling it happen made his skin crawl. Marvin backed up. He looked around Jackie towards the Puppeteer. “You’re forgetting something.”

“Like what?” The Puppeteer asked.

“There were three of us.”

Suddenly, the Puppeteer was knocked to the side by something unseen. He fell to the ground, but then lashed out. A red string came from his hand and wrapped around something invisible. Schneep briefly flickered into view again. Then the string fell to the ground, limp as it passed right through the arm it had been wrapped around. “Everyone run!” Schneep’s voice shouted. The remaining puppets tried to flee, but they all froze in place before they could get too far.

“Let them go, you bastard!” Marvin lunged forward, hands burning bright. But then Jackie grabpped his arms around him, stopping him in his tracks. The energy spheres around his hands disappeared as he tried to pry Jackie’s arms away. “Damn it! Fight it, Windstorm!”

“I’m trying!” Jackie gasped. His muscles shook, but didn’t let go.

The Puppeteer was on his feet again. Red, green, and black strings trailed from his fingers as his head darted around. Then it snapped to the side, hit by something unseen. He staggered and whipped the strings around. They briefly caught on invisible Schneep before falling through. “Don’t think I cannot see you,” the Puppeteer taunted. His head turned to the side, tracking something. “This mask has many features!” He lurched forward. Schneep cried out and briefly appeared again as the Puppeteer knocked him down.

Marvin managed to get Jackie to let go of him. He ran forward, shooting a beam of yellow energy that barely missed the Puppeteer’s legs. “Fight it! All of you!” he shouted at the puppets. None of them moved. They could only watch.

Jackie jumped into the air and dove down. The air whipped around him, pushing Marvin to the side. He landed right next to the Puppeteer.

“I never wanted to kill you, Windstorm,” the Puppeteer said. “You are of much more use this way.”

“Sh-shut up,” Jackie said weakly. His fist flung to the side, connecting with something. Schneep shouted, reappearing as he staggered back from Jackie. “I’m sorry!”

“Not your fault,” Schneep said. “I thought you could not see me!”

“I-I can’t.”

“But I can,” the Puppeteer said. Green strings curled around his fingers. “And that’s all that matters.”

All the puppets rushed forward, swarming. Marvin threw his hands up into the air and a grid of red energy surrounded the four supers, separating them. A few of the puppets ran into the grid, burning themselves, but none attempted to make it through. “Keep this between us,” Marvin said, glaring at the Puppeteer. “Leave them out of it.”

“...Alright.” The Puppeteer’s posture relaxed. “Perhaps that will be interesting.” And Jackie rose into the air and attacked.

It wasn’t too different from all the times he’d fought Spitfire Cat before. He stayed in the air, dodging beams and balls of energy, occasionally getting close enough to land a blow before another burst of energy pushed him back. But the devil was in the details. He was not an active participant in this fight. It was just his body, ducking and jumping and punching on its own as he struggled to stop. Like being in the passenger seat of a car with an out-of-control driver. But at least in a car he could have reached over and grabbed the wheel.

Marvin was trying not to hurt him. With powers like his, he could have easily caused permanent damage, maybe even killed Jackie if he wanted to. But he didn’t. And that was far different from any fight they had before. Jackie grabbed his arm to hold him back, but Marvin used Jackie’s own flying momentum to fling him into the distance, making the surrounding grid disappear just before he hit it. Jackie recovered mid-air and came charging back in. Marvin conjured a shield on his arm to block Jackie’s attack. Jackie’s fist managed to change trajectory at the last minute, but even a glancing blow against the shield burned the knuckles of Jackie’s gloves off.

Schneep was trying to fight the Puppeteer, but it wasn’t going well. He was able to phase right through the strings the Puppeteer kept flinging his way, but he couldn’t attack the Puppeteer while he was intangible. And since the Puppeteer couldn’t hurt him either, the two of them ended up in a stalemate. Schneep let out a cry of frustration, then turned and ran into the fight between Jackie and Marvin. He jumped up and grabbed Jackie’s ankle while he was hovering in the air, pulling him down to earth. Jackie’s leg reacted without input, kicking Schneep in the face before he had time to phase through the blow. Schneep’s head snapped backwards as something cracked.

“I’m sorry!” Jackie shouted again as his body flew up again and threw itself at Marvin.

Marvin jumped to the side, barely avoiding the tackle. “It’s not your fault, it’s his!” He pointed at the Puppeteer. A curved blade of orange energy flew out with the motion, but the Puppeteer dodged it easily. Then Jackie grabbed that hand and twisted it to the side. Marvin punched his chest with his other hand, knocking him back.

“I could make this worse, if you want,” the Puppeteer said. “Windstorm is dodging your attacks now, but only because I am making him. I could stop. Let your blows hit him.”

“No!” Jackie gasped. He saw Marvin pale with horror behind his mask.

A pair of arms wrapped around him from behind. Schneep was up again, trying to restrain him. Jackie stomped on his foot, and Schneep went intangible. Jackie passed right through him and went for Marvin again. He dodged the clumsy attack, but then Jackie flung out a hand, and a gust of wind blew him backwards. He spun around and did the exact same motion, knocking back Schneep as he tried to sneak up behind him.

“You’re right, it is more amusing this way,” the Puppeteer said.

“Fuck your amusement!” Marvin flung a red energy ball at him. The Puppeteer jumped, surprised, but still managed to duck. In retaliation, the wind knocked Marvin over again.

Slam!

Everyone looked towards the sound at once. The roof access door had burst open, and standing there was—

“Chase!” Jackie gasped. “No! Get back!”

Chase was too stunned to move, taking in the sight before him. “Ja—Windstorm?” he said. By his side, Frosty began growling.

The puppets moved again, closing in on Chase. Schneep ran towards him, pulling him to the side before they could get to him. “Why the fucking hell are you here?!”

“I—There were—Strings—” Chase’s eyes were locked on the Puppeteer as Schneep guided him past everyone. “I—He wasn’t answering, so—I knew the way here—”

“Chase Brody,” said the Puppeteer.

Chase stumbled. He slowly stepped back. “H-how do you know my name?”

“I know all your names,” the Puppeteer said. He looked around at the puppets. “Do you all want to know our Hero’s true name? He is—”

“No!” Marvin ran forward, flinging out another blade of energy. The Puppeteer barely dodged this one, and it cut through the armor on his upper arm. Jackie flew up into the air, landing in front of Marvin and throwing him backwards with the strongest push of air yet.

“Leave him alone!” Schneep shouted, sprinting straight for the Puppeteer as well.

Jackie spun around and sent another gust of wind towards him. Schneep had already gone intangible, so not even the air could touch him—

But beside him, Chase was as solid as ever.

The wind sent him flying backwards. He hit the edge of the short wall surrounding the rooftop. For a moment, he stayed there, arms flailing, trying to regain his balance. But he couldn’t. And he went over the side screaming.

Jackie felt something snap.

He was moving before anyone knew it, before he knew it. A low BOOM! echoed through the air as a shockwave of wind burst from the spot where he’d been standing, knocking everyone to the floor. By the time the sound ended he was already over the side. The air whistled past his face as he dove down, down, down, towards Chase’s limp, falling form. He wasn’t going to make it—No.He wouldn’t let himself not make it.

He flew faster, faster, faster, outpacing the pull of gravity, the concrete ground growing closer by the second. Chase was a few feet away—a foot away—his arm brushed Jackie’s fingertips. Jackie closed the distance between them and wrapped his arms around Chase, but now the two of them were falling together. No. No. No.

Wind kicked up dust on the ground, sending clouds of it flying. It pushed against the two of them, slowing them down. They were still going too fast. The only way out was to use the momentum. Jackie grabbed the back of Chase’s neck, keeping his head still to prevent whiplash. He shifted trajectory, coming at the ground from a diagonal. The slope evened out, a curve. Litter on the ground flew into the air as Jackie—gritting his teeth, commanding the wind like he never had—pulled out of the dive, now flying up as fast as the two of them were falling down.

In just seconds, they were back at the East building’s rooftop. Then above it. With infinite space to work with, Jackie slowed down, down, down... until they came to a stop fifty feet above the roof. Jackie finally let himself breathe again. He could feel Chase clutching his suit, clinging to it, squeezing him in a tight hug. He was alive. He would be fine.

Jackie slowly descended back to the roof, landing gently, making sure Chase got his footing. The whole rescue had only taken one minute. Everyone up here was still recovering from the shockwave. “Chase?” Jackie whispered. “Are you alright?”

Chase let out a shaking breath. “I... I’ve n-never liked heights...”

“Are you hurt?”

“N-no, I don’t... think so.” He was clearly reluctant to let go of Jackie, but he did. Slowly. Frosty, who had also been knocked over by the shockwave, got to his feet and hurried towards Chase, whining slightly. Chase got down to the ground and wrapped his dog in his arms.

“That’s good. That’s...” The words got caught in Jackie’s throat. His vision blurred as hot tears filled his eyes.

But it wasn’t over yet.

He scanned the roof. The puppets were recovering. Schneep was running towards him and Chase. Marvin was standing up. But his eyes locked onto the cause of all this. The Puppeteer, barely on his feet again. Jackie stalked towards him.

The Puppeteer noticed him instantly. He tensed. His head darted from side to side. Some of the standing puppets started walking towards Jackie but he knocked them down again without even glancing their way. The Puppeteer began backing up. He threw a black string towards Jackie, but it was blown away.

Wind circled Jackie’s body, picking up in speed. “You,” he growled.

The Puppeteer said nothing. Then he turned and ran.

Jackie was on him instantly. He latched onto the Puppeteer’s shoulder and spun him around, delivering a punch to his face with such force that the mask cracked, a spiderweb breaking apart the green face. The Puppeteer staggered back but Jackie didn’t give him time to recover. He hit him again in the stomach, making him fold. Then knocked him to his knees with a jab to his shoulder. Jackie’s knee hit him in the face again, almost dislodging the mask and sending him sprawling on his back. He got down, kneeling on his chest, and raised his fist—

“Windstorm, no!” A hand grabbed his wrist. “Holy shit!” Jackie looked up and saw Marvin, staring at him, completely stunned. “It’s fine! You don’t need to do this!”

“You’re one to talk,” Jackie muttered darkly.

Marvin winced slightly. His voice softened. “Chase is alive. He’s okay. It’s going to be okay.”

Anger burned and bubbled in Jackie’s chest. It coiled in his stomach. His whole body shook with the heat of it. But he took a deep breath. Chase is alive. He’s okay. It’s going to be okay. “I dropped the injection gun, but...” He reached into his pouch and pulled out one of the syringes. The Puppeteer was too dazed to stop him from pulling the cloth of his suit away from his neck and plunging the syringe into the thin line of exposed skin there. Jackie leaned backwards. He let out a breath, imagining that anger leaving him through it. “It’ll take a couple minutes to take effect.”

“Did you bring pow-sup cuffs?” Marvin asked.

“What? Oh, power suppression. Damn it, I knew I was forgetting something.”

Marvin smiled wryly. “It’s fine. As wriggly as this bastard is, I don’t think he can get away now. Not with you sitting on him.”

Jackie looked down. “Oh, uh...” He was right on the Puppeteer’s chest. Maybe he hadn’t fought back because he couldn’t breathe. “Oops.” He adjusted his position, now kneeling next to him.

“Gotta take care of the hands, that’s where the strings come from.” Marvin took off his belt and wrapped it around the Puppeteer’s wrists and hands, preventing them from moving. “I’ll be wanting that back.”

Jackie burst into laughter. And he kept laughing. He couldn’t stop the stress-fueled, manic-sounding shrieks. A good minute passed before he was able to get a hold of himself.

Schneep walked over to join the two of them. Chase trailed behind, standing a few feet away from the others, one hand on Frosty’s head and the other holding his leash. “The strings have already faded from the victims,” Schneep said. “I told them to all go home. They are gone now.”

“I see.” Jackie looked around at the roof, empty except for their small group. “I wonder if the same is happening at the other SepTech locations.” He then looked back down at the Puppeteer. The right eye was flickering on the screen. “You hear that, bitch? We beat you.”

“Dii~iid yo-you-youuu...?” The computerized voice stuttered and glitched. Jackie couldn’t help but shiver, finding it creepy.

“Uh, yeah, who’s knocked out on the floor?” Marvin commented.

Chase cleared his throat. “Are, uh... the police coming?”

“They should be,” Jackie said. “If they haven’t been responding to a group of people storming buildings with weapons, I’ll lose all faith in them. We can hand this piece of shit over to them then.”

“Okay.” Chase nodded. “Are... you going to... take his mask off?” He gestured at the Puppeteer, lying on the ground.

“Well apparently I’m not supposed to,” Jackie muttered, glancing at Marvin.

Marvin chuckled. “You’re not. But honestly, I think that mask is a health risk now that it’s broken. Shattered glass. Might be exposed wires. Overheating and shocking and all that. You’re justified... if you want.”

“Well, do you guys?” Jackie asked.

“It is your call,” Schneep said.

Jackie glanced at everyone. Then he turned his attention back to the Puppeteer. The Puppeteer stared back at him, that eye flickering. Like a wink. “Okay,” Jackie said quietly. “Okay.” He wanted to see the face of the man responsible for everything. Slowly, he reached out with trembling hands and grabbed the top edge of the mask. He pulled it off the Puppeteer’s face. And beneath it—

In a single moment, everything shattered.

Jackie stared at the face. The face of the Puppeteer, the face of a man who had been tormenting the city for months, controlling people against their will, the face... of someone he knew. “Jameson?” he breathed.

Bright blue eyes stared back at him. Jameson blinked. A bruise was forming over his right eye, and a thin stream of blood trickled from his nose down his mustache. He didn’t say anything. Because of course he didn’t. He couldn’t.

“What?!” Schneep shoved Marvin aside to get closer. He pushed his goggles back as if that would change what he was seeing. “No. No no no, this is—this is a trick, this is—He is not the Puppeteer!” He laughed.

“Uh... I’m not... familiar with him as much as you are,” Marvin said slowly. “But... that’s him.”

“Nein! I-I mean no! It is not, it—a trick, I said, a trick.” Schneep fell to his knees. He grabbed Jameson by the shoulders—the costume, he was wearing the costume—and pulled him up to a sitting position. The hood—the Puppeteer’s hood—fell back, revealing Jameson’s hair. It was definitely his. “This is—the Puppeteer is pretending.”

Chase stepped forward slowly. “I didn’t know the Puppeteer was a shapeshifter,” he whispered.

“He’s not...” Marvin said quietly. “That’s impossible. The powers are completely unrelat—”

“Okay, okay, fine fine fine!” Schneep interrupted. “Then he is—Jameson was being controlled! Yes, Jameson? Right?”

Jameson just stared at Schneep. His expression was sad. ...No. Regretful.

“It was a fake-out, yes?” Schneep insisted. He looked at Jameson’s bound hands. “The—the strings must be in these gloves! Yes, if we take them off and look at them—” He fumbled with the belt, untying it enough so he could feel the gloves. He held Jameson’s hands tightly in his own. “There is—is something here!”

“...Schneep,” Chase whispered.

“Don’t ‘Schneep’ me!” Schneep cried. Tears were gathering in his eyes. “This is a trick, I know it! Right, Jamie?! Right?! You are not the Puppeteer, right?! You are just—being controlled!”

“The strings on the other puppets wouldn’t have disappeared at the same time the neutrinalin took effect,” Marvin whispered.

“It is mind control!” Schneep looked up at him. “You said—the bracelets, there were—Jamie was wearing bracelets a lot recently—”

Marvin frowned. “But... he wasn’t wearing bracelets earlier today.”

Schneep stared at him. His eyes darted to Chase and Jackie, as if expecting either of them to contradict Marvin. But they didn’t. He looked back down at Jameson. “Jamie, this is... th-this is ridiculous, right? You... you are not this type of person, you... You are not the Puppeteer!”

Jameson closed his eyes. He took a deep breath, and pulled his hands away from Schneep’s. Then he opened his eyes again and mouthed two words: I’m sorry.

“What are you sorry for?!” Schneep pulled his mask away from his face; it was getting wet with tears. “This is not—This cannot be! Jamie, you—this is not—Jamie, please. Please, just—say something! Explain! Please! Jamie, please!”

Schneep continued to cry and beg, but Jackie stopped hearing the specifics. It felt like... like he was dreaming. This... was a dream, wasn’t it? A nightmare. Any moment, he would wake up.

Thnka-thnka-thnka-thnka-thnka...

That was the sound of a helicopter. Jackie looked up and saw a blue copter in the sky, slowly getting closer to the roof. The League of Heroes’ golden emblem blazed on its tail. Oh. Right. He activated the signal for reinforcements, didn’t he? He forgot.

Marvin was pulling Schneep away. He fought against him, trying to cling to Jameson, tears streaming down his face, but Marvin was stronger. He dragged him back towards the roof access. Schneep was too distraught to even think of phasing through him. Chase stayed where he was. Standing. Watching everything happen. Frosty stepped up to Jameson and sniffed his face, then pressed his head against his chest. Jameson looked away from the sight but didn’t push the dog away.

And Jackie just sat there. Once again, a passenger of his own body. Now controlled only by instinct.

He vaguely remembered the helicopter landing and Lorelai and Josh rushing over. He sort of recalled giving a distant, fragmented explanation of what happened on the roof. Lorelai and Josh said something like “we’ll take it from here, go rest” and that the League would be in contact tomorrow.

Getting home was a blank. The next thing he knew, he was in their apartment. Lying on the sofa. Staring up at the ceiling. Frosty was on top of him, a heavy, solid weight. Easy to latch onto. Chase was sitting in a chair nearby. Maybe he was saying something. He couldn’t remember. He couldn’t remember if they had dinner, or if he changed out of his supersuit before climbing into bed. He couldn’t remember what time it was when he finally fell asleep.

But he would never forget the sight of two Heroes pulling Jameson into that League helicopter. Of Jameson, still in that black, menacing costume, looking back over his shoulder at Jackie with sorrow in his eyes.

#jacksepticeye #jacksepticeye fanfiction #jacksepticegos #septic egos #septic egos au #jacksepticeye au #jackieboy man #chase brody #marvin the magnificent #dr schneeplestein #jameson jackson #antisepticeye #brigid writes fanfiction #septicheroesau

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