#last remnant of the superhero ideal

[abronzeagegod]

You're getting up there in years. You're not old by any means, but the whole Super Villain thing is like being a professional athlete, you're body just stops being able to compete with the insane physical demands of the job right around the time you hit thirty.

And you hit thirty a while back.

So you stepped back from active villainy for the most part, no longer nightly or weekly attacks or plans. You try to keep to a schedule, doing only one or two big acts a month, getting regular sleep. While it might not be a truly dangerous villain anymore that causes people to run in terror, you can be the mentor for the next round of those villains that will be.

You have something of a safe place set up in your lair, where any villains can come by for rest, advice, or just a place to lay low.

When the knock at your door hit at 3am, you were asleep but not surprised. You don't keep the late night villainy hours much anymore. The rain is coming down heavy, which was part of the reason you fell asleep, listening to the rain beating against your large widows.

Standing in the rain, bruised, broken, drunk, and crying, is a woman. She looks worse for the wear. You've caused enough harm to people over the years that you know the harm this woman has been through.

"I had nowhere else to go," she slurs more than she says before she collapses into your arms.

Dayline. One of the fiercest and most invulnerable heroes you've ever had the displeasure of facing against, is passed out in your arms, looking like she went three rounds with her superhero husband.

You generally don't like to swear. There are better uses for language and the words you employ to more accurately convey your emotions. However this situation only leaves you with, "Fuck."

---

There's some Super Villains out there that like to study their enemies to try and destroy them. Some who want to fight the heroes and crush them under their heals. Destroy. Kill.

You never really cared to utterly crush your enemies under your heel. You prefer to outwit or outplay them. Lure them into unwinnable scenarios or force them to make choices. Or study their powers and engineer a scenario where their powers are at a disadvantage.

Still, in all the years that you've been here doing your villainy, you never came across anything that could make Dayline so much as flinch. So to see her so broken and bruised concerns you.

Not just because of the inherent power balance shift if there is a new super villain that you haven't heard of that can show up without warning and utterly destroy a super hero. But because you'd put money on the fact that this was done by another hero.

Dayline was very careful with her civilian identity. It was never revealed or leaked as far as you could tell. She came to you in civilian clothes and not a uniform so she wasn't prepared for the the fight.

Someone did a number on her who knew what her weakness was and how to exploit it. That meant someone very smart or someone she trusted with the secret.

Your gut instinct that this was something an abusive partner caused was feeling more right by the minute.

You clean Dayline up as much as you can while not being terribly inappropriate, and put her in one of the guest rooms. Upon being placed in the soft bed and tucked in under the covers, she instinctively curled up in a ball. It could be cute if it wasn't so sad.

---

The alarms were all in place, set up anytime you get a guest so that you'd be alerted any time they moved out of their room. So it was time for you to go back to bed. Dayline would be more receptive to help when she was sober and awake.

Whenever you have guests you don't sleep well. It always sets you slightly on edge so you slept lightly and were constantly aroused at the slightest noise. But in the end Dayline didn't wake up till around noon.

The alarm went off as you were sitting in your lounge reading. You set down your book, carefully marking the page with a bookmark.

Dayline was in the bathroom at the end of the hall cleaning herself up. You make sure to do something that you don't often do: make a lot of noise walking down the hallway, so that when you knock on the door it's not a total surprise.

Still, you can practically hear Dayline jump out of her skin.

"Hello?" she asked cautiously through the door.

You can sense the gathering power on the other side of the reinforced door. "Hello. You doing ok in there?"

"Uh... fine? Where am I?"

"You're safe but it's probably the last place you want to be," you say.

"That's not really very reassuring," she said.

"It wasn't supposed to be. Did you get the clothes I left out for you?"

"Yes."

"I'll be waiting when you're done, then we can talk about what happened to you and why you came to me."

Silence greeting your words. You can sense the lessening power on the other side and the water being turned back on.

You waited for a few minutes while Dayline got herself together.

When she finally came out of the bathroom you handed her a glass of water and a bottle of aspirin.

"Oh shit," she said when she got a look at you. "I knew I recognized your voice."

"A better reaction than I was expecting," you say. "Now follow me, we can talk about this whole thing over coffee."

She follows you, but it's tense. She's walking cautiously and is always letting you go first. As if you had some trick around every corner. Which is a fair enough assumption, if you're being totally honest.

You lead Dayline to kitchen where you start boiling some water and getting your french press together.

"Do you care to start?" you ask as the silence started to grow out of the tense quiet.

"What's your game here Unrelenting?" she asks, going for your stage name.

"You know that I have a safe haven set up here for various villains to seek refuge or advice. Never expected a hero to show up, but here you are looking like you got hit by a bus. Which is concerning because I think I've hit you with three different buses on occasion and you shrugged them off."

"I'd rather not."

You bite your tongue to keep a comment back about how you offered your hospitality without question and this is the repayment you received.

Instead you say, "Shall we turn to weather? It's colder than usual and it's been raining consistently since last night. No, too drab and boring. Current events? Let's see. Apparently the hero known as Dayline suffered some kind of psychotic and moral lapse and tried to kill Captain Galactic. Isn't that her husband?"

The coffee mug in her hands snaps into a dozen pieces, scaling coffee going everywhere. You frown and hand her a towel.

"That's not what happened," Dayline says through gritted teeth.

"Oh really? I've always known the superhero PR department to be upstanding and honest individuals," you say trying to get each word to drip with as much sarcasm as possible.

Dayline didn't say anything.

You watched and waited.

"He killed six people. Civilians. He killed them, and I saw it happen."

---

An ex of your's said during your break up that "just because you have these gut feelings about people doesn't always mean they're right". Of course they were saying that to hurt you and to try and cover up their infidelity.

You superpowers are not your gut feelings, but they might as well be. There's this tertiary sense that is always there just giving you feelings when something is up, or giving you a read on a person. You've trusted that feeling your whole life. Because more often than not, it's been right.

The first generation of superpowered individuals was a time of pure chaos. No one knew what was happening. Heroes and villains rose and fell with impossible speed and frequency. After that first destructive and chaotic summer, there was something of a cease-fire called between all the most notable and powerful people.

You met Captain Galactic there for the first time. And your gut told you that he was not to be trusted.

That was the real reason you never joined the heroes way back when. Why you've always been classified as a villain.

---

"You saw him do it?" you ask.

Dayline nods. There's a look on her face like she's about to cry.

"But you didn't confront him right away," you say. If she fought him right away she wouldn't have been so drunk or been in costume.

Now she's actually crying. "No. No I thought he'd have an explanation. I thought he would be able to have a reason to make it all better."

You don't say anything. You just nod and wait for Dayline to continue.

"I went home. Had several drinks, and when he returned I confront him. The fight went... bad."

"He knows your weakness and used that against you," you offer.

"He is my weakness."

You don't press but she explains anyways.

"I can only be harmed by people that I like."

"And you can't control or turn off your emotions, so he had free reign," you fill in the gaps.

Dayline is crying now, unable to stop. You've never been one for comfort. You've always been extremely solitary in all things.

"When I asked him how could he do that, he-he said because no one could stop him. I threatened to go to the Review Board and that's when..."

"He hit you?"

"No. It's when he told me that the Review Board was the one that told him to kill people. They've done it before and they'll do it again."

Now that was a revelation. You always got a bad feeling from them but that was something that you always assumed was because you are pathologically averse to bureaucratic paperwork. If the entire system is corrupted then this changes some things.

"And they branded you a villain."

Dayline rubbed her eyes and blew her nose. "Yeah. Even while drunk I still tried to fight him, even though I knew I would lose."

"Well, congratulations, you're officially the best hero I know," you say.

"Didn't you hear? I'm a villain now."

"Semantics," you say with a shrug.

"That's why I came here. I didn't have anywhere else to go. I don't think any of my friends would take me in."

"That's what I'm here for. In a manner of speaking."

"What am I supposed to do now?"

"Well you have a couple of options," you say, now that you're back in a place to give advice you're feeling more comfortable. "You can remain a hero, despite what everyone is telling you because you cannot compromise, defend the system you now know to be corrupt. Basically you become stone and refuse to be changed. You can remain a hero, defend the good and the innocent, but fight against the system, which is essentially becoming a villain. Or you can change yourself and ideals completely, embracing that with which they have burdened you with, become a villain and make everyone rue the day they messed with you."

"The only way to remain a hero is to defend the system?" Dayline asks, sounding more sad and broken then anyone you've talked to in a long time.

"It's the way the system has defined the terms. They want hero to be synonymous with the law and the rules and the system. They want people to see the law as inherently good. If the law is immoral and wrong, to stand against it is still evil because the law is good."

Dayline didn't say anything, just looked down into her hands.

"It is a bit early for philosophy," you say, "and I'm sure you're not feeling your best. I will let you stay here for as long as you like but I will let you know the rules. No fighting with anyone who comes here no matter who they are. No listening on conversations you were not invited into. And please limit your showers to less than 30 minutes. My hot water heater can only do so much."

"That's it?"

"That's it. Help yourself to anything in the fridge."

---

Three days after you let her in Dayline finds you in one of your reading nooks.

"I've been thinking, I can't be a villain. I can't be like you. But I also don't want to defend this system."

"Fair enough. I just challenge you to think about the system and who it marks as enemies. And what you know about me," you say. "Am I as villainous as you think I am?" You turn back to your book. "Something to give a think to."

Dayline nodded.

"I have a lot to think about. But there is one thing I need help with," Dayline said. "I need your help. We need to kill Captain Galactic. And I can't fight him, he'll kill me."

"What makes you think I can help?"

"You're Unrelenting. The unstoppable force. If there's any villain that has given Galactic trouble over the years, it is you."

"I'll think about it."

Fortunately for Dayline, you've already formed a half dozen plans to put Galactic in his grave.

As a Villain, one night, someone knocks on your door, you open it and there she is, the most famous invulnerable heroine of the city, completely drunk and with many bruises, as soon as you realize who she is, she passes out into you arms.

[mxndoscyarika]

Honeydew (Marcus Pike/Moreno x OC) | Chapter 5

Summary: Erin He moves to DC after working for the FBI in Texas and runs into a hero in disguise; Marcus Moreno. Something about him is familiar, too familiar, yet different in a way that she can’t quite place. Although confused, she can’t deny her feelings for him; perhaps, after years of regret, she finally found the one.

Warnings: winter, food/drink, fluff

Ao3

Honeydew masterlist

Like my writing? Here’s my masterlist.

Author’s Note: Thing are happeninggggggg 👀 Enjoy!

“This place is beautiful, Marcus,” Erin mused, eyes wandering around the restaurant. Like most upscale places, hardwood and chandeliers were the stars of the interior. Perhaps she was a little old-fashioned for liking it, but the atmosphere of dim lights and dark wood was comforting.

“Do you like it?” he asked, a shy smile adorning his face. He didn’t have time to change after work, opting to stay in his button-down shirt and dark pants. Ideally, he would’ve gone home and changed into something a little nicer, just for her, but work had ended later than he anticipated. Thankfully, he wasn’t too underdressed–Erin wore a simple outfit of a dark shirt and skirt, some boots, and a long coat.

Marcus found himself glancing down at her glossy lips as she praised him for picking such a cozy place for their date. There was still a decent amount of snow on the ground, so they didn’t want to travel far. The local steakhouse had seemed like a good option.

Something about the way she spoke, the way she seemed to glow in the soft light of the restaurant, made his heart flutter in his chest. He loved the way her voice soaked into his being, how soothing her tone was. He’d missed that. He’d missed her.

After that day with her and Missy, he couldn’t stop thinking of what a future would be like with her in it. Being in her apartment felt like stepping back in time. It felt like he was being given another chance, another chance to do right by her and show her his l-

“Marcus?”

He blinked, his thoughts slipping to the background. Rubbing his hand along her back soothingly, he asked, “Yes, honey?”

Erin let out a breathy laugh and tilted her head towards the host. “Aren’t you going to let them know we’re here? You said you made a reservation.”

If they were in broad daylight, she would’ve seen his cheeks redden just slightly, Thankfully, she couldn’t. Kissing her forehead, he answered. “Yes, let’s go.”

They were brought to a table situated towards the back of the dining area, menus and glasses of water already waiting. Once again, Marcus slipped past her and pulled out her chair first, making sure she was comfortable before sitting down.

Erin shivered as his hand brushed her shoulder, reminding her of that night in the kitchen.

They quickly fell into conversation, their voices just above an intimate hum. It was nice to have that time with him. She loved having Missy over at her apartment, but she also wanted moments for just herself and Marcus. Maybe it was a tinge of jealousy that remained, or a remnant of fear that he only liked her because she was good with Missy. The thought hadn’t occurred to her until the day after, when one of her parent’s sayings crept back into her mind. But since it had, she couldn’t shake it off.

What if he didn’t really want her? What if he just wanted friendship, or a role model for his daughter? She had no problem with being the latter–every girl deserves to have a role model–but it was the former that she worried about. What if he didn’t want her, and she was going to watch him slip away just like last time?

As she and Marcus sat there, eating and talking about everything and nothing, she felt the coil of insecurity tighten. He told her about his life both before and after becoming a single dad, and how his late wife had encouraged him to pursue his current job.

“And what’s that?” she asked, a small smile on her lips. “You never told me, Mr. Moreno.”

He was about to answer when his phone rang, cutting him off. Frowning, he apologized and told her it was from the headquarters. They rarely called him after hours; normally they reached out to the others. He knew it wasn’t polite to answer during a date, that it was often a sign of disinterest, but Erin insisted that he took the call. Between her time in the FBI and her knowledge of the Heroics, she knew some things couldn’t be ignored.

Hopefully it was just an update.

Then, Marcus’s eyes widened. “I’ll be right there.”

Erin’s brows furrowed at that. “What’s wrong? Is everything okay? Do we need to get Missy?”

Letting out a sigh, he shook his head and fished out his credit card. “The boss called; there’s an emergency and I need to be there as soon as possible.” He stood up and came around to her. Placing his card in her hand, he said, “I’m sorry, honey. This isn’t how I wanted tonight to go. Stay here. I’ll come back for you, alright? I promise I’ll make it up to you.”

“W-wait, why do you have to go?” she asked, heart sinking. “Isn’t there someone else?”

Marcus’s heart broke as he realized what this looked like. He sighed softly and kissed her forehead gently. “I’m the leader of the Heroics, honeydew. I have to.”

Their eyes met, and he hadn’t seen her as sad since the night he left for DC.

“Okay,” she said quietly, letting go of his arm. “Be safe.”

“I’ll come back for you,” he promised. Then he turned on his heel and jogged out of the restaurant.

---

“Erin?”

At the sound of her name, she looked up from her phone. She let out a sigh of relief when she saw Marcus walking towards her, still in his clothes from earlier, though he looked a bit frazzled. Did he not have a suit to change into?

“Marcus,” she breathed, pulling him into a hug. Tucking her face against his neck, she murmured, “I was so worried.”

His arms immediately wrapped around her, enveloping her with warmth. She felt his lips pressing against her temple as he replied, “I’m so sorry, honey. I’m here now. We got everyone out, and the responders are handling the rest.”

“I’m just glad you’re alright. Though I must say, I never pegged you for a superhero,” she said, smiling as he rocked her back and forth. “Though I wish you’d told me earlier during our date. Were you ever going to tell me?”

He cringed. “About that…. I’m sorry our date was interrupted. I know we’ve been looking forward to this for a while, and I shouldn’t have run out on you like that-” “It’s alright,” she interrupted, her voice smooth. Ice-cold air nipped her skin as she pulled away from him. “It wasn’t your fault. I would’ve probably ditched you if there was an emergency at the office.” A soft laugh. “I guess that means we aren’t so different, huh?”

A soft chuckle left his lips. “Yeah, I guess so.”

Those words echoed in his being. Something about holding her in his arms felt right. He never realized how much he missed her touch until she was right there, in his arms, looking up at him with those beautiful eyes. It had been a long time since he felt that warmth in his chest. For a while, since the passing of his wife, he wasn’t sure he would ever feel it again.

He leaned forward just enough that their foreheads touched. “Erin?”

“Yeah?”

It took everything in him to not close the gap between their lips. “I’d like to see you again sometime. Another date, with no interruptions. How does that sound?”

She paused, her breath caught in her throat. Of course she wanted to see him again. Her sweet Marcus, who treated her better in the few weeks they’d known each other than all her past boyfriends and girlfriends combined. Her sweetheart, who came back for her.

A shiver ran down her spine. Her Marcus. How could she forget? Even after nearly a decade, she missed him. And maybe she always would. But, maybe, it was time to let go and leave it all in the past.

Marcus’s voice pulled her out of her thoughts. “Honey?”

She smiled. “It sounds perfect. I just....It’s been a long since I’ve felt anything like this. I told you I don’t have very good luck with love, and…the last time I loved someone, I never told him, and he disappeared before I could.”

“I’m sorry you had to go through that,” he murmured, his breath warm against her cheeks. “We can take things as slow as you want, or not even try at all. But I want to try this with you, Erin. Do you?”

Erin nodded, smiling. “I do.”

“Perfect,” he said, kissing her forehead. “Are you ready to go home?”

“Only if it’s with you.”

The drive back to her apartment was short, the inside of the car nice and toasty in comparison to the brisk winter air. Erin could barely keep a smile off her face when Marcus reached over to hold her hand as he drove.

When she looked over to his side, she noticed the absence of a ring on his left ring finger.

He walked her to her door, a warm hand settled snugly against her back. Their voices echoed through the hallway, soft and oddly familiar.

“Do you want to come inside?”

The door was propped open by her foot, her keys still dangling from her fingers. He nodded, and smiled at the way her face lit up.

“Sorry about the mess,” she began sheepishly, gathering the papers strewn on the dining table into a pile. “I have an undercover op that I need to take care of in a couple weeks, so I was familiarizing myself with the case.”

His brows furrowed as he came up next to her, a hand coming around to rest on her waist. Indeed, the files were maps and profiles. “I thought you didn’t go out in the field anymore.”

She sighed. “I don’t, this was a special request from my boss. I have the most experience, and a leader leads by example, right?” Placing the papers into a folder, she continued, “I still need a partner, though.” “What’s the case?” he asked. Even back in his FBI days,  he didn’t like seeing Erin dressed for an operation. It wasn’t that she didn’t look good–she always looked beautiful–it was that he worried about her. She was capable, strong, and quick on her feet, but accidents could happen. There was no way he was going to risk losing her again; not now, after they finally could be together.

“It’s pretty low-key,” she began, pulling out an overview of the operation. Snuggling closer to him, she explained, “It’s for evidence against an art collector that’s suspected of dealing in the black market. He’s throwing a party on his private island to celebrate the upcoming marriage of his friends. My job is to get in, download some data from his computer, and get out. My plus-one to the wedding festivities is supposed to make things more convincing.”

“Doesn’t sound too bad. I can go with you,” he suggested, his arm tightening around her waist protectively. “If you want. The Heroics don’t need to get involved, it can just be the two of us.”

She turned to face him, eyes wide. “You’d do that for me?”

“Of course,” he answered, holding her close. “Even leaders need some help sometimes.”

“Cheesy,” she teased, leaning in just slightly. Her gaze flickered down to his lips as she turned to face him, the papers forgotten. They looked soft, plush and pink.

His hand came up to cup her cheek.

“Just for you,” he responded, finally bridging the gap between their lips.

His lips were just as soft as they looked.

They melted into each other’s arms, Erin’s arms coming up to wrap around his neck and pull him closer. Her body pressed up against his as their lips molded against each other. Golden calligraphy spelled out their unspoken words as they kissed, gleaming and sparkling.

Erin smiled against his lips when he let out a soft moan, arching into his touch. His large hands roamed across her back, leaving fire in their wake.

He gently coaxed her onto the dining table, settling between her legs. “I’ve been wanting to do this for a very long time.”

“Me too,” she answered breathlessly. “But now we’re together.”

“Yes,” he murmured, kissing her deeply. A shiver ran down his spine as she whimpered into his mouth, so quiet he nearly missed it. He wanted to hear her again. He wanted to hear how his name would sound on her tongue, how she’d sound at her peak, but it was too soon for that. No, he wanted more time with her; he wanted to show her just how much he loved her before taking things to the next level.

His tongue was tracing the seam of her lips when his phone started ringing again. This time, it was an alarm; the babysitter‘s shift was ending soon, which meant he needed to head home–his other home.

Erin let out a small sound of protest as he pulled away, chasing his lips with her own.

Unable to resist, he returned to her. “I’m sorry,” he said, leaning in for another kiss; one that she gladly granted him. His hands came up to cup her face gently, a thumb caressing her bottom lip. Heat surged through him as her lips parted just slightly, allowing the tip of his thumb to catch in the small opening. “I have to go back to Missy, the babysitter needs to leave soon and I don’t want her in the house all alone.”

The mention of Missy brought her back to reality. She didn’t want him to go–not so soon. But his priority was Missy; they could always continue later. Erin nodded understandingly. “It’s okay, Marcus. We’ll find more time soon.”

“Yes,” he agreed, pecking her on the lips. “Soon, I promise.”

---

A long, hot shower was just what she needed after being out in the cold. Erin exited the bathroom, her phone and watch in hand. She was dressed in a black camisole and sweatpants, hair cascading down her back.

As she set her clothes into the hamper, a  glint from her nightstand caught her eye. Upon closer inspection, she realized it was the ring. She’d left it at home for the date, slipping it off her finger as she got ready.

The ring was a memory, a promise. A promise to herself that she would never forget her best friend, her former love. She’d spent countless hours defending it, justifying the purchase and the clear message it sent to people. She’d wanted to tell the world that she’d given her heart away, and that nothing could replace him.

But maybe she didn’t need the ring to remember her Marcus. She knew he’d want her to find someone that made her happy, even if it wasn’t him. He was always sweet like that, supportive and confident. A part of her wondered if he would’ve liked Marcus Moreno. They were both kind, loyal, caring….they were everything she ever wanted. They were patient, understanding. She always longed to have someone–anyone–who would understand her fully. Or even just someone who cared about Erin He, rather than the supervisor He.

Maybe it was time to let Marcus Pike rest in the past. He wasn’t coming back. Even if he was still alive, he never came back for her. He was gone, and no matter how much she missed him, he wasn’t going to come back. No, not in the way she wished for. Only in memories, memories of late-night pancakes and sunny beach trips.

He’d want her to live her life to the fullest, and give and receive love freely.

A small smile on her face, Erin placed the ring back inside it’s velvet box and closed it.

< previous chapter | next chapter >

TAGLISTS: (please let me know if you’d like to be added/removed!)

PERMANENT:

@cinewhore​ @randomness501​ @ahopelessromanticwritersworld​ @miraclemoreno​ @halfwaythereroyal​ @fioccodineveautunnale​ @talesfromtheguild​ @tortles​ @ladamari68​ @theokatcov @snivellusim @starryluce​ @inked-poet​ @this-cat-is-dea​ @shedobewritingalittle​ @chews-erotically​ @thefandomimagines​ @emesispo​ @bitchin-beskar​ @phoenixhalliwell​ @nerdypinupcrystal​ @dishonouringmycow​ @sarahjkl82-blog​

HONEYDEW:

@leemorrigan @houseofthirst​ @meshlamando​ @engineeredfiction​ @inkyzinky​ @thedazeinmylife @theoutsidelandhere​ @parkjammys​

[morsking]

not to be galaxy-brained and risk absolute inanity but when shirou takes off the shroud in his room he feels fear of death for the first time in his life and it’s heavily indicative of how deeply personal it is for shirou to die not at the hands of someone else but by something that comes from within him.

shirou doesn’t exactly show or express fear every time he’s sacrificed himself physically for someone else. he jumps in front of berserker’s attack to save saber, he lunges himself forward to stop rider from killing rin, and does so again when sakura’s magic rages out of control and a spike is about to skewer rin in heaven’s feel. he’s not afraid either in the school when blood fort andromeda is activated and people are on the ground agonizing at their life force being stolen, he’s just mad beyond reason or doubt. in all cases but the last one, this is shirou choosing to suffer pain as a form of asserting both his ideals and achieving some form of atonement for what he perceives to be his unfair survival. shirou’s choice to sacrifice himself is how he expresses that fundamental part of him, which is why he doesn’t hesitate to put himself in harm’s way. 

archer’s arm, however, presents a greater danger to himself because the pain inflicted upon him is so violently overwhelming it overwrites his entire existence. it is a foreign contaminant that infects and takes over his entire body and nervous system that turns his entire being into a weapon while destroying his psyche. there is no assertion of the self to be made by undergoing through that pain, there is only the absolute erasure of everything shirou emiya is both conceptually and physically. shirou thinks to himself how the fear he experiences is primal. he’s not trying to resist dying because he wishes to live, like he does when he first fights cu chulainn in the emiya estate. instead, he tries to resist because he doesn’t want to die. that is an important distinction because the former is shirou challenging the notion of senseless and unjust murder, the latter is shirou reacting to a primal instinct to simply survive. there is no moral prerogative or ethical stake to enforce or overcome. it is just a living being desperate to not be eradicated. 

it is absolutely perverse and nerve-wracking about how what threatens to annihilate him so thoroughly is a body part belonging to archer, the monument of shirou’s ideals given form. something from within you, a part of you meant to help you survive, is trying to destroy you, both in a physical sense and and in a personal one. archer is the epitome of shirou emiya’s path of heroism, but as ubw explored that path only led to a self-destruction that caused more deaths than anyone should ever have to cause. that idea is taken even further here, because archer’s direct physical connection to shirou, which previously helped shirou fight gilgamesh and win, is now a rigged shotgun that will blow his brains out if he doesn’t handle it carefully. archer’s arm is the remnant of something even less present than a ghost, and being killed by it presents a finality so absolute in its oblivion that if it overtakes shirou completely, there really will be nothing left of shirou. the ideal kills the person.

following another thread though, it gives shirou another connection to sakura. when shirou asks sakura about whether she dislikes the matou magecraft, she answers “that’s like asking a person if she hates breathing.” she elaborates that her life depends on her feeding on others’ magical energy. she can’t hate it or denounce it in any way, she can only accept that it’s the only way she can survive. crest worms are a part of her and her condition as a person, so she is in no position to argue or reject their presence. 

but more importantly, there is something else that’s also a part of her that both serves to define her and help her survive, and that’s angra mainyu. because sakura consciously refuses to consume human flesh, angra mainyu has to actively induce hypnosis on her and lead her into the city to find prey. it should be noted that angra mainyu’s influence also draws out some of sakura’s negative emotions forward to the point where she mindlessly makes possessive and threatening comments prior to her transformation. once sakura kills shinji, those negative emotions take over sakura and overshadow the goodness within her.

archer’s arm for shirou and angra mainyu/crest worms to sakura have this way of exposing these negative aspects of themselves. archer’s arm presents to shirou the ultimate destruction of the self by the hands of own’s on ideals, symbolically warning shirou that if he chooses to become a superhero for the sake of being one rather than to save sakura, he will die as a person because he would deny himself love and his own agency. for sakura, she would end up losing herself entirely to both her resentment and her self-loathing until they are the only things that remain in the world. fate/stay night is, among other things, about being yourself and dropping all pretense and falsehoods, and in both their cases, it is shirou abandoning a fake ideal and deciding to be human and sakura’s pain, trauma, and anger being acknowledged and asserting that she deserves happiness not in spite of those things but because of them. regardless of what she’s done and what she might do, what matters is that she needs to be saved rather than fall into a void where nothing is hers and she becomes nothing.

[discountchris]

On Superman

I’ve been thinking about Superman a lot lately.

I don’t know if it’s because I found my copy of Kingdom Come, if I’ve had a desire to get back into playing DC Universe Online again or if it’s just one of those chunks in the soup of my mind that’s floated to the top apropos of nothing. But it’s one of those things where I feel like he’s a fantastic character that people don’t seem to understand. That seems fairly normal, because it’s pretty normal for people to not understand characters, but Superman cops a lot of it because I think they don’t want to understand him. Not to claim that I do, mind you. I’m just some guy who has a few comics and fell asleep last time he watched Superman 3. This is just my understanding of the character and since this is the internet, I’m sure I’m wrong so scroll to the comments for that one.

For me, at least, the core of understanding Superman is understanding Clark Kent. Despite being the same person, they’re two separate characters. Clark Kent is a guy who grew up in Smallville, Kansas and moved to the big city of Metropolis to become a reporter. That’s a pretty decent indie film in of itself, to be honest. But it’s a fairly concise life story of someone you or I might even know. Superman is an alien who crashed to Earth and has amazing superpowers that he uses to save us all from the likes of Metallo, Brainiac and Lex Luthor. Those stories are so different and I think people try to focus on the latter because that’s what makes for better films and comics, but it’s the former that influences so much of what makes them interesting.

There’s that monologue in Kill Bill Volume 2 about Superman, where Bill talks about how Clark Kent is Superman’s critique on humanity because he’s weak.

Now, a staple of the superhero mythology is, there's the superhero and there's the alter ego. Batman is actually Bruce Wayne, Spider-Man is actually Peter Parker. When that character wakes up in the morning, he's Peter Parker. He has to put on a costume to become Spider-Man. And it is in that characteristic Superman stands alone. Superman didn't become Superman. Superman was born Superman. When Superman wakes up in the morning, he's Superman. His alter ego is Clark Kent. His outfit with the big red "S", that's the blanket he was wrapped in as a baby when the Kents found him. Those are his clothes. What Kent wears - the glasses, the business suit - that's the costume. That's the costume Superman wears to blend in with us. Clark Kent is how Superman views us. And what are the characteristics of Clark Kent. He's weak... he's unsure of himself... he's a coward. Clark Kent is Superman's critique on the whole human race.

I hate that entire speech with a passion. Hate it, hate it, hate it. It demonstrates such a lack of even willingness to connect with the idea of Superman and what he stands for as a hero and as a person. It’s the typical macho bravado that the typical Tarantino film flourishes on, and using Superman, the stereotypical “boy scout” archetype to promote that misses much of the point of what makes Superman work. Maybe that’s the point. Maybe it’s supposed to show that Bill himself doesn’t get it, but typical of everything Tarantino has made, people take it at face value. Who knows?

My point is, everything that Bill said in his little speech is the exact opposite to the truth. I didn’t have a father growing up. He died when I was a few months old and as unfortunate as it is, I don’t have any memories about him or anything of the sort. A few pictures and stories, but nothing personal to me. He was just some guy, and as much as it sucks to have not met him or anything, it’s just a fact of my life that I live with. The exact same is for Kal-El. He was sent to Earth as a baby right before his entire planet exploded. He doesn’t know anything about Krypton or Jor-El. All he’s known is Jonathan and Martha Kent are his parents and his home is Smallville. Yeah, he has the capsule and the blankets from his travel, but it’s not something that he remembers. It’s not something that he’s going to recognize as personal to him. He might get bummed out that he’s not able to meet his real parents occasionally, but they aren’t the ones who raised him from childhood. Clark Kent is who he is at heart because that’s all he’s ever really known. He can hardly “critique” the human race when that’s all he’s ever been and wants to have been.

‘With great power comes great responsibility’ might be Spider-Man’s thing, but Superman is the one who exemplifies it way more than Peter Parker ever could. Clark Kent is able to lift planets and fly and is impervious to bullets and he refuses to do it full time because his real passion is reporting. Journalism is a rough job, and you don’t do it on a whim to pass time between saving the world. He just has to save the world because he’s the only guy that can fight Parasite and not get stomped into the ground twenty seconds after introductions. Being Superman, persona included, is Superman’s retail job. The thing he has to do because he feels as though he has to. Not because he wants to, not because he’s the Ubermensch looking down upon us puny mortals, but because he has the ability to help people and that’s just how he was raised.

The coward? The weak, nervous dork? That’s his true face. He wears glasses not to disguise himself, but because he needs them to see. He wears the business suit because, uh, he’s trying to be professional for his job? That was a weird point to make, Bill. In any case, he’s only Superman because he has to be, not necessarily that he wants to be. He’s a person that people should aspire to be like. Everyone in their own way wants to save the world and because he has that ability, he does just that. The blue tights, the red undies and the cape are just his uniform that he wears to the job. It is part of his heritage, yes, but it’s more because he understands the gifts he’s been given by his parents and his planet. They’re the ones that allowed him to rescue people, and so he honors them by wearing the remnants of that life.

That’s how he differs from the other two main DC superheros, Batman and Wonder Woman. Bruce Wayne was a child when his parents died, right in front of him. That messed him right the fuck up and from that point on, he stopped being Bruce Wayne and became Batman. He trained 25 or so years to be skilled in ninjitsu, detective work and chiropterology. He lost himself and his identity to the Bat, and so when he is out and about as Bruce Wayne, that’s Batman pretending to be a Regular Human Being. Bill’s speech is so much more accurate if you replace Superman with Batman. Bruce Wayne is a disguise Batman wears, whereas Superman is a disguise Clark Kent wears.

Wonder Woman, too, is a fish out of water who uses her gifts to help people, but she was raised to adulthood as a warrior. Someone who understands how to fight and is willing to end someone who’s getting too uppity because that’s how she was raised. All three have different childhoods and ideals about how to effectively be heroes, but they also understand the different methodologies are needed for different situations. Superman might disapprove of Batman’s brutality and Wonder Woman’s killing, but he’s smart enough to realize how the Joker and Ares are so much different to Lex Luthor. That’s what allows them to be a team. That’s what allows them to be friends. Super friends, even.

This is also what makes Superman’s rogues gallery so interesting too. For the most part, they’re things that stand on equal or greater footing with Superman. Darkseid, ruler of Apokolips. General Zod, Kryptonian war criminal. Mr Mxyzptlk, a reality warping imp from the 5th Dimension. Titano, a 50 foot giant ape that shoots Kryptonite laser beams out of it’s eyes. They’re all people and monkeys that can put up a proper challenge to Superman. He has to be smart to outwit them because they can do most of the same things he can do or worse. But his main enemy, the guy that’s always been around and will always be fighting Superman until the heat death of the universe is Lex Luthor. He’s just a bald guy. A rich bald guy who’s pissed off that Superman exists. In the Silver Age it was because Superboy was the one who made him bald, but that was a time when he was also stealing forty cakes. (And that’s terrible.)

Usually, the arch enemy is a foil for the protagonist. The Joker is the opposite to everything Batman is, for example. Light vs Dark, Chaos vs Order, Funny vs Serious, Evil vs Good. So it might seem a bit strange how Superman’s arch-nemesis is someone he can take out with one quick punch and-- Of course it’s because he’s a foil for Clark Kent. If you were questioning that, you probably haven’t read the past thousand words or so.

Lex Luthor hates Superman because  he used to be the most powerful man in Metropolis. He used to be the one who held all the power and he is no longer. He has to share it and that is unacceptable, especially when it’s someone who isn’t even human. Whereas Clark just wants to live his life and uses his powers when necessary, Lex obsesses over it to the point where the very idea of Superman existing and being alive is abhorrent to him. He’s a genius that could cure cancer and save the world but refuses to because he prefers having power and influence. The conflict between the two works because it’s not really a challenge of might, it’s a challenge between viewpoints and ideas. Luthor believes that Might Makes Right, but when that might isn't his, there’s an issue. He wants to destroy Superman, but only to make himself top dog again. He just wants the power and not the responsibility that comes with it. They come to blows so frequently because Clark sees all the power and potential that Lex has already but refuses to use it on anything but hoarding it for himself and trying to kill metahumans (mostly Superman.)

And I think this is the primary reason why people don’t like Superman. Why they don’t like his films. They’re not the kind of stories that work well as a two-hour action blockbuster. The best Superman stories are the ones that are about the difficulties of balancing his life in such a way that he can save the world without giving up his passions. “What’s So Funny About Truth, Justice And The American Way?” is one of my favorite stories because it’s so much more about the nature of his No Killing policy instead of the big fights he has. If it were made into a DC Cinematic Universe film, not only would it not fit as part of the universe they’ve established, but I don’t think people would walk out of the theater believing that Superman’s way of pacifism works or that The Elite are in the wrong. They’d just see how the cool and edgy British man kills the bad guys and we came to see fights. People would love Manchester Black and ignore the second half of the film, which is the entire point.

The main difference between Marvel and DC is that people with powers are feared and shunned in the Marvel universe, while heroes are celebrated in DC. Spider-Man has a newspaper running a smear campaign every Tuesday while The Flash has an entire museum dedicated to him. The difference is Superman. He is the paragon of goodness and what all people should try to aspire to. And to dismiss him because of that is a damn shame.

[katiezstorey93]

Present Guide 2017: Greatest of DVD and DVD animation

Here is a choice of top gift suggestions for the Blu-ray and DVD-loving, cartoon-watcher in the family.

DC Universe: 10th Anniversary Collection (Warner Bros.. Home Entertainment, ranked PG-13 and R, 1.78:1 aspect ratio, $199.99)— DC Comics observes the translations of its favorite superhero mythologies to the animated format with a premier Blu-ray series offering each direct-to-disc cartoon released from the cooperation between Warner Bros.. Cartoon and DC Entertainment in the last decade.

That translates into 30 full-length movies and five shorts distribute one of 32 disks adapting such traditional sequential-art stories as “All-Star Superman,”“Batman: Year 1,”“The Dark Knight Returns” and “Teen Titans: The Judas Contract.”

Besides the quartet of well-received movies above, the best of the bunch also comprises “Superman: Doomsday,”“Batman: Gotham Knight,”“Batman: Under the Red Hood,”“Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths,” the anthology “Green Lantern: Emerald Knights,” and commemorative editions of “Justice League: The New Frontier” and “Wonder Woman.”

Movies from first stories incorporate the fairly good “Justice League: Gods and Monsters” and also not-so-great “Batman and Harley Quinn.”

Many animated efforts also comprise a star voice-over cast, including Tim Daly as Superman; Anne Heche as Lois Lane; Lucy Lawless as Wonder Woman; Jason Issacs as Sinestro; Bryan Cranston as Lt. James Gordon; Ed Asner as Perry White; Neil Patrick Harris as Nightwing; and, most importantly to the pop culture geek in the family, Mark Hamill as the Joker (within a version of Alan Moore’s “Batman: The Killing Joke”).

Extras are plentiful on each disk, culled from the first releases, and often include optional commentary tracks; hours of featurettes covering the manufacturing and hero mythologies; and dozens of episodes out of DC Comics-based television shows, including “Batman: Brave and the Bold,”“Superman: The Animated Series,”“Justice League” and “Batman: The Animated Series.”

In addition, a bonus disc of extras provides content such as a nine-minute recent interview with Mr. Hamill as he discusses his career and voicing the Joker; a 50-minute informative look at the myths and origins of the protagonist (with loads of fantastic comic artwork); and a 45-minute San Diego Comic-Con board paying tribute to the DC-animated universe.

The packaging of this limited edition set (only 20,000 available) can be sure to please comic-loving present receivers.

The big purplish rectangular enclosure with a superhero group example has a magnetic clasp on the lid and contains a book with hard cardboard pages filled up with comic book artwork and sleeves to hold the disks.

The package also holds a 40-page adult coloring book and three-dimensional coins with the faces of Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman.

Samurai Jack: The Complete Collection (Warner Bros.. Home Entertainment, ranked TV-MA, 1.78:1 and 1.33:1 aspect ratio, $112.99)— Genndy Tartakovsky’s entire Cartoon Network, award-winning masterpiece comes in a boxed collection, giving fans a dazzling show of animation in a format that is searchable.

The tale of a Japanese warrior named Jack looking to come back to the last to reshape the near future after needing a time-traveling trip by his nemesis, a shape-shifting monster named Aku, provided a study in minimalist layout and maximum beauty within its initial four decades back in the early 2000s.

Mr. Tartakovsky’s additional closure to the adventure with a fifth season this year, and blessed present receivers can find all of 62 episodes about five Blu-ray disks with the initial four seasons remastered in 1080p for the very first period and a decent source of extras.

Specifically, two commentary tracks comprise Mr. Tartakovsky’s biographical information, his job as the founder, a look at the growth of the direct character, background on the series’s martial-arts design, and a lost artwork gallery (with more commentary from the founder).

But best of this bunch are tied to the fifth year and supply a quintet of all “pitch movies” highlighting Mr. Tartakovsky using storyboards and narration to explain his eyesight during the pre-production procedure. He makes some funny sound effects during the pitches.

So far as this slip-box packaging, open this up to find the disks as well as an enamel-painted, metal artwork print (5 inches tall by 6.5 inches tall) ideal for framing and emphasizing Jack and Aku in mid-battle.

Drawn Together: The Complete Collection (Paramount Home Entertainment, ranked TV-MA, 1.33:1 aspect ratio, $22.99)— Definitely a present for the “naughtier than fine” mature family member, this collection provides the Comedy Central show that ran in the mid-2000s featuring a group of raunchy cartoon characters living together under one roof.

Specifically, eight cartoon archetypes are heavily parodied in the reality television genre.

They included: celebrity mystery-solver Foxxy Love (think “Josie and the Pussycats”); washed-up 1920s cartoon star Toot Braunstein (think Betty Boop); chauvinistic superhero Captain Leslie Hero (Superman); the bizarre Wooldoor Jebediah Sockbat (a remnant from “Ren and Stimpy”); racist Princess Clara (a Disney princess); the hypersensitive Xandir P. Wifflebottom (a homosexual “Legend of Zelda” star); the babbling Ling-Ling (a Pokemon reject); and sophomoric Spanky Ham (Porky Pig with issues).

The 36 episodes and 2010 full-length movie in the established offer something to offend everyone as they protect a range of politically incorrect topics peppered with some nudity, violence, profanity and fun musical numbers.

Alas, the series takes place on seven DVDs, which makes the resolution appearing rather aged compared to some high profile releases.

However, considering the risqué material animated in a “Super Friends” retro-style, the electronic visuals create the displays look more primitive and seamy, a plus to the devoted fan.

Making up for the absence of visual quality would be the extras directed by about a dozen hilarious optional commentary tracks often with creators Dave Jeser and Matt Silverstein as well as cast and crew. Expect a party-like setting with lots of laughs out of the group offering content sometimes better than the episodes being discussed.

Other extras include some karaoke and sing-along options for the musical numbers and also featurettes on the voice cast discussing the show.

The post <p>Present Guide 2017: Greatest of DVD and DVD animation</p> appeared first on blue ray search.

from network 8 http://www.blueraysearch.com/present-guide-2017-greatest-of-dvd-and-dvd-animation/

[abronzeagegod]

You know your grip can be like iron so you have to consciously control your strength as you pull your nemesis into the house.

"Adrianne," you firmly tell your child, "go get the kit. You." You put your nemesis into a seat in your kitchen. "Explain."

"We really have to do this now?" he asks. "I think I have internal bleeding."

"Stop being dramatic, Thorn."

"I'm not being dramatic, Remnant," he snaps in that same way that you snapped at him.

You take a deep breath and try to calm yourself down as your teenage daughter runs back into the room with the emergency surgery kit.

"I'm sorry," you say, but it was a struggle to get out. "I'm trying to understand what happened to you and my child. Move your arm so I can address the damage."

"I was out at the library, trying to study when some hero attack nonsense happened and I got caught in the crossfire," Adrianne tried to explain.

"I've raised you long enough to know that is a lie," you say without looking at her, trying to focus on the fresh wounds that Thorn has in front of you.

"What makes you think I'm going to be any easier to crack?" Thorn asks between winces as you disinfect his wounds.

"Because I'm a parent worried about their child, and I have a notorious supervillain bleeding all over my kitchen. I'm trying to be calm and collected but I am very stressed right now because I want to know if there's someone or something dangerous coming after you. And if push comes to shove, Thorn, I can take you down."

Adrianne huffed as she handed you the stitches.

"It wasn't his fault," she said. "I went to go visit Zoe."

"You know-"

"Yeah, we know," Thorn cut in. "That's why I was keeping an eye out."

"That girl is dangerous, and very angry right now. You should give her space," you chide and warn. You've been down this road before, and no one in this room seems to want your experience in these matters.

"It's my fault that she's in the position that's she's in," Adrianne muttered. "I want to help her."

"And if she kills you in her grief? If her anger coalesces into a focused vengeance and she tears you apart?"

"You're not wrong," Thorn mutters. "But also I know our daughter well enough that she's not going to stop going, so I spied a little bit and kept my eyes on her to keep her safe."

First you say, "thank you." Then you ask, "Did she do this?"

"No, Zoe had nothing to do with it. It was actually my fault," Thorn says. "Fucking ow! Watch where you're stabbing! Jesus!"

You try to keep a grip on your emotions, but it's hard to see you ex admit that he let your daughter out to see a dangerous teenage superhero that just lost everything through a series of disasters unintentionally orchestrated by members of this family, and then for him to admit that he put her in danger because of it.

"What happened." You demand it through gritted teeth.

"I don't rightly know how," Thorn said, "but some passing hero patrol spotted me and then called it our old friends at the Suppression Unit."

If you weren't already on edge, now you were. The Suppression Unit was a blackops style unit that is specifically to neutralize super powered targets. They are not kind, and they have no qualms about attacking people in their homes while they slept. They are the ones that take out the highest level threats that are too much of a risk to let play out between heroes and villains in front of the cameras.

"Do they know about us?" you ask.

"Really? I know we've had our differences but do you honestly think I wouldn't tell you right away if you were compromised?"

"You're right, I'm sorry."

"I fought them off, halfway decently, but they like to fuck with anyone they fight, and aren't super concerned with collateral damage, especially when fighting someone like me."

"I got caught up in it," Adrianne muttered. "Zoe and I couldn't get out without being noticed and flagged, but dad protected us."

"I see," you say as you finish up tending to his wounds. "Thank you."

"No need for thanks, she is our kid after all. I'm not going to let her dumb choices get her into too much trouble."

"Dad! Come on! You're taking her side now?"

"You picked a hell of a time to sneak out of the house, to go visit a friend that is on a most wanted listed, when your mother just got out of prison," Thorn said.

"Oh my god! I'm going to my room!" Adrianne stood up in a huff and stomped off to her room.

"She's only going to be more trouble," Thorn muttered.

"Just like her dad."

"Who has nothing on her mom."

"I'm going to go."

"Thanks. I know you don't want me to say it, but thank you."

You get a knock. You open the door to see your nemesis, bruised and beaten, with your child. “Just saved their life. Need to go home and rest.” Your nemesis turns to leave. You grab their arm. “Hang on. I want you to tell me what happened.” You drag them inside.

[abronzeagegod]

You just moved here and were thrown on the supervillain registry list. That never really bothered you, because it's not like you were ever a "good" person or a "law abiding" one. There was even a supervillain union that you got forcibly inducted into, which was great. There were payouts and stuff for doing criminal things and causing trouble.

You had the bright idea of going into the superhero compound undercover and just doing some pranks. Nothing too catastrophic, but you know, maybe break some stuff, graffiti, catfish a hero or two, steal all of the pants in the hero's locker rooms.

Luckily you have shape changing abilities and some very limited illusion powers so you can just sneak in to just about anywhere without any real effort.

You get into the citadel that the heroes call their home base pretty easily. Your first target was Captain Shield, sorry, CAAAAAAPTAAAAAAIN SHIIIIIIIEEEEEELLLLLD! Who you find both very annoying and very annoying. So you find his little armory and paint neon pink dicks on everything he owns. You're not sure if that could even be qualified as a prank because neon pink dicks on a shield would make you feel much more protected and safe.

After a job well done you spend some time in the cafeteria flirting with a couple of different heroes trying to convince them to meet up for some rendezvous, one of which you might actually show up for. White Knife seemed chipper, and like a real true believer. She also seemed like truly the nicest, most genuine person you've talked to this whole day. It felt a little cruel to set her up for a meeting that you were planning on sending a bunch of heroes to and then dumping gallons of industrial lubricant on, so you might actually meet up with her later for a drink.

You feel like you did some good pranks, but there was something missing. You wanted to do something more destructive as a prank. Like causing the central water heater to explode. So you started to wander and explore the extensive hero campus.

You were trying to get into a locked door when you spotted the one hero you never wanted to run into. Sentinel, real name Adrianne Moore. The one hero that even Mister Destruction, the leader of the Supervillain Union told everyone to steer clear up. She had a hero identity and a civilian identity, but she didn't have the secrecy. And she was something of a nightmare.

Adrianne could sniff out villainy from a mile away. She didn't have patience to wait and get support from other heroes, nor did she have any conniptions about stepping into someone else's fight and finishing it for them. She also had a very bad habit of not just arresting and stopping villains, but she also had been reported to stop heroes mid-fight for causing too much destruction or unnecessary harm.

Sentinel scared you, and part of that was because you didn't know what her powers were, exactly, but you knew that she could absolutely destroy you without thinking. So maybe it was time to be somewhere else, do one last prank, and leave.

You turn away from the most notorious hero and desperately try to find a place to hide. One door finally yields to you and slip down the stairs behind it as you break into a run to put as much distance between you and Sentinel.

After several flights down, and through another open door, you feel slightly more at ease, but you're now deeply lost. This is well below the rest of the complex that you were aware of, and there was no other people wandering around the halls. You can't be entirely sure what you found yourself in.

You don't want to go back the way you came, just in case you found Sentinel again, which means that you have to find another way out of this weird basement.

After a few minutes of wandering you stumble across some voices.

One voice you know very well. You know it is Mister Destruction. You have a habit of studying not just bodies and postures, but accents and speech patterns. This one is Mister Destruction's. There's less of an affect to it than the times you've heard it before, but there's an unmistakable 'born in the city, spent lots of time on the west coast, returned to the city that they grew up in but didn't develop in' quality.

Did they capture the leader of the Supervillains? How screwed are you? Self preservation always came first for you. That's why you crept forward. If the union was compromised then you wanted to know how quickly you need to leave town. There's a couple of things you'd like to pack, but they weren't important enough to double back for if everything was screwed.

"I'm telling you," the voice that was definitely Mister Destruction, "we need a healer or something similar on the villain side. We've taken some hard hits."

Another voice, a woman's speaks up. She's firm, neutral accent but with little flourishes of east coast and refinement. Probably went to good schools and came from money and power so she expects and demands that the power is always paid to her. "No. The problem with healers is that they always want to help people and that is very hero-centric work. No healer wants to be a villain."

"Because you've never made villains of people before."

"This is different."

"So you keep saying," Mister Destruction said. "Then if you won't give us a healer I need someone that can take a beating. And I'm going to need more recruits. The villains have been losing numbers as of late."

The woman's voice goes quiet for a moment, and you dare not get closer to try and get a look. "Yes, Sentinel has been even less cooperative lately."

"She's been distracted by Vestige."

"Don't remind me. That's someone that you need to get under control. Vestige is a valuable card in your arsenal. You can't keep requesting new recruits every time your side screws up."

Mister Destruction sighed. "Fine. I'll keep working on Vestige, but there's got to be someone you can offer. Or I'm going to need to start requesting another jailbreak."

"Absolutely not. We can't risk another jailbreak for at least another two years and even then we will have to meticulously plan everything before I will even consider bringing such a plan to the board." There was a lengthy pause. "I can give you White Knife."

"She's new, right?"

"Less than a year, no real presence yet. Still wet behind the ears."

Mister Destruction was quiet, probably because he was reading a file, or at least that is what it sounded like. "Oh, she's a true believer thought."

"They make the best villains."

"That's what you said about Vestige, and he's been nothing but trouble for both of us."

"White Knife doesn't have the emotional baggage yet. She'll be easy to manipulate."

"How are you going to break her?"

"I think we stage a fight near her parents house, collateral damage, failures of the hero system, the usual spread."

"You'll have to get Sentinel out of the way."

There's a pause, but there's a change in the air that makes you deeply uncomfortable.

"I've got something in the works that will keep Sentinel distracted for a good while."

"Right, well I think that's all I've got for you."

It was time to leave. You stumbled upon something very bad and very big. You have to get out of here.

But when you turned around, you ran straight into Sentinel.

---

You can't be sure that your silence isn't influenced by some kind of unknown Sentinel power set. Or if she's just intimidating enough that you are incapable of speech.

She led you out of the complex and not terribly far away to a closed down coffee shop.

"Sit," she said before moving behind the counter to get herself some coffee.

You don't say anything because it feels like the wrong time, so instead you default to what you always do and watch her move. Something you caught immediately and is only reinforced now, Sentinel would be impossible to copy. She's got a presence and an aura that simply can't be faked or copied. She's less a person and more a force.

"You want any coffee are you just gonna stare like a weirdo?" she asked.

"No. I'm good," you said in response after finding your voice.

The door opens and in walked another powerful figure that you have always done your best to avoid. Vestige.

The most dangerous hero and the most unstoppable villain are in a coffee shop and you're stuck in the middle.

"This is Curio, right?" Vestige asks. He's younger than you always imagine him to be, and he's very clean cut.

You nod. Not your choice in name, but it fits.

"Found them outside of the meeting today. They've learned some stuff," Sentinel said.

Vestige takes the coffee from Sentinel and nods. You watch every move.

"So you learned the big, ugly truth behind the military hero complex," Vestige said as he sat down across from you.

"We can get assigned to being a hero or a villain depending on how those behind the shadows feel. We are pawns to be manipulated and toys to be paraded out on the news to drum up support," Sentinel said.

"They want to turn White Knife into a villain. They're going to kill her family!"

"No. They won't," Sentinel said.

"But they're going to lure you away! You can't stop them!" you cry out, suddenly realizing the panic is starting to bubble up.

Vestige puts a hand up, stopping your coming tirade. "We've been doing this a while. The question is, do you want to help? Because now you know the game, how do you want to play?"

"This is so deeply fucked up," you say. "I liked to cause a little chaos. I wanted to make things, fun, interesting. Take down some high and mighty assholes and point and laugh. I don't want to kill people's families or push people into some kind of nonsense like this."

Vestige smiles. "Then welcome to the resistance. We can use someone with your skills."

For some reason that snaps you out of your revere. "I have an idea. Help White Knife, keep those people in the basement from knowing that we listened in, and keep everyone alive."

"Oh?" Sentinel said. You could tell she's trying to keep her skepticism to a minimum.

"I'm a shape changer. And an overly dramatic theater nerd. I love doing death scenes. We just have to move White Knife's parents, and convince her that we are trying to help."

You are a supervillain who went undercover as a superhero for jokes, only to discover how corrupt the system is in the hero society. The system is so corrupt that you agree to lead a small group of superheroes to rebel against the unjust hero society.

[abronzeagegod]

You've always known that the superhero industrial complex was broken and rotten to it's core. But the delaying the life saving intervention for the city is a step too far. This simply cannot stand. You made your choice. You've made dozens of choices over the years, and you'd make them again if you had to. You chose to stand against the law, against the heroes, against the business and government then sustains them.

Now, now you are going to do what you've always done. You're going to save the city you've spent so long trying to change. You cannot change something that doesn't exist. And really, you're in a perfect position to so something about this heinous attack.

It's easy for you, your power was always making shields and barriers. You've always been dismissed because making shields isn't particularly flashy or offensive. But that's because the heroes and the media don't have the most creative imaginations. You can create layers of shields, and you can make them over vast distances, over whole city blocks. The true secret of your power is that you can make barriers that let in or bar whatever you want.

So, for example, your city is being bombarded and attacked by an army of evil remote controlled robots. You can create barriers that allow organic material (people) through as they flee to safety but will stop any inorganic material (robots) from passing through. And because you can layer the barriers, you can make them incredibly durable.

You begin throwing up barriers all around town, creating safe havens all across town, that no robots could enter. Of course the first person to approach you is a hero. A hero that is very much not down there in the city.

"What are you doing?" Lawgiver demands as they appear next to you on the roof as you overlook the ongoing devastation.

At first you don't respond. You're watching a civilian flee from the robots and you had to get the timing perfect to set the barrier as they fled into a nearby alley.

The explosions of the machines punctuate your speech. "Doing what you can't. Or won't."

Lawgiver was always an annoying hero. He managed to have a truly stupid combination of powers: teleportation, super strength, extreme durability; and, just like his name, he was a true simp for the system and the machine that made him.

"Cease and desist villain!"

You don't bother to get up. You survey the city and establish another few barrier, save a few more people. "Do your job. Hero." You mean the title as much of a slur as you can possibly muster.

"I am doing my job, stopping a villain."

"You could be stopping the mass destruction and death, but I assume that you're not doing a single thing because the Hero Council is trying to get... what... another couple of senate seats so they can more directly dictate policy instead of just lobbying and spending dark money on doing whatever they want? Like holding a city hostage?" You don't bother to even look over at Lawgiver. Why would you? He's a bootlicking toady. He's nothing. The worst kind of hero.

The Lawgiver tried to threaten you. As if you can be intimidated by someone who is so submissive to the system. You ignore him. You can predict what was coming next, but it was still grosser than you would have liked.

The teleported couldn't have been bothered to walk over to you, so he teleported. And the thing about teleporters and barriers is that the barrier will always win. It's essentially a wall, and if you suddenly stick a wall halfway between your left half and your right half, well suddenly there's nothing holding those two halves together.

"Ugh," you say to yourself and the two halves of Lawgiver, "disgusting."

They never realize that your barrier can be exactly as opaque as you want them to be. You can choose specific wavelengths of light to let through if you want, so you're constantly surrounded by barriers. It keeps you safe and alive. But teleporters, you've found, are very stupid.

You quickly set up another barrier to bar blood from getting on your person as you turn your full attention back to the city.

The city is under attack and none of the heroes are lifting a finger in its defense. So this leaves you and the other villains to defend it, because there is nothing for a villain to do in a smoldering ruin and trashing the city is your job damnit!