Hermit

"You're a clever little man, little master of the universe, but mortals are weak and frail. If their stomach speaks, they forget their brain. If their brain speaks, they forget their heart. And if their heart speaks, they forget everything."

The average human mind cannot even begin to comprehend the intricacies of quantum physics in regards to dimensional mechanics. The exceptional human mind, properly trained and educated, can scratch the surface of possibilities and still wander clueless in anything more concrete than theoretical guesswork. Brainiac 5 ? He realized he was in the wrong reality as well as the wrong time in less than 50 Earth seconds. He noticed Aquaman, of course, but there was no recognition in the Atlantean King's eyes, meaning all their prior meetings did not exist for this version of Aquaman, or perhaps that some form of Chronal erasure had occurred. "Oh dear god I'm too intelligent to believe in, what is the crisis this time?" He had been in the middle of an experiment. "So help me, if it's the Anti-Monitor again I'm going to find a way to put HIM in a bottle." The Smart Guy: Brainiac 5

On a personal level, a lot of it sucked. I was bullied a lot, particularly in jr. high. As a military dependent and an introvert I made friends at the speed of rare only to have those rare friends whisked away by yet another move. High school was better, though I would love to be able to go back and warn my younger self of some of the screw ups I was making. And yet, nostalgia is a heck of a drug. I was proud of my country. I had faith in the future that it would get better. I miss that faith. The music was good, I liked big hair bands, and a lot of the movies. The Olympics were awesome, the space shuttle program had me enthused until the Challenger disaster and even after, technology was leaping ahead in amazing ways. So early 80s C +, Late 80s B- Or is it the other way around? 😕

Wow Ah, sympathy?

Having read more than one of you liked this in this very thread, I gave it a chance. What can I say but thanks for you guys cluing me in on it. Scalzi interjects some humor through out, mind you often of the gallows variety (Which totally fits), and I was surprised to find myself chuckling now and then between some rather riveting battle scenes. I like the protagonist, a sympathetic old fart with a romantic streak that's hard not to envy but there were a lot of secondary and even one page characters that caught my attention. Well worth the read/Listen

What had been meant to be a farewell party turned into a sortie, with Lady Obsidian and the crew set to go in a few hours instead grabbing their gear and starting up their transport right away. The full details would come later, but to nutshell the situation? A police officer had mouthed off to a supervillain and insulted his mother while trying to demand compliance. I don't know if the cop was nuts, just fed up, a rookie, or an idiot. Not only did the villain break both his legs, he then proceeded to the police station that officer was assigned to, and brought it crumbling down. Someone there was on the ball and told everyone to get the hell out before the ceiling began to fall on them, but there were still casualties and several injured. The exact tally I'd get later. This is the nightmare for so much of the populace. Mouth off to one guy, and he doesn't just hurt you (Or kill you) but destroys your work place of raging spite and you can't do anything about it? The fear that generates is both understandable, and dangerous in its own right. I've seen extremists on all sides say things like "Put superheroes in charge" and, on the other end, "Genetic testing for all, and draft/sterilize the freaks". It comes to the same thing, fear of the loss of control and looking for quick fixes. You do not want supers to be God-Kings of your cities, trust me. I know superheroes, brave and moral ones, who forget to pay their water bills. You do not want those noble yahoos to handle a city's budget. And do I really need to go into the immorality of enslaving any minority or just plain wiping them out? Historically, and satirically, that latter tends to lend you the not so proud mantle of 'the baddies', but the world wants simple solutions. Hell, I want simple solutions. I am in a calling where I literally can make the world a better place by punching people. If I thought about it too much, I might have to concede why some folks envy superheroes. I mean, it does inspire a very petty part of the imagination. Looks like the stockholders want to deny us our Christmas bonuses this year but upper management isn't getting any cuts at all. No problem, I'll go beat their asses with their own golf clubs! Great! Good luck at the negotiations then! Have fun! You know I will! But the world doesn't work that way, it can't really. We wouldn't want it to if we thought about it. The world has nuance, and complexities, and points of view. Facts are facts, but truths are trickier to pin down. Mayo, a good friend of mine, once told me I should thank people for letting me rescue them. I've had a lot of time to think about that, on and off, and it has slowly sunk in. A chance to do the right thing, without equivocation, without complication, is, in some ways a gift. One too many of us spurn even when we do have the means. There is something about staring at an untouched cake and a cooler with a plethora of coke and beer cans ignored within that makes one feel a touch philosophical. I was not alone, of course, others had shown up to send them off. Viewpoint, Pogo, Valerosa and even Slime. But with one announcement, we were half of what we were, who we were, and I wasn't the only one staring at untouched cake. "Well," Pogo finally said, in a tone that indicated she needed someone to say something, "This isn't a fun party at all." That actually got a few chuckles from the lot of us. "So," Viewpoint said, looking at Valerosa and myself curiously, "What's the plan?" "Huh?" Ariana turned, "Why are you asking me?" Because, Slime scrolled, answering for Viewpoint, You are the team leaders now. I gave my girlfriend a look. Not the one that said I got your back, or whoops brain fart. Nope, the look was simply to let her know that, until Viewpoint had said something: I had forgotten that too. She nodded, and seemed to gain strength from it. Nothing like a slip shared to make you feel a wee bit less embarrassed, then she answered, "Trainees are coming in tomorrow and both Eel and I need to meet them, which means we need you guys to take up our slack, such as it is." She sounded a little apologetic. "Good news is," I said in what i hoped was firm but supportive, "Our own city remains relatively villain free, with a few exceptions. And the dark forces that be probably won't realize we've split the team until tonight's news, and even they won't know it's now the new status quo. I think we can afford to stagger our shifts, Pogo and Viewpoint, you guys try to get seen just a bit more often, reassure the populace. Slime? I hate to say it but, well, biases." It's okay, the words rolled along his surface, I understand you humans are intimidated by my natural good looks. Envy, it's a helluva drug. Another spat of chuckles escaped us, it looked like the tension that had built up from having half our number reduced was on the ease. "Fine, Viewpoint and Pogo get seen by the public, Slime sees whose going where they aren't, and the two Co-Captains are on standby as we talk to the trainees. We'll sort out schedules or shifts more formally later, " I nodded at Ariana to see if she was cool with that. She was, and added, "Do not hesitate to call us if you need us or even think something weird we need to know has arisen. Much as we want to help the rookies learn, our priority is still helping our fellow citizens. Don't worry," Valerosa said, glancing especially at Pogo "We got your back when you need it." Pogo beamed, "We won't let you down, Cap," eyes bright and energy raring even at this late hour, "I know Viewpoint and Slime might have better senses at night, but I can really get around the city during the day and little will escape the pouncing prowess of Pogo!" I felt my own pang of envy. Cap was a great nickname for superheroes, attributed to some real winners. I wanted to be a Cap, but at last, I figured now that Pogo had affixed it to Ariana, I was out of luck getting to share the unofficial title. Ah well, vanity is ultimately an arrow one aims at one's own ego. Or some other faux Zen thing. "Then, let's clean this food up, and Slime can take monitor duty if he's okay with it," I asked and Slime immediately bobbed in the approximation of a nod, "While the rest of us rest." "Our first mission, Cake clean up," Viewpoint said, "Works for me. Keeps me humble." "Humble? We're the new New Samaritans," Pogo exclaimed, "We're superheroes! We can handle any-" "Don't jinx us!" Valerosa, Viewpoint, and I blurted simultaneously before she could finish that phrase. Even Slime burbled in alarm. "Geeze," She said a bit sullenly, "You guys are even more superstitious than my grandmother." "The grandmother who is old as dirt and still alive?" I countered. "Yeah," She said cautiously. "Well," I stated, "Ever wonder how she managed that?" Pogo, the possessor of pouncing prowess, pouted.

Steve Rogers Wept!

I Hear you, man. My Table top days are dead, some online enjoyment, but not superhero related

See, I would suggest if Sanders wins it, he see if he and Yang can hit it off enough to have Yang be his VP pick. Yang has dropped out, but still has a lot of support, not just among democrats. Yang offsets the 'Bernie is old' thing, relatively, almost as much as Pete does. Yang is tech savvy, and has a lot of fresh ideas on how to help Americans deal with the economic ramifications of our evolving technology. And yes, Yang is a minority, which to some folks will be an appeal as well. Honestly, re: Biden, I've been saying I don't think folks are excited about him enough for a while now, but even I didn't expect this nosedive. Mind you, SC could turn be a safety net- but I have to wonder if Biden's seeming rudeness to voters hasn't rankled some folks. He's said more than once "Go vote for someone else" to individuals, but it sounds like whole crowds have said in response "you got it" I think Warren is going to have to drop out. I hope she and Bernie have resolved issues, because if she takes her ball AND voters and goes home, it may really hurt the progressive unity that that branch needs if they want to seal the deal. She might surprise me, and if she turned around and Allied with Klobuchar, it would be quite a coup for the latter. Then again, the tides might yet turn again. Bernie is playing in areas where he is loved so far. If 2016's trends repeat (And they can't exactly obviously) the South won't be friendly to him. I'm embarrassed to say it, but the word 'socialist' even democratic socialist, still has some resistance in the South. If Bernie can take the Great Lakes and West, while at least getting a strong second in the Southern States, we maybe onto something. And honestly, I just wish Bloomberg would go away now. Buttigieg might take it all, but like Bernie I expect he'll have some trouble in the South esp if the statements that has trouble with African American voters are true. That's a large population in the deep south.

Fascinating character btw. Actually came before Wonder Woman in a time when Canada didn't have access to American comics because of WW2 IIRC.

"Thanks for the help," Aquaman said to the heroine who had come to their aid. "I'm a little confused how you knew where we were, let alone that we were in trouble?" "You might have been in trouble, I was winning," Namor scoffed, then added, "Eventually." He eyed the woman suspiciously, "It seems a coincidence you should show at such a time. I do not trust coincidences. Is this world your home?" "Wherever the light of my father can be seen is my home," the woman assured, "Any world, any place, any Canada. I help you for the same reason you help them. Under the dome of the sky, there are no strangers, merely fellow souls we have not yet met. You believe it too, or you'd not fight so hard to protect them." Aquaman actually felt a little guilty, "In truth, we came here largely just to learn what the scientists here knew." "Of course, Aquaman," The demi goddess smiled, "Did you think extended hands to help only traveled one way? Even the mighty are not truly alone, unless they choose to be, and even the meek may have strengths to be relied upon." "Good words," He agreed, "I'm sorry, what was your name again?" "Did I not say? Call me..." The Heart: Nelvana of the Northern Lights

The witch scryed, things had not gone as expected with her experiment, but then, new magics could be tricky. She had been particularly frustrated that seeking out Triton's trident had proven fruitless. Somehow she had hoped there would be one in this world, something to heighten her already considerable powers, "That's a stick mama knows how to use, eh boys?" She told her aquatic minions with a chortle, then sighed "But no sign of it.. maybe I'm being too specific. Girl gets a certain age, and she can't always be choosy," Another chuckle escaped her, "Oh who am I kidding? I just want it all. I want Atlantis, I want to rule. And it's certainly my right more than some chowderheaded Merman. So let's spread the magic and look just a bit further," And into view came a Trident, one with enough power to make her raise a brow. "Whats this? " She eyed through the spell Aquaman's trident, "Golden Boy's cute, sure, but... that Trident... so much alike, yet different. Now, tall winged and brooding looks a bit less trusting, but I don't think either of them will be too much trouble. Sorry, boys, I can feel your noble blood from here, but there's only enough room on the throne for one sovereign," Plans began to form, and her tentacles curled as if they were steeped fingers, "May the best Witch win" Adversary #1: Ursula the Sea Witch & Co

It's so Fetch!

I believe he was more like an idiot sidekick if I'm thinking of the same movie

*Sigh* I assure you, Hollywood gets plenty of mileage out of Southern Accents (Southern US that is) as the bad guys. Not often INTELLIGENT bad guys, because hey, that stereotype they can get away with, but definitely bad guys.

It was all planned and arranged; we had a big farewell party raring to go for those of the New Samaritans that were going to depart to Port Cascade. A huge ass cake shaped like that city's skyline had been made, big enough that everyone would get at least one piece, and the various beverages were chilled. Decorations were slapped up. In less than an hour, it was going to be quite a party. "Looks good, Mabel," I said, for Mabel had done most of the work. Her database might have been put in a shapely single unit instead of the base itself, but she still had plenty of recipes in her head.It was taking her time to adjust to doing things with her new hands, rather than waldos and other extensions of the headquarters. Every once in a while I caught her cheating, remotely using a waldo as a third (or fourth, or fifth arm) but she gave a warning look daring me to say anything about it, so I didn't. First of all, because I'm a Southern Gentleman and I show respect to women in my life. Secondly? She was one of the few people in the city who had a chance of putting me through a wall, literally! And she might even feel guilty about it, after all, an hour in the tub and I'd recover from it fine, right? For all the admiration her form inspired, upon reflection I had to give serious respect to the work done on Mabel's face, and it's capacity for expressions. Her lips, eyes, and even nose gave those tell tale expressions that were as much a part of human communication as words. And never having had a face before, she was betraying her mood more than she knew. She was nervous, possibly scared. But about what? Well, I couldn't claim to relate to having a brand new body, but I could relate to some other things. Maybe it would help. "It's okay to be nervous about a big move, you know," I said, " I was, when I came here. Well, I was also excited, but, you know, despite the fact North Carolina actually does have cities and I get snippy about the 'hayseed' jokes, Costa Sagrado was still a whole new world for me. I had hopes and dreams about this city and showing folks here what I could contribute, but that made the worries about falling on my face all the more tense. When you're a hero, people rely on you. But you've got what I did, support from a great team, and they are going to help you out and cheer you on, Mabel. You'll be great." She looked startled, as if wondering where I got telepathic powers from, then gave as close to a blush as possible given her surface tone didn't change color, "I swear I will get the hang of having a face instead of just a display image and a voice. Gave myself away, huh?" "Enough clues that I felt comfortable guessing," I admitted, "Nothing to be ashamed of. You've always been a part of the team, you know? You even saved my ass more than once by remote piloting." "But there's nothing remote about it now," Brazen nodded, miming taking a breath, "I'm putting this beautiful body into the thick of it, and it's all me, baby. That is a bit intimidating. I would be lying to say I wasn't scared, both of screwing up, and by experiencing real pain. Maybe I'm a wimp and don't know it?" "Ffftt," I scoffed, "You've faced dangers before, intruders that would have tried to dismantle you, threats to the city that you were in, and more. I've got faith in you. Besides, you want this. Like I did. I think that drive is stronger than your fear." "You know," She said with a fond look, "You're not bad at pep talks. Might serve you well in this co-Captain thing." "Thanks," I said, flattered, "I hope so." "And I really think it was nice how you shared your own feelings about coming here. I can just imagine you, coming to Costa Sagrado for the first time, full of excitement, and hope, wishing you could be... part of our world." I grinned at the memory, "Yeah, it was something and I-" I caught on and groaned, "Really? Little Mermaid jokes after I opened up to you?" Mabel gave a giggle, "Well, you were trying to make me feel better, think of this as helping because I do feel better?" I rolled my eyes, "Sure, sure, I'll take it as a win," then I looked her over, "Glad it does." "Thanks. This new body is already like a big move, now another one is coming up, there are so many things I want to do, I barely know where to start. Not just heroing, though that's a part of it," She said handing me a cold beer, "Things having a feeling body can offer." "Sun on your face, wind in your hair," I raised the beer in a toast to that, "A nice soak in a hot tub, oh yeah, it's very nice," I started to drink. "And Sex," Brazen said, "I'm really curious about sex. I've been studying." I can breathe water, not beer. So I choked as the local brewer's best went down the wrong pipe. "What?" She said, "You're surprised?" "No, I guess, it's just-" I coughed again then said, "I had a slightly conservative upbringing." "You're a prude when it comes to women talking about it?" She raised a brow. Again, amazing expressive capability. "Yes," I said with a nod, "I am old fashioned and prudish in some very hypocritical areas. Please forgive me, I'm just a man." "Oh, Caleb," She fussed, "I am so let down. I thought we could talk as peers. You're dating one of my best friends and thus are totally off limits, so I figured we could talk. Maybe you could answer some questions about your own biological experiences?" I wondered if I could hit our own little version of the trouble alert without Brazen picking up on it. Where the hell were the other women of the team? I answered honestly, I was a grown, emotionally mature, adult man, I could do this, "Speaking just for myself, it's great but ultimately, without emotional empathy? It's only half of banquet and you'll never know what you're missing until you find a special someone to-" Then the Alert did come on. There was an emergency. "Oh thank God," I blurted without thinking.

Leader: Aquaman (aka Arthur Curry/Orin) Lancer: Namor the Sub-Mariner "This is not my Atlantis," The Sub-Mariner frowned as they examined the coast of Newfoundland from the waters, the runes and marks undiscovered by the landwalkers on the rocky shore. "Nor mine, but it is an Atlantis," Aquaman said, "Or, at least a part of it. And we're here, let's see what we can learn from scientists in Gander. They might be willing to assist us." "They will assist, or they'll risk the ire of the Avenging Son, I am Prince Namor and I will not be kept from my people." "We're not going to threaten good people in over their head. These people aren't interlopers of the sea, they're part of it, all the more if their ancestors included a lost part of this world's Atlantean ancient culture. Let's try asking NICELY, Carrot before stick," Aquaman insisted. "And by what right do you assume lead here?" Namor glowered. Aquaman pointed at Namor, "Prince," Then tapped his own chest, "King. I out rank you, and I suspect I have better people skills. Look, we can compare trident sizes later. Right now, there's a reason we're here and it won't do it any good to fight when there's a mystery to solve, and people as likely confused as we are." "My people skills are exemplary," The Sub-Mariner scoffed, "I tell people what to do, and if they're so foolish as to disobey, I skillfully educate them to their folly, but very well, we will try your carrot approach- for now." Aquaman resisted the urge to give a golf clap and just nodded. At least the man had sense to realize that if the two of them had been torn from their realities, then other heroes might be around here experiencing the same thing.

Location: Newfoundland, which as we know, is the Tip of Atlantis that did not sink!

It's like an alien in Dr. Who.. and not even one they spent much budget or effort on

Location is one of the areas i'm most indecisive in But I'll think of something/where

Thanks for the head's up. May I ask what was awful about them? Were they just unlikable and unrelatable as characters, or was it the acting or a mix of both?

If I could give a shout out to a more recent character who was compelling and strong...and female? Mako Mori from Pacific Rim. She had a back story of her own separate from the male protagonist, she had her own hopes and ambitions, she was polite but firm. She loved her adoptive dad, and was as dedicated to the mission as any other in the program- a true professional without being a jerk to people. She was interesting in and of herself, and yet, and I can't stress this enough, the writers didn't have her throw other characters in a pit just so she could stand taller. Even her reasons for sparring with Raleigh was clear, professional, and damn he did ask her opinion. She wasn't perfect, she had flaws, but she overcame them with determination. Props to Raleigh too by the way. He didn't want her as co pilot because she was cute, he wanted her there because she was the right person for the job and it was a waste to have her benched! This was a male character who could have been written as profoundly insecure about having a woman who was his equal (or better in some areas), instead he was impressed and supported her own desire to be a pilot because he saw she had every right to it and they need good pilots. Mako Mori was an action girl, and a rather quiet dignified example of Girl Power done right imo.

I think for those that are movie goers chiefly, she's still new ish