Hermit

"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
 

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? 😕
 
 
 
 
 

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
 

 
 

Graduated High school in 1982.  Flunked out of college in 1984, and worked a series of dead end jobs. At this point school didn't matter, other than to learn graphics, and animation skills, because...

I went to Dance clubs. I played a huge amount of games. Got involved in a whole slew of gaming fanzines. Got invited to play with the Hero games folks, and got my first paid illustration gigs.  Worked in Comic books.  Worked the stands as an usher during the 84 Olympics, and saw Brazil beat Italy decisively in soccer. I started collecting the music I ran across in Clubs,  collecting orange crates full of  12 in. Dance singles and Motion Picture soundtracks.
 
Lots of great action movies, and delectable Trash Cinema (The Sword & The Sorcerer), and I was healthy enough to eat anything (Jack in The Box Ultimate Cheese burgers, with a side of Bacon Cheddar Potato wedges.). Ronald Reagan broke the back of the Soviet union, and it collapsed 6 months after he left office. (Victory over Communism!) Went through three cars.   Started to travel to big conventions, like WorldCon, Gencon, and Comic-con.
 
For me, the 80's were a grand, young person's Adventure, so I have to Grade it as an A!

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
 

 
 

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
 

 
 

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.

 

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? 😕
 
 
 
 
 

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? 😕
 
 
 
 
 

1959 - pretty fly for a white guy.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/"Weird_Al"_Yankovic

The Heart: Nico Minoru (Runaways)           Adversary 1: J. Jonah Jameson (Spider-Man)  

On Saturday 8th Feb, 2020, five students at the fictional Shermer High School report at 7:00 am for all-day detention. Each comes from a different clique: Amazon Donna Troy, goddess Mary Batson, Inhuman Kamala Khan, Martian M'gann M'orzz, and radio-active spider girl Gwen Stacy.
 
They gather in the school library, where principal Charles Xavier instructs them not to talk, move from the seats, or sleep until they are released at 4:00 p.m. He assigns them a thousand-word essay, in which each must describe "who you think you are". He leaves, returning only occasionally to check on them.
 
You know the rest. Chaos happens. The school is attacked by two super villains looking for something. The students, fight back, and uncover that below the school are underground levels of a high technological and quasi military nature. Oops. 
 
Gwen Stacy writes the letter on behalf of the newly formed super team that each one of us is a leader, lancer, big gal, smart gal, and the heart. Also each of us are Inhuman, Martian, Amazon, Goddess, and the radio-active spider girl. Does that answer your question?" She signs off the letter with "Sincerely yours, The Breakfast Club."
 
Roster title: The Breakfast Club
Location: Shermer High School.
The Leader - Donna Troy
The Lancer - Mary "Mary Marvel" Batson
The Big Gal - M'gann "Miss Martian" M'orzz
The Smart Gal - Gwen "Spider Gwen" Stacy
The Heart - Kamala "Ms Marvel" Khan
Support: Professor X
 

I delayed my heart pick until Valentine's Day. It seemed to be the right thing to do.

When I'm feeling Angry and Frustrated "Bodies" by Drowning Pool at loud volume can be a stress reducer

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.
 
 

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.
 
 
 
 
 

Thanks for the laugh -- but you're making me miss HC and some of the games we were in even more...

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.
 

Of course ,superheroing being what it is, at least one bit of advice was sprinkled liberally during a fight. Superheroes, and heck, supervillains, can be a talkative bunch. Banter is part and parcel of the exchange. There were strong silent types to be sure, but try as I might, I never ascended to those stoic ranks.
 
My grandpappy had once advised that it was better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than open your mouth and remove all doubt. Good advice.
Wish I could bring myself to follow it.
 
"Can you believe this guy?" I asked on the com as I traded blows with XTC. The villain hadn't taken his name based on some drug craze, the initials actually stood for 'Extreme Terror and Carnage', "And when we met, you thought Eel was a bad name."
 
Viewpoint and I were not friends actually, though I liked who he had become, I just hadn't put in the time to really befriend him like I did the original team. That said, it had occurred to me that if I was going to be a co-captain for him and the others, I might want to start being a bit more social with him; so when a standard patrol came up for Viewpoint, I went with him.
 
As big a dry spell we'd had recently, neither of us was expecting an actual supervillain, not even one with dubious taste in code names.
"Still not crazy about it, Eel," Viewpoint lowered his shades needlessly to blast the villain with beams of pure energy, "But yeah, XTC does smack of trying way too hard. Though I give the guy credit for one thing. He does not want to stay down."
 
XTC was strong, not as strong as me, but strong, fairly tough. His real power seemed to be hyper-recuperation. No sooner did you think you had him on the ropes, when the guy would spring up ready to go again. I had punched him a distance of at least twenty feet three times now and each time he got up like some weird Scrappy-Doo with the body of a Pro Wrestler throw away to come up again.
Viewpoint's powers were proving about as effective as my muscle. Which is to say, quite handy to knocking him down, frustrating for keeping him down. 
 
"Yeah, this is getting farcical," I said, "Mind Shearing this George?" George was not Viewpoint's name, and in fact, had I said that loud enough to be heard, it wouldn't have betrayed much of anything. A lot of Lady Obsidian's battle commands were based on famous Jazz Musicians. Okay, famous in jazz circles. I had to look some of these guys up, but in a nutshell George Shears was a blind jazz pianist of English birth. The code ward was a clue to neutralize your foe's senses, if you could.
Viewpoint? Viewpoint could!
 
"On it," And he motioned XTC towards him in the universal gesture of 'come get some'. XTC needed no prompting!
"You think I'm a joke? You will respect me!" And he charged towards Viewpoint. 
 
If it seemed like we were taking XTC lightly and that he might have a right to protest, well, not really. I learned long ago that even rookie villains could get lucky, pulling stunts not in their best interest where a pro would  show a bit more savvy.  Viewpoint was taking a chance here, and unlike myself, he was not blessed with enhanced durability against physical trauma. This didn't go right, XTC could get a lucky slam into him and cave in a rib at the very least.
 
Once again, Viewpoint's eyes flared, this time with an immense brightness I knew better than to look into myself. XTC didn't realize he should take similar precautions, and he clutched at his face!
 
"Mother @#$#er, I'm blind!" He snarled.
 
See, this is how I knew XTC wasn't a professional villain. Not the cursing, that varies a lot. It was the announcing his new vulnerability for both of us to hear. I mean, I knew that was the case anyway, that was the plan after all, but calling your weaknesses out is a very rookie move.
The blinding only caused XTC to veer a little off course, but with his arms out stretched like that he still might clip Viewpoint with all the power of a runaway pickcup truck. Fortunately, I wasn't slacking on my side of the job.
 
I had already started moving towards him even as the blast went off, and interposing myself between XTC and Viewpoint, I tackled the former to the ground. Not only am I stronger, XTC had no proper balance when I collided into him. He went down like a sack of wet cement from a hard drop! 
 
"Cheating son of a -" He grunted as I put him in a full nelson and pinned his unseeing face into the street. 

"Careful now," I warned as I held him, "You really want to insult the mother of the man who's got you in this kind of grip?" 
 
Not really caring what his answer was, I said to Viewpoint "We got an ETA on when the Authorities with the suppressors will be here?"
Viewpoint looked at me startled, "You didn't call it in?"

"No," I said surprised, "I figured it would be a given with-" And I realized my mistake. Mabel wasn't on the Com. She was not the omnipresent, ever reliant and always on the clock A.I. anymore. She was now sporting a new body and plugged into our coms when she wanted to be. In short, she had a life.

"Damn," I muttered, "Sorry, Viewpoint."
 
"Don't apologize to me, feel sorry for yourself. It can take up to an hour for folks to get here with the right gear and ah, I ain't holding him, you are," Viewpoint pointed out.
 
I made a face, "Well, sloppy of me. Talk about rookie moves." Even as I made the call.
 
"It's not a rookie move at all," Viewpoint corrected me, "It's habit, and that's a sign of established patterns. It's your experience actually working against you."
 
"Yeah," I said pondering exactly how long I could hold onto XTC. I was stronger, but given this guy's near inexhaustible stamina, I could be feeling a bit tired before the authorities showed. Then again, I once held up a building long enough to evacuate, so I'd probably be okay, "I suppose you have a point." I grunted.
 
Mind you, despite being so close to XTC, at most he was hearing a mumble. Our com systems had a sub harmonic thing going for security reasons.
 
Viewpoint re-positioned himself, getting a clear shot to blast the contained villain without hitting me if he need to, and continued, "You mind if I give you my viewpoint?" A weak smile. His play on his own hero name had been used in numerous commercials. He'd cut down on it when he became a legit hero, but the fact he used it now was kind of guy code for guiding me into something more serious. A little self depreciation as a way to soften what might be hard words.
 
I spocked a brow at him, "Go ahead."
 
"You're gonna have to change things up," He advised me, "You've got a new team forming under you, not just Slime, Pogo and me either."
"I know that," I started to say, when abruptly XTC tried to flip me off! No, not a rude gesture, he bucked trying to break my grip on him hoping I got distracted.
 
I made some cracks in the granite by whamming his head against it delicately, "Stop that," I told him out loud, "or I'm going to get annoyed."
XTC groaned, then cursed, but he held still.
 
"I know that," I repeated to Viewpoint wondering where he was going with this, "I hope to guide the rookies in easy."
"Different people, different team," Viewpoint continued, "You're not Lady Obsidian."
"Gee, thanks," I said feeling oddly challenged by the obvious statement.
 
"You try to be her, you're going to flop. More importantly, these rookies aren't the crew you're used to. It's not just the whole social dynamic that's different, it's the components that make up the whole."
 
Pretty fancy talk from a guy who used to sell burgers on TV, I thought, but I told him, "I've already gotten the every hero has their own baggage talk from Lady O."
 
He nodded, then shook his head, the later catching me off guard, "Good, but not exactly what I mean. I'm talking about your baggage and their baggage all having to share the same cargo space. You've got your character flaws, and you need to own up to yourself about them so you can compensate for their flaws that will hit those buttons. This is going make the team different, make requirements different, and I dont' mean powerwise."
 
"You know, Viewpoint, given your own past history, I'm not sure you get to judge people," I said a bit testy. I had felt unsure about teaching as it was, and this wasn't helping my concerns.

Without lifting his arms, he held up hands in a no harm no foul intended motion, "Trust me, I get the hypocrisy involved here. You got the mote, I got the beam," he said using biblical terminology which surprised me. I guess I never thought of him as religious, and maybe he wasn't, but clearly he knew enough to borrow the metaphors, "But right now, I'm responsible for me, and whatever team mate I'm with at the time, you're going to be leading and teaching 24/7 more or less, or at least on call for the same. Higher stakes, higher standards. And also, you got to consider the ego conflict of being an echo."
 
I blinked, that last part had totally thrown me, "The ego conflict of being an echo?"
 
"Sorry, went through a period of a lot of self help books," He chuckled, "You know celebrities, we go through fad enlightenment like most people go through diet plans. What I'm trying to say is-" His eyes darted to the once again squirming XTC "Pardon, mind if I chip in?"
 
"Gonna tear you apart!" XTC tried to lunge.
 
"Oh go ahead," I said, "I'm feeling a bit conflicted about slamming this moron while he's 'technically' helpless. It sends a wrong message to any kids watching."
 
Viewpoint's energy gaze hit with amazing accuracy avoiding my arms and catching XTC with a strike that dazed him. 
"Thanks," I took the brief moment to reposition, hoping that the guys would get here soon, "You were saying?"
 
"What I'm trying to say," He resumed, "is that you do well to take what you learned and observed from Lady O about being a teacher and a leader, but if you try to be her, you'll just be an echo at best, and that's gonna eat away at your ego. And like wise, if you  exepct these kids to be Pinprick, Tornado, and Arctic Fox next gen? They won't compare even when they don't screw up. They'll just be echos."
"Don't you think they should be so lucky to be half as good as some of the others that we know?" I said, kind of sticking up for my friends, but trying to keep an open mind
.
"Young bloods don't settle for that, and when they do, it can turn into a lot of self loathing fast. That's a lot of maturity to ask of anyone. When I was a kid? You think I didn't want to be the good guy? Like Mr. Mega or Tour D. Force? You don't want what happened to me happen to these rookies."
 
"You" I said cautiously, "You're a good man now, and a good superhero."
 
"yeah, but before that I deliberately confused selfishness with wisdom and cynicism with insight, largely because I grew to resent trying and failing to emulate the greats so I just told myself they were fools and I was a fresh and happening new type of hero being a rebel."
I was curious, it's hard to feel attacked when you realize someone is at least as hard on themselves as you, "Why do you think that was?"
"Because, after a time of trying to climb on the top of the pedestal to join the idol you put up there, time and time again, slipping, falling, then trying and failing again to reach it," Viewpoint looked thoughtful, "After a time you just want to knock it over instead. It's small, it's petty, but it's human."
 
It was good advice, and I get why he was saying it. Not to but in on my or Ariana's soon to be authority, but because he wanted to spare those kids the same mistakes he had fallen into. And maybe spare me as well. But the reminder I would have my own baggage, while not his emphasis, was also valued.
 
"What do you think my flaws are?" And I slipped, asking out loud feeling oddly introspective for a moment.

"You're a candy ass suck up to the authority of the status quo!" XTC managed to arch a leg up to kick me in the back, dislodging me enough to turn my full nelson into a half nelson. Half was enough for me to hang on as he tried to rise.
 
Rather than settling for reestablishing a full grip, I took my free left hand and hammered the soon to be uglier side of XTC's profile with several rapid fire punches, "SHUT THE THE HELL UP!" I said , a punch with each syllable "AND STAY THE HELL DOWN OR I WILL BEAT THE LIVING #$#$# OUT OF YOU AND SEE IF YOU REGENERATE TEETH!"
 
Finally, XTC went limp with a groan.
 
"Well, for one thing," Viewpoint observed, staring at the bruised villain in my grip, "When pushed too far for too long you have an angry mean streak."
 
I had to raise a brow, "What makes you think that?"
 
But the authorities finally arrived, and  I guess Viewpoint didn't think he had time to answer.
 

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.
 
 

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.
 

It's been over a decade since i got to game champions at a table regularly, so my memories are a bit fuzzy, but I do remember a player of mine who ALWAYS got at least one crit on Mechanon.
 
It didn't matter what type of character she was playing. Blaster, Brick, whatever.... the same character that would miss Foxbat one week, or even get challenged by VIPER agents, would meet Mechanon, and it was like her little dice became hatefilled luddites that wanted to destroy all robots! In one battle, she rolled Three ones THREE times... two of those in a row.
Now mechanon is supposed to become stronger as he improves himself IF his head can fly away etc etc.
But this is where the other players came in, and props to them.
At times they fried the tech in the area so Mechanon would have a harder time using it against them .They even faked powers or vulnerabilities they didn't have to feed false info to Mechanon (Garbage in, Garbage out). 
And then that head flew off...
and that third crit from that same player!
 
Ever wonder if the dice gods are telling you to not use that villain anymore?

"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
 

Maybe I missed something but I think I was the one who said it was a" PR trick" used by some studios etc. But no offense taken on my part. I disagree that it has nothing to do with the actual problem of fan toxicity or cyberbullying, as it can have a dangerous "boy cries wolf effect' that makes it much harder for victims of the real incidents. Calling out sexism as toxic is fine because, well, bigotry against people is toxic, but deciding to deride what would otherwise be mere disapproval of quality or adherence to canon as 'toxic'  is at kindest, hyperbole, and at worst,vilification. Looking back at the interview, it seemed to me like the interviewer was complaining about fans of superhero movies being too picky and labeling it as toxic. Cavill explained that he just saw that as passionate for they truly loved the characters etc. I think he's right not to assume toxcity is the norm for even passionate fandoms.
 
But, of course, as a fan of superheroes myself I might be biased