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ya_assemble2015-04-05 12:22 am
holyscoopbatman) wrote in ya_assemble2015-04-05 12:22 am
Entry tags:
[AI] It begins
The Defenders: A "Just-Us" Society?
by Sally Floyd
Every week brings new challenges to the Post-Cataclysm world we live in but the recent actions of the Defenders have left the public wondering if the team is up for the challenge - and if they think they're above the law. A solid week of questionable actions started with a tantrum by the younger Blue Beetle, usually polite and soft-spoken in his appearances, caught on youtube yelling at a freelance journalist and breaking his camera.
While the incident could perhaps be written off as the actions of a hero under heavy pressure having a rare moment of ill temper, Blue Beetle has regularly been seen working with the joint US-Mexican coalition in the fight against the drug cartels in Juarez and El Paso, is the Young Allies' official liaison chairperson, and has been spotted fighting crises around the world on a daily basis. With the hero balancing such a full plate, it begs the question of whether or not the Defenders are putting undo pressure on already unstable individuals or pushing their younger heroes too heavily into the line of fire. The Defenders are so secretive at times, one must question whether or not the sidekicks that have gone missing from the Young Allies have actually returned to the Crisis like they claim.
This alone wouldn't be that alarming if it weren't for other recent actions by members of the team. According to representatives of The Avengers, the recent appearance of both Hawkeyes was fraught with conflict. After a briefing by hero Iron Man on the state of the world post-Cataclysm, the two heroes reportedly broke a window in Avengers Tower, leaving civilians below at risk of falling glass, and ziplined away from the Tower. The two were immediately accepted onto the Defenders without any public reprimand or comment, despite their reckless actions.
Perhaps most disquieting was the team's recent actions upon the return to Earth of the superhero Nova. According to Avengers representatives the dangerous metahuman, currently a Defender and formerly a New Warrior, was mentally unstable due to a psionic attack by a Starro. While unstable, the hero was responsible for causing property damage at the 8th Street Soup Kitchen due to an uncontrolled release of his powers.
Instead of assisting the Avengers in escorting the hero to a secure HAMMER facility where he could receive care, the Defenders on scene - Justice, Ricochet, Hulkling, and Martian Manhunter - interfered in the Avengers' attempt at securing Nova's surrender. Martian Manhunter reportedly psychically restarted the supercomputer residing in the hero's mind, an act that could have led to an unstable lashing out of his powers. According to the scale used by HAMMER, and formerly SHIELD, to classify planetary threats, Nova registers as a class 12 worldwide threat due to his power levels.
"Nova was clearly not in his right mind after the Starro attack," Norman Osborn stated in a recent press released. "He had already caused some damage to Central Park and damage to the 8th Street Soup Kitchen, who had called in the authorities for assistance. Rather than cooperating with authorities, the Defenders disregarded our attempt to bring Mr. Ryder in for treatment and then made a very risky move with an unknown and powerful piece of alien technology implanted in his head. The outburst of uncontrolled power that could have resulted from their actions was averted only by sheer luck, but one day, that kind of luck will run out, and we've already seen what happens then."
With the specter of Stamford and the actions of other New Warriors still looming in the memories of half the population, one wonders if indeed, the Defenders' luck will hold out. One thing remains clear: apparently the Defenders feel that they only have to operate under their own rules.
by Sally Floyd
Every week brings new challenges to the Post-Cataclysm world we live in but the recent actions of the Defenders have left the public wondering if the team is up for the challenge - and if they think they're above the law. A solid week of questionable actions started with a tantrum by the younger Blue Beetle, usually polite and soft-spoken in his appearances, caught on youtube yelling at a freelance journalist and breaking his camera.
While the incident could perhaps be written off as the actions of a hero under heavy pressure having a rare moment of ill temper, Blue Beetle has regularly been seen working with the joint US-Mexican coalition in the fight against the drug cartels in Juarez and El Paso, is the Young Allies' official liaison chairperson, and has been spotted fighting crises around the world on a daily basis. With the hero balancing such a full plate, it begs the question of whether or not the Defenders are putting undo pressure on already unstable individuals or pushing their younger heroes too heavily into the line of fire. The Defenders are so secretive at times, one must question whether or not the sidekicks that have gone missing from the Young Allies have actually returned to the Crisis like they claim.
This alone wouldn't be that alarming if it weren't for other recent actions by members of the team. According to representatives of The Avengers, the recent appearance of both Hawkeyes was fraught with conflict. After a briefing by hero Iron Man on the state of the world post-Cataclysm, the two heroes reportedly broke a window in Avengers Tower, leaving civilians below at risk of falling glass, and ziplined away from the Tower. The two were immediately accepted onto the Defenders without any public reprimand or comment, despite their reckless actions.
Perhaps most disquieting was the team's recent actions upon the return to Earth of the superhero Nova. According to Avengers representatives the dangerous metahuman, currently a Defender and formerly a New Warrior, was mentally unstable due to a psionic attack by a Starro. While unstable, the hero was responsible for causing property damage at the 8th Street Soup Kitchen due to an uncontrolled release of his powers.
Instead of assisting the Avengers in escorting the hero to a secure HAMMER facility where he could receive care, the Defenders on scene - Justice, Ricochet, Hulkling, and Martian Manhunter - interfered in the Avengers' attempt at securing Nova's surrender. Martian Manhunter reportedly psychically restarted the supercomputer residing in the hero's mind, an act that could have led to an unstable lashing out of his powers. According to the scale used by HAMMER, and formerly SHIELD, to classify planetary threats, Nova registers as a class 12 worldwide threat due to his power levels.
"Nova was clearly not in his right mind after the Starro attack," Norman Osborn stated in a recent press released. "He had already caused some damage to Central Park and damage to the 8th Street Soup Kitchen, who had called in the authorities for assistance. Rather than cooperating with authorities, the Defenders disregarded our attempt to bring Mr. Ryder in for treatment and then made a very risky move with an unknown and powerful piece of alien technology implanted in his head. The outburst of uncontrolled power that could have resulted from their actions was averted only by sheer luck, but one day, that kind of luck will run out, and we've already seen what happens then."
With the specter of Stamford and the actions of other New Warriors still looming in the memories of half the population, one wonders if indeed, the Defenders' luck will hold out. One thing remains clear: apparently the Defenders feel that they only have to operate under their own rules.
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he's in full on rant mode
I warn him (guess how many? Did you guess? Did you guess?) three times to get the camera out of the girl's face. He doesn't put the camera away so I lose my temper and break it and tell him his mother would be ashamed of him and of course somebody got that on their phone. Of course. And that's what they focus on. That's the take away. I even got legal to reimburse the pinche idiota son of a word I will not say because my mother will magically sense it and shoot laser beams from her eyes that will kill me miles and miles away. Do we focus on him endangering his life and the lives of others? nooooooooo
Wow... he mad
Khronocrosser: Unbelievable!
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texastoasterman: Then I had to go home to patrol for a while and Nate. Listen. You are beholden to the American people. Like 100% beholden. That is a heavy responsibility.
texastoasterman: I, on the other hand, shoulder a much heavier responsibility
texastoasterman: in that I am beholden to every little old lady in El Paso and Juarez. Every single one.
texastoasterman: They have a vested interest in being able to compare their grandchildren to me when they don't call, Nate. A vested interest. While on patrol in my city, I got lectured by seven little old ladies about my bad manners.
texastoasterman: Seven.
texastoasterman: Little old ladies never listen, no matter how good an explanation you have. And little known fact about Mexican grannies, Nate: they have the power to shoot shame beams from their eyes. Last one of the day nearly had me in tears because she carried on about how my abuelita would be ashamed of me.
[Nate knew why that little bit of accidental insensitivity would've hurt, what with Jaime's gran dying in the aftermath of the Cataclysm.]
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KhronoKrosser: oh....
KhronoKrosser: Ow.
KhronoKrosser: That one had to hurt.
KhronoKrosser: I'm sorry.
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[And he appreciates Nate's "I'm sorry" in ways he doesn't know how to put into words. The atmosphere is all, like, they're supposed to be on opposite teams, right? Rooting against each other. But that isn't how it is. When it comes to each other, at least, they follow their own rules and that's why they're friends despite it all, and he never knows quite how to make sure Nate truly understands how much he appreciates that.]
[Rather than using words it tends to devolve more into them just...letting each other into their own little worlds. Trusting each other with that.]
texastoasterman: It's not even that I want fame or the love of the public or whatever. You know I'm not about that stuff. And if the press wants to criticize things that's their right, I guess.
texastoasterman: But I don't know how "doing as much as I possibly can to save as many people as I can because I choose to and because I can" got twisted somewhere down to the line to "unbalanced" or whatever. Rather than wanting to be liked, it's more like I just want to be left alone as long as I'm not really doing anything hugely wrong.
texastoasterman: Maybe I've been listening to Lord of the Rings too much on audiobook lately but it's like...there's those big stories. The big adventures and they have such dark places in the middle. And there are some characters like, you know, the Sam Gamgees, the people that take joy in simple things. And see the light in the dark.
texastoasterman: They have their moments all: "There, peeping among the cloud-wrack above a dark tower high up in the mountains, Sam saw a white star twinkle for a while. The beauty of it smote his heart, as he looked up out of the forsaken land, and hope returned to him. For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach."
texastoasterman: In the middle of it, while it's still all dark and messed up, they never lose faith there's the light above it all. And all they do is look towards the end of the story and want to go home to their little bit of earth. They don't want castles or praise or anything like that, you know? That's where I am now with all this stuff. I just want to be left alone.
texastoasterman: Until it's all less crazy and less dark. And then I wanna go home to my little bit of earth. And do my med school homework [That he doesn't have because he quit school, gave up that bit of his future to make sure everyone else had one] in the desert while the sun's going down. And only have to worry about the little old grannies and making them happy.
texastoasterman: Does that make any sense?
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KhronoKrosser: We're both burning the candle at both ends not because want to, but we recognize that we need to, and we're willing to do it.
KhronoKrosser: But its a grind. We're slogging through shit and for every problem we solve, there's ten more that pop up with no end in sight.
KhronoKrosser: And when you're dealing with life and death on a scale this large for so long, when you get time to rest, you just want to rest.
KhronoKrosser: And not have to deal with things like some some dumbass who got his phone broken because he wouldn't get out of the way.
KhronoKrosser: It all seems so petty?? I guess. Next to the things we do.
KhronoKrosser: Maybe petty isn't the right word, but you really do have more important things to spend your time and energy on. And in between those important things you just need some space to breathe.
KhronoKrosser: And then here comes somebody encroaching into that space.
KhronoKrosser: Complaining about a phone.
KhronoKrosser: And you can't really yell at them for it or avoid dealing with it, since that'll only make you look more unstable and make things worse. So you push ahead.
KhronoKrosser: and endure.
KhronoKrosser: And it all just builds and builds and builds until you want to scream, when you'd really rather not have to deal with it at all.
KhronoKrosser: That about right?
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texastoasterman: Otherwise yes, that is 10000% right.
texastoasterman: You get me.
[He likes being gotten.]
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KhronoKrosser: But don't worry too much about it.
KhronoKrosser: This'll pass eventually. Something else is bound to go viral soon and people will forget about it.
KhronoKrosser: Unfortunately I can't do anything about the grannies, though. You're on your own there.
KhronoKrosser: But try to forget about it, and get some rest.
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texastoasterman: Like after another hour or two of patrolling.
texastoasterman: I'd make some joke here about my new public persona of being a rude jerk guy and tie in 'no rest for the wicked' but I'm too tired to think of it so just connect the dots yourself and pretend I made you laugh.
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KhronoKrosser: Just give me a sec
KhronoKrosser: ROFLMAOLOLOLOLOLXDDDDSsdjfsj;aksljd;lsa
KhronoKrosser: How was that?
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texastoasterman: Anyway, thanks for letting me rant at you.
texastoasterman: Sometimes holding this stuff in makes me feel like I'm going to spontaneously combust. Not explode. There'd be more fire.
texastoasterman: Flames. Flames on the side of my face.
texastoasterman: Wait, you totally wouldn't get that reference, would you.