History Fanfic / AMonstersNature

* ADateWithRosiePalms: In Chapter 25, [[spoiler:Brandon and Caitlyn engage in a brief session of this after escaping a crashing plane, each pleasuring the other while sitting against each other in a forest]].

* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome:
** Regardless of how powerful Brandon is, he is still a teenage boy who makes teenage errors, such as [[spoiler:having difficulty coming up with a plan that would warn others not to hurt Caitlyn that wouldn't basically give away that there's someone 'Brightburn' cares about]].
** When [[spoiler:Brandon is being held captive and subjected to constant gas exposure to keep him in a coma, although Project B2 couldn't find anything capable of killing him, he did become emaciated as he obviously wasn't getting any sustenance in that state, although it was noted that he was starving far slower than a human would have in his situation]].
** While [[spoiler:nuclear bombs can't kill Brandon, he still needed to take a detour to get the radiation 'cleaned off' so that he wouldn't contaminate Caitlyn once he went to rescue her]].
** When [[spoiler:preparing to fly back to America after being held captive, Brandon has to make 'arrangements' to have a private plane made available for him and Caitlyn as he can't fly across the ocean with her at a safe speed without risking her freezing or starving to death in the process]].
** By chapter 36, pamphlets are being issued warning against the dangers of Brandon [[spoiler:and other superhumans]], with the pamphlet on 'Brightburn' simply affirming that people should try to avoid him.
** Chapter 44 reveals that [[spoiler:one of KC's associates had infiltrated the Brightburn cult, anticipating that Brandon and Caitlyn wouldn't recognise a face they only saw once for a few minutes months before]].

* AdultFear: Caitlyn's mother is constantly terrified as she learns more about what Brandon is capable of and his 'fixation' on her daughter.

* RealityEnsues:
** Regardless of how powerful Brandon is, he is still a teenage boy who makes teenage errors, such as [[spoiler:having difficulty coming up with a plan that would warn others not to hurt Caitlyn that wouldn't basically give away that there's someone 'Brightburn' cares about]].
** When [[spoiler:Brandon is being held captive and subjected to constant gas exposure to keep him in a coma, although Project B2 couldn't find anything capable of killing him, he did become emaciated as he obviously wasn't getting any sustenance in that state, although it was noted that he was starving far slower than a human would have in his situation]].
** While [[spoiler:nuclear bombs can't kill Brandon, he still needed to take a detour to get the radiation 'cleaned off' so that he wouldn't contaminate Caitlyn once he went to rescue her]].
** When [[spoiler:preparing to fly back to America after being held captive, Brandon has to make 'arrangements' to have a private plane made available for him and Caitlyn as he can't fly across the ocean with her at a safe speed without risking her freezing or starving to death in the process]].
** By chapter 36, pamphlets are being issued warning against the dangers of Brandon [[spoiler:and other superhumans]], with the pamphlet on 'Brightburn' simply affirming that people should try to avoid him.
** Chapter 44 reveals that [[spoiler:one of KC's associates had infiltrated the Brightburn cult, anticipating that Brandon and Caitlyn wouldn't recognise a face they only saw once for a few minutes months before]].

* AdaptationalVillainy:
** Compared to canon and based on Caitlyn's perspective, anyway; the Breyers attempting to kill Brandon out of fear might be understandable considering his recent actions, but the Breyers [[spoiler:asking a thirteen-year-old girl to kill their son for them is crossing several lines]].
*** It should be noted that this depends on the story making radical changes when it comes to Brandon's actions from canon so he'd be more sympathetic (and so Caitlyn's loyalty to him despite his actions would be less repulsive). In the movie, the Breyers each only resorted to killing him soon after Brandon murdered his uncle and left enough evidence behind to convince Kyle his son did such. In the fic, this is removed to just having the Breyers' attempts on Brandon's life happen without him ever killing a human before, even if he makes his intentions to do so clear.

'''A Monster's Nature''' by [[https://archiveofourown.org/users/phylos/pseuds/phylos phylos]] is an AU of the film ''Film/{{Brightburn}}'', starting when Brandon Breyer visits his classmate, Caitlyn Connors, to apologise for breaking her wrist.

* HomicideMachines: Caitlyn references reports of a machine killing people in South Africa, which the author confirms is intended to be an {{Expy}} of Cyborg from the DC Universe; chapter 29 [[spoiler:introduces this character directly, which identifies itself as AN-3, originally known as Symon Veers]].

* DisproportionateRetribution: Brandon [[spoiler:kills a boy Caitlyn had only gone out with a few times when she had every reason to believe that Brandon had abandoned her]]; however, on a wider scale his responses are comparatively more 'mellow' than they were in canon, as whenever he is attacked he only kills enough people to make the rest of the opposing force stop, and his destructive assaults are limited to empty buildings or religious structures rather than explicitly trying to kill large numbers of people.

* IDidntMeanToKillHim: Basically [[spoiler:the defence offered by the staff on Project B2 when their efforts to get Caitlyn to talk result in them killing Caitlyn's mother as they try to 'interrogate' Caitlyn about Brandon by threatening her mother in an electric chair]].

''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/18933508/chapters/44949853 A Monster's Nature]]'' by [[https://archiveofourown.org/users/phylos/pseuds/phylos phylos]] is an AU of the film ''Film/{{Brightburn}}'', starting when Brandon Breyer visits his classmate, Caitlyn Connors, to apologise for breaking her wrist.

''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/18933508/chapters/44949853 A Monster’s Nature]]'' by [[https://archiveofourown.org/users/phylos/pseuds/phylos phylos]] is an AU of the film ''Film/{{Brightburn}}'', starting when Brandon Breyer visits his classmate, Caitlyn Connors, to apologise for breaking her wrist. Where in canon Caitlyn rejected him out of fear, in this version of events she tentatively 'accepts' Brandon’s apology, starting a new twisted chain of events that draws her closer to Brandon and simultaneously further from humanity, even as Brandon becomes that little bit more ‘human’ in the process.

!!''A Monster’s Nature'' contains examples of:

** Compared to canon and based on Caitlyn’s perspective, anyway; the Breyers attempting to kill Brandon out of fear might be understandable considering his recent actions, but the Breyers [[spoiler:asking a thirteen-year-old girl to kill their son for them is crossing several lines]].

* AdmiringTheAbomination: Even when he learns that Brandon’s coming to kill him, [[spoiler:Doctor Morgan Bishop continues to be impressed by Brandon’s abilities before any other response]].
* AdultFear: Caitlyn’s mother is constantly terrified as she learns more about what Brandon is capable of and his ‘fixation’ on her daughter.

* AppropriatedAppelation: Brandon officially adopts the name ‘Brightburn’ as the plot unfolds.

* ArmorPiercingQuestion: Most of the time Brandon can deflect Caitlyn’s attempt to come up with one by focusing on the ‘evidence’ of his own superiority, but the idea of her leaving or getting killed forces him to verbally confirm that she’s important to him, as well as a tentative concession that not ''all'' humans are worthless to assure her that she does have value to him despite his superiority.
* AssholeVictim: Regardless of her discomfort at the ease with which Brandon kills people, even Caitlyn [[spoiler:doesn’t feel that sorry after Brandon kills most of the research team that had been holding them captive and had killed her mother]].
* BetterTheDevilYouKnow: Caitlyn adopts this philosophy [[spoiler:when she receives an e-mail from ‘K.C.’ offering to help her get away from Brandon; as she reasons to herself, she isn’t going to trust someone she’s never met when she already knows Brandon won’t hurt her]].

* BewareTheSuperman: Naturally applies, considering Brandon’s abilities.

* BoldlyComing: Basically applies to Brandon and Caitlyn, although Caitlyn initially turned down Brandon’s ‘offers’ of sex as she didn’t feel ready for that kind of intimacy yet. After [[spoiler:a near-escape from a plane crash, they engage in a brief session of mutual masturbation, Brandon eats Caitlyn out and Caitlyn gives him a blowjob during their time in a hotel before they go to Greece, and they have sex for the first time around midnight on Brandon's fifteenth birthday when Caitlyn is consoling him after his first actual loss]].
* BreakTheCutie: Caitlyn is faced with a burden that would be incredible for anyone to bear, as she has to face the fact that the only reason the most powerful being on Earth hasn’t destroyed the planet yet is that he’s attracted to ''her''.
* BrutalHonesty: Brandon and Caitlyn eventually establish this dynamic with each other, with Caitlyn in particular able to get away with her ‘defiance’ of admitting that she wishes Brandon was normal by conceding that if it’s a choice between not having Brandon in her life and having him in her life while he kills people, she’d rather be with him (although she does request he not kill people in front of her any more).

* ComicallyMissingThePoint: When [[spoiler:the President receives a call from Project B2 to get permission to detonate nuclear weapons to try and kill Brandon, even after hearing Brandon threaten to destroy Washington DC if nobody tells him where Caitlyn is right then, the president’s immediate response is to express incredulity that ‘Brightburn’ has a girlfriend]].

* TheCorruptor: Brandon’s ship is heavily implied to be this, with Caitlyn attempting to encourage Brandon to ignore it; [[spoiler:he eventually melts it down and throws it out of the atmosphere, albeit justifying it to himself as getting rid of the only thing on Earth that can hurt him]].

* DisproportionateRetribution: Brandon [[spoiler:kills a boy Caitlyn had only gone out with a few times when she had every reason to believe that Brandon had abandoned her]]; however, on a wider scale his responses are comparatively more ‘mellow’ than they were in canon, as whenever he is attacked he only kills enough people to make the rest of the opposing force stop, and his destructive assaults are limited to empty buildings or religious structures rather than explicitly trying to kill large numbers of people.

* EntitledToHaveYou: Essentially sums up Brandon’s attitude towards Caitlyn, as he acts as though she should just wait for him [[spoiler:even after he flew away following the deaths of his parents while giving her no clear sign that he would come back]].

* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: Even after [[spoiler:killing his parents when they tried to kill him]], Brandon retains his feelings for Caitlyn, to the point that he later appears to accept her request not to kill anyone when she’s with him, and later notes [[spoiler:that he considers her his family rather than his aunt and uncle]].
* EvenEvilHasStandards: Depends a bit on whether Brandon should be defined as ‘evil’ or just warped, but in either case, while he resents Caitlyn rejecting his attempts to make their relationship sexual Brandon has never actually forced her despite how easy it would be for him to do so.
* FauxAffablyEvil: Granted, [[spoiler:when Doctor Bishop’s primary goal was to stop Brandon’s attacks, he’s not exactly ‘evil’ in the traditional sense, but despite appearing kind to Caitlyn during initial interrogations he swiftly drops that approach when Caitlyn calls the research team horrible, calling Caitlyn ‘a dumb girl feeling sorry for a monster’]].

* ForWantOfANail: Things start to change when Caitlyn shows a slightly more ‘positive’ response to Brandon’s attempt to apologise for breaking her wrist.

* InSpiteOfANail: Regardless of Caitlyn’s influence, [[spoiler:Brandon still kills the Breyers and Erika dies later, albeit not by Brandon’s hand]].
* IneffectualDeathThreats: Basically applies to [[spoiler:anyone who suggests that they threaten to kill Caitlyn to try and get Brandon under control, as Caitlyn bluntly points out that if they kill her they would remove the only reason Brandon hasn’t destroyed the world already]].

* JerkassHasAPoint: While Caitlyn will still argue with Brandon about whether or not he ‘has’ to kill anyone, she has to concede that he makes a valid point when he observes that [[spoiler:she’s too tough to give up by killing herself and she doesn’t have any serious objection to the idea of living with him beyond the fact that he just made the decision for her]], or when he refuses to wait outside when she's looking for one of her old friends.

* MoralityPet: Caitlyn is basically this for Brandon; while she can’t actually make him stop killing at all, she does manage to ‘talk him down’ to a point where he only kills people who are actively trying to threaten him or her, rather than destroying buildings or crashing jets just because he feels like it.

* MurderByCremation: Brandon’s traditional method of killing others, using his heat vision to incinerate the immediate ‘threat’.

** Regardless of how powerful Brandon is, he is still a teenage boy who makes teenage errors, such as [[spoiler:having difficulty coming up with a plan that would warn others not to hurt Caitlyn that wouldn't basically give away that there’s someone ‘Brightburn’ cares about, and his 'plan' to take over the world so far just consists of him attacking religious institutions or other prominent structures and defeating any armies sent against him until he comes up with an actual ''plan'']].
** When [[spoiler:Brandon is being held captive and subjected to constant gas exposure to keep him in a coma, although Project B2 couldn’t find anything capable of killing him, he did become emaciated as he obviously wasn’t getting any sustenance in that state, although it was noted that he was starving far slower than a human would have in his situation]].
** While [[spoiler:nuclear bombs can’t kill Brandon, he still needed to take a detour to get the radiation ‘cleaned off’ so that he wouldn’t contaminate Caitlyn once he went to rescue her]].

* WeCanRuleTogether: Brandon essentially makes this offer to Caitlyn, albeit in a scenario where Caitlyn’s only power would be based on the fact that anyone who disobeyed her would make Brandon angry.
* [[IDidntMeanToKillHim We Didn’t Mean to Kill Her]]: Basically [[spoiler:the defence offered by the staff on Project B2 when their efforts to get Caitlyn to talk result in them killing Caitlyn’s mother as they try to ‘interrogate’ Caitlyn about Brandon by threatening her mother in an electric chair]].
* WhatMeasureIsAHuman: Brandon explicitly states that he considers humans to just be wild animals compared to him, with Caitlyn being the only exception.

* KryptoniteFactor: After [[spoiler:Brandon destroys his ship while killing the Breyers, the only remaining trace of it is the shard the Breyers gave to Caitlyn to kill him with, and she initially loses track of it after that night and subsequently plans to dispose of it once they reunite]].

* RedOniBlueOni: Brandon and Caitlyn develop this over time, Brandon just charging into everything while Caitlyn encourages him to think about things beyond 'smash everything'.

* ShootingSuperman: At one point Brandon let a missile hit him just to see what it would do to him, and even survives [[spoiler:a nuclear explosion while just being thrown off-course for a minute or so, even if he cleaned himself off to protect Caitlyn]].

* TookALevelInKindness: 'Kindness' may be an exaggeration, but at the very least Brandon accepts Caitlyn's request to show a degree of mercy when he's attacked, with the result that he stops killing the opposing forces when none of the soldiers left are actively trying to shoot him any more, and his attacks on civilians have been limited to empty religious buildings rather than any occupied residences or businesses.

* MonsterSobStory: Played with for Brandon; he might be willing to kill on relatively limited excuses, but it’s hard not to feel somewhat sorry for him after [[spoiler:his own parents tried to kill him, particularly when he shows actual regret for it afterwards]].

* TokenGoodTeammate: Granted, not much is shown of the Brightburn cult overall, but [[spoiler:after Caitlyn believes Brandon has chosen the Witch, she gets help leaving Brightburn from Xander Williams, one of the cultists, who affirms to Caitlyn that she will always be his Lady]].

* TokenGoodTeammate: Granted, not much is shown of the Brightburn cult overall, but [[spoiler:after Caitlyn believes Brandon has chosen the Lady, she gets help leaving Brightburn from Xander Williams, one of the cultists, who affirms to Caitlyn that she will always be his Lady]].

* IneffectualDeathThreat: Basically applies to [[spoiler:anyone who suggests that they threaten to kill Caitlyn to try and get Brandon under control, as Caitlyn bluntly points out that if they kill her they would remove the only reason Brandon hasn’t destroyed the world already]].

* OnlySaneMane: In Chapter 40, [[spoiler:Caitlyn notes that they'll have to bring her old friend Gwen to the 'home' established by Brandon's cult because otherwise Caitlyn will never be able to cope with the demonstrated fanatical devotion to Brandon on her own]].

** In chapter 31, [[spoiler:while Brandon was tolerating talking with the cultists and treating them in a civil manner, he becomes briefly outraged at the implication that they were taking precautions to ensure ''his'' safety as he is certain of his invulnerability]].

* ADateWithRosiePalms: In Chapter 24, [[spoiler:Brandon and Caitlyn engage in a brief session of this after escaping a crashing plane, each pleasuring the other while sitting against each other in a forest]].

* DramaPreservingHandicap: In chapter 28, [[spoiler:Brandon essentially identifies Caitlyn as one, claiming that the only reason he didn't destroy AN-3 in their fight was because he didn't want to risk Caitlyn being injured in its destruction]].

* GoneHorriblyRight: Chapter 35 [[spoiler:sees Brandon finally find 'the Witch' that he has been searching for, only for the woman to prove to be more than a match for him in a physical confrontation]].
* HomicideMachines: Caitlyn references reports of a machine killing people in South Africa, which the author confirms is intended to be an {{Expy}} of Cyborg from the DC Universe; chapter 28 [[spoiler:introduces this character directly, which identifies itself as AN-3, originally known as Symon Veers]].

* IgnorantOfTheirOwnIgnorance: Until chapter 26, [[spoiler:Brandon was unaware of the other 'superhumans' active on Earth as he was focusing on looking up reports about himself]].

* ItsAllAboutMe: Basically the reason Brandon doesn't learn about other superhumans until Chapter 26, as he was only looking for news articles about himself rather than looking at anything else.

* LoveConfession: Brandon explicitly states that he loves Caitlyn in Chapter 26, and Caitlyn reciprocates.

* PlaceOfPower: In chapter 36, [[spoiler:Caitlyn is taken to a clearing by the Witch that is apparently sacred to the Witch's gods, which somehow weakens Caitlyn and Brandon when they are in the clearing to the extent that the witch becomes the first person to defeat Brandon in a fight]].

** By chapter 35, pamphlets are being issued warning against the dangers of Brandon [[spoiler:and other superhumans]], with the pamphlet on 'Brightburn' simply affirming that people should try to avoid him.

* SpottingTheThread: In chapter 28, [[spoiler:both Caitlyn and Brandon independently realise that AN-3 is equipped with a force field]].

* StopWorshippingMe: Caitlyn doesn't say it out loud, but in chapter 31 [[spoiler:she is privately uncomfortable when the Brightburn cultists call her 'ma'am' and refer to her as 'the lady' even if she also likes it]]. By Chapter 40, [[spoiler:she tolerates the cultists as she and Brandon need a place to stay, but is also certain that his 'followers' have over-estimated Brandon's interest in them when they have set up a room as an auditorium for him to make public speeches]].

* TrackingChip: In chapter 32 [[spoiler:Caitlyn is disturbed to learn that she was implanted with one while she was captured by Project B2, hence why so many people have been able to find her and Brandon since their escape]].

* VillainousBSoD: Brandon basically has one in chapter 37, albeit just based on [[spoiler:him reeling from the fact that he lost a fight for the first time]].

* TheMenInBlack: Project B2 is an {{Expy}} of Project CADMUS, with an escalation of how far they are willing to go to try to stop Brandon (namely [[spoiler:torture to death a poor woman who's only crime is being tangentially connected to Brightburn (Caitlyn's mother) to try to gain information and nuking a large part of Nevada in the hopes it will kill Brandon]]).

* NotSoStoic:
** For all of Brandon's usual emotional detachment, he appears genuinely scared at the thought of losing Caitlyn and looks at her with something that could be considered love, [[spoiler:to the point of having a panic attack when he thinks he's left her in a coma while escaping a plane crash]].

* PlaceOfPower: In chapter 36, [[spoiler:Caitlyn is taken to a clearing by the Witch that is apparently sacred to the Witch's gods, which apparently weakens Caitlyn and Brandon when they are in the clearing to the extent that the witch becomes the first person to defeat Brandon in a fight]].

* ShootingSuperman: At one point Brandon let a missile hit him just to see what it would do to him, and even survives [[spoiler:a nuclear explosion while just being thrown off-course for a minute or so]].

* StopWorshippingMe: Caitlyn doesn't say it out loud, but in chapter 31 [[spoiler:she is privately uncomfortable when the Brightburn cultists call her 'ma'am' and refer to her as 'the lady' even if she also likes it]].

* AdaptationalVillainy: Compared to canon and based on Caitlyn’s perspective, anyway; the Breyers attempting to kill Brandon out of fear might be understandable considering his recent actions, but the Breyers [[spoiler:asking a thirteen-year-old girl to kill their son for them is crossing several lines]].
** It should be noted that this depends on the story making radical changes when it comes to Brandon's actions from canon so he'd be more sympathetic (and so Caitlyn's loyalty to him despite his actions would be less repulsive). In the movie, the Breyers each only resorted to killing him soon after Brandon murdered his uncle and left enough evidence behind to convince Kyle his son did such. In the fic, this is removed to just having the Breyers' attempts on Brandon's life happen without him ever killing a human before, even if he makes his intentions to do so clear.

** It should be noted that this depends on the story making radical changes when it comes to Brandon's actions from canon so he'd be more sympathetic (and so Caitlyn's loyalty to him despite his actions would be less repulsive). In the movie, the Breyers each only resorted to killing him soon after Brandon murdered his uncle and left enough evidence behind to convince Kyle his son did such. In the fic, this is removed to just having the Breyers' attempts on Brandon's life happen without him ever killing a human before.

** It should be noted that this depends on the story making radical changes when it comes to Brandon's actions from canon so he'd be more sympathetic (and so Caitlyn's loyalty to him despite his actions would be less repulsive). In the movie, the Breyers each only resorted to killing him soon after Brandon murdered his uncle and left enough evidence behind to convince Kyle his son did such. In the fic, this is removed to just having the Breyers attempts on Brandon's life happen without him ever killing a human before.

** In chapter 30, [[spoiler:while Brandon was tolerating talking with the cultists and treating them in a civil manner, he becomes briefly outraged at the implication that they were taking precautions to ensure ''his'' safety as he is certain of his invulnerability]].

* ADateWithRosiePalms: In Chapter 23, [[spoiler:Brandon and Caitlyn engage in a brief session of this after escaping a crashing plane, each pleasuring the other while sitting against each other in a forest]].

* DramaPreservingHandicap: In chapter 27, [[spoiler:Brandon essentially identifies Caitlyn as one, claiming that the only reason he didn't destroy AN-3 in their fight was because he didn't want to risk Caitlyn being injured in its destruction]].

* GoneHorriblyRight: Chapter 34 [[spoiler:sees Brandon finally find 'the Witch' that he has been searching for, only for the woman to prove to be more than a match for him in a physical confrontation]].
* HomicideMachines: Caitlyn references reports of a machine killing people in South Africa, which the author confirms is intended to be an {{Expy}} of Cyborg from the DC Universe; chapter 27 [[spoiler:introduces this character directly, which identifies itself as AN-3, originally known as Symon Veers]].

* IgnorantOfTheirOwnIgnorance: Until chapter 25, [[spoiler:Brandon was unaware of the other 'superhumans' active on Earth as he was focusing on looking up reports about himself]].

* ItsAllAboutMe: Basically the reason Brandon doesn't learn about other superhumans until Chapter 25, as he was only looking for news articles about himself rather than looking at anything else.

* LoveConfession: Brandon explicitly states that he loves Caitlyn in Chapter 25, and Caitlyn reciprocates.

* PlaceOfPower: In chapter 35, [[spoiler:Caitlyn is taken to a clearing by the Witch that is apparently sacred to the Witch's gods, which apparently weakens Caitlyn and Brandon when they are in the clearing to the extent that the witch becomes the first person to defeat Brandon in a fight]].

** By chapter 34, pamphlets are being issued warning against the dangers of Brandon [[spoiler:and other superhumans]], with the pamphlet on 'Brightburn' simply affirming that people should try to avoid him.

* SpottingTheThread: In chapter 27, [[spoiler:both Caitlyn and Brandon independently realise that AN-3 is equipped with a force field]].

* StopWorshippingMe: Caitlyn doesn't say it out loud, but in chapter 30 [[spoiler:she is privately uncomfortable when the Brightburn cultists call her 'ma'am' and refer to her as 'the lady' even if she also likes it]].

* TrackingChip: In chapter 31 [[spoiler:Caitlyn is disturbed to learn that she was implanted with one while she was captured by Project B2, hence why so many people have been able to find her and Brandon since their escape]].

* VillainousBSoD: Brandon basically has one in chapter 36, albeit just based on [[spoiler:him reeling from the fact that he lost a fight for the first time]].

** In chapter 29, [[spoiler:while Brandon was tolerating talking with the cultists and treating them in a civil manner, he becomes briefly outraged at the implication that they were taking precautions to ensure ''his'' safety as he is certain of his invulnerability]].

* ADateWithRosiePalms: In Chapter 22, [[spoiler:Brandon and Caitlyn engage in a brief session of this after escaping a crashing plane, each pleasuring the other while sitting against each other in a forest]].

* DramaPreservingHandicap: In chapter 26, [[spoiler:Brandon essentially identifies Caitlyn as one, claiming that the only reason he didn't destroy AN-3 in their fight was because he didn't want to risk Caitlyn being injured in its destruction]].

* GoneHorriblyRight: Chapter 33 [[spoiler:sees Brandon finally find 'the Witch' that he has been searching for, only for the woman to prove to be more than a match for him in a physical confrontation]].
* HomicideMachines: Caitlyn references reports of a machine killing people in South Africa, which the author confirms is intended to be an {{Expy}} of Cyborg from the DC Universe; chapter 26 [[spoiler:introduces this character directly, which identifies itself as AN-3, originally known as Symon Veers]].

* IgnorantOfTheirOwnIgnorance: Until chapter 24, [[spoiler:Brandon was unaware of the other 'superhumans' active on Earth as he was focusing on looking up reports about himself]].

* ItsAllAboutMe: Basically the reason Brandon doesn't learn about other superhumans until Chapter 24, as he was only looking for news articles about himself rather than looking at anything else.

* LoveConfession: Brandon explicitly states that he loves Caitlyn in Chapter 24, and Caitlyn reciprocates.

* PlaceOfPower: In chapter 34, [[spoiler:Caitlyn is taken to a clearing by the Witch that is apparently sacred to the Witch's gods, which apparently weakens Caitlyn and Brandon when they are in the clearing to the extent that the witch becomes the first person to defeat Brandon in a fight]].

** By chapter 33, pamphlets are being issued warning against the dangers of Brandon [[spoiler:and other superhumans]], with the pamphlet on 'Brightburn' simply affirming that people should try to avoid him.

* SpottingTheThread: In chapter 26, [[spoiler:both Caitlyn and Brandon independently realise that AN-3 is equipped with a force field]].

* StopWorshippingMe: Caitlyn doesn't say it out loud, but in chapter 29 [[spoiler:she is privately uncomfortable when the Brightburn cultists call her 'ma'am' and refer to her as 'the lady' even if she also likes it]].

* TrackingChip: In chapter 30 [[spoiler:Caitlyn is disturbed to learn that she was implanted with one while she was captured by Project B2, hence why so many people have been able to find her and Brandon since their escape]].

* VillainousBSoD: Brandon basically has one in chapter 35, albeit just based on [[spoiler:him reeling from the fact that he lost a fight for the first time]].

* BoldlyComing: Basically applies to Brandon and Caitlyn, although Caitlyn has turned down Brandon’s ‘offers’ of sex as she doesn’t feel that she’s ready for that kind of intimacy yet. After [[spoiler:a near-escape from a plane crash, they engage in a brief session of mutual masturbation]].

* PlaceOfPower: In chapter 34, [[spoiler:Caitlyn is taken to a clearing by the Witch that is apparently sacred to the Witch's gods, which apparently weakens Caitlyn and Brandon when they are in the clearing]].