My Superhero Academy: Darkest Before Dawn | Season 01, Episode 01: Superman Ain't Got Nothing On Me
Nike: I would like to thank all of you, deeply and truly, for coming here. In theory, with the aid of technology or learned magic, anyone could be a hero, even those born without powers. But not anyone can muster the courage to risk their lives for the greater good. That courage is what we are here to foster, and support. In the hopes that your courage will inspire the courage of others.
"Smith": I, uh, open things. Locks. So I can get in anywhere, and stuff. Sometimes I don't even realize the door was locked in the first place.
Skye: Why don't you have a name?
Ryan: Hey yo, what's up? Let's break this ice.
Lucy: I-I can just go if... if you want...
Sue: Hell yeah! It'd be just like home! We could swing through the trees and beat the shit up of any creepy crawlies, then get ourselves bit in the ass before having to suck out the poison which trust me is no fun, then have to turn back because of dysentery and gorge ourselves silly on bananas before we do it all over again!
Ortrun: ♬This spot isn't just mine. Ortrun is my name. What miss is thy game?♬
Milos: My name is Milos, I have an expiration date that will tap me out by thirty years of age due to a rare genetic flaw in my biology. So by the time I'm thirty I'll have brought the world into a new age of hope and peace. That being said feel free to drop out of the class or just slack off and don't do anything, I don't consider it necessary for side characters to eat up a lot of screen time.
Sue: Uh, yeah. Quick question Teach. So, when you say you're a demon, does that mean you're not from around here either? Cause, well, I was kinda starting to think that I was only one here who wasn't some hairless ape. Not that I've got anything against 'em! Well, most of 'em. But sometimes it feels a bit... lonely. Bein' here without anyone else. I mean, there's everyone here, sure! But, uh, you know what I mean. Right?
Ryan: Me, I've got the total energy punch of an H-Bomb. Don't really get the science behind it, but I shoot really big booms.
Lucy: ...Sue, I'll be honest—I'm scared too. I think we all kind of are. Even if it's just a little... and besides, I miss home as well. You'd probably have to work to not be alone in this...
Budoka: You should probably build up some muscle first, little one, before you get into technique. No offense. Though I suspect that you, like Lucy, aren't the direct combat type to begin with.
Ozvald: Dude you just got WRECKED!
Lucy: So when you feel that... t-turning in thing... it's because I'm fighting something. I-I don't mean anything bad by it, though... I-I really don't want anyone to know about it. It's not worth it. Please... please don't tell anyone. Not... n-not yet...
Aelrys: Take something from a fairy, and you owe them something in return. Most of you were smart enough to politely refuse. Some weren't.
Ortrun: Mr. Milos, I just finished telling my other peer that I do not just cut things open! Biologist. Chemist. Engineer. Not one of those is mad butcher. I do not care what you have heard. They're not the same.
- Short Synopsis: The newest crop of potential heroes arrive at the halls of the new academy.
- First Post: 16 May 2020
- Comic-Book Time: 23 August 2029
Tropes - Caution, unmarked spoilers
- All Just a Dream: The students' entire meeting with Aelrys is a dream, but the disastrous first meeting with the magic teacher was retconned as the first draft dream and erased from students' memories.
- Concepts Are Cheap: Ortrun's reaction to all the 'love' and 'we're a family' feelings on the first day, first couple hours of school.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: Fitness class is one long parade of these, in spite of the students mostly breaking the ground rules. Eating curb was the pretest, so it wasn't all wasted. Maybe.
- Don't Go in the Woods: Skye tried to warn the more intrepid members of the class. Not like fae are there that Ellie warned them about and are capable of trapping the students in a dream.
- Doppelgänger Attack: Three Sues jet around the homeroom. Later, three Sues attempt to take down one of the teachers. (It was part of an exercise).
- Easily Forgiven: Averted with how Aelrys invades the minds of the students (Lucy in particular) and airs their dirty secrets. It requires a Retcon to fix.
- First-Name Basis: Ellie tries to allow this to the students. Ortrun does not take her up on it and neither does Sue.
- Heroic BSoD: Lucy checks out right in the middle of homeroom before attention comes back to her. Later Sue swings from excited to a low when she suddenly thinks of her mother.
- Leeroy Jenkins: Ozvald's 'tactic' against Budoka. He attacks her before she finishes the introduction.
- Love at First Sight: The platonic variety but Sue bonds to people as different as Ryan and Lucy within seconds of latching onto them and is equally quick to make Ellie a surrogate mother.
- The Nameless: Smith, who is only called Smith as a placeholder in the discussion of the game. Ortrun trying to suggest a name for her did not work.
- No Social Skills: Ortrun can put words together but certainly has little practice doing it casually. Lucy is quiet but actually knows social norms. Smith finds the best way to meet someone is to cuddle up next to them. Skye introduces himself by rattling off everyone's personal information before they tell him. Sue and Milos come on very strong.
- Odd Friendship: Skye and Milos hit it off surprisingly well, to the point they're able to pull off a coordinated attack almost perfectly.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: Rather than two people, this is how the homeroom splits up early on with the boisterous Ryan, Sue, and Milos on one side and the reserved Ortrun, Lucy, (and sorta) Skye and Smith on the other. This ends when Sue makes a beeline to the quiet corner like a magnet to its opposite pole.
- Rousing Speech: Nike gives one that even Ortrun and Lucy admit gave them the feels.
- School's Best Warrior: Budoka Benkei is the hero 'Master of Arms'. And does she live up. In between casually tossing Ryan and Sue around like pillows, flipping Ozvald on his back without breaking her opening lecture, blowing away Lucy's Worf Barrage, countering student martial artist Iona's every move... It took a careful plan from Skye and Milos to land a blow that she didn't let happen. They broke the rules and used powers but by then everyone except Ortrun and Ryan had broken the hand-to-hand only rule.
- Stating the Simple Solution: How Ortrun meets Lucy and helps her sit on her beanbag chair.
- Surprisingly Creepy Moment: Ortrun from Lucy when the latter's ink reacts soon after Ellie appears. Before they had been quietly meeting and greeting.
- Tell Me How You Fight: The sparring session offers previews of each student's fighting style. Only Ortrun and Ryan followed the given rules. Sue, Ryan, Inusuke, and Ozvald rushed in, and, in the latter case, rushed in before the instructor had even finished speaking. Lucy hung back to analyze what she could and tried to overwhelm Budoka with a massive faint then attack while obscured. Skye and Milos put everything into an all or nothing gamble and both sought out partners (and before that, Skye didn't even try due to his future sight showing no victories). Ortrun walked up to Budoka and waited for the instructor to get into position before beginning a 'fair' fight... and closes her eyes when she strikes. Iona gets psychic advice before going in but also approaches the teacher from the front and gives a bow and waits for Budoka to get ready.
- They Would Cut You Up: Having both Miguel and Milos imply this, even if jokingly in the former case, severely annoying Ortrun.
- Wacky Homeroom: From the beanbag chairs to flying Sues, to floating furniture, to near combat, the homeroom becomes this quickly.
- Weight Woe: During the pool party, Skye goes through this.
- You Are Better Than You Think You Are: Ellie says this to Milos sort of in encouraging some self-worth. A number of people try this with Lucy. Iona saying it seems to affect her more than most.
