My Superhero World | Season 01, Episode 01: Back to Life, Back to Reality
Marcus: Every day it feels like I get drawn in toward conflict. I can't help myself but move to the violence as much as the beat of the song. It's my helpless conundrum. I know where my expertise lies. It started when I kicked Messiah to pieces. I know...what I'm good at. But I'm not gonna be a killer in every day life.
Nariko: You're not a monster, Marcus. You could have torn that guy's arm off, but you didn't. Just... remember that feeling. Remember that you are in control.
Mikoto: ...Actually if we're technically only like three years old... Should we... uh...?
Tom, then Holiday: Hello. I am ACP-013-1; designated “Tom”. If I am damaged or squashed out of fear or malicious intent, please insert yourself headfirst into the nearest trash compactor so as to spare my command unit the trouble. I am here to send a message to Iris Langley: “Iris, Holiday here. Looking good, girl—told you so. I'm by the one drunk guy who isn't about to regret his whole night.”
Wilma: I wonder who we might have befriended, given half a chance in different circumstances. Don’t you ever worry about that too, Cole? Do you ever worry about how your story’s supposed to go, how it’s supposed to end? It troubles me sometimes. Being blithe is getting hard.
Marah: Every time I see the wards etched on my skin, it reminds me of what I've lost. Of course, I can at least pretend to be human, albeit one covered in ink. You must have it much worse. All those eyes mark you clearly as Ahl'kuur's plaything.
Viv: Let everyone have a fun night before we all have to get back to life. Back to reality. And besides busting heads right now wouldn't be great if we have to work together later.
Holiday: Our Fair Druj returns... Hello, Mahvash. Looking lovely. Vivian, same to you. Ryuu, christ you got tall. And Martin, I'm Holiday. A pleasure.
Iris: Ugh, that's beside the point! I'll, uh, admit to being Ahl'kuur's plaything... and that's definitely not ideal, but as long as it gives me the strength to protect the people who accepted me... I'm at peace with it.
Shooter: So. Far as we can see, there's only one solution. Kill them before they kill us. Startin' with you.
Cole: Now, as for the cast and crew of Duck Dynasty over here... Do not make me beat the living crap outta you tonight. Lay down and I won't shove those guns where the sun don't shine.
Viv: Most of us have gotten behind cover. Good. Of course, Cole, Marcus, and Martin are playing target practice.
Mahvash: ...watch yourselves... The last time this happened, it was a cover for stealing a dragonball. Then the time before that, it was a frame-up.
Marah: As you said yourself, you desire to protect those precious to you. Only a human, a real person, can desire that. Regardless of form or features, what makes someone human...
Holiday: Mr. Krill—if that is indeed your real name—you are currently facing down The Iridum Wonders themselves, which I'd list the reasons why this is such a stupid plan if we weren't so short on time. Cease and desist now, and you'll get out of this as smoothly as we can make it for you. Continue and you'll face sufficient consequences.
Iona: You realize that we were the same ones fighting to prevent the City from being destroyed last year. Or 2 years ago, when a group of human supremacists called Gaea teamed up with literal Nazis to invade the city, once again fought off with the help of superhumans and humans alike?
Martin: If you press that you'll die. I don't care who sold you that forcefield, that much power is going to make most of this city a crater. Think about the innocent people out there, they aren't asking for this fight. If you don't care about them then think about the others you came here with. Think about yourself man. You can't want to die, I don't know what brought you all the way here but there has to be something you want more then to murder countless innocent people and die yourself. A friend, a new show on t.v., one of those funny cat videos. This isn't worth it, just put the bomb down and stop, please.
Sam: I used to wonder what could drive someone to do this stuff...But at the end of the day, nothing justifies this crap, so it's better to just bring them down quick and get on with our lives, not even sparing them more time than what it takes to do so.
Alex: So. She just gave us a mega-nuke beyond anything detonated on Earth.
Holiday: I speak as a being of sapience when I say I want you with us. Not to fight, but to keep the peace. To defend, not to enact selfish retribution. To promote a right for safety and mutual respect all deserve to enjoy... The family of Team Dynamo extends their heartfelt support to everyone who needs it.
The Note: Don't trust Mahvash
- Short Synopsis: Heroes Assemble! The veterans and survivors of the final war of Saint Foundations call together potential new heroes for a meet and greet. A nice quiet night to get to know each other.
- First Post: 7 April 2020
- Comic-Book Time: 4 September 2022
Tropes - Caution, unmarked spoilers
- Beware the Superman: An aggressive bar patron is scared off by Marcus. Really scared off and called the man a monster to his face. The woman Marcus saved had a similar reaction.
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Broken Aesop: As of this point, talking the villain down has never actually worked. - Bus Came Back: The takedown of the shooters marks Iona's return to active duty.
- Crazy-Prepared: Vivian who has a tool and tactic for every situation. She even mentions the Boy Scouts.
- Dark Age of Supernames: The shooters are obviously not superheroes but their names are Buckshot Bill, Tuckshot Till, and Killshot Krill.
- Do Unto Others Before They Do Unto Us: Not unlike the centaur rioter back when the Guardians were picking up steam, this is the shooters' stated well shouted and spat motivation.
- Dude, Where's My Respect?: Not just the reaction to Marcus's heroics but 3 random gunmen deliberately target the veterans of the Saviors' War with all that implies.
- Enemy Within: Marcus is seeing himself watch in horror as he strangles a woman... Martin has headaches and voices in his head.
- Equippable Ally: Kate's thing.
- Explosive Leash: It doesn't quite kill him but someone zaps shooter #3 to keep him from talking.
- Good Feels Good: The main reason Gita Jumped at the Call. That, and
Awesome, Dear Boy. - Internalized Categorism: Marcus is starting to believe he's a monster...
- No Doubt the Years Have Changed Me: The IW find this out in retrospect. Having Martin suddenly 'reset' note rocks all of them after they'd been learning and growing beside him.
- Nuclear Option: Shooter #2 has a handheld nuclear device of 100 megatons. note
- Put Down Your Gun and Step Away: One shooter threatens the Iridium Wonders with a handheld nuclear device. Everyone on the team calls his bluff, namely that he'd be blowing himself up with the city and everything around.
- Relocating the Explosion: The IW's plan... but shooter #2 saves them the trouble. They still have to get him out of the area though.
- Save the Villain: Squad 1 has to do this as the tech was rigged to kill them if they tried to talk.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Shooter 3 makes a run for it soon enough.
- Title Drop: See Vivian's quote above.
- Too Dumb to Live: Besides picking the fight in the first place, shooter #2 eats his leverage also proving that he doesn't have a deadman's switch. He's just fortunate that he's facing the IW.
- Turn the Other Cheek: When they're done making sure the city is out of blast range, the IW go out of their way to remove the bomb from Shooter #2.
- We Have Ways of Making You Talk: Cole lets shooter #3 know in no uncertain terms that he's getting his information from his mouth or a 'brain bulldozer'. One is painless. The other...isn't.
- You Are Better Than You Think You Are: Nariko tries this with Marcus. It does not work. He still thinks of himself as a monster who lives for violence.
