Why? Why am I doing this to myself? Why did I even think this was a good idea for an Xover?
I haven't even read Worm or the wiki, the only info I have about Worm isficsfromstoriesonSVandSBwhywouldIevenwritethis-
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Sunday, February 06, 2011
Ding-a-ring!
"I'll be with you in a minute, honey!"
Dana sprinkled the cinnamon onto the hot chocolate with a little extra flair before turning to the counter and ringing her dainty handbell. "Hot chocolate with whipped cream and a generous sprinkling of cinnamon, just as you like it, Henry," she said with polite cheer and a smile. Taking the regular's payment and wishing him a good day, she turned toward her little cafe's entrance.
"Welcome to the Sunrise Roast, how may I-oh."
Her voice came to an inelegant halt and her face fell slightly as she saw the thing girl before her. With her brown hair, shining amber eyes, and a beaming smile that could have charmed her step-father, Dana could have confused it her for a normal customer. She could have, if it wasn't for the fact that the girl's entire body was made up of some sort of icky-slime substance, and the fact that she was wearing an expensive-looking and sleek body armor/suit.
Abomination.
Cape.
Be calm, Dana, she's not him. She isn't.
Dana clenched her fist and took in a deep breath. She inhaled and exhaled before looking back at the girl with a schooled smile, although it seemed she hadn't been subtle enough with how the girl had stopped smiling and was now worriedly staring at her.
"Are you okay, miss?" she asked, concern showing under a layer of her cheery voice. "You seem... troubled.
"I'm fine, it-I-just... it's nothing." Dana hesitantly muttered out, before sighing into a clasped palm regretting her actions. The girl seemed genuinely concerned for her even, which just made her feel even worse about her attitude toward her. And those puppy eyes weren't helping the situation. Fortunately, the girl seemed to accept the answer with a nod, although the concern was still visible in her eyes.
"Ok, I won't pry if you don't want me to." The cape gently assured Dana, before her small frown perked back up into the shining smile she had worn earlier. Are those pearly whites part of her powers or should I ask what toothpaste she uses? Dana idly thought, before lightly snorting and asking, "How may I help you, honey?"
"Well, I'm new in town, and I hoped to meet with the local authorities." Ah, of course, the girl wanted to become a hero, that smile and (naive, some would say)optimism in her voice should have been a dead giveaway. "Could you please tell me where I could find their headquarters?"
"Well then, honey, you'll need to take one of the ferries to the Protectorate headquarters out in downtown. If you want, I can give you a map."
"Thank you, miss! Wait, will it be free?"
"That's bad business, honey."
"Think of it as charity, instead."
Dana let out a laugh at the comment while she bent down to grab a map from under the cashier. Dropping it on the countertop, she smiled at the girl-unforced, she found herself realizing-and dropped in a few dollars and coins on top of the map. She laughed again at the sight of the girl's jaw slackening and eyes widening at the money.
"I-buh-wah-huh?"
"You told me to think of it as charity, didn't you?"
The girl cutely blushed at the joke made at her expense and quickly snatched the money and map off of the counter, eliciting yet more chuckles from Dana. The girl bounced back from her embarrassment quickly, though, and thanked Dana profusely for the extra cash. She made for the door after thanking Dana before stopping suddenly. She turned back and cheerfully asked Dana, "By the way, I never did get your name, miss...?"
"Dana. Dana Bright. And your na-hero name?"
"Heh. The name's Jubilee. It was nice meeting you, Dana!"
Jubilee cheerfully strolled through the much less happy streets of Brockton Bay as she made her way to downtown to the Protectorate HQ. Dana had been nice and very helpful, although she had been obviously disturbed by Jubilee's presence. She had most likely had bad experiences with superhuman individuals in the past. Jubilee sighed at the thought as she quickened her pace slightly.
Monsters like Sharp Bastard, Improver, Caerbannog, and... her father... did nothing but bring destruction, despair, and havoc upon the world, making it harder for the newer superhumans to be accepted by the public. From Dana's reaction to her appearance, it seemed like murder hobos with powers was a multi-dimensional constant. Why couldn't there be more cheerful do-gooders like her around? Sighing to herself, she shook her head and pulled out the map from her leg pocket.
Now, which way was the HQ from here again? She thought to herself as she looked down at the map. Let's see-hey! Stupid wind and stupid map, stop foldi-next left on Pickett Street, right!
Stuffing the map back into her pocket, Jubilee looked both ways before crossing the street. As she walked, Jubilee began to absorb the sights around her like a sponge. A sponge that was progressively becoming dirtier and dirtier by the minute, unfortunately. A homeless guy could be seen every block or two she walked, the streets looked like Ravager had been taking a jog through the city, the buildings were one Jenga block pull away from falling over, and the air smelled like-
BLEEUGH!!
She wasn't going to even try to describe whatever that smelled like. As she gagged, Jubilee began to fume inside at the utter lack of effort the heroes and authorities put into the care of this city.
Who is the reckless, irresponsible idiot hero in charge of this city that I need to give a lecture so damning that a sailor would blush? She darkly thought to herself. This is by far one of the worst cities I've been in that wasn't under the rule of some tyrannical villain. Why I bet- She stopped herself from going further before shaking her head free of the thoughts. She breathed in, then breathed out.
No, bad Jubilee, don't go down that rabbit hole, think happy thoughts, happy thoughts. Bunnies... butterflies... and roasted smores. Ah, much better. You can still lecture the people in charge, just don't go too far.
Now calmed down, Jubilee began to power walk with purpose inside of her. Nothing would distract her now from making it to the Protectorate. Not any negative thoughts, not any stupid smells, and certainly not any hobos busting up a sto-
Wait.
Turning to the left, Jubilee saw that, yes, hobos were indeed throwing rocks at and smashing up some sort of electronics store, all the while looking like they were the extras from some stoner comedy. Looking around, Jubilee saw that none of the local police or heroes were nearby to put a stop to the crime in progress.
Then, Jubilee smirked. Well... she couldn't lecture the local heroes for being lazy if she didn't put in some work herself, could she? And what hero would she be if she didn't stop to help the innocent?
Robin Leland was having a no-good, extremely bad day. Join the Merchants, they said. It'll be a fun time, they said. Well, apparently they left out the fact that he had to freaking smash up a goddamn store, giving the capes an excuse to push their crap in! Seriously, what was he thinking when he said yes?! On second thought, he was probably high while he was making the decision. Note to self: if I make it out of this okay, I'm never again going to make life-altering decisions while high. Robin thought to himself as he nervously wielded a pipe in one hand and a brick in another. Currently, Darren and the other four mooks that the a-hole had dragged alongside Robin were smashing up the store, and whatever they could find inside it, behind him, all the while the poor owner could do nothing but watch on helplessly. At least Robin could turn his eyes away from what his... associates were doing, and didn't that make his stomach go wrong?
And Robin was stuck outside the shop, sitting on the sidewalk, with the vaunted duty of being the "lookout." I.E., a sacrificial lamb that drew any nearby heroes to Robin specifically and gave Darren and his stooges time to skip away scot-free. Not that he didn't mind being as far from this mess, mind you, he just wished he didn't have a big "Kick Me" sign tacked onto his body for heroes to look at. Robin sighed as he started fidgeting around on the. With nothing else to do, besides guilt himself over what he was doing, he might as well-
"Hello there! It seems like there's a crime in progress behind you, sir." A cheery voice (who's still happy in Brockton Bay?) called out.
A startled Robin bolted off of the concrete and staggered back as he stared at whoever the hell had-oh shite, cape.
"I also couldn't help but notice the pipe and brick in your hands there. Would you by chance be part of this group of hooligans?" The cape observed offhandedly, seemingly unaware of Robin doing his best to not faint.
"C-cape!" Robin managed to stutter out as he tried to pull his pipe back. Tried, since before he could do that, the cape suddenly stretched her arm out and wrapped it around the pipe, and his hand-
Happiness washed-no, flooded over him the instant the cape had made contact with him. He felt like he was on top of the very world at that moment, with all of life's toils and troubles glancing off of him like he was made of steel. He felt... like he was still with his momma when she would read him a story. Turning to look at the cape, he was almost blinded by the toothy grin she was baring at him. But... it wasn't like the victorious smile Darren would use whenever he going to beat the tar out of someone. No, when he looked at that smile, Robin could see nothing but sincere kindness in her face.
"You're okay, Rob-can I call you Rob?" The cape stopped to ask, before continuing to speak after Robin tentatively nodded his head. "Okay then, you can call me Jubilee, Rob. It seems like your friends inside the store haven't noticed me yet, so I have a proposition for you. If you can help me convince your friends to surrender, I'll see if I can convince the authorities to lessen the punishment. Are you in?"
Despite his relief that he wasn't going to be clobbered by Jubilee, Robin still hesitated at the offer. While it was a good offer, he wasn't sure if he would be able to convince any of Darren's other henchmen to surrender. And forget trying to convince Darren, the bastard would rather run naked from Brockton to Los Angeles than surrender. Seemingly sensing Robin's inner conflict, Jubilee gently patted him on the shoulder and smiled at him. "It's okay if you don't want to do this, Rob. I would be very grateful if you helped me, but if you don't want to, I'm fine with it."
Looking back at the reassuring, unjudging expression on Jubilee's face, Robin knew what he wanted to do. Here was an opportunity to turn his life around, to do something that he could look back on twenty years from now and proudly think to himself: This is what I've accomplished.
But before that, he smiled back at Jubilee, a single tear climbing down his face. Not a big smile, but a smile nonetheless.
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For your information, Jubilee is a superhero version of SCP-999, or the Tickle Monster in layman's terms. In her universe, superhumans are widespread across the world with the Superhuman Corrections and Placement(SCP) Foundation in charge of superhuman affairs across the world. She's also the most popular hero in her world due to her being a PR department's wet dream, her sincere personality of happiness and cuddles, being a renowned therapist, etc.
Here's the link for the video that inspired this whole mess of an idea. Credit and curses to Popcross Studios for giving my muse this idea.
You know, I might even make this a multi-chapter story, if my muse keeps bugging me. My muse is also bashing me over the head with an entire Popcross Superhero universe, with lore like Jeremiah Schlatt becoming dictator of Nova Scotia and separating it from the rest of Canada Kyoshi style(with tech). Also, if anyone has any questions about villains or heroes from Jubilee's universe, feel free to ask. I insist.
Jubilee
Appearance:
Affiliation: Hero
Civilian Identity: Elena Morris
Age: 23 yrs. old
Birth Date: June 21, 2004
Birth Place: Rotterdam, Netherlands
Powers:
Any person that Jubilee touches, even for a brief moment, has a sudden wave of euphoria wash over them, and whatever was causing them to commit that crime is forgotten. She has to come into contact with the person's skin in order for the effect to kick in.
Jubilee also has an area of effect secondary power, where the emotional atmosphere surrounding her progressively grows happier the longer she is around, although it is unknown if this is an actual power that Jubilee possesses or if she instead has extremely effective natural charisma and presence.
As her body is 100% slime, Jubilee is able to disconnect various parts of her body temporarily in order to dodge both ranged and melee attacks. She is also able to stretch her limbs out longer than the average human.
Jubilee is able to harden and mold her limbs whenever necessary to form impromptu shields and weapons, though these are usually blunt in nature due to her insistence on using non-lethal means whenever possible.
As Jubilee is made of slime, she is able to move faster than the average human, around the speed of the average bike.
Common Sense.
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A/N: I know this isn't the best summary, but I promise I'll come back with an improved character profile when I can.
So now that I know this idea wasn't a total mess, I'm here with another update for you all to enjoy.
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Sunday, February 6, 2011
"Remind me why we're out on patrol in the freezing cold again, Win." Dennis moaned out loud to his patrol buddy and fellow ward Kid Win, who merely rolled his eyes at his friend's antics. "Because you're being punished for taking your pranks one step too far, Clock, and I drew the short straw and was forced onto this patrol with you." Kid Win deadpanned, stopping his hoverboard to stare at Dennis. "And you don't get to complain about the weather, man. At least you have a helmet, I'm stuck with this stupid visor."
Dennis, for his part, simply brushed off the retort with a laugh and a smirk, though Kid Win couldn't see it. It hadn't been his fault that he'd accidentally dropped powdered ginger into all of the wards' body wash(except his own, conveniently), neither had it been his fault that they had all tripped into his conveniently placed cherry pies. It really hadn't been. Alas, the higher-ups didn't see things as he did, and the result was him and Kid freezing their pants off on patrol with nothing to do but look pretty for any passing civilians, maybe take a picture or two, and watch the morning clouds slowly float by.
"Console to Clockblocker and Kid Win, we've received a 9-1-1 call about Merchants smashing up a convenience store in your sector, Warbler Avenue specifically." The radio comm in Dennis's ear crackled to life as Vista's "serious voice" sounded through them. Dennis grinned as he listened. Finally, something to break the boredom! "You and Kid Win are to investigate and intervene in the disturbance. While it was confirmed there are no capes present with the Merchants, you are still to proceed with caution. Especially you, Clockblocker. Understood?"
"Copy that, Console. We'll make sure not to burn the sector down." Dennis replied in a joking manner before turning to look at Kid Win. Despite Dennis's frequent jokes about how Vista needed to warp the big stick out of her crack, which almost always resulted in him getting something stuck in his crack, he still held a lot of respect for the girl. Really, if Dennis was treated like just a little kid half as much as Vista was by the PR department and the Youth, despite her being the literal veteran of the Brockton Wards, he'd have blown all of his gaskets by now.
"Well, you heard Vista, Win. Last one there is a rotten egg?" Dennis asked, mischief laced within his tone.
"If you want the Director to literally throw the book at you for turning this into a race, go ahead." Kid Win responded exasperatedly, shaking his head and sighing. "I, personally, would rather keep my head attached to my body, thank you very much."
"You would have had the advantage." Dennis mumbled out, with no real heat in his voice, as the two hurried as fast as they could to the store.
They had gotten there too late. Not because the crooks had already run back off to Merchant territory and they were too late to stop them, thankfully, but because a new cape had taken care of the gangsters before they could. Specifically, the cape across the street now enthusiastically helping the storeowner clean up the remains of his shop windows while the police took the criminals into custody. One of them had a scowl reminiscent of Sophia, which made sense considering the large bruise on his head, but the rest looked a bit off, Dennis observed. Did they seem... content with being arrested? That was new, almost as new as the brand-new cape showing up on Brockton Bay's doorstep.
"Console, this is Clockblocker. We have eyes on a new cape who stopped the robbery before we arrived, possibly Case 53. Permission to talk with new cape, with the possibility of recruiting them, over?" Dennis reported to console, receiving his permission soon after. A fresh new hero was something Brockton Bay was in desperate need of, what with gang activities slowly rising.
"Well. Isn't this an original sight for the eyes, right, Win?" Dennis chuckled as he turned to look at Kid Win, only to pause when he looked at Kid Win's face. His jaw was slack, eyes (probably) wide open, his head was leaning forward, and-wait... was that... panting Dennis could hear?!?
I know Chris is a teenager with merciless hormones just like I am, but he's never been the type to turn primal over a girl! Dennis inwardly panicked. I mean, she's pretty attractive with that well-fitting suit on, but I'd that'd hardly be enough-"Oh." Dennis said aloud in sudden realization. His eyes followed Win's line of sight to where the cape was. More specifically, the cape's suit.
Ah... he's having Tinker perversions and not Teenager perversions. Dennis thought as let out a relieved sigh. The world makes sense once again. ...I am so telling everyone about this when we get back to the Rig. Dennis mischievously thought to himself as he flashed a vulpine grin. He then turned back to Kid Win, thoughts of evil whizzing and flying through his brain. "Seems like you really appreciate the new cape, Win. Maybe you could ask her to help in some 'private tinkering sessions'." Dennis teased before ducking as a now flustered Kid Win tried to slap the back of his head with his hoverboard, laughing as he ducked. "Shut up, let's just go ask if she can tell us what happened here." Dennis heard Kid Win, hurriedly mumble out, his flushed face the same shade of red as tomato paste, which only served to set Dennis off on an even harder laughing spree. Once Dennis had recovered from his impromptu fit, he rushed to catch up with Kid Win, who was already halfway across the street.
"Are you sure there's nothing else I can do to help, Mr. Parker?" Jubilee asked as she picked up the last of the glass shards, absorbing them into her slimy arms, and dropped them into a nearby cardboard box. "Your shop is still very much a mess."
Mr. Trimble politely shook his head at her and chuckled as he bent down to fold the box closed. "You taking the time to help me is enough on its own, kid." He remarked as he then duct taped the box shut. "I don't want to waste your time on this anymore, and I can take care of the rest of this mess myself. It's not gonna be cheap in the slightest, but I'll stay in business."
He paused as he lifted the box up, arms adjusting so that the box didn't accidentally fall out of his grip. He then turned to Jubilee and grinned widely. "Thanks again for your help, Jubilee. If only more capes were as kind and helpful as you, then maybe the whole world wouldn't be as crappy as it is."
"Just doing my job, sir." Jubilee smiled back as Mr. Parker backed into his store door and walked back inside. She was happy that Mr. Parker was feeling better now, especially since he had been a sobbing mess lamenting his ruined shop just a few minutes ago. Though that comment about me staying to help is concerning. Jubilee worriedly thought to herself, resting her chin on her fist as she mulled over what Mr. Parker had said. I'm starting to think, and I really hope I'm wrong here, that the heroes around here are less "servants of the people" and more of glorified punchers and punching bags. Then again, it could probably be the "more capes like you" comment distorting my view on this. I mean, I think about that myself plenty of times, so it's not exactly an odd thing to think.
She stepped out of her little thought experiment as she noticed, from the corner of her eye, two heroes-or at least, she thought they were heroes-approaching her from across the street. She turned around to get a better look at the two heroes. One was a teenage boy on what looked like a hoverboard while wearing yellow-and-red armor and a red visor, while the other-who seemed like a teenager as well-was completely clad in white armor, with symbols of clocks covering various parts of his armor.
Odd that they seem to both be teenagers, especially since they don't have any adult heroes watching them. Jubilee thought to herself, before pausing to think some more. Then again, every city has a different way of utilizing its underaged heroes, and at least the two are working together instead of going solo.
Satisfied with her inner reasoning, Jubilee grinned and approached the two heroes in turn, enthusiastically waving at them. "Hello, fellow heroes! What brings you here?" She called out to them.
The Clock Hero responded with a joking tone that seemed a bit too familiar for her liking. "We were actually informed there was a robbery going on here, but it looks like you've taken care of them, miss...?"
"The name's Jubilee." She politely answered, folding her arms behind her back and smiling. "And yours?"
"I'm Kid Win, and this idiot beside me is Clockblocker. We're part of the Brockton Bay Wards." The Hoverboard Kid hurriedly responded before the Clock Hero could, earning what seemed like an irritated glance from him. "Dude... uncool." Clockblocker(wait, what?) deadpan retorted with an annoyed tone, though it seemed like there was no real heat in it. Wards... So that's what they call sidekicks here. And what kind of name is Clockblocker, and why does it give me the chills? Jubilee thought in a deadpan matter as she regarded the two heroes.
"Moving on from that, I just wanted to say that we both appreciate you choosing to use your powers to be a hero, especially here in Brockton Bay. Every hero that we can get is appreciated." Clockblocker eventually said as he turned to look at her, with Kid Win adopting a very surprised expression on his face and Jubilee finding herself mildly impressed. While it was a bit hammy, it was also pretty wholesome of him and made her feel appreciated. Honestly, if he was her sidekick, she would have given him an A.
"Kid Win especially appreciated you from across the street earlier." Clockblocker added in a devilish singsong tone.
Annnnnnd there was the other shoe landing on her head.
Jubilee simply stared as a now extremely flustered Kid Win try his hardest to whack Clockblocker in the foot with his hoverboard, the clock-themed hero being just a little too quick to hit. She sighed in amused exasperation. Kids will always be kids, no matter what. And of course, a guy who names himself Clockblocker would say a joke like that, what else did I expect? Poor Kid Win, though, his face looks as red as tomato pas-
Oh...
Oh, God.
Horrified realization dawned over Jubilee, her stomach sinking into what seemed to be a bottomless pit. It's a younger version of Captain Tomato.* Did he somehow undergo interdimensional mitosis?
"It's not my fault she has a cool suit." She perked up when she faintly heard Kid Win mutter as he put his hoverboard back down. An opportunity to switch to a completely different topic! Hallelujah!
"Thanks, I actually had this custom built by a friend." She remarked to Kid Win, who perked up similar to how she did. "It even includes pockets." She joked, pulling on the pocket on her left leg before letting it snap back into place.
"I wish I could meet whoever made this. This is amazing." She could barely make out an awed Kid Win say before he coughed into a fist and shook his head sheepishly. He then looked back at her and gave her a grateful smile, most likely for changing the subject of the conversation. "Anyways, would you be able to tell us what happened here so that we can report back to our superiors what happened? St-standard protocol." He quickly added.
"Welllll..." Jubilee purposefully drawled out loud as the cogs in her brain started ticking. If the "Protectorate" worked in a similar-enough fashion to how the Foundation did, then perhaps she could kill two birds with one stone by filing the report while at the Protectorate headquarters, where she could meet with the local authorities. "I was actually on my way to the Protectorate headquarters before I was interrupted by this robbery. So how about you ask your superiors to let me come with you and make my report at your HQ? It wouldn't hurt to try, right?"
Almost immediately after Jubilee said those words, the two seemed to perk up, Clockblocker especially so, before Clockblocker put his fingers up to where his ear would be under his helmet. "Console, this is Clockblocker. The new cape wishes to come with us to the Rig and file her report there. Permission to bring them aboard, over?" Clockblocker reported with no small amount of unhidden excitement in his voice.
From the excited "Understood, Clockblocker out." Jubilee heard soon after, she guessed that permission had been granted. Hopefully, the Protectorate had some snacks when they got there, preferably sugary ones. Hero work, and falling into another dimension, were tiring.
I'd like to send out a call for any who would like to beta read for me and have the time to spare. Anything that can help improve my writing is appreciated.
Also, with every update, except maybe interludes, I plan on including character profiles from Jubilee's universe. This update's character profile goes to Sharp Bastard, referenced in the first chapter and otherwise known as SCP-162, or Ball of Sharp. This is not a character Popcross created, this is a character that I created taking inspiration from Ball of Sharp.
Sharp Bastard
Appearance:
Sharp Bastard is a Caucasian young adult with a toned body and is about 5'11 in height. She has blonde hair, green eyes, and freckles. A large scar can be seen on her left facial cheek, from where one hero managed to get a lucky shot with an arrow, with smaller scars visible on her arms, wrists, and hands.
In costume, Sharp Bastard can be seen wearing the following; a black fedora with a silver hat band, a red domino mask with grey lining the eyeholes, a black and white tuxedo with a red dress shirt underneath, a frilly black skirt that reached her knees, and black high heels.
Affiliation: Independent Villain
Civilian Identity: Barbara Kincaid
Age: 34 yrs. old
Birth Date: December 7, 1993
Birth Place: Astoria, South Carolina
Date of Power Catalyst: March 18, 2010
Backstory:
Raised into an abusive household as a single child, Barbara Kincaid was the subject of merciless beatings and verbal harassment from her father and mother. With no other way to vent her anger, she found herself taking out the pain and suffering she felt onto the other children in her classroom. When her parents found out about what she had been doing, their anger towards Barbara only increased and their actions toward her became even crueler. As Barbara grew, she began to blame herself for what her parents did to her and reasoned that if she became stronger, then she could become strong enough to resist the beatings. So, she joined every martial arts club she could and quickly rose to be one of the school's top, though not beloved, athletes.
But deep inside, Barbara wasn't content. She wanted the pain to stop, to get away from it all: the physical beatings, the tears, the verbal beatdowns, everything about her home life. But most of all, she wanted to make her parents pay for what they inflicted upon her.
That opportunity came in the form of a package, thrown through her window, from one Dr. Miles Standish Corbitt, otherwise known as the villain Improver. In the package was a vial and a letter, which explained that he had been keeping note of her home life and that he, being an extremely empathetic person, had sent her a little "gift." In exchange for Barbara doing favors for him here and there, Dr. Corbitt promised that with by drinking the vial, Barbara could be forever free from her parents. Seeing this as her way out of the abuse and torment, Barbara chugged the vial down with a hesitant thought. But as she patiently sat on the floor, waiting for her powers to appear, the vial twisted and warped her mind.
Her parents weren't found until the next week, on their rotting corpses hidden under the house floor. But Sharp Bastard wasn't satisfied with just this. No, her power she craved for more violence, for more blood. And so, she unleashed all of her pent-up anger, frustrations, and sorrow onto the citizens of Astoria, both innocent and not. On March 27, 2010, 18,306 people were slaughtered in what became one of the worst atrocities committed on U.S. soil to this date, resulting in a warrant for Sharp Bastard's immediate termination. None have succeeded in carrying the warrant out, as of this date.
Sharp Bastard would continue on her violent escapades across the Southeastern U.S.A., with her most notorious escapade since Astoria being the Apex Massacre, where she murdered nearly a quarter of the population of Apex, Georgia, before being forced to flee by approaching heroes. She has formed an intense rivalry with Typhon, the vigilante who practically rules Jacksonville, Florida through fear and terror, and is noted as one of the few people to have both fought Typhon and escaped to live another day multiple times.
Powers:
Sharp Bastard is able to control and manipulate sharp items within a fifty-yard radius of her location, including, but not limited to, the following; scissors, fish hooks, razors, needles, toothpicks, shards of glass, and paper clips. It has been determined that Sharp Bastard cannot wield anything originating from humans or animals, such as teeth or fingernails. Sharp Bastard's most frequent tactic is throwing multiple "Balls of Sharp"(masses of various sharp objects formed into balls) before having the balls explode, sending the sharp objects in the balls flying and causing extensive damage to any unfortunate heroes or civilians caught in the shrapnel zone.
Sharp Bastard also has a secondary power that, while not that dangerous on its own, is amplified overwhelmingly when used in tandem with her other power. Sharp Bastard possesses the power to psychologically pull toward her any individual who looks at her. The effect weakens the further away the individual is from Sharp Bastard.
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A/N: Honestly, the fact that both Jack Slash and Ball of Sharp have a primary power relating to sharp objects and a secondary power that messes psychologically with their enemies is hilariously uncanny.
Also, as always, feedback is appreciated and any constructive criticism is accepted generously. Tell me what you liked and what you disliked about the chapter.
Chapter name is lame, I know, but I couldn't come up with anything better. Also, I'm not too proud in this chapter like I was previously, but I still think it's fine enough.
Also, as always, feedback is appreciated and any constructive criticism is accepted generously. Especially for this chapter.
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Sunday, February 6, 2011
"And she came with Kid Win and Clockblocker willingly?" Director Piggot questioned Armsmaster as he finished reciting the report that Clockblocker, Kid Win, and the new cape who had suddenly appeared in Brockton Bay had written. She found herself mildly pleased with her Wards for managing to make a decent impression with the cape, although Clockblocker would have to be reprimanded for his inappropriate joke. Piggot had been tempted to let Kid Win's attempted murder by hoverboard slide, but in the end, had decided that even indirectly advocating for Wards murdering each other was a bad idea that would inevitably see her sacked and replaced.
...Moving on from that, she was also deeply impressed with the new cape as well, despite herself. For all her many reservations over the fact the cape was a master, and an exceptionally potent one from what the report said, the cape was also enthusiastically on the side of the heroes, competent to a degree that suggested extensive experience, cooperative to a fault with the PRT and Protectorate, a personality so charming and genuine that the entire PR department would marry her for it, and on top of all that, there was the fact that she attempted to de-escalate a situation and mostly succeded at it. Capes just didn't do that.
And yes, Piggot would absolutely murder any other directors who tried to poach this cape from her.
Violently.
"Yes. In fact, Clockblocker reported that Jubilee was the one who asked to accompany them." Armsmaster simply replied in his usual clinical tone.
"And you are certain that her... energetic personality and cheerfulness aren't just an act?" Piggot pressed. While she was pleasantly surprised that Jubilee had been nothing but helpfully cooperative with the PRT, she wasn't about to let herself be caught off guard by a sudden turn of face. She hadn't become a PRT director by being a naive maiden, after all.
"From what my social indicators registered when I was close to her, Jubilee really is as cheerful and good-natured as she acts," Armsmaster revealed, leading Piggot to breathe out a sigh in relief. "And, despite my admittedly lacking social awareness, I have come to the conclusion that no one, not even a cape, could fake the amount of happiness Jubilee possessed."
Piggot let out a sudden snort at the admission, although she would later deny it when anyone asked her. That... sounded like a joke that had come out of Armsmaster's mouth, which was a miracle in of itself. Although, with the utterly monotonous tone that Armsmaster had strung the sentences together, Piggot couldn't tell if Armsmaster was joking or not and didn't want to know either way.
"And where is Jubilee now?" Piggot asked, ignoring Armsmaster's Schrodinger's joke. "She is currently waiting in one of our interview rooms. director." Armsmaster replied, not minding the change in topic. "She has asked for you to meet with her, as she has confidential information she wishes to share without prying ears."
"And what type of information does she have that would be so important for me to see her personally? I have a meeting with the mayor in two hours." Piggot deadpanned, slowly quirking a single eyebrow.
"She claims that she comes from another dimension, director." Armsmaster bluntly replied. "Not on purpose, apparently, and my lie detector revealed she wasn't lying." He hurried to clarify as Piggot almost launched out of her seat at the news, eyes going wide and hands locked in a death grip with the table.
"Bring me to her, immediately." Piggot tersely replied, leaving no room for argument.
Goddamnit, she was going to need to break out her secret stash of alcohol after all this. She wouldn't be able to cope with all this bullcrap soberly.
"Hello there!" The polite, and also cheery, voice of Jubilee greeted Piggot as she and Armsmaster entered the room. She was leaning forward with both arms on the table and a warm grin on her face. "You must be the director here. It is a pleasure to meet you."
"You are correct, Jubilee, and it is a pleasure to meet you as well, Jubilee." Piggot politely responded, taking a seat opposite of where Jubilee was seated, with Armsmaster choosing to simply stand next to her. "As you already know, I am Director Emily Piggot of the PRT ENE, and my colleague next to me is Armsmaster, the leader of the Brockton Bay Protectorate." Piggot introduced herself and Armsmaster, who simply nodded at Jubilee.
"And you know my name-hero name, at least-is Jubilee, former leader of the North American Branch of the SCP Foundation." Jubilee meekly responded, before rubbing the back of her neck and adopting a somewhat-sheepish look on her face. "But my civilian name is Elena Morris, though you can still call me Jubilee. Odd to reveal my civilian identity, I know, but it's not like it'd be a secret anyways given that I am 100% slime." Jubilee rambled a little before sighing deeply and flashing a sheepish smile at Piggot. "Sorry about that, Director Piggot, it's just that the past few hours have finally sunk in."
"There is no need to worry, Jubilee." Hiding a small smile, Piggot raised her hand, indicating for Jubilee to now listen to her. "Given the unique circumstances of your appearance here, your reaction to your situation is understandable. In fact, I have to commend your conduct. I know many capes with more experience than you who would have reacted... far more poorly."
Jubilee nodded in keen understanding, chuckling lightly. "Yeah, I know the types. Been there and dealt with that. So, Director Piggot, I suppose you have some questions about my world, bar the confidential, of course?"
"Indeed." Piggot nodded, looking directly at Jubilee. "Since I don't have the time right now to listen to all of the information you may have, a brief summary of this Foundation you mentioned will be enough for now, and perhaps some. If you wish to share more information later, talk with Armsmaster and he will hear you out."
"Understood." Jubilee rubbed her face with her hand, her face indicating she was in deep thought. After humming to herself, her face seemed to glow a little before she responded. "Well... The SCP Foundation, SCP being short for Superhuman Corrections and Placement, is what an international version of the PRT could be. We have different regions and directors to direct them as you do; Capes-I mean Superhumans-can also become directors like I did, although they rarely do due to many different circumstances. When new Superhumans appear, the Foundation does its best to help them adjust to their new lives while also assisting them with the career of their choice. And should any Superhuman become too violent or act in any way that is unbecoming of them, the Foundation is the one who will terminate or discipline them as needed."
Jubilee continued on and excitedly rambled on about her world, explaining more about the Foundation, talking about Power Catalysts*, and speaking on how powers in her world had been around since at least Ancient Greece but only became more prominent and widespread around the 1960s. Both Piggot and Armsmaster keenly listened to her speak, with Armsmaster being especially interested as he was physically taking notes and leaning far forward.
As Jubilee finished speaking, Piggot couldn't help but smile softly. Jubilee had a natural affinity for making even the most mundane thing she did or talked about captivating,. And yes, Piggot was physically capable of laughter and happiness.
She was an unpleasant bastard to be around, yes, but she wasn't an unfeeling sociopath.
She just didn't let herself be prone to overdramatic histrionics.
"Thank you for sharing this information with us, Jubilee," Armsmaster said as Jubilee turned to him. "Now that we are finished with that, Allow me to-"
"-Armsmaster," Jubilee cut in, surprising both Armsmaster and Piggot, "if I may interrupt? Is this the part where you try to recruit me?"
"That is correct, Jubilee," Armsmaster replied calmly, showing none of the surprise that he had expressed earlier. "We believe that you would be an excellent hero for the Protectorate, due to your previous experience and skills displayed."
Jubilee simply sighed at Armsmaster's words and rapped the table with her fingers, losing herself in her thoughts. She quickly snapped back to reality, though, and looked back at Piggot with a rare solemn expression on her face. "From what I have gathered, I take it you don't have all that many heroes here in Brockton Bay, do you? And before you ask," Jubilee said upon seeing the subtle surprise in Piggot's eyes and Armsmaster uncomfortably shuffling around, "no, none of your staff or Wards leaked anything important to me. I can see the signs from the general state of the city alone, and through talking to the locals, I had the impression that the gangs significantly outnumber you, which I feel has now been confirmed."
Clever girl.
Piggot sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose. Even a hero that had never even heard of Earth Bet could tell that Brockton Bay was a massive shithole whose authorities were underfunded and understaffed. Yet, despite that, it seemed that the Chief Director was content to let the Bay wallow in the muck that contaminated it. She respected the woman, but goddamnit, Piggot could not understand her hesitance to send more capes to her department
"I was going to chew out whoever was in charge of this city for negligence and incompetence in letting the city degrade to such a degree," Jubilee continued, not paying much attention to Piggot's reaction, "but it's clear to me now that that isn't the problem in this city. In fact, there cannot be a single problem with this city whose problems breed like rabbits and mice."
She then paused, letting both Piggot and Armsmaster soak in her words. It was an awkward, tense pause that settled in, one who wanted to break the silence but wasn't sure of how to do it without cutting itself. Fortunately, Jubilee was able to break the silence for it by disarming said silence with a small, welcoming smile. "And that's why I'll need to stick around. Can't leave you all to suffer fixing this mess and call myself a hero, right?"
Piggot let out a sigh of relief, and she could see Armsmaster's stance shift into a more relaxed one as well. She did have to mentally protest about Jubilee causing them undue stress, but she wasn't Clockblocker so she was willing to give Jubilee a break.
"And while I can't join the Protectorate as an official member, as I am still a member of the Foundation and we don't allow that, I would be more than willing to become a PRT affiliate as my world's first ambassador to Earth Bet," Jubilee commented, a smile more solemn than her usual smile present on her face.
Piggot would take the goddamn win. Jubilee's appearance in Brockton Bay was a miracle sent by whatever deity ruled over this world, and Piggot sure as hell wouldn't squander this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It also gave her something to lord over the smug bastard Tagg, which was only a positive.
"And we would be pleased to have you as an affiliated hero, Jubilee," Piggot genuinely smiled back at Jubilee, whose smile only brightened even more. "We will provide you with the necessary forms for you to fill out, and you will soon become Brockton Bay's newest hero."
"Now, if you will excuse me," Piggot pushed her chair back and stood up, "I have a meeting with the Mayor in about thirty minutes." She marched out of the room, closing the door behind her and leaving Armsmaster and Jubilee in the room. Shortly after, Armsmaster walked to the door and held it open, indicating for Jubilee to follow him.
"After you are done filling out your paperwork, would it be possible for you to come with me for power testing? Through reading the reports Kid Win and Clockblocker submitted, I have become quite interested in watching your powers in person."
"Oh, that's my favorite part of all this! Although, if you only need information on my powers, I could just give you the information sheets. It's somewhere on my suit's database, I just need to search for it, give me a minute..."
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A/N(Where I dump TMI on y'all):
ATTENTION:
I might need to write up Jubilee's Power Ratings for future chapters, but I have no clue how to do this type of stuff and how to accurately rate powers. So, if someone can properly write Jubilee's Power Ratings for me, bonus points if they do it in the form of a PRT threat rating, they'll get both a cookie and a first look at the next chapter.
*Basically, Power Catalysts are Trigger Events. However, there can be different kinds of Power Catalysts that don't always involve traumatic events. Here's a short list of Power Catalyst types, that will be expanded upon later.
Traumatic Catalysts: Basically Trigger Events without the alien parasites.
Experimental Catalysts: Powers resulting from scientific experiments, like the Hulk and Captain America.
Natural Catalysts: Powers that a person has had from birth or have resulted from their parent's genetics, like the X-Men.
Magical Catalysts: Powers that have resulted from magic in one way or another, like Dr. Strange and Zatarra.
I don't think the "Character Profile every chapter" thing is workable for me. One or two Character Profiles weekly would be far more feasible for me to do, IMHO. For this week's Character Profile, here are three hints:
Shoto Todoroki
Alucard/Dracula
States of Matter
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Good luck!
Also, has anyone else noticed just how many master-type SCPs there are? Earth Bet would have a collective heart attack over just how many there were wreaking havoc on the world. I mean there's Possessive Mask, King of the Mountain, Tyrant's Pretext, etc.
Good grief, this chapter took far too long to write.
Also, as always, feedback is appreciated and any constructive criticism is accepted generously. Especially for this chapter. And I'm not the best at fight scenes, IMO, so any criticism relating to the one in this chapter would be most welcome. Fortunately, this story won't focus on the fights, so that won't be too much of a problem for me.
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Brockton Bay, Massachusetts
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Crack! SMASH!!
Metal splintered and scattered all across the testing chambers as Jubilee, yet again, shattered the cube of something metal that Armsmaster had placed in front of her. Good grief was this stuff ridiculously hard. Slowly panting, she took in a deep breath before turning to look at a nonplussed Armsmaster who nodded at her while taking notes.
"It seems that your hardened slime is just as effective as a projectile as it does when attached to your body, Jubilee."
"Already knew that, Armsy," Jubilee breathed out, a touch of feigned annoyance in her voice, walking over to a nearby bench and grabbing a water bottle from it. Taking a big gulp of water, she let out a satisfied breath before turning back to Armsmaster. "I also have to ask; what's so special about the cubes you're making me smash over and over?"
"They're made out of a special Tinkertech alloy that I personally made for the tests," Armsmaster curtly replied, pointing to the dispersed shards all over the floor. "It's not often that a Cape is able to smash through a cube that dense, though."
Jubilee lightly nodded. While she wasn't one of the super geniuses like Notch or "That makes sense. I even struggled a little there with breaking the cube. Does it have stuff like steel and graphene mixed in there?"
"While I am not at liberty to tell you the specific materials, I am able to say that graphene is indeed part of the alloy," Armsmaster replied, a hint of approval in his tone.
"So..." Jubilee hesitantly started, with Armsmaster simply raising an eyebrow in response, though Jubilee couldn't see it due to his visor. "As much as I am thankful for all of this, Armsmaster, I don't think doing the same thing over and over again will be of much use to either of us, even if it kills time waiting for the files to download. No offense meant."
"None was taken, Jubilee. In fact, I feel the same way." At that, Armsmaster then reached behind his back and wielded his fancy halberd that certainly didn't make Jubilee squeal in jealous awe. You weren't there, you can't prove it. "As such, I believe that our sparring would yield far more efficient results than this would."
A spar? While she definitely did fight criminals frequently, it had been a short while since Jubilee had been able to fight an opponent who wasn't trying to bash her nonexistent brains. Plus, if Armsy underestimated her capabilities, she would be able to use her sensei's teachings to their utmost effectiveness.
"Sure!" Jubilee gleefully smiled, although it seemed like she had overdone it, given the funny look on Armsmaster's face. Ah well, she could be worried about how other people viewed her sanity later.
Dennis and Chris, a little startled, turned to see their fellow wards Dean, Missy, Emmett*, Sophia(ugh), and Carlos, all in their costumes like Chris and Dennis, looking at them with varying looks of interest. No rewards for guessing who was the least interested. Chris waved at them while Dennis's face adopted a cheeky grin. "Oh, nothing, we're just getting ready to watch Jubilee and Halbeard spar. Wanna watch with us?"
Sophia snorted derisively. "Who, the goody-two-shoes newbie you idiots stumbled into? Why would I want to watch her get stomped into the ground by Armsmaster?"
"Be respectful, Sophia," Carlos chided as exasperatedly shook his head, with Dennis, Missy, and Chris merely rolling their eyes, though they did their best to hide it from Sophia's view. "Jubilee is a potential Protectorate recruit, and Piggot will have our hides if we do anything to drive her from the Protectorate. Am I understood?" Sophia merely scoffed but didn't push her luck any further.
"Besides, it's not often we get to see a new cape fight Armsmaster; at least, one who isn't a villain." Emmett off-handedly remarked. Which is 100% true, Dennis internally agreed. "It'd be fun to see if someone will finally be able to push Armsmaster out of his comfort zone."
Sophia scoffed. "That's a damn sucker's bet."
Dennis's grin grew even wider.
"Which means," he cheekily chimed in, "I am legally obligated to bet my entire allowance on Jubilee winning. That goes for you too, Chris."
"Hey, don't drag me into your shenanigans." Chris protested. "Let me be the one to drag myself into them. By the way, that means I'm also betting on Jubilee."
"I suppose that means I'll need to bet against you since I am not a sucker." Dean deadpanned, pinching his nose bridge in somewhat feigned annoyance.
"As am I." Carlos unhelpfully added, crossing his arms and trying to hide a smirk.
"You're all morons."
"I'll put some on Jubilee." Everyone whipped around in surprise to face Missy, who simply shrugged. "What? It's not like I'll lose that much, and if I win, I'll get more money for ice cream."
"As I am the only guy here with common sense, I refuse to participate in these antics." Emmett drawled, his sarcasm laid on as thick as icing laid on a cake by an overenthusiastic child.
"All your losses." Dennis dismissively waved his hand, before turning to watch the sparring room, with everyone following his sight.
They watched as Armsmaster and Jubilee took up their opposing positions, with the former taking up a serious and prepared stance while the latter was bobbing up and down like her feet were springs and grinning unsettlingly like a madwoman. Well, at least Jubilee seemed enthusiastic about the spar...
The uncomfortable silence before the fight reminded Jubilee of her sensei's sparring sessions, which meant that she was probably in for a long, hard, and frustrating fight.
On the other hand, Armsmaster lacked her sensei's infamous sarcasm and laid-back behavior, so at least the fight would be merely frustrating and not infuriating. Maybe. If Armsmaster was anything like Tubbo, than she would have to recant her previous assumptions.
At the signal to start, Jubilee immediately lunged at Armsmaster, forming a sword with one arm and a shield in another. She swung her sword arm low, hoping to sweep Armsmaster's legs from under him or at least disorient him, and raised her shield arm just above her head.
Armsmaster quickly responded by knocking her sword arm away and lunging at her now open chest. She quickly dodged and pushed her shield arm down on the halberd, lodging it into the ground, then swung around. She quickly shifted her sword into a hammer and intended to slam it into Armsmaster's side-
-When her hammer met halberd. The halberd that had been in Armsmaster's other hand just a few seconds ago, until it had bloody well teleported.
You have got to be kidding me. She incredulously thought, as she quickly drew back her hammer arm to block an incoming attack to her leg. Tubbo would be salivating if he saw the ridiculous shenanigans Armsmaster's halberd is pulling here.
She lobbed three projectiles of hardened slime at Armsmaster, who slashed the first two projectiles and deflected the last one back at Jubilee. Jubilee dodged to the left and lunged once again at Armsmaster, this time aiming for his head. Armsmaster quickly lifted his halberd up to block, with Jubilee flipping in the air over him and throwing another glob at him, which he quickly blocked as he turned and split his halberd into-Oh come on!!!!
As the fight continued on, with Armsmaster mercilessly attacking while Jubilee ferociously defended and parried, Jubilee began to tire from Armsmaster's incessant attacks. Every move she made, Armsmaster somehow knew why she did it and how to perfectly counter it, ignoring her feints and teleporting his halberd to intercept her dodges. The longer the fight went on, she realized, the longer Armsmaster would have to analyze her moves and eventually figure out how to beat her.
She mentally ran through every trick and tactic she could think of, desperately searching for the correct advice. Then, it dawned on her as she ducked below a vicious swing. Not any of her sensei's Art of War teachings or actual dueling tips, mind you, but an off-handed remark he'd made about his early days as a hero.
She jumped back, away from Armsmaster, and quickly reformed her arms into swords. Then, baring the most vicious grin she could bear, she lunged at Armsmaster and began a ferocious flurry of quick, arbitrary attacks. The sheer speed of the attacks, combined with the fact that Jubilee had seemingly no goal in mind with her attacks, forced Armsmaster back a step or two, his programming struggling to understand the intent of what Jubilee was doing. A furious back-and-forth developed, with neither giving nor gaining ground, all the while Armsmaster had time to adjust to Jubilee's new strategy. Eventually, however, Jubilee overstretched one of her arms in a stab at Armsmaster, and Armsmaster, taking advantage, had swung his halberd, aiming to sever the arm.
As Armsmaster swung, Jubilee threw her sword up and separated it from her arm in order to not be hit. Her sword flew up into the air and hardened into a simple glob, while Jubilee quickly reformed her sword arm and continued her frantic and chaotic frenzy of attacking Armsmaster.
The hardened glob began to fall.
Jubilee dodged a halberd to the leg.
Jubilee's head hardened.
The glob continued to fall.
Halberd and sword lock blades together.
The glob fell within an inch of her head.
Jubilee headbutted the glob.
The glob flew into Armsmaster's face, stunning him.
Jubilee thought of her sensei's remark again.
When fighting someone who can read minds, don't think or strategize about how to fight. Just fight, let your instincts and reflexes guide you. After all, those don't have minds to read.
As Armsmaster, stunned by the sudden blow, staggered backward, Jubilee exploited the opening and went for the killing blow, stretching her arm far out and grabbing hold of Armsmaster's jaw. As soon as she did, Armsmaster's mouth perked up into the dopiest grin of all dopey grins, and his body slackened due to the euphoria washing over him.
With her other arm, Jubilee formed a slimy mallet and raised it above her head. Then, she brought it down with speed, stopping within the breadth of a hair of clocking Armsmaster. Then, a cheeky grin on her face while panting heavily, she lightly bonked Armsmaster on the head. "Boop." She then released her hold of Armsmaster so that he could recover from his impromptu emotions.
Eventually, the euphoria slowly dripped off of Armsmaster and he schooled his expression back into his usually stoic one. "I believe that the spar is yours, Jubilee. Well done."
"Indeed it is." She cheerfully responded. "That was a good fight, Armsy. I haven't been pushed this far during a spar since my sensei was still teaching me."
"He has taught you well, then, as your tactics and skill show," Armsmaster noted. "I would like to meet your sensei someday, and perhaps spar with him as well." Although it wasn't too obvious, a scent of excitement wafted from his words.
"If you wish to defeat me, Armsmaster, you'd need to train for another 100 years. Imagine how long you'd have to train to defeat my sensei."
As the watching audience's jaws collectively dropped at the climactic finale of the sparring spectacle, Chris, Dennis, and Missy turned to each other with predatory grins. They were buying all of the ice cream to celebrate their victory after this.
In a frigid, blizzard-ridden, desolate wasteland of a world, a Traveller and his four companions find themselves stranded until their method of transportation, their only way to escape, activates again. Let's see what they have to say about this...
"I'm t-telling you, it's n-not my fault my powers hate my l-literal existence!"
"A-and I'm telling you that y-you are an incompetent bastard who can't even c-control his own damn powers!!"
"Alright fellas, I understand your f-frustration, but this is no t-time to argue among ourselves. Traveller's powers like to screw him over a-and there's nothing we can do about it. For now, all we can do is find shelter and wait for our chance to leave this p-place. Got it?"
"A-alright, Agent Lawrence."
"Tch, fine then."
"What Agent Lawrence has said is most true! As adventurers, we must have a spirit of unified camaraderie!"
"Sh-shut your trap, spaceman."
"No n-need for that type of t-tongue, friend..."
"Screw off, bunny boy."
"Alright, then, I guess I won't be sharin' any of my f-food with ya'."
"Now that's jus..."
"Yeah, man?"
"...Where the b-bloody hell did you even get that stove from?!?!"
"My, ah, pocket."
"GRAhHAhAHaHH!!!"
"Anybody else, uh, want chicken noodle soup?"
"Eh, we're stuck in the m-middle of nowhere anyways, might as well have something warm to eat."
"Yeah... extra salt would be nice. Okay?"
"Warm rations to fill our stomachs for the adventure ahead are more than welcome!"
"C-comin' right up, fellas."
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A/N(Where I dump TMI on y'all):
*Emmett Kaplan is Browbeat's civilian name.
For the last scene, in case you couldn't tell, it's SCP-507, three members of the MTF "Last Hope," and their Foundation handler. The Foundation has formed a temporary Task Force Lassie, with the express purpose of finding Jubilee so that they can bring her back.
SCP Agent Christian Patrick Lawrence
Dr. Karl Jacobs/Traveller
Bernard Lightsworth/Buzz Lightyear
Buttercup Utonium
Leopold "Bugs" Schlesinger/Bugs Bunny
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I just realize now that more than 50% of the characters have names starting with B...
Also, since Minecraft-based superheroes are canon in Popcross Universe lore, I decided adding in MCYT's was reasonable, mainly DSMP characters. Trust me, I have a plan.
For the Agent Lawrence character, I'm taking inspiration from this channel's SCP series, and as such, characters from it will appear here and there. I highly recommend watching the ones before the finale. This is more due to my personal preference than the actual quality of the episodes as I feel it's still good.
Also, if this seems similar to Fabius Maximus's Trollhunter/Worm chapter where Armsmaster and Jim sparred, then it is because I've indeed taken inspiration from and based my chapter on it. Except with obvious differences, of course. In fact, this story is what got my muse to come up with this idea in the first place.
Doing a Revolution Right this Time (Dream SMP/Liberty's Kids)
Thomas "Tommy" Mancroft, as he's dying in Pandora's Vault, is magically transported to Boston, Massachusetts during the American Revolution, and ends up on the front door of Benjamin Franklin's print shop. Given another chance at life, Tommy will weave through his new life doing the following, not in order: matchmaking two of his new friends, fighting for the Revolution, and making sure that things are meant to be.
My muse has the oddest, most ridiculous crossover ideas, I know...
If you've noticed, I'm more comfortable with writing dialogue than writing exposition, fights, or general descriptions. Part of it is since I'm lazy, and part of it is because it's fun to write characters bouncing off of each other.
If you all have any questions regarding the story or characters, feel free to ask me and I'll answer to the best of my ability.
Also, as always, feedback is appreciated and any constructive criticism is accepted generously.
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#@%*(!#%&!(#(&%!*
April 10, 2027
"So..." Inventioneer bluntly started, fidgeting with a Rubix cube with no intent to solve it. "On a scale from 1 to 10, Spin Doctor, just how badly is the world reacting to the sudden disappearance of the world's most beloved hero?"
"One word, sir: Diana."
"Shit."
The single swear carried through the room, with the rest of the occupants merely nodding their heads in muted agreement, many of which would have used far more colorful and expressive words to state their agreement. This was an utter disaster, a calamity that would have fit perfectly during 1929.
"Real insightful of you, Big T." Soldier Boy, leaning back in his chair and nonchalantly propping his feet on the table, deadpanned. "Alright, anyone else got anything brilliant to say about this mess?"
"Well, with Jubilee gone until we can find her," Starborne said as he coughed into his throat, "villains and gangs, specifically those located in the Americas, will most likely ramp up their recruitment drives as humanly possible now that Jubilee isn't there to turn their rookie, weak-willed goons into upstanding citizens."
"Yooo, more dudes for me to beat up."
"Theo, my brother and friend, will you ever take any of our meetings seriously?"
"No..."
"Is there any way we could significantly diminish these recruitment numbers?" Toymaker cut in as she let out a puff of cigar smoke, looking around the table for any takers.
"Ahem. I am already working on an extensive PR campaign," Spin Doctor replied as he disapprovingly swatted the smoke away from him. "With the goal of impressing upon the villains the consequences if Jubilee returns and knows what they've done. But LIXIAN has run the numbers with me, and we have found that the campaign's effectiveness will wane if Jubilee doesn't return soon or if we only do the campaign. We are in need of suggestions for any other possible methods."
"Would it help if I told them to just not recruit any more minions?"
"No, Blade. Anyone else?"
"Perhaps we could finally push through those criminal rehabilitation clinics Jubilee proposed?"
"Interesting proposal, Starborne, and something we should consider. LIXIAN?"
"Running the numbers, sir, my initial findings predict that will increase the effectiveness of the campaign by about 15%, though further tests have the possibility of increasing this percentage."
"I'll have the Foundation begin work on these clinics right immediately, then."
"...We could always sic Vigo-"
"Complete that sentence, Bright, and I'm shoving that crappy chainsaw cannon you hold dear up yours, alright?"
"Aw..."
"Mind your language, Thomas, and don't threaten your fellow 05 either." Director-General Fischer politely chided his subordinate, causing Soldier Boy to relent and Dr. Bright to start giggling like himself a madman. Dr. Bright quickly shut up, though, when Fischer turned and gave himthe look. "You have no high ground to stand on, Dr. Bright. Why the actual hell you would even suggest that, I do not know, and I do not want to know. We are throwing that horrible suggestion in the bin, permanently."
"If I may speak my mind," the as-of-now silent Anantashesha spoke up, a guttural, yes still polite, growl punctuating his words, "all this back-and-forth about what to do with Jubilee missing, yet I notice none of us have talked about finding and bringing her back."
"Shit, I knew we'd forgotten something," Soldier Boy palmed his face as hard as he could, with most of his fellow 05's following suit. As he let his hand drag down his face, he let out a resolved sigh. "Well, guess I'm gonna have to go talk with Karl, yeah?"
"Are you sure about that, Thomas?" Fischer pointedly asked Soldier Boy, his mouth straightening into a thin line of worry. "His power is... unreliable at best, to put it mildly, and unlike Grian, he might refuse to help."
"Look, we haven't figured out this whole 'interdimensional travel' BS yet, director, and Karl's the only fella we know to be able to do that. And Grian don't count, he can only see other dimensions right now. So, and I mean this in the nicest way possible, unless any of you bastards have better options..."
...
"That's what I thought, bitches."
"Woof." Dr. Crow barked before adjusting his glasses. "Dr. Bright, Inventioneer, Watchman, and I will, in the meantime, begin the necessary research into interdimensional travel. Director, I ask permission to bring in one of the J-Agents to aid in this endeavor."
"Granted. But while this talk has been enlightening, we should move on to our next subject," Fischer spoke as he held up his hand, everyone pausing in conversation and turning to him in respect. Taking a moment to drink some coffee, he then turned to Inventioneer and Watchman. "How is the Ophiotaurus Initiative moving along?"
"Wonderfully, Director-General, sir." Inventioneer cheerfully chirped in response, his face perking up at the mention of talking about complicated engineering projects and not dimensional travel magic. "Seeing as we really just need to finish the ronin helmet thing now, I reckon."
"Now, as my fellow engineer has stated," Watchman stoically commented, "the project has progressed far better than our previous projections. In fact, I am positive we will be able to devote our new free time to immediate work on the clinics. We should be able to get two or three up by the end of next month."
"Holy crud, I actually solved it."
"Excellent work, you two. I'll see to it that you two get the resources needed." Fischer politely nodded at the engineers before turning to Le Baladin, handing the clown-themed assassin a secure tablet. "Now, Pierce, I am sending you to Barichara, Colombia. There, you will attempt to recruit a local family of heroes, the Madrigals, into registering with the Foundation. Soft-sell only, and do not threaten them no matter what. Understood?"
"I understand the order, sir, but I don't understand the why." Le Baladin politely retorted as he stashed the tablet away into his satchel, propping his head up with his fist. "Why am I being sent to a remote village to recruit a group of local heroes that will probably never leave their home, let alone Colombia?"
"We have reliable information that one member of the family has the tentative ability to see into the future, details of the power specified on your tablet. I trust I don't need to say more on the matter?"
"Yes, sir."
"Good. Now, let us move on to the next item on our list."
"Ah, yes. Our new arrivals..."
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A/N(Where I dump TMI on y'all):
DUN, DUN, DUNNNNNNNNN
Here's a short little interlude to show what's happening back in Jubilee's universe. Managed to get a little time to do this. Also, when I looked at Cauldron and thought about it, I realized that it would make perfect sense for there to be an equivalent in Jubilee's universe. Except they're trying to fight the Scarlet King instead of Scion. So, I've taken the liberty of turning the 05's into a secret cabal dedicated to defeating the Scarlet King and preserving humanity's existence from any threats that may show after Scarlet King's defeat. Except this time they still have their morals and their plans are far more sensible than Cauldron's are, though they will still compromise whenever they need to. They also hand out powers like Cauldron, but they're hampered by the fact that Improver is running about and giving Experimental Catalysts a bad name.
Also, I've popped some references to Popcross's videos and SCP's that if you know, you definitely know.
Also, here's a list of both current and former members of the 05 Council.
Former Members:
Notch/Markus Pearson (Died of Old Age)
Dr. Galen Victor Montauk (Purposefully went insane)
Angel of Death/Sir Philippian Mancroft (Retired)
Col. Calvin Lucien (Defected to the Chaos Insurgency)
Dr. Andrew Buck Jr. (Killed in an attack by Daybreaker)
Current Members:
Soldier Boy/Sir Thomas Mancroft
The Blade/Theodore David Mancroft
Inventioneer/Dr. Tobias Foster-Smith
Le Baladin/Pierce Lefevre
Starborne/Sir Scott Majors
Toymaker/Annalise Humboldt Sr.
Watchman/Samuel Warden
Jubilee/Elena Morris (Currently M.I.A.)
Anantashesha/Achintya
Watcher/Charles Grian [REDACTED]
Spin Doctor/[REDACTED]/Stefan Schneider
Director-General Marek Fischer
Dr. Jack Bright
Dr. Kain Pythell Crow
LIXIAN
I would like to confirm that no, this fic is not dead, I'm just still on hiatus. To confirm, here's a short snippet of the next chapter titled, "What's In a Name?" I'd also like to know what you all think of this fic so far.
Until November, everybody. Toodles!
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"Well, Assault, names are actually pretty good indicators into a superhuman's thought process and behavior at times, as well as hints about their powers sometimes." Jubilee sniffed, adopting a faux-snobbish accent and straightening her posture like she was having dinner with the president. "I should know. After all, I am a licensed therapist and psychiatrist." Assault began snickering uncontrollably, with Jubilee dropping her act soon after and joining Assault's laughing fit with her own snorts and giggles.
"But for real, they really are. For example," Jubilee started as she sifted through the pile of files before landing on the one she wanted, "let's look at Tattletale, part of the minor villain group the Undersiders. What's the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of her name?"
"An obnoxious little shit." Assault cheekily grinned, only to blink in surprise when Jubilee sagely nodded. "Exactly." She replied, as if Assault had discovered the secrets of the universe or something like that.
"What, wha-"
"A tattletale," Jubilee barged on, not paying attention to the utterly confused Assault, "is defined as 'someone who tells secrets about what someone else has done' or 'one who tattles.' 'An obnoxious little shit,' as you so succinctly put it.
"Now, tattlers are generally regarded with disdain, since they don't tend to care that they're spilling people's secrets for people to hear. And Tattletale here is listed as having a minor Thinker power that lets her read a person, and possibly their thoughts. From what little we know, I'd have to guess she probably enjoys being the smartest in the room, which involves knowing the stuff people don't want others to know. She also enjoys revealing said stuff, most likely, and there is a possible chance that this behavior would carry into her civilian life as well. All this paints the picture of an overconfident, arrogant know-it-all girl who derives pleasure from tearing down others. Not all that complimenting of a picture, I would say." Jubilee cleared her throat as she reached for a nearby glass of water, downing the glass in one go. Letting out a satisfied breath, she turned back to Assault and adopted a small smile.
"Of course, this is all conjecture and speculation on my part," Jubilee frankly admitted, "Tattletale could also have easily just been a name the girl thought sounded cool, and I'm just overthinking this. I'd like to think, though, that I am indeed right."
My muse is also bashing me over the head with an entire Popcross Superhero universe, with lore like Jeremiah Schlatt becoming dictator of Nova Scotia and separating it from the rest of Canada Kyoshi style(with tech). Also, if anyone has any questions about villains or heroes from Jubilee's universe, feel free to ask. I insist.
