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bairnsidheQuest straightened her shimmery white capelet as she prepared for the most uncomfortable, most annoying, least fun part of being a super heroine. Press conferences.
“Relax, you’ll be great,” her PR manager Jean-Paul said. “The city loves you. You saved the day, again I might add. Everything is going to be okay.”
“And Darkmatter thinks I’m the optimist,” Quest muttered.
“Get your heroic tuchas on stage before I carry you on,” Jean-Paul threatened. Quest went. She wasn’t a super-genius for nothing.
The announcements went fine, she could run down the details of Darkmatter’s latest plot and rattle off hotline numbers and donation information in her sleep at this point. It was the question and answer session she dreaded. The press, led by her ex will-they-or-won’t-they, Brian Bradson, had an unfortunate tendency to divert from the topics she could answer easily. If they stayed on target, she’d be fine, but they always veered into messy personal matters. Especially since she told Brian she didn’t think he was being smart with his choices. Putting himself in danger and taunting her nemesis just to get rescued when it went horribly awry was no way to build a relationship.
“Quest! Quest! Over here!” called a plucky young reporter. Quest privately thought all newspapers had a quota of plucky young people that had to work for them.
“Yes, you, young man,” she said, nodding at him instead of pointing. When you could and sometimes did lift semi trucks with a finger mounted gravitation reversal ray, pointing was more than just rude.
“What do you have to say about the recent photos leaked of yourself and the as yet unidentified woman in an… interesting pose?”
She knew what he was talking about of course. The media had been trotting out pictures Brian’s photographer Charlie took of her checking Dacia for injuries since she told Brian the answer was solidly ‘no’. They looked a lot more intimate than it had been.
“The young lady has declined to approve her name being shared with the media, and has made a full recovery from the injuries I was checking when those photos were taken. Next question.”
“I didn’t actually mean those,” the kid said. He held up a tablet open to CapeWatch.com and a shot that made Quest’s gut drop. She was hugging Dacia, the shorter woman resting comfortably against her chest, arms at the small of Quest’s back. “These were released last night.”
Quest’s cheeks burned. “My personal life is just that. Personal. Next question.”
“Does this mean you’re coming out as a lesbian?” shouted someone at the back.
“No. I’m not currently identifying as lesbian, however my stance on the basic human right of all, regardless of sexuality or gender still stand. Next question.”
“What about the rumors that this woman is the infamous villain Darkmatter?” Brian called and suddenly the crowd’s roar was a mutinous whisper. Quest would be willing to bet it hadn’t been a rumor until just now. Of course, Brian knew Dacia and Darkmatter were the same person, he’d been there when Quest talked her down once and the hazy gloom that surrounded her dropped enough to see her face.
“I’ve already said I won’t be betraying her identity to the public media, Mister Bradson,” Quest said with a glare, “and you of all people should know I have no problem talking about Darkmatter. You’re the one who printed the words, and I quote “Quest spends so much time talking about her nemesis, it’s no surprise she has yet to be seen with a boyfriend or husband, it would be the rare man who could tolerate that level of infatuation with another man.” End quote. Make up your mind Mister Bradson.”
Brian blinked, his face growing dark. Then the sky grew dark and roiling clouds appeared in the previously sunny sky. Darkmatter dropped down from one like an acrobatic drop of rain, and slapped a canister from Brian’s hand.
“GRAB IT!” she howled, her powers forcing her voice into a tinny reverb that echoed oddly. “HE HAS TETRAMINE!”
The crowd broke from their panicked freeze to dogpile the can of Quest’s only weakness. The ordinarily harmless chemical could make Quest… dangerous. Uncontrolled. Darkmatter had used it once. Only once. She knew where the lines were, even if she claimed to like coloring outside them. Nobody wanted a repeat of that, though, so when her shadow-minions lunged at the can, it was locked down. She sauntered over to Quest.
“Sorry to interrupt your little show,” she sneered, the androgynous tone somehow catching the sarcasm. “But nobody fucks you over but me.”
“Dac-- Darkmatter,” Quest sighed. “I’m tired. Can we do this another day? I just… I just can’t right now.”
“Alright,” Darkmatter agreed. “Tomorrow. Tonight, go home to your little girlfriend and make the most of what time you have. Muahahahaha!”
As Darkmatter vanished in a mist of gloom, Quest rolled her eyes.
“What did Darkmatter mean, girlfriend?” a reporter asked. “You said you’re not a lesbian! Are you bisexual?”
“Let’s just say I’m questioning,” Quest sighed. Her supervillain girlfriend was going to get an earful tonight. “Thank you for coming, no more questions.”
Thoughts
Date: 2017-06-24 06:24 am (UTC)So very true!
>>“Yes, you, young man,” she said, nodding at him instead of pointing. When you could and sometimes did lift semi trucks with a finger mounted gravitation reversal ray, pointing was more than just rude.<<
That's very astute. I rarely see anyone mention the effect that superpowers have on body language. I've done it with Iron Man fanfic, but that's about it. (I write Tony's no-threat posture as putting his palms on his thighs, because hands up is an attack move for him.) So I'm really pleased to see this.
>>Of course, Brian knew Dacia and Darkmatter were the same person, he’d been there when Quest talked her down once and the hazy gloom that surrounded her dropped enough to see her face.<<
Aww. There are more ways to solve problems than by hitting! <3
>>Brian blinked, his face growing dark. Then the sky grew dark and roiling clouds appeared in the previously sunny sky. Darkmatter dropped down from one like an acrobatic drop of rain, and slapped a canister from Brian’s hand.<<
Asshole ex is ass, but supervillains have standards. *glee*
>>“Let’s just say I’m questioning,” Quest sighed. Her supervillain girlfriend was going to get an earful tonight. “Thank you for coming, no more questions.” <<
:D
IN-ter-es-ting!
Date: 2017-06-24 08:46 am (UTC)In the words of Oliver Twist: I want some more... Please?
Re: IN-ter-es-ting!
Date: 2017-06-24 01:21 pm (UTC)Also, that muckraker excuse for a reporter ... he was gomna turn that loose in a crowd?!
GO HOME, CHARLIE.
no subject
Date: 2017-06-24 02:57 pm (UTC)2) Wow what an ass. Seriously.
3) Supervillains with some sort of standards. *so much glee*
I'ma be on board with
-fallon~
Re: IN-ter-es-ting!
Date: 2017-06-24 05:01 pm (UTC)* For folks not familiar with Terramagne slang, Go Home Charlie is when one supervillain kills another supervillain for being too awful to tolerate.
Re: IN-ter-es-ting!
Date: 2017-06-24 07:28 pm (UTC)He's not on Darkmatter's side. DM just puppy piled his sorry tuckus. More than just yellow journalism?
Smells like it?
Re: IN-ter-es-ting!
Date: 2017-06-24 07:36 pm (UTC)Probably his own. 0_o
He is clearly outclassed though. :D
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2017-06-24 09:24 pm (UTC)I've seen you doing it with Tony, and a few people over on the DC side of things write Supergirl's 'surrender' pose as arms-out, not arms-up, because arms up is prepping to fly, but I wanted to play with making it affect more than de-escalation methods.
>>There are more ways to solve problems than by hitting! <<
Especially with Dacia. Her powers are linked to her moods and so being nice is MUCH more effective than hitting her. Hitting makes her mad, and upset, and more likely to lose control over the dangerous parts. Talking her down just makes her able to control it so she won't do collateral damage during her plots.
I'm really glad you like this verse, I'm a big fan of Terramagne, and that was partially what inspired the idea of a super-power setting to set things up in.
Re: IN-ter-es-ting!
Date: 2017-06-24 09:28 pm (UTC)MORE??? lol.
I'm most certainly going to write more in this 'verse and Quest is bugging me about telling her origin and Dacia is whining that she didn't get enough screen time, so you'll get some more.
Re: IN-ter-es-ting!
Date: 2017-06-24 09:31 pm (UTC)Well, at this point, Ysabet called it, he's just out for revenge, screw everyone else. He's butthurt about Quest rejecting him and lashing out. (Sadly all too common in entitled man-children.)
Now, LATER... later is another story. Something nasty out there might be looking for a go-getter to fill out minion ranks....
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2017-06-24 09:32 pm (UTC):D
>> and a few people over on the DC side of things write Supergirl's 'surrender' pose as arms-out, not arms-up, because arms up is prepping to fly, <<
Oh, that is brilliant.
>> but I wanted to play with making it affect more than de-escalation methods. <<
I like this because it extends the idea into more areas of interaction. It works. It's the kind of thing I enjoy exploring with superpowers, which affect so much more than just crimefighting.
>>Especially with Dacia. Her powers are linked to her moods and so being nice is MUCH more effective than hitting her. Hitting makes her mad, and upset, and more likely to lose control over the dangerous parts. Talking her down just makes her able to control it so she won't do collateral damage during her plots.<<
That makes sense. This applies to ordinary criminals too, but it's utterly crucial with supervillains. I'm delighted to see someone else writing this.
>> I'm really glad you like this verse, I'm a big fan of Terramagne, and that was partially what inspired the idea of a super-power setting to set things up in. <<
:D 3q3q3q!!! I am so glad I could inspire you. Super-Queers is fantastic, and I hope to see more of it. Definitely post on
no subject
Date: 2017-06-24 09:38 pm (UTC)2. Yeah, Brian is such a massive jerk. I was worried it would be flat with the scorned-Lois motive, so I dealt with that by amalgam-ing all the abusive jerks I've known. It made him a stronger but also much ickier character.
3. Supervillains with standards are my favorite. I don't like pure evil with no standards unless I get to smash it with a large rock and set it on fire. Any recurring villain has to have some moral code that hangs together internally, even if it isn't one I personally espouse.
Brian is certainly on a short list of people Dacia would be willing to go home Charlie, but she likely won't simply because her girlfriend was the one in direct danger and Quest will ask her not to. If the cops happen to mention why he's in jail and the gangs decide to... reeducate him, well. That's another story. ;)
Re: IN-ter-es-ting!
Date: 2017-06-25 03:40 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-06-25 03:43 am (UTC)A Very... SATISFYING... thump, if you get the B5 ref... :)
Re: IN-ter-es-ting!
Date: 2017-06-25 04:07 am (UTC)I have to say that I'm more inclined to like Dacia than the EX!
no subject
Date: 2017-06-25 08:03 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-06-26 05:53 pm (UTC)>> “But nobody fucks you over but me.”
I love this line.
no subject
Date: 2017-06-26 10:44 pm (UTC)I have feels over my own characters.
no subject
Date: 2017-06-29 12:14 am (UTC)And rightly so! These are very enjoyable characters. :-)
no subject
Date: 2017-06-29 10:43 pm (UTC)