Tabloid (Worm, Artfic) — COMPLETE

Should there be an Epilogue?

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    • babylonsheep

    babylonsheep


    ​





    Summary: PRT photographer by day and cape paparazzi by night, Tabloid explores the effects of parahumans on society with the help of his quirky sense of humor. Each chapter contains original artwork. World-building, slice of life, drama, and dark humour comedy. This is not a self insert, metaknowledge, or parody story.

    This story takes place pre-canon, from November and December of 2010. I've written this fic to be canon-compliant, within the bounds of artistic license, and it will elaborate on some of the events mentioned but not described in Worm. The character interactions and background details of Tabloid lead directly to the events in Worm canon, and characters will stick to their canon personalities. No intentional OOC or crack in this story. The Author's Notes following each chapter will answer questions and explain the canon details explored in the chapter, along with extra content and research. I recommend reading them if you want to know more about the world-building!


    The illustrations go with the style of the fic, representing photos in-story.
    The index of illustrations is below, with bonus artwork from the Author's Notes.
    You can view the illustrations out of order, or without reading the story, but everything makes a lot more sense in context!




    This work is also located on AO3 for you to download.​

    UPDATE 01.03.17: THIS WORK IS NOW COMPLETE.
    UPDATE 03.04.17: Omake II added.
    UPDATE 26.05.17: Omake III added.
    UPDATE 22.06.17: Omake IV added.
    UPDATE 03.07.17: Art Concept added.
    UPDATE 08.07.17. Art Concept 2 added.
    UPDATE 20.07.17. Art Concept 3 added.
    UPDATE 02.08.17. Art Concept 4 added.
    UPDATE 10.10.17. Art Concept 5 added.
    UPDATE 28.10.17. Art Concept 6 added.
    UPDATE 25.12.17. Art Concept 7 added.
    UPDATE 25.3.18. Flashback Interlude 1 added.    ​



    ​

    The illustrations can be found in larger resolution on my DeviantArt account.​




    —ARC SUMMARY—    ​

    ONE: CAPE ON CAPE COMBAT​
    Introduces Tabloid, the parahuman paparazzi, and explores what he actually does for a living.
    Tabloid works a day job at the PRT, and becomes a Stranger in the night to photo stalk capes for money.


    TWO: NOT SO HEROIC HEROES​
    Introduces Paul, the civilian persona of Tabloid, and explores how he balances his two lives and identities.
    Paul works as an image consultant, and helps the Protectorate capes maintain their PR approval ratings.


    THREE: THE SHORTENING OF THE WAY​
    What it means to be a parahuman on Earth Bet, and how powers come at a cost, to both individuals and society.
    Two lives turns out not to be as easy or as convenient to manage as Tabloid makes it look.




    —PORTFOLIO—
    Illustrations from the Author's Notes
     
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  • Threadmarks
    • 1.1
  • Threadmarks
    • babylonsheep

    babylonsheep

    1.1




    "So, Kid Win," I said, adjusting the zoom setting of my camera. "Are you planning on keeping the name when you join the big leagues?"

    Kid Win, clad in Tinkertech armor of red and gold, grinned. He was the type who had a fondness for making chit-chat with the support staff, unlike some other heroes who either played up the mysterious-and-aloof angle when dealing with people outside their team structure, or were just antisocial. Sometimes I couldn't tell the difference. But Kid Win was friendly; he got along with others and he got along with me, and if he was only doing it because Hero did it, he did it well enough. Kid Win turned his head, and his helmet's visor caught the light reflected from the studio umbrellas, and glowed a warm red. I took several shots.

    "Nah, I'm thinking of changing it when I level up," said Kid Win, still smiling. "Do you want me to do another pose?"

    "Stay where you are, but lift your head a bit higher," I replied from behind the camera. "Lean forward a bit, there we go. Good shot. What kind of cape name would you pick? Something on the same theme, like 'Victorious'?"

    "Well, since I won't be a kid forever, how about Win Man?"

    "Win Man?"

    "Win Man and Clockblocker. It'd be awesome! If Assault and Battery can pull it off, I totally could." Kid Win laughed and I glanced at the PRT staffers standing off to the side, outside the circle of studio lights. Their arms were folded, and they did not look particularly amused.

    I liked the kid. The Wards, unlike a majority of the Protectorate members, weren't completely jaded with all their personality ground away by time and years of shift-work. For them, it was still a novelty to get the star treatment, the attention, and the pointed cameras of parahuman celebrity. Over time, the novelty would go away, and the praising vox pops would turn to pointed criticism for too much collateral damage, or too little visible action. It was only the rare exceptions like Mouse Protector who actively bucked the trend of being seen as municipal hall monitors.

    I took several shots. Kid Win changed his pose. I took several more, going down the checklist the PR team had given me. Front, back, profile, sitting, standing, various angles. The costume department would use the photos to update the official costume reference files – and this happened with a lot more regularity for Tinker heroes who adjusted their powersuits on the fly with no consideration of the approval system. The other photos would be used for official profile pages on the Protectorate website and social media, and press release packets sent out to journalists after successful actions. The Protectorate felt it was safer and more convenient to have the under-18's photographed by a PRT-affiliate rather than mobbed by pushy paps and even pushier fans. And it did net them the benefit of having high quality photos to pick through and use for the posters and merchandising.

    Some people would probably point out right now how demeaning it is that I, an artist of light and shadow, had to sell my talent for cold and soulless dollars. You can't put a price on art, beauty doesn't have a price tag, et cetera. Well, after a bit of a reality check after graduating from art school, turns out you can put a price tag on art. The easy way to imagine the value is to hypothetically give someone one of your creations – maybe it's a photo you took, or a picture you drew. You let them spend time with it, hang it on their wall, use it as their profile photo or screensaver. And then you take it away. The value comes from how much that person would pay to get it back.

    So I enjoy those cold and soulless dollars paid out by the PRT, and the swanky lanyard and staff badge that gets me into official functions and the cafeteria, and the expense account that racks up the airline travel miles. Those dollars are really great. So are the platinum-tier airline lounges with goodie bags and breakfast buffets. It almost makes up for the bad part of the job: dealing with the brats.

    "Turn left. Now face me, please," I said. The girl in front me, in a paneled armor suit and a black cloak that swished around her legs, turned. She held a crossbow in each hand, brandished aggressively. Definitely not following the appearance guidelines.

    Every Protectorate branch, hell, every workplace, has someone you immediately dislike on first impression. I'm not saying that there's a guaranteed bad apple in every batch, because sometimes what you get is a succession of lightly bruised ones that are perfectly edible and photogenic if you turn them to the side a bit. But usually there is at least someone you don't get along with as much as you do everyone else, and if there was a classification system for it with ratings from 1 to Eidolon, I'd give this girl an 8.

    Her kneepads had scratches on them where the black paint had flaked off to reveal the lighter gray metal beneath. Official procedure required wearing the newest iteration of your costume on photo day, and when you knew photo day was coming up, you wore your old costume or components on patrol on the couple of days before. You left the new one on the shelf for the costume team to go over it for popped seams and dented panels. Client WD1378 (she never introduced herself or spoke much during her photo sessions) obviously didn't read the memo. I sighed and made a note for post-processing.

    I've heard it said that if you do the things you love for a job, you will end up ruining it and hating it. And that is the explanation for why most teachers you had at school were lemon-faced prunes in orthopedic soles and unpleasantly colored nylons that were almost but not quite flesh-toned. With a special mention to the librarians who must have loved books once but somehow turned into spectacled harridans with an area-of-effect hate aura, wielding return-date rubber stamps like war hammers. I'd like to make a note for the record that I haven't yet reached that point. While I'll happily take money for what I do, there are still ways to blow off steam and keep the fun in the game.

    Yes, the game. The most dangerous game, in fact.

    I hunt parahumans.

    On my off-days and evenings, I go by Tabloid.

    There is no greater satisfaction than lining up the perfect shot, with the fine black lines of the crosshairs centered on a subject who will unknowingly become a treasured trophy. When the lighting is just right, with the ideal balance of shape to contrast to negative space, that moment lasts forever and I live for it.

    But sometimes I settle for something less impressive, something with a little less artsy flair and a lot more scandalous or unexpectedly candid. There's a sort of charm in dimly-lit amateurish, phone camera, or found-footage style snaps, something that gives the impression to the viewer of "This must be real" or "I could have been there". Whatever it is about the ratio of graininess to authenticity, I've found that the intersection of cape beat journalism and the gossip rags is one that appeals to most people who shop at the grocery store and try not to be seen looking at the rows of tawdry magazines hung under the little racks of chewing gum and breath mints.

    It's okay to look, you know. Celebrities or parahumans – we're just like you.




     
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    • MrPremise

    MrPremise

    An average(ish) guy in the Worm verse is an interesting idea. Would these be disconnected one shots or an overarching story?
     
    Baran3

    Baran3

    Slyfer101 said:
    Good lord I fear the results of this guy and Tattletale meeting...
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Tattletale and Tabloid blinked as they looked at each other.

    Around them Capes suddenly shivered despite the warm temperature.

    At the main Cauldron base, Contessa froze as all her Paths suddenly said "Kiss your ass Goodbye".

    Tattletale and Tabloid grinned. "The Multiverse is ours!"

     
    1.2
  • Threadmarks
    • babylonsheep

    babylonsheep

    1.2



    I'm perfectly aware of how gimmicky capes tend to be. Theme names everywhere, from theme twins like what Kid Win suggested earlier, to villain gangs and corporate cape groups consisting of a bunch of capes named after various synonyms for "darkness" or trademarked products, respectively. Throw in the matching costumes that somehow incorporate the theme aesthetic with a silk-screened logo designed by a long-suffering graphic designer (we brethren praise the God of Money with our daily devotional eye roll, huzzah), a couple of catchphrases, and it's unsurprisingly not that far from what you'd get at a children's bowling alley birthday party.

    But hey, if it ain't broken, don't fix it.

    The cape costumes that separate the parahuman from the merely human are meant to be a show, an unconscious demonstration to the normies that parahumans are different, more powerful, stronger, better than being plain old puny earthlings. Like the spots on a toadstool, or the warts on a toad, you will rarely find parahumans without their skintight bodysuits and chunky utility belts. It makes them – us – easier to pick out from the crowd. And easier to find with the crosshairs.

    This time, however, the subject wasn't wearing a costume.

    To be fair, I wasn't wearing my costume either, it being the middle of a weekday. Inconvenient.

    Hm,     I thought. Now I understand the whole bodysuit thing.

    It's much easier to wear under your civvie clothes instead of going home to change. As a suggestion for all the amateur and newbie capes out there who are taking that to heart, it would probably be a good idea to put a flap in the back or you may be asked by colleagues why your bathroom visits are never under ten minutes. There's also a classic cape party joke, about the guy in the one piece latex jumpsuit who had to take a time out in the bushes during a fight and came back with his neck all smeared with—

    Yelling, calling for help, car alarms going off, glass breaking. My attention returned to the thing in the middle of the road. No, it had no costume on, just like me. But unlike me (disappointing, I know), it wasn't wearing anything at all.

    A naked, lumbering creature, swollen at the belly, one club-like arm much larger than the other almost dragging on the asphalt of the traffic intersection. Cars braked with a screech, metal crumpled with the crisp squeak of soda cans being crushed underfoot, pedestrians on the sidewalk screamed.

    I'd call it a "he", since "it" didn't do it justice, and it was very obvious that he was currently not wearing a thing, if you didn't count the pendulous, tumor-ridden skin that sagged beneath the belly like an apron of propriety. "Birthday suit" crossed my mind, and I wondered what kind of mutant mama could give birth to this. Whatever it was.

    People around me ran. I popped the lens cap of my camera and stepped back from the sidewalk, under the shadow of a storefront's striped canvas awning, slowly breathing and shuffling backwards until my back brushed against the reconstituted limestone of the wall.

    Slow breaths.

    Relax.

    Minimal movement.

    I faded.

    The creature flung out a heavy arm at a man burdened with two children, and tossed him to the ground. A giant mottled fist, lumpy with growths, rose up and struck the man. He didn't get up. The children shrieked, then somehow shifted back a few yards, tumbling to the ground.

    "Hey!" called out a young man in a mask, holding his arms out and waving them in front of the creature. "I'm the one you want!"

    The creature roared, misshapen chin unhinging in a crooked underbite. The young man in the mask disappeared, and appeared on the other side of a stalled car. Other people appeared and disappeared just as quickly, hopscotching back and forth as the mutant and the young man moved them, and moved themselves. The masked man could pop himself in another direction faster than the creature, but every move he made created more chaos among the screaming pedestrians and trapped drivers stuck in their cars, and whenever he got too far away, he was somehow dragged backwards.

    Huh. So the lump monster wasn't limited to self teleportation.

    I snapped photos. It's not like I had a Brute rating or anything helpful to contribute to that freaky game of outdoor checkers. But I did notice that the man in the mask turned his head and did a quick glance around before teleporting off, so it seemed he was limited to line-of-sight. The monstrous creature pulled him back; they went back forth until both disappeared around the corner, to the sound of emergency response sirens and screaming.

    I walked off in the other direction, moving out of the shadows in a heatwave shimmer that swiftly darkened and solidified into the clean lines of pressed trousers and smart blazer.

    It wasn't the first time I'd witnessed a cape fight. Most people who live in large cities have seen at least one or two in their lives. They're uncommon, but not rare – whenever you see "POLICE PUZZLED BY MYSTERY MURDER" as the headline of your local paper, there's a good chance that a parahuman was involved. If it's not a parahuman, it's usually a copycat who thinks that wishing really hard to be a cape turns you into one. It's not that far of a stretch to believe it these days, with stories of third-gen capes getting set off by a foul ball or a sneeze. If you live in a city large enough to boast a subway or metro system, any friend-of-a-friend or at least a dude-you-met-at-the-local can hook you up with an autograph if you ask nicely.

    And those "joke" newspapers featuring front pages full of spontaneous combustions and exclusive interviews with victims of alien abduction, probing, and mindwiping are probably true too.



    >>>



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    ■​

    ♦ Private message from ziplocker93:

    ziplocker93: i heard from krenken that you do promo shoots
    TABL0ID: Yes. You looking to debut indie?
    TABL0ID: Need info on time and place.
    ziplocker93 *New Message*: pburgh, 2 weeks from now?
    ziplocker93 *New Message*: i want the full package w/ showreel. how much u charge?
    TABL0ID *New Message*: Message me to discuss pricing if you're serious. [email protected]
    ​


    ■​
    ♦Topic: Boston Zombies
    In: Boards ► Places ► America ► Boston
    TABL0ID     (Original Poster) (Verified Cape)
    Posted on November 26, 2010:
    Everyone see the cordons at Harrison and Walton on tonight's news? They blocked the streets off after the "incident" this afternoon, and that's why there was the two hour traffic jam. They said it was an accident, a multiple pileup, but it's not all it was. Trust me, I was there, I saw it. It's a cover up.

    Yeah, yeah, how come I always get to be there at the wrong place at the right time. I call serendipity and my wallet calls FEED ME.

    • CapeFlunky site gets the first photos out 30 minutes after the gunshots go off. SFW, the good bits are censored.
    • Herald website picks it up, copies almost word for word from the CF website. LAME.
    • Social media starts picking it up. You guys too, I'm making this thread because I haven't seen anyone else who knows what the fuck is going on.
    • Photos make national news by evening along with security cam footage. B&W, no sound and low res, but you can see how it rolled. Reports say 6 people died, and there were at least 3 of the Z's.

    Here's my take: it's a fresh and freaky new type of Case 53. We've seen lizard men and orc C53's, so the new zombie types aren't that out of left field. Check the timestamps. The camera was set at auto. This mutant zombie teleports. Short distance only, but still a hefty Mover/Brute combo if it can deliver a one hit KO.

    If you haven't got a bugout kit yet, you probably should.


    And because you know I love you guys, here's some exclusive shots from on-scene that you won't see anywhere else. NSFW. link 1 and link 2. link 3 aftermath before they put down the crime scene tape and kicked everyone out. Enjoy.

    xoxo, gossip guy


    (Showing Page 1 of 1)

    ► Coyote-C
    Replied on November 26, 2010:
    Saw the news footage during dinner. Thought it was a hoax or publicity stunt (95% of gossip site content is clickbait asspulled by an intern, no offense Tabloid). Turns out people actually bit it and they're doing an official statement about it tomorrow. We'll see.

    ► Andjelka
    Replied on November 26, 2010:
    Case 53's are people too. One of the security cams picked up mask guy shooting one of them point blank. Instead of starting zombie panic we should be looking for that masked gunslinger.

    It's good you made this thread with the sources linked, but I still think you're an asshole, OP.

    ► XxVoid_CowboyxX
    Replied on November 26, 2010:
    @Tabl0id, how do you just stadn and take photos instead of running and screaming like everyone else?

    ► TABL0ID (Original Poster) (Verified Cape)
    Replied on November 26, 2010:
    @ Coyote-C: It's legit. They don't just pull out the hazmat suits and helicopters for a fire drill. I think they would have gone full quarantine hush-hush on this if the news and pics didn't go out so fast.

    @Andjelka: Would an asshole by any other name smell as sweet? I take it as a compliment.

    @ XxVoid_CowboyxX: Notice from the vid feed that the ones that run got teleported. The people who made a big panic on screen caught the attention of the Case 53 and the teleporting guy and got moved around.

    UPDATE: mayor's confirmed a speech tomorrow. Don't know if they got enough evidence to start pointing fingers at a perp or not. Any peeps with Boston PRT or PD intel?

    ► Dornerman
    Replied on November 26, 2010:
    SHIIIT grabbing my survival sack RIGHT NOW

    If you fellas don't have a bugout bunker or cabin innawoods prepared for this, I highly suggest you do it. I got my tactical bowie, piss filter, and 50 cans of tang. That's the minimum you need to survive out there.

    ► aze356
    Replied on November 26, 2010:
    Is this real? News said there were at least 3 Z's, other threads here make it look like there are 5+.

    have they found Patient Zero?

    not suprised it started in Boston tho.

    ► Karnage666
    Replied on November 26, 2010:
    THe zombies are way off balance and imho kinda slow.

    Meh, I could take it.

    ► Coyote-C
    Replied on November 26, 2010:
    @Karnage666: You forgot that they teleport too.

    ► Karnage666
    Replied on November 26, 2010:
    Zombies can't cross running water. Just hvae to sit on a brige and plink em 1 by 1.

    ► casmir
    Replied on November 26, 2010:
    We have to worry about supervillains and now zombies? Tax dollars at work, yall.

    THEORY. The villains caused the zombies, I called it first.

    Does anyone know which burb Blasto lives in?
    ​
    End of Page. 1




     
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  • Threadmarks
    • Pinklestia101

    Pinklestia101

    Omake: Speculation

    Bitzz: Teacher like Master?
    Dzx: Posible, we need to catch one alive and insolate it to see if it changes back.
    Bitzz: I honestly hope is not a Biotinker. But teleportacion almost rules it out. Unless is Tinkertech?
    Dzx: We cannot discard any posibility for now. It may be a team effort. The PRT has scared new Capes so much that unless they are idiots they look for partners or a gang right away when they trigger with one of these "evil" powers.
    Bitzz: Ditto. If the new zombies are stronger then is most likely a Biotinker with posible other Tinker suport.
    Dzr: Teacher wannabe testing his or her powers would be scary ho.
    *Ozma has joined the room
    Ozma: Hey guys! What do you have so far?
    Bitzz: Hey Ozma, is either Teacher like Master or a Biothinker. Maybe a Tinker and Biotinker working together.
    Dzr: Hello Ozma, how are things in The Wonderful Land Of Oz?
    Ozma: Uh, we really need to capture one for analysis. And things are going fine, my Area expanded too!
    Bitzz: WHAT? ARE YOU OKAY?
    Dzr: If you go Darkside, please start with Australia.
    Ozma: Yes, is just that I never stayed so long in the same place before, it seems my power stacks over time, cool uh?
    Bitzz: And then Endbringers, fuck Ozma you really scared me.
    Dzr: Multi dimensional assholes, but Bitzz we agreed to not use the E word anymore unless is during an attack remember?
    Bitzz: Yeah sorry. I just wanted to point out that if she stays in the same place too long she risks that.
    Ozma: I am in the middle of nowhere, Australia. But yeah is a risk, even if Endbringers prefe places with you know, people?
    Dzr: IT HAS BEGUN! ALL CHEER OUR DARK OVERLORD, OZMA THE GREAT!
    Bitzz: Can I have Tazmania?
    Ozma: Guys, I don't want to take over the world, okay? But you can move with me when things finally go to shit in a few decades. If I don't leave my Area my power would cover the size of a big city by then.
    Bitzz: - - But I really want Tazmania!
    Dzr: ... Anyway ehem... who are we going to use to capture a live one?
    Bitzz: Faultline of course. Then we take it to Ozma so she can do her thing, then I do my thing and you do your thing. And helloo Dragon nurse!
    *Puff has joined the room
    Puff: One of these days I want to know how you can do that.
    Bitzz: Is not my fault you Hacker fu is weak sister
    Ozma: Hello Dragon nurse, since you been spying this whole conversation, got any ideas?
    Puff: Faultline works. We will have to share some information but that's acceptable.
    Dzr: Good, so we all agree. Up for some gaming in about two hours? I want to kick Uber&Leet and I need a team.
    *Ozma has left the room
    *Bitzz has left the room
    *Puff slaps you with a newspaper but sounds interested.
    Dzr: Fine, just you and two bots then.

    AN: And what the hell I just wrote?
     
    will408914

    will408914

    (slouching towards bethlehem)
    So what timeframe is this in? Kid Win being, well, Kid Win, and Shadow Stalker being part of the Wards implies early or pre-canon, but I don't think third-gen triggers were really a thing at that point. It takes a long time for a shard to bud, and second-gen triggers were fairly rare.
    babylonsheep said:
    It's not that far of a stretch to believe it these days, with stories of third-gen capes getting set off by a foul ball or a sneeze.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    This implies that third-gen triggers are, while not common, not particularly unusual, or at least part of the public knowledge.
     
    babylonsheep

    babylonsheep

    MrPremise said:
    An average(ish) guy in the Worm verse is an interesting idea. Would these be disconnected one shots or an overarching story?
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    More like connected one shots in a loose narrative that generally follows the Worm timeline of events. I haven't planned on a standard beginning-middle-end structure, at least.

    Serious_Senator said:
    Great teaser snip. This is going to be a lot of fun. Hope you do a ton of worldbuilding. Cape journalism isn't ever covered in Worm
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    One thing I would have liked more of in Worm was the non-saving the world bits, like the Wards doing school visits and morning talk show interviews, and both got cut short for Endbringer. It shows that there's a whole lot going on behind the scenes in terms of effort and logistics to make a Protectorate hero. I thought a little slice of life from the POV of someone who isn't constantly fighting for survival on a day to day basis would be pretty interesting. And I wanted to explore how much cape stuff has integrated with popular culture and public consciousness.

    Pinklestia101 said:
    Omake: Speculation
    ...
    AN: And what the hell I just wrote?
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    I'm not quite sure what Australia had to do with it, but I'm intrigued.

    will408914 said:
    So what timeframe is this in? Kid Win being, well, Kid Win, and Shadow Stalker being part of the Wards implies early or pre-canon, but I don't think third-gen triggers were really a thing at that point. It takes a long time for a shard to bud, and second-gen triggers were fairly rare.

    This implies that third-gen triggers are, while not common, not particularly unusual, or at least part of the public knowledge.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    This is indeed pre-canon, a few months before the locker incident.

    Third gen triggers are rare, but people would know about second gen triggers and children triggering younger and younger. Since they get set off so easily, there's bound to be some that happened in public and were caught on video. It may not be that every average Joe knows about them, but the cape junkie types who are dialled into cape lore will know, or at speculate enough that they think they know what's going on. I'd also like to make a note that the main character of this story is somewhat of an unreliable narrator who will exaggerate things a bit. He also makes an effort to be informed about cape-related stuff so what he knows will not necessarily reflect the level of knowledge held by the general public.
     
    hchan1

    hchan1

    Is that Noelle and Trickster? The teleporting, zombies, and it happening in Boston sort of make me lean that way, but some other details (including the Case 53's appearance) aren't a good fit.
     
    asdfghju

    asdfghju

    hchan1 said:
    Is that Noelle and Trickster? The teleporting, zombies, and it happening in Boston sort of make me lean that way, but some other details (including the Case 53's appearance) aren't a good fit.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Actually, i thought it was one of cody clones (wich doesnt teleport, but rewinds someone in time, which looks like teleporting, and is deformed as most clones are) against Trickster (but i think there were anther 2 wich were dealed by Balistic and Genesis, but only one zone quarantined)
     
    Nunnah

    Nunnah

    This is great. Do you have a stock of pictures to keep the pace? I hope to see Crawler someday.
     
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    1.3
  • Threadmarks
    • babylonsheep

    babylonsheep

    1.3




    Ever since mankind has entered the era of existence where wifi is available on every street corner, and where the kids of this generation consider internet a human right, complaining about things has entered a new and unforeseen level of efficiency. Naturally, complaining about capes goes with that, and if all those "here's my two cents" opinions were worth two whole cents, you'd be a lucky guy. A lucky guy with floorboards cracked from the weight of a couple of tons of coinage, but still. Parahumans Online, the site for capetalk, is probably the best place to get a peek at the most popular opinions.

    Cape morality is one of those hot topics that pushes everyone's buttons. How come bad guys with powers get three strikes, while a guy with no powers doing the same bad things gets none? Why is it three strikes, and not only one, or five? For those people who live in countries where the long arm of the law's limited reach is determined by precedent, for those who live in places where a fossilized codex tells you what you can and can't do, and the people who live everywhere else, no one had any idea how to fit capes into the established framework of applied philosophy that is the legal system.

    Integrating capes into society is a tricky problem, especially since there's a big division between powered people and the powers that be. The largest cape organization in the country, the PRT, makes a big deal about putting normal guys in charge of the capes. It makes for a big Them versus Us dichotomy with a lack of trust on both sides. While capes have a big impact on society on an individual basis, with powerhouses like Alexandria or the Siberian being household names, normals still outnumber us ten or twenty-five thousand to one.

    It bothers me that if the unpowered community can agree on anything, it is that all capes, no matter their affiliation, have a responsibility and an obligation to go out and fight Endbringers. That doesn't fly with me. It may be a result of having a weenie power, but the first place I'd head to when I hear the sirens is the underground shelters.

    So it is a very good thing that there exists a second set of Unwritten Rules, slightly more obscure than the first set, that was developed as a result of all the interactions between capes and civvies. It's essential knowledge to anyone who wants to walk the cape beat.


    Tabloid's Unwritten Rules for Avoiding Preventable Violence

    1.) Never ask a cape if he or she is planning to join the next Endbringer fight. It's such a horrifying social faux pas that even thinking about asking it or being asked makes me cringe. It's worse than asking a woman how much she weighs on the first date.

    2.) Never ask about a cape's powers, unless said power is common knowledge. Most capes will keep a few tricks or applications of their powers as trump cards, especially the Trumps. If a cape volunteers the information, then it's polite for other capes to return the favor. The "I'll show you mine if you'll show me yours" approach is a basic move of schmoozing with other capes. And in befriending them, as a prelude to mutual unmasking. Not like I'd know anything about that, though.

    3.) Never, ever, EVER ask about a cape's trigger event. If it was a public trigger, don't comment on it. Capes don't share that information with teammates they've known for decades, so they're definitely not going to tell some third-rate journalist in a phone interview. Protectorate capes have been coached by the PR department enough that they wouldn't lay the smackdown on-air, but asking a villain makes suicide by cape a real possibility.


    The fact that these rules exist further separates parahumans from normies. We're not normal, we're paranormal. They don't trust us, we don't trust them, and it is only because of the hard work of PR and media teams (and myself, of course) that we're not called freaks. Not to our faces, at least.

    Which brings us to today.

    Nothing is more profitable for news journalism than capitalizing on fear and uncertainty, especially fear of parahumans. It's a tried and true Path to Revenue that is well-endorsed by villains everywhere.

    Saturday morning, 8AM, and I was sitting at my desk in my underpants, bowl of cereal in hand, scrolling through the twenty pages of comments that had gathered overnight in my Boston zombies thread. The newest comments were links to longer news articles with quotes from witnesses and authority figures about the incident. And on the twentieth page a thumbnailed picture upload of the scanned front page of this morning's special edition newspaper.





    Nice. They'd used my photo. I'd get a royalty for that, cycled through a few accounts so that nothing could be traced to my cape name.

    My phone rang. The caller ID revealed that it was a PRT number.

    "Braganca," said the caller, a tired sounding female. I recognized the voice: the support staffer in charge of roster coordination. "You need to come to work. Be here before nine-thirty."

    My immediate response was to say "Fuck off".

    Although much personal satisfaction (not to mention fun) can be achieved in being an asshole, doing it publicly doesn't endear you to anyone. I know I'm a sanctimonious piece of shit who keeps a running mental commentary of how much the world sucks because I'm not in charge of it; I'm not going to pretend otherwise. But in the name of public decency, I have an interest in keeping the asshole from the public eye.

    "Fuck," I muttered, under my breath. I cleared my throat. "What's this for, then? The charity reps aren't coming in until Tuesday."

    "Armstrong is on damage control mode. He hasn't left the building since yesterday. PR is scrambling. You'll see when you get here. Are you heading up now?"

    I set my bowl on the table, irritated. Welp, there went my weekend plans of sitting in my underwear posting inflammatory forum comments on PHO and laughing at the responses. "This isn't a scheduled project, so I don't do call-ins."

    "You'll get compensated, trust me."

    "Magic words. See you in thirty."




    >>>




    Weld was one of the more challenging subjects I'd had to tackle in my civilian identity. In the wrong lighting, he would sparkle like a disco ball, and a media team intern trying to Photoshop bad pictures into good ones would more likely than not turn him into a tinman panhandler mime in metallic bodypaint. My solution to that was bounce boards and reflectors to diffuse and soften studio spotlighting. Lots and lots of bounce boards.

    As soon as I'd heard the first few sentences of the briefing, I knew how hamfisted this project was. It didn't even attempt subtlety, and my eye twitched in an effort to hold back a roll when I saw the first drafts of the copy that PR was drafting.

    I saw the direction they wanted to go. The PRT wanted to push Weld as a representative of the Case-53s, and this shoot was supposed to make him look human and sympathetic. He was one of the most human looking of the 53's I'd heard of, if you ignored the silver skin that made him look like a particularly artistic robot sculpture. The whole project was meant to calm the panic over monstrous parahumans, and keep the normals from thinking that they didn't need to be rounded up and watched in case they caught the Z-virus and started attacking civvies.

    "Hey, Paul," said Weld from behind me. "I'm not surprised they called you in for this."

    "Of course. I'm the best," I said, with no hesitation. I didn't offer to shake his hand.

    Being a cape myself, I was aware that most of us had our little idiosyncrasies that people, especially non-powered, never bothered to learn. Weld disliked shaking hands because it was embarrassing to suck up some poor schmuck's wedding ring or thousand dollar watch, and equally embarrassing to turn away a handshake. It soured a first impression and reinforced the belief that these freaks could never successfully integrate into polite society.

    In fact, many of the suits in the PRT subconsciously tiptoed around capes, displaying a cautious deference based on fear, or else an unwarranted aggression from the knowledge that a fifteen year-old girl with a sparkly skirt and a tinsel barrette could knock a man out in one hit. Just another reason why I'd never registered as a rogue, even if the signing bonus was tempting. Add to the fact that the people in charge handled the Wards like either children or child soldiers and nothing in between, and I could see why so many of them turned into assholes by the time they aged out of the program.

    I try to build rapport with the clients, and I guess it showed. I had a higher than average security clearance, trusted enough to be contracted for off-the-books private commissions for Protectorate members. I'd done Triumph's graduation cruise in the Bay, and Weld's promotion party for making Boston team leader in the past. Legend's family Christmas card photo was a real possibility one of these days. No wonder I was the first called for this little PR stunt.

    This little doozy I'd already labelled "Case-53s, just like you and me". I kept it to myself.

    Weld showed me around his room, stepping over the various extension cords coiled on the floor like jungle vines. The metal stands holding up the reflector umbrellas had been wrapped in electrical tape on my request.

    "Do you want me to sit down or do the back-front-left-right thing?" Weld asked.

    I glanced around the room, noting the wall to ceiling bookshelves stacked with plastic jewel cases and collectible cardboard vinyl sleeves. I was more impressed by the clean organization of the collection rather than its size. Framed posters decorated the walls in the gaps between shelves. The room had no bed, only a large chair, a few tables and cabinets and a speaker system with the power cords lifted off the floor on small wooden risers. This kid went all out.

    "The powers-that-be have told me that they want you to 'just be yourself'," I replied. "We both know that's bullshit. How about you just tell me what you do when you're not working, and we'll go from there." I smiled, and kept the lens cap on my camera. No pressure. Contrary to some interpretations that I am a judgemental prick because I don't know any other way to be, I do, in fact, have the rudimentary social set. I find it more convenient to play the game and leave the antics in my head and in the anonymity of the internet.

    Weld nodded, and ran a silvery finger over a shelf containing row after row of CDs in cases. There wasn't a trace of dust when he inspected his finger, which had a fingerprint formed from a faint whorl of fine steel wire. I glanced at the spines of the CDs. The few with "Special Collector's Edition" on the sides were still shrink wrapped.

    "I don't really eat, but they still give me a food allowance, so I spend it on music," he said. "They don't care because the others go home after patrols and eat there; it's more of a pocket money perk than anything." He drifted past the shelves, one metal finger brushing on the rows of the CD's, making small tink, tink, tink noises. "I listen to music at night when everyone goes home and it gets really quiet. Since I don't sleep, either."

    Looks like making Weld into "just your average teenager" would be a hard sell, I thought.

    "Do you go to the store and buy CD's by the box? Looks like you could stock a pretty well-rounded shop with the collection here," I commented.

    "I buy them from the internet, some of them secondhand. Most of the vintage and out-of-print ones are second- or third-hand. The internet has been really great for us," said Weld, without pausing to explain what he meant by us. "The posters are from eBay. What do you think of them?"

    We took some time to admire a black metal band poster that was designed around a woodblock print of a snowy forest at night under a dark sky. Jantteri, I read. The smaller text on the bottom was written in a Nordic language I didn't understand.

    "It's one thing to admire art," I spoke slowly, thinking. To the PRT, I was a tool, and Weld was a tool. Useful tools nonetheless, and Weld was the second most popular team leader in the Wards according to social media polls, no matter his inhuman appearance. I could make him number one with the right approach. It just needed a soft touch, something that the PRT lacked, when all tools were hammers to them. Armstrong had good intentions, and he had the benefit of being more reasonable than most of the PRT directors I'd met, but he was no artist. "It's another thing to create art. Tell me, Weld, can you play me anything you've made?"

    I could see him hesitate. "Only experimental stuff with a synth kit, nothing amazing or worth sharing," said Weld carefully. "I don't think I'm that good at it."

    I laughed. "Do you want to know where I started? Ankle deep in literal bull shit taking photos of things that would make the most hardcore carnivore feel weird about eating steak."

    "That's a story I'd like to hear."

    "Tell you what, how about you show me yours and I'll show mine."




    >>>




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    ■​
    ♦Topic: NEW Weld Interview
    In: Boards ► Fan Clubs ► Heroes ► Wards
    PRT_Boston     (Original Poster) (PRT Official)
    Posted on November 27, 2010:
    In response to the events of November 26, and to address all the speculation going around about new parahumans, we did an interview with Weld, our hometown hero, regarding Case-53s and keeping Boston safe. He's a local favorite, so we know you're going to love it.

    The news segment will be on the evening news on Monday Nov 29. For those outside Mass., we'll post the extended video on Youtube and the PRT site afterward, so you can watch it in full there. An exclusive interview transcript will be in Monday's Herald and will also appear in next week's release of American Hero magazine, with some backstage pictures you won't see anywhere else.

    Here's a sneak preview of what we've got.

    As always, thanks for your support.

    The Boston Team.



    (Showing Page 15 of 18)


    ► Miss Mercury (Protectorate Employee)
    Replied on November 27, 2010:
    I think this is the perfect answer to all the Case-53 rumormongering going around since yesterday, which wasn't helping anything. I got a chance to watch some raw footage of the interview, and it's good stuff. If you're planning to skip watching it because you think it's just pre-packaged sound bites, you'll miss out. It's pretty casual and really funny at times. And the camera guy is great too.
    -☿

    ► Tumbles
    Replied on November 27, 2010:
    Why is the extended cut only going to be on the PRT site and not the news?

    ► Weld (Verified Cape) (Wards NE)
    Replied on November 27, 2010:
    @Eurekachan: The Youtube channel is available for non-Americans. We also have enough footage to make a blooper or extended reel for the Wards Youtube channel, so everyone will be able to watch it there when it comes out.

    @ShyMueller: I might drop a mixtape one day, actually. And I can guarantee that it will be fire.

    @ Miss Mercury: Thanks, I'm looking forward to seeing how they ended up cutting the interview. We had the cameras rolling for over 3 hours, but the news segment is going to be a little under 4 minutes and the PRT video is around 10.

    @Tumbles: There's a strict time limit on the news so they can fit in their other segments and the ads.

    @BakeandShake: I'll ask about the merchandise, but if you want a faster response, try emailing the Boston merch team directly.

    To everyone: Your support means a lot to me. To clear up a few things, no, I wasn't pushed into doing this interview. The PRT and I agreed we needed a media response to all the media drama over "zombies", so I stepped up because I thought this was the best way to reach out to the public. Yes, we are doing something about the situation. We are actively working on making Boston better for everyone. It takes public trust and support, and this is a start to making it happen.

    ► Gurkburk
    Replied on November 27, 2010:
    OMG WELD REPLIED

    Back2topic - are they going to be doing interviews for other Wards and Protectorate members?

    ► aze356
    Replied on November 27, 2010:
    Weld called them zombies!!!

    They're officially zombies, I knew it!!!!!!!!!!!


    End of Page. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 … 16, 17, 18




     
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    • Serious_Senator

    Serious_Senator

    Great balance of fluff and worldbuilding. I like how you make clear that Tabloid's inner narrative is not "word of God" through sarcasm. I really am loving the art. This is the first mixed media worm project I've read, and the flow is fantastic.
     
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