first two prompt responses
breaking news
for
bedlamsbard. Unmasked. Gen, OC's, ~550 words.
"Swear to god it was going to hit me in five seconds and then out of nowhere, BAM, Phoenix was there tossing it away like it was some piece of garbage! It's the perfect ending to my story on the next group of Excelsior graduates, and I am so happy I'm still alive to write it. Do you think I could wrangle a full-length story on just her? Because she's kind of hot and totally legal and also she can light things on fire with her mind, which has to be the coolest single superpower -" Terra sighs and takes away Haru's fourth cup of coffee.
"Just write the story and stop yelling it at everyone," she says, and Haru makes vain snatching motions at his cup. "And no more caffeinated anything for the rest of the day."
In this third article of a series, reporter Haru Ellis continues to introduce the newest graduates from Excelsior Academy.
Phoenix, aka Nicole Clary and a recent graduate of Excelsior, has been spotted in the streets frequently, making her patrols and stopping to talk to people. It's a welcome change for the people of Chicago, used to the rather more aloof manners of their other guardian angels. Young and pretty Her diminutive stature Though young and small compared to some of the other superheroes around, Phoenix's incredible strength and telepyrokinesis lend her an edge in any fight. It doesn't stop people from thinking she can't handle herself, beliefs she continues to break with her growing number of saves. After a brawl with bank robbers, I asked her for a statement.
"I'm just doing my job," she said. "Nothing special." This reporter begs to
"Haru, I need you to switch from your series to a piece on the Clarion victory in Denver last week," Terra yells from her office. Haru pauses and looks up, knocking his stapler off as he gets up and storms over.
"Come on, that's exhausted," he says. "This series is big, it's popular. It's selling copy!"
"Higher ups want you to put it on hold, at least for a week. They don't want you talking about Mirage."
"Okay, no talking about Mirage, I can switch her out for what's-his-name, the one who manipulates temperatures or whatever."
"And they don't want you putting such a heavy spotlight on them at all, is the point. Once a month, maybe. Just a reminder that they're turning out good work. They don't like the pedestal you're putting them on."
"They're our future! And they're doing a damn good job so far, although come to think of it I would like to know what Mirage is up to."
"Look, this isn't my call. I like the series, and I tend to agree with you. But we're talking Slipstream level of higher up, here."
"... So, my career," Haru says, a little bit bitterly. "Fine." He turns around and slides back into his chair.
ctrl+alt+delete
In the aftermath of his victory over one of the greatest supervillains this world has known, Clarion had only one thing to say.
"I'm just glad it's over, and he can never threaten anyone again." Now, we follow up with the court trial of Red Dagger and Clarion's testimony against him.
entering a conversation
for flyakate. Cabin Fever. James/Liam, ~730 words.
The first day of training James comes home tired and sore and to a dark room, no Liam.
"You have one new message," the computer tells him politely.
"Play," he says, leaning back against the door. Liam's voice crackles on, distant and controlled.
"I was given some forms today by Colonel Martelli to sign to become your emergency contact. While I'm willing to if you feel it would be best, I would suggest your mother instead as someone on better terms with you and less busy. Drop me an email to let me know what you decide." There's a long pause, and then he adds almost in a rush, "Thank you for not crashing your plane today during practice." A laugh. "They cost a fortune, I hear."
There's nothing else. James isn't sure what he was hoping for, but more than this. More than this cold distance. He sinks down to the floor.
"Computer, play again," he says, and puts his head on his arms as Liam's voice comes back on.
+
Training is intense and difficult and demanding, but James loves every second of it. The part he hates is coming back to his empty, cold room. Liam has moved back to the command quarters, his things unceremoniously gone while James is out. He'd been kind enough to leave behind most of the pictures, but otherwise there's nothing to indicate he was ever here.
James hadn't realized how much he's come to rely on Liam's presence, or the signs of it, until it was gone. He misses the clothes on the floor, the coffee mugs left half full and never washed, the notes scrawled on their message board in Liam's perpetually hasty script. He misses Liam, and he loves him, but he has to do this. They need everyone they can muster to fight, and James is about as expendable as they get. Not a manual laborer, no longer president of them, he's had no specific job. And he's good at this. He just wishes Liam could see it the way he does.
+
They deploy the trainees only a month after they start training. Liam argues the point with Colonel Martelli, but she shuts him down.
"We both know who this is really about," she says, pulling on her gloves. "You may be a captain, but you're a civilian one. Don't presume to tell me how to do my job based on your emotions."
So here he is on the bridge, hands tight around the railing as James' voice crackles across the comms, loud and exhilarated.
"Bogey down!" he's shouting.
"James, on your six!" someone else yells, and Liam is aware of half the bridge watching him and the other half trying very hard not to watch him as his knuckles lose any blood they had left in them. Fred steps a bit closer and nods at him. Liam forces himself to pry his hands loose.
"More firefighters to Section E, the dogfight's heading that way," he says.
"Got it!" James says, and Liam breathes.
Once the crisis is over, Liam hands the bridge over to Fred and goes to James' rooms. James hasn't even bothered to change the password or the admission protocols, Liam notes. He waits by the holographic window, trying not to notice how lifeless teh room looks. James has always been a neat freak, but he'd gotten more casual about it with Liam. He'd had to. Liam was, and is, incapable of putting back where they belong.
The door opens.
"I see you finally got all the coffee mugs washed," Liam says, and turns around. James looked stunned and then uncertainly hopeful, an expression painfully familiar.
"Yeah," he says. "But I can get them back out."
"I just wanted to confirm that you were unharmed in today's manuevers," he says. "I'm... happy you're not injured."
"Liam," James says, but he has the courtesy to not block Liam's exit.
"I'm not ready for this conversation, James," Liam says.
"Just... say you understand?" James says, and Liam snarls in frustration.
"Go and have a hero complex all you want, James," he says. "But don't expect me to stick around when you seem intent on getting yourself fucking killed."
"That's not -"James says, and Liam turns away.
"You didn't bother telling me what it was about," Liam says, and walks away. He can hear James say his name again, and then nothing.
This entry was originally posted at Dreamwidth. There are
comments there.
for
bedlamsbard. Unmasked. Gen, OC's, ~550 words.
"Swear to god it was going to hit me in five seconds and then out of nowhere, BAM, Phoenix was there tossing it away like it was some piece of garbage! It's the perfect ending to my story on the next group of Excelsior graduates, and I am so happy I'm still alive to write it. Do you think I could wrangle a full-length story on just her? Because she's kind of hot and totally legal and also she can light things on fire with her mind, which has to be the coolest single superpower -" Terra sighs and takes away Haru's fourth cup of coffee.
"Just write the story and stop yelling it at everyone," she says, and Haru makes vain snatching motions at his cup. "And no more caffeinated anything for the rest of the day."
In this third article of a series, reporter Haru Ellis continues to introduce the newest graduates from Excelsior Academy.
Phoenix, aka Nicole Clary and a recent graduate of Excelsior, has been spotted in the streets frequently, making her patrols and stopping to talk to people. It's a welcome change for the people of Chicago, used to the rather more aloof manners of their other guardian angels. Young and pretty Her diminutive stature Though young and small compared to some of the other superheroes around, Phoenix's incredible strength and telepyrokinesis lend her an edge in any fight. It doesn't stop people from thinking she can't handle herself, beliefs she continues to break with her growing number of saves. After a brawl with bank robbers, I asked her for a statement.
"I'm just doing my job," she said. "Nothing special." This reporter begs to
"Haru, I need you to switch from your series to a piece on the Clarion victory in Denver last week," Terra yells from her office. Haru pauses and looks up, knocking his stapler off as he gets up and storms over.
"Come on, that's exhausted," he says. "This series is big, it's popular. It's selling copy!"
"Higher ups want you to put it on hold, at least for a week. They don't want you talking about Mirage."
"Okay, no talking about Mirage, I can switch her out for what's-his-name, the one who manipulates temperatures or whatever."
"And they don't want you putting such a heavy spotlight on them at all, is the point. Once a month, maybe. Just a reminder that they're turning out good work. They don't like the pedestal you're putting them on."
"They're our future! And they're doing a damn good job so far, although come to think of it I would like to know what Mirage is up to."
"Look, this isn't my call. I like the series, and I tend to agree with you. But we're talking Slipstream level of higher up, here."
"... So, my career," Haru says, a little bit bitterly. "Fine." He turns around and slides back into his chair.
ctrl+alt+delete
In the aftermath of his victory over one of the greatest supervillains this world has known, Clarion had only one thing to say.
"I'm just glad it's over, and he can never threaten anyone again." Now, we follow up with the court trial of Red Dagger and Clarion's testimony against him.
entering a conversation
for flyakate. Cabin Fever. James/Liam, ~730 words.
The first day of training James comes home tired and sore and to a dark room, no Liam.
"You have one new message," the computer tells him politely.
"Play," he says, leaning back against the door. Liam's voice crackles on, distant and controlled.
"I was given some forms today by Colonel Martelli to sign to become your emergency contact. While I'm willing to if you feel it would be best, I would suggest your mother instead as someone on better terms with you and less busy. Drop me an email to let me know what you decide." There's a long pause, and then he adds almost in a rush, "Thank you for not crashing your plane today during practice." A laugh. "They cost a fortune, I hear."
There's nothing else. James isn't sure what he was hoping for, but more than this. More than this cold distance. He sinks down to the floor.
"Computer, play again," he says, and puts his head on his arms as Liam's voice comes back on.
+
Training is intense and difficult and demanding, but James loves every second of it. The part he hates is coming back to his empty, cold room. Liam has moved back to the command quarters, his things unceremoniously gone while James is out. He'd been kind enough to leave behind most of the pictures, but otherwise there's nothing to indicate he was ever here.
James hadn't realized how much he's come to rely on Liam's presence, or the signs of it, until it was gone. He misses the clothes on the floor, the coffee mugs left half full and never washed, the notes scrawled on their message board in Liam's perpetually hasty script. He misses Liam, and he loves him, but he has to do this. They need everyone they can muster to fight, and James is about as expendable as they get. Not a manual laborer, no longer president of them, he's had no specific job. And he's good at this. He just wishes Liam could see it the way he does.
+
They deploy the trainees only a month after they start training. Liam argues the point with Colonel Martelli, but she shuts him down.
"We both know who this is really about," she says, pulling on her gloves. "You may be a captain, but you're a civilian one. Don't presume to tell me how to do my job based on your emotions."
So here he is on the bridge, hands tight around the railing as James' voice crackles across the comms, loud and exhilarated.
"Bogey down!" he's shouting.
"James, on your six!" someone else yells, and Liam is aware of half the bridge watching him and the other half trying very hard not to watch him as his knuckles lose any blood they had left in them. Fred steps a bit closer and nods at him. Liam forces himself to pry his hands loose.
"More firefighters to Section E, the dogfight's heading that way," he says.
"Got it!" James says, and Liam breathes.
Once the crisis is over, Liam hands the bridge over to Fred and goes to James' rooms. James hasn't even bothered to change the password or the admission protocols, Liam notes. He waits by the holographic window, trying not to notice how lifeless teh room looks. James has always been a neat freak, but he'd gotten more casual about it with Liam. He'd had to. Liam was, and is, incapable of putting back where they belong.
The door opens.
"I see you finally got all the coffee mugs washed," Liam says, and turns around. James looked stunned and then uncertainly hopeful, an expression painfully familiar.
"Yeah," he says. "But I can get them back out."
"I just wanted to confirm that you were unharmed in today's manuevers," he says. "I'm... happy you're not injured."
"Liam," James says, but he has the courtesy to not block Liam's exit.
"I'm not ready for this conversation, James," Liam says.
"Just... say you understand?" James says, and Liam snarls in frustration.
"Go and have a hero complex all you want, James," he says. "But don't expect me to stick around when you seem intent on getting yourself fucking killed."
"That's not -"James says, and Liam turns away.
"You didn't bother telling me what it was about," Liam says, and walks away. He can hear James say his name again, and then nothing.
This entry was originally posted at Dreamwidth. There are
comments there.