I only own my OCs, everything else belongs to their respective creators. Warning, may contain Out of Character moments.
"And it has begun! Who will be the one to come out victorious in this climb to the top!?" Present Mic screamed, forcing one of the viewers to lower the volume for a moment.
"Denouement, please turn that back up, I don't want to miss the commentary."
"Of course Sir… But if I may ask, why are we watching this in the dark?" Denouement asked. Currently, both Dastardly D and his muscular protector were sitting in a dark office. The only illumination present was the large flat screen TV at one corner of the room. And unfortunately, the dapper Villain was eagerly sitting a little too close for his age.
Not to mention what he was doing whilst watching this event.
"It's so that I can easily pick out which Heroes are currently in the crowd. All the excess light will just distract me."
"And that leads to another question… How can you make out someone from just these shots? I know camera fidelity and screen resolution has greatly improved these past few decades, but that shouldn't be enough for you to do this. Wouldn't it be more efficient to get Lucas to retrieve the event's Hero attendance?" Denouement asked, approaching his leader. He had to carefully walk around the gurney that was next to Dastardly D, since even a bump would set back that individual's progress.
"Admittedly, yes… But this is much more entertaining, like looking at one of those old Where's Waldo books. Look! There's Chargebolt and Anima! And over there, that's Sugarman and Queen pH!" Dastardly D shouted, pointing at the screen with his foot as both his hands were occupied. Denouement looked back at the screen, noting the general area he was pointing to.
And surprisingly, for the few seconds that the camera remained on the festival's audience, to let TV viewers see the live reactions, he saw those Heroes in question. He raised an eyebrow, how was it that he was able to pick out those specific Heroes out of a sea of multi colored splotches?
Dastardly D smiled at his loyal minion's confusion and went back to watching the Sports Festival. This caused Denouement to turn his attention to it as well.
Currently they showed Midoriya Eri and her team fighting for control over a platform. Each blow she threw out was pragmatic, striking her opponent's legs from the sides to disrupt their balance. Then there was the girl Kazuku Mei, who moved around multiple opponents like a dancer exchanging partners without losing rhythm.
The camera soon cut to the top platform where three students were contesting for dominance. One was a black haired girl who seemingly summons weapons out of thin air. Another was a short, mantis shrimp looking fellow whose punches coming out with absurd speed. And the last was Fujiki Yusaku, his person surrounded by two people dressed in sci-fi themed clothes and two robots.
"This time, I saw Cellophane, Battle Fist, Vantablack, and Grape Shot. If you know what you're looking for, this game becomes very easy." His leader said just as the screen changed views. Denouement furrowed his brows, his lips sunk to a shallow scowl. He just had to ask…
"Sir, please explain to me how you're able to pick out those Heroes? That is unless you're playing a terrible trick on me."
"Oh no, this is no deception my dear Denouement. What I'm doing has a basis in Hero costume design. Tell me, when you look at a Hero's costume, what is the first thing that catches your eyes?"
"The questionable degree of sex appeal?" He could never quite understand why some Heroes, both men and women, around the world wear what amounts to fetish wear. And despite laws being made to improve costume modesty, certain Heroes were able bypass it because a more modest costume would cause start causing problems for their Quirks.
The same thing could be said about certain Villains, who run around assaulting people's eyes with indecency. Except for them, any modesty laws mean absolutely nothing. The Havas Collection of India was a particularly bad offender of this. And even now, he wasn't sure if that was a Villain group or a brothel.
"Oh you dirty delinquent, what a devious thought to devise!" Dastardly D said with a laugh.
"But if you must know why Heroes choose to wear such tantalizing outfits, one must understand how the human form fits into Humanity's various cultures. In the distant past before the year of our Lord, Humans look to the symbols that their body represents. This leads to the birth of Deities who had certain features exaggerated, like fertility Goddesses with their impossible hourglass figures. By sculpting our Gods with enhanced or idealized characteristics, we give them the power to rule over us." He continued, his eyes still glued to the TV.
Denouement gave a low hum to this as he chose to sit down, knowing there was more to this lecture. Certainly, Humans did give Pagan Deities the perfect image because of their almighty, unattainable nature… But what does that have to do with Heroes? They're no Gods… Still, he needed to be patient and pay attention. His eccentric leader might actually have an interesting point.
"Thor for example, he's often depicted to have fiery red hair and beard as well as fierce eyes. With his mighty hammer Mjolnir and a courageous heart, he would go to help those who couldn't protect themselves. Thor represented what the ideal warrior was in Nordic culture, strong and Heroic. So when applying this to Hero costumes, it's about letting others know what it is they symbolize. As well as how perfectly they embody that, as presumptuous as that sounds."
"I see, that makes sense… But could you provide me some examples to further my understanding? Like Midnight?" Denouement asked. He could see how certain Heroes' costumes had symbolic meaning behind them… But he was still uncertain about the meaning behind certain Heroes, like the one's he mentioned. Dastardly D let out a chuckle and turned his attention away from the action on the TV.
"Oh my dear friend, you couldn't have picked an easier example. Midnight's costume is practically a dominatrix outfit and it's a display her of will, power, and pride. While she answers to a figure of authority, she refuses to bend to anyone else below that level. And with such a mentality, she'll approach each battle with a fixed idea of who's the Dom and Sub. So using a whip and her Quirk, Midnight can halt an enemy's momentum, toy with them she pleases, and utterly humiliates them. Opponents then break from the shame, their fighting strength falters, they fall into her paces, and finally... They become nothing more than a piece of meat being lead around like cattle."
His leader's voice became darker and more sinister with that final statement. Denouement felt the cold wind envelop him as his imagination conjured Midnight. Her alluring sultry form doing nothing to mitigate the sadistic glee that emanated from her face. He doesn't know how his leader does it, but he can give any Hero an unsettling aura.
Dastardly D returned to his normal cheerful expression and turned back to the TV, his eyebrows raised. "There! I just saw Mt. Lady and Kamui Woods!"
"Once more sir, what is it that allows you to see them through this mess?" Denouement asked, barely catching a glimpse of the two Heroes.
"Ah yes, we were on that subject. What I was referring to was their costume's color. Any Hero can be identified if one familiarizes themselves with their primary colors. Even when you strip everything but those colors, you can still recognize who they are. That is how I'm able to pick the Heroes out of the crowd despite there being so many so close together. Like now for instance, I just spotted Japan's Bane of Evil." Dastardly D explained, noticing a cluster of gun metal grey, rust orange, and hunter green.
"And when combined with the shape and theme of the costume… Each Hero's identity is completely unique from one another, like National Flags." Denouement said, his eyebrows slowly rising with realization. So that's how his leader was doing it, to identify a Hero with so little visual information. It was still an intensive endeavor, to memorize that many colors and designs. But if one can memorize the many Flags of the World, it's possible to memorize the costumes of Heroes.
"Now you're getting it! A Hero's costume is a flag, each bearing different kinds of meaning upon its shoulders. And though some may be similar, there are enough differences between them to be given their own names. Do you remember Super Scope and Menacer? Or Deep Sea and Triton? They were similar yet different."
"As is Red Riot and Real Steel." Denouement said with a smirk.
"Precisely my dear Watson. Now, let's keep combing through this collection of LED lights and make sure our project goes off without a hitch. We're down to the wire after all. How's our Demolition Depot doing on developing those devices we demanded?" Dastardly D said, removing his hands from his subjects' faces. And as the dapper Villain went to stretch, the door opened and Doctor Brandt step in with a person in a white coat.
"You're finished? Good, we'll begin finalizing these Chimeras for our 'grand opening'. Oh, and Stal has completed the equipment you needed for the promotional event. He's currently resting until you assign him another task." The Doctor said as the person in the white coat began carting out one of the subjects.
"Then I'll let Depot cool his forge for a while. In fact, Denouement, please inform the rest of the Disastrous Dozen to take a break from their duties. I need them in peak condition for the hour of reckoning. That includes you dear friend." Dastardly D said before pointing his muscular minion. Denouement gave a bow and he disappeared from sight. He then turned to the Doctor and gestured towards the catatonic Chimera still in the room.
"Have Digit come to me with a list of every D4 to D6 we have that's ready to deploy. Once I've finished my research here, I'll organize the squads we'll be bringing with us."
"And you didn't ask Denouement to do this before he left because…?" The Doctor asked, his hands gesturing towards the empty space where the man in question once stood. Dastardly D just gave a shrug and went back watching the TV, pulling a memo pad and pen out of his pocket. Doctor Brandt shook his head and began carting out the other subject, leaving his leader to his devices.
And as the dapper Villain watched the Sports Festival for Heroes, he took note of one specific student that tickled his curiosity. Kazuku Mei playfully spring boarded off one student and kicked another over a ledge. She then proceeded to twist her body and move her limbs to avoid oncoming attacks, all of them missing. The girl stuck her tongue at them before she leapt away as her team came in to support her.
It was exhilarating, watching that girl fight… But her appearance left an itch in his brain that left Dastardly D scratching.
"Kazuku Mei… Where have I seen you before?"
And that has been chapter two starring the ever dashing Dastardly D and his disciple of danger Denouement! What did you think? Did things make sense here?
"Not that it would matter since you're going to explain anyway."
Shush Iris. A big part of a Hero or Villain's identity is in what they wear, clothes make the man after all. So when I say you could pick out someone just from their colors alone, I'm not lying. Someone on reddit even proved this in a post titled "BNHA Character Design Study" in which the poster had a small group of rectangles. These rectangles only had three colors, but it was enough for one to identify who it was. And the whole subject of costumes is fascinating when you deeply think about it, like what is the thought process behind its creation and the meaning of it in relation to its wearer.
"Ah yes, symbolism, the most pretentious thing out there..."
Indeed, but on to my other thoughts. As I'm currently setting up to become a functioning adult, I will be modifying my update schedule for all my stories. Until I get everything settled, I will only be updating once every month. I apologize for any distress I may cause, this hurts me just as much.
So with that said, I hope you'll be around to celebrate the New Year with me.
Happy Holidays and...
Until Next Time. T1.