Disclaimer: I don't own Victorious or any of it's characters. I do tend to think of ways to give them super powers, and what kind of powers they might have.
:}
The silent guardian of Magic City watched over her charge, eyes keen for the signs of any would be evil doers. No rest, because the bad guys are always waiting, watching, hoping for that chance to strike. Only a thin line stands between the constant corruption that infests the city, and her honest, hard working citizens. That line is… Trina hesitated, not sure what comes next. "Jam it, I haven't come up with a name yet? Come on, girl, you have the costume, the look, the tude, everything else, so why don't you have a name yet…"
"Are we playing superhero again?" Came through the door. Only, it wasn't the voice she'd expected. No, her father was off working a case, while her mother was, as far as she could guess, stepping out on her dad.
'Only Gary's with dad, so who's she fooling around with?' Trina asked herself, not willing to admit just who was on the other side of that door. "What are you doing here?" She demanded.
"I was asked to come with work a Vega, and I assumed they meant the other, younger annoyance in my life." Jade told her. "As for how I got in, ever consider actually locking your doors? I mean, I checked, there is a lock and everything. Only reason I didn't lock it was that your sister is out, and while it would be funny to watch her try and open the door, I'm betting there's a key out there someplace, and she'd just unlock the door."
Trina huffed. "Who sent you, and what are you supposed to be helping with?" Clarification felt important.
"I was under the assumption it involved writing." Jade told her. "So, Trina, is this what I'm supposed to be helping you with? Some kind of hero fantasy where you save the city?"
"I don't need your help." Trina insisted. "Besides, this is a personal project, nothing to do with school. No, what I needed help with I already worked out. I just, the stupid assignment was to write a one act play, and everyone says my work is dumb. So I wrote a whole play, and managed to make it clever. I even got the okay from my teacher, who emailed my just minutes after I emailed them the idea. So, as I said, I don't need your help…." Her work died in her throat as her door opened and Jade took in the image of Trina in her makeshift costume, standing on her bed.
"Okay, was gonna take pictures, but this, not as embarrassing as I'd hoped." Jade breathed out. "So who are you, and what can you do? I mean, street level, or world saver?"
"I'm the guardian of Magic City." Trina explained.
"Bad name." Jade shot out. "Magic city sounds like a mystic place, full of wizards and spirits and still it would be a bad name. Now, if you're looking for an alternate for Hollywood, Lala Land is a possibility, but I'd just go with Studio City. Then again, Marvel never made places up, unlike DC, who have so many of the original heroes, with their made up places. Did you know, by some accounts, Gotham is across the bay from Metropolis?"
"Y-" Trina tried to form words.
"Let me guess, this came about from the blitz of movies that have been coming out recently, right?" Trina asked. "Movies and television shows, and everything, and it just it makes you feel special, thinking, fantasizing about being someone more then human. Trust me, I've been there. And before you ask, sometimes, I do like to imagine myself as the hero, saving the idiot who is stuck upside down on the roller coaster. How the holy hell does a roller coaster get stuck upside down, I don't know, cause those things are gravity driven. Yet, I have plenty of video of old women stuck on those things, holding on for dear life, and between laughing at their fear, I like to think of how cool it would be to be the one to save them, by I don't know, taking the break off and letting the damn car roll naturally to a safe stop. That's what they're supposed to do, right?"
"I find it hard to imagine you rooting for the good guys." Trina got out.
"Some of them, especially the DC heroes, are kinda hard to root for." Jade confessed. "Except for the Suicide Squad. Man, I am so much on their side, even if the cosmic level threats they face are, lets be honest, too many to count. But I do root for the underdog sometimes. Admittedly, it's cause, deep down, I feel I'm one of them. Thinking we all feel that way."
"I think I'm supposed to be street level, but I kinda like the power superman has."
"Okay, firsts problem, supes is far to powerful." Jade started. "As has been pointed out, more then once, the thrill of the super hero story is the same as for any hero story, and that's the threats the protagonist faces. Marvel started the whole personal life drama chiz, and that added to much to the characters. Superman was too perfect, had to perfect a life, for so long, it made him a great fantasy, but hard to relate to. Captain Marvel, er, we think of him as Shazam, he was more relatable cause he was a kid in this superman like body. Gave us a hook…"
"You're really into this, aren't you?" Trina was amazed.
"Beck got me started, but I admit, I really got into the story telling. Big problem was, they reached a point where the major, world changing arcs sold well, so those became the norm. Once you raise the stakes, kinda hard to drop them down again. Some manage, others don't, but to me, it ruined comics cause people got board with the normal, run of the mill threats. Bad guy wants revenge, bad guy is stealing something major, puts together a team and goes for it. People want the drama, kinda one of the reasons Wrestling has been performance art for years. They give the drama, and the audience, they don't always come back, but that's only cause we have so many choices now. Plus, sometimes, creative gets stuck. Just like, the comics, they have their long standing best sellers, and that created both the clone problems, with similar characters dominating story arcs, and the tenancy to hold onto characters who were introduced way back in the sixties. Think about how old some of those guys really are. No, we are stuck between the desire to see our favorites, and the reality that they no longer fit the times. Except for the whole mutant scare chiz. I'm hoping some day we outgrow the use of 'The Other' as a scapegoat, but for now, still valid. Anyways, think about who and what your character is, and go from there. Then, you can have the really satisfying fantasies, cause you'll know who you're supposed to be."
/
Tori walked into the house to find Trina and Jade sitting in the living room, hovering over a sketch pad, discussing something in excited tones. "Tori, look, we redesigned Defender." The older sister called over.
'This… Could be bad.' Tori thought as she approached. The pad, worked on by the surprisingly talented Jade, showed a superhero costume different then the one Cat had made for her sewing class. It emphasized more of a semi-medieval feel, more stylized breastplate with anklets bracers then full armor, and somehow promised to look good on Trina while maybe providing some protection. "Okay, that's nice. Just, who is defender, and what do you mean, you two redesigned her?"
"More accurately, we reonceptualized her." Jade said, smirking. "Oh, and before I forget, I came here to speak with you. Just, I saw what your sister was trying to do, and we talked about fantasies, motivation, all kinds of chiz, and as much as I'll deny it ever happening, we bonded over our shared love of superheros and live action play."
"Wait, you're here to see me?" Tori asked. "Why…?"
"I was asked to work with a Vega, and assumed you needed help." Jade told her. "Again."
"Well, I didn't." The younger Vega huffed. "Wait, who told you I needed help?"
"Beck." It was dropped too casually. "Only, I doubt he meant Trina here, cause no way he knew about her needing to play dress-up sometimes."
"Yea, kinda childish." Tori judged.
"And yet, so many adults do it." Jade sighed. "Baseball fantasy camp, some of the people who buy jerseys, and if we're honest, many have their fantasies as a mini-break from whatever. We do it, cause it's an escape, a motivation, and if we're honest, sometimes, it's just fun. So, no judgment from me."
"Okay, so this isn't playing around, it's just…" Tori looked for the word.
"Healthy." Trina guessed. "Something we do behind closed doors, so as to not be judged, and something we do to enjoy ourselves, cause even adults play. Just look at the costumes at any comic convention."
"Look, this has been fun, coming up with your abilities and chiz, but I do have to go." Jade sighed. "I actually enjoyed myself. Man, what is the world coming to if I enjoyed spending time with Trina."
"Not like my rep's gonna improve if this gets out." The older girl admitted. "So, drive safely." She walked Jade to the door, and as soon as it was closed, turned to Tori to go over everything they'd discussed. "In the old days, many hero's, and if we're honest, villains, were just a loose collection of powers with no real connection. Modern heroes need to make sense. So this is what we came up with…"
Jade was smiling all the way to her car. Once there, she reached under her seat and pulled out the second, hidden phone, the smile long gone. "Okay, Tori wasn't there, but Trina looks to be a good choice for this stupid plan. Just, if you can do it, make sure we survive. Not crazy about using her as an experiment now that I kinda like her..."
:}
So, that happened, a while ago, and I enjoyed most of it. The end, kinda a tease for something that won't happen. I've done super hero's a bit too much. Still, I do like how this story flowed, so what are your thoughts?
