memezilla | Superhero Relationships Elaborated Meme

Entry tags:

Superhero Relationships Elaborated Meme

SUPERHERO oh the title's up there already

Whether you're a superhero, self-made vigilante, super villain, or Oracle-esque commander, you're going to have some interesting interpersonal relationships. Whether it's between yourself and a civilian or yourself and another Super-- or worse, yourself and the law-- it's going to be a doozy.

FEEL FREE TO ALTER THESE PROMPTS TO YOUR NEEDS.
Relationships don't necessarily have to be romantic to work in this context.

DYNAMICS:

Super (hero? villain?) vs Civilian: Maybe they're your best friend, or maybe they're the object of your affections-- but they're still in danger if your nemesis finds out!

Super vs Super: Things should be a little easier, right? You're superfriends, right!? Do you know each other's identities, or is this friendship/partnership strictly business?

Opposing Sides: Whether you're good versus evil or Vigilante versus the Law, this situation is a bit... stickier. Can your feelings of compassion cross the boundaries or is this a "fuck it, let's hatemance" situation?

RELATIONSHIP IDEAS:

DOMESTIC: Whatever the difficulties are, somehow you and your partner have made things work. Maybe no one bothers your best friend, or you and your love live happily ever after and you come home after the daily grind. Maybe you and your opposing-side partner enjoy working against each other and coming home to share the same bed. What the hell ever. It's your household, homies.

EARLY STAGES: You are just an idiot with a crush. Maybe you're an idiot with a crush on a superhero. Maybe you're a super idiot with a crush on a civilian idiot. Basically, you're gross and embarrassing and belong on a High School Musical TV Show.

FULL SWING: Alright, Clark and Lois-- maybe you're not domestic, but this romance (bromance?) is in full bloom. No longer in your puppy love stages, you're now at least Spider-Man and Gwen Stacy calibre.

RELUCTANT: You tsundere pieces of shit. Whatever. You don't like this whole communication deal-- but you can't let this person you like get in trouble, can you?

PROMPTS:

SAVE THE PRINCESS: You heard me. That kid you've got your eye on went and got themselves in trouble, and you just can't let that fly. Whether it's because they're the love of your life or because you're going to be the one to take them down, you've gotta pull a rescue mission, stat.

BRAIN DRAIN: That episode of every superhero cartoon where the closest person you've got is suddenly brainwashed to be evil? That's your life now. Have fun pulling them back from the brink.

HURT ON THE JOB: Maybe you don't have to pull a rescue, but that person is now in your care. Or maybe it's the super who's in need of a bit of TLC this time...

FAKED A DEATH: Every superhero plotline has one. Someone's gotta fake their death, even to their most important person. Now you have the chance to reveal you're alive-- but at what cost?

EVERY TIME?: Not a single date, hangout, or playtime goes undisturbed. Your favourite super is a tardy son of a bitch, and you're tired of plans being cancelled.

TEAM PLAYER: This person? You've got it bad for them. You've got it so bad-- but you can't tell them that. You've gotta keep it under wraps, because you're both playing for the same Super Team, and you can't upset the balance.

ONE TRUE NEMESIS: So, what if you never knew the identity of that rival of yours? Aaand what if one day you found out that rival... was actually the "civilian" you were close to? Definitely not a conversation for the thanksgiving table.

prompts by

pocketprince

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Could be considered an active super, could technically be a civilian with some unusual knowledge and skills. Basic info is available on her journal.]

[Definitely a supervillain but he's more annoying than sinister, and not the worst date in the world if you can tolerate his riddles and ego. He looks quite sharp in a suit, too!]

[ Would one true nemesis work for you since she's a hero? She's 18, in case you need to know. Perhaps she's been meeting him as her civilian persona for help with getting into college classes? ]

[could you maybe kick her up to 21? Possibly just getting a later start on college because of Reasons? Otherwise I like it--do they not know each other's secret identities?]

(I can definitely do that. And yes, reasons. hard to go to college when you're super heroing. I would like to think Karina would not know his, but he's a smart cookie so he could be aware of her if you would like him to be.)

[He's smart but he's also arrogant as heck, so if he's not expecting her to be more than a side job that helps pay for his heist and gets him into nice parties he might not. Want to start?]

When Karina had been told by her management that they had employs a tutor for her, she had been rather upset with them. She wasn't stupid and she hardly needed some stodgy guy breathing down her neck about her course work. It wasn't her fault that her grades suffered. Between being a popular singer and also her late nights saving people, keeping good grades was a struggle. But management had insisted and they had paid a heck of a lot of money for this guy. Way way too much money, as far as Karina was concerned.

But he was pretty smart. He made things a bit easier. Not that he could help her with the whole dozing off thing. She's fighting a nap right now because she's had another late night, chasing a bunch of clues that only led to more clues.

Karina hides a little yawn and gives her tutor an imploring look. "Mr Nygma, can't we take a little break? Just a tiny one? I need to look my best if I'm going to model at the Gem and Jewel Show this weekend. No one wants to see diamonds and eye bags."

Riddler could conceivably just rob a bank and ignore all this nonsense. But bank heists took time, and he'd have to prepare riddles for it, and the entire point of accumulating more money was to fund a proper heist later down the line. Tutoring a rich idiot child of even richer idiots brought in the bills, even if it also brought in annoyance. She wasn't stupid, but there was stupid and then there was idiocy and the latter was fixable when they weren't digging both heels in while you tried to drag them towards enlightenment.

"Then maybe you ought to learn how to study without panicking and losing sleep. You know the difference between a flighty rabbit and a diamond, of course?" Riddler flipped over one of her papers, laid out with a set of math problems that he point blank refused to just do for her. Even if it meant he could leave earlier. There was pride on the line.

She should have known not to ask for pity or a break. They really found her a good one this time. Inside, she wanted to groan. She hopes that question was rhetorical. Blue Rose had enough riddles for one lifetime, thank you very much. But Karina can't let her frustration at being unable to solve things during the times she played Hero show now. Instead, she gives the tutor a little smile and shakes her head. "I'm afraid I don't know that one. Does it have to do with carrots?"

Smiling a little at her own terrible pun, Karina focus on the math problems. "I still can't believe I have to do this. I'm never going to use it." Complaining seems to be a good motivator because it is getting done. At least for a few moments until she gets stumped, then it's time to try and distract again.

"I've been told I can take someone to the Gemstone show with me. I don't know who yet. Who do you think would want to go?"

The 'never going to use it' makes Riddler scowl, and immediately start plotting alterations to his heist that involve this particular level of math functions. That would show her, when she saw on the news how a city unable to scrape together the core components of quadratic equations would suffer for its idiocy.

"You can't find some kind of nominally attractive starry-eyed hanger-on to dangle from your arm for a few hours?" asks Riddler, turning the book around so he can check her work. "I imagine they're lined up at the door for you, especially if you tell them cameras will be present."

"You can't find some kind of nominally attractive starry-eyed hanger-on to dangle from your arm for a few hours?" asks Riddler, turning the book around so he can check her work. "I imagine they're lined up at the door for you, especially if you tell them cameras will be present."

Yeah, that would show her and have math teachers crowing from the rooftops for years to come. But right now, she's just trying to avoid having to deal with these equations. Shes tired and they hurt her head a little. If she was better rested, she could do a lot better. For now, she just sort of doodles in the margins while avoiding the issue completely.

"Oh, I'm sure I could find a lot of guys. I am an Idol, after all. And the main model for the show. I'll have hundreds of thousands of dollars worth or diamonds on. But a decent plus one is worth a lot more than some stones. And all those guys are really terrible anyway. They would be pretty boring company. They'd be sticks in the mud." She mutters "sort of like someone I know" under her breath while watching him check her math.

Ughhhh don't say things like that about the diamonds, you're making his mouth water. Riddler channels his greed into further scowling, nearly spitting his words. "Maybe if you acted just a little smarter instead of lazing your brains awa you could actually attract a man with intelligence. But no, you'll never use this math, just like you'll never need to be anything but some ditzy diva whose greatest contribution to the world is helping ensure a paparazzo's paycheck."

He nearly spits, and goes for the dreaded red pen that's left its mark on far too much of her work. Definitely going to put that into the riddles, and then wave the newspaper in her face the next afternoon.

So many pretty diamonds, but it's no fun if it's just her and her management. Still, his words are really harsh and Karina for a moment sort of glares at him. It's the frigid stare of the heroine Blue Rose, whose Ice made Mr Freeze look toasty warm. It's gone soon after and she puts on that vapid smile again. "But you're wrong. I've never done anything for the media to spread around. I'm a good girl. I think the biggest scandal would be if I invited a guy like you." A good girl that sucks at equations judging by the amount of red on her paper.

She sort of deflates at that. She groans and puts her head in her hands. "Man! Where did I screw up this time? I was sure I had it."

In his stubborn defense Riddler does go through her errors in detail before returning to his ranting. She's doing better than before but he's too mad to bestow one of his rare compliments.

"If inviting your tutor to a party is the biggest scandal you can come up with you really are unimaginative," he sneers.

At least he gives her that much. She's never had such a strict tutor. It's impressive. And a bit frustrating. He's probably the type that'll demand extra work from her next time they met to discuss the inter workings of quadratic equations. Time she really didn't have, not if she was still going to go out at night and try to keep the city safe. (Yeah, she could leave it up to the likes of Batman, but why would she let some old dude have all the fun).

"I didn't mean it like that. It's not like I'm actually inviting you. You'd probably hate it and be bored out of your mind." Honestly, she was often that way too. She would rather be doing her secret job than out there pressing palms and making nice with people she really didn't like.

"At least the diamonds would give me something interesting to look at, I suppose." A contemplative look crosses his face. Oh, the gladhanding in the guise of a man of society could be entertaining, he loved attention and conning people almost in equal measure. Sometimes Penguin used his sway to sneak Riddler into parties, but people were a lot less tolerant of a giggling puzzle-tosser than they were a suave gentleman who knew how to work the social contact like a pro.

He had a plan in mind, true, but why not put an extra spin on it? Why not attend the party as Edward Nygma and as Riddler simultaneously? Wouldn't that add to the fun?

"But I suppose yes, the gossip would hate you for dragging an actual intellectual to the party, and you'd be inconsolable for weeks," he says in a light, casual tone that hides how his mind is already starting to tick. He looks over her errors again.

[Young time-hopping hero or sidekick! Or a civilian just coming into his powers. Open either to shipping or gen.]

[Aged up to 14 superheroine sidekick reporting! I'd also like to play her as tsundere bc it could be fun! I'm up for w/e prompt you'd like!]

[So, sometimes the "liking you is embarrassing so I get moody and defensive about it" act is cute shit from his self-proclaimed sidekick, but sometimes, as it would any reasonable human being, he's sure, it grates more than all those little Kraft elves shredding cheese to put in dinosaur macaroni. He doesn't know her real identity--they meet at night already uniformed, when he's already Temper and not Dave--but he knows he's a little older. Obviously he's wiser, obviously her kiddie games are too juvenile for someone as awesome and grown-up as he is.

Temper doesn't feel so grown-up now, though, as he finally surfaces through the pounding pain and nausea that seems to have replaced half his head. They blindsided him--blindsided him, the fast-talking time guy--and the thing about messing with a stable chronology is, once something's happened, there's nothing he can do about it. He couldn't do anything about the blow to the head or the subsequent...Christ.]

This is a kidnapping, isn't it.

[He wants to laugh, but he's a little too close to puking to risk it. He's tied to a chair, wrists chained around the back of it, in what would appear to be a warehouse if the contents weren't so frighteningly science lab-like. Temper tugs at his restraints even though he knows it's no good.]

Hello? Temper to Houston, do you copy? Are we even still in Houston. Have I been white vanned all the way to Kentucky. Or like, Mexico. Smuggling migrants are sort of supposed to go the other way, I don't think you're going to get too much for me on the black market.

[He's nervous. He doesn't know who's done this, or what's going to happen to him.

And he's bare-faced. They know what he looks like, now.

He wishes he hadn't left the kid alone. Hopes she's okay. Hopes she'll notice he's missing and call in some big guns.

For the first time after dark in a long time, he's not Temper, but Dave; and Dave is afraid.]

[Rabbit- as was her heroine name because it was the first thing she could think of, had liked him for a while. Usually this manifested in letting him have the finishing blow or the publicity. But that had backfired once he was kidnapped.]

[Alice goes to work almost immediately. Deciding an undercover mission will work easier, she shows up to the warehouse dressed like a middle school student. Pressed uniform, visitor's lanyard, bookbag. The whole nine. Her blonde hair has been pulled into a low bun. Adjusting her prop glasses, she approaches the first goon she sees guarding the door and shrinks back slightly.]

"Hold on, ma'am. Can't let you in."

[Alice blinks, feigning surprise.] "But today was the hands-on lab!" [Fretting, she chews at one of her fingernails. As the guard begins checking things via his tablet, Alice quickly studies the area.]

"Look, kid, I don't know what school you're from but there's no 'lab' going on today."

[Alice sighs.] "But if you could just check! I know what my schedule said!"

[The guard gives her a long stare before turning to his tablet.] "..Fine. Name?"

[Alice quickly gives a fake name and watches as he types it in and begins scanning.] "No.. No, Lilly. There's nothing about a lab. You're going to need to check with your teacher."

[There's the sound of a body hitting the building suddenly before the door is forced open. With the backpack over her shoulder, Alice walks into the building.]

"Check with your teacher. The very idea!" [Closing the door behind her, she looks around slowly and calls out.]

"Temper? Are you here?"

[Oh. God. He squirms again in his restraints, as if that'll somehow work better now than it did the first five hundred times he tried, because this is embarrassing.]

...If I say no, that's plausible deniability, right?

[There are still a few big, boxy mountains of shipping containers between his weird laboratory setup and wherever he can hear her from, but he shuts his eyes tight anyway. It's an unavoidable instinct. He doesn't want her to know his identity.]

I don't suppose I could convince you to rescue me with your eyes closed? I guess that's shitty advice, given how many hulking assholes bearing arms are probably lurking in the shadows between you and me. Uh, you realize this is probably a trap, right. You know, just checking.

Not really, but we can pretend!

[She makes her way past the first shipping container mountian, eyes narrowing as a few shadows jump from it suddenly. Shouting, Alice dodges one of said "arms bearing assholes" as a pipe's swung towards her. Flipping backwards, she quickly charges an energy shot and fires it.]

I had an idea, yes. It's not like I wanted the fighting practice or was worried about you or anything.

[There's a crash and few shouts of "She's over here!" and "Don't let her get away!" followed by a loud thud and footsteps as she takes off running.]

Keep talking! Pick a subject, I don't care!

[Non-powered vigilante or civilian, open to either shipping or gen!]

[These thugs were particularly unlucky. Their mark certainly looked like a young girl walking down the street alone. The baggy olive overcoat hid her toned physique. If they knew the girl with the kitty cat hat and tail was a vigilante, they'd never have tried this! There should be a rule about that, man...]

[One of them happens to think he's lucky. He's managing to make a run for it while Nepeta's busy with his 'friends'. Shortly after disappearing from sight, it seems his luck runs out, as he yells in fear, suddenly cut short. Someone else is back there, and something is filling the alleyway with a soft white glow...]

[Unlucky? They're meowrons is more like it, but misfortune's one thing she's okay with doling out as a kind of stand-in for a black cat.

Since she's in her civvies tonight, though, she refrains from embracing her feline leitmotif and keeps all cat puns tight behind her lips as she sidesteps, grabs a collar, slams a man's face into her merciless knee. He goes down with a broken nose and gurgling pain and she's already put him out of her mind. She pounces on the second-to-last goon before he can decide on fight or flight, climbs him like a tree, and takes him down with a move banned in most wrestling leagues. He whimpers, and she kicks him in the head one last time to make sure he'll stay put while she deals with...

...Where'd the last one go?

She hesitates where she's crouched, glances over her groaning would-be muggers, and peers at the glow coming from the mouth of the alley. She doesn't have powers. This is beyond her, she should call for backup. But more than any rule, all heroes and vigilantes know this: Time is of the essence. She lifts her chin, sniffs the air as if that would tell her anything, and then straightens, dusts herself off, and attempts to mimic the air of nervous surprise at her own strength real civilians have worn around her when they help in their own saving.]

H-hello? Is someow--[Wait, shit.]--someone else there?

Yes...

[The voice carries its own air of hesitation. Its owner isn't entirely sure about this, about how Nepeta might react. Hell, she wouldn't know how she herself would handle seeing a former partner come back from the dead.

She can't keep skulking in shadows like this though. Someone's going to find out eventually, and she'd rather it be by her choice. Besides, her current state makes shadows hard to find and far less useful.

Kanaya steps out into view, still wearing her old costume. Black tights and a red skirt, but now with a purple sash carefully placed over her midsection, right where... where it happened. She stays there, making no effort to come closer. She wants to let Nepeta decide how to take this first.]

Hello, Nepeta.

[Nepeta freezes like an animal, eyes wide in the darkness and in Kanaya's soft, otherworldly glow, still and silent. She doesn't move forward. Doesn't move backwards, either, and doesn't crouch like there's a threat nor leaps onto her toes, happy to see an old friend. Something more than a friend.]

Kanaya...?

[No nya. There's no space for nya here.

After a second, she finally shivers into motion with a full-body shake that makes her tangled hair bounce.]

No, it...I saw, you didn't--you didn't get up, Kanaya!

[There's the step back, hands curled in front of her chest. But they're not fists, and she doesn't move away further. Nepeta just stares, and stares, and trembles, eyes starting to blur and sting.]

I-

[She pauses just a for a moment. Yeah. This is more or less what she was expecting.]

I know. I died, Nep.

[It's not a trick, she didn't fake her death. She died. And somehow, in some way she herself really doesn't understand, she's back. She stands still, waiting to see how this goes over. From a purely practical standpoint the worst case scenario would be for Nepeta to attack her. To Kanaya however, it would hurt far more if Nepeta were to run now, to leave her alone. So she waits, metaphorically holding her breath. And literally too, but since that's how she normally acts now it doesn't really count.]

[The admission pulls a soft exhalation out of Nepeta. As outlandish as the claim is, it seems to ground her, somehow. That was real. This is...real? It's not a nightmare hewn from her longing; when Kanaya returns in her dreams, it's always in the sun Kanaya loved so much, smiling like she never left.]

You...

[She blinks several times, but her watery vision doesn't get any clearer. She steps forward and starts to lower her hands.]

You're really...?

[Something tickles her cheek and she swipes at it with the back of her hand. Warm water. Her eyes are overbrimming, but she just stares at Kanaya through it and lets the tears fall.]

Kanaya, I don't think I compurrehend, are you a ghost now? Is that why you're glowing? Can I... [She almost reaches out, but draws her hand back again, uncertain.] ...Are you here?

[It's heartbreaking to see those tears, but Kanaya can't let herself respond. She can't wipe those tears away, hold Nepeta close, let her know that it's okay. She nearly takes a step forward, but fear holds her back. She has to let Nepeta make the first move. If she recoiled at Kanaya's advance... that might just destroy the Rainbow Drinker entirely.]

I'm not a ghost. I'm... not entirely sure what I am just yet, but I'm real.

[While it's not really a lie, it's not exactly the truth either. She has her suspicions. You can't read as much trash supernatural romance as she does and not recognize the signs, but... it can't really be that, right?]

[Nepeta looks like she might ask something more, but after a second of moving her mouth with nothing coming out, she finally just makes a strange, frustrated-yet-quizzical noise. Without hesitation, she picks up the hem of her coat, blows her nose un-self-consciously right into it and then takes those three necessary steps to get close to Kanaya and take a big ol' whiff of her former (ex-former? Returned?) partner.

And then makes a weird face.]

Uhh...hm. Well, okay, I suppaws you don't smell like a ghost.

[Though she doesn't smell, you know, human, either. The more you know! The more you...nose.]

[In an instant, all the fear and tension in Kanaya cracks. But rather than pouring out, it seems to simply disappear. She can't help herself but to giggle over just how typically... Nepeta it is. There's something strange going on so of course she's going to sniff it out.]

You get the chance to smell ghosts that often, do you?

Yes!

[No, not really, but that is the LEAST pertinent thing to be concerned with right now! Nepeta pounces on Kanaya, folding her tightly into her fierce, snuggling hug, laughing a damp, vulnerable laugh.]

Oh, Kanaya, Kanaya, I missed you so much!

I know, Nepeta, I know.

[Of course she returns the hug, pulling the shorter hero in tightly. They were always so close before. As friends, as a hero team... and now Kanaya has a new perspective on that. One that suggests that it was a mistake not to let her insecurities and fear keep her from pursuing anything further. One that suggests that it would be a greater mistake to throw away this second chance.]

I had to come find you, even if I was at afraid of what would happen.

Edited 2016-06-10 09:57 (UTC)

You should have been more furrightened of what would happen if you didn't!

[She squeezes her once, then tilts her head up so she can (attempt to and fail, miserably) frown at her dear friend, her miraculously restored partner.]<

I would have been very cross with you, Kanaya. Very! I would have tracked you down to your spooky unghosty lair and yowled at you all vexed until you let me in. But now we can just catch up over tea instead.

[ Somewhat arrogant up and coming superhero? A mercenary superpowered ninja who might be on either side? I'm open to pretty much anything, gen or shipping or whatever you wanna do. ]

[ooc: An ex-assassin trying to be the good guy for a change; often called Chinese Electric Batman. He can be a bit too serious, but once on his good side, he can be a really good friend and lighten up. Also a glutton and can make good food.]

One super shitty shonen protag. Are you SURE he's the Hero?

[Available in Impulse and Kid Flash II flavors.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Superhero Relationships Elaborated Meme

Siran Reznik | OC | OTA for Gen, F/F for Shipping

The Riddler {} Batman '66 {} OTA

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

I hope this works for you

Re: I hope this works for you

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

Dave Strider | Homestuck | OTA

no subject

Then I'm going with Save the Princess because I know what I'm about

Awe yes.

no subject

no subject

Nepeta Leijon | Homestuck | OTA

Fake-a-death, except maybe not so fake?

Sock it to me!

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

Hinata Hyuuga | Naruto (Road to Ninja)

Hei | Darker Than Black | OTA for gen, M/F for shipping

Yusuke Urameshi | YuYu Hakusho | OTA

Bart Allen | Young Justice