Marvel : the Author

Hello everyone ! Hope you're having a good day. Mine's alright. Though for some reason I can't find the motivation to write much these days. Playing games, watching animés, tv shows and movies, no problem but writing… Ugh !

Anyways… it feels wrong so I'll write it fast to get it out of the way : advanced chapters on my Patréon page. Other stories too. Search for Cathbel on the website. Also, reviews, comments and stones are welcome.

Now, let's talk about something else… I've recently bought Darkest Dungeon 2. Loved the first ! A rogue-like rpg game in a Lovecraftian ambiance with a gritty design set in a dark medieval fantasy. You gather teams of 'heroes' or adventurers and explore dungeons to get riches and uncover the secrets of the Land. Hope the second opus is just as good or better !

And now I bid you good day !

=============

Cory and Doreen, wearing their superhero costumes, look at me with eagerness plain on their faces. On my part, I was yet again, feeling like I wanted to stay at home. Under the sheets, or the bed… Depending on what would feel safer. I'm a coward, you say ? I don't deny it ! You'd be cowards too if you had to face super-villains in your future.

Imma tell you a truth, folks ! They lie to us in those wonderful pieces of fiction ! They don't do it blatantly, to our face by writing and showing two different things, no ! They do it by omission ! Remember Jack, Pauline, Cynthia and a thousand of other characters just like them ? No ? That's perfectly normal ! They're all dead ! Sometimes off screen, sometimes on screen but behind thousand of tons of concrete, rendered as small as an ant to encompass the reach of a natural disaster.

You see, when a villain decides to go on a rampage, which in Marvel is pretty much every tuesdays, there's what people call - a dirty word - collateral. People die. Stray shot, pieces of building falling on his/her face, bad fall… The same holds true during alien/extra-dimensional invasions, racial skirmishes or conflicts between organizations.

Even though I have superpowers myself, and thus fall under the kind of people who almost always survive, there's still a risk. Even Spider-Man died ! And he might be the most beloved and iconic super-hero of all time ! Who am I ? A no-name - cause I still haven't decided on my super-hero name - f-ugly dude with a power some might consider disgusting. I'm like… either the guy who becomes the goon for a super-villain - and dies serving him - or the victim of a random street crime.

Compared to the two beauties by my side ? Yeah, my ticket's been punched ! Now, where does this expression come from ?

While I try to distract myself from the somber thoughts in my head, Doreen, excited and ready to rumble, urges me :

« Come on, Inky ! Open a swirly ! »

I sigh and do as she commanded while Cory makes a face and says :

« That's just wrong, Squirrel Girl ! Inky and Swirly ? » She shakes her head : « Inky's a terrible name for him. And do you even know what a swirly is ? It's what a bully calls flushing someone's head down a toilet… I think. »

« Like you've ever been bullied. Miss beauty Pageant and miss Popularity Contest are just pitiful victims… » I grumble, more annoyed at the situation than at them, despite what I'm saying.

Okay, Nate ! I psych myself up. Stop being a crybaby ! This is training. That's all ! Simple training. In real conditions. With real villains. And real stakes… I shake my head and start to open the portal : Just training ! I reiterate in my mind.

« Woohoo ! » Doreen… Squirrel Girl yells in excitement as she throws herself through the portal. Quake follows her in silence, somehow echoing the behavior that she would have, had she joined S.H.I.E.L.D. and become an agent. Instead, she joined our merry band…

« She's still young ! » I comment to myself. Shortly after, I step through the portal myself, my right foot landing on gravel. I figured a little bit of perspective would help us make sense of Spider-Man's predicament, hence why all three of us are on a… roof. Wait, where's Squirrel Girl ?

Another joyful woop echoes in the distance. Turning in the direction of the sound, I can see Doreen jumping from rooftops, to balcony, to fence, making her way quickly towards the sound of the action : sirens, explosion and panicked shouts. Cory and I share a glance before going after her. We still don't know what's waiting for us there, yet for some reason, we're all rushing to our potential deaths. That's what firemen and cops are supposed to do…

Let's think about something else. Like how effective my body tempering has been ! The way I'm moving is similar to Spider-Man : I'm swinging from building to building. However, unlike him who uses webs to get around, I'm using my tentacles. Six of them since I changed the placement of two of them to be used as arms. I actually could use them all, but six is enough for now. They stretch as gravity drags me down and their elasticity also allows for me to be propelled back up, increasing the speed of my swings over time. And when I land on a surface, I use my skates on the walls, rooftops and grounds to move around quickly.

With a final swing, I backflip and land on the edge of the roof overlooking the action. It's… a bank ! Surprise, surprise ! Only, it looks as if a bomb's exploded here. Overturned cars, debris and broken sidewalks, people lying, even a few fires. And in the middle of the chaos stands a massive form. A veritable giant dressed like a Rhino… His moniker ? You guess it : Rhino !

Unfortunately, he's not the only one here. Mist rises up from the ground, covering the streets in an eery atmosphere. And then, as if materialized from the mist itself, a man wearing a green suit with a fishbowl for a head makes his own entrance, dramatically introducing himself. Mysterio.

Meanwhile, there are other villains also present : Doctor Octopus, with his characteristic mechanical arms, Sandman who seems to be everywhere at once, Vulture, flying overhead and Kraven the Hunter, currently in an acrobatic fistfight with Spider-Man.

If this is another setup by the Kingpin, I'm starting to think that maybe I should revisit the idea of permanently ending the man… Depending on how this fight would go, I may have to seriously consider crossing the line.

That'll have to wait for now though. I stretch my limbs, letting my tentacles relax from the earlier exertion a little. I need to bring my A-game !

« Quake, you take the Sand-guy. Shoot the birdie if he gets too close. I'll take Rhino and the man trying to pass off as me with the ugly green bodysuit. Squirrel Girl, follow your instincts ! »

And then, we're off.