tushanshu | 005 [VIDEO]

[The video clicks on and the image of Mark comes on the screen. He’s visibly nervous, and you can just barely see he’s wringing his hands as he talks. It’s clear he doesn't want to say what he’s saying, but he’s just as determined to get through it.]

Um, hi. I know the network’s not super reliable right now, and that it’s not secure and all of that, but with everything that’s happened the last few weeks, I really don’t want to wait in the hopes this gets fixed to say what I need to say. And as for Never-Speak-His-Name, well… that’s sort of the point of what I want to say, so…

[Takes a deep breath, sits up straight, and stops fiddling with his hands.]

I know some of you aren’t going to understand why what I’m about to say is so difficult, but I’m sure there’s some of you that are. And for those of you that can’t—this… this is really big for me, okay? I’m breaking pretty much the cardinal rule where I come from. But I've thought about this a lot, and with everything that’s happened… I’ve realized that this rule is getting in the way of helping people, which is what the rule is trying to do in the first place.

What am I rambling about? I’m getting to my point, I promise.

[He pauses because he knows after this there’s no turning back.]

For those of you that don’t know me, my name is Mark Grayson. [Mark picks up his mask, which was sitting on his lap, and puts it over his head.] I’m also the superhero who goes by the name Invincible.

This is a big deal for me because where I come from your secret identity is everything. Your secret identity is what keeps the bad guys you fight at work from coming to your home and hurting your family. And that’s not hyperbole. I've had a super villain come to my house and hurt my mom and threaten my brother to get back at me. For something I didn't even do. My family might not be here, but I've made a lot of friends here and while a lot of them can protect themselves, some of them couldn't. Not from the likes of the people I’m used to fighting, anyway.

But now everything’s changed. It’s not just my friends in danger of getting hurt anymore. Everyone’s in danger. And that’s why I decided to come clean. So the long-winded way of getting to my point is this, and this goes out to everyone (well everyone but Never-Speak-His-Name): if you need me for anything, anything, come to me. I’m super strong, super-fast, can fly, and yes, I’m invincible. And I want to help any way I can. If you need me to be a messenger, I can be a messenger. If you need me to carry something heavy like your couch to a different room, I’ll carry it. Heck, if you need me to open a stuck jar, I’ll do it.

Everything got real with the explosions, I’ve realized that I haven’t been really helping people like I should. Stopping muggers isn’t going to cut it anymore. It’s time I took my responsibilities more seriously. My secret identity doesn’t matter anymore. The safety of Keeliai does.

So I mean it. If you need help, for anything, let me know. I’ve been told I make a really good pack mule, and I’m knowledgeable about construction. Unfortunately I don’t have superhearing, so if you want to get a hold of me you’re going to have to do it the old fashioned way.

…I’m sorry this was so long, but thanks for listening.

[Quickly turns it off before he rambles any more.]

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Trying to do it all isn't an ego thing. Okay, if you do it then you make sure all the photographers take pictures of your best side, that's an ego thing. But I'm not going to stop, like, rescuing kittens from trees if I see one just because there are ten other people here who can do the same thing. That's just shirking your responsibility.

I know you've mentioning this offhand, but it just clicked. Your dad was a superhero too? So was mine. [Except he's willing to bet yours didn't try to kill you and claim the planet for an alien race.]

My mom banned those from the house. Not that my dad really paid too much attention to them.

[Her smile was warm, as any child not-so-secretly proud of her parent would be. Nope, definitely didn't try to kill her. Just the opposite. She nodded.]

Yeah, he was. The absolute best.

I don't really remember my mom, but my dad was pretty strict about it. He wanted to keep me out of the spotlight for as long as possible. Like he actually thought that was possible.

I would... not have called that. Guess that was the point!

[ He's still processing, but grinning as well. ]

That's kind of awesome.

Or sharing it.

[He would be, too, but he bites back that comment. What the kid just did is very brave, and he doesn't want him to have second thoughts- or more second thoughts.]

What you just did is very brave. Some people would never be able to do it- me included. So is there's anything you need me to do, to make things easier for you?If you're scared of someone getting hurt because of this, we can keep an eye on them together.

[ He listens to everything, though doesn't comment to the superhero stuff since that is still a bit much to absorb, even after two months on the turtle. Plus he doesn't know what to say to it other than 'hey, that's super cool!'... ]

If I get any requests for deliveries too heavy for me to take, I'll make sure to let you know!

[At least Mark hasn't posted a pissed off rant saying let's storm the castle already.

Bart shrugs amiably.]

Y'know how when you first turn up, your powers don't? Yeah. Mine started to come back online during the first video feed I did. So it's kinda been secret-ish for the most part. Mostly out of respect for other people.

I don't even know if crazy glue would hold one on me. [There's an honest-to-god hesitating pause here. It's not Bart's fault that the normal space between sentences obscures it, although he does look a bit reluctant.] Mine's attached.

Are there such differences between heroes?

My reputation precedes me.

[He taps his fingers together under his chin, trying to look like a cartoon supervillain. He basically fails.]

Yeah, I'm Stiles. I'm also super impressed. But I also think you're right. Secret identities here are kinda pointless. We're all on the same side. Or at least we're trying to be.

[Mark smiles at that, but the smile doesn't quite reach his eyes. He wishes he could say the same of his dad.]

My dad was the same way. He was always giving me lectures about how it's okay if I never get my powers, and that even if I did I didn't have to go into the family business. But I did the second I got them anyway.

[Chuckles, more out of nerves than anything.]

Thanks.

And yeah, that's the reason most superheroes wear masks. I'm just glad it worked.

I said in front of me, not that I went out of my way to find it.

[He shakes his head.]

No, it's just... when I first got my powers, even after everything that happened with my dad that sort of grounded me, you know, I was still pretty cocky. I can still arguing with my mom that too many people back home knew I was Invincible and I said something like "Don't worry about it, it's not like I have an arch-nemesis or anything."

About a month later not only did I have one, he found out where I lived, broke my mom's arm and threatened to hurt Oliver back when he was still a baby. It's just hard to get all that out of my head.

Oh hey, you're the guy that started up that delivery thing, yeah? I would definitely love to help out if you need me. Just say the word and I'm there.

Oh god, that's awful. I accidentally made a video at my suite as Invincible and after I realized the computers were all labelled I had to run to an internet cafe whenever I wanted to post as Mark. I... apparently didn't do a great job with that either. I'm so bad at this.

...To your body?

Not really, no.

I was 17, that's not exactly the age of well-thought out ideas. [Shut up, Mark, you're only 3 years older now.]

Edited 2014-05-31 23:34 (UTC)

I wish I could give you the ego boost, but we actually talked once, a while ago. When I got my comics during one of the landfalls.

[He chuckles at the gesture.]

Yeah, that's the conclusion I eventually reached too. The explosions and the aftermath were a real eye-opener, you know? I just felt like hiding that I was Invincible was only helping me, and even then not really. I'm totally not advocating anyone else to do it if they don't want to, but... I just honestly don't see the point in keeping it a secret anymore.

Ah, isn't it?

[Tazendra knows 17 is dreadfully young, but she also knows that everyone else ages faster than her. Tazendra got her first job when she was a young woman in her 80s.]

How old were you when you got them?

17. Which was super late.

I swear it made sense at the time. I just kind of wish it was true, a better idea of what I was getting myself into would have been nice. Don't get me wrong, I'd still do it in a heartbeat, but what's that phrase? "Forewarned is forearmed?" Or something.

[Thanks to his dad, Mark's actually going to live to be thousands of years. But because his mom's human and he grew up on Earth, that's still very much an abstract concept for him right now. Get back to him in about 500 years.]

...why do I feel like there's a pun in there somewhere?

[No, wait, this wasn't the time for jokes. Sorry, Mark.]

Any particular reason for the delay, or were you just a late bloomer?

Ah, perhaps. I have never been one for planning myself, so I cannot say how it would have benefitted me.

As far as I can tell, just a late bloomer. So that meant I only had to wait about 10 years impatiently for powers.

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