The saying "All press is good press" inspired the outfit, I thought it apt. Helps me get to the scene, helps me keep a lower profile - by the time the new names on the respective rosters figure me out, they tend to understand why I'm kept around. I'm still terrible at playing the role of "catastrophic event photographer" - I never get a good picture of what's happening, and there's never some dramatic wrecked building or hollowed out street for me to frame the aftermath with. Not that I mind, of course.
Essentially, I prevent collateral damage. That's how I pitch it to the heroes. They like it, their underwriters like it, the local governments like it. It helps the heroes swallow the bitter pill of how that collateral is prevented. If someone fires a weapon at a hero while I'm involved, they're getting hit. If they don't, something or someone else will, and that's "collateral" - the clever heroes usually learn that if it's part of the fight it's fair game, so they'll bring plenty of resources to soak hits that would otherwise be on them, or make sure that the backstop is another baddie. They benefit as well, of course. Laser eyes never ignite fuel tanks, throws hit brick walls instead of the glass window a foot to the left, and they never have to worry about crashing through a roof while landing.
The bad actors don't always know who I am or what I do. They figure they're on their game, or that it's just "how these things work out" - the ones with the time or resources to figure me out, however, do a quick bit of calculus. If I'm present, they can't miss. Their goons start peppering the heroes with rounds, their fancy doomsday weapons have a chance at hitting a moving target they'd never be able to otherwise. They benefit from having me around, so they keep me around. I've gotten 'tips' before, as well, just to make sure that I'm present when they unveil their newest anti-hero weapon.
So, I get the heroes hurt more often, but the bystanders get to walk free. It's hard, sometimes- there are a few capes and cowls draped under the words "In Memoriam" that I can't be sure I didn't hang there myself. But, in that same building, there's another board of names and photographs. Innocents, hostages, people that made it out of the most terrifying day of their lives because a hero stepped in just in time. People that those same heroes relied on my power to save.
As long as there's more names on the second wall than the first, I think I'm doing alright.
Nyxu t1_j0ohefv wrote
Reply to [WP] Your super power is preventing collateral damage. While the public thinks you're useless, all the other heroes really like you because they can go bonkers all out while you're around. by Time_Significance
The saying "All press is good press" inspired the outfit, I thought it apt. Helps me get to the scene, helps me keep a lower profile - by the time the new names on the respective rosters figure me out, they tend to understand why I'm kept around. I'm still terrible at playing the role of "catastrophic event photographer" - I never get a good picture of what's happening, and there's never some dramatic wrecked building or hollowed out street for me to frame the aftermath with. Not that I mind, of course.
Essentially, I prevent collateral damage. That's how I pitch it to the heroes. They like it, their underwriters like it, the local governments like it. It helps the heroes swallow the bitter pill of how that collateral is prevented. If someone fires a weapon at a hero while I'm involved, they're getting hit. If they don't, something or someone else will, and that's "collateral" - the clever heroes usually learn that if it's part of the fight it's fair game, so they'll bring plenty of resources to soak hits that would otherwise be on them, or make sure that the backstop is another baddie. They benefit as well, of course. Laser eyes never ignite fuel tanks, throws hit brick walls instead of the glass window a foot to the left, and they never have to worry about crashing through a roof while landing.
The bad actors don't always know who I am or what I do. They figure they're on their game, or that it's just "how these things work out" - the ones with the time or resources to figure me out, however, do a quick bit of calculus. If I'm present, they can't miss. Their goons start peppering the heroes with rounds, their fancy doomsday weapons have a chance at hitting a moving target they'd never be able to otherwise. They benefit from having me around, so they keep me around. I've gotten 'tips' before, as well, just to make sure that I'm present when they unveil their newest anti-hero weapon.
So, I get the heroes hurt more often, but the bystanders get to walk free. It's hard, sometimes- there are a few capes and cowls draped under the words "In Memoriam" that I can't be sure I didn't hang there myself. But, in that same building, there's another board of names and photographs. Innocents, hostages, people that made it out of the most terrifying day of their lives because a hero stepped in just in time. People that those same heroes relied on my power to save.
As long as there's more names on the second wall than the first, I think I'm doing alright.