sheep_game | Myngle

Well...it's not like we do it for fun. If the public knows who we are, then criminals know too. And they can figure out who our families are. I don't wanna worry about some psycho going after my sister because they think it'll make me not pound them into the pavement.

[nods]

Yeah, I know. For Hunters there's usually security for them and their families, especially if they're associated with a Guild. But that doesn't stop people from trying things. People try to use me to get to my brother often enough that the security around my house is tighter than most Prime Ministers have. It's--a different lifestyle. The secrecy means you don't have to deal with security; the lack of secrecy for me means I have to deal with more security.

It'd be kinda cool if we could have personal security teams instead, but it's tough when we are the security. I think I've been doing pretty good on the secrecy though. The only people who know are some other heroes and my friends and family. And Brenda's aunt.

Mm...That's not too bad. At least you don't have to hide it from your family and friends. You mostly do local superhero stuff you said, right? So you wouldn't get anyone from overseas coming to bother you or your family even if they did have a suspicion about your identity.

[ Waggles his hand in a "so-so" gesture ]

I've been helping out the Teen Titans some, so it might just be a matter of time until one of their enemies decides to push their luck with me. But yeah, so far it's all local villains or problems related to The Reach.

And The Reach are...from Scarab's home world? They were in some of your memories, right? So you do run into them.

The Reach programmed Scarab, but I don't think anyone knows where they're originally from. They've been conquering developing worlds and species since before most species even figured out agriculture. The planet Scarab's from is just another one of those.

—But, uh. Yeah. They came looking for us a lot since we kept thwarting their plans for Earth.

[by now they have presumably made it back to Lily, so he ducks into the kitchen to dig out whatever ice cream they've got. important for this kind of topic.]

...It feels kind of rude to point this out with Scarab in your head, but...them having programmed him does seem like a problem? Can he de-program their influence at all?

[ Tails him in and perks up like a kid who just got called on for show and tell ]

Oh, you don't even know. Scarab's like a total freedom fighter now. He helped me come up with the whole plan to stop their invasion of Earth. He, like, downloaded their all their secret access codes into my brain and everything. And right before we blew up their mothership, he sent out an anti-Reach manifesto to every other scarab in the system and triggered a galactic revolt.

--What?! Really? Way to go, you two! Blowing up the mothership and starting a galactic revolt is exactly what I'd expect from you two.

[adds some extra heaps of ice cream to a bowl]

[ For a few moment Ananke's face and posture even out into Scarab's calm "at attention" stance ]

Thank you, Lethe. We both agreed that it should end there.

[ And Ananke's back, beaming just as brightly as before ]

We've still got some kinks to work out with the revolutions when we get back, but we can use our wish to help with it.

Oh, are you planning on using a wish for that? Just be careful what you wish for and the specific wording.

Probably? We've still got time to think about it, but it's the most obvious choice. We just need to clear up some misunderstandings about how to free people.

Is freeing people not straightforward enough already? How's that causing misunderstandings?

They're freedom absolutists now. A bunch of them crashed my prom to try to force Scarab into helping them take out every major world government and all of Earth's heroic leagues and societies.

[wow]

I see.

Even freedom absolutists should know the proper time and place for a conversation like that, though. Prom is definitely not where to have that talk.

I don't think they have prom on...wherever they came from.

[very seriously, which is how you can tell he's joking:]

Maybe if they had prom where they were from they'd know not to ruin it.

[ equally serious in return ]

So I should wish for every scarab to have a prom?

Edited 2024-05-22 03:37 (UTC)

It sounds like the only responsible thing to do with your wish, doesn't it?

I think you're right. I'll make sure they know to thank you for it.

You should still workshop it just in case you can think of something better.

Myngle

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