For those who aren't following along, The Implausible's origin story is detailed HERE.
For the record, I'm making this up as I go along, so be kind. =) Also, any suggestions are quite welcome.
The CoT's Love Plot - Part 1: Sleepless Nights
Paragon City never sleeps. Whether it's the whirring of the Clockwork as they scamper about creating safety hazards, or the guttural burbling of the Hydras as they wade around doing whatever it is that they do, there's a constant, pervasive white noise that colours every hero's life.
Right now, it's colouring Walt Lansbury's life with a big noisy crayon, denying him the sleep he so desperately craves. Well, the background noise, and the fact that Walt now has several mental maladies due to the unforunate and not-accidental death of his girlfriend. That sort of thing will really take a whiffle-bat to your thought processes, even if you weren't particularly fond of her, a fact that Walt has a habit of pointing out.
Whatever the case, he's sitting in bed, mulling over the day's group therapy session. It'd been the usual "Hi, my name's Vengeance Dog, and I've been a super-hero for seven weeks now" nonsense, followed by another hour of shop talk, with everyone bragging about how many criminals they'd apprehended that week. You know, standard stuff. He couldn't see how it was supposed to be helping him, but the meetings had grown to be as routine as donning his black, white and blues and patrolling the neighborhood, and it was starting to scare him.
It wasn't as scary as what happened later in the meeting, though. Vengeance Dog, while never outright rude, had usually kept to himself during the socializing portions. It wasn't that he was shy, or that he didn't like his fellow heroes, it seemed more that he just really liked the little sandwiches that the caterer provided. One time, during one of the earlier meetings that Walt had attended, Liquid Lad had made the mistake of trying to talk to Vengeance Dog while he was hunched in his corner, wolfing down sandwiches, and Vengeance Dog had BEATEN THE LIVING HECK OUT OF HIM. After that, Vengeance Dog and his corner were off-limits.
But tonight.. Tonight was weird. Instead of the usual snatch-grab-and-run, Vengeance Dog had seemed downright civil. Walt had watched him, warily, as he'd made the rounds, talking with people, making sure to look them in the eye, and sometimes even leaning forward to pat another's arm in some sort of sympathetic gesture. It wasn't like Vengeance Dog at all, Walt had mused, watching him over the rim of his can of soda.
Then, Vengeance Dog had pushed The Tungsten Bolt over and begun to do something that's hilarious when a small dog (possibly a yorkie) is doing it, but incredibly distressing when a grown man in a superhero costume is the perpetrator.
It had taken seven of them to break it up. Seven of them.Including Ultimate-Man.
Jogging home, too, Walt had noticed that something was awry. He'd seen a bizarre little scene play out in an alley in Atlas Park, where a Skull Girl had apparently fallen in love with a Hellion Boy, and instead of fighting, the two gangs had squared off and began snapping their fingers at each other. Walt hadn't stuck around, as dance-fights weren't his cup of cake, but he was fairly sure it ended in tragedy. Or Happily Ever After. Whichever. He'd also seen two Nacht Fists sharing a malt in the stereotypical fifties restaraunt, but he'd chalked that one up to his fevered imagination and fractured psyche. It was easier that way.
And so Walt sits there, considering the events of the day. Then, without a word (for the best, as there's no-one else in the room) he rises, walks to his closet, and carefully slides it open. Inside, the black, white, and blue beckons. Walt Lansbury may be powerless to comprehend the rampant bizarre behavior, but for The Implausible, the bizarre is commonplace. (For the record: The really bizarre is bizarre, so it kinda evens out.)
And so he sets off into the night. At the worst, he'll have a couple arrests to brag about next week. Heck, maybe this'll be the adventure that makes him well again.
He just wants to be well.
To be continued in The CoT's Love Plot - Part 2: Citizens on Patrol!
And it's another story!
For those who aren't following along, The Implausible's origin story is detailed HERE.
For the record, I'm making this up as I go along, so be kind. =) Also, any suggestions are quite welcome.
The CoT's Love Plot - Part 1: Sleepless Nights
Paragon City never sleeps. Whether it's the whirring of the Clockwork as they scamper about creating safety hazards, or the guttural burbling of the Hydras as they wade around doing whatever it is that they do, there's a constant, pervasive white noise that colours every hero's life.
Right now, it's colouring Walt Lansbury's life with a big noisy crayon, denying him the sleep he so desperately craves. Well, the background noise, and the fact that Walt now has several mental maladies due to the unforunate and not-accidental death of his girlfriend. That sort of thing will really take a whiffle-bat to your thought processes, even if you weren't particularly fond of her, a fact that Walt has a habit of pointing out.
Whatever the case, he's sitting in bed, mulling over the day's group therapy session. It'd been the usual "Hi, my name's Vengeance Dog, and I've been a super-hero for seven weeks now" nonsense, followed by another hour of shop talk, with everyone bragging about how many criminals they'd apprehended that week. You know, standard stuff. He couldn't see how it was supposed to be helping him, but the meetings had grown to be as routine as donning his black, white and blues and patrolling the neighborhood, and it was starting to scare him.
It wasn't as scary as what happened later in the meeting, though. Vengeance Dog, while never outright rude, had usually kept to himself during the socializing portions. It wasn't that he was shy, or that he didn't like his fellow heroes, it seemed more that he just really liked the little sandwiches that the caterer provided. One time, during one of the earlier meetings that Walt had attended, Liquid Lad had made the mistake of trying to talk to Vengeance Dog while he was hunched in his corner, wolfing down sandwiches, and Vengeance Dog had BEATEN THE LIVING HECK OUT OF HIM. After that, Vengeance Dog and his corner were off-limits.
But tonight.. Tonight was weird. Instead of the usual snatch-grab-and-run, Vengeance Dog had seemed downright civil. Walt had watched him, warily, as he'd made the rounds, talking with people, making sure to look them in the eye, and sometimes even leaning forward to pat another's arm in some sort of sympathetic gesture. It wasn't like Vengeance Dog at all, Walt had mused, watching him over the rim of his can of soda.
Then, Vengeance Dog had pushed The Tungsten Bolt over and begun to do something that's hilarious when a small dog (possibly a yorkie) is doing it, but incredibly distressing when a grown man in a superhero costume is the perpetrator.
It had taken seven of them to break it up. Seven of them. Including Ultimate-Man.
Jogging home, too, Walt had noticed that something was awry. He'd seen a bizarre little scene play out in an alley in Atlas Park, where a Skull Girl had apparently fallen in love with a Hellion Boy, and instead of fighting, the two gangs had squared off and began snapping their fingers at each other. Walt hadn't stuck around, as dance-fights weren't his cup of cake, but he was fairly sure it ended in tragedy. Or Happily Ever After. Whichever. He'd also seen two Nacht Fists sharing a malt in the stereotypical fifties restaraunt, but he'd chalked that one up to his fevered imagination and fractured psyche. It was easier that way.
And so Walt sits there, considering the events of the day. Then, without a word (for the best, as there's no-one else in the room) he rises, walks to his closet, and carefully slides it open. Inside, the black, white, and blue beckons. Walt Lansbury may be powerless to comprehend the rampant bizarre behavior, but for The Implausible, the bizarre is commonplace. (For the record: The really bizarre is bizarre, so it kinda evens out.)
And so he sets off into the night. At the worst, he'll have a couple arrests to brag about next week. Heck, maybe this'll be the adventure that makes him well again.
He just wants to be well.
To be continued in The CoT's Love Plot - Part 2: Citizens on Patrol!