video; username: spiderman

[madeupnames]

[Ah, look there! It's Spider-Man! He's filming... sideways? Oh, wait, he's standing on a brick wall sideways. That explains it.

His eyes are squinty and peeved, and his arms are crossed — who needs to hold the phone for recording when you've got webs to do that?

Anyway. He's peeved.]

Uuum, just FYI? Graffiti is 100% not cool. I mean, some of it is cool if you get a permit or you're actually any good at drawing —

Point is, don't gross up someone's wall with your bad artwork or some signature a bank teller wouldn't even take.

Also, how dare you use my creepy disfigured twin against me.

[What? Oh, look, he's turning the camera to show — oh dear god.]



[OH DEAR GOOOOOOD]

... I gotta say, The Arachnid really let himself go. And lost his neck in a tragic head-on collision with a building. Yikes.

And the Hulk should probably hit a dentist ASAP, but I'm loving what he's doing with the half-cut shirt.

Really brings out his... green... everything. 

[He rubs his chin.]

... You know, I'm just assuming that's the Hulk, but for all I know the guy who did it didn't have skin tones. Maybe he's just angry and sick.

Comments

[madeupnames]

C'mooon.

Nobody ever goes for the 'Man' in Spider-Man.

[wiccant]

The Spider-Man back where I come from started in his teens.

( considering how long he's been at it. not that it matters much, because: )

And you sound a little young for that.

[madeupnames]

[He sighs.]

Okay, okay. You're on the right track there.

... But mark my words, I'll hit puberty eventually and master my interrogation voice, so help me.

[wiccant]

Interrogation voices aren't about having a deep voice.

( like come on. billy's been more terrified of kate when she's been pissed than any other dude out there. )

It's about showing that you mean it.

[madeupnames]

That's a problem, since I don't usually mean it.

... Everything turns into quips.

[wiccant]

Less sassing, more squinting generally helps.

( not that it'd work for peter. given. spider-man. )

1/3

[madeupnames]

I can do that! Watch!

[madeupnames]

[madeupnames]

See?

[wiccant]

( it's absolutely horrible that the more he talks to peter, the more he remembers back when he was sixteen, training with eli, nate, and teddy. putting on his first suit, taking the name asgardian and running around accidentally setting fire to things.

before the first Incident. not that billy's still--angry at the world over that. things are different. peter is just.

young. new. and billy's a little enamored with it: a young nerd putting on a suit trying to do his best to better the world. he Gets it. there's a stupidly big smile on his lips, a happy lilt to his tone. )

I don't think you're ever going to get that down. Not that it's a bad thing.

( stay pure spider boy. )

[madeupnames]

[He shrugs and laughs, surprised at how content Billy looks.]

I guess that's for the best...!

I prefer making people give up information so they don't have to stomach anymore lame jokes, you know? How many knock-knock jokes can a bad guy stomach before he writes a whole novel on criminal activities in Queens? That sort of thing.

[wiccant]

I think Queens needs more heroes like you. New York in general definitely does.

( someone who isn't weighed down by as much shit as the avengers. not that they're bad, billy idolizes them as much as peter does. but peter has a nice perspective, and it's. important not to lose sight of that. billy knows. has, once or twice. )

Does that work often?

[madeupnames]

[He just huffs, a smile in the sound.]

Not at all. But that's what practice is for, right? I'll annoy New York City into peace.

[wiccant]

You can practice on Riverview in the meantime, I'm sure the villains here love that stuff.

( not that billy has much experience with them. there have been purse snatchers and cultists, but--nobody wants to think about the cultists. )

[madeupnames]

Sounds good. It's easy to find people to annoy, if you look hard enough.

This place is just a... greener New York.

With more aliens.

And monsters.

And magic.

[wiccant]

This place is a little less crazy than the New York I'm familiar with.

I'd say that place has more aliens, more monsters, and about the same amount of magic. But Quarantine is definitely greener.

[madeupnames]

[His eyes go wide.]

Whoa. Your New York sounds like a lot to deal with.

I mean, we've got some of that? Sometimes? But not this much for sure.

[wiccant]

It's pretty crazy, but it is New York. Most people see Iron Man running around doing his thing against a bunch of skrulls and just shrug it off as another Tuesday.

( they're not wrong either new york is crazy. crazier with all the alien invasions and ai takeovers but eh. )

Things have been escalating the last couple years too.

[madeupnames]

... I can at least relate to the 'escalating part'.

[Hey, he sounds a smidge defeated there. That won't do. He's quick to shake it off.]

But — uh! Anyway, I shouldn't keep you much longer. You take care of that, alright? That's my bread and butter.

[And heroing even pays him here. Shockingly.]

[wiccant]

( the mask can't hide that. billy's expression falls a little too as he catches it, wrapping fingers carefully around the (super cool) webslinger. )

If there's something going on. . you can talk to me. You know that, right? I'm no therapist or anything, but I do get it. It's hard. It's hard enough as an adult, it's even harder as a kid. Sometimes you learn things you never wanted to know but can't go back on. Sometimes it really hurts.

I'm here for you, if you need someone.

[madeupnames]

[He'd been moving toward the window, one foot moving to settle on the windowsill before Billy started up. It's enough to give him pause, looking back with a fondness that might not translate to a mask — but certainly translates in his voice.]

... Heh. Thanks, man. But I'm sure you got enough going on in your universe — no need to worry about a totally other one. [He shrugs, trying to shake off the ache that Billy clearly knows is there. Damn.] That's, uh — that's really cool of you, though. I'll remember that, I mean. Seriously.

[wiccant]

I spent a fairly long time universe hopping, you know.

( he's been around the block. seen things. worlds overtaken by kree (thanks noh-varr), worlds ruled by skrulls. worlds without the avengers, worlds with very few (earth 19999 is weird). and he likes peter. worrying about whatever it is that's going on--that's not a problem. if worse comes to worse--when they get back home, he'll call up his trusted multiverse jumper and hop their way on over. )

And we're friends, right? I'm here for you, even if whatever it is--is absolutely awful. Sometimes just getting to talk about it helps. And if it doesn't? You have a lot of people who will be there for you, myself included.

[madeupnames]

[A silence falls over him as he takes it all in. Truthfully, this is something he's relieved to hear, because it's just... it's nice to know you have the option. At the same time... god, he wouldn't even know how to begin right now. So he breathes through his nose, smiling.]

Maybe another day. I'll have to sleep on it a little. Get my head on straight.

But, um... I'll see you later. Definitely.

... And make sure you record whatever goofing you do later.