[video] asdfagf

[dupaindots]

[Marinette is beyond flustered right now. How could they say all those things? That was supposed to be the news! The news was supposed to tell the truth!]

[Now she needs to run damage control because what if Adrien thinks she isn't single?]

I'm not dating Thad! Not that there's anything wrong with you, Thad, but we're not dating, I don't know why they'd think we were dating, we were just standing. Standing near each other. Friends stand near each other and I was just trying to be friends! How could they get a love triangle out of standing?

And I don't have any experience as a superhero! They were just assuming way, way too much. My powers just make me very acrobatic, and they're easy to use, and they really just need to learn how to fact-check because most of their facts? Were not checked.

Not checked! No checking! Of facts!

How can they get away with that? That was supposed to the news, the news is supposed to tell the truth! They had no journalistic integrity at at all! None! None!

Comments

[googledox]

[Brainy didn't watch it. He doesn't need to watch it.]

Let me guess, it was another imbecilic fluff piece where they commentated on a life-or-death struggle like it was a sports game, made up false details about the team's interpersonal relationships, and ended with some kind of insinuation about how I'm a menace that's going to either kill innocent civilians and/or destroy the rest of the team, am I correct?

[He doesn't need to wait for the answer, he already knows what it is.]

The newslinks are notorious for twisting the truth. They're mindless entertainment for the idiotic masses, nothing more. You shouldn't pay them any mind. I don't know why we even have that feed set up in the first place. If it wasn't for the fact that some members of the team seem to care about how they're perceived by the public, we probably wouldn't.

[legionnpcs]

Yeah, well, you don't care about what anybody thinks, do you, Mr. Above-it-all.

[Yes, his tone is nasty but he's sick of how...unaffected Brainy always acts about all this.]

[legionnpcs]

With how the press always talks about him, Brainiac has good reason to not care about the newslinks.

Why, it's just entertainment drivel, and sometimes propaganda for the UP's pointless sanctions against us!

[legionnpcs]

Gates it right. They're never very nice. You're not really being fair, Timber Wolf. Not caring about what the news says doesn't mean Brainy doesn't care at all.

[legionnpcs]

Why are you always defending him when he's always so flip about the accident? The press is always making crap up, but I'm talking about how he always talks about it.

[googledox]

What would you prefer, Timber Wolf? Self-flagellation?

I'm sure I could commission someone to make a hair shirt if I look hard enough. Would that satisfy you?

[legionnpcs]

I'm not saying the links are right, but it's how you talk about it!

You always act like this is all so beneath you, everything that happened, and I'm sprocking sick of it!

[googledox]

Of course it's beneath me. Why should I pay attention to the sniping of the media? I have far more important things to occupy my time with -- things that, by the way, benefit you and the rest of the team.

What should I do instead, hole myself up in my quarters, listening to sad music, and learning how to play a microscopic violin over my woes?

But here, if you want, I can probably make one the size of an electron with some of the equipment in the lab. [he rotates his omnicom to one of the machines in the lab and then turns it back to himself.] The tiniest violin achievable by science. Since it seems that's the only thing that will satisfy you.

[legionnpcs]

It's not that the news is right, it's you. It's what you say.

Those rookies were out there fighting for the UP when this ain't even their world, risking their lives, when the only reason they're here is you sprocked something up, and anytime someone brings up something you've always got to talk about it like it was nothing.

I'm not saying you have to keep beating yourself up over it forever, but how about not acting like it don't even affect you at all? How about not talking about it all casual like it was just some thing that happened?!

'Cause it wasn't just some thing that happened, not to the rest of us. I almost bit it because we're understaffed and if I had, Cub would've lost three parents.

[relativityspeaking]

Oh for--

[Kid Quantum visibly reins herself in]

Brin, we have talked about this. What happened was an accident and yelling at Brainy isn't going to bring anyone back any faster. The way Brainy handles his emotional nass is not yours to dictate.

[She takes a breath and lets it out again, and her next words are gentler]

And while yours isn't technically mine to dictate either, you could probably use another chat with Dr. Ryk'rr. I know you hate it when fights get anywhere near Cub, for obvious reasons.

[legionnpcs]

[Brin makes a few inarticulate snarly noises, but she's the boss. And he respects the boss. (More than most people, if he's honest with himself.) And he knows he's on thin ice.]

Fine.

[He hangs up to follow orders.]

[relativityspeaking]

[And with that dealt with...]

Brainy, I have also talked to you about antagonizing Timber Wolf. While your emotional nass is neither mine nor his to dictate, you are not above the rules or my ability to punish for being a mouthy little squaj either. Tell him to sprock off and hang up if you must, but you are both part of this team and I expect you to act like it. Am I clear?

[googledox]

I was minding my own business and trying to reassure one of our new Legionnaires so they didn't fuss over the stupidity being flung at them by the press.

Why should I have to kowtow to his ridiculous temper tantrums?

[relativityspeaking]

Yes, because my suggesting that you tell him to sprock off and hang up is exactly like insisting you kowtow to him.

[The art of withering sarcasm is not a lost one among the Legion. Kid Quantum is no exception.]

Am I clear?

[googledox]

[He glares at the screen.]

Affirmative.

[He hangs up, too. And goes to weld something because he needs to get his aggression out somehow and melting things with very burny fire is definitely a way to do it.]

[enthraller]

[Well, someone seems much less distressed to have been cast in this "love triangle". If anything, Saralegui looks amused.]

People will find any reason to gossip and speculate. You're better off just having fun with it.

[dupaindots]

There is nothing fun about -- about that!

[enthraller]

Really? [His eyebrows arch, somewhere between skeptical and genuinely curious.] Knowing what you know now about the way they think, you could make people believe whatever you want them to with almost no effort. You don't find that even faintly amusing?

[After, leaving the power in their hands just meant they could humiliate you with their rumors. But taking control of it makes them the fools for being so gullible.]

[dupaindots]

[That gave her pause. She was used to getting good press basically all the time. She was Ladybug and Paris loved Ladybug and Chat Noir. (But especially Ladybug)]

[However, Marinette was one of nature's meddlers and she did, yes, occasionally have a slight mischievous side.]

We probably could trick them into publishing anything.

[If they saw fit to just make any old thing up, then they had it coming if they were tricked.]

[enthraller]

[He always knows what to say to get people doing and thinking what he wants. Those manipulative tendencies are not at all dependent on his powers. But hey, if it gets Marinette to relax a little, maybe that makes it a good thing sometimes?]

Right? [The sweetest smile possible.] Isn't it more fun to turn it around on them than fretting over what they're saying?

[dupaindots]

I wonder if I can convince them I'm royalty back home.

[That seems like a fun and very innocent trick.]

Or a famous movie star.

[unfurtunate]

It looked pretty amazing for your first time. Maybe beginner's luck is another one of your powers?

[He hadn't really taken any of the newscasters' commentary seriously, being a minor celebrity himself. He knows how it is. But the video footage of the fight was cool, once he got over the stress of watching Marinette jumping into the fray like Ladybug herself.]

[dupaindots]

[He noticed! More importantly, he noticed without guessing she was the real Ladybug! Which is kind of important.]

Maybe it is! [Haha, she has never done all this before, never ever, nope.] I guess all that practice paid off.

But it wasn't really a big deal. We couldn't have done it without everyone working together.

[legionnpcs]

For a first battle, you all acquitted yourselves admirably and I am pleased to see that you've benefitted from your training.

You should all be proud of yourselves.

[relativityspeaking]

Karate Kid is right. Regardless of whatever else the holo-personalities are saying, you all did an excellent job. Take that and don't worry too much about the rest; it'll be dropped for the next new thing tomorrow.

[leverageintceo]

Lies are usually more interesting than the truth. And you can imply relationships with almost anything, especially if the people in question are a mystery. It's pretty great when you're on the other side of that.

[dupaindots]

Why would anyone want to be on the other side of extreme lying?

[leverageintceo]

Because then you can trick people into orchestrating their own downfall.

Like, say there's a man who is going to release medicine on the market that will kill people. He knows it will, there have been studies, but he's a very bad man and it will make him a lot of money before other people realize it kills people; and even then he'll only have to pay what is, to him, a relatively small fine. So he slaps a new name on it and goes about his evil business.

[Parker bares her teeth in a feral sort of smile.]

So you make him think that you've slipped the medicine into his drink, and the drinks of all the people at the fancy party he's hosting. Then, while he's freaking out in public and saying that someone slipped this bad drug into their drinks, your partner hijacks the slide show and reveals that this new medicine is the same as the 'bad drug'. Which means that the very bad man goes to jail and doesn't make a lot of money on a drug that will kill people.

And then you gloat.

[ringslinging]

That's how this stuff usually goes. But hey, look at it this way.

How seriously do you take the tabloids back home?

[ He's looking for a "not very" to take into reassurances from there, but if it turns out she does take them very seriously, uh, he's got nothing. ]

[dupaindots]

Only a little. And that's only when they're about --

[Shut up shut up shut up shut up.]

--certain people. That the tabloids don't usually make too many lies about.

[And then she cut out certain pictures of those certain people that certain person, and added them to her stalker wall.]

[ringslinging]

So let's say by only a little you mean, maybe...one in ten things they say. Which is still way more generous than I'd be, but whatever.

You can throw most of that report in the trash right off. Maybe they have one thing worth saying in there, but the other nine? Gone, who cares.

[dupaindots]

But what if other people believe in the 9 things out of the 10 things that aren't true?

[She isn't used to that. The press back home always seems to get things, right. Usually they don't make anything up, they just...treat her like a hero. And leave it there.]

[ringslinging]

A lot of them are gonna be throwing nine things out the window too, right?

[dupaindots]

But what if they throw the nine things out and only keep one thing and the one thing is still wrong and they throw the right thing out the window?

[Okay, now she's just messing with him.]

[ringslinging]

Then who cares what someone stupid enough to buy it thinks?

[mirror_soldier]

No offence taken.

And unfortunately, yes they can get away with what they said. While their reports may be idiotic, they seem to be quite clever when it comes to safely pushing the boundaries of current libel laws.

[Sorry Marinette, he wishes he could say otherwise, but he may have taken hearing a mainstream 'news outlet' spinning false stories a little too personally, even before all of this. Finding that they were technically in their right, he'd tried to merely ignore them, but now it seemed that may be a bit harder to do than he'd first thought.]

[dupaindots]

There has to be some way to make them retract it.

[A pause.]

Although I guess it's not really something that I find that offensive.

[She has no problems with you, Thad. It's not the worst that they insinuate things.]

[She gets a little mischievous smirk.]

Besides, at least I'm not the one they're painting as being a heartbreaker.

[She held a hand to her forehead as if in so much shock she might faint.]

How could you, Thad? I thought what we had meant something to you.

[enthraller]

[Dryly:]

I saw him first.

[mirror_soldier]

[There's a brief look of confusion before he seems to catch on and actually smirks back, before putting on a look of shock and mock sadness.]

You mean you two aren't getting along anymore? And here I thought the three of us were so good together.

[His hand goes over his heart because truly this is just so upsetting.]

If we don't work this out, the news will have to tell the woeful tale of our unfortunate and scandalous breakup.

[dupaindots]

Don't try to pretend this was all okay! Hmph!

[She turns away from the comm screen in a huff.]

You know that I never agreed to your terms. The scandal!

It isn't fair for you to keep stringing us along like this. You have to choose!

[enthraller]

[While Marinette is enjoying the faux-drama, Saralegui just looks thoughtful.]

So who's the jilted lover and who's the unwitting affair? Or was he just aiming for a three-way all along?

[dupaindots]

We demand answers, Thad!

[deafleppard]

just so you know

this right here?

not helping your case at all

[dupaindots]

What's not helping? I wasn't trying to help any...thing.

What do you think I was trying to help? Because there's nothing to be helped.

[deafleppard]

first of all, you're way too excitable over this

kind of makes it looks like there's something to what they said

[dupaindots]

Ha! What? Noooo.

[That really didn't sound convincing. At all.]

I'm just not used to people caring about my pretty much nonexistent love life.

[Yes, let's make this about the romance part.]

Except for my best friend Alya. She's pretty invested.

[Also very true.]

I'm usually the mostly quiet one in class. I mean, people like me, I'm even the class president, but I'm not used to being the center of anyone's attention.

[Total lie, since she's in the news all the time as Ladybug, but it did hold true for when she was Marinette.]

And it's just a little extra awkward because one of my classmates is here...

[deafleppard]

rule one about this line of work:

everybody wants to know everything about you.

everything

[dupaindots]

[She can't really explain that she knows a little bit what that's like. There are a few people, like Alya, that really want to know who she is behind the mask. But they're not really this...intrusive.]

I'm not really that interesting. Why do they care that much?

[deafleppard]

because you're special