Half Prepped Zero Baked

Hey all! Cricket here!

After a number of comments on the main blog about it being less about just Cape on Cape,
and more about me being in the limelight, I thought it’d be best if I separate “Cricket” stuff
into its own little blog. So here’s Bug on Stage!

So for anyone new, I joined up with ECD after my miserable solo act. I was running as a
Vigilante for the last month or so, actually trying to save people and stuff (instead of using
my powers to get some pretty sweet Cape on Cape action!). It was kinda dumb that I didn’t
go to them sooner, as it means now people know I’m a hero! Acting officially and all now, it
means people should hopefully stop seeing me as a Villain, and instead see me as a Hero!

So I’ve joined up with the new team going into Little Panama, Bullet Dodgers! Not the best
name, but Central (the guys that run the ECD) picked it, so not much we can do. Hopefully
we get something cooler, but I guess it doesn’t matter, if we’re good at our job (and therefore
amazing).

Anyway, the previous team (The Dozers) were caught purposely causing collateral damage,
so that’s only gone and generated a whole bunch of bad rep with Little Panama for the ECD,
so that kinda sucks. Hoping some of the other guys Reps kinda help smooth things over,
and that we can start putting some trust back in the ECD (or if not them, then just us.)

But enough backstory, let's get into the actual post! Half Baked in the Morning! Me (Cricket),
Sovereign and Deliverance had an interview about our new posting and positioning! Some of
you likely heard it this morning, but if you missed it, you… didn’t really miss anything great.

It went… ok, I think. I Sucked at it, but it went alright for the other two. Weasel, John and
Nick were nice, but I really freaked out. Like, super freaked out. I haven’t done any public
speaking in Years, and I’m pretty sure not wanting to do any more caused me to trigger to
get my powers. Deliverance was super relaxed and on top of it, doing most of the talking,
and when she wasn’t Sovereign was pretty solid. Between the two of them they (thankfully)
did most of the talking, and I only needed to answer like, two questions. (Which I kinda
screwed up real bad.)

We briefly covered a few key things, like how we joined and if we’re looking forward to
working in Little Panama (I know I am, given I kinda live there). Talked about Blue Mage and
Magnificent, and how they’re like, our main target (even with their low casualty rates they
cause). Looking into them from within the ECD, turns out they’ve actually done a lot more
damage than you’d think. I can’t give too many details (yet), but turns out it’s something like
over $12 billion in damages! And that’s on top of all those Doomsday plots they keep pulling
off! Go Figure.

We did get to have a bit of new news! We announced how there isn’t a Troll Hunt this year,
but they’re gassing the sewers. I got to admit, I’ve got some mixed feelings about this. I
know I’ve gone in as a camera crew a few times in the past, but it was Never fun. And
actually fighting in some of those tunnels… Gross. Photos will never portray the smell
properly, and neither can my words. The Hero in me is glad, the Photographer isn’t.

Oh, yeah! If people haven’t heard, Odd Summer officially started Yesterday (as of this post).
Now I know a few people are going to ask “but what about the Music Scene”. While we’ve
tracked them a little here in the past, there’s been no sightings of them for Three Years now.
Three. CENTRAL has declared them dead, and I’m inclined to believe. I’ve seen nothing,
and checking their records (as little as I have), they’ve had no reportings either. So if I get
any posts asking if we’ll deal with them, I’m deleting it! Because they’re DEAD!

Anyway, when it finished I just kinda… poofed. I dunno, I was kinda hoping to get an
autograph from the hosts or something while there, but I just… left. Guess I really wanted to
be out of there. Still, it was nice when I got back to my little den. Oh well.. I say maybe next
time, but I really, REALLY don’t want to be next time.

Anyway, that’s it for now!

Cricket!

Comments
MuhNameTooHarrison
| some pretty sweet Cape on Cape action!
😉

Joe Questions a Cuppa Capes

Hey all! Cricket here!

So I just did my second public outing. Another Interview. Seriously, I just want to go out there
and actually be a hero. I know, I know, CENTRAL wants to make sure teams are trained and
up to speed and such, especially after what happened with the Dozers, but that doesn’t
mean I’m not itching to get in a scrap or two! Especially given my hobby, which I was
guessing I wouldn’t be able to do as much (cause ya know, I’d actually be part of it, trying to
stop the villains, instead of just there to photo them).

Anyway, most of the Bullet Dodgers went up on Cuppa Joe Questions. Sovereign wasn’t
there, but Deliverance, Rabble Rouser, Loom and myself all were, for those that haven’t had
learnt the full teams names yet.

It went better. Deliverance stayed cool though most of it, while Loom and Rabble were…
them. Loom’s got everything in the right place, except maybe the attitude. He’s a little spicy.
I’m sure once he’s gotten used to everything, he’ll be up there with all of them great capes,
where he envisions himself. I mean, not even us Capes start off as perfect!
Rabble is a little harder to place. I know, it’s been four months, but we don’t always get all
that much time to see each other, and I’m still trying to work him out. He definitely knows
what he wants (and about half the time that’s a drink), but he’s a good sort too.

And yes! I did talk. Not much, and only towards the end, but I did answer a question, without
being prompted. And I didn’t even squeak once! (Well, at least not on mic, which is the main
thing!). As I didn’t answer many questions, and a Bunch of people asked last time, I’ll answer
them here.

Q: How are you settling in with CENTRAL?

A: Great! I’ve personally been digging into all their documents and dossias, the massive nerd
as I am, and I think the others are doing fine. I have an odd sleeping pattern so I don’t see
them all that much.

Q: Rumor is that N12 isn’t getting funding from CENTRAL, is that true?
A: Ehh… it’s a little complex. CENTRAL has been on a slimmer budget this year, thanks to
Stitches in E5, so there’s that. I can’t really say what the normal budget is, so I don’t know if
it’s lower.

Q: How should corruption in CENTRAL and the ECD be handled?

A: Well, STARS is being expanded to have that bigger Internal Affairs division. Nobody is
above the law, not even CENTRAL, and I think people are more upset that the Dozers were
corrupt because they hold Capes to a higher standard than, say, your average politician
(which people half expect to be corrupt, though nobody in CENTRAL I’ve met falls into that
group, I hope!)

Q: There’s a lot of concerns over the Salt District and Ravana as of recent. Thoughts?
A: While I may joke about wanting to go fight Ravana than say, go on another talk show,
Ravana is a huge threat, and from what I’ve seen CENTRAL and the Blind Butchers take
containing it very seriously. Maybe if people are really interested, I’ll talk to CENTRAL about
maybe taking some snaps around there, doing an interview there or something. Regardless,
there are plans in place for a worst case breakout.

Q: How do I feel about Capes being removed from the Board?

A: I personally have nothing really to hide, though I do acknowledge that a level of care is
taken to protect Capes identity, as certain villains wouldn’t hesitate to try and break Capes
by targeting loved civilians. The Board itself? Perhaps in the future a new cape people trust
more will end up there, the Board does shift from time to time, and this to me just feels…
normal.

Q: Thoughts on the Electric Church?

A: Nothing strong. I did check them out a few years ago, and found them a little odd, but for
the most part harmless.

Q: Cambion is moving towards Hive City. Should people worry? (I know I answered this live,
but I don’t blame people for not understanding me then)
A: CENTRAL doesn’t currently believe that Cambion will come this far north. That being
said, the Wall Breach System is in place for such things, and CENTRAL has always kept up-
to-date contingency plans in case the Cambion returned to Hive City. I’ve personally made
sure to read all of it, and even some of the older plans to be ready if they turn up.

Q: Your thoughts on Mutiveruse survivors and the Bill changes?

A: As I said on Half Baked (though I understand if you didn’t properly catch it), I see both
sides. Growing up in Little Panama, I’ve known a lot of people who have to wear those
armbands, and I personally don’t like them (The armbands, the people wearing them tend to
be lovely <3 ). That being said, there is also a big risk of creatures coming from the sewers,
and it’s safer for everyone (both with and without Mutavus) if we can spot monsters apart
from people. It’s really a case of where do we draw the line, and what steps we take. Should
everyone who’s not a baseline human (anyone with Mutavus, Powers or Beniditch) get
chipped and marked? A Tinker who can build a nuke from things found in a dustbin is more
of a threat than someone with four eyes, right?

Anyway, rambling on a bit. I personally think that if there is a safer alternative that can be
introduced, we should go for it, but until it is, I'm reluctant to say that the armbands are the
safest option.

And that’s all for the interview! There’s also a nasty rumor going around, so I’ll answer that
here as well, cause I’m sure I’m going to be asked - No, Rabble didn’t use his powers in the
station. No, none of us broke anything there. No, I don’t know how the ladder got into the
middle of the hallway of the studio.

Cricket!

Comments
DarkKlaus
I saw Loom at a grocery store in Fortress City yesterday. I told him how cool it was to meet him in person, but I
didn’t want to be a douche and bother him and ask him for photos or anything. He said, “Oh, like you’re doing
now?” I was taken aback, and all I could say was “Huh?” but he kept cutting me off and going “huh? huh? huh?”
and closing his hand shut in front of my face. I walked away and continued with my shopping, and I heard him
chuckle as I walked off. When I came to pay for my stuff up front I saw him trying to walk out the doors with like
fifteen Milky Ways in his hands without paying.

The girl at the counter was very nice about it and professional, and was like “Sir, you need to pay for those first.”
At first he kept pretending to be tired and not hear her, but eventually turned back around and brought them to
the counter.

When she took one of the bars and started scanning it multiple times, he stopped her and told her to scan them
each individually “to prevent any electrical infetterence,” and then turned around and winked at me. I don’t even
think that’s a word. After she scanned each bar and put them in a bag and started to say the price, he kept
interrupting her by yawning really loudly.

Day of Hell In Cricket’s Life

Hey all! Cricket here!

So, public announcement, that I’ve done several times but if I put it here people may actually
read it. I am no longer controlling bugs! Look, I didn’t realise just how much that creeped
people out, and I’m sorry I did. I’ve switched that stuff out for some more flexible and
adaptable gear. Keeping the name though. I like Cricket.

Anyway, I went to another interview, this time with Deliverance and Loom. This one had
cameras, but also wasn’t live. CPAN’s “Day in the life of…” Series. Yes, I know everything
from CPAN’s channel is patriotism and such, but I don’t think CENTRAL would be happy if
we went off and did an interview on CrimeWAVE or Master/Peace. Still, it went… ok. I feel
like the editor is going to have a hard time with me, given all my stuttering and getting
stalled. Though knowing it wasn’t live Really helped.

Started out in Central, just some general interview stuff. Asked about before powers and
such, nothing interesting from me. Then we moved out to N12, where they asked us a few
questions about the city and stuff, all good things from us.

When we got to the HQ, they directly interviewed us, and asked a real key question - Why
did you become a hero? It took me a moment, but it’s because I want to make N12, and Hive
in general, safer. It’s a good feeling knowing that others can walk down the street safely, and
it’s because I made the street safer. I feel super worried that sounds kinda big headed and
egotistical, but it’s really just a nice feeling knowing I’m making the city just that little bit
better. That I can and will continue to make something of a difference, even if it’s only a little.

We all also had to guess what the others did in our downtime, which was kinda fun. Guess
both of them said I worked on my blog. (Big shock there, I do, but other stuff as well, like
inventing.)

Next we went on patrol, and had a few more questions. Deliverance finally made a
recommendation that I felt was worth the price tag, and that’s Harries! (same place I
recommended.) It’s a little burger van on the edge of the district, a bit out the way but totally
worth it. Odd though, she said the Tofu Burgers were the best, but they only came out just
after the interview… Guess I’ll ‘grill’ her about it.

Finally we finished off at Russo's. Given I go there at least once a month, it was nice getting
to have some food for free from there (CENTRAL paid). Just some general chatting,
confirming what we’d guessed about each other. It was really just… casual. Nice. We don’t
get to do stuff like that often. Might try and see if we can do that more, to help forge the
team-bond stronger.

Anyway, that’s all for now!

Cricket!

Blue Stakeout Dodging Mage

Hey all! Cricket here!
So our first proper deployment was the other day. Had a quick, whistlestop tour of the base
(just as a sort of wrap-up and to make sure everyone knew everyone there, that sort of
thing), before we went out.

After that, we got a tip-off that one of Magnificence’s group was out and about, so we tried to
nab them. Sadly, we didn’t realise it was Grimm, and he ran though several buildings before
we cornered him. When we got in there, he’d gotten reinforcements - Blue Mage himself, in
all his glory. We… had a bit of traditional “Villain Vs Hero Banter”, and while we tested the
waters with his powerset, we were not prepared for him, or the three other villains he had
with him (Grim among them).

We had to bounce at that point, but not after Blue Mage nearly shot one of his own with a
meteor. Now, some may say we chicken out, but Blue Mage and Magnificence HAS been on
the wanted list for a good long time, longer than most. If anyone was expecting us to win a
fight against him on our first day, I thank you for the ludicrously high expectations but
request you temper them greatly.

I’ll admit that I wasn’t super happy we didn’t trade as much as we could, but he’d have wiped
the floor with us with his support, given how new of a team we are, and aren’t totally insync
yet. I didn’t walk away not learning anything, though. Tinker’s are always addressing
problems, trying to improve and be better, and I’m no different. I’ll have a trick or two ready
for next time we run into him….

Anyway, that’s all for now!

Cricket!