Q + A chat session with the Jetts

Live Skype chat with anonymous fan.

Good morning, Lora, Alan....and Mindy.
Lora: Morning to you, too!
Alan: So, what’d you want to chat us up for?
Isn’t it obvious? Things have been pretty quiet from what’s been posted online. And other fans are making up rumors.
Lora: Rumors, eh? Pray tell.
That’s why I started this online Q&A. I’ve got a fairly big list of comments people’ve been posting, and they asked me to read it off to you.
Alan: Okay, that’s cool, we were on TV once, after all.
And don’t worry, I’ve done the picking, so there won’t be any of those dumb posts where people have trouble just writing a single sentence or just fill ‘em with...memes and...what not. *cracks up*
Lora: *chuckle* Good idea
Alan: *Ahem*, uh, well, fire away.
---
First question’s from (fabuLOS_701dt): “Some fans with...*cough* adult thoughts are posting fanart of Lora on HeroFans.com.” Um....how can I say this in a kid-friendly way...
Lora: Yes...?
Basically, they see you as a living fashion model and want every piece of you they can get...literally, I can imagine.
Lora: Yikes, that’s what I figured.
So this particular person wants to know: “what if that...scent of yours could be made into a sellable product? Maybe those people would finally be off your back?”
Lora: No can do. The person who made this costume told me to keep its materials a secret.
Figured as much. No point in trying to force a hero into doing something too mundane for their powers.
Alan: That’s some good pep talk, right there! How did you come up with that?
Kids TV shows, they said it all the time. Although the Verdant Valkyrie’s pretty happy with it.
Lora: Oh, her? Huh, that’s...interesting.
---
Next up from (Uplink_331) is: “word on the street is that the government wants to hire Ms. Finnegan to fight cyber-crime. You’re very lucky to have a hacker on your side, by the way.”
Alan: Nice of them to say that. Yeah, I’ve heard of the FBI hiring people like her.
Quote: “What’s she been up to, anyway? I would contact her myself but I’m a little shy, who knows what sorts of stuff a person like her would have to keep people out?” Tsk, that sounds risky in itself to me.
Lora: Ditto. Really, she’s been laying low too. All I know is she built a couple of custom apps for us; one to keep in touch with us and the other heroes we know, and another to quietly forward any crucial data she’s stolen from villain databases, to our phones and tablets. So if someone needs to speak to her, it’ll need some serious means of contact.
Whoo! That’s some high-end stuff for apps.
Lora: And I’ve got a feeling the FBI will let her keep utilizing these apps, for the government’s sake.
Nice! Uh, next question,
---
From (Anvil_DanBull) “Alan, what’s your view on examining miniature items? My friends tell me that that incident where Mindy got sucked into a dollhouse was pretty intense. One of those friends goes to her school.”
Alan: My view on miniatures? Um, it’s interesting when we’re on downtime and not involving civilians or some such – seriously, I do get a kick out of decorating a house as if it’s a human-scaled one, like you wouldn’t believe the perspective it brings; but if it’s part of the mission, we tend to steer clear unless it’s absolutely necessary.
"Because that same friend of mine (his real name is Cody Smithson, about Mindy’s age), well, last week his dad bought him a fancy electric toy train to play with; he’s been hearing weird noises from inside for the last few days. I’m not sure if those creepy old women built it first, but you guys might want to take a look.” Geez, that one was elaborate.
Lora: Oh...oh man, that is disturbing.
Mindy: I’m curious!
Alan: Mindy, didn’t you learn your lesson from last time?
Mindy: Hey, I didn’t know...that that would happen! I just wanted to play with the dollhouse.
Lora: After we told you to put it away? I should’ve grounded you for that!
Alan: Lora, ease up! Grounding isn’t always the punishment for kids. Didn’t Grandpa teach you anything?
Um, guys, we’re still on here.
Lora: Ooh, sorry. Uh, if that’s a new mission, we’ll be sure to get on it when possible. Don’t you worry!
---
Question from (BananaBreadKim): “What’s Mindy’s class like? I don’t go to that school, but some of the younger fans have been talking about it on this site.”
Lora: Mindy? You can answer that, can’t you?
Mindy: *stretches towards camera*, Sure! I like it a lot – Ms. Carny’s so nice – she’s always able to help me on something I don’t get in a worksheet, and didn’t even bust me when I accidently broke a glass jar full of markers. Lucas, too. I really don’t know that much about him, but I’ve learned a bunch of stuff about Australia, where he came from.
What about “Hannah, the hacker’s kid? Is she still a bully there?”
Lora: No, Amelia taught that girl a lesson – in a good way, after the former started working with us.
“And is Mindy making good grades so far? Just curious.”, they say.
Lora: Oh yeah. She’s a little shaky on keeping up every week – I’ve tried to keep her on task, and she knows homework has to be done, but sometimes hero business just gets in the way too often. Last I checked, her progress report said 80-89.
Really? Huh, that’s not quite the picture I was imagining – or probably that fan in particular either.
Alan: I can see where you’re coming from, but not every kid is always distracted from homework.
Lora: It is hard getting ‘em used to it, that’s always the case, but I myself was shocked when I found just how curious, straightforward, and above all, BUBBLY my little Mindy seems to be, every day of the week! Isn’t that right?
Mindy: You betcha, mama!
I guess we learn something new every day, huh?
Lora: Totally. Shame...*gulp* that I didn’t know Mindy’s old parents. I could’ve learned a thing or two from ‘em.
Alan: Frankly, I myself am kind of surprised also. We all share this interest in old comic books and cartoons, and yet my niece, Lora’s daughter, is still willing to do schoolwork when she needs to! Really, that should be on a reward certificate! Heh, maybe Ms. Carny could arrange that?
Lora: She’s not that skilled in chores...yet. And I still have to teach her how to ride the school bus on her own. Mr. Hearst is starting to worry.
Mindy: Mom! Don’t tell them that! (to fan) Next question, please!
---
Oh, here's a recent one from (AdmiraBrain09): "Lora, can you tell me how and why you changed your costume and hairstyle? I somehow think you look prettier with blonde hair while in costume - especially with that shiny purple accent to your old one."
Lora: Huh?
Alan: Uh...what now?
I think this guy...wait a minute, this is a girl? Oh man.
Alan: *bursts out laughing* Wow! Is she into costumes for fashion, or some other reason?
Lora: Best if we don't talk about that.
Uh...where was I, *ahem* Right, I think some of the older fans that knew you from 10 years ago aren't as thick over your identity as most people are.
Mindy: Say what now?
D'oh, what's this post say again? [...] Sorry, guys, bear with me for a sec. Um...okay, I think some people out there, at least this person, thinks that your two previous codenames didn't fool anyone, Lora. In other words, they know your identity, but stay out of your business at the same time.
Lora: (embarrassed) Yeah, I think you're right. Now that I think about it, those codenames did sound really stupid. Lovergum? Trinity? What kind of definition is that supposed to imply about someone like me?
Alan: You are kind of a unique elastic girl, little sis.
Lora: I told you not to call me little! And seriously, 'elastic girl' is such a blunt term.
Alan: Well, what else do you call that kind of being?
Lora: Hold that thought, bro. So what's this about the costume, again?
They're saying that they'd like to see you in your old outfit again. You can change your shape and color to look like that, can't you?
Lora: Yeah, I could do that if I feel like it. I just prefer this new look because red's a little less vibrant in public - and the pink highlights really draw a man's eyes to where I want 'em to be. The other was kind of inside out in terms of focus.
Good point.
Lora: Plus, the different hair adds another layer of disguise, name or not.
Alan: Besides, don't fans need a common photo for their respective heroes, after all? If they kept changing it around, people might lose track.
That's not exactly true. Some heroes tweak their outfits very subtly over time.
Lora: Well, anyway, I'll think about that. Heh, you should've seen how I looked as Carmen Sandiego at a cosplay convention a few missions back. Everyone there bought it - but we switched to hero mode anyway when it turned into a rave, of all things. And some weird little black cat with red eyes and a couple of bimbos with him, all wanted my autograph.
Cat? Oh, that guy is infamous. Not as a criminal, but still very well known.
Alan: Excuse me, I had something else to add. Lora, maybe you don't need a codename? I mean, nobody's been calling them out in public...are they?
Actually, it's more common than you think, guys.
Alan: Rats.
Wait, hear me out on this one. I've seen other names here and there on this site, and some of them have regular names woven into them that are part of a person's identity. But it's only the FIRST name.
Lora: First name?
Yeah, like "Donna Limber" or "Elastic Ella". They're pretty popular and fans still don't know who they really are. Just as long as you keep the surname undercover, you're safe.
Lora: I guess that works?
Alan: We're lucky that our team is actually part of the family itself. Mmm, yeah, I get it.
Mindy: I like MY codename!
Lora: I know you do, Mindy. Heh, you've still got that mint element to work on, though. (to fan) uh, thanks for that tip. Next question?
---
Next up, from (Jan Eway): “Have you ever considered teaming up with another hero group again, just for fun? I know the couple of times Lora did it, sounded awkward.”
Lora: Erm, no, I don’t think so. We’ve got our own troubles here in Centropolis – it’s no secret that this town is a friggin’ hotspot for...well, I guess not crime per se, but a lot of abmnormal activity that the cops can’t handle alone. Besides, some of those teams were in other states entirely!
I somehow knew you’d say that, it would all lead into a crazy mixup between different villains that’d just make things worse. That’s what I thought before reading this post.
Alan: Yeah. And Dad’s lab got ransacked last time, too. Least we got the remaining...heroes out and back to their normal lives.
Lora: And Don Byron proved he couldn’t be trusted either. That big double-crosser!
Yeah, I heard he busted out of Dallas prison a few weeks ago. Still at large, they said.
Lora: Well, if I ever see him, I’m not falling for that dashing face of his again...oops.
Hey, here’s an idea: Set a booby trap for him with your powers – no pun intended; and do something so weird that he’ll never be interested in you again.
Mindy: Ew!
Oops. Sorry about that, Mindy.
Lora: Hehe, I’ll try to remember that.
---
From (Folex_Kj3llburg): “How are these other heroes, like “Florangel, Gargouille, or Io doing?
Alan: You know about these people? How did you get those names?
Dude, this online community basically knows every hero and villain in the country! Maybe even the world! You really think crime-fighters would be called top secret?
Alan: I dunno...maybe? Like the Avengers?
Who needs the oldies? And what about that Comic Book Christopher who just sprang up?
Lora: In order to know the status of a crime-fighter, you’d have to interview them personally like you’re doing now. But even then, we’re being nice here. Some others would say it’s none of your business.
Alan: This post is stupid – and in my mind, kinda rude as well, can we move on?
Sure. Don’t blame me; it was that user who asked this. I’ll give him a piece of your mind after this is over.
Alan: Good.
---
Oh, here's one that just popped up. From (Donny_DeLarge): "Has anyone in your family talked about whether or not radiation is the key to superpowers?"
Alan: That's easy. My Dad proved in his research that radiation is NOT the source. It just causes cancer.
Thought so. So what is the cause?
Alan: It's actually very hard to pin down - the causes couldn't really be determined because the heroes and villains he'd...kidnapped all had wildly varying sources of powers. It's the effect that became a constant within all of them.
Let me guess, the 4 new base pairs in DNA?
Lora: You guessed right, dude. You don't know how much I've divulged this info, it's getting annoying.
Guess we're all better off NOT knowing where powers come from, then.
Alan: Exactly. That's why we stopped Dad from finishing his work in the first place. I even burned all of his paper files last month, and Mom destroyed the chemicals he still had....almost all of them.
Yeah, I was about to say...the GeneGang still has one batch of theirs left.
Alan: We know, that's been a priority for a while but we've still got another mission to take care of first.
Lora: I'll give Dad some credit, though.
What's that?
Lora: I'm glad that he at least made a contribution to science that put superpowers in at least a little more realistic light. If I wanted to, I could write comic books that make a more elaborate origin story than the oldies did.
Alan: You've gotta understand though, Lora, the 60's and earlier didn't know enough about what radiation and such could really do, especially not before World War II. This generation's much smarter than that.
Lora: I can see why everyone's trying to reboot the same stuff again and again, trying to get it right while ticking off people wanting nostalgia.
Alan: Those origin stories we know today are still hard to explain to the general public, but they don't need to know. Heck, maybe someday some government agency can form a protectorate for the hero population?
That would be nice, wouldn't it? Like "S.H.I.E.L.D.", maybe. Anyway, next question,
---
Last and probably the angriest, from “542-tnegA”: “Why haven’t you guys had any field action since your last described mission? I wanna see something cool happen – Maybe Lora rounding up a bunch of smelly dudes while shaped like a giant, pink, pretty cobra, getting them stuck in bubble gum and blowing sugary gas all over them; or Alan throwing aircraft at a mountain while people are still in ‘em? Seeing how many clones Mindy can do, if she has a limit?”
Lora: Really? Who does that guy think he is? We’re crime-fighters, not stars for a circus!
Mindy: I don’t know, mom, that snake idea actually sounds pretty cool.
Alan: Well, we have to make up our own tactics on the fly, unless you’re talking training sessions or something. But still, we make up our own moves, not the crowd.
I see your point. This guy must be pretty desperate if he asked me to bring you a complaint like that.
---
Well, that’s all of them. Thank you for your time, I hope we all got off on the right foot.
Lora: No problem, it is nice to hear feedback from fans in a way that’s easy to understand – not like those crazy people standing around waving signs, costumes and notebooks in your face. Sometimes I think my “seductive” charm is a major flaw, rather than a perk.
That’s only because it might be working TOO well. Just throwing a dart at the wall, but maybe it works like how Alan changes size?
Alan: You mean controlled by the will of the user? Through the brain?
Exactly. But I’m just guessing, again.
Lora: I’ll try to work on that sometime.
Okay, cool. Have a nice day!
Alan: Bye.
Mindy: See ya!

[END CHAT]