Escape Artists
Escape Pod => Episode Comments => Topic started by: Jim on March 14, 2008, 03:33:31 PM
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EP149: Union Dues - All That We Leave Behind (http://escapepod.org/2008/03/14/ep149-union-dues-all-that-we-leave-behind/)
By Jeffrey R. DeRego (http://jeffderego.blogspot.com/).
Read by Stephen Eley.
If I just lay here they will get tired and leave. They can’t hurt me all that much; my body is too hard now, too strong. But I can’t let on that their kicks and punches don’t bother me or who knows what they’ll do next. So I’ll lay here, curled up in the grass like some lump of igneous rock cast from a far away volcano.
“You fat assed son of a bitch! Talk to Loreen again and I’ll kill you! You understand me? I’ll beat your fat lazy ass to death!”
I bet his foot is starting to ache. My stomach is big, but it’s not soft. Not anymore. Not since last month when the change happened. We don’t have a lot of money so my wardrobe is still designed for a three hundred pound teenager, the kind with an almost unnatural love for pizza and potato chips. I still sort of look the same. But I am different, I can feel it. The rolls of flab that once encircled my belly and back are nearly gone, replaced by rippling muscle. My arms and legs are like tree trunks. I could rip Scott’s arms and legs off and beat his torso like a kettledrum. Well, if I wasn’t terrified.
Rated R. Contains profanity and violence.
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This might be my favorite Union Dues episode. Very well done, Jeff. I loved every second of it.
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Yay! Union Dues!
And, for once, it isn't entirely depressing! Awesome!
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Given that I haven't yet gone back and listened to/read any UD besides "Send in the Clowns", my picture of the Union might be a little darker... but I thought that the Union would quietly assist Tim's mom on her way.
I have to say, I liked Dani Cutler's reading of Megaton better than Steve's. I almost think this one could've been played straight, with only a minor inflection, rather than the I AM MEGATON voice.
As a genesis story, this wasn't half-bad, but it didn't stand out to me as amazing. It's kind of like when a comic series takes a short detour to focus on one character -- I haven't read comics in a while (at least, not ones I can easily find online and for free), so I can't really compare it. I guess the closest analogue might be the ST:TNG episode "Lower Decks", where they focused more on the four ensigns than the main characters.
The roundness of Tim as a character I don't think made up for the flatness of Scott, and I think we should've gotten a little more thought before he told Loreen to bring Scott out of the store with her.
Really, the whole thing in the drugstore kind of bothered me. It made me think too much -- has Tim experienced enough violence to not lose his lunch when he rips off the dude's fingers? But more than that, I think there might have been a more internal way for Tim to come to terms with his abilities than having to use them like that.
I don't know... I guess I came away mixed on this one. Not bad, not awesome. I liked "Clowns" better. Maybe it was the title; with a title like that, I kind of expected a little more.
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It was good, and certainly made a long bus ride quicker.
I wished the kid's age was mentioned earlier, I was guessing wildly from 11-14 until it turned out he was 16.
Yay! Union Dues!
I resemble that remark.
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Yet another winner from Mr. DeRego. I have enjoyed all the Union Dues stories, and this one is no different. The only thing I had a bit of a problem with were how Tim kept cowering when Scott beat him up. Maybe it's just me, but if someone handed me superpowers and some bully kept picking on me, that would be one very sorry bully.
Someone else mentioned this, but it bears examining: how many others who have read Mur's Playing for Keeps had to mentally put this story outside her universe? :) I have to say that between Union Dues, Playing for Keeps and Matthew Wayne Selznick's Brave Men Run, it's sometimes hard to remember which superheroes are which.
Has Mr. DeRego told us, yet, how the supers came into being?
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I recently listened to the audiobook of Austin Grossman's novel, Soon I Will Be Invincible, in addition to Playing For Keeps, so I'm so loaded up on superhero literature I can hardly tell which end is up.
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Well.
This is the first Union Dues story I've enjoyed at all. Granted, so far I've only heard Send In The Clowns (not even sure I actually listened to the end) and Iron Bars And The Glass Jaw(meh).
Whatever. I guess that it's because the Union Dues superheros are too self-concious about being superheros (or something like that) and it disengages me from the story. Oddly enough, I did like The Incredibles, and I'm not sure why the Union Dues stories are so different. This story didn't have so many full-fledged superheros doing super things, and was much easier to take.
I put it in maybe the Top 11 to 20 of my favourite EP episodes.
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Haven't listened.
Not reading the flavor text.
Drooling in antici...(say it)..pation!
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My favorite UD yet.
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The thing about the 'Union Dues' series is that it doesn't bring anything new or exciting to the table. I do enjoy them, but as heroic literature they're very flat and kind of dull slices of life in a larger tapestry.
The 'Union Dues' World is simply an average comic book world and it doesn't do anything to get me excited. It's Town Talk bread compared to Wonder bread. Depending on the price, I could go either way.
For recent good comic book stories, I cannot stress how good the Green Lantern series has been for the last two years. From the relaunch it has been a long build up to a true rival corps and the ensuing war between them. The war is now over, but now the Green Lantern Corps is dealing with the aftermath. More corps are sprouting up everyday and the story is building off these smaller ones.
I hope 'Union Dues' does the same. As it seems now, 'Union Dues' is a bunch of loose threads at the Blue Thread factory.
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First one of the Union that I've actually listened too--I kinda feared that I would have to find all of them first if they were a serial so I wouldn't get lost, but I figured, "What the hell" and played it.
Wasn't too bad. The story was kinda predictable--if you're a regular comic nut like me, you've probably read a similar story at least three or four times in a year at best--but it was well-written and had enough little twists to keep me interested. Kinda hard to imagine that messing up the robbers like that wouldn't have messed Tim up a bit, but other then that, it was definately not an half-hour wasted.
Whiskey about GL: I read Rebirth and it pissed me off enough how they got Jordan back to make me not want to read it--I was hoping for a redemption story about Hal trying to win the hearts and minds and make up for his wrong-doings as Paralax, but I intead got a cop-out that "a Yellow Fear Demon made me do it!" But I digress. I liked Kyle (and Guy) better anyway--Hal was only interesting to me when he was Paralax or The Spectre.
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I enjoyed this UD episode very much, and hope we will keep seeing UD episodes.
I thought that the predictable moment when the protagonist is forced to reveal his powers fell a bit flat. I realize that in a short format there is limited time for character development, but using the only character that receives any positive attention as the hostage was a bit too much straight forward comic book.
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I'm not at all in to the superhero genre but I've listened to all the Union Dues stories and have liked them. I would guess that going forward that they will be Podcastle fare.
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I'm not at all in to the superhero genre but I've listened to all the Union Dues stories and have liked them. I would guess that going forward that they will be Podcastle fare.
No, Union Dues will stay on Escape Pod by virtue of tradition. Other superhero stories might or might not. We'll also continue to make offers on all Hugo nominees whether they're SF or fantasy, and may continue to run Mur Lafferty Christmas stories regardless of genre.
We are a science fiction market now, but I don't promise total consistency. Escape Pod subscribes to Damon Knight's definition -- "Science fiction means what we point to when we say it" -- and occasionally I will point to things for non-canonical reasons.
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Totally enjoyed the story JR.
I can understand why Tim put up with the bullying even though he was now build like a bull. He'd been getting mentally and physically abused most every day of his life by this kid for 6 years. That's not something you can just get over. Also, it's not like Tim had explored his powers at all, in fact he had intentionally not explored them. As for the violence in the drug store messing him up, I'd say that goes with out saying, especially when you consider how unstable all the Union members are. This comic is almost more about people in extraordinary situations dealing with serious personal issues than it is about super powers... but aren't all comic books?
Steve,
Glad to hear UD is staying on EP, and that you'll keep the variety coming. I know that's why I tune in.
Cryptocrat,
Welcome to the forums!
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Totally enjoyed the story JR.
I can understand why Tim put up with the bullying even though he was now build like a bull. He'd been getting mentally and physically abused most every day of his life by this kid for 6 years. That's not something you can just get over. Also, it's not like Tim had explored his powers at all, in fact he had intentionally not explored them. As for the violence in the drug store messing him up, I'd say that goes with out saying, especially when you consider how unstable all the Union members are. This comic is almost more about people in extraordinary situations dealing with serious personal issues than it is about super powers... but aren't all comic books?
Steve,
Glad to hear UD is staying on EP, and that you'll keep the variety coming. I know that's why I tune in.
Cryptocrat,
Welcome to the forums!
Thanks for the compliment. You know, the only misstep I made with this story was not having Scott be the hostage. I didn't really think about how much more conflicted Tim would have been if he had to get over his initial hatred of Scott just to step up and do the right thing. But, live and learn. Maybe I'll work that angle in to one of the other stories somewhere. Or if this ever gets reprinted in book form, I'll rewrite the ending to swap out Marissol for Scott in the pharmacy. I tried to hint that this experience really wouldn't ever leave Tim when I had Megaton mention Joey Fitzsimmons from Iron Bars and the Glass Jaw.
And indeed I did make Tim extra timid. Take it from someone who was bulled all through elementary and middle school, even when you have the power to beat back your tormentors, you don't, because even if you're strong enough and fast enough they still have the advantage because they scare the shit out of you.
"If I just lay here long enough, they'll get tired and leave me alone."
That was, for me, the daily mantra between 4th and 8th grade.
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JR,
Ha! In my comments above, I was going to ask whether you had considered having Scott take the place of Marissol, but I held back.
I feel like having Scott there would also fulfill a standard comic book trope, but I don't think that is a bad thing in this case. The comic book pastiche is a worthy one, and despite having wasted the entirety of my childhood income on comic books, I find your characters' internal struggles fresh and worthwhile. I eagerly await the next installment.
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Thanks for the compliment. You know, the only misstep I made with this story was not having Scott be the hostage.
I'm not so sure about that. I think it would have been too perfect, too cliche. UD seems to be a little more gritty and real-world than that. It was great that he had the chance to tell the girl to get out of there, lets him be a hero to her, but having an unresolved history with Scott was kind of nice.
I suppose you could have Tim tell Scott to get out of the store with with girl: let the bully be the coward, and the coward the hero.
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I do enjoy the Union Dues universe, but this didn't seem to add much to our understanding of it, and as a story on it's own I found it sort of "meh". Looking at it, the setup should have been good - I can relate to having a dying parent, certainly, and everybody had to deal with bullies at one level or another... but I just never bought in. Never cared about the characters or their conflicts.
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The U.D. stories are fun but I do miss the villains.
No supervillains in a superhero universe is like..well, an Amsterdam coffeeshop selling coffee, an honest politician or a homeshopping channel presenter with a measurable IQ.
There is something basically wrong with ideas like that.
Aah, come on, give us at least one supervillain...we just know you want it too.
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Heh, I also had to stop myself from inadvertently mentally mixing in details from Mur Lafferty's 'Playing For Keeps' superhero universe too. :p
(Which is an absolutely excellent story, by the way. Highly recommended.)
I started listening to Playing for keeps last night ( stayed up way to late listening) and kept mixing it up also. anyhow on to the story
it was good, but not great
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After listening to All That We Leave Behind, I listened to some of the older Union Dues stories.
Jeff, you've covered Union recruiting practices, their legal and political standing, and their control over their members. When do we get to see what's happening with the anti-Union elements in the Union Dues world? Is there an underground rail road for people who don't want to join the union? If you ask me Union membership is more akin to slavery.
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After listening to All That We Leave Behind, I listened to some of the older Union Dues stories.
Jeff, you've covered Union recruiting practices, their legal and political standing, and their control over their members. When do we get to see what's happening with the anti-Union elements in the Union Dues world? Is there an underground rail road for people who don't want to join the union? If you ask me Union membership is more akin to slavery.
Loooove this idea. Jeff, please consider incorporating this somewhere along the line. :)
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No supervillains in a superhero universe is like..well, an Amsterdam coffeeshop selling coffee, an honest politician or a homeshopping channel presenter with a measurable IQ.
There is something basically wrong with ideas like that.
(This is me speaking as a fan, not an editor.)
Have you listened to EP049: Off White Lies (http://escapepod.org/2006/04/13/ep049-union-dues-off-white-lies/) yet? My interpretation of that one is that the Union agrees with you. That's why they tried a pilot program to create their own supervillains.
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I haven't listened to this story yet, and have been avoiding the discussion, but I'd like to ask a question about the whole Union Dues series that will help me decide whether to listen:
So far, I've listened to the first two Union Dues stories. Both were very well-written but very, very bleak. Both stories seemed to be dedicated entirely to showing the problems having superpowers entail and how the Union is cynically exploiting both its own members and the non-heros in order to maintaing the status-quo and further its own goals. Both stories ended up making me feel a bit depressed.
My question is - do the later stories balance this out? Or am I missing something? Is it that because I did not grow up with superheroes, and indeed feel pretty baffled by the genre as a whole, I lack the proper context to get what I'm supposed to from these stories?
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Union Dues is a series that I love to hear more from every time. The fact that heroes are real people comes through well.
This episode made me cry at the end. Maybe it's the *human*ness (yes, i know that's not a word) of the situation or maybe it's because I've seen cancer take family members myself, but this one touched me at an emotional level.
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... My question is - do the later stories balance this out? Or am I missing something? Is it that because I did not grow up with superheroes, and indeed feel pretty baffled by the genre as a whole, I lack the proper context to get what I'm supposed to from these stories?
Well, any listening will be subjective and I can only tell you what I envisioned a I wrote them both individually and as a whole group of stories, but that probably won't help you much. I can tell you that each story addresses a specific moral/ethical issue and the consequences of those morals and ethics. Probably the least bleak of them is Cleanup in Aisle Five (at least to me) because the ending is hopeful. But it rides a bleak road to get to the end.
All About the Sponsors was meant to be "the happy Union Dues story" in that the main character wants to be a Union member. This story also doesn't explore the external politics of the world in which the characters live as much as the others. It's a more personal story about overcoming fear, fear of death, fear of losing a loved one, fear of bullies etc...
Don't know if that helps, but there you go.
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Union Dues is a series that I love to hear more from every time. The fact that heroes are real people comes through well.
This episode made me cry at the end. Maybe it's the *human*ness (yes, i know that's not a word) of the situation or maybe it's because I've seen cancer take family members myself, but this one touched me at an emotional level.
I've lost every uncle and aunt on my father's side to cancer and all of my grandparents to it. So I know your pain. Part of that experience for me was what determined how Tim's mother was written.
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Ah, I always look forward to hearing (and reading) Jeff Derego's work. The story adds more depth to the Megaton character, and I thought that Tim's situation was dealt with very well. Good dialogue, and the action scene had great flow. Great story all around.
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Ah, I always look forward to hearing (and reading) Jeff Derego's work. The story adds more depth to the Megaton character, and I thought that Tim's situation was dealt with very well. Good dialogue, and the action scene had great flow. Great story all around.
I will agree... I think Megaton is probably the best character in UD. In "Clowns" and also in this story, I really felt like the author wants good things to happen for Megaton, even though bad things have in the past and apparently continue to (killed a kid, associated with Jenny whatshername, stuck on evaluation duty). I almost wonder if we're not building up to the oft-mentioned (by fans, not by the author) "anti-Union group" where Megaton is the linchpin...
Anyway, yay Megaton!
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Superhero stories reminds me of the treadmill that pro-wrestling stories struggle to stay on - constantly having to find a compelling villain to keep the story moving. Sometimes there are only so many archetypes that one can stomach.
That's why I like the Union Dues stories. They're not fighting your bad guys - their villains are the atrophy of every day life, the political correctness of a world gone stupid. To me they are great symbols of the Little Guys struggle - well intentioned, but over burdened by politics and public perception.
PS: Loved the story :)
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This was the best union dues to date.
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I liked it. Not my fav union dues story... but maybe because thats cause I dodn't read many comics as a kid. Who knows.
I did feel that his reaction to the bully was unusual at best... though it did show his fear almost weak mindedness of the character. And his mind did seem to suddenly become stronger when he tears off fingers doesn't feel anything. But it was his super hero transition from being normal. Allowing to get himself a new life and prove himself. So I forgive it.
This story felt like it was told because the Union Dues universe simply needed an origins story like this. The point being that its not spectacular or an amazing thing he went through.
And I agree that it does feel like this universe is building up to something... I have no idea what though.
Hope its awesome and me not just hoping >_>
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Best UD story so far... or at least my favorite.
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Speaking to the problem some folks are having with Tim's reaction to his bully:
I grew up in a fairly isolated area, thinking I was a superhero (not literally; just thinking of myself as the hero in every game, and assuming that other kids were weaker than I was because no one was around to teach me better).
When I did run across a bully, at first my reaction was "I need to be careful not to hurt him"... which proved to be silly when I actually lost my temper and really tried to whale on another kid in 5th grade. After that experience, I decided that fighting was pointless, win or lose, and focused on being faster and more mentally agile than any bully. Of course, this led to me calling the class bully "nipple-nose" and running for my life during each recess break, but I digress...
I can't remember the exact line early on, but Tim's reaction to Scott struck me as believable partly because there WAS the established fear of BEING hurt, and partly because as a kid I remember thinking "he's just a dumb bully, and I don't really want to hurt him".
But again, YMMV. My odometer says "Another great Union Dues tale, Jeff!"
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Thumbs up. :) Believable characters, internal conflict, road less traveled for a familiar premise, etc. Keep 'em coming.
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Hummmmmmmmm...... I'm not sure what to think of this episode. I believe that overtime this one will begin to sit better with me but right now it felt pretty formulaic. There have been several replies that stated there needed to be an origins story and that is what it seemed to be, a story written just because we needed to have one. I like the whole concept of UD and really like the dreariness of the daily trudge, I don't care if you do data input or lift immense weights and are impervious to attack, if that is what you have to do everyday and worse than that you are "required" to do it, it would become boring. That adds a little reality to the UD universe. But…….
I think that if Megaton had in the end felt for the kid, went back to the pyramid and reported there was nothing worth their time in the kid, that would have been a real step for Megaton. It seems that all the heroes dislike the Union but they only tacitly rebel, that needs to change. These are larger than life figures but they act as though they are drones. Anyway the story is what it is and was entertaining just not a wow'r.
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I think that if Megaton had in the end felt for the kid, went back to the pyramid and reported there was nothing worth their time in the kid, that would have been a real step for Megaton. It seems that all the heroes dislike the Union but they only tacitly rebel, that needs to change. These are larger than life figures but they act as though they are drones. Anyway the story is what it is and was entertaining just not a wow'r.
First off, welcome to the forums and great name ThermoNuclearPenguin.
I'm not sure how many of the other UD stories you've listened to, but if Megaton had out-right lied about the kid's potential he probably would have been sent to the freezer for the rest of his life. As far as being drones, they kind of are. Part of indoctrination is being brainwashed and having the union charter implanted deep in their subconscious. It's hard to go against that kind of control.
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After listening to All That We Leave Behind, I listened to some of the older Union Dues stories.
Jeff, you've covered Union recruiting practices, their legal and political standing, and their control over their members. When do we get to see what's happening with the anti-Union elements in the Union Dues world? Is there an underground rail road for people who don't want to join the union? If you ask me Union membership is more akin to slavery.
Loooove this idea. Jeff, please consider incorporating this somewhere along the line. :)
Me too, that's exactly what I was thinking during the story! I think this would really give more depth to the backdrop: secret supers, hide-outs, get-aways from the Union.....I can't wait!
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Am I the only one that actually tried calling 1 800 468 6466? I was disappointed to find out it was just a phone sex line. Then I pictured Megaton making fun of me later ("Oh man, you actually fell for that? Nobody falls for that- wait till the Luminaries hear about this one..." so I went ahead and gave them my credit card number thinking the sexline thing was just a cover for the Union.
Needless to say, "Debbie" wasn't very interested in the fact that lately I think I've been able to jump a little higher than normal...
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that explains why Debbie all "what!? another one?" when i called.
on the other hand, she did seem interested when i told her that i keep getting bigger.
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Am I the only one that actually tried calling 1 800 468 6466? I was disappointed to find out it was just a phone sex line. Then I pictured Megaton making fun of me later ("Oh man, you actually fell for that? Nobody falls for that- wait till the Luminaries hear about this one..." so I went ahead and gave them my credit card number thinking the sexline thing was just a cover for the Union.
Needless to say, "Debbie" wasn't very interested in the fact that lately I think I've been able to jump a little higher than normal...
I completely forgot to mention that I too called the number, and didn't get the "go" part at first, though I did get the "union" part.
I tend to call all the non-555 numbers I see in fiction. I called Jack Bauer's cellphone last year on 24. I called Mirage when Mr. Incredible got her card. And so on.
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This comic is almost more about people in extraordinary situations dealing with serious personal issues than it is about super powers... but aren't all comic books?
Only the good ones.
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Another great story. I really felt for the kid at the end leaving his mom. I can't imagine how lonely it must feel to have both of your parents die and leave you alone in the world, especially at a young age. I have heard that no matter how old you are or how long you've been on your own, having a parent die is one of the hardest kinds of death to deal with. When I think about how I will feel when my parents pass on, I don't doubt that this is true.
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This is only the second UD story I've heard, too. This one seemed a lot more stand-alone than Send in the Clowns. This one worked for me even taken out of a serial context. Maybe even more so viewed as a stand alone story. I don't know Mega's background, but I got enough inferences in the story where I didn't have to. I connected with Tim, but wondered who his friends were. From the glimpse into his character, he didn't seem antisocial to me (whereas Mega did). But yeah, it's a limited amount of words, so what can you do?
All in all, I enjoyed this story quite a bit. It may not be completely new territory, but it was still well-written.
The one thing that kept distracting me, though, was the idea of comic books in a world that actually has super heroes in it. It just seems... I dunno... like that whole genre of fiction would be completely different (if not non-existent).
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The one thing that kept distracting me, though, was the idea of comic books in a world that actually has super heroes in it. It just seems... I dunno... like that whole genre of fiction would be completely different (if not non-existent).
That's an interesting point, and one I've personally thought about. You see, I read a lot of comics, and the main superhero universes both have superhero comics in them. Whereas, in Watchmen, people read comics about pirates. In general, that seems more realistic.
But in the UD world, the comics do seem to make sense. They're straight up propaganda. And presumably the *idea* of superheros and Superhero comics existed before people started actually getting powers.
The fact is, the Union members *aren't superheroes*. They are superpowered people. And they want you to be okay with that, so they invoke the idea of Superman - a nice comfortable idea that everyone has been used to since childhood. Thus the union publishes comics about it's members. Comics with supervillans and everything else we expect from superhero comics. When the reality is quite different...
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I tend to call all the non-555 numbers I see in fiction. I called Jack Bauer's cellphone last year on 24. I called Mirage when Mr. Incredible got her card. And so on.
What did Bauer's cell number give you?
I think there was a CTU number given too.
anyways...
As with all of the other Union Dues, I straight up LOVED it! It's nice to see familiar characters, and the perspective of the story this time was interesting. I love these stories, keep em coming Lord DeRego!
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keep em coming Lord DeRego!
Officially he is St. Jeff of TCoRN.
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My favorite UD story since "Off White Lies", maybe even since "Iron Bars and the Glass Jaw".
Really liked the Coward-turns-Superstrong idea and I thought his relationship to his mother was layed out very nicely. I think I enjoyed the fact that this was a more classical, more comic-book-like story than the others in the series.
Keep 'em coming, Jeffrey... keep 'em coming.
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The one thing that kept distracting me, though, was the idea of comic books in a world that actually has super heroes in it. It just seems... I dunno... like that whole genre of fiction would be completely different (if not non-existent).
That's an interesting point, and one I've personally thought about. You see, I read a lot of comics, and the main superhero universes both have superhero comics in them. Whereas, in Watchmen, people read comics about pirates. In general, that seems more realistic.
But in the UD world, the comics do seem to make sense. They're straight up propaganda. And presumably the *idea* of superheros and Superhero comics existed before people started actually getting powers.
The fact is, the Union members *aren't superheroes*. They are superpowered people. And they want you to be okay with that, so they invoke the idea of Superman - a nice comfortable idea that everyone has been used to since childhood. Thus the union publishes comics about it's members. Comics with supervillans and everything else we expect from superhero comics. When the reality is quite different...
Ah, okay, that works for me. I like that delineation quite a lot, in fact. So they are basically just PR products!
I used to read a lot of comics, but I don't really recall any comics in the comics that I read, other than The Watchmen. And, right, I agree with you about the Watchmen and the pirate comics (what an incredible series that was).
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I liked this story a lot, but I had a suspicion things were going to go another way. The point was made that there are no super villains. I wondered, why not? Couldn't a supe go evil? (I've only heard a couple of th UD stories, so please forgive me --- and correct me --- if this has been dealt with elsewhere.)
When I heard that, I thought, 'Aha! This story's about the birth of the first supervillain!' Instead, there was a big fight in a chemist's shop and everything turns out as well as it can for the family.
I imagined the young lad was going to be forced into the Union and, not being present for his mother's last days, he would end up blaming himself for her demise. The grief and sense of helplessness would gnaw away at his soul, until an evil mentor convinces him to come over to the dark side where his pain could be turned to power.
Sounds like a great story! I might have to go and write it.
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So far, I've only listened to this episode and clowns. I plan to go back and listen to the others post haste, but my impression so far is less Watchmen (which, after all, only had one super-powered person) and more Abberant (Official site (http://www.white-wolf.com/aberrant.html) | Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aberrant_(role-playing_game))), with the Union as Project Utopia.
OK, now I'm not going to be able to rest, until I've used that as the basis for a Union Dues RPG...
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I tend to call all the non-555 numbers I see in fiction. I called Jack Bauer's cellphone last year on 24. I called Mirage when Mr. Incredible got her card. And so on.
What did Bauer's cell number give you?
I think there was a CTU number given too.
anyways...
As with all of the other Union Dues, I straight up LOVED it! It's nice to see familiar characters, and the perspective of the story this time was interesting. I love these stories, keep em coming Lord DeRego!
A recorded message by Jack Bauer talking about... I don't remember what, exactly. It was a while ago.
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It was nice hearing another Union Dues story again. It's become a comfortable mainstay on Escape Pod, something I look forward to. This story was rather straight forward with no major surprises. Somehow, I liked that this time. It was easy to root for the kid and the plot points were laid out simply. A comfortable listen on the ride to work.
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I'm new to Escape Pod, and this was the first Union Dues story I'd heard. I enjoyed it so much that I went back and listened to the other five stories in the series. It was an odd experience. To my mind, "All That We Leave Behind" is the least bleak of the bunch. It's certainly the one that hews most closely to the themes that are so common to superheroes: the teenager who discovers he's different, the conflict between desire and responsibility, etc. The darker themes of the Union Dues world are hinted at, but they aren't made explicit, a listener who's new to that world (like me) won't necessarily catch them.
That's why it was such a shock to listen to the other stories in the series, and find out what a horrible life the Union's supers live: isolation, quasi-slavery, not enough hot water, for crying out loud! So in a way, this was the perfect story with which to be introduced to the Union Dues series: as I listened to each successive story, the grimness of the world became more apparent. It's easy to imagine the narrator of this story going through much the same process that I did, as he's indoctrinated into the ways of the Union...
Anyway, that's all very roundabout. Looking forward to more Union Dues!
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Good story. I can't for the life of me figure out how superpowers are invariably bestowed upon the nerdy, the geeky, the chubby, and the socially inept, or how the superheroes' tormentors survive the aftermath. But it's part of the formula. Traditional, you might say.
I've never seen them granted to the fat kid before. That had me rooting for him.
I think that's why I liked this story more than Send in the Clowns. It was a more traditional "superhero comes of age" story. SITC seemed to be trying to turn the traditional superhero story on its ear, but did so by making them fight an evil that was more banal and bureaucratic, and by turning superheroing into a pretty typical day job, with all the petty infighting and bureaucratic wrangling that goes with it.
Both were very well written and engaging, but I thought this was the better story.
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I'm new to Escape Pod, and this was the first Union Dues story I'd heard. I enjoyed it so much that I went back and listened to the other five stories in the series. It was an odd experience. To my mind, "All That We Leave Behind" is the least bleak of the bunch. It's certainly the one that hews most closely to the themes that are so common to superheroes: the teenager who discovers he's different, the conflict between desire and responsibility, etc. The darker themes of the Union Dues world are hinted at, but they aren't made explicit, a listener who's new to that world (like me) won't necessarily catch them.
That's why it was such a shock to listen to the other stories in the series, and find out what a horrible life the Union's supers live: isolation, quasi-slavery, not enough hot water, for crying out loud! So in a way, this was the perfect story with which to be introduced to the Union Dues series: as I listened to each successive story, the grimness of the world became more apparent. It's easy to imagine the narrator of this story going through much the same process that I did, as he's indoctrinated into the ways of the Union...
Anyway, that's all very roundabout. Looking forward to more Union Dues!
Welcome to the forums Corydon.
I get what you're saying about this being one of the least-gloomy stories, if you heard it first. It seems like a pretty typical 'outcast gets new lease on life' story, unless you know the kind of life he's getting himself in to.
What did you think of Iron Bars and the Glass Jaw?
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This was the first UD story that didn't leave me depressed. That isn't a criticism of the stories' quality but damn they can be grim. You have an organizition that routinely brianwashes their members, removes them from any 'normal' life they have, and says 'Do what we say, or you go bye-bye'. Then you got the governement willing to test the Union regardless of the consequences. And the public who doesn't see how dangerous poking a superpowered tiger witha stick is.
But Tim's attitude and how the Union handled his situation gives one hope that they are not completely soulless.
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This was far and away my favorite of the Union Dues stories. I thought Tim was such a interesting character. Kind and truly decent and heartbreakingly sad. The last line ( and I'm a big fan of great last lines ) was really powerful. "I lay my head on her chest, and pretend she tells me how proud I've made her." Wow.
I can honestly say that I've never been emotionally moved by a short sci-fi story about superheroes.
Well, I suppose I can't honestly say that anymore.
:)
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I liked this one okay. I'd only heard one Union Dues story before it, so I didn't have a whole lot to compare it to. One of the cool things about the Union Dues stories is that they have enough detail about the superhero union conceit to keep a new reader/listener, without too much exposition that would lose a more experienced one. I liked that the kid didn't get totally slammed by the Union for dealing with the robbery, which I was worried about after Megaton warned him not to try anything funny.
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This one lands pretty much in the middle of the spectrum between like and dislike for the Union Dues stories (I won't call them UD because for some reason every time I see that I think UI).
One the one hand it didn't offer up anything surprising, and is very similar to many superhero origin stories. On the other hand, it was an emotional story well told. I could easily root for Tim. I didn't totally understand his reluctance to fight against the bully, but it seemed like a realistic reaction given his history. If it'd been me, I think they would be picking up pieces of bully off the jungle gym for weeks. I expect I would've regretted it after the fact, and it would be my iconic life lesson to be careful with my superpowers. Though I certainly wasn't popular as a kid, I was lucky enough to avoid the bad bullies. I think I was just big enough that they figured it wasn't worth the trouble. A couple kids did challenge me to a fight, (one of which at a church gathering) both of which I certainly would have lost, but instead managed to twist it around into an exchange of insults and left it at that.
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This was my take on an origin story, purposely not allowing the main character's fate to be revealed, so whatever Tim becomes is an unknown, also, the audience knowing how The Union operates by now, would hopefully see his optimism as a sort of trap, even coming from a tragic background, where he's going has the potential to be much, much worse.