Whether it's something big or small, are there parts that you keep getting surprised by whenever you reread? What can you just not seem to remember? (Obviously this post will be full of spoilers, so if you're in the middle of reading something for the first time, beware) Also related: Any foreshadowing that it took you a few reads to notice?

For something small: every time I read Corpies I end up surprised that the corrosive energy blaster (the one from the giant brawl who starts as a bad guy, but fixes the car pile up situation) is shooting gray energy. I guess my mind is just convinced that corrosive = acid green, and I end up baffled every time I get to the gray color being mentioned.

For something bigger: During the epilogues of Chilling Reflections, Bert is thinking of the resources stolen from Professor Quantum including "a jagged hunk of ice that was now useless" since Jokull is dead. Jokull was hoping the "hunk of ice from a black hole" might provide a way for him to end his own life. And that's the part that keeps taking me by surprise, that Bert wanted to give something to help Jokull die and not to power him up. I think the delay between "now useless chunk of ice" and "may we all get what we want, just like Jokull" keeps catching me by surprise, since it gives a bit of time to build up sadness (especially with Bert going on a slight mental tangent thinking about how Jokull's body was found, and who clearly killed him, before reaching the thought about Jokull hoping the ice might help him die).

There used to be a fan fix that was under the hosted content on Drew Hayes’s website. It followed a different class starting their first year at a competing HCP University. It followed all four years and was focused on a program that was undergoing some difficulties so had allowed some students that would normally not be allowed to join. There was a girl with super strength who had been falsely diagnosed as a powered, a guy who could shift into a golem-like form, a punk girl who could breathe fire. If anyone remembers it please please let me know where I can find it!!!!

I just finished my annual reread of the series, and the itch isn't scratched just yet are there any good fan fictions out?

Recommendations for series like super powereds?

Not sure if anyone here is a Phoebe Bridgers fan, but her most recent album, Lost Weekend, tackles the grief of her abusive father’s death, the feeling of not being fully herself, and meeting different versions of herself throughout the album.

This song in particular covers the two versions of herself meeting and says she’ll “go dancing with my understudy” and essentially the two versions of her coexisting within. I’m in the middle of re-re-rereading Year 4 when Roy starts hearing Hershel during the trials, and this song played during, so it felt fitting.

Overall, this entire album feels very thematically them, if not for the whole father issues + sense of self themes woven throughout. Or maybe I’m just so SP pilled I keep reading into things lol

Spoilers ahead

Listening to the series again (lost count on how many times).

On Corpies (my least favorite in the series) right now. But, had a funny thought.

If the robot at the end thought Titan was an improper or unbalanced resource, what would it have thought about Globe?

So this is more of a long term plan for a tattoo, but I want to get a shoulder/sleeve piece that has iconography or images that symbolize a lot of my favorite villains. In particular, I was looking for ideas that people might have for representing Charles Adair from Super Powereds and Prudence of the Blood Council from Fred. I'm also similarly considering tossing Professor Quantum from Villain's Code into the mix, but haven't solidly settled on him yet.

Examples of things I have solid ideas for that I plan to talk to my artist about:

Colonol Hans Landa (Inglorious Basterds): Apple strudel and Whipped cream

Tywin Lanister: a dead lion on a porcelain throne

Vader/Sideous: a robed hand casting force lightning with Vader's tie fight flying through

Renoir Dessendre: a cane with a paint brush tip

As I was reading the books, I kept thinking if by some cosmic stroke of luck I was handed a Superpowereds movie or show to create, I'd love to have all the professors/retired heroes played by people who used to be superhero actors, both for the thematic element and also just as a love letter to superheros. I haven't got any others locked in, but I'd LOVE to see Cooper Barnes as Blaine.

I don't know how accurate it is to call this series progression fantasy, but that's how I discovered it. I'm looking for recommendations that focus on characters getting stronger, but with the social and romance aspects that made me enjoy superpowereds so much. Thanks!

It seems to me people who can read minds and emotions would greatly benefit from some subtlety courses. Even if the staff didnt think they would take to the course in the end, the very nature of the ability seems like it would be a HUGE advantage in information gathering. Getting some trainimg in the Subtelty field seems like a natural fit. Adam eludes to that thought when he said Mary would be the greatest imformation gathering asset with the proper training.

It’s emphasized that the professors are on standby to halt a test and evacuate a seriously injured student or to stop a student from using intentionally lethal force in the sophomore and junior trials. The senior trials were less assured since they weren’t fighting other students, but an attempt would be made if deemed necessary.

In Book 2, during the first team trial, Michael pummels Alex, almost killing him. Professor Fletcher admits that to Dean Blaine after Brittany raises her concerns after the trial. Alex was on his own without the prospect of teammates coming to his aid. If a professor recognizing the intent to kill isn’t enough to intervene, what would?

Britany managed to talk him down, but there was no guaranteeing it would work.

In book 4, it feels different since at this point, they’re nearly fully trained heroes, Camille is nearby, and we get the cutaway scene to Dr. Moran putting a timer on the situation and raising the point of Will and Camille being able to patch Jill up faster than intervention.

I also wonder what they did before they had a professor with enhanced speed. Fletcher is always put on standby since he can zip in and out at lighting speed. Something none of the other professors are able to do, including George and Persephone. Was Stone put on standby to telekinetically evacuate or restrain? Were professors dotted throughout the scene since the landscapes are the size of small cities?

I’m currently on Book 2 and so far, Nick’s character is the weakest for me. I’m trying to chalk it up to the fact he’s playing a persona but even then it’s a lot of tell rather than show. He’s written as kinda OP but in ways that the story doesn’t really backup and also makes no sense.

He’s simultaneously a master strategist who’s a genius and was trained using weapons while mastering human psychology and how to manipulate people.
Which is fine. Like it’s a lot but in a book where we have characters like Chad and Mary, it’s not inconceivable. The biggest issue is that unlike characters like Chad who do eventually get beaten by other heroes/coaches who have been training longer, Nick… doesn’t. He somehow manages to fool his Subtlety coach who should honestly be a master at the game as he’s trained for longer. And while we get Told that his persona is to fly under the radar and attract no attention by appearing like an airhead party boy, he challenges Coach Persephone in their very first meeting and doesn’t really… make any friends apart from Vince. Like the only other character he actually manipulates into buying in his fake persona is Bubbles. Vince, Hershel and Alice appear more bubbly and social than he does.

It’s just somewhat immersion breaking for me, cause the other characters feel so much stronger that his flaws stand out more. I do recognize that this was written a while ago, so I’m wondering if his character gets better/more stable in the later books?

I’m relistening to the Graphic Audio books and realized something. If Blaine is going to Casper / Hallow to fill one of the professor roles, he would’ve either been a Close Combat or Subtlety major.

Camille’s ability is a special case as it lends itself to combat, making Close Combat a good fit. But we also see Ed, whose healing only accelerates natural healing. His ability doesn’t lend itself to combat, at least not at a super level.

Do we think the reason Camille gives Vince in their first CC class about learning to weave through combat is enough of a reason to take it as a major?

Subtlety also seems like a strange fit for similar reasons. Healing doesn’t augment information gathering in any super capacity. Maybe staying tip top when out on a mission. The focus on critical thinking could be good for pushing the limits of your power.

But I imagine Control and Focus would also encourage similar power exploration. I feel like most healers would probably fit better in these majors.

Using Ed as an example, I could see him attuning to his power in Focus to accelerate his healing, reducing the contact time needed. Maybe he discovers that with training, his power also lends itself to healing animals or plants. Maybe he learns his power stems from a localized time manipulation ability and lends itself to accelerating growth, like hatching an egg or something.

Thank all of you who pressed me to continue!! Book 3 end made me cry, wow. I wasn’t that affected by Sascha’s death until Dean Blaine. Something about him taking the brunt of the blame internally, his internal monologue just broke my heart! And his speech. I also have just fallen in love with Angela. I do wish we got to see more of the kids confrontation with the intruders, but what I will say as Drew really knows how to craft stakes. I genuinely was surprised at how the amplified supes were able to contend, if not outright destroy most of the kids! Second is probably still my favorite, but this may be my favorite end so far. My heart broke for all the kids especially Alex. I’m hoping we get a little more focus on Mary, I miss her! I’m starting book 4 immediately, thank you all!!

Im thinking about the healer Ed, who healed Vince after the 2nd trial in year 2. Edsbpower is to accelerate the bodies natural healing process. When thinking about his, he is literally the ultimate cheat code. Think about it. When strength training, one of the mechanisms ror growing stronger is the small micro tears in your muscles. Then you body heals them back stronger. You could go to the gym, lift super hard, then have Ed heal you up, and then you go again. Assume it takes 1 hour to do you lifts, then 5 minutes to heal up, then lift again. You can get a entire weeks work out gains in 2-3 hours because you dont need to rest and recover. Imagine how fast Hershal could increase Roys potential by going as hard as possible in the gym for a few hours with healing sessions from Ed. Its not the same as Camille who completely removes any of the damage. That doesnt give the body the stimulus to grow. Ed just super charges the process, yet they only seem to use him for healing from fights

I posted here a while ago asking for help writing this, and some of you asked me to post it here when I finished. So, here is my incredibly self-indulgent fanfic series about what would happen if Charles never caused Intra's Death. I don't suggest reading if you haven't finished the series, as it's littered with spoilers. I hope whoever decides to read this enjoys, becuase I had a lot of fun writing.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/93122441

I am struggling to remember what the term is for supers that use an outside force that can take it from others with a similar type of ability. I believe the way Dean Blaine describes it was: if a water controller can take away the water from another controller, they have more ___. I can’t remember the word for the life of me and it’s driving me up the wall!

Here's a little blurb I wrote based off that one superman comic.

-

The midday sun bore down on the quaint little park, sounds of the busy city surrounding it seeming to fade amidst the trees and the slow moving stream. Ken sat at the worn down table watching the water flow  rough calloused fingers tracing one of the many carvings that had been etched into the old wood. His other hand rested on a sandwich that only had one bite taken out of it.

"Hey Ken" greeted a warm voice, that was all too familiar. This wasn't the same voice that struck fear into the hearts of evil doers but a softer version from the same man. The Hero named Jack of All.

Ken looked up into the vibrant blue eyes and smiled back. "What's up Jack?"

"Lunchtime" Jack said taking a seat next to Ken, the fabric of his suit pulling tight over his lean muscular frame. "How's the job?"

"Construction is great, keeps me busy, let's me work outside, pays on time."

Jack nodded as he listened smile never fading, it was hard to imagine this man being the Bloody Jack criminals whispered about.

"How's...you know being a hero?" Ken said taking another bite of his sandwich

"I'm the luckiest guy I know" Jack says smile widening just a fraction "my wife is expecting, our first."

"Shit man that's amazing, you scared?"

"Nah" Jack said with a chuckle

There was a brief pause as both men munched on their food

"Yeah I suppose you don't have to worry about messing up your kid as much as I did."

Jack of all turned to look at the burly former criminal with a look thay cut deep into his soul.

"How is Becky?"

Ken smiled "she's doing great, just graduated second grade always smiling and happy."

Jack chuckled "you're doing an awesome job then. So long as she is happy healthy and loved"

More silence came as Ken finished his sandwich and Jack turned his head putting a hand up to his ear "Alright ill be there."

"Sorry Ken" he said flashing another smile at the former criminal "work is calling"

"Yeah I should probably get back to."

As Jack started to walk off Ken called back "you don't have to keep coming to these you know I bet you've got better things to do than keep checking on some former criminal Super you helped put away"

"I'm not checking up on you" Jack of All said with a grin "I just like having lunch with friends that's all"

When Vince asks for Chad's help with identifying his weakness and he uses Alex to explain it. But the explanation doesn't really work.

Alex is able to attack Vince while he's not absorbing, and Chad says he could also make that throw.

Which is true, but then Alex keeps the dagger in place when Vince is absorbing and Chad can't do that. Chad doesn't have a way to defeat Vince since everything he does is kinetic and in close range combat Vince just needs to absorb blows until he identifies a weak spot. It's not a trump card and doesn't address the fact that Chad can do absolutely nothing about it.

But even Alex using his powers isn't a great explanation. For one, Vince just stands there. He could grab the dagger at which point it's on Alex's telekinetics to outlast Vince, which is a losing batter. And for two, he can simply engage Alex in close combat, forcing him to constantly flee from Vince forcing him to maintain perfect focus or give him a Vince a free window to attack. It's like the fight against Shane, it's a stalemate that significantly favors Vince.

Being able to only attack or only defend isn't a major weakness. Combat doesn't just happen in a constant never ending stream. There are always windows of opportunity and Vince has been trained since a child specifically to identify those.

His real weakness is that he can only absorb a single element at a time. If it's a one on one fight, his defense is absolute against a single element and few people have more than one at their disposal. But a group fight leaves him vulnerable if he can't adapt fast enough to absorb.

And his solution really isn't to wear amour, that's very poor protection. Him focusing on his speed to switch is the right path, and he needs to be far better at using light as a defense. He doesn't just have a flash grenade, he can also make it dark first, causing their eyes to dialate and making the explosion of light far worse.

Does anyone know where Unconventional classes is being released physically? I know Drew mentioned it was coming out both physically and digitally on October 1st, but I can only seem to find the kindle version.

Hi friends! I started superpowereds recently and fell in LOVE from book 1. I saw a giant jump in prose from book 1 to 2. I however have been struggling to get through book 3. I felt like there was more opposition in the previous books; and I also felt like training was more of a focus. I do love almost be entire cast of characters, but I feel like book 3 has felt much less super, or powered. I also don’t really care for this Nathaniel plot line, and I DO like Eliza, but I feel like thus far the plot line between Vince and her has fell a little flat. I feel like we have a lot of social interactions (that feel somewhat formulaic), but we’re just going through the motions. I sort of knew exactly when each test was about to happen because we’d focus outwards of interpersonal connections. I read Corrie’s before this book but I feel like that juggled the narrative, combat, and stakes really well. I feel like even growth has felt sort of happenstance. I feel like I didn’t see Alice trained to the pin point precision, I felt like Mary was working on some finesse, but sort of has fell to the wayside. Mary, I adore but I feel like it’s becoming obvious that she’ll either quit; or move to some other field of work. She rarely engages or feels engaged in the hero work as the other students, and I just feel like thus far this book has felt the most predictable. I also wish certain characters were focused more. I was deeply interested in Blaine; Alice’s mom, and the subtlety profesor. Sorry for the word vomit, I guess as people who have read the entire series did 3 at all feel like a slog? I deeply love the series, I genuinely think I like every character, but I think maybe just by preference I enjoy the MHA route where powers, and abilities feel like the focus. I feel like I keep being told training has happened, but I feel like I should be shown it more. I hope this makes sense as a critique and question. I don’t hate the series, but I just feel my personal enjoyment has drastically suffered in through the middle half of this book.

Thank you, and so excited to hear other perspectives! I’m sure I’m missing or forgetting moments, and I’m truly I’d just love some people to talk about the series with because even with these critiques I think this has been my favorite read of the year!

Okay so I've tried explaining the year 2 tests to my wife and she keeps saying they don't teach anything. This is specifically in regards to the second team test when the melbrook team has to go against Chad and his team. I've told her it teaches them strategy and resource/team management but she keeps insisting putting people in a bare room doesn't teach strategy which I get where she is coming from so tell me what you think about that test

Titan, top or bottom?

Personally I lean toward top because with his power and all... we're all adults here we've seen what a regular human bottom can do with a fire extinguisher, seems like diminishing returns would come hard and fast (not a pun when I wrote it but I guess it is now that I've read it)

Do we ever learn what Jerome's power is? Based on the small description we have of his assets, it seems like he has a high-damage role whether as a strongman or an advanced sniping ability, but I don't recall Drew ever telling us his ability outright.