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[helpdesk_hero]

This is David Alleyne, I'm not available at the moment.
Please leave your name, contact information, and what this is regarding after the beep.

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[helpdesk_hero]

[That makes David smile and he nods.]

They are good people. They see the best in even those that hurt them. I put myself between one young Peter and his Quentin Beck. The man who kept manipulating and hurting him. It was all I coudl do to protect him from his own kindness.

[doctopoda]

It wasn't the Beck here, was it?

[Otto's friendly with the guy, after having established immediately that he wasn't going to go after any of the Spider-Men. He figures he has no room to judge past actions. Still - he'd sort of like to know.]

[helpdesk_hero]

[The one with the movie? David sighs.]

Yes, I think it was. I don't know if he's still here. But I saw him arguing with a guy online about the value of a movie of his life.

[doctopoda]

[Ugh. Great. Otto grimaces.]

We had a talk about the Spider-Men when he first showed up. He told me he'd leave them alone.

[It's up in the air whether or not Otto trusts the man, but he is at least aware that he'll have to deal with Otto if he tries anything.]

[helpdesk_hero]

I don't know that he cares about Peter as much when he has the opportunity to make things about himself. That's what matters.

[doctopoda]

[Otto snorts.]

Well, there's plenty of ways to do that without being a supervillain about it. He'd be better off re-inventing himself as a hero somewhere that still likes those. Could get some of those bootleg action figures.

[helpdesk_hero]

[David snickers.]

I'm still looking for a Processor Septapod figure. He's apparently really popular.

[doctopoda]

No.

[PLEASE SAY SIKE]

[helpdesk_hero]

[Oh his smile grows.]

Oh yes. Not here, because Excelsior is stupid, but it's a thing. In fact, there's one on the desk of Jessica in accounting. Actually, there's one on Chad in HR's too. I'm jealous that they found some.

[doctopoda]

[Otto chuckles, because - okay, it's sort of embarrassing, but it also feels too silly to actually be annoyed over.]

Oh my god. They're importing them. What, has he got -

[He shifts the actuators so that one is behind his back and one just sort of...is in the middle, he guesses? Why would you have an odd number of them?]

[helpdesk_hero]

Yep, like that. I think there was talk of a drone toy too. But the current one has clamp action.

[doctopoda]

You hear that? You've got clamp action.

[That's directed at a claw. Flo is not impressed! Probably, it's hard to tell.]

Well, it could always be worse. He's not in the jumpsuit, is he?

[helpdesk_hero]

I can't tell if they're impressed or not.

[Oh the jumpsuit. David shakes his head.]

Nah, looks more like you do now.

[doctopoda]

They don't really have that kind of emotional range. But I'm sure they would be.

[In Otto's experience, the most he can really attribute to them is fear, curiosity, and anger. You know, like a creature.]

Good, good. I can live with that. Though I'd rather be getting some royalties, as long as I don't have a secret identity to hide.

[helpdesk_hero]

I mean, you could always sign on to a merchandise deal with the Guild. Then they could make licensed ones that look good, and you would get your cut of the pie.

[It's the fact that it's all unlicensed merch that is denying Otto money.]

[doctopoda]

I could.

[And the unlicensed merch is mildly annoying when you think about it like that. All the same - Otto grimaces a little.]

Though I hate to play into their marketing hands like that. Last time I went into the HQ, this young kid wouldn't stop badgering me to get a "Tiktok".

[Suffice it to say, Otto did not get an Tiktok.]

[helpdesk_hero]

[And if there was licensed stuff, maybe the guilds would step on the unlicensed. But David doubted it.]

Yeah, don't do that. No reason to give in to that specific sort of social media horror.

[doctopoda]

He thought I could get good videos, because of all my hands.

[Which like, objectively he probably could. One dedicated tentacle as he leaps over the rooftops! But, uh, that's really not his scene.]

If I'm honest, I find the idea of using all of this to gain fame distasteful. [A claw taps on the ground for a moment, thoughtful, before he adds:] Especially in my position. Feels like cheating.

[He'd been public enemy number one for a while there. Why should he suddenly just be vaulted to hero status?]

[helpdesk_hero]

[Okay, yeah, he thinks he gets what the guy would be getting at there, so he chuckles.]

He's not wrong. But yeah, I've done the whole fame thing. Avoid it, as much as you can. It's miserable and people start making fanfic about you and that's just upsetting.

[doctopoda]

What?

[WHAT MAKES YOU THINK HE KNOWS WHAT FANFICTION IS, IT WAS NOT THAT COMMON PARLANCE IN 2004]

[helpdesk_hero]

[Oh Otto, you poor thing. At least it isn't Doreen telling you this.]

You know how some people get really into celebrity relationship gossip?

[doctopoda]

Yes...?

[oh he doesn't love where this is going]

[helpdesk_hero]

Well, some people go further and write stories about it. It's a mess.

[doctopoda]

...ugh. No further questions.

[He's done, he has more than sufficient information! And anyway, thank god, there's the timer on dinner!]

Ah, perfect! Let's never talk about that again. [he's smiling but also oh my god]

[helpdesk_hero]

ANd that's the advantage of being bright. I don't have to draw more of a picture. Trust me. I never want to remember it.

[Even if some of the fanart was good. He rises, time to head back to the kitchen.]

Wish I could help more on the Arc tech too, but I never had the breadth of my powers around Tony, not close enough, so that's something I don't have in my head.