- A channel?! — Ned exclaimed, confused. Peter gestured for him to lower his voice, they were in the school yard, at break time.
- Yeah, a Spider-Man channel, I don't know what the name could be, but it would have to be completely anonymous and untraceable. You're my chair nerd, man, that part is up to you.
- I don't know, huh Peter. Aren't you a little too shut-off with everyone lately to think about that kind of thing?
- That's precisely why, Ned. A social network is a great people filter. I do not want to…
- Wait what? — Demanded Ned, a little impatient but also worried about the answer.
- Let what happened with Liz happen again, ok? It wasn't cool having to go through that, I didn't go to prom, I had a horrible bunch of weeks just having to recover from almost getting killed by a psycho dealer who happens to know my secret identity, but it doesn't count for nobody. I… I need to get back to being a normal guy, you know?
- … Okay, Peter — Ned replied, with a smile from his friend right away — But I'm warning you, I think it's good that you plan your content very well. I've followed several digital influencers out there and their content consistency is scary.
- With you helping me, there's no way to be bad.
- Not at all — Ned smiled, with an air of superiority.
- Hey there, Nerds — Suddenly, Michelle appeared through the bustle of the courtyard, taking a seat next to them.
- What’s up, MJ? — Ned greeted.
- Why do you call us that?
- Because you are, duh — She rolled her eyes, smiling sarcastically.
- If we are, so are you.
- And? — She took an apple out of her pocket and bit into it, leaving an uncomfortable mood in the air as only she could. Peter gave a smile, enjoying the situation — I heard you guys talking about… creating a channel.
- Ah… It's nothing — Peter tried to divert the subject — We're just talking about the difficulties of managing a channel.
- Yeah… — Ned tried to add — I said that if I had control over a channel, a hypothetical channel that Peter and I would have, it would have much more consistent content than most influencers and…
MJ was still chewing the apple slowly, his eyes narrowed in a clear look of suspicion, which made the pair of friends even more nervous. After swallowing the piece of apple she'd bitten into, she smiled, clearly enjoying the situation she'd created with the two of them.
- What kind of channel do you usually watch?
- Oh, I don't know… — Ned looked at Peter, clearly asking for help.
- The… Tony Stark Channel! Yes, I did an internship at his company not long ago, as you well know.
- Yeah, yeah, and I also like to watch the Bruce Banner channel — Ned continued.
-Bruce Banner? Like, the Hulk? — MJ looked surprised, her lips falling down in disbelief — And does he have a channel?
- He had, he... — Peter murmured — He had, he didn't post anything else...
- Hm — MJ scowled again, with a look of suspicion at the two again — You're very strange, have I told you that?
- Why do you like to come talk to us? — Peter asked, putting her in check this time. The girl's face started to turn red, and she looked away before answering.
- I don't know if you noticed, but you are the only ones who talk alone, just the two of you. Well, the only ones besides me… I just don't talk to anyone anyway.
- Ah… MJ, look… — Peter started babbling.
- Alright. I don't think you guys are really ready to accept anyone else into your group, I respect that.
- It's not that…
- Look… When you want to talk to me, I'll be in the usual place, all right? — And she walked away from the two, with Ned punching Peter's arm, who rubbed where he was punched, with a pained face.
- I think you better go apologize to her later.
- I don't have the mind for this right now, man.
- I'm not giving you an option.
- Ah… Okay, but can we solve the channel thing first?
- Okay, but I think you better start to stop being an asshole like that. You didn't even tell me how it went with May.
- Actually, it was pretty nice. She likes me being… — He looks around and makes sure before continuing — You know who.
- So it's okay for me to go there later so we can decide these things calmly at your house...? You know, where we can talk without fear of being heard.
- All right, actually. I think it's great that all of you are present for the creation of this new phase of Spider-Man.
Not long after, social networks were graced with the first live broadcast of their super-channel, The_Spidey_Web, the home of the suburban hero, the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. The Live itself was Spidey performing for the people of the internet. He had become an instant sensation that day, making two more uploads, one where he stops a robbery in an alley, and another where he makes a montage of several times he had to help local people with smaller things, like a lady crossing the street and a woman hot calling to start her car. At night, Peter returned to his house, where Ned and May were fascinated by the computer screen Ned was holding. He removed his mask and quickly approached them, curious about the outcome of his efforts.
- How it was? Peter asked excitedly.
- Peter, you're on top of world trends right now! — Ned replied, excited, the two made a high-five
- Too much! How many subscribers does our channel already have?
- 600 thousand. And it's increasing.
- This is so cool! — May squeezed Peter in a hug — Not to mention the benefits.
- Benefits? May, I don't think it's cool for us to use this channel to make money...
- No love. I'll be able to watch you indirectly, I'll always be able to know where you are and what you're doing — May smiled sarcastically.
- You're kidding, right... — She kept smiling, and went back to looking at the screen — You... are, right?
- Look, you just passed the Stark! — Ned pointed to the screen.
- You’re kidding!
- No, there's only one channel in front of you… Screwball.
- I've heard of her.
Ned then opened the Screwball channel, which boasted a hefty two million subscribers. The homepage was well styled with graffiti and posters in white and pink. Curious, May reached for her computer mouse and opened one of the videos. In it, the channel's owner was doing elaborate parkour between buildings in a very artistic way, with multiple cameras switching between different angles as she jumped from platform to platform, with at the end, her leaping over a training dummy, and making a complex move, from some martial art deduced Peter, to knock it down. At the end, she did a triumphant pose, fists on her hips, tongue sticking out, making a funny face, making Ned give a small laugh. Her suit was clearly homemade, but still, the latex on it gave it a tactical look, with various stripes and designs etched into it. On the head, a helmet with an orange visor, an "S" on the forehead and a large ponytail coming out from behind the helmet.
- I must admit, you have some pretty good competition — Ned pointed out.
- It's not a competition, Ned. It's therapy — Peter replied, heading to his room.
- Thank you so much for your help, dear — May hugged Ned — We'll talk later, okay.
- Of course, May. Bye Peter! — He yelled at Peter, who was changing in the bedroom. He left too.
Peter stayed up all night fiddling with his channel details. The deepest thoughts of distrust and insecurity were almost gone, he was very amused to see the messages of affection from so many fans. “Maybe…” he thought to himself, as he stared at the likes on his videos, “Being a hero doesn't have to be such a heavy burden”. And it was with this thought that he left his building very early to do a new live. It was on top of the Empire State Building this time when it started.
- What's up, Arachnids! This is your friendly neighborhood speaking, the one and only Spider-Man! — The camera filmed him in selfie mode, and he continued — For many of you who wonder what it's like to swing in my webs around town, this one is a taste.
He programmed the live to end in a few minutes, attached his cell phone to his chest with his webs and threw himself into the air to launch himself between the many buildings in the city. He did this for a long time until he was sure the live ended, and then he flew to Midtown College, in the usual alley, where he met Ned shortly afterwards, the two laughed, greeted each other and left for their day of classes. The pair of friends could not contain the curiosity of constantly checking social networks during class, which did not fell for the grace of the teachers very much, who almost confiscated the cell phones of the two, but it did not prevent Peter from continuing to have a great performance in his tasks.
The attitudes of the two caught the attention of Michelle Jones, who curiously observed their joy, making small doodles and notes in her notebook. When it was time for the break, they were talking about all the news and repercussions, apparently Screwball had reached the top of the "Superhero" trending charts. It was in this situation that they saw MJ once again, sitting with some Decathlon friends, but really quiet and introspective. Ned pointed to Peter that that was the time he got up and addressed her. When she noticed him approaching, she remained static in her chair, looking at him.
- Hi, MJ.
- Sup.
- See, I wanted to apologize for yesterday. I was an asshole, I'm not going through a very nice phase, and I know that's not an excuse, but it's why I'm like this — She continued in silence — If you want, the table Ned and I are at is almost entirely free and…
- All good. — She got up with the tray of food — Ladies first?
- Sure.
- Then you can go — She smiled. Peter also smiled, awkwardly, and he went ahead, the two sat down next to Ned — And so, what you see so much on the internet.
- It's Spider-Man's channel — Ned answered — It grew in popularity pretty quickly.
- Are you his fans? — She asked.
- Yes… I mean, he's a great hero, and on top of that he lives down here, he's not some kind of unreachable mega hero, is he, Peter?
- Of course, of course. Spider-Man is… Just a guy, right? Trying to do the right thing, not some super soldier or Norse god or mega spy or whatever… — Peter looked away nervously.
- Of course… — MJ expressed his suspicious eyes once more, and completed — But you're not angry about what he did to Liz? I mean, she ran away and left you because her father was arrested by Spider-Man.
- Michelle, it's not like that... — Ned said, Peter was red and his face expressed a lot of shame, a long silence occurred until Parker answered.
- If that happened, it wasn't his fault, it was Liz's father, who did all those horrible things behind their backs... — He said, his voice low but firm.
- … Correct answer — She smiled, trying to calm Peter — So, how is this “Spider Channel” going?
- The_Spidey_Web, actually — Ned replied, and MJ shot him a death glare, he lowered his head.
- He's the second most famous channel on superhero trends — Peter continued.
- And what's the first?
- A vigilante called “Screwball”. Ned, what was the last thing she published?
Ned rests his cell phone screen on the table, pulling it away for everyone to see. In the last video of the virtual celebrity, she was in some kind of old building that was never finished. There, only one camera filmed her, in front of a large dark wall with corrosion and water marks.
- What's up guys! Screwball speaking here, this time to welcome our newest friend, the Spectacular Spider-Man, he has already participated in avengers campaigns, he's a people man like us, he's in the middle of the crowd, and he's already right behind me as one of the major channels of this heromania. Sorry Stark, there's a new Spider on this net! To complete this welcome, I came to do something special on this wall right behind me.
And the rest of the video was a fun montage of Screwball taking out several cans of spray paint and graffitiing the wall of the old, abandoned building. Upbeat music set a cool tone, and in a montage lasting just over a minute, a large, full-color artwork of Spider-Man, hunched over the ground like a spider, extended his wrist to shoot his web. When she was done, she stretched out her arms happily beside the painting and said, "Ta-dah!" The three of them watching started to smile, Peter particularly understood why she was more successful than him, but then Michelle asked.
- Why is she part of the Superhero trends?
- Well, apparently, she also fights crime where she can — Ned commented, and opened another video from her channel, where she jumps from one side to the other, delivering several blows against masked men in an alley, some of them with bags of money in their hands.
- Hm… — MJ didn't look happy to see that, and they both noticed. — It's a little reckless to gain fame over a job like that, don't you think? Whether she or Spider-Man do it, it's kind of dangerous and kind of...
- What? — Peter was in disbelief.
- You know, inconsequential. Taking care of bad guys like these is serious work.
- Oh, but it's good to show that you're a hero, isn't it? — Ned’s face was as startled as it was reflective.
- But what does it mean? To be a hero, have you ever wondered that? — She leaned back across the table, smiling at the triumphant question — Maybe it's not about expecting anything in return.
They both remained silent, Peter couldn't agree with what she had said, maybe she didn't realize how hard it is to be someone who needs to be there for other people, how exhausting that is. Ned realized how much this comment bothered his friend, so they moved on to other subjects, and Peter eventually joined in the conversation again, but the question loomed in his mind, and he really didn't like his new friend's implication.
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