Question Spy Kidz

So after rereading their spring break debacle with She-beast, and recalling their Imp related debacle...

Do any members of the fandom think they have a chance with Ace in charge? I find him and his attitude (backed by A-Plus and somewhat Kew) to be the main thing getting in their way. Interface is Interface, he'll stay Interface no matter who is in charge, but he's not a total loser or incompetent, nor is he as uncaring as he seems. He gave Reach a gentle shove when he needed it and he's on Team Phoenix.

I think if they put Reach or Hold-out in charge, it would work out a lot better for them. Hold-out knew it was a bad idea to go through with the whole plan telling Nemesis Sheba's #1 weakness, but he doesn't have quite the bum-toothed nerve to tell Ace to shove it... then again, so fare NONE of them have the nerve to do that except Interface and nobody would listen to him if he DID, so...

Are they actually salvageable if Ace weren't in charge?

Yes they are salvageable, or at least individuals like Reach are salvageable. Ace? Probably not so much so. I expect some day for Hartford to have him in a conference room and give him the old I have a deal you cannot refuse speech!

I think so, yes. Holdout has shown good leadership skills when he was "mission head" back in The Big Idea.

Bad leadership seems to be a recurring theme. The Spy Kidz, the Vindicators, the Masterminds, the Good Ol' Boyz, the old Alphas, the Cadet Crusaders... and I'm probably forgetting half a dozen other examples.

Well, they are all teens, even if they have super powers and exemplar memories, they just don't have enough life experience to be anything except natural leaders. Nothing wrong with that, just that unless they start thinking like Hank or some of the others they will make serious errors, and to outsiders, Kimba probably seems to have a lot of the same sorts of problems. We just get an insiders view, and Hank understands that Ayla and Jade and the rest have valuable information to input to the decision unlike Ace who thinks that he doesn't need to listen to his team members...

Iwasforger03 wrote: Interface is Interface, he'll stay Interface no matter who is in charge, but he's not a total loser or incompetent, nor is he as uncaring as he seems. He gave Reach a gentle shove when he needed it and he's on Team Phoenix.

We haven't even seen him using his powers as a member of Team Phoenix, just acting out his adopted persona of the lovable rogue. He came into Year One with a brown belt or equivalent; the safe bet is that he's gotten better since then.

Iwasforger03 wrote: I think if they put Reach or Hold-out in charge, it would work out a lot better for them.

Given the personalities in play, Holdout would work better as a Year Two leader, with Interface a "special team" leader for certain clandestine entry operations. Ideally, one would look for a way to ease Ace out of the head honcho role without him rage-quitting and taking A-Plus with him.

Or, maybe not. The Sekrit Squirrelz appear to be one of the clubs not invited to the Alpha Council ... I'd have to reread "Head Over Tail" to be sure, but if they're taking marching orders/direction from Roland Williams, their charter may have been revoked after Spring Break 2007.

Iwasforger03 wrote: Are they actually salvageable if Ace weren't in charge?

If they're kept sufficiently busy and challenged with assignments that will promote learning their trade, yes. They'll also need to be actively supervised by an experienced adult that's willing to send them to Doyle or Kane for a brief stay if they screw up. The way Imp started training Aegis would be a very good start. Tabby Cat might be the hardass supervisor they need.

Is it just me or is the second gen Cadet Corps much less likable than the first?

They seem discriminatory against thornies and from the attitudes of the leadership in Ink in Her Veins it seems reasonable to extrapolate to GSD in general.

While yes the first Gen Cadet Corps seemed to unfairly target those with villainous backgrounds, they at least waited for them to prove they were scheming.

There were also more moderates in the previous one but that may be because there were persoective characters.

Perfume at least strikes me as an individual who understands the basic precepts behind investigations. It strikes me that she might be focusing on the Spy Kidz rather than Venus Inc not just because it's her greater interest, but also because the group needs to be reined in, which she's evidently trying to do in the group meetings.

Jarjaross wrote: Is it just me or is the second gen Cadet Corps much less likable than the first?

They seem discriminatory against thornies and from the attitudes of the leadership in Ink in Her Veins it seems reasonable to extrapolate to GSD in general.

It's not wrong to question whether a Thornie can control their powers, as Edward did. However, it is foolish to assume that that would always be the case. We don't know whether he's worse than Interface in this regard, but given how cavalier he is w/r/t his psychic abilities, I wouldn't be surprised he ends up on the black hat side of the fence.

Violet does come off as a bit of a condescending diva-in-training.

Jarjaross wrote: While yes the first Gen Cadet Corps seemed to unfairly target those with villainous backgrounds, they at least waited for them to prove they were scheming.

When did they ever wait for proof before targeting the Bad Seeds, Masterminds, Phase, or school staff?