#hessenpy

Neo-Libérateur!

(Since this character’s name was intentionally ironic/a joke, I felt it important to put extra thought into their name… btw, if you’re lost, Hessen is a very white german for a person who lives in a forest. So naming the Fire Captain Hessenpy is like, the American equivalent of Smokey the Bear.)

Now, in the normal or ‘prime’ universe, in France, fire-fighters are called “sapeurs-pompiers”.

       But in our ‘reverse’ universe where The Supreme rules all, after WW2 fire-fighters were re-branded as “Fire-suppressors”, or “suppresseurs- pompiers”.   Sounds much less aggressive, more formal, doesn’t use words like “fighting” which has connotations of violence.

WHY IS THIS DETAIL IMPORTANT??

      ….I’m getting to that, geesh!

You don’t need to be a linguistic expert to figure out that “Libérateur” is the opposite of “Suppresseur”, since they are close enough to English.  But I bet you are lost on the “Neo” bit, eh?   Here is some fun word-play for you;

      In French, “pompiers” is an informal way to refer to firemen. HOWEVER, in French “pompier” is also an academic term, a rather negative one, in regards to imitating the conservative painting style of neoclassical artists.

            Wow, are you bored? Why should you care?  BECAUSE I’M MAKING A PUN ON HIS PROFESSION AND HIS SUPERHERO APPEARANCE! 

This is actually the first Hero that Betterfly/Hesperia kamikotizes.

The Butterfly Brooch grants the wearer an almost telepathic type of Empathy, as we saw in S4, “Ephemeral”, even when not transformed, Gabriel was alerted to the presence of strong emotions nearby, like an emotional smoke-detector. 

     The wearer of the Brooch can be alerted to intense emotions without intentionally searching for them even when they are not transformed.

This is the case when Gabriel was simply working on fashion design sketches in his atelier (office) when he was suddenly bombarded with an intense wave of terror. Not just the fear of one person, but of many!

Pulling up a live news broadcast on his tablet he quickly identifies the source; a bus that has lost control has caused many drivers to swerve wildly out of the way to avoid collision. But even more concerning is that the bus full of passengers is heading towards the Seine.

Gabriel can hear the screams of each passenger echoing in his own mind, and his pulse races.

Nooru can sense his holder’s thoughts and warns him not to be reckless, but Gabriel can’t possibly do nothing and with his words of transformation, light wings rise and Gabriel Agreste becomes Betterfly.

Just as he transforms, the news footage on the tablet shows that the Bus has crashed into the stone railing of the Pont au Change bridge, and now the Bus is dangling precariously over the Seine… one wrong move and it will tumble over into the river!

He can feel the fear of onlookers, paralyzed into inaction, fully aware of how helpless they are…. 

     The passengers are on the brink of hysterics, perhaps they too are aware of how long it will take rescue crews to arrive at the scene, time they do not have.

            Among the sea of chaos and hopelessness, Gabriel can FEEL it- a spark of determination, a desire to do something, courage to take action but not knowing what action to take.

                     Perhaps the fluttering wings of a moth can fan this spark into a roaring flame.

Off duty Fire Captain Hessenpy’s eyes are locked on the Buss teetering on the edge, so he does not notice the glittering white butterfly that perches onto and melds with his helmet.

But he hears the voice; confident yet somehow soothing. The voice identifies as a friend who wishes to lend him the strength to save those in need. It asks if he will accept this gift for the greater good?

A woman screams as gravity leans the front half of the bus ever closer to a watery grave.

Hessenpy does not hesitate.

He can feel it- unknown strength rippling through his veins in a surge of heat. 

    He charges valiantly towards the Bus, deaf to the sounds of his uniform tearing at the seams from his suddenly engorged muscles.

Now shirtless, and the remains of what were once trousers just barely concealing his dignity, Neo-Libérateur grasps the sides of the bus like Hercules grabbing the horns of the Cretan Bull, his blue eyes glowing with ferocity, grunting with great effort that for a moment, onlookers could swear some of the brown color from his hair drained from the exertion, making his locks briefly appear blond.

         The sharp contours of his body posed in such a way that would put even Atlas himself to shame as Neo-Libérateur hefted the buss further away from the edge until both back wheels were once more touching the ground.

It is only then that sirens fill the air.

Rescue crews have finally arrived at the scene,  winches and tow cables are secured to the bus and it is hauled back away from damaged bridge.

       Neo-Libérateur collapses to the ground with exhaustion as soon as the bus doors are forcibly opened for rescue crew members to retrieve the trapped passengers.

The kamiko relinquishes it’s alliance with  Neo-Libérateur, and Captain Hessenpy is left feeling exposed, for more reasons than one, as he is surrounded by both admirers and people with questions.

Letting the wings of transformation fall, Gabriel Agreste releases his own sigh of relief.

       But Nooru can not relax. Using the power of the Miraculous so openly is sure to attract The Supreme’s attention! 

           Gabriel knows, but he had no choice…. He can sense the relief of a mother, a passenger on the bus, holding her infant to her chest in overwhelming gratitude. The baby, oblivious to the danger he had faced, feels only comfort and safety in his mother’s embrace.

                  This is why Gabriel had to act.

   There is STILL good in this world, there are still people who are moved to do what is right without the promise of reward or benefit to themselves. There is still hope of creating a better tomorrow for their children.

         Still hope for the kind of future Emelie wanted for Adrien.

Gabriel is not so naive as to believe this task will be easy, but he knows that if he does nothing, if he does not use these powers to at least make an attempt to help those in need, then he is no better than The Supreme.

The News Media is quick to focus the story on WHY the bus lost control, and what precautions will be made to prevent similar occurrences from repeating in the future, as well as discussion of re-modeling the antique  

Pont au Change to a more modern design with reinforced safety railings. Time of construction and cost of materials being of the utmost concern.

         Captain Hessenpy’s involvement is mentioned only briefly, and swept under the rug with the dull and plausible explanation of a rush of adrenaline allowing for such strength under extreme duress, not unlike that which allows mothers to overturn cars to free trapped children in a panicked state.

No one questions it… Save for an overly suspicious teenage girl.

Only The Supreme knows the truth. 

    Now he knows that whoever stole the peacock and butterfly miraculous is hiding in Paris.

Based on what has transpired, it seems the thief wishes to play the role of “Hero”.

      What better way to lure out a “Hero” than with a “Villain” or two?

The Butterfly’s powers can be tricky to combat against given the long range as well as the diversity of powers that can manifest.  

    The Ladybug has the best adaptability as well as damage control, while the Black Cat has the best chance of cutting off a Kamikotized Champion’s source of power, even the kamiko itself.   

     The two of them are too powerful to be handed to just anyone. The Supreme knows that even amongst those who have proven their worth and loyalty to be entrusted with the rare privilege of using a miraculous, the temptation for betrayal is great.

Rather, it would be better to find someone ignorant of the weight of such power. 

 Please see my first post, “Supreme Identity theory” for further elaboration.

(Hint, hint, you can also see The Supreme’s selection process in my post “Shadybug/Claw Noir Reverse Umbrella scene Headcanon.”  which takes places just little over a week of the Neo-Libérateur incident.)

Idk if I can link to previous posts or not. I’m tech dumb.

Feel free to google Neoclassic art styles if you are still lost on the pun.

Not so much funny as it is dramatic… but this is Gabriel Agreste. You can’t have fashion without drama.