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BLACK_JET

                                             December  6, 2003
                                             May       3, 2019

When I was about 5 years old, I used to                   From some posts
pretend I was a super-hero named "Black Jet".             to alt.gothic.

Jennie Kermode asked: "Did you
have a cape to run about in?"

No, I didn't do capes.  I had a black
shirt that I liked, with a white emblem       A friend of mine would get
in the middle of it-- I think I also had      a yellow t-shirt pinned to
some black pants to complete the outfit.      his shoulders to play Robin

I tried to ignore the fact that the                                 Which I
white emblem was a football --                 Even at age 5, I     guess means
                                               thought football     I would
An American-style football, that is: an        was tedious and      be Batman,
ovoid with points on the ends, and seams       un-cool.  I was      which I
running parallel to the long axis.  It was     corrupted early      don't
flying diagonally across the shirt, with       by some hipster/     remember
cartoon-style speed lines sketched in to       intellectual         at all.
indicate motion.                               older brothers.
                                                                    Though I
                                                                    did do
                                       I was however                endless
                                       interested in trying         renditions
   There was another kid I hung        to play basketball           of the
   around with in those days, who      with some older kids,        Batman
   I would try to press into           who invariably laughed       bat logo
   service in these games, and         themselves silly when        in tempura
   I think he tended to be my loyal    I fell and skinned my        paints in
   side-kick.  He would also try       knees horribly and           kinder-
   to press me into his                went running home            garten.
   imagination games, but I            crying.  (Looking back
   remember being largely              on it, I suspect that
   un-interested (he liked to          they may have pushed
   play "army", and oddly enough,      or tripped me, but I
   "house").  I remember he came       don't remember
   up with some creative               anything like that.)
   compromises, like having Black      Ah, Brooklyn.  Ah, the
   Jet assist the army with            basketball courts of
   something... I don't know why       good old P.S. 65.
   I didn't go for it.  Probably       
   a not-invented-here problem.        
                                       
                                      

Jennie Kermode:
"What were your special powers?"

  Nothing special really. Flying, superstrength,
  maybe some invulnerability.  The usual.


  (My actual super power was climbing stuff.)




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