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47. TNTeena

I was not on the original mission that brought TNTeena into our lives, but I did listen along to the jailbreak from Alcatraz, and Teena was right up at the top (alongside Young Frankenstein and Bunny) in terms of the memorable personalities and storylines that we came across. She happened to be Saoirses cellmate when the party got imprisoned, and with Saoirse being a scientist at heart, with naturally maternalistic tendencies, she quickly took to the shy, nervous young girl. Teena wound up in Alcatraz because shes a meta-human with the ability to pop off (and regrow, dont worry) her fingers for use as explosives. Well, that, and the fact that she loudly and proudly touts her status as a member of the Teen Titans Reserves (the only member?), having personally partnered up with Cyborg.

Part of me doesnt want to mention this next bit, but its kinda necessary to understand why Teena managed to make a big enough splash that she blasted her way onto my list. Teena is autistic in a Rain Man sense of the word. Shes very OCD, and her mannerisms are almost robotic in how she interacts with people. In that initial meeting at Alcatraz, when planning their escape attempt, obviously it helps to have a girl with explosive capabilities, but Teenas more than just a bomber. The whole time, shes talking through her thought process with regards to which fingers she can afford to lose in which order (pinky and ring on the non-dominant hand, if I recall correctly). Its honestly reminiscent of a character that I liked from the first campaign, Philo Zeiss. He was one of Azraels lieutenants, and he was very much high-functioning in a similar fashion (although admittedly he came off much more like Mordin Solus than Rain Man).

Meanwhile, when she talks about her time partnered alongside Cyborg, shes very quick to mention her arrest record and recidivism rate (paling in comparison to that of Ted Kord, but cmonTeds great). This COULD easily have been annoying, because even though her attitude is understandable, given her disability, that inherent lack of social grace leads to a hint of obnoxious smugness in just how she acts towards certain people. Its not enough to draw ire, at least not yet, but it could definitely go down that path. This is why a secondary bit of information is important to tempering Teenas worst traits.

As we found out soon after bringing her back to Zonn Zorr, yes, Teena is part of the Teen Titans Reservesbut its almost one of those Make-A-Wish situations (or perhaps more accurately, when you have a sporting event and its a runaway one way or the other, so one team lets a weak player who has warmed the bench all season to go out and live their dream). Yes, Teena has a strong partner in Cyborg, and yes, her recidivism rate is low, but at least from how I interpreted the discussions, its likely all for show (or at least MOSTLY for show). And thats the hook you need to get drawn back into liking Teena. Shes abrasive, but its not her fault, and shes trying the absolute best that she can.

When you really think about it, you have this girl with extremely dangerous powers, but theyre also not the sort of powers that would make her an especially useful combatant out in the field (on top of her disability). Shes in a really shitty situation as a result. I mean, Peppers powers suck for her on a personal level, but with enough practice and control, she can keep them in check, and even expand their potential to ungodly levels. In a way, theres almost a sense of camaraderie that Pepper feels towards Teena as a result of this, and in the one interaction theyve had, shes at least trying to be friendly and offer a hand (even though these are two girls who should ABSOLUTELY not shake hands).

Really, what intrigues me about Teena going forward is that it seems like she WAS largely being humored before, but now were in a situation where we need all hands on-deck, and shes going into the apocalypse thinking that she wasnt being humored or pitied. I think theres the chance that she can rise to the occasion and become a valuable member of Zonn Zorrs meta-human contingent, but even if she goes the other direction, its still an extremely interesting storyline to watch unfold.

Hint for #46: Another teen.