The Science World of Sustainable Dude - #1: Who IS Sean Labolg? (& PWUFY)

Imagine a world plagued by science supervillains. Energy beasts that take as much electricity as possible. Mad pathologists who try to spread destructive pandemics. Old factory-working ladies who significantly contribute to climate change. And...lazy nerds who want their way.

In short, imagine our world but a lot of environmental issues are dramatized like an action comic.

So, who exactly is to protect that world from the science based disasters it faces nearly daily?

Of course, it’d be none other than a seemingly average middle school boy, who goes by the superhero alias…

SUSTAINABLE DUDE!

But who exactly is this super kid, and what are some of these monsters he fights with his brain? Let’s take a deep dive into his world!

OUR PROTAGONIST

• FULL NAME: Sean Ramone Labolg
• AGE: 12
• PPRONOUNS: he/him
• ETHNICITY: Japanese-Irish
• NATIONALITY: American
• EDUCATION: WeldAndMeld Junior High
• HEIGHT: 5'4

Meet 7th grader Sean Labolg. (I usually pronounce his name as "Sheen"). On the surface, Sean appears to be a relatively ordinary middle school student that usually blends into the background. But he’s not too generic either.

Sean is described by most people as "gung-ho", as he is very bold and not too afraid to fight for what's right. He's into typical "middle-school boy" stuff like video games, exploring, and avoiding his schoolwork. Speaking of his schoolwork, what is there to say about his life at school?

Sean is by all accounts, an average student, but that doesn't mean Cs and Bs...in most classes. He's pretty smart in fact, especially in science (jee who'd guess), but he just does his work with the past of least-resistance, so the final result does seem average. Many of his teachers say he's not putting his full potential.

Sean does not like to admit he's a bit of dork, which is why he mainly looks up to his older friend and local "cool kid", Devon Mettgold (they/them). We'll learn more about their relationship in a later post, but for now, know that Devon is even more confident and rebellious compared to Sean, and they know how to skateboard amazingly! So Sean tries to imitate that, to...varying results.

His family and friends are even more vast than I'm describing, and once again, I'll get into the nitty-gritty of his siblings/parents when its' important.

So in all, Sean Labolg is typical. He's somewhat impulsive, but not truly a troublemaker, just trying to be himself, with his clearly uncombed hair and bright shirt. Just your normal boy.

Well...that's what most people would think. But what they don't know is beyond the surface, Sean is far from ordinary. In fact, he is extraordinary. This is where his super science ego of Sustainable Dude enters the picture.

HIS SUPERHERO LIFE

When Sean becomes Sustainable Dude, that perky, confident bold boy takes his skills to the new level.

First of all, in order to activate his persona, he presses his finger against his chest and yells his superhero catchphrase..."RETAIN AND SUSTAIN!"

As a superhero, he has your typical "Superman Parody" powers, such as flight, speed, and increased strength. He also has tools that can help him. His goggles can magnify things like a pair of binoculars. And as you can see, he has a super-powered pencil named P.W.U.F.Y, which stands for "Perfect Writing Utensil For You". What a mouthful. PWUFY may look like an ordinary #2, but he's is also a super-powered tool. We'll learn what he does in a bit.

With all those typical powers aside, you can guess what his best power is. Yes, as cheesy as it sounds, his strong scientific inquiry is his most prominent super-power! Sean is quite clever and a quick-thinker, so he tends to analyze situations and can easily find science-based solutions to his problems. Of course, he can mess up because...he's literally a child, but he does learn through trial and error.

While this one doesn't come up much, another science-related ability he has is his ability to talk to animals of all sorts! He's had some...interesting conversations with squirrels and fish to say the least. Then comes Sean's responsibility as a superhero. There's the everyday things like a cat stuck in a tree or a runaway robber, but for the most part, Sean's main adventures have to do with science-based villains.

 

While we'll explore this more in the next post, Sean faces enemies that are small and large. For example, his first ever (and most powerful) enemy is that of Zeno ze Zap Zap, a beast of personified electricity that hopes to take over the world. Or maybe he's butting heads with the plague-filled mind of Dr. Pillbody, a mad pathologist who...is also trying to take over the world.

Overall, Sean's duties as a superhero are mainly to protect the world and it's people using his brain. For the most part, I try to integrate basic science themes relating to sustainability with his missions. Like if Zeno's trying to take over energy again, Sean must find ways to conserve energy. Or if Pillbody's planning another pandemic, Sean must use his knowledge of epidemiology. It's awesome...and kind of corny that this middle-school student can outdo supervillains using middle-grade science. Sustainable Dude aims to be both entertaining...and educational! 

(If your curious on when and why I started this series specifically, I'll probably discuss that in a future post!)

P.W.U.F.Y'S POWERS

PWUFY by all definitions is a multi-purpose tool, except with INFINITE amount of purposes! Usually he can shift into whatever tool Sean decides he needs for the situation. Like above (even though it's small), PWUFY transformed into a makeshift syringe for Sean to guide the super-sized shigella...because why not?

Another example of  PWUFY coming in clutch would be this sketch panel, where Sean is fighting against the triangle-headed villain Friction. Sean, using his goggles and knowledge of sweat, figures that he can defeat Friction by overheating him. So, he commands PWUFY to become a mirror, reflecting the sunlight and stopping the villain!

Here's a lightning round of more of PWUFY's abilities:

• His lead tip can shoot beams of energy.
• He can turn into a compass/magnet.
• He can turn into a magnifying glass.
• He can become a makeshift watch that can briefly shift time.
• He can turn into a thermometer.

The list is endless! Of course, there is a limit to his power. Depending on how much energy the transformation requires, PWUFY can only stay in some of these forms for a temporary amount of time. After that, he must spend a good amount of time recharging his powers. What, do you think I'd give Sean an infinitely powered pencil with no drawbacks?

And as a foot-note, it's important to consider PWUFY is not just a tool; he's still sentient, and he has a personality. I'd describe him as relatively supportive and curious, but he can also be a bit a jokester and come across as condescending with Sean. I'd also say mentally, he's about 9 to 11 years old, a little younger than Sean.

P.S. I've also considered some concept art of what PWUFY would be like as a human, who I named Pen Pen Sil! While there's nothing final yet, I imagine PWUFY would sometimes take this form for safety. After all, which would Sean be less likely to lose in public and someone be less likely to take if it was left behind? A ordinary pencil, or a human child?

ENDING

(This is a WordGirl parody)

This raps up today's post looking into Sustainable Dude lore. I kept simple today, exploring some of Sean's powers, his personality, his role in the world, and don't forget PWUFY! However, this is the mere tip of the iceberg relating to Sean, because there's still a lot to be answered.

What villains does he actually fight? Who are Sean's family and friends? What happens at school? Does anyone else know about his secret identity? Did any superheroes come before him?

All of those will be answered in the future, as I hopefully expand the S.D. Universe, where this science-themed boy continues to the save the day and teach science at the same time. Here's some specific ideas I have:

• Villains in SD (Zeno, Dr. Pillbody, Carmen, etc.)
• Sean's family & friends
• Other misc. allies
• Full lore on his origin (More on Shawn)
  
• Some story ideas & scripts
• Why I made Sustainable Dude (aka 7th grade flashbacks)

If you'd like to see any of these, let me know! Thank you for reading through, and I hoped you liked it. If you want to ask any clarifying questions or have feedback on my worldbuilding and how I could improve it, please do so.

And remember...RETAIN AND SUSTAIN!

- ninesevenpotatoes, 2026