Want to be a Hero?, Friday, 4th Period

[wrongkindofsith]

Cara had her class meet her out by the preserve, because she saw no reason to use the Danger Shop when she didn't need any of its more interesting features. Yet.

"My name is Cara," she said, after waiting what she considered a reasonable amount of time for any stragglers. "This class is 'Want to be a Hero?' and I hope you all actually read the description instead of just the name because otherwise you may be disappointed, which would be a terrible shame." She thought about asking for a show of hands on the matter, but she suspected that would just disappoint her.

"Let me be clear," Cara drawled. "This is not a class about learning to throw your life away in some useless, idiotic romantic fashion which accomplishes nothing, because even if there is such a thing as heroes in any world, the vast majority of people aren't, and even the ones that aren't actively malicious are often unable or unwilling to help more than a few others in any meaningful fashion. This class is about drumming enough skills and sense into that if you do happen too find yourself in some kind of situation where the fate of the world rests in your hands, you'll actually manage to do something effective about that, and that even if you do die you'll accomplish something in the process."

"Now, you're probably all sick of introductions at this point, but apparently I'm not allowed to call students 'hey, you' until I learn their names you have one more round of them before forgetting about them for the next few months," Cara said. "I want your names, why you signed up for this, and what exactly you think being a hero means. That'll give me an idea of what exactly I'm dealing with here."

"One final thing to keep in mind, Surreal over there is my lovely and charming assistant." Tellingly, any sarcasm there was on the word 'assistant'. "I trust her to have more common sense than any of you, so listen to anything she has to say."

Comments

Introductions - WtbaH [01]

[wrongkindofsith]

So who wants to introduce themselves to their caring and nurturing teacher first?

Name, why you're taking the class, what being a hero means to you.

Re: Introductions - WtbaH [01]

[dauntless-four.livejournal.com]

Cara reminded Four a lot of Amar, his initiation instructor.

Well, other than Cara being a girl, obviously. But he wasn't intimidated by her attitude. It was one of the few things around here that seemed at all familiar to him.

"I'm Four," he said. "I'm taking this class because my faction tends toward the adrenaline addicted thrill seekers and I don't want to be like them. I want to be useful." He shrugged, a bit of the tattoo around his neck poking up from under his black t-shirt. "A hero is someone who stands up for someone else, regardless of the consequences."

Re: Introductions - WtbaH [01]

[wrongkindofsith]

Well, as answers to her questions went, those weren't completely hopeless. Still...

Cara raised one eyebrow. "Any consequences?"

Re: Introductions - WtbaH [01]

[dauntless-four.livejournal.com]

"I think it depends on what I'm standing up for," Four replied. "I'm not going to die because someone didn't get the last slice of cake, but I will point out if someone took two before someone got one just to be a prick about it."

Re: Introductions - WtbaH [01]

[livebytherules.livejournal.com]

"Will West," he said once it was his turn. "I'm taking this class because...well, it sounded like something that might be helpful back home. There's a lot going on."

Understatement.

"And being a hero means taking a leadership role and exhibiting a lot of bravery and courage and being influential enough to rally people to fight with you and for you."

Re: Introductions - WtbaH [01]

[wrongkindofsith]

Cara knew a lot about understatements.

"I'm not going to deny those are useful skills to have," she said. "But would you still call me a hero if I used my courage and bravery in battle to rally the island and lead us in taking over the Isle of Ikea?"

Re: Introductions - WtbaH [01]

[livebytherules.livejournal.com]

"Depends on the situation," Will said with a shrug. "Why would you be taking over the Isle of Ikea? They do something to you? Or just wanna conquer to conquer?"

Re: Introductions - WtbaH [01]

[not_every_mage]

Anders thought Cara sounded like the senior mages in the Circle; not completely wrong, but so tied into the system she couldn't see that radical change was sometimes needed. And if radical change meant taking a risk, Anders was willing to do that.

He kept the thoughts to himself (for once) as he introduced himself.

"I'm Anders," he said. "I'm in this class because mages in my world are oppressed, and I want to be a part of changing that. And I'd say a hero is someone who does what no one else will do to make the world better."

Re: Introductions - WtbaH [01]

[wrongkindofsith]

Cara had nothing against taking risks, just taking stupid ones.

"So you think murder's heroic? Torture maybe?" She doubted he did, but it was poke holes in people's statements day, and Anders had just handed her a big sharp needle.

Re: Introductions - WtbaH [01]

[not_every_mage]

Well. That was a question to give a mage pause.

"Usually not," Anders allowed. "But doesn't it depend on the victim? If murdering or torturing one person would allow you to free many, I can see heroism there. Not everything heroes do is pretty."

Re: Introductions - WtbaH [01]

[tigerundercover]

"I'm Raven Darkholme," Raven said with a little wave of her hand. "I'm in this class because my brother picked it and I couldn't really think of a reason to veto it. And. . . ." She trailed off and shrugged. "I guess heroes are people who go above and beyond what most people would try to do to help someone. Even if it's just adopting the older, troubled kid instead of the adorable baby."

Which, yes, kind of made Charles Raven's hero. Shut up.

Re: Introductions - WtbaH [01]

[wrongkindofsith]

Well, that was actually the closest anyone had come to describing Richard's behaviour so far.

"It's one of the more sensible definitions I've heard." No, you shut up. "As much as sense come into the whole business."

Yeah, that was totally a flawless save.

Re: Introductions - WtbaH [01]

[tigerundercover]

"Sense doesn't really seem to enter into it, if you believe the movies," Raven agreed. "But I always figured what good are you to anyone dead?"

Re: Introductions - WtbaH [01]

[thegc161kid.livejournal.com]

"I'm Alex Mack," she said, "I don't really have a reason why I'm taking this class to be honest, I thought it sounded interesting," she admitted, "and I think being a hero is someone who shows bravery and courage and who don't just think of themselves,"

Re: Introductions - WtbaH [01]

[wrongkindofsith]

"Assuming they're not just telling themselves they're doing an act for other people to absolve themselves of responsibility."

Re: Introductions - WtbaH [01]

[genesishero]

"I'm Evan Sabahnur," Evan began, "and I'm taking this class because back where I come from, world-ending events are pretty common, and I'm going to end up getting wrapped up in them one way or another."

He pulled in a breath, and then added, "And I think a hero is somebody who steps up to help people who can't help themselves, even if it isn't something they necessarily want to do."

Re: Introductions - WtbaH [01]

[wrongkindofsith]

"So your saying only actions matter rather than intent?" Cara asked.

Mostly because otherwise that would mean she was acting heroically all the times Richard asked her to help him rescue small animals and lost children rather continue on their quest and ahahaha, no.

Re: Introductions - WtbaH [01]

[genesishero]

"To the people who needed the help, it probably means the world," Evan pointed out. "I mean, it's good to actually want to help, too, but whether you wanted to or not probably doesn't matter to everyone else. You still made that difference."

Re: Introductions - WtbaH [01]

[spin_kick_snap]

"I'm Kathy," she said, managing to be intimidated by the teacher in the course of a single lecture. Yay? "I'm in this class because I..."

She trailed off. At first, she'd been planning to explain that developing powers meant she was reevaluating her life and starting to buy into that 'with great power comes great responsibility' schick from Arachnid-Guy, but that kind of seemed like the kind of answer that would get her laughed out of class.

"...I spent my whole life in the corner, being quiet and trying not to be noticed," she said, reaching for a deeper truth. "I've always been the good and dutiful daughter, the one who always behaves and doesn't make waves. And, well, that's just kind of boring and stupid and hasn't taught me to do anything but hold my tongue when adults are talking. I'm here to learn how to be useful. To be more than the quiet girl in the corner. I highly doubt I'm going to live through any kind of earth-shattering catastrophe or that the fate of the world is ever going to be in my hands, but so what? There are lots of little ways to make a difference if you have the right skills to do so."

Oh god she was still talking why was she still talking, someone shut her up now please.

Re: Introductions - WtbaH [01]

[wrongkindofsith]

Cara wasn't allowed to laugh at her students (much), it was mean, apparently.

"Breathe," Cara said, less sharply than she might have, being as she was not a fan of the idea of meek and dutiful girls (shockingly enough). "So you think heroes make a difference?"

It was the closest thing to an answer to her last question in that paragraph.

Re: Introductions - WtbaH [01]

[spin_kick_snap]

Kathy had...kind of forgotten to answer the question, actually. She'd gotten wrapped up in her other answer instead.

"I think heroes do the hard things," she said, struggling not to blush at having recited damn near a whole book and still managing not to answer the entire question. "It's easy to panic, to be greedy and selfish, to take from other people who are weaker or less powerful than you. It's hard to remain calm when you're scared, to give to other people, to work when you're tired. But heroes do that. They do what they have to in order to keep things going. They probably don't even think of themselves as heroes. They just know they have to keep on keeping on, and leave the world a little better than they found it."

Re: Introductions - WtbaH [01]

[justwantedfriends]

"My name is Kira, I'm taking this class because... well, I don't know, my parents sort of signed me up for things?" Not that she thought they knew what they'd been signing her up for, obviously. "But I think a hero is someone who's willing to do whatever it takes to help people, even if the thing they have to do isn't easy."

Re: Introductions - WtbaH [01]

[wrongkindofsith]

That made another person who'd described something close to Richard.

"What do you mean by not easy?" Shut up, she was not giving her an easy question. "Physically hard? 'Morally' unacceptable?"

Re: Introductions - WtbaH [01]

[nobodysbatman.livejournal.com]

"Hey," Scott waved. "I'm Scott, I'm taking this class because, uh," well, he couldn't just out and out say 'because I'm a werewolf and this means my friends back home almost die a lot', "because I'd really like to just, um. Help people? And that's what I think a hero does. Helps people. Makes sure no one gets hurt. Or at least, no one gets dead, because I guess sometimes people get hurt whether you want them to or not, although I'd really prefer not," he admitted, making a face.

Re: Introductions - WtbaH [01]

[wrongkindofsith]

He was so tiny and earnest, it was almost adorable, really.

"Sometimes you can't stop people people getting killed, either." Best to let him down gently, before he faced that fact in the real world.