capeandcowl | 10 [ Audio ]

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† bakura | n/a

10 [ Audio ]

[The feed opens up to the small shuff shuff shuff of cards being shuffled; it's an idle little background noise, the type that says the poster is the sort who has to keep his hands busy. It goes on for a few seconds before speech overrides it as the main audio.]

You're just minding your own business somewhere, quiet. You're keeping to yourself. Maybe you've bought a coffee and the paper, something to occupy your hands. Maybe not. [There's a rustle of fabric, the kind that accompanies the shift of clothing due to a shrug.] Doesn't matter, it's not really important anyway.

A man approaches you. Or maybe it's a woman; again, doesn't matter. He or she starts railing at you. Maybe it's about rights. Maybe it's about interference. Maybe it's about being unnatural, for powers or mutations or even your hair color. That doesn't much matter either; the point is that your very existence is just abhorrent to that person, and he has every intention of letting you know.

The thing is, that person wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for something you'd done the week previous. Of course, you can't say that. You might not even know it. But the ripple that you made was enough to affect fate in that tiniest of ways.

[There's quiet for a moment, the kind of quiet given to pauses in stories. It's not dramatic by any sense of the word, more a silence of someone trying to properly phrase his thoughts.]

So what defines the hero? Or are we just doomed to be the villains forever, our greatest crime that of being brought here against our wills?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

It's what they do, and why they do it, I think. How other people see them, I don't think that matters, in the end.

I expected an answer like that from you, Ruka. [smile that somehow gets translated over the phone? idefk] But I think it does matter.

Say you're just walking along -- one of the younger ones, perhaps. Minding your own business. And that same person has an issue with you, but now that person's at least twice your size and in a very real position of threat. What if it escalates?

[oh they totally translate.]

Well, if it's me, I wouldn't really need to worry about something like that, would I? But, just because someone hates you doesn't make you a villain. Defending yourself from someone that attacks you first doesn't, either.

Did something happen?

[see this is why they're such good friends]

True. It was just a hypothetical, really.

Specifically? Nothing out of the ordinary. I've just been thinking, I guess.

[the best.]

Alright. Do you want to talk about it? Beyond hypothetically, I mean.

drools on. lovingly

stealer_ofsouls - 2011-06-21 03:27 (UTC) - Expand

oh... gets a towel

dragony - 2011-06-21 03:51 (UTC) - Expand

so my cat is drooling in his sleep and it's simultaneously adorable and disgusting and i don't even

stealer_ofsouls - 2011-06-21 04:09 (UTC) - Expand

pfffffffff

dragony - 2011-06-21 04:21 (UTC) - Expand

this is my life

stealer_ofsouls - 2011-06-21 04:32 (UTC) - Expand

/shakes head slowly

dragony - 2011-06-21 04:37 (UTC) - Expand

/does too also I can't spell

stealer_ofsouls - 2011-06-21 05:38 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

dragony - 2011-06-24 00:44 (UTC) - Expand

Meaning what, it's your fault they hate you because you saved them?

Well, it's a hypothetical, really. But let's say you don't even know you saved them; it could've been just circumstantial. Does -- and should -- the label still apply?

Sure, why not. Just because you don't have any idea, doesn't make it any less meaningful.

So it's acceptable to be vilified based on perceptions -- curious, I think, since this country seems so keen on getting up in arms about 'freedoms' and 'rights.'

[ Sigh. ] That's not really what I meant.

voice;

stealer_ofsouls - 2011-06-23 01:16 (UTC) - Expand

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askedtobe.livejournal.com - 2011-06-23 22:12 (UTC) - Expand

voice;

stealer_ofsouls - 2011-06-30 02:53 (UTC) - Expand

It's your actions, and your reasons for them, that make you a hero or a villain. What other people think of you doesn't change that, and even if some people hate you just for existing... weighing that against saving lives, it doesn't matter.

Perceptions should hardly matter, but there's something that seems to make it so that they do. It's not really upsetting, just curious.

It's kind of complicated, I think. Perceptions don't change who you are, or what you do, unless you let them - and it's in human nature to be affected by what other people think of you in some way. The situation you used as an example is a disheartening one, and it would be understandable to be hurt or frustrated by it. But in that case, it might be a good idea to have people who understand what you're doing, and who you're trying to be, to talk to and encourage you when the public opinion gets too much.

Perceptions matter in other ways, as well, and sometimes you can use them to allow you to be a more effective hero. For example... if you're just starting out as hero, you need to think about how the public sees you, because there are several ways to go about it. If you decide to be a frightening presence, a creature of urban legend and shadows, you'll scare them - and the criminals. And by scaring the criminals, sometimes you can put a stop to violence and crime just by showing up, because they're so frightened they just give up and refuse to fight. If you try to be more public-friendly and more of a nice, cheerful figure, there's the possibility that criminals won't take you seriously, but at least the citizens will be on your side. Both tactics have their pros and cons, and it's a very... personal choice to make.

What in life isn't complicated? Especially here... But that's another conversation entirely.

I think you're right though, about human nature. But humans also seem to have a need to categorize everything with little labels: they'll make that 'not always black and white' argument, but it's meaningless when the shades of grey are so stringently defined. How is a label of 'evil' any more unfair than a label of 'that one guy who got to the sub shop ahead of me that one time and got the last turkey sandwich, oooh I hate him so much'? It's amazing the number of little labels people come up with for others just like that one.

But there's also the choice to make no choice at all, to just try to live out your life in whatever peace the Porter will grant. [There's a hollow laugh there, for having used 'peace' and 'the Porter' in the same sentence.] Or whatever peace the City will grant as well, since it admittedly isn't always the Porter. Of course, it seems that people tend to dislike those who try to walk the fence more than they dislike those on the other side of it.

But from your words, I take it you've made your choice?

You're right - people label everything. I think we have to, to a degree, in order to survive. It's useful to have labels to say 'this animal will eat my face off' or 'this plant is poisonous' because it lets us know how to react in order to stay alive. And when we meet people, we often don't have time to get to know them for who they are beyond a collection of labels, like 'polite geek' or 'blonde jock', which help us remember them. Not many people stop to think about whether we should just label people like objects, though, when we know we're all more complex - but it takes time and a little effort to get beyond that, and it's not always practical. The real problem is when you get emotions and biased judgement get involved with the labelling, when you decide to react to all people who fit that label exactly the same, and it's a negative reaction. It's a part of human psychology that can be very dangerous, really.

Everyone should have the right to live a normal life if they choose to. It's... definitely hard for that to be a peaceful one in a place like this, but there's no reason not to try if you want to. Other cities might be less chaotic, but the choice to move away isn't that simple.

I was a hero before I came here, yeah. One of the urban legend style ones. I guess that means I've had more experience dealing with public perceptions than a lot of people here.

[voice] <3 ;;

stealer_ofsouls - 2011-06-30 03:16 (UTC) - Expand

Your actions define you.

Should they be the only things to do so?

Why shouldn't they be?

Pretty narrow mind you have if that's what you think.

darling!!! [audio]

I know orz. Work is eating my life and what little remains of my sanity. [audio]

*cradles gently*

so good to me *zzzzzzz*

*ear scratches forever*

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[voice] ... I am. sorry for all the words @_@

[voice] there is nothing I love more than words. <333 And I hope you don't mind words in return!

[voice] ashglfkj <3

[Text : From Maggie Mui's com (he collects these things) because lol, he's trying to be anon]

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video;

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cradles gently

so good to me zzzzzzz

ear scratches forever