Super what now?

[bestdadinamestris]

There's nothing Hughes loves more than his family.

There's nothing Hughes loves more than anything other than his family than information.

The Nexus was a strange cross-section of a universe that the Intelligence officer simply didn't understand. He was doing his best to accommodate all of the strange goings on in his mind by learning about and understanding them a little at a time.

The fact that there was a portal to and from the Nexus in his world was growing on him. The grand scale of technology beyond what was available in his world was daunting, but didn't come up as much since he avoided most of the shops in the Forum. And some of the characters that had appeared in the Nexus? Well, if they were human, it was understandable. Weird, but understandable. Everything else? Well... he was just going to have to take some more time for everything else.

He liked being in the Forum, picking up bits and pieces as he simply listened. That's how he got onto this whole thing about some people being "better" than others, in some rather unscientific sounding ways. He'd spent a while trying to glean more information about it and failed quite spectacularly. People simply accepted that's the way things were. Not Maes Hughes. He needs to know, and if listening isn't enough, then, well... Sometimes, it's just easier to reach out and gather information the old fashioned way - by asking.

"There's been a lot of talk in the forum lately about super heroes and people doing super human things. It's all a little too vague for my taste. If I don't know how to define something, I can't know it when I see it. So, my question to you is this: How do you define the term 'super hero?' Or, rather, what makes a person a 'super hero?'"

Comments

[smartass_captain]

"Any man that chucks an arrow by hand off a building and skewers a thug is a hero to me." Jim's looking a lot better today, reclining against a wall tossing some idle object he'd found from hand to hand while he replies.

[bestdadinamestris]

Hughes nods thoughtfully, but ultimately looks unsatisfied with Jim's answer. No offense to meant, Jim, but your single example is the opposite of helpful.

"So only someone who can skewer a thug by throwing an arrow with his hand" let's not talk about how implausible that is right now, Hughes "is a super hero? Or are there more broad criteria someone can fall under and still count as a super hero?"

[smartass_captain]

"I've only met the one." Jim shrugs and tosses the paper weight higher before snatching it back. "Though, Verity's a super hero too I think. She's got special powers. That counts, right? Someone who's super human. Better than an average human? She knows if someone's lying. The other guy is a super hero by trade, fighting off crazies and the like. Also robots. I'm pretty sure that was brought up at least once during story time."

[bestdadinamestris]

Two examples. Getting helpful, though the idea that Verity is a super hero seems a little strange to Hughes. Perhaps he'll ask her about it sometime, if he ever happens to catch her attention, that is.

"Wait, you're saying these people are super heroes for hire? As in, it's their job?" That was quite the subtext he'd missed during his listening. "How would someone apply for that kind of job?"

[smartass_captain]

"Hell if I know. He's part of some team called The Avengers. Far as I can figure, any time aliens attack from outer space or crazy people try their hand at world domination, he suits up to go kick ass. With his arrows." Jim thinks this sounds kind of cool when he explains it.

He'd totally like to see that some day.

[bestdadinamestris]

"There's a whole team of them? And they all work to save the world together?" His hand goes to his chin in thought. "I wonder what makes the rest of the 'super heroes.'" This is turning out to be a lot more intriguing than Hughes had suspected.

I warned you :P

[brave_heart_verity]

Well, this whole subject gets a sigh from Verity. It's a particularly nasty socio-political debate where she comes from, the sort of thing she brings up when she's ready for Thanksgiving dinner to just be over and is ready to piss people off. (This is probably not long after they've run out of wine.)

"They're people with super-human abilities. Either through training or magic or science or accident. Radiation comes up a lot. Usually they're not the ones starting the fights. When we're lucky, they're the ones ending them. You know we have one here. You should talk to Clint."

I'm so ready for this. Bring it on!

[bestdadinamestris]

See? How hard was that? Someone's at least on the right track for helping Hughes figure all this out.

"Is it a common thing, for people to have these kinds of abilities? Because if it's as simple as something someone can do that others can't, I have a whole lot of super heroes back home that don't know about it."

He pauses a moment, thinking. His hand goes to his chin and the corner of his lip curls up in what Verity might guess is a smirk. "Super-human abilities, such as..." Beat. "The ability to know when someone is lying?"

[brave_heart_verity]

"Oooh, clever boy, you found out my oh-so-closely guarded secret." She's so not impressed by this, or at least, is trying to pretend she doesn't care. "So who told you?"

But she's trying not to be entirely rude, so she'll answer his other question. "How common powers are, where I'm from, depends on the current status of the mutant population. People keep screwing around with them. Sometimes it's really common, sometimes they're practically extinct. We're not talking about the winners of a state little league tournament, though. The people who get called super-heroes are the best of the best in just about everything but knowing how to dress themselves."

[bestdadinamestris]

He offers a small shrug. "No one told me." A strange, but true statement. "I picked it up while I've been here. It's hard to mistake a woman with brightly colored hair, tattoos down both of her arms, and enough sass to take down even the hardest of men, though." He smirks. Yes, Verity, he's quite pleased with himself right now, even if you're not impressed.

"So, basically, what you're saying is that there are a lot of people who can do things better than the average person, or have abilities that average people don't. But the only way to be a 'super hero' is to be the best humanity has to offer?" He wants to latch on to that dressing comment, but honestly, he doesn't understand enough to win that one.

[brave_heart_verity]

"Oh dear, you mean my disguise isn't working?" Geez, it's almost like she expects to be noticed when she looks like this. The comment about her sass gets a flicker of a smile despite her best efforts.

"Well, they also have to be willing to go out and fight the villains. That's where the 'hero' part comes from. Not everyone with powers is a good person."

It's a pity he didn't ask about the dressing comment. She's got pictures. The Hawkskirt is always a crowd pleaser.

[aw_hawkguy]

Here, Colonel Hughes, have a vintage Avenger, slightly damaged. He's even got his bow, today, and a few bundles of arrows, which he's shooting one at a time at a target he chose at random some distance away. It's a really bad day to be that street sign.

"We've got super heroes where I'm from. Mostly, it comes down to two things: you can do something most folks can't, and you help people with it." Twang.

His shot grouping is ridiculously tight for two hundred yards. He hasn't had one fall outside the "O" of "LOITERING" yet.

[bestdadinamestris]

Clint gets a raised eyebrow of appreciation as Hughes watches him terrorize the street sign. He's sure the sign had it coming anyway.

"It requires both parts, though, yes? What happens if you have only one of the two?"

Hughes looks to offer a hand to Clint for shaking, but quickly thinks better of it. He's enjoying watching the target practice a little too much. "Maes Hughes, by the way. I take it you're the... Avenger I've heard about? Clint... if I recall correctly." Don't worry - he's not stalking you Clint. He's just really good at listening.

[aw_hawkguy]

"Well, if you're not helping people," twang, "you're not much of a hero, right? But it's not like you hafta have laser eyes or robot pants or whatever." Twang, Robin Hood shot (doubters can call it the law of averages, as there's not much space in the O that's not already arrow-occupied). "And hey, you do anything long enough, you'll get good at it, right?" Twang.

"Yeah, Clint Barton, nice to meet you. You've heard of me?"

[bestdadinamestris]

"Point taken," Hughes concedes. Super-human abilities plus selfishness would be a combination that wouldn't lead to much hero-like behavior. "Would you consider the fastest reader on the planet a super hero, then? Or just super?" He's not trying to be smart, he's really just trying to get a handle on all of this.

"Yes." A smirk makes its way across his face. "The people of the Nexus are quite chatty about some of the more fantastical things they see and hear."

[aw_hawkguy]

"Depends. Are they, like, analyzing data, putting together lots of stuff to figure out the big picture and catch bad guys? Or are they just reading Robert Jordan in an afternoon?"

He picks up a different arrow, one with an odd cylinder of some kind, firing it to one side at an upward angle; the cylinder expands into an off-center loop, pulling the arrow into a wide, curving path.

"And they talk about me?" He puts another arrow into the sign, and catches the boomerang arrow as it comes back. And he really doesn't see what's remarkable about that.

[notalldead]

"Hey, Hughes. Long time no see! Yer lookin' as hearty as a buck." The zombie gives a friendly wave before cramming his hands back into his jeans pockets. He hunches his shoulders in a shrug after considering the question for a second.

"Weeeellll, there's the fellas in the comic books who can fly and dodge bullets and whatnot, but that stuff's all made up. If I were to call someone real a superhero, those'd be the type who are real selfless. Real clever 'n strong, ain't afraid to pick a fight and finish it. Stickin' up for others, 'specially ones what can't do it for themselves. Brave to a damn fault. That's what I'd say."

[bestdadinamestris]

"Good to see you again, too, Jesse." Hughes flashes a smile at the... zed, was it? He's pretty sure that's what Jesse was calling himself and his kind, even if he didn't mention it to him specifically when last they met.

He nods as he takes in everything Jesse is saying. The answer is surprisingly more straightforward than he had expected. "So, basically, someone with all of those good qualities? Because I could claim to be a super hero by that description."

One thing gets Hughes, though, about everything Jesse said. "You said flying and dodging bullets wasn't possible, but... what's a comic book?" There may be book back in Amestris, but nothing like comic books exists there.

[notalldead]

He grins in kind, showing all those missing teeth of his. "Hell yeah, if yer a straight-shooter like that, I'd call y'all a superhero! Maybe there's somethin' in there too about makin' it your job, but since you're military, maybe ya do!"

Although when Hughes confesses ignorance as to what comics are, Jesse slaps his forehead in shock. "Y'all ain't never read a comic!? What the hell, man, y'all are deprived! Them's little paper books fulla squares that got pictures. Buncha drawin's and the like tellin' a story, y'follow?"

[bestdadinamestris]

"I'm not sure I want that title - sounds like a lot more paperwork would be involved." Hughes chuckles. "I'll stick to supporting the front line, I think."

"I've read picture books before - to my daughter - but nothing with people doing fantastic things like flying or dodging bullets. Are comic books a more 'grown up' version of picture books?"

[notalldead]

"Kkkiiiinda?" He draws that word out, uncertain of that distinction. "They sometimes got more mature themes, like death n' knockin' boots, but I dunno if I'd call the people who read 'em 'mature'. I wouldn't hand 'em over to a little one without reviewin' the content either, though. Hell, sit tight and I can grab y'all one. I know we've got a few in our leave-one-take-one library."

[loose_cannon]

"If you figure it out, let me know. I hear that term thrown around like it's some thing I should know about."

He gives the question more thought. "Where I come from, some people are uh, exceptional in different ways. Some folks are demihumans, some have nanomachines, some tap into the ether better? I guess that would be my definition if I were to guess. Granted, heroism doesn't always come with that stuff."

He shrugs. "Sorry if that's just more jargon for you."

[bestdadinamestris]

Hughes gives a shrug. "It's more jargon, but it's something I'm getting used to as I come to the Nexus more and more often." Really, he's used to it by now. Technology and science across worlds is vastly different from one to the next. On top of that, there's magic, and that's a whole other ball of wax. At this point? He's just rolling with it.

"From what I've gathered, a 'super hero' is someone - and sometimes something - that has special or superior abilities to regular humans" Like Hughes! "and is willing to use those abilities for the greater good. Others have to accept them as that, but that's the general case." He shrugs again. All of this is complicated and he wishes he could say it was above his pay grade.

[loose_cannon]

"Well, that seems pretty straight forward."

Jesse scratches at his cheek thoughtfully. "But what's the benchmark? If you have a photographic memory and you use it for -- I dunno, spying on your enemy -- are you a superhero? Can it be that mundane?"

[bestdadinamestris]

"From what I can tell, it's supposed to be, for whatever worlds they come from anyway."

"I think so?" He shrugs again. "There's a guy running around, Clint Barton, whose talent is being really good using a bow and arrows. He's considered a super hero where he comes from. But I think that's for the people of whatever world that 'super hero' is from to decide." He's not dodging Jesse's question, he just honestly has no idea.