17980/So You Wanna Be A Hero

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So You Wanna Be A Hero
Date of Scene: 02 July 2024
Location: Theater - Happy Harbor High School
Synopsis: Happy Harbor assembles to talk on Super Heroes vs Vigilantes vs First Responders and what they might want to do with their futures.
Cast of Characters: Morrigan MacIntyre, Michael Hannigan, Xiomara Rojas, Belinda Gutierrez, Caleb Dykstra




Morrigan MacIntyre has posed:
This is a rather laid back 'lecture' for Happy Harbor High School. There is no pomp or fanfare. Just an email to folks that if they want to talk on super hero related things that Morrigan would be addressing things.

Morrigan is seated on the edge of the stage in her usual jeans, black t-shirt and boots that she is so used to wearing outside of school and work.

Tyler and other Alumni are seated up front and speaking to each other as they await the start of things. There is a good crowd, but not as big as an official assembly.

"If everyone wants to find a seat, I'll make this as painless as possible." she comments to those that are incoming.

Michael Hannigan has posed:
In all of Mike's life, not at any point has he ever wanted to become a hero. He just doesn't see the point. And yet, after receiving the email the musician finds himself coming to the auditorium. Perhaps it is curiousity that drives him but is the reason really needed? He's here, albeit he has opted to stick close to the back of the auditorium with the intent to just observe without notice.

Shhhh.

It's a secret.

Xiomara Rojas has posed:
No need for security, nor a high school student, Crush decided to peek in and have a listen to what Doctor Professor MacIntyre had to say. There were very few who could stop her if she wasn't welcome, but she knew that she was. College or High School, these things seemed to welcome all students and she was in fact really curious about what the lecture would be like.

Dressed in her usual hot pink leather pants, knee high black leather combat boots, and her aqua half shirt that left her stomach showing with a black denim vest over it, Obelus was wrapped around her waist just two times today, with the diamond shaped 'head' hanging on the Czarnian's hip.

Striding down the isle she looks around at everyone and where they sitting, spots who she is looking for and b-lines right over to sit down beside Belinda. If there was someone there, they moved, or were moved.

"Lookin good," she comments to Belinda with a grin. "You lookin forward to this as much as I am?"

Belinda Gutierrez has posed:
"Tu lo sabes!" comes Belinda's cheerful reply. "You know it! Got everything taken care of at the Shoppe-- inventory, cleaning, part-times, and all the signs laminage for 'No Entry to Anyone!', plastered at all the appropriate places." Dressed in her own perennial style, her white tee clings to her frame-- looking much the worse for wear as the years and mileage show. She exhales, sighing wearily. "And no time for the morning run, either. Too much to do, not enough time."

She grins, eyes dancing as she casts a sideward glance. "And that rooftop garden is growing spelndidly, too. Still managed to keep your trees up and sunning!"

Caleb Dykstra has posed:
When Caleb receives the e-mail on super-hero related matters, he decides to attend. Sheila seems to have caught wind of it, too, because she's tagged along for the ride. Given how she's so into the superhero community - even enrolled Caleb into a super-hero app without him knowing, much to his chagrin -, she just had to be here and learn a bit about how things work.

Caleb looks around, finding a spot; as always, he looks pensive, in stark contrast Sheila looks much chipper mood-wise.

He doesn't want to be a super-hero, but... Super-heroing alawys seems to find him somehow. That is, when it's not trouble finding him out...

Morrigan MacIntyre has posed:
"What I wanted to talk to people about is something that we've never really gotten to address fully. And going forward I'd like to be able to point people in the right directions and be able to give them solid information." Morrigan starts as she stands, dusting off her jeans.

She then paces a bit in place, "Happy Harbor is and will always be a harbor for those who are different that need a safe space to learn and to grow where they don't have to worry about being bullied and harassed about their powers or their appearances." she explains. "It is also for those who want to work alongside those of us that want to give them this peace and normalcy." she continues. "But I also do not want people that are wanting to expand their future to be aimless and not have people that can train them or talk to them if they chose to go the route that some have gone." she points out with a quirk of a smile.

"I am not a super hero." she points out as she stops. "Nor will I ever be." she puts a bit of finality on that.

"That does not mean that you cannot be." she comments. "Over the next few months I am going to be contacting teams that do this and others to see about students from the high school and the college being trained properly and having access to team resources and those that can guide on the life that you want to live." she admits.

"To answer a few questions ahead of time, no, I've not sat down and spoken to teams. With the death of Captain America I went back to the drawing board about this plan. I weighed the possibility of what happened to him happening to any of you. But Captain Rogers is...was..." she sighs, "He is what I would want you to aspire to be in the end of things. There are also others, but Captain America I believe was the best of us." she smiles sadly to that.

"And I know someone is going to ask about Vigilantes and I have something prepared on that as well." she points out.

Michael Hannigan has posed:
As people filtered in, Mike designated himself to people watching. He watches as Crush makes her way over to Belinda and also sees the sibling set wander in. Very little surprise occurs from these observations.

When the presentation starts up, his attention shifts over to Morrigan. The mention of reaching out to other teams for training does get of a brow raise, but an eventual shrug. He has seen a few students appearing amongst the Titans and in the JLD ranks. It's not THAT surprising.

Xiomara Rojas has posed:
Getting settled, Crush keeps her attention Belinda and even says, "Those trees should start making fruit next year," before Doctor MacIntyre indicates she's ready.

All attention goes to the woman as she speaks, though it is very difficult for the Czarnian to keep herself from laughing. She was part of the Titans, and part of the Justice League, but she was most certain no Captain America. She tried to be good, do good, and was even starting to work with Tony Stark, but she could never be a Captain America. She understood why Ms. MacIntyre choose him to aim everyone at being, he had been a wholesome, kind, loyal and patient man of the 50s thrown until the current time where none of those things really happened any more. It had once been the normal for American society and now it was the very few, and so rare as to be almost extinct.

"Sups is another good role model," she called out when Mo paused, not really wanting to interrupt but she had to. The Kryptonian had been helpful to her when she needed someone to show her the way, and she knew in her heart that he would be to others as well so she had to include him.

She then fell silent again, not about to share that she was already a 'hero' even if she didn't call herself that. She didn't think it was the right word really, to describe her. She was just someone who happened to have extraordinary abilities and who used them to help others.

Belinda Gutierrez has posed:
It has been hours, days, ages since she heard-- long enough and still too short for a single lifetime. Le Capitan-- not the classic crow but another, more rugged and definitely not Welsh capitan --gone without word or trace.

Sorrow and woe and the reason that many chocolate milkshakes were consumed that day.

Edging aside to give Crush a modicum of space, Belinda leans in to listen somberly, seriously to Dr. McIntyre's words. "Totalmente," she agrees, smiling quietly. Though she does give Crush a gentle nudging tease with her elbow. "I still need to get him a serving of cornbread one day," she adds, rallying her emotions back together. Attention focusing anew, listening with care to the Doctor's words.

"...on the shoulders of titans," she murmurs to herself, voice quiet.

Morrigan MacIntyre has posed:
"Aye, I know Superman is on the same tier as Captain America, but I didn't have to watch him die in real time." Morrigan states in a gentle way. "When I use Cap as an example it is not to downplay anyone else." she assures those there.

"The Justice League, The Avengers, SHIELD, The Titans and several other groups are around. So my big project for the Summer is to build ties and if any of you want to go the route of teams, then you could approach them safely." she states.

"But some of you might want to take the Vigilante route." she states. "Which is always viable, but...not not always fool proof." she comments.

The existence of costumed heroes raises interesting questions about the legality of being a superhero. Specifically, issues regarding the privacy of a secret identity vs. constitutional rights of suspected criminals to be able to address their accusers." she explains.

Then she continues, "The identity of a registered hero is regulated by the Department of Extranormal Operations as part of their registry of metahumans. A registered identity comes with a state-issued ID that is accepted as proof of identity by state governments. This allows vigilantes to provide ID to law enforcement, make a witness statement, or obtain goods and services related to their work as a vigilante." she tells those gathered.

She holds up a pale finger, "However, this means a vigilante is working as an actor on behalf of the state. This complicates many factors that contribute to criminal prosecution, such as warrantless entry or gathering evidence obtained while working as an actor. Evidence uncovered during actions that violate constitutional rights of criminals may be inadmissible as evidence, even if turned over to the district attorney's office. This requires DAs to build cases based solely on the evidence and testimony of their own officers and with whatever evidence they recover." she explains.

"Now some of you might not ever want to go for either of these options. Or the third option of just being without rules and governances, but we aren't going to teach you that here." she chuckles.

Michael Hannigan has posed:
Mike closes his eyes as Morrigan mentions one of the leagues, notably not the one he's part of.Coupled with the discussion about registering it becomes even more clear what he believes is true. He is not a hero. He's..

Well he's not sure what he is. He doesn't really do the whole 'The night' business. He just tends to stick around long enough to get slapped with responsibility.

What a messed up world they live in.

Caleb Dykstra has posed:
"I have another question", Caleb asks. "What if someone doesn't want to be a super-hero, but the occasion..." Caleb ponders, if the word occasion is an accurate one, "Moment... Or downright trouble just seems to find them somehow?"

He looks at Crush, "I've met Supergirl, in brief passing, handing autographs after a situation where Toy Man was involved. And I had to intervene."

He adds, "I was there, looking for a tour on the Hall of Justice when a fleet of aliens descended from the sky, and the League fought them. Again, I had to fight for my life." He puts his hands over Sheila's shoulder, "Or we wouldn't be here today, just a nameless statistic." Sheila shudders as she remembers.

"I had to kill, at age eight, an alien so my dad and my sister could live." His voice sounds awkwardly logical. "Twice now, I 'died' to be brought back, throwing my life on the line for those I care about." He shrugs, "Is it a calling? Is the universe trying to tell me something?"

"During a gala, I showed Cap a picture I found, of my great-grandfather who fought in the war. Cap was there, on that pic. And I was told I had big shoes to fill." He smirks at that, "It brings me back to the universe paradigm."

Xiomara Rojas has posed:
Shifting her eyes to Belinda for a moment, Crush studies the smaller woman. Not merely because she moved away, but because of her words. She'd heard the term 'on the shoulders of titans' before, but never once did it click in her head. Titans... Titans... she was a Titan, did they choose that name for that reason? Anyone who knew Crush well enough knew she'd do whatever she could to help other heroes, and to help plain ordinary humans who couldn't protect themselves from some of the stuff out there.

Blinking a few times she looks back toward Mo on the stage, head canting slightly. She was so specific on which groups she referred to, and some how that seemed wrong to the Czarnian, but then Caleb is talking about Supergirl and her attention shifts there.

"I don't do autographs. I don't do pictures or social media. I don't care if other people like me or not," she states loud enough to be heard. "I work with the teams I work with because they're the ones willin to accept I ain't always perfect. I do what I can to help, an I won't stop doin what I can to help just cause I don't have a legal piece of ID. That makes me a vigilante, so be it..."

"As for not bein a hero, then don't be one," she snorts. "Call for help an walk away, but don't do the wishy washy, don't help an act like you ain't a hero for it, cause you are. Except that now."

Belinda Gutierrez has posed:
Belinda listens to the others, mouth firmly clamped shut. She nods as she cants her head, to one speaker then another, listening intently. She fights her grin as she leans forward, ears perked towards Crush as she speaks her mind. "Could always go the first responder route?" she suggests carefully, quieting again as other voices speak up. She pauses for a moment, considering-- ten seconds passed and then scooting back over, giving Crush a quick hipbump as her lips rise in a grin.

"Or the Peace Corps?" she hazards, "I think they would surely have a super rescue division, like those who went to Sud Ameri-- South America bback during the tsunami. Lives were saved then; no villains fought beyond random looters."

Caleb Dykstra has posed:
"The D.E.O....", Caleb now mumbles, "I have to say, being a Gothamite, I am not much for red tape. We have our own level of corruption, to the point that the government actually decided at one point Gotham wasn't worth saving because of how far gone it seemed." He adds, "The same sort of government that dictates policy to regulate superheroes...? The same sort of government that would strike deals and, over politics, have the power to tell such heroes who the enemies are...?"

He snorts, "I'd like to see who in the League or whatever other group has those kinds of IDs. Then, I'd really scream in their faces, 'what the holy fuck are you thinking?'"

He provides an example, "Going back twelve years, if the government had decided to yield, what would the heroes of the planet have done? Would they've given up? Would they have then been told, in accordance to their government-issued shiny IDs, to gather innocents and leading them into the scopes of Khund death squads for target practice?"

He shakes his head, "Something is very rotten in that kingdom..."

Sheila looks... A little horrified at those possibilities. This is hearing the dark side of super-heroing - political meddling.

Morrigan MacIntyre has posed:
"Caleb, there is no real easy answer to that and I wish there was. Some of us just have the worst luck when it comes to wanting to have a normal life and then we end up in the threads of fate." she explains. "And believe me, the Fates can be cruel sometimes." she adds.

Morrigan seems to be fairly relaxed after the breadth of the talk is over. "This wasn't an assembly to call anyone out or to tell you what you should be doing if you have powers or if you don't have powers." she points out. "What this was more meant to be was one, a forum to get information if you do go those routes and two, to let you know that you are not alone in these things." she tells them with a smile.

"We have several Alumni that work with SHIELD and other groups. I consult for them when it comes to a myriad of topics as well." she admits.

Then she listens to the others and there is a smile, "Belinda brings up a good point there. There are other jobs that are just as much super heroes like police, fire and rescue and other things along those lines. New York in particular is desperate for first responders and I have the highest faith in all of you when it comes to your studies and getting things done." she grins.

"Given it is summer break I did not want to keep you all long this evening, I just wanted to let you know that whatever your choice in life is, we will do our best to help you get the information and the resources that you need." she explains.

"Caleb, the Justice League are not vigilantes, they of course do not need to register or carry ID." she points out gently. "This is also why I'm trying to explain the difference in things." she states. "So no, the Justice League and the Avengers wouldn't have to register." she nods to this.

Michael Hannigan has posed:
While everyone raises their voices to detail the level of heroics or not heroics they're involved in. Mike just opts to remain quiet.

Although the mention of fate being cruel does get a bit of a knowing nod to it. There's no explanation offered out loud to accompany that.

Xiomara Rojas has posed:
Crush settles back in her chair and once again her eyes look to Belinda. "First responder huh?" she asks more quietly with a hint of a chuckle. "That's a damn good idea actually. I mean, I gotta keep my word, help Stark out first, but then... yeah, that's an idea. Thanks."

Leaning over she kisses the top of Belinda's head then turns her attention back to Mo. She had a goal, a real one, not a 'maybe I'll try that' but an actual goal to achieve and it was all thanks to Belinda.

Belinda Gutierrez has posed:
Mostly an adult in the eyes of society and the law-- but never too old to beam at the acknowledgement of a good idea! Positively aglow with delight, she nods towards Dr. MacIntyreefore moving back from her lean, shifting in place to give Crush a grin in return.

"Gracias," she exclaims, smiling. "Thank you, and a pleasure to offer. I imagined you might enjoy it; it is at least as physical as construction, is good pracitce working with teams and such, and gives opportunity to wear one of those...."

She pauses, words trailing off as she comes to a quick stop. "....well, it allows many opportunities," she add lamely, ending with a short, sharp blush. Kiss to the top of the head-- beating heart, be calm and still!

Caleb Dykstra has posed:
"There's no way I'd register, if I were a super", Caleb explains. "Databases can be hacked, files can be opened, entries can be read. And then, just search for references in the national-wide social security network. Names are matched, relatives are found, leverage is obtained, prices on heads are established." He raises two fingers like a pistol. "Pew pew!"

He smirks, "I guess that about sums it up. For my life, one way or the other."

Morrigan MacIntyre has posed:
Morrigan gives a little bow before she straightens back up to listen to the rest of the talking. Belinda and Xio get a smile and a nod to there hatching plan. It was good to have plans.

Then there is Caleb and she gives a look over to Mike before back to Caleb, "Caleb you do not need to do anything that you don't want to do. This is purely an information session for those who want to use things going forward." she states.

"Please be safe in your travels going home and have a good rest of Summer break for those on it." she states as people are dismissed to go back to what they were doing!

Michael Hannigan has posed:
With the information session concluded. Mike takes advantage of his position to the back of the auditorium to leave before the others make their way out.