♦ 001 ♦ Mercury

[boundbytreason]

[ The NV transmission doesn’t come from Caster’s personal device but, rather, a different one individually given to Mercury. After all, her golem had its very own as one of the ‘Newcomers’ to the city. ]

[ Text appears across the screen in a flash. ]

This is truly amazing. I have never once encountered a device like this on my planet.

[ With a

Comments

[video]

[whoisjohnsmith]

Well, obviously, the bad guys they beat up. They're usually more interesting, anyway, so it makes sense that the hero is defined by them.

[text]

[merely_a_doll]

You consider 'bad guys' interesting?

[video]

[whoisjohnsmith]

Well, of course they are. They have a wider variety of motivations. It's like that guy wrote in that novel. All good guys are alike, all bad guys are bad in their own way!

[permatext]

[merely_a_doll]

So, you view 'bad guys' in a fictional sense. But in real life, I do not think that same perspective can truly apply.

[text]

[rainprism]

That's quite a question.

[One she's been presented with before.]

Is heroism something you hope to achieve some day?

[text]

[merely_a_doll]

[ If it wasn't Miss Aqua. How interesting. ]

No, it is not. I only hope to achieve justice for my wronged companion.

It is the news feed that made me wonder. They cut a clear difference between a hero and a vigilante. I do not see the difference.

[text]

[rainprism]

I see.

[There's a healthy pause before her next response.]

Heroism, I think, has no universal terms or boundaries. One person's idea of a hero may be villainous to another. Vigilantism, on the other hand ... I do not think that being a vigilante separates one from being a hero, necessarily. But it does not automatically make one synonymous with a hero, either.

[text]

[merely_a_doll]

[ As if still growing accustomed with the font function, a different kind of typeface replaces the one that 'he' had been using. In some ways, it's almost like he is having fun with learning how to use the NV. ]

I see. I still do not completely grasp the concept, but this is still very enlightening. You have my thanks for sharing this piece of knowledge with me.

Text

[un_fated]

A hero is someone that people like and aspire to.

A vigilante is someone they don't.

Text

[merely_a_doll]

What about the actions that they perform?

Text

[un_fated]

You asked for my definition, right?

Doesn't matter what you do. If they like what you do, you're a hero. If they don't, you're not.

Don't make it more complex than it is.

Text

[merely_a_doll]

A simple definition...but it is indeed understandable.

However, there is something that puzzles me. Is your definition based off personal experience or observation?

voice;

[todomarishi]

Welcome to Siren's Port, Mercury.

I think a hero is someone who helps other people without expecting... or wanting anything in return. Someone who's willing to put everything on the line just to protect or save another person. Or any being, really. Animals... aliens, whole worlds.

text

[merely_a_doll]

My thanks for the warm welcome and your response to my question.

Someone who helps others without expecting or wanting anything in return...that is a truly suitable definition for a hero.

Do you believe that vigilantes fall into a similar category?

voice;

[todomarishi]

You're welcome.

Honestly, this is the first world I've been in where I've heard anything about vigilantes. At first, I thought it was just another word the people here were using for heroes, but lately it seems like vigilantes sometimes take things... in a different direction? Like a hero is more concerned with the people who need their help and a vigilante thinks more about whoever or whatever is endangering those people. At least, that's the impression I've been getting.

text;

[merely_a_doll]

From what I have been gathering...it seems like a hero and vigilante are close in definition. It seems to me that it is a matter of an outsider's perspective that labels them as a 'hero' or 'vigilante'.

[reginagloriae]

Huh. Good evening. I hope you're settling in without problem.

A hero?

[merely_a_doll]

Indeed. There have been no foreseeable problems as of yet.

Yes, a hero. I know the literal definition, as well as those provided by those kind enough to provide it to me. I could not see the difference between a hero and a vigilante, and I was trying to understand the reason for two, distinct labels.