THE SURPRISING HERO ( A PROMPT LIST! )
hello my beloveds!!! an absolutely incredible nonnie sent in a request for prompts based on the idea of someone becoming a vital part of saving the world through unanticipated events, and i hope i managed to achieve what they wanted in this list! basically i got a tonne of inspiration from comic book movies and the more fantastical vibes of high fantasy franchises, and i was going to make these more amusing, but i think there's something so hard-hitting about the concept of being thrust into greatness and heroism when you feel you aren't ready for it! anyway! enjoy, and as always: DO NOT ADD TO OR EDIT THIS LIST, AND DO NOT CLAIM AS YOUR OWN!
FROM THE UNEXPECTED HERO:
โ iโm not supposed to be here. iโm not like the rest of you; iโm not special, or blessed, or gifted. iโm justโฆ me. โ
โ youโve got to be joking! i canโt save the world! iโm just an ordinary person! โ
โ itโs funny. all these years, iโve wanted so badly to see the world. nowโฆ i think iโve never wanted anything so much as to go back home. โ
โ so thatโs it, then? iโm just supposed to sacrifice everything to save the world, all because some ancient prophecy says so? โ
โ i still canโt quite believe we were doing laundry yesterday. now our biggest chore is traveling across the world to save it. โ
โ i miss home. i miss how safe and boring and fine it all was. i never wouldโve wanted adventures if i thought theyโd be as scary and dangerous as this. โ
โ theyโre right to be angry, you know. everyone has a purpose here; iโm only joining you all because of some insane twist of fate. โ
โ surprised? donโt worry, so was i. i donโt think itโs a normal occurrence for people like me to be part of massive quests like this. โ
โ look. iโm not the chosen one, alright? i donโt want any part in any prophecy or ancient dictation. i just want to live an ordinary, safe, boring life. โ
โ you think i donโt acknowledge whatโs happening?! every mistake i make has costs, and those costs are often the lives of innocent people! โ
โ you know, last year my idea of a grand adventure was going up the mountains for a picnic with my friends. funny how fast things change, isnโt it? โ
โ iโm not a hero! i donโt know how to fight! heroes are special and unique and trained, and iโm none of those things. โ
โ everyone looks at me like iโve got the answers, but i donโt. i was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. โ
โ you ever stop to question the solidity of this prophecy? because if the wording is that vague that it could name me as the savior of the world, then maybe we ought to revise it. โ
โ this is stupid! putting the fate of the universe on some million-year-old prophecy! โ
โ iโm not what you think i am. iโm not a hero. iโm sorry, i know you want me to be one, butโฆ iโm just not. โ
โ so youโre telling me, because i happened to overhear some weird out of context conversation, that the safety of the world relies entirely on me? โ
โ donโt you see how daft this whole thing is?! iโve got to save the world now because i happened to take a wrong turn on my way home! โ
โ why canโt i just give you guys what i found, and you can go and rescue the world yourselves? โ
โ i want to clarify that iโm not a coward. okay? iโm not running away from this. but iโm not exactly save-the-world material. so thank you for the opportunity, butโฆ i think iโll stay at home. โ
โ i get it, you know. itโs a huge responsibility for someone whoโs only just realized whatโs at stake. โ
โ the others think iโm utterly mad for even considering you for this task. but the fact is, youโre the only person i genuinely believe to be capable of fixing this mess. โ
โ would you like to know the mark of a true hero? itโs courage. not an absence of fear, not an ignorance of it, but rather, the choice to persevere in spite of it. youโre still here. that makes you one of the bravest people on the planet. โ
โ donโt let anyone else tell you what you are and arenโt capable of. everything happens for a reason, and it wasnโt dumb luck that put you in our path. โ
โ i donโt believe in prophecies, personally. i think the universe is far too chaotic for them to survive thousands of years. but i do believe that you being here is not a coincidence. โ
โ fate only accounts for part of what happens in our lives. the rest of it is all choices. and despite how scared and inexperienced you areโฆ youโve chosen to stay. that tells me an awful lot about you. โ
โ how selfish can you be?! running away from this destiny, this task! the world will fall into darkness if you donโt step up, and here you are, hiding from your fate like a coward! โ
โ you need to learn to ignore the opinions of others if youโre going to stand a chance at doing this. this is the cost of being a hero. people will judge, not based on truth, but on a limited perspective. โ
โ donโt be stupid. weโre not special or talented either; i was trained from childhood, i can fight men twice my size, but thatโs not the mark of a hero. โ
โ if you like, i could teach you how to fight? you may find it useful. even if itโs just to comfort yourself against these ridiculous self-doubts. โ
โ heroes arenโt always massive muscle types. the inventor of new defense measures against attacks, or someone who discovered a cure for a disease, or perhaps someone clever enough to use new fuel sources in the winterโฆ heroism isnโt always found in warzones, you know. โ
โ fine. donโt do it for the fate of the world. do it for your family. your friends. do it for the ones youโll return to once we settle this for good. save this world, not for the world itself, but for the ones you love, so that they may live on. โ
โ you should know some things. most people, if you somehow perform outside of the very specific expectations they have for you, will be very quick and harsh in their judgment. itโs not something one can avoid. but you can learn to rise above those critics. remember. they donโt know the real you. โ
" fear is normal. okay? we all fear things. the real killer is when you try to fight that fear. you're no lesser a hero for fearing things. expect it. accept it. embrace it. and once it's with you, work with it to fight even more. "
" you keep saying you're not a hero. tell me. what exactly is it that you believe a hero to be? "
" people make the error of assuming heroes to be golden, flawless, immaculate in both thought and strategy. it's never the case. heroes are the most flawed of all. that's what makes us admire them so. "
