At the heart of much speculative fiction (and fiction in general) is a question. What if? On Tuesdays I like to throw one out there and see what you make of it. Do with it as you please. If a for-instance is not specified, feel free to interpret that instance as you wish. And if you find this becomes a novel-length answer, I'd appreciate a thank you in the acknowledgements ;)
A few of my shows have recently resorted to They Would Cut You Up as the only reason why. (Warning: the link leads to TV Tropes. Click on the link at your own risk. And whatever you do, don't click on anything else. Unless you want your evening to mysteriously vanish...)
As I watched the third such iteration of that explanation, it occurred to me that it wasn't much of an explanation as to why said character had to run or hide rather than continue on as things had been going. It made no sense to me. Which leads to...
What if you had some extraordinary ability and, oops, it got made public? How would you handle all the attention? Would you be worried that someone would try to lock you up and "study" you?
I won't click on the link then.
ReplyDeleteI've seen enough super hero movies that yes, I'd be worried someone would want to study me.
I'd act crazy during the day and go vigilante at night :)
ReplyDeleteI think I would hope I had enough money to be able to go to some deserted island. Not sure I would like all the attention.
ReplyDeletebetty
No, the attention would be difficult.
DeleteI know I wouldn't want to be a guinea pig in a lab. If I had extraordinary abilities, I wouldn't want anyone to know.
ReplyDeleteYeah, but in this case, you were "outed".
DeleteI don't want any of the attention!! I hope my super-power is never leaked to the media!!
ReplyDeleteIt'd be nice if it wasn't, but there are some unscrupulous people out there, and one of them has already blabbed...
DeleteThis reminds me of a movie(what else is new) called Resurrection, I think. She has the ability to heal people but becomes so famous and so hard to deal with it all she takes off. I think I would probably do that or get a reality show and make oodles of money for doing nothing but being famous for something that doesn't need publicity:)
ReplyDeleteI think I've seen Resurrection. That, or my mother told me about it.
DeleteIt's good that you put a warning on that link. TV Tropes will suck you in and never let you go.
ReplyDeleteIt's a good question. I think I'd be a little worried about being locked up in a lab. But it might depend on the super power. If I have destructo-vision or something I'm going to be a lot less worried about people coming after me.
would not want any attention.
ReplyDeleteOf course not. But you have it now...
DeleteI think going public is the way to go - the more eyes on me, the less likely I can be disappeared.
ReplyDeleteGlad you're okay with that, as you've been "outed". What you do with that now...
DeleteWell, I have no abilities whatsoever now, and I can't handle attention, so I imagine if I had some extraordinary ability that was made public, I'd have to find myself an underground bunker in which to spend the rest of my life.
ReplyDeleteI'd be completely worried that I'd be locked up and studied.
I wouldn't tell anyone. Who wants to be locked up? Unless of course my power was invisibility!
ReplyDeleteAh, but that choice has already been taken from you. Everyone knows.
DeleteI would like to have the ability to come up with a zinger one liner at will and then no-one would irritate me.
ReplyDeleteAh, don't we all...
DeleteI would have had a plan B (because I'm that kind of person)"just in case" my identity or power was made public. There are books on "how to disappear". I would have one in my library. I would try to be prepared because, in fiction, this kind of thing seems to happen all the time. Be prepared! Alana ramblinwitham.blogspot.com
ReplyDelete"How to Disappear"... Reminds me of that Monty Python sketch...
DeleteOh ergs. Yeah always have an escape plan. I'd totally jet if I was found out. I so don't trust the world at large.
ReplyDelete