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[Today is a good day for serious business, apparently. There's a certain something he's been putting off for a while, and after one-too-many dreams interrupting his sleep, he's had enough: this morning when Billy wakes up, the first thing he does is jot out a note in the journal-]

[Private to Ben Grimm]

Hey, would it be okay if I swung by to ask you a few things?

[He'll work through his morning routine until he gets a response, after which he'll go for a visit and get a hell of a lot more than he bargained for.

After that, his mood for the day is drastically altered; he'll skip out on school, trying to sort out his feelings on the matter. Tommy's still AWOL, and he's trying not to worry Teddy, but what he's just been told has really got him thinking- about people, and heroes, and the unfairness of mankind in general. And eventually he'll just go ahead and return to his journal for it. He's kind of in over his head here.]

[Open to All]

I know Luceti's full of heroes- seems kind of a standard trait for most of us, for whatever reason. Back on my world, super-humans aren't that uncommon, and in general they're revered for everything they do for the world. Some of them were born that way, and some of them are from other planets, and some were altered to get their powers, and some have a lot of talent or skill instead of powers. But they're all considered to be super heroes. There's bad guys, too- just as diverse and unique as the heroes they fight. People fear them and celebrate their defeat.

There's another group, though... humans who got their powers because of evolution. It's much more natural, in a lot of ways. Some are heroes, some are villains. Some are just trying to get by without becoming one or the other. But regular humans fear them, and hate them for it, even if they save the world just as much as the heroes they love. They're called criminals or monsters, no matter how innocent they might be.

[He hesitates- it's probably obvious to some, what he's talking about, and he's not sure if he should lock it from the mutant population, or apologize, or something, but it relates to them even if it's not by name. Hiding it wouldn't be right.

In the end he just leaves it be.]

...Sorry for the ramble. But it's not fair, and... I just can't understand why. Why hate one and love the other, when they're basically the same?

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[He waves his hands apologetically. If it weren't for the seriousness of his message, he would be laughing. But he addresses Billy seriously.]

Sorry, Billy! I wasn't thinking. I saw your message, and I just... thought I should see you as soon as I could.

Ah. Well. I hope my presence won't cause you trouble.

I do not know who Tommy is. I wish I could share the sentiment of how dreadful it is to miss Tommy but I am afraid I cannot relate.

[Well, he can relate to the 'missing someone' part, since he misses Leah terribly and he misses her harsh words and those moments where a friendship was simple like that. Where his older self was a magpie instead of an altered version from another universe.

But Leah is not gone like Billy's friend Tommy is.

For a moment there's a sound of something knispering, followed by the obvious sound of Loki eating potatochips and making it his job to be extra loud about it.]

What kind of things? The word 'things' can refer to a lot of different things, you see?

Why would you ever idealize other people like that? That's too much pressure, for you and them both. You can't just place an unnecessary burden on people.

... yeah, you ain't the only one.

[Not that there's much hope for him, now that he's a flunkie for Apocalypse.]

Simple enough, Billy. People are afraid of things that are different. It's the nature of all sentient beings, deep down. It's rooted in our psyche.

Mm.

[Billy shifts his hands, letting one fall against the side of the couch while the other curves around Teddy's at his collar. He's decided he just really needs that contact right now.]

It... it was Wanda. She just- she changed the whole world. She changed reality, and-

[And he's not sure how he should feel about this. Or- no, that's wrong. He knows how he should feel. He should feel terrified, worried, upset, paranoid. He should wonder if he could do something like that someday, if he were to lose what she did.

Instead he feels relieved to finally know the truth, surprised by what the truth is, and utterly confused- because he knows there has to be more to it than just this.

He also has no idea how to put any of this into words.]

You don't think that's too simple? That's just... it's so depressing.

I wouldn't call it that, though. A burden, I mean- it's a responsibility. A title that you earn by helping people. Didn't you ever have someone that you looked up to, growing up?

Sounds very... inspirational. I wish more people thought that. Though it gets tricky when others believe in things that just seem wrong...

Mm... asking too many questions, I'd say. Hearing things about the world that I'm not sure if I was happier without knowing.

Sentient nature is one predicated on strong survival instincts. As much as we try and rise above, there are base instincts that drive us to feel that way.

[Luke pauses for a moment, considering.]

Exposure to things that are different lessens the trouble though. From what I've heard about your world, and other worlds like yours, super-humans are relatively new, aren't they? I don't know if that's really the case, but given what Steve and Clint have told me, it's been less than a century?

Some of them, sure. But it's the same with regular humans- people will hurt and kill each other no matter what kind of power they have to do it with. Whether you have a gun or you can shoot lasers out of your hands... you should judge people based on what they do, not what they are.

Yeah, I... figured that's why. [He lowers his journal, glancing at it briefly before shutting it and pushing it aside.] Sorry. I didn't mean to upset anybody.

Tommy's my brother. He's kind of hard to catch sometimes, so I'm not surprised you haven't met him yet.

[Both literally and figuratively. Stupid speedsters.]

Um. As for 'things'... it's kind of personal. Not something I want to broadcast all over the village, you know?

It's- kind of a thing from home. It's this idea that humans can enjoy and appreciate something that is sort of humanoid but obviously not, like a cartoon or a blocky robot. The more human it gets, the more comfortable people get with it because it's like them. Then there's this weird area where something is almost human, but there's something about it that seems so off that people can't stop focusing on it. The gap between that and a true human is the uncanny valley.

[Here, have a little doodle to accompany the tl;dr.]

The only trouble he can really cause with us is a little aggravation, so don't worry about it.

[He shrugs; he doesn't want to make a big deal about it, even if there's still a bit of underlying irritation; he hasn't forgiven Robin for trying to interrogate Teddy, and he knows that he's apparently not trusted for his magic - and for his association with Loki. At this point he doesn't really give a damn what Robin thinks about Loki coming over like this.

Back to what he was saying, though...]

...I'm one of them- a mutant. That's why I've got powers. But I'm also related to two of the most dangerous and hated mutants in the world.

[See why he didn't want to be overheard?]

Whether I am or not doesn't matter. It's a lousy thing to do.

... Hatred, much like love, is a strong emotion. It is easy to get caught up in either one. But most people fear what they do not understand, Billy. Much simpler to lash out in anger, in self-preservation, I suppose. And once that hatred is established, it's a little difficult to get rid of.

Hm. Interesting. [He hadn't thought that a mutation would allow Billy to do what he does, but then again it's not something normal humans can manage. So it may follow. And he's also forced suddenly to wonder about himself, since the Jotun are not known for their magicians by any stretch of the imagination. He is a bit of an aberration no matter what way one slices it.

He nods, mouth curving in a bitter smile.]

Being different or having bad taste in parentage is normally enough invitation for abuse. Having both factors is quite terrible.

[He has reason to know this.]

No, I agree. Whatever the reason comes down to, it's monstrous, hating someone who's out and struggling on your behalf. I mean- yeah, fear's powerful stuff. But that's no excuse for not bothering to wonder why you're afraid, or even think of how it's making you behave.

[Hopefully that's an explanation that's a little more eloquent, and less reliant upon shared life experiences. Wow, he's going to feel like an ass for awhile over that.]

I am afraid I have learned from the most vicious of men. The pious have served as a fine example.

[He spreads his hand across his chest, his smile wry.]

I 'bash' merely with words; they see it fit to bash with iron hammers and white-hot pincers, tearing and crushing and grinding flesh and bone for the purpose of extracting false confessions.

[The Dark Ages is a fitting term.]

I have seen men of faith denounce their neigbours as agents of the devil and have them tortured on His behalf, and in the same breath, speak of God's compassion, of His love. God help you, indeed, if you possess 'powers'... from birth. You needn't so much as use them to find yourself bound to a stake and burning alive sooner or later. [A beat.] In accusing the wealthy of heresy, their bounty can then be seized by the Church. So you are right, my dear man - some do benefit from their religion. [A low chuckle issues from him.]

[Sora can understand this, if only just a little. He's felt that sting of someone not wanting him around and that was with King Triton. It was only once but it's something he hasn't forgotten.

'The keyblade wielder shatters peace, and brings ruin.'

Still he's not sure how to really answer it except the best way he can think of.]

I dunno. But, no matter what those people think in the end you just gotta do what you think is right. As long as you follow your heart it can't lead you wrong.

Even if they're afraid you just need to show them that there's nothing to be scared of.

[Well, this is heavy stuff. He doesn't feel entirely qualified to talk about it, not when his world is so different in that regard but... Billy is a friend.]

I'm not exactly good at this stuff. I'm not a psychologist or anything but...

Well, simple answer, people can be selfish assholes.

I think, these guys, the super-humans you mentioned, people like Steve and Stark. People who ended up this way because of a serum or radiation or an exceptional, but human level talent... people look at them and see an accident. Something that could happen to them. It's unlikely, almost impossible, but it could happen. And no-one wants to hate something they could end up being.

But the others, people like you, you're born like this. Like, you're becoming something new, something people who aren't born that way can never hope to be.

And it makes it easier to fear and hate something that you can never become.

[...Hmm, right. Well, while Dash can't think of an exact situation like that, prejudice does kinda ring familiar to her.]

Well, we don't have anything that serious back home, but we used to all freak out whenever this Zebra named Zecora dropped by Ponyville. We thought she was evil and that she'd put all kinds of creepy curses on us.

I think sometimes fear can really twist the way you look at somebody, especially if they're strange, different, or stronger than you. If people are treating 'em like monsters, maybe it's because they feel threatened.

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