2.2 The Attitude

Hello young HTBs! Man it's been a while hasn't it? Hopefully your winter holidays (summer if you're Australian) have been good, and I hope Christmas was nice for those of you who celebrate it. We are back with a new section of this chapter! The Attitude.

Attitude? Why is that important, you may ask. Well, it is incredibly important. Nobody likes a bitter, mean spirited hero. Those are the kinds people would call, ahem, anti-heroes. They do good, but nobody actually likes them. That's sad, isn't it? Sure if you're a lone ranger, do what you want, but I know a lot of heroes who only joined in order to receive an applause from the crowd. To be honest, getting the crowd's cheer and applause is a nice thing, it makes you feel good and makes you feel appreciated rather than just forgotten despite all your hard work.

So, what type of attitude should you have as a hero?

1. Friendly, Easily Approachable, Relatable.
• Let's face it, if you're cold hard and mean, nobody's going to want to talk to you. If you put yourself out as a nice guy/gal who's friendly and easy to approach, loads of people are going to want to talk to you. Superman was a nice guy, wasn't he? So can you.
2. Kind, Warm-Hearted, Polite.
• People like nice people They want to be treated well by others, and you have to treat all the citizens of the city you protect well, or else they will not reciprocate any of those feelings. 
3. Charitable, Generous.
• People like seeing heroes do good deeds outside of just saving people from burning buildings. Using their fortune to help sick children? Come on, that's something they love. It's like being a celebrity, once you're up there and you do one charitable thing, the world thinks you're the loveliest person alive.
4. Understanding.
• People like it if others understand their problems. It's nice. Sure, it's hard to think that maybe normal people have problems too, but at least you can pretend you understand or learn to understand it. 
5. Learn from your mistakes
• Can this really count as an attitude? Yes it can. If you're a hero that repeats the same mistakes over and over and over again, people will think you're stubborn and rock-headed and refuse to learn. If you do learn, people like to see improvement and people will see the greatness in you or something

Those are the 5 basic things, but of course there is more to it. Attitude is important. Sass is good to an extent, it's funny and people like a sassy hero, but too much and people will think you're a bit of an ass. Confidence, also good, but too much leads to arrogance. It's all about a balance between the personalities. Too much of anything can cause a problem, and you wouldn't want that.

Although Attitude may not seem like the most important trait in a hero, it is something that you should keep in mind if you want to be one of those heroes that everyone looks up to. Parents want good role models for their children, and children like cool heroes. So you have to balance the cool and the good, lest you want children to grow up like Batman.

Anyway, see you! 

-TM.

2.1 Aliases and Hero Names

Hello again, young HTBs!

Welcome to this first part on Aliases and Hero Names. This is probably something you all will find interesting. Picking out a superhero name is a tough process, but it's fun nonetheless. You must be thinking, I already have a superhero name picked out let's get on with it! Well, if you do, think it over. Does it roll off the tongue? Is it something you'd like the whole world to know you by? Is it appropriate for what you want to do? Do you know if there is any other hero with a similar name?

These are questions you must ask yourself. Sometimes, getting a name is easy, it's bestowed upon you by some other person. For example, the Wonderful Wizard of Oz got his name because they called him 'Wonderful' so he was like yeah, I'm wonderful, and took on that title. I never made my original superhero name. It was given to me by a friend, a colleague, a partner. They were a lovely person, teaching me all I needed to know about heroing, as I am trying to pass on to you.

In my time, people kept names simple an accessible. Times have changed, though, you can't go around calling yourself Iron Man or Matter Boy anymore, it's just weird. Think out of the box, think modern and sophisticated. Something interesting, nice, easy to remember. You want people to remember who you are. Something like Dr Johnson-Smith-Marcus-Lida-Ron-Simon is probably not going to be remembered at all. Keep it short, keep it snappy, be smart with your names.

Sometimes, simple is the best way to go. Say you have superspeed, what would you call yourself? Quicksilver is a hero from the Marvel Comics, so that's a no. What about Speedster? Doesn't seem right. Feather feet? What a strange name. I had a friend who called himself Axel, based on the word 'accelerate'. Made almost no sense, but hey it worked. Then there was one of my old trainees, called himself Quik. Sure it worked, and it was simple. Sometimes it's best to just go with your gut instead of trying to make things too elaborate.

I knew this guy who could absorb kinetic energy and return that energy with the same strength. What does that mean? It means that if he gets punched in the face, sure he flinches a little, but his body absorbs most of the shock and he returns that punch with the same amount of force. Of course, it probably hurt more for the other guy since they can't absorb kinetic energy. He called himself Momentum. Simple, but effective.

If you want to be clever with your name, by all means go ahead. Just know that not everyone will get it. There was another young man under my mentorship for a short while, back when I was quite a lot younger. He had the power of, what he'd call, moral persuasion. I called it mind control. If he were to use his powers and ask for a request, the recipient will agree and respond to that request, no questions asked. For example, he asked a colleague to run down to buy him fried rice from a specific store 15 minutes away for free (just to test how much he could get a person to do, though this is only the beginning) and his colleague did it. Why would he do that? Well, his powers implanted some sort of control over the victim's mind with a request they feel compelled to complete no matter what. He could walk to a bank robber/bomber with 13 hostages to disarm the bomb, release the hostages, and hand himself over to the police, and the robber won't even think twice about doing it.

He called himself Lon. What does that mean? Well, nobody really knew except him. When he finally told us while he called himself Lon, it made sense. It stood for the League of Nations, which he chose due to their power of 'Moral Persuasion' of offending countries. I thought it was funny, but the name stuck though the meaning was lost along the way.

The hero name is probably, in my opinion, the hardest part of creating your superhero image. After that, everything comes naturally. The costume may be on par in difficulty, unless you decide to go casual without an actual costume (not a good idea). So, keep at it and you'll find the perfect name, don't worry!

Take care you wideworlders!
-TM

2.0 The Image

Hello young HTBs!

This is a short introduction to the next chapter. I probably should have done this with the first chapter, but hey I'm not a perfect person, you know! Well, this chapter will probably be very interesting for you guys. It's The Image. What does that entail? Well, it's your image as a superhero. It's very important, because people want to know what they're putting their trust into.

See you soon!
-TM

1.5 Intermission - Why health is important

This is the story of Rudo Nast, otherwise known as Zap, a fantastic hero of the 1960s. He was a rising star, at 19 he was already fighting crime as a vigilante hero of sorts. He was an eccentric happy guy, the kind of guy whose laughs made you want to smile and laugh too, even if nothing funny was happening.

He possessed the power of electricity manipulation, being able to make things spark. When I first met him, he was watching sparks crackle, dancing between his fingertips, laughing as if his powers were new to him. He was 23 when I had the pleasure to work with him. We were partners, with his electricity and my (censored) we were unstoppable. It was fantastic.

We told each other everything. We even took off our masks and told each other our true identities. He had a family, one that he said I'd get to meet in the future. I told him about my family, we laughed, it was great. He was one of the only friends I had made in the heroing business, the rest were never comfortable with revealing their identity. It is a good measure, though, to keep one's identity a secret. You never know whom you could trust.

Rudo did keep one thing secret from me: He suffered from cardiac dysrhythmia. He never told me, he never told anyone, he kept it a secret. He went about his business happily, nobody knowing anything about his problem. His heart was always beating too quickly, but sometimes randomly too slowly. This irregularity started causing problems when he was 25.

While on patrol one evening, he suffered from a cardiac arrest. I did my best to resuscitate him, bring him back to life. He was rushed to the hospital, and he survived, thank the lord. He spent a lot of time bedridden. He was never the hero he used to be. He stopped heroing for 5 years, focusing on a much slower pace job. He couldn't wear out his heart, I know. Yet, I still felt betrayed. Betrayed that he never told me, that I could have helped him if he had told me.

Like rollercoaster ride warnings, don't become a hero if you are pregnant, suffer from heart diseases, are epileptic, etc etc. Check yourself before you wreck yourself.

Take care out there, young ones.
- TM

1.4 Composure in battle

Greetings, young HTBs!

You must be thinking, what the heckie am I on right now, right? Composure in battle? Like, no shit Sherlock! Well, you'll be surprised at just how many people don't know about this. It is an important thing, keeping your composure in a fight. Don't freak out, try not to panic. In most cases, panicking is the worst thing you can do. Of course it keeps you on the balls of your feet, but too much can cause you to collapse under the pressure, making you a big blaring target for your attackers.

Try meditation, yoga, t'ai chi. They will help you calm down. Trust me, the life of a superhero is hectic, once you're in, you're in for life. It follows you everywhere. Suspicion plagues a guilty mind, my friend, so just calm down. Everyone needs to calm down, especially people with such high intensity jobs like heroing. Be sure to drink lots of water, keep hydrated, don't skip meals. Take care of yourself, a stressed hero is a dead one.

Why is self-help so important, aren't I supposed to be protecting people, you ask? Well if you can't even help yourself, how the heck are you supposed to be able to protect others? Think about it. Take it with a grain of salt. You come first. Ever watch those airplane safety videos when they say cater to yourself before others in your care? It's the same thing. If you can't survive, how will they survive?

This is a short post, I'm sorry, but it's mostly to say keep calm, keep your cool. Don't get to agitated, stressed, or anxious about things. It leads to your downfall, trust me. I know from experience. This does, however, wrap up Chapter 1! You must be thinking, wow isn't this a short chapter? Well, there's not that much to it.

To summarise:
• You come first, you always come first. Take care of yourself before others.
• Try to invest in training classes for self-defence (priority) and then offensive techniques, like kick-boxing etc.
• Stay calm in battle, it's important
• Get yourself checked for any health complications (Asthmatics may not make the best heroes if they have an attack.) Check yourself before you wreck yourself!
• Remember, a dead hero is a dead one. Seriously, if you're dead, you're dead and there's nothing you can do to help yourself or others. So protect yourself.

Toodaloo, young ones!
- TM

1.3 Training and Offensive Tactics

Hello young ones, long time no see, eh?

In the previous post, I talked about training and self defence, and it's only right to start talking about offensive techniques along with it. That should be your next goal once you learn how to protect yourself. There's one word for this: Practice. Keep practicing and you will get better. Practice with friends, it's best to get some training down before you throw yourself head first into a dangerous situation.

Why do you need offensive techniques? Let's face it. Not all of us are born with superpowers, it's the sad truth. That still doesn't stop us from dreaming to be superheroes, and it shouldn't stop you from becoming one either. Batman didn't have superpowers, but he became a hero, so why can't you? Of course, it means a lot more hand to hand fighting, and getting acquainted with weapons. Try not to be too trigger happy, that never rubs off well in the superhero world and turns you into an antihero of sorts instead.

What kind of tips can I give you for offensive techniques? Well, firstly, don't throw yourself into situations needlessly, especially if you can tell you are threatening your own life. Of course, step in and help if you know that you can handle it. Try not to fight alone against a whole gang, that's just silly. Be prepared, be ready. Practice with sandbags, take kickboxing classes, anything that will help you learn how to attack.

What's a hero without weapons anyway? If you're a normal human, well, I'm sorry to say but you're probably going to need a weapon. Even if it's just a baseball bat, it's stronger than your two fists, and more helpful. Do sports, sports is a good way to build up stamina and strength too, plus it's great fun. Practice archery, learn shooting, anything really. It all adds up in the end, trust me on this one.

Oh, but what about guns? I'm not against guns. They are a perfectly viable weapon. I, however, am against the unnecessary killing of people. I find that it's rather, gory and kind of sad for all these people having to die. However, sometimes it is necessary and you can't get away from it. That's just how it goes. Be warned, if you live in a country where guns are illegal, I have to say it's best to steer away from them and find other alternatives of weapons. If you get arrested for being in possession of a firearm, there's nothing you can do to save yourself, you'll just have to deal with the consequences of what you've done to yourself.

Honestly, what can I say about learning offensive techniques? All I can really suggest is learn how to fight. You don't want to get beat up during a battle, you want to be able to not only defend yourself (which should be your priority) but also fight back and take out your attackers and protecting whoever needs protecting. I know that the idea of putting yourself first seems pretty selfish, but trust me once you have that self defence nailed, you don't even have to think about it. You'll be protecting yourself while fighting and protecting the victim at the same time, how great is that?

Try not to get lured into the seductive idea that guns are the best and only way to win a battle. It's not. Even if your attackers pull a knife or a gun on you while you're unarmed, there are ways to take them down and avoid getting hit. Practice, that is all I can really say.

Keep cool, young HTBs!
- TM

1.2 Training and Self-Defence

Hello again, Young HTBs!

Here, we will be looking at training and self defence. You can't be a hero without training of some kind! That would be stupid. It would be like running into an Formula 1 racetrack in your underwear. You'll die, simple as that. Training, it's not the hardest thing in the world. Any sort of self-defence training will suffice. Knowing human biology is also very helpful when it comes to self defence.

Oh, why is this important you ask? Well, if you are attacked you want to know how to defend yourself. You need to know how to protect yourself first before you learn how to protect others. If you have ever sat on an airplane and had to go through all the safety procedures just in case of a probable crash, then you have probably heard the whole 'attend to yourself before others' talk. If you can't help yourself, how are you supposed to help others?

The most appropriate thing to do is to take lessons. If you are really invested in the idea of becoming a superhero, it would be best to learn first hand and train with masters. I suggest things like Tae Kwon Do, Aikido, or classes specific to self-defence training. This is the best way to learn. If you already have a belt in Tae Kwon Do, or other similar styles, then good job you're about 3/4s of the way there! If you're a master, then I don't see why you're here because obviously you don't need training anymore.

Obviously, I know that not everyone has the time or the money to join these sorts of classes. There are other ways, of course. For example, make a friend who is good at Tae Kwon Do, and ask them to teach you some simple self-defence moves. Tell them you want to make sure if anyone tries to mug you, that you want to make sure you know what to do in that situation. If they're nice enough, they will help you. If not, then I'm sorry that friend is useless to you, go make another friend.

Here are some videos that demonstrate some simple self-defence techniques that you can practice with friends without having to pay for lessons! Of course, be careful, take caution, don't be stupid. Stupidity is useless on a superhero. Be sure to take these all with a grain of salt, don't get too anxious to try this out on a real person.

3 Street Fight Tips (one attacker):

Multiple Attackers Tips:

All of the above videos belong to their rightful owner, of course. I own none of it, and please don't hold me or the creator accountable for any mishaps that may happen during your practices.

To summarise for those who do not wish to read through it all: If you can, take self-defence lessons or train in Tae Kwon Do, Aikido, or something similar. Take care of yourself before others. A dead superhero is a useless superhero.

Stay solid, young ones!
- TM