Dizzy: How to be a Hero

[OrochiGeese]

Part 1 08.21 - 8/2

-In the midwestern prairie, the wind howls throwing snow about as a small blue jeep drives to a gym... the roadside looks like a desert of snow, drifts curving up like a sand dune; but the small jeep pulls into a semi-shovelled parking lot, and a young girl - bundled tightly for the winter - exits, before rushing to the gym...

Scene change, inside, the young girl - Dizzy - unzips her jacket and folds it in her arms, carrying it with her as she walks into the mostly empty gym... she takes a few tentative steps - is it empty? Closed, except for the pair of boys shovelling the snow? Has she wasted her time coming all the way out here? She looks about, a little more nervous... moving deeper into the gym, she hears the single most comforting sound she could hear - flesh on canvas, the sound of someone hitting a heavy punching bag. The lone man in the gym alternatively kicks and punches the bag, before grabbing it and beating his knees and elbows against it - then going back to kicking and punching.

Dizzy approaches the man, who looks back, then double takes...-

[Man:] "Hey... didn't think anybody else'd venture out in the cold!"

[Dizzy:] "Uhm... excuse me, sir, but is Big Brother Twinky here? I'm looking for him, that I am..."

[Man:] "I think he's back in the office... I haven't seen in a while, though; just Miss Juli."

[Dizzy:] "Oh... well, thank you!"

-Dizzy bows to the man, and walks on to the back rooms of the gym... passing exercise equipment that just sits and gathers dust on days such as this. The wind howls against the building, and Dizzy grips her coat a little tighter. She reaches a back room marked "Office"... underneath it another sign - hand written on a piece of paper that has been taped to the door - reads "Your Business Room, Dork." She coughs a little and knocks on the door... before a female voice echoes.-

[Woman:] "Please come in, Michael."

[Dizzy:] "It-it's me, Miss Juli, Diane... uh, Diane Cavuto! Dizzy, that it is, yes yes!"

-There's a rustling, and the door opens, Miss Juli being a young japanese woman... she invites Dizzy into the room, and it looks about like any other office in a gym... filing cabinets, a computer on the desk, toddler at a lego desk - toddler? Dizzy wipes her feet on a mat, before removing her shoes and crouching next to the little boy...-

[Dizzy:] "Hi there, Hiro... didja miss me?"

[Hiro:] "Nope."

[Dizzy:] "Oh! Well, I guess I haven't been gone THAT long..."

[Miss Juli:] "Is there something I can do for you, Diane?"

-Dizzy perks up, and turns back to Miss Juli, suddenly remembering why she came out to such a desolate place.-

[Dizzy:] "Miss Juli, uhm, is Big Brother Twinky here today?"

[Miss Juli:] "No... you'd have just missed him - Twinky-sama went out towards Box Elder to pick up some groceries."

[Dizzy:] "Oh... well, uhm, Miss Juli?"

[Miss Juli:] "Yes, Diane?"

[Dizzy:] "May I ask you a question?"

-Miss Juli smiles - she's not much older than Dizzy herself, but has the air of maturity about her.-

[Miss Juli:] "Yes, yes you may."

[Dizzy:] "I'm a little nervous about my match with Holly and Jo Ryder... and I wanted to ask Twinky about it, but you're his right hand man - er, woman, that you are - so maybe asking you would be a good idea... what if the crowd decides they don't like how I wrestle? What if they boo me?"

[Miss Juli:] "Ah... this is where Twinky-sama and his training have come into play... Diane, would you say he went easy on you?"

[Dizzy:] "No, ma'am! It was about as far away from easy as it got before it passed hard and came back around TO easy!"

[Miss Juli:] "And, why do you think that is?"

-Dizzy's hand raises to her mouth, the thumb underneath her chin, the forefinger - or rather a knuckle of it - is lightly bit down on.-

[Dizzy:] "To... help me be the best wrestler I can be?"

[Miss Juli:] "That, yes... but he forgets that not everybody gets what he wants to teach the most - or rather, he does not know how to communicate it.."

[Dizzy:] "What is that?"

[Miss Juli:] "He does not know how to teach people how to be a hero."

[Dizzy:] "Like a super hero?! THAT'D BE SO COOL! WOW! But, this isn't a comic book, Miss Juli; this is real life..."

[Miss Juli:] "N-no! Not like that! How to be someone people can look up to, and rally behind!"

[Dizzy:] "Oh... like, how to be a good role model?"

[Miss Juli:] "Hm... that's close, yes."

-Dizzy nods along, slowly... she bites down a little harder on her knuckle.-

[Dizzy:] "So... what do you think I should do to be a hero?"

[Miss Juli:] "You should... do things that other people might be afraid to do. Courage, Diane, is what makes a hero."

[Dizzy:] "So, I should do crazy flippy things and jump out of the ring a lot? People might be afraid to do that."

[Miss Juli:] "What I mean to say is that you should stand for your principles, and protect what you believe in. If that means your "crazy flippy things" then yes, you should. Anybody can wrestle and do dangerous things... but you must do it with a purpose, Diane - to do dangerous stunts without a purpose is stupidity. Doing it with a purpose is courage... does this help?"

[Dizzy:] "...a little bit, I think, that it does."

[Miss Juli:] "I am happy to hear so."

[Dizzy:] "Okay then... thank you for your time, Miss Juli - and you too, Little Hiro! You be a good boy now!"

-Dizzy kneels down and kisses Hiro on the cheek before ruffling his hair, making the little boy turn red and run behind Miss Juli's leg, peeking from behind at Dizzy as she slides her shoes back on.-

[Miss Juli:] "May I ask you a question now, Diane?"

[Dizzy:] "Yes'm, Miss Juli, that you may."

-She speaks almost absent-mindedly as she struggles with her boot, before realizing she's trying to put it on the wrong foot.-

[Miss Juli:] "If you need more help, perhaps you could speak to Chapel-san or Twinky-sama. If you would... please tell me if they help your quest?"

[Dizzy:] "Yes'm! Oh, uh... by the way... is that boy out there Michael?"

[Miss Juli:] "Yes, he is a new student - Twinky-sama wants to teach a MMA fighter how to be a wrestler, and found Michael Clinton... he came in today to train, saying that 'When I was a baby I was crawling in more snow than this in Anchortown, Alaska!' ...but, where is this Anchortown for me to have never heard of it?"

-Dizzy giggles a little bit... and snorts. She covers her mouth in surprise, and turns red...-

[Dizzy:] "Anchorage, I believe it is, Miss Juli... but thank you for your help today!"

-Dizzy stands and bows a little before leaving as the scene fades out.-

[OrochiGeese]

How To Be A Hero (Abridged), Part 2 16.15 - 14/2


-After Dizzy met with Miss Juli while trying to talk with Twinky, she was given a task - find some of the gym's trainers in hopes of learning the most important lesson: what it means to be a hero.

Dizzy - having recently left the gym to begin her journey climbs in her jeep, shivers a little bit as she turns the heater to max, and turns the radio a bit higher up... when by the Grace of God (or plot twist by an unstable writer) the disc jockey begins speaking...-

[Disc Jockey:] "...here at the RUSHMORE MALL, where I'm live with local pro wrestler Chapel Hillcrest; Chapel's been in plenty of rough fights, and he's here signing autographs in front of the sports fitness store, "Fit4Life" - so C'MON DOWN, and see him and me, your erstwhile DJ here today until 3:30 PM..."

-As that's all the relevant information we need, Dizzy looks to the digital clock attached to her dashboard... 3:00 PM?! Pulling out and skidding rubber, the jeep takes off into the Midwestern winter...-

-This is teh scene change and whatnot-

-Dizzy hustles through the mall, having parked in the first spot she could find... unfortunately, that was on the wrong side of the mall. As she hustles to cross to the other side of the building, she ducks and dodges to avoid passerbys...-

[Dizzy:] "Excuse me, whoa, sorry sorry that I am! WHA-OUCH!!!"

-WHA-OUCH? Well, she's moving faster than the scene set ups, but she's just tripped and skid a good five feet on the marble-esque linoleum floor, which nonetheless hurts, so "Wha-ouch" isn't exactly out of the ballpark... she stands up and brushes herself off a little bit, as she looks around... the radio station tent is being packed up by a pair of men, and she rushes over...-

[Dizzy:] "Excuse me sir, but I'm looking for-"

[Disc Jockey:] "The man of your dreams? Babe, I'm the man of your WET dreams more like."

[Dizzy:] "..."

[Disc Jockey:] "So, what're you looking for again? Sure that Chapel guy, but I mean BESIDES the amazing good looks and charisma I ooze that have obviously told you of my advanced sexual prowess?"

[Dizzy:] "You're oozing something... but anyways, I'm looking for Mister Chapel, is he here?"

[Disc Jockey:] "Now, why do you wanna see some lame muscle head? Did you know you're bleeding a little from your lip? Those aren't like, herpes sores or anything are they? Hell, we'll work around that. BUT, It's not like he's actually DOING anything other than living off his FORMER reputation as a tough guy, I mean, he's just big and muscley, and apparantly, he's a health nut, or he wouldn't have agreed to come out here for such a low price and he's-"

-A big hand falls on the DJ's shoulder, and he goes white... the man it's connected to (via large arm) isn't particularly sour looking, but more pleasant, as if he were about to inquire about the weather... he pats the DJ's shoulder one more time, and the sheer force - or weight? - of the hand makes the DJ slump...-

[The Man:] "And he's REALLY a big muscley tough guy who owed a couple friends a favor... and now I hear you talking up this girl here like you want to do something not quite kosher with her. Tell you what, hit the road while your buddies pack up, and I'm gonna talk up my girl here, you got it?"

-The DJ does as he's told, and the big man chuckles a little bit... he turns back to Dizzy, and pulls a red handkerchief from a pocket, and holds it out to her - she looks a little confused at the sight of it...-

[Dizzy:] "Uh... thank you Mister Chapel... but, I don't need to blow my nose..."

[Chapel:] "Nah, girl. You're bleeding a bit. Must've been that spill you took on the floor. So! What's got you all psyched to see little ol' me?"

[Dizzy:] "I, uh, I w-w-wwwwa- wan-wa-wanted t-t-t-t-t-to t-t-t-talk to you about a question, or uhm, I was a bit w-w-w-w-wo-w-wo-orried about something, you see, that I am..."

[Chapel:] "Tell you what; I'll buy us some drinks and you can tell me what the problem is, huh?"

-Scene change... the two are still in the mall, in the food court, sitting at a table... Chapel looks around, blase to the bustling area around him. Dizzy on the other hand, sips from her drink, and looking amazed at the amount of people around her-

[Dizzy:] "It's so COLD! How can people be wearing so little... LOOK AT THAT GIRL, that little skirt can't possibly keep her warm! EEP! I can see her underwear, Mister Chapel! She has to be cold!"

[Chapel:] "You have no idea how hard it is to stay suppish with you around, Diz."

[Dizzy:] "Oh, uhm... sorry, sorry. But, uh, I wanted to talk to you a little bit... 'cuz I was worried and I had a question, and that makes me wanna look for an answer, but I went to talk to Big Brother Twinky, but he was busy, and I didn't know where to find him, but I went to the gym to look for him, and I found Miss Juli instead and she had Hiro with her, and he was such a cute little guy, he's getting so big and I've only been gone so little time! So, Miss Juli and I talked and that brings me to what I'm nervous about and what my question is and there's a lot of stuff I needed to ask, and I'm gonna stop talking here soon, honest, just as soon as I find somewhere worth stopping, I'm gonna stop, and I also wanna ask how are you treating Big Sister Nicole? She's gonna be mad if you don't call her you know, the two of you make such a cute couple, and baby Sama, why, she's just SO CYUUUUTE! And, I wanna know about how you two are doing, and why are you in South Dakota, is she here with you, and if she is can I play with the baby, 'cuz she's so small and tiny and cute and I just wanna HUG HER and KISS HER and SQUEEZE HER and well, maybe not that last, 'cuz she's really small, that she is, and I think I'm done."

-Chapel's eyes go wide as he looks at her... she takes a lengthy sip of her drink-

[Chapel:] "...Wow. Take a breather there, kiddo. So, what brought you to me?"

[Dizzy:] "OH! Uhm... see, I'm gonna wrestle at this OG-FPD show in a little bit, and I'm nervous 'cuz I'm gonna wrestle Holly and Jo Ryder, but I thought I could talk to Big Brother Twinky a little bit... but he's not there, and when I asked Juli, she said I don't feel so good about the match yet, 'cuz Twinky never taught "how to be a hero" which apparantly isn't like being a super hero at all, so I think she may be a little mixed up there."

[Chapel:] "So, your question is...?"

[Dizzy:] "...what do I have to do to be a hero?"

[Chapel:] "Oh... well, now. I'd say... the best way to be a hero is to take a beating."

[Dizzy:] "WHAT?!"

[Chapel:] "Well, if you take a beating, then it's easier for people to be sympathetic to you... they can feel what you're going through - not literally, Diz, close that mouth and keep listening - if the fans in the audience or at home look at you and see what you're going through and you keep trying to rally back through it - take a beating, and push through despite it."

[Dizzy:] "So... I should get beat up? And then...?"

[Chapel:] "Then look for an opening, and capitalize, Dizzy. When whoever slips up, you're able to just jump right in and take a win. You're the underdog, the fans dig you, and you've won a match!"

[Dizzy:] "Chapel?"

[Chapel:] "Yeah?"

[Dizzy:] "That's not really the kind of answer I was looking for."

[Chapel:] "No?"

[Dizzy:] "It... kinda sucks, actually."

[Chapel:] "Well, if you ask such an open-ended question, you're not going to get the exact answer you want. You're going to get AN answer, and maybe then you'll be able to think up one that doesn't "kinda suck"... and that's about the best I can give, I guess."

-Chapel stretches, and scratches the back of his head... before pushing the chair away from the table and standing up.-

[Dizzy:] "You're going? But what about all my other questions?!"

[Chapel:] "Dizzy, if I sat and answered EVERY question you had, I wouldn't get home 'till Samara's high school graduation."

[Dizzy:] "Oh..."

[Chapel:] "So, give Twinky a call or something, try and track him down a bit, or something. That'll work out fine for you, don't ya think?"

[Dizzy:] "Ooooh... well, that sounds good, but when I was running through the mall looking for you, I saw a couple of REALLY GOOD SALES..." - she giggles a bit- "Oh, I'm SUCH a girl..."

[Chapel:] "Eh... yeah. Kinda noticed that."

-Dizzy stands up, and sips her drink, and pushes her chair in... before she offers her hand out to shake Chapel's as the scene fades out here.-

[OrochiGeese]

How to Be A Hero (Abridged), Part 3 15.20 - 18/2


-In previous installments, Dizzy sought to talk to somebody about her nervousness regarding the Murderer's Row PPV, where she will compete with Holly and Jo Ryder to determine the number one contender... as she looked for answers, she was informed of a very crucial piece of training she had not recieved... what it means to be a (not super in the slightest) hero. Miss Juli of the McLanahan Gym shared her idea ("Act with a purpose!"), and as Dizzy left the gym pondering her answer, the radio had a fortuituous announcement of a local hero, Chapel Hillcrest signing autographs at the Rushmore Mall in Rapid City - Dizzy hurried from New Underwood, and while she missed the autograph signing, managed to catch up with Chapel, and recieved AN answer from him ("Take a beating, and rally back to win!")...

And after a minor shopping excursion in the mall, Dizzy sits, happily recounting the tale of her journey with the poor sucker sitting next to her in an internet cafe...-

[Dizzy:] "...and that's the story of my VERY GOOD WONDERFUL, but kinda long and bouncy day. Hm... this must be how characters in video games feel when you have to go ALL THE WAY to the other town to get something and bring it back to a completely different town on a side quest..."

[Random Man:] "...can I just go back to what I was doing?"

[Dizzy:] "Why, yes, yes you can! What're you doing, anyways? Hey, that girl is naked. EEP! You pervert! Looking at naked girls! EEP! That naked girl looks a lot like ME! What in the heck is up with THAT?!"

[Random Man:] "Uh... You know, I think I'm done. Really."

-Random Man takes off, while Dizzy sighs and shakes her head, as she squints a bit to read the name on the screen...-

[Dizzy:] "Jenna Haze? What a stupidly fake name. He looked more like a Jack than a Jenna."

-Dizzy slides back into her seat and clicks buttons on a computer... a cell phone rings, and Dizzy answers, clicking the mouse sporadically...-

[Dizzy:] "'ello? EEE! Mommy! How are you?! Is Desperation warm? I'm in South Dakota, and it's VERY cold, and I don't like the cold, but I need to meet people, and I was at the mall and I bought all sorts of pretty new clothes for the pool, but the only indoors pool I can find here is at the YMCA, and I remember Daddy always said-" -in a gruff male-ish tone- "Only a buncha homos go to the YMCA!" -she giggles a bit, back to her normal voice- "And I don't know about that, I've met a lot of nice people in the YMCA, and they don't seem like a buncha homos, they're very nice, and there was this one guy who had all sorts of hair and skin care tips that were super nifty, but since I'm in South Dakota and Daddy said never to go to the YMCA, I guess I'll just wait 'till I'm back home, 'cuz- What?"

...

"You're IN South Dakota? WOW-EE! Is Daddy too? YEAH?! Where are you two staying?! We can meet up and have dinner and stuff, and it'll be fun, that it will!"

-A bounce, a step, a hop, and the brunette bounces away, as the scene changes... later that day in a restaurant filled with various movie memorabilia on the walls, Dizzy sits at a table, tapping her feet and looking about, before peeking at the menu a little bit... an older man, who probably wasn't unattractive in his youth approaches, wearing a suit... he's accompanied by a quiet woman, who follows closely by... Dizzy bounces out of her chair and hugs them both, wrapping their bodies with one tiny arm and holding them all together...-

[Dizzy:] "Daddy, this is the GREATEST RESTAURANT EVER! All the things on the wall are from KEVIN COSTNER MOVIES! And look, look! The menu, all the food is named after movies he was in, and characters he played! I'm gonna have the "Bull Durham Burger" that I am, oh, I do so hope it isn't too big, I might need to take a doggy bag if it is..."

[Dizzy's Father:] "Diane, sit down and be calm. Your mother and I want to talk to you."

-Dizzy looks at the two in confusion, but sits at the table... Dizzy's Father pulls the chair out for her mother, and slides the chair in before he takes his own seat...-

[Dizzy's Mother:] "Diane, we're concerned... you see, your father decided to promote a wrestling show in Desperation, but he found some things that were... unsettling."

[Dizzy's Father:] "Buncha drug shooting junkies, Diane. I want you to quit this wrestling crap, go talk to whoever you have to and tell them you're sorry but you can't be a wrestler."

[Dizzy:] "I'm not a drug shooting junkie, Daddy! I'm not, not in a BILLION years!"

[Dizzy's Father:] "Doesn't matter! I won't have any daughter of mine around with some drug addicts, you're gonna come home, and that Sinatra bastard, you and him could have a nice relationship, give us a coupla grandkids, you have a nice time in Desperation."

[Dizzy:] "Johnny? Johnny Sinatra? He's ugly! And mean! And he threw my stuffed bunny out into the sand, and then he buried it when we were kids!"

[Dizzy's Father:] "Diane, you knock this back-talking crap off, you hear me?"

[Dizzy:] "Mom, please, back me up here!"

[Dizzy's Mother:] "He really has mellowed with age, Diane..."

[Dizzy:] "B-but, I wanna wrestle! I'm good at it, too! Miss Juli said I could probably wrestle in JAPAN if I wanted to, that she did!"

[Dizzy's Father:] "Diane, watching wrestling is one thing. If I'da known what sort of influence that'd have on you, I'd have thrown the TV out the window. Johnny works for me, and if you come home, the two of you'll be perfect together, likea pair of babes in the crib."

[Dizzy:] "...But... I can't leave my committments..."

[Dizzy's Father:] "I'ma gonna go to the bathroom, Diane, you come to your senses and we'll go home soon as I finish my business trip, you, your mother and me. Capiche?"

[Dizzy:] "...yes, daddy..."

-Dizzy's Father pushes back from the table, and leaves the two women... the normally perky Dizzy slumps onto the table, sobbing gently-

[Dizzy's Mother:] "...Diane... your father just wants the best for you, you know that. And... he's not so sure wrestling is it for you. Come home Diane, please..."

[Dizzy:] -sniffling- "Mommy... what's a hero...?"

[Dizzy's Mother:] "What?"

[Dizzy:] "I've been spending all day trying to get a good answer... and I don't have one. What's a hero?"

[Dizzy's Mother:] "Why, I guess... it'd be somebody who stands up for themselves and their beliefs."

-She sits up, her wet eyes shining with hope... Dizzy's mother looks surprised at the sudden change, and stammers a little bit...-

[Dizzy:] "Mama... could you... say that again?"

[Dizzy's Mother:] "It's somebody who stands up for themselves and their beliefs. Why do you ask?"

-Dizzy's Father returns...-

[Dizzy's Father:] "C'mon, Diane, Bella. We're going home."

[Dizzy:] "No."

[Dizzy's Father:] "What?!"

[Dizzy:] "I said, no."

[Dizzy's Mother:] "Diane! Listen to your father!"

[Dizzy:] "A hero is somebody who stands up for themselves and their beliefs! And I'm gonna be a hero! And that means if I have to make you upset with me, then so be it! I'm gonna wrestle, Daddy!"

[Dizzy's Father:] "You get up outta that chair, Diane, or I swear to God-"

[Dizzy:] "Better make it Saint Jude, Daddy!"

[Dizzy's Father:] "YOU KNOCK THAT BACK TALK OFF!"

[Dizzy:] "No. I'm not going anywhere. Until I get my "Bull Durham Burger," then I'm gonna take it in a doggy bag and THEN, I'm going somewhere else. And, you know what? I'm leaving YOU to tip! Yeah! How do you LIKE THAT?!"

-Dizzy crosses her arms, and looks up at him defiantly... there is an awkward silence between the two, and Dizzy's father looks to get a little angry, before his rage goes impotent... and he sighs.-

[Dizzy's Father:] "Fine. Don't you come home, though. Don't you come home, Diane."

-Dizzy's father leaves, as her mother stands for a second...-

[Dizzy's Mother:] "Diane... don't you listen to him, you call your mother and you come visit. Okay?"

[Dizzy:] "Yes'm!"

-The camera looks at an approving Bella Cavuto, before cutting back to her daughter, Diane... and there you see the resemblence, as Diane's defiant fire shines brightly - Bella looks similar in her own way, a matured version of her daughter... and the scene fades out.


Author's Note: As odd as a Kevin Costner themed restaurant seems, it really exists in Deadwood, South Dakota; under the name "Diamond Lil's" as a part of his "Midnight Star" casino... I guess sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction. And I recommend the "Eliot Ness Nachos" myself.-