video

[whosafraidofthe]

So… this is going to be an awkward introduction.

[Enter a big scruffy man on the comm, looking pretty meek for how gruff and manly his appearance is. And then he clears his throat, and the authority kicks in.]

My name is Bigby Wolf, and I’m a combat trainer here for the older kids starting this semester. A little higher level than what Beifong's teaching, but it should be easy to pick up. Some of you may already know me as, uh… [He hesitates a bit.] …The Big Bad Wolf. And there are a lot of rumors circling because of that, but I assure you I wouldn’t get a position here unless Xavier trusted me. He especially wouldn’t let me near kids if he thought I was still…

[Eating them. He rubs the back of his neck awkwardly.]

Let’s see, what can I tell you… I was a sheriff over in District X until I came here, so I’ve got plenty of experience catching criminals. Even caught a few of… well, I guess around here you call ‘em supervillains. I guess you could kind of call me one of those two… or an ex-villain, at least.

[A nervous chuckle ends in him popping out a carton of Huff’n’Puffs and lighting himself a cigarette.] I understand a lot of people are going to be nervous around me, I’m not going to stop them from voicing complaints. But the class is optional, so you don’t have to be near me if you don’t want to be. For whatever reason.

Comments

video;

[whosafraidofthe]

[He's literally a werewolf, what do you want from him.

Plus, being called anything but "Bigby" is usually a sign he's going to have to fight someone.]

Well, some people have more patience than others.

[video]

[tofudog]

Are you serious? The Big Bad Wolf? The Big Bad Wolf is a teacher?

[The green kid on screen doesn't look like he knows if he's scared, awed, or pissed off. He was a junior superhero, so he's heard a lot about a lot of notorious figures. And, unfortunately, he heard them from a source with no sympathy for villains.]

Are they true? The stories, all that stuff?

[whosafraidofthe]

[Oh hey, he knows this face. Alric gets a calm smirk.]

Xavier can read minds, I assume he knew what he was doing when he hired me. You're right, though. Not all mutations are gifts, exactly.

[video]

[whosafraidofthe]

Most of them.

[He likes to think some of them are exaggerated, but... uhhh....]

...Life is rough to some people.

[video]

[tofudog]

Like the ones who get eaten?

[It isn't often that Beast Boy drops the jokes, but some things merit it.]

This is so messed up, dude.

[video]

[whosafraidofthe]

Yes. For them too.

[He sighs.]

I can't do anything about the past, though. I made mistakes when I was younger. I'm not going to make excuses. But I have been trying to move past it.

[video]

[tofudog]

[That... sounds pretty reasonable, actually. For someone who has murdered who knows how many people.]

How does a guy like you end up a sheriff, then teaching?

[video]

[whosafraidofthe]

A lot of help from a very kind woman.

[And a very corrupt legal system but that doesn't sound as trustworthy.]

I'm here to see what I can do about stopping people like me before they become a problem.

[video]

[tofudog]

...If the big X says you're safe, you're safe, I guess. But jeez, this is so not going in my letters home.

Wait, though--does that mean you're an X-man, too?

[video]

[whosafraidofthe]

Are you sure? Might be fun bragging that you talked to the Big Bad Wolf and lived.

...Not quite. I don't want to end up too far away from Mutant Town. But I figured getting a job here for a while would help with uh... trust issues.

[voice]

[friendofdorothy]

Still...what, exactly?

[voice]

[whosafraidofthe]

...Eating people.

[Honesty is the best policy. Maybe if he looks guilty enough he can avoid trouble.]

[video]

[tofudog]

Are you kidding? Do you want Elasti-girl herself to march in here and give you A Talk about your behaviour? Because let me tell you, she does the worst Talks, and I've been Talked To by some of the best. Anyway, I just got here, I don't want to be dragged away by the scruff of my neck!

[He'd almost rather be eaten.]

Trust issues. Right.

[friendofdorothy]

Oh, well now I'm reassured. Did you really think this was going to go over well? [Liir is astonished to find someone who may possibly be more awkward than him.]

[whosafraidofthe]

[He spent the first twenty years of his life not in human form. This is honestly him trying his best.]

I had some hopes, but I think they flushed down the toilet after the first few conversations.

[video]

[whosafraidofthe]

Well, Beifong thought it was funny...

[Oh well.]

Not my trust issues, obviously. I don't mind just about anyone. But other people trusting me, that's... uh... well, there's a few good reasons not to.

[friendofdorothy]

Well I have no fear of you eating me, so I guess I'll be in your class... [Your name, Liir. This is the part where you give it.]

[whosafraidofthe]

Well, that's comforting.

[A pause. Accidental parent voice activates.]

Care to tell me who you are, exactly?

[friendofdorothy]

Liir Ko.

[whosafraidofthe]

Well, nice to meet you. At least I've got a few students I'm looking forward to.

Re: [video]

[tofudog]

What's freaky here is that you seem like an okay guy. My old boss is a way bigger jerk than you act, and he's spent his whole life hunting down villains to help people. This would be less weird if you were drooling and gnawing on bones.

[Which is how he imagined The Big Bad Wolf, from the stories.]

...I guess you do the same job now, too. No one ever told me that part.

[When you're raised by a super team, it's easy to get caught up in black-and-white morality. This is going to take some time to wrap his head around, even though he's still not sure he should even be trying.]

[video]

[whosafraidofthe]

Well, if it helps, that is what I used to be like. But that was years ago.

[No Bigby that doesn't help at all.]

To be fair, back then I didn't actually realize I was human. It's very different now.

[Life is complicated. Beast Boy is lucky he's only now learning this.]

[video]

[tofudog]

Uh. Thanks.

[that didn't help even a little bit!!]

Mom and dad never sat you down and gave you the 'you're a mutant but you're still a person' talk?

[video]

[whosafraidofthe]

[...Oh boy his parents are an awkward topic.]

I'm not exactly close to my father. He left when my mother was pregnant. As for her... she and my siblings all had the same powers as me. We just had a wolf pack. We ate livestock. And some people. I ate more than them. That's just how it was.

...This is a weird thing to tell a kid.

[video]

[tofudog]

['Weird' was cannibalism. This? Beast Boy has no idea wh-wait]

There's more of you out there??