I'm writing a novel following a naive young man who thinks that he can make his fortune going around helping people. When he visits a space station on the fringe of the galaxy, hoping to help people who have suffered from the war that rages across it every few years (it's a particularly violent sector, that one) his guide tells him that it's useless, because:
Ain't no one there but mercs, spies, and… adventurers.
(That last bit was said with a glance at the kid and a scowl)
Now, this sounds a little odd, (I think) because the monosyllabic/simple sentence suddenly has a big, fancy word right at the end. It's also said by a character who almost never uses big words, though that context is hard to replicate here, since I'm tryin'a sound fancy 'n' all. Is there a single, simple word, that means "someone going to help, and probably failing/not doing much"? If so, what is it?
Ideally, answers shouldn't be slang, but if there's something that fits well, please feel free to suggest it.
I'm new here. As such, I haven't got the foggiest what the tags are. Any help there is greatly appreciated. Also, I read the On Topic article, but I'm not totally confident that I understood it, so if this is off-topic, please let me know and I'll try to fix it.
Best Answer
One option that wouldn't carry the whole sense you are after, but fits pretty well, I think, is thrill seekers.
If you also want the sense of people trying to help, you could add a fourth option—do-gooders.