forceforlight | IC Inbox

Except you're supposed to want better for your kids.

( and he wonders if the other him ever thought that. )

[He almost certainly had. It's just the kids he got...]

I would have gone out and done something stupid if B hadn't taken me under his wing and started training me. J needed structure and a direction for his anger. TJ had too much empathy and knew B needed somebody beside him to give him focus. Cass was already a weapon. She needed somebody to believe she could be more. Steph should have been treated better than she was, but she was already a vigilante before she ever crossed paths with B. And Damien needs to see that what his mother taught him isn't the only way. Again, structure and direction. Wanting better for your kids is admirable. Doing what you can with what you know is also admirable.

You could still do something else. All of you.

We've all tried, in various ways. TJ's gone into business, even running Wayne Industries for a while. I was a cop and a bartender for a while. I don't have details on J, but I'm sure he's had times when he's tried to leave this all behind. Cass and Steph also have. Babs has a degree in library science and was a librarian as well as a crime fighter. Damian's still young, thinks he's the most deserving of carrying on B's legacy, so even getting him to go to SCHOOL like a normal kid is a pain in the ass. But we're working on it. And we do other things as well. TJ uses a lot of the money he inherited from his parents to run the Neon Knights, a young people's charity. Lucius Fox invested the money from my parents' life insurance and gave me enough money to own an apartment building in 'Haven. Then I've used the money that Alfred left me to try to make things better for all of Bludhaven in general. J's really good with kids and I know he does stuff in the Bowery. The hero stuff isn't all we have going on. But it's what we tend to come back to.

( it's text but there's a heavy sigh that comes from him. )

It jut seems much bigger than I meant for it to be.

You pointed out how you made an impact on the Riddler, but not the impact you were hoping for. Well, we're the impact you wanted. I'm the one that B offered a hand up to in my darkest moments. J's the one he saw the most of himself in, wanting to make things easier for him than he'd had. Tim's the one who watched from the sidelines, offering his own hand when B was the furthest down. Cass was raised as a weapon, but B told her she was more. Helped to show her she was more. He's doing the same with Damian, that he's not just the product of what his mother taught him. Steph and Babs became part of the family because they felt the impact that you wanted. That somebody could make a difference to the world around them. And more people in Gotham have felt it, too, even if they've never put on a mask. It's slow. But that impact was always going to happen. You can't talk about offering hope and not see it grow.

( is he going to bury himself into some means of work and overthink all of this after? yes. because that's why bruce does. )

If you say so.

That's been my experience.

What's your experience been with Superman?

[There's a couple minutes before the reply comes.]

Sure you won't get jealous?

Sure.

I only say that because I am basically a card carrying member of the Superman fan club.

[He literally is.]

Kal is basically your foil. Sunlight vs. night. Goes around without a mask, but still looks different enough from his alter ego that most people don't clock it. He's not human, but he was raised like one. His adoptive parents are two of the best people I've ever met and they raised a young man who does his best to help people both as Superman and as his alter ego. He's been an inspiration to most of my generation of heroes and, honestly, he's just a great person. B counts him as one of his greatest friends and allies. I'm honored that he also considers me a friend and has asked me to mentor his own son.

Not a flaw in sight?

Oh, don't get me wrong. Kal isn't perfect. He has the same problem that a lot of older heroes have in my world, in thinking that he knows what's right for the younger heroes. He gets a bit tunnel vision when there's something he can do but won't explore other options because he can just bulldoze his way through. And the whole thing with Kon was... Finding out you have a clone is difficult. I get that. And it's not wrong that it took Kal a while to get used to the idea of the kid being around. But he also kind of ignored Kon when he really needed somebody to show him the ropes properly. Yes, he took Kon in eventually. Even gave him a proper name (since the people who cloned him LITERALLY only ever called him Superboy). But it took so long for him to decide to help Kon at all.

And how does one stop someone who can bulldoze their way through anything?

There's six people here who know what to do, if it were ever to come to that. Might be a little difficult, being as this is an entirely different world, but we'd find a way.

[No, Bruce, he's not going to tell you how to take down Superman unless it becomes relevant. Do your own research in your own world.]

And what if it's just me and him? Don't you think that's useful information to know?

Unnecessary at this juncture. But if you're asking me, it's because you've already asked Diana and she also told you no.

Next time your friend The Flash seeks me out and warns me about Superman, tell him to let me know how to stop him since none of you seem to want to tell me.

I'll be sure to warn him. If it's even my Flash, of course.

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