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[exponentially]

Display Name: Superman
Profile Photo: Here.

[ there's still snow melting on jon's shoulders and in his curls as he lifts a hand in greeting, a small, slightly uncertain smile on his face. evidently he's done the superman thing and either speedran the introduction to this new dimension, or else after the alliance brought the newbies to the diadem, he'd instead gone back out to help in the blizzard for a while longer. both options are equally likely. ]

Hi. [ for a moment, he looks every inch the worried seventeen-year-old he really is, but then his expression smooths, smile firming into friendly confidence. ] For those that don't know me, at home, I'm called Superman. I don't usually operate at the behest of a particular organization, but.. this isn't my dimension, I guess. [ he's probably still not signing up for a guild, considering he didn't even join the league, but.. you know. never say never. ]

Anyway, I still have a lot to pick up, since I'm a pretty new arrival, but I thought it might be a good idea to introduce myself, since I'm aware that an unexpected blue-and-red blur in the sky could be kind of alarming if you don't know what it is.

[ his other purpose with this is to check in with anyone else at home, but he doesn't want to call them out if they're in hiding. ]

.. Also, I've done a little reading about the guilds here, and I'd love to hear your opinions about them, whether you're a native inhabitant of this dimension or not. Thanks!

Comments

[exponentially]

what is it you do for them, if you don't mind my asking?

i guess i'm just a little wary of any organization that seems to push so hard for membership.

[delicatetouch]

They certainly don't offer resources to those who are unaligned, but I haven't looked into the degree to which one can be a member without directly participating.

[doctopoda]

Volunteer work for Confluences, mostly. Turning up when there's an apocalypse on. You know, just everyday things.

[He's joking! Really, though...]

I'll tell you the truth, I wouldn't have joined if it weren't legally required. I don't pass for a regular person very easily anymore, and I didn't want to live like a fugitive.
They could be treating us much worse, but at the end of the day, it's still put me on some kind of government registry. It's fundamentally dangerous.
And so is being unregistered. Especially lately - they've been cracking down hard.
I think it all really depends on what sorts of risks you're willing to live with.

[qualityfriend]

ur dad???

r u another kon?

Locked to Jon

[lowercase_el]

[He's on a roof in his new costume, which...is a slight change of pace. Spiritually, it looks a little Super, with some shield designs in places, but the S is gone. He's also wearing a domino mask, clearly a bat design. In fact, it looks identical to one of Robin's - the non-stabby one, that is.]

[They'd used some of the last of their money to get it upgraded to be melt-proof and to cause the lenses to retract whenever he uses his heatvision. Now he and Tim are scratching away an existence Unaligned and it's not as easy to scrape any savings together for gear.]

[The mask would've hidden some of his expression at Jon saying he was Superman, but Kon's still glad he had time afterward to fully school his expression before responding.]

You should refuse to join a guild, and hang out with all the cool kids.

[The costume is different, but the voice is the same.]

[exponentially]

you know kon??

[qualityfriend]

only here. thers no superboy in my world. just superman and supergirl

[exponentially]

he's HERE?
brb.

[qualityfriend]

ye. so ur not another version of him?

[exponentially]

[ oh, were you expecting a video-chat reply, kon? hope not, because in very short order even for supers, he's practically getting tackled by a blur that resolves itself into jon. the other teen squeezes him in a hard hug, and has to force himself to let go and float a slightly more polite distance back. ]

Sorry! [ he gasps out, having the grace to look a little embarrassed by his reaction. he hadn't asked if he could hug kon, and it's not like they've had the chance to get close yet. ] Sorry, I just-- I'm really glad to see you. Which is-- I know. I mean, it's not like we've had a lot of time at home? We're both busy, I guess, and I know you have the-- and with Dad being gone and then coming back, it's just one thing after another--

[ oh heck, he's rambling. his mouth shuts with a click, face going pink. ]

Um, hi.

[exponentially]

[ at some point a little later: ] no, we're totally different people. we ARE family, though, so you're sort of half-right.

[lowercase_el]

[Kon is too surprised to have much time to hug Jon back but he manages to get a little pat in before he lets go, one that might have maybe turned into more of a hug.]

[He doesn't seem perturbed though. In fact, he's smiling widely at Jon, although it's with his usual too-cool-for-skool composure.]

No, I get it. You wind up stuck in some other dimension it's always a huge relief to see a familiar face. Trust me, I know. [Oh he sure the fuck does, what with spending months trapped in Gemworld.] Especially if they're wearing the S -

[A pause, as he looks down.]

Or, uh, used to, I guess.

[His brain finally catches up and he looks deeply concerned.]

- wait, what do you mean by gone and then back? What happened to Kal?

[He's from just a tetch earlier in the timestream.]

[exponentially]

[ thankfully, kon doesn't seem to mind, and jon's shoulders ease down as he drops to his feet on the roof finally. the smile is a relief, especially since they really haven't spent much time together. between their various duties around the world, trips elsewhere, friends that existed before they even met-- it's been a lot to try to maneuver around.

when kon brings attention to his uniform, jon's lips part again, poised to ask him about it. why is he wearing an altered suit? rebranding? some other thing? maybe he wants to distance himself. did something happen?

but he's distracted by the worried question. .. ah. kon must be from an earlier point. ] Oh, he.. [ his brows knit. ] He had to go to Warworld. He wasn't sure when or if he'd come back, and after.. [ he trails off, remembering all too easily how terrifying it had been to say goodbye to his father, thinking he'd never see him again. ] Um. [ he shakes his head. ] Anyway, he's back. He got back a little while ago, thankfully.

[ he hesitates, then reaches up to touch the altered shield on kon's chest, eyes wide and questioning when they meet kon's. ] What is this about? And you're wearing a mask. Is everything okay? Are you okay?

[mostdangerousbird]

[ The Joker isn’t Jon’s problem, but he should know that he’s here. He does like using other heroes to get to Batman. ]

The guilds don’t like unauthorized heroics, so you’ll have to make a decision about whether you want to sign up to do TikToks with Fantastic.

There’s a few people you’d know, or know a variant of them. Multiverse. Most of them look as you’d expect, and most are still very protective of our identities.

[ Unlike present company. Although the “secret” part of Tim’s is increasingly tattered by the carelessness of others. ]

If you’re going to be open with your identity, then you’re going to have to pick who you know. Starting with those from my universe, Batman and Superboy. The latter is going by Guardian publicly. From potentially the same universe but pre-soft-reset, two Batgirls and Kid Flash. You might know him as Impulse. Different universe, but some similarities: Red Hood. He’s about as cooperative as you’d expect if we’re from similar universes. Different universe entirely: Wonder Woman, as best I can tell from a distance. She hasn’t reached out at all, and she’s in a guild. I’m not inclined to explain the hierarchy of Robins to someone who doesn’t already know.

[ He hesitates on the last one. ]

The youngest Robin is here. He’s 20-25, 5’9”-5’11”. 170-180 lbs. Long hair. I met him during one of the Confluences, and things were… terse. I don’t know what name he goes by - he was dressed like a red Nightwing with a lot of high tech armor. Almost cybernetic. He recognized me, but he’s been impossible to locate. Whatever universe he’s from, I am still not his favorite person.

[demigoth]

People have kids all the time. The “native population” doesn’t get a say in that either and nobody makes the babies apologize.

[exponentially]

babies don't have potentially world-ending powers. i don't think i apologized during my introduction, either.
has someone asked you to?

[exponentially]

[ honestly, regular apocalypses don't sound that out of the ordinary... ]

i'm so sorry to hear that. you shouldn't have to choose between a potentially abusive registration and persecution and homelessness.
i don't know that there's anything any of us can realistically do about it, given that this isn't our world or even our dimension, but i'm going to try.

[lowercase_el]

Okay, good.

[Relief. He isn't staring down the barrel of a future where Clark is dead.]

[The concern is sweet.]

Rob and I are Unaligned. It's technically illegal. Since I usually do my super thing without masks, that means they have my face from when I first got here. Which means they can do stuff like facial recognition.

Rob thought we'd be safest with a clean break. Heroing with a costume they can't attach to my face. And I still wear the usual nerd glasses when I'm out of costume.

I go by Guardian here. I used to be close to the original; I think he'd be okay with it.

[His voice grows plaintive because who throws away the S? When they've been deemed worthy enough to wear it.]

It's just temporary. Rob's just got all that bat paranoia, y'know?

[exponentially]

[ his expression softens, and he taps his knuckles lightly against the shield again before dropping his hand. ] Kon, anyone would be flattered for you to use their name. You're only gonna' do him proud, you know? [ kon's been through a lot, done a lot of great things, and hasn't always been supported the way he should have been, he thinks. no one could blame him for walking away from all of it, at home or here, but that's not who he is.

his face warms with a sheepish smile at the mention of paranoid robins, though, and he bobs a nod. ] Yeah, I know all about that. I think I've already managed to give him a little heart attack. [ though he doesn't think he's done anything particularly alarming. ]

--Oh, what are you using in public? I haven't given out my real name, but if you need me to go by something else, or pretend we're not related.. [ whatever best fits the life kon's made for himself here. ] I can get another wig. Not blond, though, I'm a bad blond.

[exponentially]

i guess it's just in my genes.

[unkindled_madness]

That sounds limiting.

[exponentially]

i don't really consider it that way.

[unkindled_madness]

To each his own.

[doctopoda]

[yeah, he's from one of those boring no-apocalypse universes]

It's alright.
I don't love it, but the resources they've given me have been enough that I can help people who don't want to register.
There's a lot of kids out there who won't sign up. Somebody needs to be looking out.

That's very kind of you, but be careful. The political situation here has been difficult for us lately.

[demigoth]

But they might.

[ Sorry, Jon, Nico’s from a people that occasionally goes after their kids to prevent prophecies from fulfilling. ]

If you’re worried about upsetting people, it’s an apology. And yeah, usually when they put me in detention.