you lied to me before.

[shitglasses]

TRUTH MEME

Sometimes, you have to tell the truth. No, I mean, you have to. Maybe it's magic, or a promise, or nanobots; who knows. But you have to tell the truth, and everyone knows it. Of course, do half-tuths count? What about lying by omission? That's up to you, and how far you want this curse, this ailment, to go. The only thing that can't be escaped is the truth, whatever form that truth takes.

What happens next?

You decide.

• Post your character to the meme.
• They have to tell the truth when they're asked questions.
• What others ask is up to them. Nothing is off limits.
• Your character has to answer... eventually.
• Tag around and ask other characters questions!

Comments

<3

[infight]

[ he's quiet for a long moment. ]

I know why you say you can't kill him. [ and after seeing that one universe where bruce did kill the joker, jason's not entirely sure he wants bruce to anymore. ] But why hold everyone to that same standard?

[batsuits]

Because I don't want you to lose sight of what's more important here. Helping people, not vigilante justice. We fight for the victims, go places they and the police can't to give them the peace they deserve. Killing people... it gives satisfaction to the anger but it's always selfish in the end. Helping people means even helping those we fight against, they have to pay for their crimes and if there's even the smallest chance of rehabilitation, we have to give it to them, no matter how angry we are.

[infight]

I can't agree with that. [ which really shouldn't surprise bruce at this point. ] I can't. It's bullshit. There's some things you can't come back from.

[batsuits]

[ he sighs. this is ... difficult, but it always is with jason, isn't it? ]

I know you can't. I don't need you to. But you have to understand that I can't agree with you either because if I start thinking like that, I won't be able to survive this. I'll give up.

[infight]

[ that... makes him pause. ]

You don't need me to. [ what. ] You're kidding.

[batsuits]

[ just a sigh here and he pinches the bridge of his nose. ]

Jason, you're going to be what you choose to be. I know by now that I can't stop that, I can only hope the way you do it is ultimately good. I don't need you to follow my same exact logic because you aren't me.

[infight]

[ exasperated, he runs a hand over his face. ]

Why the fuck didn't you say that earlier?

[batsuits]

I thought it was obvious.

[ this is bruce, jason!!! of course he thought it was obvious. ]

[infight]

Oh my god.

[ he needs a minute to just... throw up his hands and walk in a circle. ]

No, Bruce, it was the opposite of obvious. You get so pissy every time someone does something you don't like in the field. Why on earth wouldn't I think I had to follow your same logic and morals?

[batsuits]

[ oh my god right back at you, punk!! ]

I get mad when you take it too far! Killing street criminals just because they pissed you off is too far. I understand wanting to kill the big ones, like the Joker -- but petty criminals? Mobsters? People who don't work on that same level of evil? They go to jail, not a coffin.

Your endgame should always be the good thing, should be the one that helps people the most, but your method? It doesn't have to be mine! I raised you to think for yourself, to be whatever type of hero you want to be. I just want to make sure it's a hero more than anything else.

[infight]

[ jason will never admit it, but bruce has a point. he does let his anger get the best of him at times. less now than when he first came back to gotham, but it happens. sometimes he forgets there's better ways to disassemble the mob when he gets pissed at what they're doing. ]

Christ-- [ he sits down, hangs his head for half a moment. ] Really wish you'd said something earlier.

[ before there was this much bad blood between them. ]

[batsuits]

[ bruce pauses, for just a moment, stares at jason and then sighs, looking away. ]

I... thought you knew. For so long, I thought you were doing all of this intentionally and that I had failed you so much.

[infight]

You didn't fail me, Bruce. It was my fault I died in the first place.

[batsuits]

[ and this -- this doesn't fly with bruce. sharply and with a finger pointed at jason, eyes narrowed. ]

No. It was not your fault, Jason. You did everything right as Robin. Everything. It was my fault for not being able to protect you, for not noticing just how much you were hurting. It was my failure, not yours.

[ he's said something like this before, sure, but this is probably the most clear cut he's ever said it -- for obvious reasons here. ]

[infight]

[ he clenches his jaw, looking down and away. that... is something he's known, but hearing it stated so plainly sends a lance of pain through his chest that he wasn't expecting. ]

Bruce-- [ god, what does he even say to that? ]

[batsuits]

[ there's just one sharp shake of his head here. no. ]

Don't feel bad for me. Not for this.

[infight]

I don't.

[ not how bruce is thinking anyway. the reaction is more selfish than anything else, less to do with bruce's pain and more to do with how his words touch the raw, open wound jason tries to ignore. the one that gnaws at him in the still silence when he goes home to an empty, run-down safe-house in the early hours of the morning.

does it make him less, he wonders, if he still craves someone taking care of him every once in a while? ]

I can't-- [ jason huffs out a frustrated breath. he can't deal with that right now. ] What do you want? From me. From--any of us.

[batsuits]

Good.

[ Bruce really is glad he doesn't. Bruce doesn't deserve forgiveness for this and he doesn't deserve it from Jason.

But his next question, it's almost easy to reply to. He's on his tongue in a second and he sighs, a twitch of his mouth. ]

I just want you to be ... happy. I want you to be my betters. I want to see you all flourish into something good, something as valued by the rest of the world as you're valued by me. Because I think you all deserve that kind of love.

[infight]

[ oh.

jason looks away again, covering his eyes with a hand. just for the spam of a few heartbeats while he composes himself. ]

Alright. [ he looks up at bruce. ] Last question: what's one thing you've wanted to say to me but haven't?