Let's consult the panel.

[processions]

♦ What it says on the tin. Your character asks a question (in the subject line) and they get an answer (answers) from Bakerstreet at large.

♦ No question's too stupid.

♦ Don't be afraid to ask!

ask a question, get an answer

Comments

[havenomercy]

You were wallowing. I don't wallow.

I got over being damaged. The people who hurt me didn't keep me down, they kept themselves down. They're all dead and I'm still here.

[cosmiccowboy]

I don't wallow, I brood. There's a difference.

I'm working towards accepting it more and being angry about it less. You definitely came out on the right end of things.

[havenomercy]

I work with Batman. I know brooding when I see it. You were wallowing.

It took a lot of trauma and a lot of help.

[cosmiccowboy]

Maybe you have a point there. I like to tell myself I've got more a brooding cowboy thing going on. Clearly I could take some lessons from Batman because people keep calling me out. Though that guy must be a real piece of work.

Hmm help you couldn't get if you were alone.

[havenomercy]

You have no idea.

See, that's the thing. Sometimes you meet someone and you can't help but let them in. And they end up helping you despite yourself. It'd be annoying if they weren't so wholesome.

[cosmiccowboy]

I guess we all have our...coping mechanisms.

Ugh tell me about it. I know someone like that. A real pain in my ass. I've spent my entire life pushing them away and trying to get them to give up. Talk about stubborn. But I'm glad you had someone like that. Us alone types need someone like that.

[havenomercy]

Hell, the man barely knows from trauma. He's just a drama queen.

Pain in the ass is right. I suppose it doesn't help that I initially inserted myself into his life because I thought he killed my brother.

[cosmiccowboy]

I mean, he makes me look well adjusted so that's saying something.

Okay, there's a story there. If you are willing to tell it I definitely want to know more.

[havenomercy]

He does that for me, too. It should be illegal.

It's a long story. Let me preface this by saying I did not know my brother was my brother at the time. I didn't know I was adopted and thought the father who raised me was my biological father.

I had been working for Luthorcorp for a few years, a regional VP in Georgia. Lex, my brother and the boss, had made me feel very welcome and I loyal to a fault. One day, he disappeared, an avalanche in the Arctic. To my great surprise, he had left me in charge of Luthorcorp should anything happen to him. And naturally, my first order of business was to find him.

[cosmiccowboy]

It's really unfair. Stealing our thunder when we have all the trauma.

I completely get complicated family dynamics. So did you find him? Where does the wholesome person that helped you fit in?

[havenomercy]

He's got some nerve.

Well, while we were searching for him, I found very strong evidence that someone else had been with him. Of course, I had to track this person down and start running the company. So I went to Metropolis, did my research and came up with a suspect. He wouldn't admit it, so as I said, I inserted myself into his life. I did some ridiculous and dangerous things to try and prove I was right.

In the end, we did find Lex, but he was killed by someone else shortly after. But Kal? He eventually became a real friend. He accepts me for who I am and has helped me change into a better person. It wasn't what I was expecting when I started, but I'm more loyal to him now than I ever was to Lex even knowing he is my brother.

[cosmiccowboy]

So even after you tried to prove he was guilty he still helped you and you’re close? That’s…wow. He does sound annoyingly wholesome like in a good way. I’m glad you found him. Blood isn’t everything. The people we choose is what matters.

I’m sorry about your brother though.

[havenomercy]

I'm glad I found him, too. They don't call him Superman for nothing.

Don't be. In the end we didn't get along. At all.

[cosmiccowboy]

If you're going to have a friend he seems like the one to have. Pretty hard to beat that.

Yeah family can be like that but it's still another loss in your long tally either way.

[havenomercy]

He really is.

It was more than just a loss, but I'm not quite ready to go into that yet.

[cosmiccowboy]

That's okay. I get it. We all got shit like that. I just want you to know I'm here to listen if you ever feel ready and want to talk about it.

[havenomercy]

I appreciate that, Michael. I'd like to do the same for you.

[cosmiccowboy]

Thank you. That means a lot actually.