Video | Memory | Evening July 22nd | OPEN BOTH COURTS

[waterbearer]

"" (Watch on YouTube)

[ He stands firm. He does not regret this, he cannot, for he spoke the truth. They did do good work this day, and Kaldur truly believes that this is an avenue for a brighter future. ]

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Private voice

[bythewaves]

Do all in your world fancy such bright colors and strange clothing then?

voice; private

[waterbearer]

No, it is considered a symbol, or a target, by those who are super-heroes.

voice; private

[bythewaves]

Ah. Would not flag or banner not serve the same purpose? And what makes for a "super-hero" as opposed to a regular one?

voice; private

[waterbearer]

It is meant to identify the wearer in the middle of a crowd of people, or in the middle of a fight. Something that draws the attention of friends and foes alike, as well as an easy signifier that the wearer is one to trust.

[ There is a pause, as Kaldur gathers his thoughts. ]

Superheros are those who possess extra skills or abilities and chose to use them to protect innocents. For example, both individuals with the lightning bolt emblem, The Flash and Kid Flash, are capable of achieving supersonic speeds while running or vibrating their bodies.

We work often to assist law enforcement against others with powers who seek evil, manage large-scale disasters and events, or serve as diplomatically neutral parties in settling disputes.

voice; private

[bythewaves]

Again, I have seen banners used for a similar purpose, although I grant you that wearing one's colours would eliminate the need for a bannerman - albeit make such fights a tad bright, perhaps. Your world seems a strange and marvelous one - I had not thought that any of the Secondborn would have such abilities.

voice;

[waterbearer]

Bannermen are impractical for individuals who fight. We–superheroes—are not a grand force for wars, though some, like my king, have bannermen of their own. THough monarchies with such power, or battles that would require bannermen and such, are rare on Earth, these days.

Though, I must ask, what or who are Second-born?

voice;

[bythewaves]

Truly? How are folk governed then, if not for a King or Queen or other similar lord?

[ Distraction murmurs Maedhros in his ears, but Maglor ignores him ]

Ah, so you are more... mercenaries then? Free agents, that is to say, your pardon - I did not mean to give offence - without ties to lord or land.

As to that, the Secondborn are what we call Men.

voice;

[waterbearer]

Many countries elect officials, or bodies of people, to represent their voices in government. In some places the court of law helps to run the country, and judicate on laws that have been established.

Many have ties to their country, but we are united and neutral against greater threats that present our world as a whole. For example, I am still a citizen of Atlantis, and I owe my fealty to my king and my country. Many others hold such loyalty to their country or planet also, or to the people within it, but not all.

[ Kaldur takes a moment to ponder that. ]

By men, I assume you must mean humans. It is true, that such abilities are a rare gift, though some are created, and some have no such 'gifts' at all, but rather extensive training and experience.

But not all of us are humans either. I am Atlantean, and me and my people live in the oceans, underwater. Some on my team, and the Justice League–an affiliation group of Superheroes–are not native to our Earth or Terra at all. Some are aliens from a different planet, such as Mars, though there are those that do not even come from our solar system.

voice; TMW I wish I played Mags from late enough to make the Atlantis - Atalantie connection

[bythewaves]

It seems a complicated way of ruling, yet I suppose that it might make it fairer, at the least, if rulers were cruel.

[ The double take is almost audible ]

Under the oceans? And yet you may walk on land and breathe air as easily as water? [ are you some sort of maia ] I fear I do not know some of the terms you use, but... if I understand you aright... some of your folk come from the stars? [ soft wonder ]

voice; well it aint numenor, but something alike, yes hahahah

[waterbearer]

That was the original purpose of such governments. [ The fight against tyranny. ]

Yes. Many Atlanteans can live as well on land as we do underwater, but we are most comfortable in the ocean's depths.

And, yes, I suppose that is an accurate statement. Stars in the universe are often surrounded by planets, which rotate around them in elliptical orbits. Some of those planets support life, such as my own, Earth, and our nearest neighbor, Mars.

Though there are other aliens from far-away stars and planets, in the realms of outer space. Stars themselves are not habitable, as they are burning gasses that are undergoing a fusion chemical process that make it impossible for life to form as the matter is not stable.

[ That is sort of from the stars. ]

voice

[bythewaves]

You say 'original' purpose - Am I to take it that things have changed then?

How strange. [ quiet wonder ] I do not think there are any such beings on my world, who may live in such disparate environments. [ except for various assorted ainur ] Ah, to walk amongst the stars and hear them sing. And there are folk who dwell out there that have come to your world? Such distances must be difficult to traverse. What are they like?

And... not all stars are such. [ quiet, sad, amusement at some private joke (except it isn't funny, not really...) ]

audio;

[bolincredible]

[ And a low whistle over here tbh. There's a long, long list of people in the world who are better at confronting people and standing their ground than Bolin.

He already figured Kal was up there on that list, but you know, the confirmation is pretty cool. ]

Right in for taking a stance, huh? That's some impressive stuff! [ Especially since that dude with the black cape is a little terrifying. ]

audio;

[waterbearer]

It was the correct action to take. I stood by my friends, and the work we did that night.

[ He has only the fondest memories of that 'first' mission. Something truly unique and special. ]

We liberated Superboy, in the white suit, from being experimented on, and uncovered other dangerous experiments that could have caused great harm.

We stood together, on our own. I will stand for what is right, always.

audio;

[bolincredible]

Yeah, that's why I like you, Kaldur. You're a real stand-up guy! Not that there aren't plenty of stand-up people out there or anything, it's just great to see. [ If you ask him, anyway. Mako likes to teeter on the statistics. ]

audio;

[waterbearer]

I am glad that you think so.

You are a 'stand-up' guy as well, Bolin. I am glad to know you, and I hope to know you better in the future.

[ Korra's world makes excellent peeps, from what Kaldur sees. All of them are total Team material. ]

audio;

[bolincredible]

Aww, thanks, buddy. Same here! Okay, so you mentioned saving Superboy, who I'm guessing is probably pretty super as a rule or something? Who are the other guys?

audio;

[waterbearer]

[ The sound you just heard is a rare sound. It's Kaldur laughing. Treasure it. He's kind of a hardass serious guy, so it doesn't happen often. ]

Yes. In the yellow is Kid Flash, capable of achieving very fast speeds, and the other in the red shirt and cape is Robin, now Nightwing, a serious expert in martial arts, hacking, gymnastics and a variety of other incredible talents.

[ He can't exactly go through the entire Justice League that would take forever. ]

audio;

[bolincredible]

[ Success. Every time Bolin amuses a hardass an angel gets their wings.

Also, they sound really cool and he wishes he could meet them. ]

Whoa. You really don't play around with your teams there, huh? Talk about packing a serious punch!

audio;

[waterbearer]

[ Bolin he would love to introduce you. And recruit you. ]

This is just the beginning. Artemis Crock, who you may have met at the field day, is also a member of my team, as is Cassie Sandsmark.

There are so many of us, now, each with our own unique talents. A force to be reckoned with, for sure.

[ Kaldur's voice is full of TEAM PRIDE, yeah. This is his team. His famiri. They kick ass like nobody's business. ]

I hope that you might meet them, under better circumstances than here.

audio;

[bolincredible]

[ Kal, you're adorable. ]

Oh yeah, I do remember them! [ The girls' team was terrifying, but undoubtedly talented. ] And you know, as far as circumstances go, I think I can feel what you're saying. I mean, on the one hand, they're your team so they'd probably hop right into this if they heard you guys were here? I know I would've been here way sooner if I knew Mako and Korra were here. Buuuut I think I get it.

[ He may need to reevaluate his stance on the people from home issue after the hot mess that is the Silmaril battle, but. You know. ]

audio;

[waterbearer]

[ Says the big cute cuddly bitty. ]

I would not willingly ask my friends to join me in war, for there is no good to come of it.

But yes, I believe many would seek to join us without hesitation if they knew of our plight here.

video.

[rues]

[ it's a relief to see something uplifting on the network as opposed to traumatizing or otherwise upsetting. she doesn't find it surprising that it comes from kaldur, that he would have such a positive memory for the locket to latch onto. he's a superhero, right?

she recognizes batman, but she figures it would be a crime if she didn't. even for an out-of-touch demigod (at least when it comes to mainstream pop culture), it's impossible not to know the dark knight. she's can't say she really recognizes anyone else, but she's never been into comics. if she were allowed to play call of duty when she was five, that's all she would have done for fun. ]

Alright, so who's the angry kid in the white onesie? [ he's kind of cute, just saying. ]

video.

[waterbearer]

[ There are darker places for his memory to linger, but he chooses to dwell otherwise. He is also grateful that the memory he has shared is a fond one, for there seem to be so few of them. ]

He is Superboy, but often goes by Connor Kent. He is a good man, and a hell of a fighter.

[ On the topic of that day, Kaldur can remember some of the bruises he got from that particular knock-down drag-out fight of fun. ]

video.

[rues]

Superboy, huh? Any relation to Superman?

[ aka the only other superhero she knows off the top of her head besides maybe spider-man. ]

video.

[waterbearer]

His genetic clone. [ His voice is so deadpan. ] Created by Cadmus, the lab we are seen destroying, he was just rescued and liberated at this moment in time.

[ Clarisse, this is his life, man. Shit is crazy all over the place. Clones popping out of the snow. Like daisies. ]

The relationship between them is... strained. [ wow so polite, kaldur ]