inbox

[pearlstrings]

bruce wayne @ᴡᴀʏɴᴇ @ʙʀᴜᴄᴇ audio & text

PLEASE NOTE: Bruce has two inboxes.

His official user id for the network is Bruce and if you meet in person, in the unlikely event he gave you his contact details, this is the ID he would give you.

That said, his conversations on the network have largely been under the id of Wayne, as a way to keep his two identities separated.
This is the username he uses most often and he will answer replies to that handle- there just seems to be no physical person on the registry to link it to.

Comments

—text, private / @parker

[webshoots]

Sooo, this portal of yours.

Made any more headway with it?

[pearlstrings]

Admittedly I've been somewhat preoccupied.

But if you're planning to make ill-advised decisions at the market I'm all ears.

1/2

[webshoots]

Ill-advised decisions? Moi? C'est impossible.

[webshoots]

I actually don't know the French word for 'never'.

[ guess who went to france, got spoken at in french and replied in spanish? yeah. ]

To be honest, I might just ask some very stupid questions I should definitely know better than to ask.

[pearlstrings]

Jamais.

If it's any consolation, I've already started. But can think of a half dozen more to add to the list. Where to find the key for your sewer. What was the Helix Station's original purpose.

[webshoots]

Gesundheit.

...I realize that's supposed to be metaphorical but I just want to point out that no-one's claiming any ownership over sewers, least of all me. [ anyway. ] I'll draw up a list and then sort in order of priority.

[pearlstrings]

That sounds like a missed opportunity. Are you saying you don't want a sewer named after yourself?


What's on the list thus far?

[webshoots]

It wasn’t on my bucket list.

I’ve got a few questions about how the tech was developed in the first place. I know some scientists back home who’ve developed the means to travel between universes — not all in the same way, and the exact how depends entirely on where they’re going.

[pearlstrings]

There's still time for new additions.

But I've shared your curiosities. The technology required for a portal seems incongruous to our surroundings, but those kinds of projects are a long way off in my own timeline.

I've made a deal with Pluto that might shed light on a few things. If you're open to comparing notes once the market has finished. I've considered putting together a group.

[webshoots]

Depends on how you view it.

I'm open to it. I get why some people might want to be protective of what they know, but my gut tells me that's only going to work against us in the long run.

[pearlstrings]

Admittedly I prefer a selective audience.

I don't trust the majority of our population to reason. Or prioritize for that matter. Cooler heads prevail, as they say.

[webshoots]

Sure, but there's a limit to insularity.

And I say this as a guy who turned down joining a couple of not-dissimilar clubs for a while because I thought it'd cramp my style.

[pearlstrings]

We'll call you an extrovert.

[And then, in what can only be considered a massive show of trust for Bruce Wayne-]

I have something coming on the next ferry.

[webshoots]

You know my high school dubbed me its only professional wallflower, right?

Can I ask what, or am I not part of your selective audience?

[ a couple of minutes later— ]

I asked Pluto for some tech the last time the market was in town. I was hoping it'd help out with the SOS button, but I've been a little distracted with finding sewers to not name after myself.

[pearlstrings]

[Oh Peter. He wouldn't have said anything at all if you weren't selective audience. #JustBatThings]

Hint Machine says that the hardware for GPS is downtown, but I'm sure we'll need all the tech we can get.

It's a blueprint and history of the Helix Station.

[webshoots]

My “I don’t think it’ll be that easy” sense is tingling, for what it’s worth.

As much as I’m impressed you’ve managed to get that, I’ve got to wonder what you did to get that.

[ he’s not going to ask, but that’s definitely peter “i worry about everyone and everything” parker language for “i worry about everyone and everything”. ]

[pearlstrings]

I don't need a sense like that in order to agree. Somedays I worry it's a waste of time.

[webshoots]

Agreeing with me, things being easy, or trying? Because I've got an answer for each of those and only two of them sound like they've come out of a fortune cookie.

[pearlstrings]

I don't think it will be easy.

I wonder if the SOS function is a waste of time.

[webshoots]

Because you don't think it'll work or you don't think anyone will use it?

If we can get it to work, at least one person will use it. And that's one person that will get help that wouldn't have gotten help if they didn't have it. That's worth it to me.

And if we can't get it to work? At least we can say we tried. Even outside of perfection being the enemy of progress and all (there's fortune cookie quote #2), I'm uniquely qualified to be able to comment on the perils of not doing something when you have the chance and opportunity to.

I even have a quote for that, too.

[pearlstrings]

Neither. People continue to put themselves in danger during exploration, it would be a useful tool. And you're all very capable, I have no doubt that it's a project you can manage.





But does it matter in the long run? Should I advocate for a project that's focused on the immediate future when threats like the World Eaters have barely been addressed? I do believe that people are worth helping, even just the one. But how many projects like this can go on before the cost is too high? Time is the most precious resource we have.

[webshoots]

I can't answer that for you. It depends on your priorities and where you place the needs of the many and the greater good.

I know my answer to that, but I also know it's not an easy question to have to face.

[pearlstrings]

What is your answer?

1/2

[webshoots]

They're both worth it.

The World Eaters are a problem that can't be ignored or underestimated, and do I think that they're a concern that's maybe taken a backseat to the idea of 'finding answers out about Beacon'? Yeah, a bit, but those two things might not be mutually exclusive. Sure, having a slumber party with candy from the theater probably isn't the answer to anything but we also can't forget the value of taking a break for five minutes. I've seen what exhaustion and low morale can do, so I'm not going to begrudge anyone needing a break from having an existential crisis for 90 minutes.

But then there are questions - projects - like your SOS button. Could I live with myself if I thought I had the chance to help someone who needed help, but decided my time was better spent doing something else? I don't know. I don't know if all of my time and energy can be given to the question of the World Eaters without me going a little bit crazy. I just don't know enough about them. It. Here.

So the question becomes 'if I can't do THAT, what can I do?' It doesn't mean I give up wondering how to deal with the World Eaters, it just means I focus on something that I can see an end to. Sure, it might be a little bit selfish, but I also know I've got the ability to change something and make a difference there.

And if I don't figure out the answer of how to stop the World Eaters? At least I've helped a few people in the meantime.

But honestly? I'm not prepared to think about the cost of losing against the World Eaters, because that's not a price I'm willing to pay. I'm just not willing to forget I've got a duty to the smaller things too.

[webshoots]

My girlfriend always used to tell me I have a responsibility problem.