Reassembly II: Creatures of Light and Darkseid (M&M 3e)

[Quellian-dyrae]

Katie could admit, there was a little inward twinge of disappointment that the idea hadn't been met with resounding approval from all corners. She knew that was an unrealistic expectation but she was just so excited about the whole thing!

Before the whole event, she had told herself she wasn't going to try to convince anyone. This was a big proposal. If people didn't agree, she could accept their reasons for that. She didn't want to make anyone feel obligated, or feel bad for not wanting to take such a big step. Besides, she felt confident that as long as it wasn't a total flop, the movement would pick up enough steam to bring more reluctant people in over time.

And if she were honest, what she really wanted to do right then was go over to the Fantastic Four and start brainstorming!

Buuuuuut...

Getting Superman on board would be a huge win. And, truth be told, she couldn't just let his words stand unchallenged. Not because they lacked merit - quite the opposite. Because they were a very rational argument against the Plan as a whole. If they went uncountered, they might influence people who might otherwise join the movement away from it.

So as everyone started discussing things in their little groups, Katie headed over to Superman.

First thing she did, of course, was give him and Jimmy (and Flash, and Hal on the way since he had already headed over to them) their belated hugs. Because while Katie's hugs could be delayed, they could not be escaped! "Hey, I'm glad you guys could come!" she said, grinning at Jimmy before looking to Superman more seriously. "And I'm glad to see you're doing better," she said sincerely, although she couldn't entirely keep the guilt out of her voice. Yes, that familiar whisper in her brain had been more than happy to tell her that Superman's objection was also meant to communicate that his incapacitation had been all her fault for acting on what she thought good without considering the consequences.

She tried to ignore the whisper in her head, but it made far too much sense for it to be that easy.

So Katie just took a breath and soldiered on. "So...I get your concerns. And, I mean, you're right. There are some things that we could do that would lead to serious repercussions. And even when the good does outweigh the bad, there are still right and wrong ways to do it. I mean, we tossed out a bunch of ideas for things we can do, but right now they're pretty much just that - ideas. The very first thing we're going to have to do is figure out how to do things that won't cause too many repercussions."

"But, I really want to emphasize, we're not talking about things like smashing down the Berlin Wall, or taking all the guns, tanks, and bombs away. We're not even talking about overthrowing dictatorships, or forcing countries with a surplus of food to send it to those with people going hungry. There are things we can do directly. Like Fred was talking about - more personal stuff. But the really big things...those aren't going to be just unilateral moves on our parts. We're not going to solve the problems ourselves - we're going to provide the world with the resources it needs to overcome the obstacles to solving those problems."

"It's going to require discussion, and planning. And even with that...we probably will mess up some. Because...well, it's like your mom said. We're a long way from perfect. But that's just the thing. The world is the way it is because people made it so. And we can't set ourselves apart from that because we're more powerful, because we have greater potential for greater consequences. At the end of the day, we're just another group of people. And like all people, we have options, some that will improve the world around us, some that will make it worse, and some that will do a mix of the two, or that look like they'll make it better but will actually make it worse. The only difference that our power provides is that we have a lot more options to choose from. That makes the decision harder, for sure, but I refuse to believe that the best option we can choose is 'just try to maintain the status quo'. Honestly? I'd be surprised if that one made it into the 70th percentile."

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Persuasion: (1d20+17)[19] 35. Reduce by 5 if Attractive doesn't apply.