januariat:

sometimes I think about clark developing his Superman voice and just in general his whole “bedside manner” as Superman- the voice and body language he uses to soothe frightened accident or natural disaster victims, or panicked people he’s rescued from some crime or other. how he probably practiced over and over to keep his voice gentle and calm and low, but still confident, so that in an emergency situation he defaults to a voice that people turn to for help. how he practiced keeping his body language open and controlled, no sudden movements, so that scared humans wouldn’t see him as a threat. How he probably took some form of a first responder or EMT course, and took it very seriously, because what use is Superman peeling someone injured out of a car wreck if he kills them anyway by not knowing to keep their head and neck immobilized as he pulls them out. what use is x-ray vision in a rescue situation if you don’t also know which injuries to look for and prioritize.

at the end of the day, the core of him, the part that drives him to stay and sit with accident or assault victims so they won’t be alone until transportation arrives, the part that looks for ways to not just rescue people but comfort them also, the general drive to help people no matter what, that’s in Clark’s basic nature. But he probably had to work hard at how, exactly, to best go about it.