RLSH & Relationships

These are anecdotes from active and retired RLSH regarding their superhero activities and relationships.  For anonymity, I have redacted the names of people or the names were altered by the hero who sent in the story.

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Pacis Quaesitor

Texas

Balancing the RLSH lifestyle with a healthy relationship isn’t always easy, especially at the start, when it really does feel like you’re living a double life. I got lucky the first time around, I was single and didn’t have to think about how it might affect someone else.

But this most recent return to the superhero scene was different. I was already in a relationship. When I reached that point where I just couldn’t sit on the sidelines anymore, couldn’t keep ignoring all the negativity in the world, I sat her down and told her exactly what I was planning to do. I was honest about my past involvement, too.

She laughed at first, probably picturing me in spandex, sneaking around alleyways at 3 AM. I get it. It sounds wild if you’re not used to it. But I explained what I really meant. I told her about the old community, how much it inspired me, and how I wasn’t trying to become someone new. I was just stepping more fully into who I’ve always been, a kind and thoughtful person who can’t just look the other way when something’s clearly wrong.

In my experience, the best way to balance a relationship with the RLSH life is simple: be open. Once you know you can trust your partner, talk to them. Be real. Laugh together about how bizarre the whole thing might seem. That honesty builds the kind of foundation you can actually stand on, cape or no cape.

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Dusk Citizen

Staten Island, NY

Relationships have been integral to superheroes since their creation, every Superhero has been defined by their friends, family, sidekicks. So the same must apply to the RLSH, we are a community. We meet people and build new relationships all the time, and those relationships make us better superheroes to serve our communities. 

As Dusk Citizen my relationships have always been important to growing support for events, gathering donations and making new connections. I've relied on relationships in my community to get the support needed to serve those in need. Like the superheroes in comics, Real Life Superheroes are defined by the relationships they make throughout their career.

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If you enjoyed this “Notes From The Rooftops”, please leave a comment.  If there is a question you have for the community at large, that you would like to see in this “Notes From The Rooftops” format, let me know.

On an entire other note, if you are an RLSH, please take a moment to fill out this RLSH 2025 Demographics Survey. It's anonymous. Just looking to gather some general information to study (data analysis is just something I like to do). It will probably end up becoming an article in the future.

The next "Notes From The Rooftops" will be on the topic of: Lent A Helping Hand. Send in your anecdotes on a time when you, as an RLSH, lent a helping hand to someone (community service, stopped a crime, gave first aid, etc). Please keep it to ~500 words or less. Deadline: End of September. If you are an RLSH (active or retired) and you would like to contribute, please send an email to Raven (raven@herocore.online).