RLSH Work: An Overview

There are 5 main types of work that Real Life Superheroes tend to take on: homeless assistance, safety & crime patrol, community service, issue awareness, and RLSH support.  For some RLSH, they focus on one of these; for others, they try to focus on more.  All RLSH work is done under a superhero persona, instead of plainclothes. Understanding the type of work that can be done and what your preferences are can help develop you as an RLSH or to understand why RLSH do what they do.

In this overview, we’re just going to define the 5 main types and also provide some RLSH names associated with that particular type of work.  Some people may do more than what I have them listed for, sorry if I missed something.

Homeless Assistance

In some cities homelessness is a major issue.  RLSH in these areas may be seen towing carts with water, food stuff, and general necessities (bandaids, tampons, socks, etc).  They are there to lend a hand, provide a little assistance, a little food, etc.  They understand that some are down and out due to addiction issues, but others are down and out due to job loss, high rent, and other such issues. If you want to further understand this issue, Crimson Fist and Batman of San Jose just had a documentary released called Lights in The Shadows.

RLSH of note: Crimson Fist (current), Batman of San Jose (current), Zetaman (retired)

Safety & Crime Patrol

The RLSH who go out on safety and crime patrols are out to help the general population.  They have their first aid/CPR/AED certification and possibly additional medical training.  They tend to practice some sort of martial art (boxing, karate, krav maga, etc).  They are looking to stop criminals in their area.  Ethics and morality are big discussion points, as well as knowing what to do in various situations.  They may focus on certain types of crime activity.

RLSH of note: Raven (active, out of retirement), Chicago Spidey (active, out of retirement), Knight Owl (retired), Master Legend (retired)

Left to Right: Master Legend, Angle-Grinder Man, Zetaman, Superhero

Community Service

RLSH who do community service perform work as a superhero to draw more attention to the work being done.  This encourages others to engage with them or join them.  Many times, these RLSH are tied to nonprofits or service clubs.  The best example of this is Team Justice Inc, a former nonprofit created by Superhero (deceased), Master Legend (retired), and Symbiote (retired) in Clearwater, Florida.

RLSH of note: Superhero (deceased), Master Legend (retired), Symbiote(retired)

Issue Awareness

This particular type of RLSH is focused solely on a particular issue.  It might be something that is so prevalent, such a part of everyday life, that no one does anything about it.  By donning a costume and RLSH persona, they can draw public attention to that particular issue.

RLSH of note: Angle-Grinder Man (focus: public parking issues), Terrifica (focus: women getting home safely from bars in NYC), Treesong (focus: trees, plants, environmentalism), Dusk (focus: DEI, human rights)

RLSH Support

This work helps support the RLSH community itself.  It may be for networking or legal support or creating an app to help RLSH or something else entirely.  It could also include: specific training, writing books or white papers, creating uniforms for RLSH, creating tech for RLSH, helping RLSH network with law enforcement or other groups, creating a network of hero-friendly businesses, etc.

RLSH of note: Discordia (active - cyber work, RLSH networking, runs RLSH Wiki), Raven (active - runs HeroCore)

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Over the next few 5 posts, I'll be doing a deeper dive into each type of RLSH work. If you would like to have additional discussions, please sign up (free) and jump in the forum.

What type of RLSH work are you interested in or participate in?

Leave questions and comments!