kiragecko

[kiragecko]

So there are thirteen(ish) named Philistines in the Bible:

In Genesis: Abimelech, king of Gerar; Ahuzzath, his companion; Pichol, his general.

In Judges: Delilah (possibly).

In Samuel/Kings/Chronicles: Goliath, a Gittite; Achish, king of Gath (also called Abimelech or Achimelech in Psalms); Maoch/Maacah, his father; Obed-Edom, who houses the Ark of the Covenant for a bit; Ittai, a Gittite loyal to David; Rapha, ancestor of a group of giant Philistines from Gath; (Goliath again, now one of the sons of Rapha); Ishbi-Benob, one of the sons of Rapha; Saph/Sippai, one of the sons of Rapha; Lachmi, one of the sons of Rapha and Goliath's cousin.

Of these, five have Hebrew names, one has a genuine Philistine name that belonged to the king of Ekron at the time Samuel was being compiled (Achish, though only the consonants are right), and three have names of unknown provenance (Pichol, Goliath, Saph/Sippai), but four aren't even names at all! They're hallucinations created by shitty transmission!

Ahuzzath isn't "Ahuzzath, his (Abimelech's) companion", he's "a group of his companions"!

Rapha isn't the progenitor of the sons of Rapha, the four Philistines mentioned are Rephaim, i.e. giants, figuratively speaking!

Ishbi-Benob isn't a person, David, continuing the previous verse, camped in Nob (itself probably an error for Gob)!

Lachmi isn't a name, he's a misplaced half of a Bethlehemite!

Absolute clown show.

[kiragecko]

a list of canon facts about kon-el that not everyone may know (ranging from obscure trivia to general knowledge)!

he has a phobia of needles (and also mentions hating probes)

cadmus downloaded star wars and star trek into his head in the tube

his leather jacket was the first possession he ever owned (and the original one was destroyed pretty soon after he got it)

he's only had three actual romantic relationships since his debut 1993, two of which were with adult women who groomed him (the third was with cassie sandsmark!)

he is a fan of liz phair, garbage, r.e.m., and nirvana (among others)

lex luthor had nothing to do with him or his origins for the first decade of his existence. this only changed via a retcon in 2003 (which was, in my opinion, very poorly written)

he once had a nightmare involving tim in "avian drag" and bart in a playboy bunny outfit, which could mean nothing

john henry irons once called him a chalupa

his TTK is powerful enough that he once destroyed every single gun in los angeles in a single instant!!

he has attempted suicide on-page twice

he and superman have a positive and loving relationship that isn't easily defined by nuclear family terms

one of his friends in the 90s was a gay afrolatino teenager with a fish alien boyfriend

he can correctly pronounce "mxyzptlk"

superman gave him the name "kon-el", the name of a sorta-cousin of his from krypton, to signify that they were family, which made kon so happy he cried

krypto was specifically his dog in the 2000s, not a general family pet, because krypto didn't like staying in the fortress of solitude all the time but also couldn't live in metropolis with clark.

krypto was so distressed by kon's death that he fled earth for around a year (this issue made me cry in public btw)

he feels very strongly about clones rights to self-determination and bodily autonomy, which has led to him stealing a cloned baby and going on the run from the u.s. government before

he befriended ma and pa kent before he ever knew clark kent was superman (and one time clark came to visit his parents just to find superboy already at the dinner table, stuffing his face with biscuits and gravy)

king shark originated as one of his rogues

he enjoys surfing!

[kiragecko]

I love when a character wants to be someone's dog so so bad. Dont mean it in a sexual way (although that can also be a part of it) I mean like. Let me be your loyal companion let me stay by your side give me a purpose in exchange for endless unconditional love let me stop being a person love me like it's my only use. Love me like that's the only thing I was made for. As you can tell. I'm normal.

[kiragecko]

the politics of dancing

Authour: @frownyalfred (TheResurrectionist)

Subfandom: Batman

Media: All Media Types

Relationships: Gen (Lucius Fox & Jason Todd)

Year: 2020

Rating: Gen

Warnings: None

Summary:

After months of silence following his mysterious resurrection from the dead, the prodigal Wayne heir shows up at an unlikely meeting. “Where is Mr. Wayne?” Jason crossed his legs, cracking his neck. “He’s not coming.” “I was assured Mr. Wayne would be here.” “Tough. Looks like you’ll have to settle for me, huh?”

Submitted by @kiragecko

Submitter's comment:

Over 500 polls in, and I'm STILL finding some of my favourites that I inexplicably haven't shared yet. HOW have I not shared this fic? It is the BEST fic??? Look, there are a lot of authours here. I will not try to pressure anyone into doing anything. But. If you read this fic, could you at least CONSIDER getting inspired by it and writing me 20 more stories about Jason and Wayne Enterprises? And if not, at least enjoy the story with me. I'd love to get to share it with people!

[kiragecko]

[Comic showing Dick in his BPD uniform and Bruce in the Batsuit. They're both in the Batcave.

Dick awkwardly manages to say, "Me and Babs -- I mean, uh, Barbara, Oracle - and I, well ... things have ... progressed in our relationship to the point where -- that is, I think it's fair to say that we're ... involved. Dating. A couple.

" ... okay?"

Bruce turns away to look at the Batcomputer, and responds with a, "Noted."

Then he starts walking away.

After staring after him for a moment, Dick explodes. "'Noted'? 'NOTED'? That's all you have to say?

"I thought I'd made a good choice here. I thought maybe you'd be happy for me. For us."

End ID.]

batman: gotham knights #17

he will freak the fuck out over literally anything bruce says or doesn’t say and i love that about him

[kiragecko]

Gecko! You say the sweetest things when you reblog my stuff. Thank you, and I hope you have a fabulous day.

Well, I DO like you, and it makes me happy to say nice things to you! But also, Gidge. I can't even listen to most PROFESSIONAL audiobooks! Like, that podfic is very very worthy of the praise! You even managed to have background music that didn't distract me, and instead added to the experience? Background music that didn't distract the ADHD person???

[kiragecko]

WOW, Gidge! You're an AMAZING narrator. Love this story, but it's even more dynamic getting to listen to the subtleties of timing and mood you intended. And I usually can't listen to podfics at all!

Some people are good storytellers!

I realized that while I made this Podfic long ago, I’d never posted it to Ao3… until now.

Summary: There are five Batmans in the room and one Robin. It sounds like the start of a horrible joke, but Tim isn’t finding anything funny about it.

[kiragecko]

gimme kid flash wally who goes through a phase of refusing to talk about the flash at ALL when he hangs out with the teen titans cause (even tho they love him) they all look at him like he’s got three heads when he goes on for thirty seven minutes straight about how flash beat captain cold the other day and they’re like “wally, we get it, he’s cool.” but like they don’t get it. ‘cause they’re also sidekicks, yeah, but they weren’t like, super-duper mega fans of their mentors first, and like they didn’t grow up with flash-themed bedsheets, and they didn’t go through the whole “my aunt (aka the only adult in my life who i trust and don’t have mixed feelings about and i wholly believe cares about me) is gonna marry my biggest hero” thing, and they didn’t get the odds-breaking luck of getting to work with a legend who changed wally’s life in the very specific way he needed it to change.

and they look at him sometimes like he’s weird for still being a fan of someone he works so closely with and knows so well but they don’t GET IT how he’s been kid flash for a few years now but still gets that feeling of excitement so bad it feels like the butterflies in his stomach and lungs and brain and heart are doing cartwheels whenever he steps into the flash museum ‘cause it’s just so COOL he wants to learn EVERYTHING about this stuff and it’s EXCITING and for all he loves being a hero he just really loves specifically getting to be kid flash even more and see and learn everything about his hero that he can because!!!! because it’s the flash!!!!

and he has to like. pretend to be chill with the titans. because he knows they’re so so nice and accepting and don’t really care. but one little comment of “do you ever talk about anything else than the flash?” and the little voice in his head tells him his friends will think he’s weird (like at home just like his parents and the kids at school in blue valley do) at the end of the day because yeah it’s a little weird to be so into something so much. and yeah it stings like a motherfucker when it’s pointed out and makes him want to curl up into a ball and go lay in a ditch somewhere when it’s pointed out how weird it is. but barry doesn’t seem to mind (barry enables it with the flash fact thing actually let’s be honest ) and wally CAN be normal about it especially because it helps to remember barry allen is the most boring and least interesting person on earth.

but also he’s the flash! and wally west will always be a flash fan first and a person second (and yeah taking on that role when he’s older was hard. for a lot of reasons. but no shit he’s the only kid sidekick to take up the mantle and never look back because why WOULD he. but also he’ll never be barry allen and he will never be the flash barry was because. because the flash is immortalized in his brain as perfect because isn’t that just how it works when you spend all your waking hours as a kid daydreaming about your future you never thought would come true but did)

anyway that’s on wally west & adhd & hyperfixations lol

[kiragecko]

The Next Food Network Star

Authour: somehowunbroken

Subfandom: Batman

Media: All Media Types

Relationships: Shippy (Jason Todd/Tim Drake-centric)

Year: 2014

Rating: Teen

Warnings: None

Summary:

"I hate him." Dick snorts from his seat on the sofa. "You can't hate him, Jay, you've never even met him." "I can and I do," Jason insists, slapping the magazine he's been holding down onto the counter. "Food & Wine thinks he's better than me! Look!"

Submitted by @kiragecko

Submitter's comment:

This is a ridiculously good AU. Extremely fun, clever, and really gets the essence of cooking shows. Everyone is likeable and interesting, and I LOVE how the authour has themed their shows!

[kiragecko]

What it SHOULD mean:

this is a good introduction to the genre - explaining its rules pretty well, not getting into the more ... high level stuff, well written, and making sure to actually get us from point A to Z without the shorthand that experienced fans can navigate

this is Genre B, but written by someone who loves Genre A, and so you see a lot of the Genre A stuff in a different context, without most of the baggage it usually carries

this is so well written that it no longer feels like a specific genre. It's just a story. But it is actually VERY VERY genre

or

this IS Genre A, but it has a B-plot which is Super-Popular Genre B that non-fans can focus on, exposing them to Genre A without abandoning them there

What it usually means:

this is Genre A, but written by someone who actually loves Genre B (or just hates genre fiction), so it just has the trappings of its genre and is missing the heart.

"it's [genre] for people who don't like [genre]" oh, so its dogshit

[kiragecko]

You are REALLY good at textual analysis!

Most people have never even considered how point-of-view can impact what the main character tells us in prose, much less imagined that the pictures we're being shown might be affected in a comic! That's a really cool thought, which could probably even interest non-comics fans, but is definitely of interest to the broader comics community.

Still mildly confused why my post about how Azrael-the-title frames Bruce is now at *checks* almost 1000 notes, given I guarantee there aren’t 1000 people on tumblr who’ve actually read Denny’s final opus, but clearly something about my analysis there hit with a lot of people?

[kiragecko]

My posts from 2013 show up regularly when I check my blog. Posts I reblogged from a friend will often suggest posts that mention the same friend. Especially if it's Tuesdayisfordancing, for some reason. Tumblr really seems to think Tuesday is a topic people might want to see more about.

Sometimes you get a like on a post and you're like.

Why were you that deep in the blog, friend?

[kiragecko]

One of the best letters I’ve ever seen just popped up on my Facebook memories. Still makes me laugh.

[kiragecko]

5 and 14, for the Superman asks?

5: Why do you think Lex hates Superman?

Oooh. I think this is something where I’m heavily influenced all the way back to being a little kid. My first DC show was Lois & Clark. Fundamentally, I’m on the side of Lex hates Superman because he feels threatened and challenged by his existence. The extremely rich are very insulated from the rest of the world, and Superman as a concept pierces through that: Lex can’t ignore him, and he can’t stop him, and their motivations for why and how to do things are so very separate. Lex hates Superman because Superman challenges him in terms of showing that there is more than winning capitalism, and because Lex can’t buy or manipulate Superman the way he has so many others to do business.

There’s also the aspect of other. Superman comes from a mysterious other. Superman isn’t human. He’s a challenge Lex can’t win against, and he’s ‘cheating’ by not being human, and so not competing on the same playing field Lex has dominated. And Lex digs into that underlying streak of fear of the unknown, of the other, of inherent xenophobia to cling to as justification for himself for his hatred.

Lex can’t look away. Lex has to listen. And he hates being challenged and he hates that he can’t just buy that.  

14: Thoughts on non-Kryptonian Superfam members eg. The Steels, Otho and Osul, pre-2003 Kon, and Mon El?

To a degree, I think that the Last Son of Krypton rule of the 80s and 90s did and did not help here.

One of the interesting aspects of Superman as a narrative is that reaching out for connection with the Other that runs through the whole story. Last Son policy meant in particular that writers could not default to populating the zone with other Kryptonians around Clark; but equally they didn’t just want ordinary humans. And so, they got creative, and we got some fascinating characters. We also got some extremely jury-rigged work arounds to avoid stepping on the rule that got walked back pretty rapidly once editorial allowed it: I remain convinced Kon would have been a proper clone from Clark’s DNA from the very start if not for the rule, and Karen/Power Girl’s Atlantean background disappeared into a black hole the very moment it was possible to have her return to being Kara-From-Earth-Two.

Because of Clark’s backstory, and because he comes from such a foundation of love and acceptance and choosing to connect, he reaches out. Of course he feels kinship to Phaelosians and Daxamites, with their overlapping ways of being Kryptonian-but-not, just like Clark is Kryptonian but culturally human. They’re like him but unlike him, just as he’s like and unlike Kryptonians raised in the culture.

I like the balance characters like the Steels bring to Clark, in that his narrative feels wider and more ‘for everyone’ by having Superfam who come from diverse species, cultures and backgrounds. I don’t want to get too into the politics of blood relations vs found family, but it does feel more special to me to think of John Henry Irons as part of the Superfam and long accepted by Clark as such, compared to focusing on Jon because ‘this kid is biologically related to me’. I think there are important stories in Superman about the hunger for connection with other Kryptonians for Clark, but I think they should only be one aspect, not the sole/main focus. And as such, a broader Superfam works well with that.

[kiragecko]

I've got the ADHD "everything is a pattern" thing going on, and sometimes feel the same frustration with you!

Why are you rejecting that person's perfectly valid extension of your pattern?! Why are you saying they missed the point; that seemed like it fit very well into your argument? Oh, you don't WANT to include those interesting edge cases?? That's so sad!

I'm used to it by now - very few people think things are as connected as I do - and your posts are far too interesting for something like that to scare me away. But it's always interesting to see how everyone's normal is different.

On an intellectual level, I understand that a lot of autistic people struggle with identifying patterns in observational data, so when folks on this site act incredulous when I talk about very obvious trends because they can think of one (1) example that doesn't fit said trend, they're not being disingenuous, they're just genuinely confused.

On an emotional level,

[kiragecko]

TIL the reason you don’t find much Lyme’s Disease in California is not because we don’t have Ticks, or Lyme Disease Vectors; but rather: because the Western Fence Lizard (if you live anywhere in California this is your regular Garden Variety Lizard) has adapted a passive immune response that makes their blood lethal to Lyme Disease Bacteria. Any Tick that feeds on one gets its gut cleansed of Lyme Disease as a side effect.

Fucking neat.

[kiragecko]

Watchmen is an incredibly skilful comic that is exhausting to read and leaves you me unhappy at the end. It's WORTH reading. Deserves its place in history. Can teach you interesting things about what comics are capable of. But the text pieces are SO MUCH WORK, and not that interesting, even though they are important. And the pirate comic is SO GORY and ... yeah. I'd like Watchmen better if those parts didn't exist, but it wouldn't be as good of a comic at that point!

I'm glad I read it but I didn't enjoy it. Meanwhile, the Far Sector fans seem to experience SO MUCH JOY from their comic! And all the panels I've seen have been beautiful! I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt, and yeah, it's mostly because Watchmen was so definitely not for me, but that's enough. I place a high value on things bringing people joy.