kiragecko

[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.

[kiragecko]

[Comic shows a pair of cartoony women at a bar, chatting. A silhouette drops a pill into one of their drinks, with an audible 'splash'. The lady looks surprised, and then turns around and yells, "You put something in my drink!" while pointing at the culprit.

The blobby silhouette turns around and is replaced by a smiling photo of Weird Al Yankovic. The lady looks confused. She asks, "Weird Al?"

They watch the pill dissolve, and a foam stegosaurus expand in her drink. Looking annoyed, she asks, "What is this?"

"dinosaur," smiling Weird Al replies.

End ID.]

i would trust weird al with my drink at a party. granted he may put one of those capsules that expands into a sponge animal in it,

[kiragecko]

characters raised to be tools

Weapons. Trained, tested, forged in steel and fire. Failure is an inevitability that ends in death. Pain should not be felt--it should be recognized, familiar, and inconsequential

Martyrs. In the form of servants and princes, of leaders and underdogs. If blood is necessary, the martyr will lift their hands and offer it all

Shields. Like tempering a sword, but only to bear and not to lash out. Wounds are medals--not symbols of pride, but symbols of worth. A pretty shield is useless; scars mean a job well done

Experiments. Raised on the cold comfort of a lab table. Restraints are only necessary when they're not in their right mind. Is it honorable, to be twisted beyond recognition? Or is it just a necessary evil?

Monsters. Cruelty, caution, and regarding one as a creature beyond reasonable thought is tempering in its own right. But if you keep a leash at the right length, perhaps the massecre won't reach you. One can hope.

Idols. Pretty face, pretty name, pretty hands around their shoulders and throat. There to seduce, manipulate, force any feeling to come to the surface and twist it to their favor. Any genuinity stays locked behind the guilded cage that surrounds their pretty little heart

Trophies. Status and wealth and the traditions that keep someone at their heels, on their knees, to display and serve and decorate one's ballroom.

Sacrifices. Drenched in honorable clothes, prepared and adored and cleansed. The gift of hope at the cost of one's life. Is it taken with no fight? How can you escape the ropes you were born in?

[kiragecko]

Okay, ALL the possibilities here are great!

23 year old Bruce comes back from his trip with a 4 year old, has spent the last 2-3 years adapting his training to include child-rearing advice.

23 year old Bruce comes back from his trip with a 4 year old, spent the last 2-3 years TRYING to get this kid a stable home, but people kept trying to hurt her to get control over him, so now they're trauma bonded and he gets anxious if she's out of his sight. Batman is going to look different.

21 year old Bruce comes home early with a 1-2 year old, expecting Alfred to know how to parent her. It takes 2 weeks for Alfred to realize she's not Bruce's biological child. Batman can wait.

21 year old Bruce comes home early with a 1-2 year old, expecting to dump her with Alfred and go back to training. This, obviously, does not happen. Bruce is forced to take responsibility and Alfred enjoys the experience immensely.

Like, all of these sound really really interesting! I can think of others! This is a VERY good AU idea.

Comics timelines being what they are, do we actually have any idea whenabouts Bruce would have been being trained by David Cain? Because depending on how old Bruce is supposed to be and how long he's supposed to have been Batman by this point, it could have either been before Cass was born or after Cass had already run away from him. I ask because I'm tormented by the mental image of Bruce training with David whilst unbeknownst to him a young Cass sits waiting in the next room with neither of them to this day any the wiser of how close they came to meeting back then and how differently their lives might have gone.

[kiragecko]

Don’t have my timeline in front of me, but she should have been 3-4 when Bruce became Batman. So depending on how early in Bruce’s training he was with Cain, she was PROBABLY born, but very young. He was SO CLOSE to actually being able to hold one of his kids as a baby!

My math:

Cass is slight older than Jason (a few weeks to months)

Dick was 18-19 when Jason started as Robin (Dick’s 19th birthday has happened, but it’s also said at another point that it’s been 6 years since he started as Robin and the math works best if we use his 12 year old starting point)

Jason seems to be around 12 when Bruce takes him in, which matches several other data points (even though those points contradict each other) - a fear gas tombstone that gives a 12 year birth to death span (before he actually dies), a death certificate that puts him at 15 when we know Dick is 21, etc.

We know Dick became Robin in Bruce’s 2nd year as Batman

So Jason and Cass were 12 when Dick was 18 or 19, 4/5 when Dick started as Robin, and 3/4 when Bruce started as Batman

Comics timelines being what they are, do we actually have any idea whenabouts Bruce would have been being trained by David Cain? Because depending on how old Bruce is supposed to be and how long he's supposed to have been Batman by this point, it could have either been before Cass was born or after Cass had already run away from him. I ask because I'm tormented by the mental image of Bruce training with David whilst unbeknownst to him a young Cass sits waiting in the next room with neither of them to this day any the wiser of how close they came to meeting back then and how differently their lives might have gone.

[kiragecko]

WIP excerpt for LexiOakEn behind the cut; “project sidekick”. (( chrono || non-chrono ))

“Yeah, little weird, but guess we’re just all officially ride or die for our own clones who we haven’t even met yet now, good to know,” Robin says casually, drumming his fingers on his thighs and then suddenly perking up in his seat and grinning at Superboy, who has no idea how he feels about this conversation at all anymore. “Oh wait, SB, real important question here: does my clone-me understand the value of being whelmed? I really need to know if my clone-me understands the value of being whelmed, that is so important for our future relationship.” 

“Sure, I’m narcissistic enough for that,” Kid Flash agrees–then stops again and groans again, dropping his head back on his neck. “God, though, we’re seriously gonna have to deal with two of you? Like that’s literally what this is, like ‘two of you’ is literally what ‘genetically identical with and’ . . . what’s three months for you, like two percent of your life? 1.923 percent, give or take. So ‘two of you’ is literally what ‘genetically identical with and in possession of 98.187 percent of your memories, give or take’ means, yeah.” 

“I think you’re being very ungrateful about the existence of our newly-gained clone-bros, bro,” Robin replies primly, then grins wide at Kid Flash. “What, you don’t want kept on your toes, Yellow? You wanna get all lazy and complacent in life?” 

“Maybe!” Kid Flash shoots back accusingly, then frowns, tapping his foot in a crackling blur for a moment and looking considering. “I mean I guess I’m never gonna be outnumbered again, I guess I’ve got that.” 

“Just try not to edge me out of BFF status by becoming best friends with yourself, huh?” Robin asks with another snigger. Kid Flash eyes him, then looks considering again. 

“Actually, wow, that actually sounds really convenient, I bet Three-Months-Plus!Me would totally go for–” 

“Oh my god, KF!” Robin says with a cackling laugh, then pauses and looks considering himself. “Hey, think they’ll tutor us on the two months of class we missed if we ask nice? That a thing you think they’d be up for?” 

“I think it’s hilarious that you think Three-Months-Plus!Me would be capable of tutoring anyone, actually,” Kid Flash retorts dubiously, and Robin cackles again, and Ahm muffles a quiet laugh behind his fist. 

And Superboy–he still doesn’t know how he feels right now, and knows it doesn’t matter how he feels about any of this anyway, but . . . 

But he definitely feels some very, very complicated things about all of this.

[kiragecko]

Token of Appreciation

Authour: @everythingandthekitchensink (Mist-managed)

Subfandom: Wonder Woman

Media: Comics

Relationships: Gen (Artemis of Bana-Mighdal & Cassie Sandsmark)

Year: 2025

Rating: Gen

Warnings: None

Summary:

“I demand to speak with whomever holds hierarchy above you,” Artemis grits out. The employee smacks her gum and looks at them blankly. Her compatriot wanders off, arms weighed down with swathes of cloth. “It’s okay,” Cassie says, downtrodden look on her child face. “I don’t need it, I only want it.”

Submitted by anon

Submitter's comment:

Short sweet little Artemis-as-Cassie's-trainer fic! Cute warrior bonding at a shopping mall!!

[kiragecko]

Idc that deathwing ended up not actually being dick grayson, evil AU nightwing exists to ME

[kiragecko]

Would it possible to wait until Best Sibling finishes? ADHD and processing issues are going to make it REALLY hard to tell the two apart, and it's really frustrating to vote wrong multiple times. Especially when it's something I care about as much as siblings!

If not, thank you anyways. The tournaments are a lot of fun!

We will be tentatively proceeding with the World's Worst Sibling tournament but y'all have to behave.

[kiragecko]

I'm firmly convinced that once Cass discovers the term "skill issue" it's going to become her new favorite combination of words and she is going to use it in response to literally anything.

[kiragecko]

Okay, I think this is based on post-crisis canon? Which is usually the canon I know best! But, with Diana, I’ve always focused on the Golden Age stuff. I know so little about this family, but my submitters are definitely pushing me towards changing that! Love found family! Especially this kind, where it actually is just another family.

Lovely stuff being hinted at!

I watch as the planets turn, as the old stars die and the young stars burn

Authour: @dio-icarticaae (dio_icaurtica)

Subfandom: Wonder Woman

Media: Comics

Relationships: Gen (Diana-centric?)

Year: 2025

Rating: Gen

Warnings: None

Summary:

Old age wasn’t something that Diana had much experience with. The Amazons of Themyscira were immortal and ageless – her mother and sisters looked the same now as she had always remembered them. She’d been the only aging thing on Paradise Island her whole childhood and had never seen its effects on anyone but herself. Diana didn’t know whether she would age now that she’s out in the wider world. That would be something she’d have to figure out over time. She didn’t dread the thought of it, though – Julia made it look so graceful and natural. Or: Diana ponders aging and immortality.

Submitted by anon

Submitter's comment:

THE Diana immortality/aging fic!!

[kiragecko]

now im not saying dick grayson will always throw himself in front of harm’s way for other people, but harm is a two person act and someone’s gotta take the bullet and the other’s gotta scream and grieve, and dick wasn’t very good at enduring that second part the last couple times he was in a group act