#hnnnn this is messy but there just some ideas i've been kicking around

[farmlien]

some revamp notes that are probably important and also lazily written so uhhh give it a read if you’re interested:

arrived on earth in 1938 (this might change); adopted by jonathan and martha kent.

born prematurely on krypton hours before it’s destruction (still first natural birth in centuries); rocket served as an artificial incubator

kryptonians are more alien in appearance (could look somewhat like this), and share a common ancestor with humans (time travel could be involved here idk). jor-el outfitted kal’s rocket to alter his dna; studied martian biology to have him been able adapt his appearance to whoever found him (only good for a one-time deal)

ages slowly (matured up to say eighteen and then slowed to a snail’s pace), slower than kryptonians did on their own planet, but not as slow as amazons or demi-gods; jor-el does something sciency so that kal emits this ‘energy’ outward (old kryptonians used to be able to do this), affecting those who are around him most often (this isn’t good for jonathan, unfortunately)

the strain on jonathan’s body (which has never been good to begin with), and eventual heart attack prompts clark to only help people from the shadows for a long time. he doesn’t want anyone else infected because of him.

clark can distort his facial (and vocal) muscles to make himself unrecognizable; this process exhausts him and he eventually opts for just blurring his features in photos instead (people like lois and bruce [once their looking] catch on to this fast)

he is the last son of krypton until zod and co show up (pretty much man of steel here)