#lex makes friends with a cow

[radioactive-earthshine]

Random but, any hcs about Kon and his life in Smallville with the Kents?

I'm just going to make a list and babble :) Here's some HCs including bits with Bart bc they did live only 4 hours away.

1.) Not closeting, not in the way people use the term anyway - it was a necessary time that Kon so desperately needed. He needed a place to be someone OTHER than Superboy because he could no longer function without that off-switch.

2.) Kon always had shown interest in his comics of living a life without the Superboy question and being "normal" but it was very rocky for him so I feel like his early transition with the Kents were likely no different. Ma and Pa likely had to endure his dramatics, mood swings and outbursts of anger as he adjusted to being Conner Kent and living in a space that had consistent RULES. This is not to say he was just suddenly dropped off with strangers, because he wasn't, he knew Ma and Pa beforehand having spent a little time on the farm.

3.) If you guys thought Bart was bad at first, Kon was probably worse as Kon had years of baggage to unpack.

4.) We didn't get to see anything substantial of those early days with him with Ma and Pa but we saw small glimpses of him just not appreciating Smallville and thought it was "boring" and outright claimed to have hated it. It's a big adjustment.

5.) Suddenly coming to the realization that he was SAFE where he was and could just BE without suddenly having a fist in his face was one hell of a day...

6.) Yes we all should mock the cishet jeans and t-shirt look but he really was trying to figure out who he was without Superboy as a factor. I don't think Kon ever really does solidly figure it out as Superboy will always BE a part of him and part of his core identity and it's a balance he needed to try to find out - even if it meant going to one extreme side of the spectrum.

7.) To tie into #6 Kon found out he really does have an All or Nothing personality when living with the Kents.

8.) He's allergic to goat products - boy of steel he may be but even he is not immune to goat intolerance. There is no evidence of this, this is a true HC. He found out because Ma had goat milk and he decided to try it with... bad results.

9.) I am obsessed with Kon in his 2011 solo taking the time to WALK to school instead of flying or running or taking the bus - Smallville really brought him down to Earth even though he already was a child of Earth. It grounded him and put a lot of thinks for him into perspective.

10.) Going back to those early days - he reached out to Bart a lot to vent and ask for advice of how Bart coped with Max. They BOTH went from never having to worry about hiding their secret ID and doing WHATEVER they wanted to suddenly having to worry about preserving their identity and operating in an environment with rules that were the antithesis of what they were used to.

11.) Kon's entire first few months with the Kents were literal immersive therapy and I am furious we did not get to see this - this would have made an incredible comic.

12.) Adhering to comic canon I feel like it was during this deconstruction of who he is he realized he was queer. To the surprise of no one.

13.) His first gift to Ma and Pa was a quilt he made himself - you can take artistic-Kon from my cold dead hands. He made it at school in secret.

14.) Clark was a cryptid in Smallville when he was a teenager and Kon really was no different as his deeds throughout town resurface those old rural myths that began 30-ish years prior.

15.) I ignore any and all parallels that Simon was set up to be Kon's Lex Luthor and instead he becomes his BEST civilian friend. We do however find out that Simon's parents were scientists that helped make Kon - Kon has mixed feeling about this at first but he knows he can't blame Simon.

16.) Even Kon cannot help going back to old shenanigans with Bart and they make crop-circles - well they DID before Clark told them to stop - the killjoy.

17.) Cows make him nervous - look - he knew they existed but he wasn't aware of how BIG they were and he knows he is strong enough to pulverize them into instant bouillon but that still did not prepare him for the fact that they are megafauna that you have no control over.

18.) Kon will always take out a tornado - no he doesn't care if it's a small one - he's not going to sit back and watch someone's house be subjected to damage the tenants may or may not be able to afford. If there are TWO tornadoes at the same time he gets into a contest with Bart over who can neutralize them first.

19.) Going back to his acclimation - there was a lot Kon had to sort of unlearn when he started living with the Kents. Stuff he learned from being with Rex Leech, and during his time at Cadmus under Jim. He finally learned what it was like to be a normal person instead of a parody of what a normal person was.

20.) During October, Kon got really.... really.... into making the BEST corn maze. No, seriously, stupidly competitive. Like, not only did he want it to be complicated but he also for an added flavor made Bart chase people around with a de-bladed chainsaw. People think Kon hired like 7 dudes to do this but it's literally just Bart. He also made sure to decorate it with fake blood, webbing, and busted out fog machines just for an added flavor of spookiness.

[mamawasatesttube]

okay, i'm going to spam today. mmm damian, jon (as he is in OUR minds), aaaaaaaand. lois.

hell YEAH lets go!! damian first:

Headcanon A:  realistic

he goes to veterinary school. something something not either of his parent's legacies but something of his own that still feels like it's honoring them in its own way (medicine-adjacent. hands to help heal rather than harm. you get it)

Headcanon B: while it may not be realistic it is hilarious

he pretends not to know english that well in order to make jon explain the "deez nuts" joke he just made. jon is mad about it because he KNOWS damian knows english perfectly well enough to get deez nutted, but damian refuses to drop the pretense until jon glares at him and explains the joke. damian thinks he's hilarious. and he is.

Headcanon C: heart-crushing and awful, but fun to inflict on friends

man this isn't even hc really but do you ever think about the way he is just a little guy who never wants to hurt anyone or anything but he was born into a cycle of violence he never asked for. before he was ever old enough to understand it, there was blood on his hands. it's a guilt he'll always carry. i think he and cass should bond over this btw

Headcanon D: unrealistic, but I will disregard canon about it because I reject canon reality and substitute my own.

i dont know what the fuck canon is doing over there at this point but its important to me that he and talia love each other. there can be complexity and nuance to it but he loves his mom. dc shut up and listen okay they love each other!!!!

and now jon (as he SHOULD be):

Headcanon A:  realistic

he grows up with two central struggles: a) the classic mixed kid agonies, and b) the fact that he lives with immense pressure between both of his parents legacies that he can't escape. as a hero, he's superman's son. as a civilian, he's lois lane's son. everyone compares him to his parents, and so does he.

Headcanon B: while it may not be realistic it is hilarious

his puppy eyes are so strong he's literally charmed the shirt off kon's back before. ("hey, kon, i'm packing for that camping trip with my friends this weekend, can i borrow your red--oh... you're wearing it. okay... never mind... 🥺👉👈 unless? 🥺🥺🥺") (kon, actively pulling off his shirt: "YOU ARE A HORRIBLE LITTLE MANIPULATIVE GREMLIN AND I HOPE YOU KNOW THAT.")

Headcanon C: heart-crushing and awful, but fun to inflict on friends

well now im just thinking of that time you were like haha what if i write a fic where lex luthor kills jon in front of kon. i don't think i can top that. you motherfucker.

Headcanon D: unrealistic, but I will disregard canon about it because I reject canon reality and substitute my own.

no age-up bullshit. instead he exists in our beautiful postcrisis mishmash sandbox. he's like 4 when kon hatches (unless he isn't because timelines? what are those <3) and he is simply kon's beautiful little baby brother who has him wrapped around his little finger from day one.

AND NOW LOIS!!!

Headcanon A:  realistic

she's the breadwinner for the family. clark works from home/is a stay-at-home dad while jon is little. they have to figure it out a bit whenever superman is needed, but they make it work.

Headcanon B: while it may not be realistic it is hilarious

the first time she visited the kent farm, she stepped in a cow patty and clark laughed his ass off at her, so lois took off the shit-covered shoe and threw it at him.

Headcanon C: heart-crushing and awful, but fun to inflict on friends

having to take care of baby jon during the month clark was dead/"dead" while watching everything go down in reign of the supermen is probably what she would say is the hardest thing she's ever had to do.

Headcanon D: unrealistic, but I will disregard canon about it because I reject canon reality and substitute my own.

i need her to take tim under her wing for a little while. she sees in him a kindred spirit: a do-gooder, incredibly nosy little fuck. she can enable all of his snooping and sneaky tendencies. she'll ruffle his hair and generally regard him like a weird kitten kon found in the gutter one day and brought home. they go on at least one (mis)adventure.

[aredhel85]

Another Clex story, I hope you enjoy <3 

https://archiveofourown.org/works/25729498

[mrhowells]

Smallville 4x05 + 4x06

thus begins the Lois drought (but we shall make the best of it)

HE'LL BE THERE LIKE A FLASH???? YES PLEASE

they look so funny in their matching flannels in this setting😭

cuties

"I just want to live a normal life, hang out with my friends and play football."

good luck with that😬

AAAAAAH THAT'S SO COOL

he stole his wallet while saving his life LMAOOOO

"sit down for a long talk", please that is such a dad thing to say, I love him😭

ok I love everything that is happening right now

you know what, you SHOULD start "like a club, or a league or something"

he looks so happy I'm gonna cry😭😭

he's actually playing football with the cows, bless him😭

oh GREAT, it's Lionel🙄

OH NO I REALIZE WHAT'S HAPPENING HERE LIONEL YOU BITCH

ok but Tom acting as Lionel?

OH MY FUCKING GOD NO SERIOUSLY I'M LOSING MY MIND HIS INTONATION?????? THAT'S LIONEL

please don't tell me this is how Lionel finds out about Clark's powers? How much does he know at this point, I can't really remember

well FUCK

Lionel you're in her son's body wtf do you think you're doing

this line would be hilarious if it wasn't so fucking creepy

HE'S SMELLING HER WTF STOP I DON'T WANT TO WATCH

the passive aggressive shoulder pat💀💀💀

first Martha and now a minor? I NEED HIM TO LEAVE THIS SHOW LIKE YESTERDAY

*takes bathroom break to throw up*

can someone please realize that's not Clark already💀💀

TOO MANY CREEPY MEN THIS EPISODE (yes Jason I'm looking at you too)

guess we can add sexually assaulting another high school student to Lionel's list

no because CAN SOMEONE PLEASE REALIZE ALREADY

thank you Martha, on her queen shit as always😌

oh FUCK did this whole swap thing heal Lionel? We're not getting rid of him I knew it😭😭 yuuup, he's healed🤡

Lana and Chloe having zero faith in Clark, what's new💀 Someone give him a hug please he just went through hell😩

OMGGGGG Lex came through for us, bless🥹

This season is so much more fun than 1-3 so far😌

[lacrimosathedark]

Batfam Tiktok Headcanons

I saw someone do this so I must also do this.

Dick: Has no idea what he’s doing. He does the general heartwarming stuff. Cute videos of Haley, messing with his brothers, dancing with Cass. Does a bunch of older memes and plays on older memes. Also takes short videos when he volunteers at charities to give them a spotlight.

Cassandra: Does sign language vids and dance vids. She makes her siblings do pas de deuxs with her. She also learns popular dances from Dick and Duke and makes them do videos with her.

Jason: Booktok 100%. He’s a classics nerd but damn if he’s not going to mock the dumb shit. But also takes snippets of true crime podcasts and mocks them for getting caught or being unoriginal. Also takes news of what I like to call “The Adventures of Florida Man” and comments about how he’s seen that before, and probably in Gotham.

Stephanie: She totally has a prank channel. She has to keep everyone on their toes. Also the most up to date with trends and memes and participates in nearly every trend.

Tim: He is Jim from The Office. He just stares at his camera while his family or friends or boyfriend does some dumb shit behind him. He just sits and drinks his coffee. He also roasts people, including public officials. Though more often his family.

Duke: Mostly a cop call-out account. He has a history with the police, and most of Gotham’s cops are dirty. He likes to highlight the good ones (so people know who they can trust) and gets in the face of the bad cops. He’s a lawful evil little shit and the only reason the cops don’t do anything to him is he’s Bruce Wayne’s foster kid. And Duke revels in it. Also does dance trends with Cass and memes with Steph. He has a separate channel for Signal where he shares video of the Batfam and their friends and allies. Also villains doing dumb shit. He takes a distinct pleasure in making Riddler look stupid.

Damian: 100% an animal channel. People thought he was a pet channel, then he had Bat-Cow. People thought he was a farm channel then...then he goes and boops a FUCKIN LION WHAT

Bruce: Was forced to make an account by his children and almost solely makes videos responding to two people in particular: Oliver Queen and Lex Luthor. He frequently criticizes Luthor because he’s the DC equivalent of Jeff Bezos and he sucks, but he’s very refined about it. With Ollie, he usually, as politely as possible, pretty much says “you’re a fucking idiot” to most of his rants, specifically when they are idealist or hypocritical. However, he does occasionally just do the thing where you like green-screen playing the video behind you while he drinks his coffee when Oliie does say something he agrees with.

[tobi-smp]

What are your thoughts on Tommy threatening Michael and people saying Tommy is treating Tubbo like a sidekick?? I hunger for discourse

my thoughts are that people are so desperate to hate on tommy that they’ll jump on anything, Especially if it involves a character that they actually Do like. people on twitter were legitimately making discourse about how tommy was gonna kill michael back when he was still in Jail for no reason other than them seeing the worst in him no matter how outlandish. so those same people see tommy making a Very Obvious Joke about it are absolutely salivating at having an excuse to pretend like that was justified. I could Hear them rubbing their hands together like lex luthor as soon as it left tommy’s mouth

michael is a minecraft mob. in roleplay we acknowledge michael as tubbo and ranboo’s son, and tubbo and ranboo are both emotionally invested in him (both in and Out of roleplay), but michael is still a minecraft mob. he isn’t actually sentient and cc!tommy knows that. as long as there isn’t an Actual attempt made at michael’s life we don’t have to think about the real world implications, because michael is still a minecraft mob. cc!tommy can’t hurt his feelings with an ooc joke

ranboo’s reaction is a Very good indication of whether this was intended to be serious or not. we All saw how he reacted to sam and puffy, even before michael was upgraded from pet to son. if this was intended to be an actual threat then ranboo would’ve reacted as if it was, which he didn’t. moreover, tommy has a Long History of being emotionally attached to all kinds of mobs to the point of caring A Whole Fucking Lot about their safety, from his named pets to random slimes in the wild. this stream Specifically had him having an in character in lore breakdown over henry’s death, A Cow. the people who are trying to demonize him by insisting that he’d seriously kill or even threaten to kill A Canonical Toddler that his friends care deeply about are wack as hell. the slander is real here and it’s just Silly

as for tubbo being a sidekick it’s just like. first of all, again Very obviously just taking any opportunity to shit on tommy Like Always. absolute sharks with blood in the water I swear. second of all, it’s something that c!tubbo genuinely feels but that doesn’t make it like, tommy’s Fault any more than any of tommy’s insecurities are tubbo’s fault. placing it on tommy’s shoulders as if he’s Done something wrong both isn’t fair and isn’t healthy. c!tommy doesn’t have millions of followers on youtube, c!tommy is a traumatized teenager living in a dirt hovel that’s had everything he’s ever cared about ripped away from him over and over again. he’s not the “main character” and he isn’t acting like he is, he’s trying desperately to feel safe and to find a way to be happy despite the sinking feeling that there’s nothing left for him because he’ll Always lose whatever ground he gains. tommy and tubbo are Both traumatized, they’re Both victimized. pitting them against each other because you think that, What? one is too cocky? one is too loud? is totally ridiculous. it’s not a serious argument that can be made because In Character tubbo and tommy don’t do what they do for attention or fame, they aren’t entertainers they’re former child soldiers. “main characters” and “sidekicks” Don’t Exist.

[themonotonysyndrome]

alexis x darling x quinn x sam headcanons cos they're my favourite polycule

Alexis & Quinn co-own bars and strip clubs in Dahlia (Darlin met Quinn at one of the bars he and Alexis owns)

I imagine by this time, Alexis and Sam are on speaking terms (she still harbours feeling for him but they're both just friends)

Sam comes to the bar one night and hears Quinn & Lex arguing again and goes behind the bar to get himself a drink

And that's when Sam saw them, sitting all alone, drink in hand, hair messy, their outfit revealing every curve of their body...it took a lot of resistance for Sam not to give into his desires there and then

Darling would be like a doll between the three vampires, Sam is already infatuated with them and once Quinn and Lex come into the picture - Darling can kiss their freedom goodbye

Sam and Darling meet again and another bar owned by Alexis & Quinn and this time, he buys them a drink, remembering the one they had last time he saw them

Darling is a little nervous at first, they're distant with the pack and haven't got anyone else and so, they let Sam in

Alexis meets them while they're with Sam and whole she is still in love with him, the sight of Darling is enough to get her predator instincts running

She doesn't know why she can't get that damned shifter out of her head. It drives her crazy, she hates it yet she loves it

She hates seeing them with Sam but loves seeing them because their blood always smells so good

Quinn notices her seeming distracted and once she shows him the reason (Darling) he quickly understands and wants them all to himself

He introduces himself to them, being friendly and charming, he kisses their hand and walks them home after Darling drinks a little too much

Alexis gets jealous when she sees them together and introduces herself to the shifter who returns her sultry smirk for a shy nod and small smile

Alexis wonders what their blood tastes like, feelings begin to rouse in her before she realises it

Darling isn't oblivious, they're aware of how attractive they are and that they've got three vampires head over heels for them. It feels nice. But soon Darling wants more.

Lex and Quinn agree to share them but when Sam finds out he isn't happy. He doesn't do sharing. Our southern vamp can be possessive over things he wants

Sam's already in love with them and reluctantly agrees. He invites them over to his place only for Quinn and Lex to knock them out and tie them to a bed until Darling gives in

Which they do.

Darling is the shortest out of the four meaning they'll get thrown over Lex, Sam and Quinn's shoulder if they misbehave

Alexis likes having them begging under her, gripping her shoulders as pleasure overwhelms them both

Quinn and Sam like watching, it gets them both off but nothing compares to being inside of them

By the time anyone from the Shaw pack finds out, it's too late, Darling is their little obsession. All theirs.

Whoa, Anon! You're giving us so much luggage to unpack! I'll admit, I needed some time to get my thoughts together for this ask but it's a labour of love~

Also, I'm tagging @marrsdean because I think they might enjoy this!

Alexis x Darling x Quinn x Sam is a polycule couple that I never imagined before! I think we could work something here. Let's get to it:

Me and Mars' headcanon that, unlike Vincent who helps run half of Will's assets, Alexis launched her own nightclubs/bars and strip clubs business all over America. Each one of them turns out to be a nice cash cow for this Vampire Princess.

Maybe in this AU, Quinn came across Alexis first, surprised to find a kindred spirit. So these two decided to stick together - Quinn handles the security for Alexis, by the way - constantly moving from one state to another.

For now, I can't see how Alexis and Sam reconcile (I kinda see Alexis as a sore loser, so being able not to have what she wants? Like Sam? Could make her really bitter and petty. But for the sake of this AU, we'll just gonna push through) but after an icy truce, the two could at least be in the same place without tearing each other up.

So now we have a trio of Vampires that aren't actually friends... more like acquaintances.

But when Darling enters the picture... their attention is immediately on this gorgeous Wolf Shifter.

And well, if Darling needed to grip on the tight leash around Massmaker!Sam and Massmaker!Quinn in the Imperium, they need to get ready to be pampered by three powerful and rich Vampires that want nothing more than to monopolise their Wolf.

[spinthewheelofromance]

Meet the LI's

As a BIG point of reference. The colors are off because tumblr is restrictive haha. Lex:

Full Name: Lex Bergstrom (Lex Burg-strum)

Pronouns: Xey/Xem/They/Them (genderqueer)Sexuality: OmniAge/Birthday: 19 (Jan 1st)

Height: 6’3”

Ethnicity: Norwegian/Swedish 

Position: Switch 

Likes: brunost, improv, acting, cooking, baking for others, being a bastard (damn bitch, you lanky and have an attitude), romance novels/manga, gaming, cousins (best friends), Vocaloid, rain, Nightcore (understandable but damn.) Their lizard named Brann

Dislikes: talking shit, ableist comments on eye, xyr body, carrots (ew), sarcasm (although they do it, wow hypocrisy), band kids (it's mostly a joke….maybe), xyr Christian parents (told them they're sinning for how they changed their name), basketball (played it in high school)

Love Language

Giving: nothing Acts of Service/Quality Time

Receiving: Words of Affirmation 

Rania:

Full Name: Rania Habib (Raan-ya Haa-beeb) 

Pronouns: She/Her (trans) Sexuality: Demi/Omni Age/Birthday: 19 (July 21st) 

Height: 5'1 (Lumi height lmfao) (rude </3)

Ethnicity: Cyrpus/Egyptian/Japanese 

Position: Power bottom/Switch

Likes: halloumi cheese, very gen Z humor (fried memes make her snort), fashion! (Decora; japan), studying (English literature student but works part-time at the in-school bookstore), koshary (dish), plushies, her books <3, cats, long naps, societal issues, her cat BiBi

Dislikes: being told she's over-cluttered, being held back in her studying (she wants to finish it in one go if she can, although she takes breaks), being owned things, popping candy (surprisingly), her fucking shit and wack ass classmates, existence, girl can't cook sorry

Love Language

Giving: Words of Affirmation 

Receiving: Physical Touch

Darius:

Full Name: Darius Harris (Dar-ee-us Hair-is) 

Pronouns: He/Him Sexuality: Pan Age/Birthday: 28 (October 26th

Height: 5’6”

Ethnicity: African American

Position: Service Top

Likes: laughing cow Cheese, his kid. His kid very much, loves his kid (will do anything for her), his job, surprisingly! He actively likes knowing the town and speaking to the regulars every day, DND! (Nerd), jazz (plays a few different instruments;) ), fruit loops (on God he eats it uP), coffee snob, his apartment decorations, hockey, dad jokes

Dislikes: smoking, Starbucks, newer pokemon games, Mcdonald's fries (they really went downhill in recent years), garbage not put on the curbside (PLEASE PUT IT IN THE RIGHT PLACE HE TRIES HIS BEST), people who tell him he works a shit job :( (he likes it a lot how dare you insult his trash), glitter (that shit gets everywhere), (monarchy shhhh secret)

Love Language

Giving: Quality Time/Gift Giving

Receiving: Acts of Service 

Perkins:

Full Name: Perkins Arsenault (Perk-ins R-sen-o)

Pronouns: He/Him Sexuality: Bi Age/Birthday: 21 (April 22)

Height: 6’2”

Ethnicity: Québécois/Canadian

Position: Switch

Likes: oka cheese (blue cheese is second best), his mom's <3, cheese. His cows!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Millie <3), calligraphy, nature hikes/long walks, road trips, baking bread, yoga, gardening, sunset/sunrise, fruit snacks, those pamphlets you get when you travel 

Dislikes: Animal cruelty, large crowds, the cold, pineapple on pizza (IT DOESNT BELONG THERE), peaches, hotel mints (he’s been tricked far too many times thinking it was just chocolate), doing nothing

Love Language

Giving: Acts of Service 

Receiving: Quality Time

Milo:

Full Name: Milo Davis (Mee-lo Day-vis)

Pronouns: He/They/She (Intersex/Genderfluid) Sexuality: Bi Age/Birthday: 25 (September 1st)

Height: 5’11”

Ethnicity: Australian

Position: Top (youre welcome Lumi)

Likes: goat cheese, strawberry milk (secretly), his tattoos, oil paint/acrylics, rock, leather clothes, BBQ fanatic (cooks really well), specific paint brushes (Rembrandt), quietness, fucking with people (will make you believe stupid things), ex-wife (1 year). Mom <3, AAA meetings, yellow, punk fashion and ideology 

Dislikes: hot dogs (will kill on sight), alcohol (ex ad.), Fighting, fake rock fans, watercolor paint, math, pickles (has cried before), mocking. Loud noise. 

Love Language

Giving: Quality Time

Receiving: Physical Touch

Andrés:

Full Name: Andrés (Roberto) Rodríguez (Han-dre) (Rode-dre-gaze)

Pronouns:They/Them (amab) (agender) Sexuality: Pan Age/Birthday: 20 (July 7th)

Height: 5’3”

Ethnicity: Cuban

Position: Switch (Top leaning)

Likes: queso nabacoa, guayaba, dancing (hip hop), family!!! Big time especially his grandfather, soccer (inter Miami CF), photography, cigarettes, caffecito 

Dislikes: puns (sorry for your loss in humor bro), water (can't swim for shit, will drown), horror movies (horror in general), anyone who says bullshit about his team <\3, being dismissed when he talks about his interests 

Love Language

Giving: Quality Time

Receiving: Acts of Service 

Merry:

Full Name: Merry Winsterfield (Mare-ee Win-stir-field)

Pronouns: She/They (enby) Sexuality: Omni Age/Birthday: 25 (May 5th)

Height: 5’5”

Ethnicity: American/Irish

Position: Bottom

Likes: cheddar, video games, Instagram-worthy dinners, social interaction, skateboarding, mom's side of the family, beer!

Dislikes: unfashionable people, being criticized, overworking herself, ducks. Hates ducks (they scare her), her dad, panic attacks

Love Language

Giving: Quality Time/Physical Touch

Receiving: Gift Giving

Liam:

Full Name: Liam Hugon (Lee-am U-ong)

Pronouns: He/Him (trans) Sexuality: Pan Age/Birthday: 22 (March 17th)

Height: 6’1”

Ethnicity: Vietnamese/American 

Position: Switch (Bottom leaning)

Likes: brie, designer clothes, big-time fashion nerd, sewing!, Drawing (has to do with fashion but has drawn other pieces), reading, Bún thịt nướng (good AF tbh, pop off Liam), high-end restaurants…like reservations are impossible to get in I mean bro, does work out (has an in-home gym ;) ) and helps out at the community garden, providing for loved one's, has a dad who was very supportive of his transition (although he's a traditional man)

Dislikes: one of the aunties that keeps telling him that he's not "a real man," and etc. Good old transphobia from old traditional people, am I right, lads, yelling, cucumber (will fight you if about how gross they are), ex (toxic mf? Can't imagine), anything that's pure wool….just ew. Being recognized in the streets/paparazzi (although not famous famous still has a following important enough)

Love Language

Giving: Gift Giving

Receiving: Words of Affirmation 

[cicinicole-14]

*sing to the tune of family madrigal from encanto*

🎶so many thoughts I think it’s time for a headcanon roundup (headcanon roundup!)🎶

[apparently the only thing we do in the jolex gc is trauma dump and have hcs. idk what writing is anymore but here y’all go]

It’s been a really tough couple years. With Alex sending her that fucking letter and jo showing up at the hospital calling him out on his bullshit and them reconciling. To izzie’s brain cancer coming back again and this time her not beating it. To jo and Alex working day in and day out, dealing with thousands of miles and handful of states between them through a long distance relationship, a move into Jackson’s old penthouse, the adoption of luna and becoming a family of five in less than two years.

The twins had been enrolled in elementary school in Kansas that year, and Alex jo and izzie had decided they wanted to let them finish their kindergarten year there before moving them to seattle.

Izzie had decided to undergo some chemotherapy but when it had yielded no results, they’d made the move to seattle, hoping that shepherd could find something to help.

She hadn’t and izzie had finally had to let go, saying goodbye to her babies while they were only six years old.

And then the decision to add luna to their family after jo had delivered her during covid, the twins having been enrolled in first grade online due to covid their first official year in seattle.

So when second grade had finally come around and mandates had been lifted, kids were able to return to in person schooling, the twins had been excited to finally meet their friends from last year face to face.

Jo’d been acclimated to helping the twins grieve and everyone in their circle all knew the stories and knew what had happened.

She’d been thrown when she’d arrived home around bedtime, Alex walking down the stairs after getting all three kids down before he looks at her.

“We have a problem and I have no idea what happened but Lex has been upset and said she only wants to talk to you. I barely got her to eat dinner tonight she took about three bites. Will you bring her an uncrustable or something?”

Jo’s mouth opens and closes quickly before she grabs two pb&js from the freezer and books it up the stairs still in her scrubs.

She knocks softly on Alexis’s bedroom door, letting her know she’s coming in. “It’s me, Lex”

She opens the door and peeks in, seeing Alexis’s dark eyes shining in the nightlight lit room. She pads over softly, laying the sandwiches on the nightstand and scooting the girl over on her bed before she slides in next to her, grabbing one of the sandwiches and opening it, taking a bite.

“Dad says you wanted to talk to me?” She says casually.

Alexis doesn’t reply, just plays with the worn pink stuffed cow in her arms.

Jo let’s her sit quietly, knowing she’ll talk in her own time. “How was Lu today? Did she eat her dinner tonight or just throw it on the floor and make daddy clean it up?” She asks, taking another bite.

“She ate, more than me even.”

“Why? Did daddy burn the food?” She knows he didn’t, she’s just trying to get her to talk.

“No.”

“Want a bite?” She asks, offering the uncrustable to her.

Alexis takes the half sandwich that’s left and takes a bite, keeping a hold on it. Jo takes it as a win and grabs the other sandwich, opening it and taking a bite of that one now, realizing she was hungry.

The two eat in silence together, side by side in bed before alexis looks up at jo as she shoves the last bite of uncrustable into her mouth.

“‘Member last week when you helped me with the ‘my family’ picture?” She asks and jo nods.

“I do.” She says, not completely knowing where this was going yet, but trying to follow along.

“Mason said that you can’t be me and lunas mom because we didn’t look ‘like. That you and daddy look like eli so only he’s your kid. And I told him it’s cause my mommy died, and then neveah and peyton called me an orphan and i said that you’re jo, but you’re still the mom.”

Jo rubs a hand over her face, appalled at how brutal some of these kids could truly be.

She could honestly flick all three of them right in the forehead for the comments they made to alexis and how they made her feel.

She takes a deep breath, “I love you.” She says softly, wrapping her arms around the seven year old. “You know that looks don’t make a family. That it doesn’t matter if we have blonde hair or brown hair or blue hair even. It doesn’t matter if we have dark skin or light skin. And after Mom died, I got the privilege to become your mama jo, but regardless of your mom dying, I would always be your family and luna will always be your sister and eli will always be your brother and daddy will always be your dad.”

“I know. It just made me mad that they said you couldn’t be my mom or lunas mom and called me weird because I call you jo. And–and” she starts, getting herself worked up again and starting to tear up.

“You know that it doesn’t matter what you call me or what anyone says, Lex. You’re as much as my child as Luna is or as Eli is. Okay? And if you decide that you want to call me mom in hopes that it might help at school, or anything, I’m fine with that. This is all up to you. But I will be here just like a mom will. I promise you that.”

Alexis looks up at her with watery brown eyes. “Can i call you mama jo then?”

Jo holds her just a smidge tighter, running her hand through Alexis’s long blonde hair, cradling her head against her chest.

“Lex, you call me whatever feels comfortable to you.”

“Luna calls you mama, and eli calls you jo so I put them together, mama jo.”

“I will be mama jo to you, as long as you’ll have me. I’ll email your teachers tomorrow and maybe we’ll send you to school with the ‘that’s their family’ book for show and tell?” she says and Lex nods. “You ready for bed now? It’s way past your bedtime.”

Alexis nods. “Will you read me the family book?”

Jo nods, grabbing it from Alexis’s nightstand and opens it, starting to read to the tune of the Addams family.

Jo finishes the book and closes it, grabbing the sandwich wrappers and slipping out of the bed.

“Night mama jo, love you” she hears the tiny whisper.

“Night, Lex, love you too.”

[thevindicativevordan]

You got any thoughts on Superman Birthright?

Probably my second or third favorite Superman origin, and the one that has my favorite Clark/Lex interactions.

Real pity it didn't get to stick as the "canon" origin because I like it a lot more than the Byrne origin that preceded it and the Johns Secret Origin that succeeded it. Smallville's influence is undeniable, but not a detriment, I like the Kents as flawed younger parents rather than wizened flawless mentors (if they have to be alive still when Clark becomes Superman that is). Pa Kent struggling with feelings of alienation with regards to Clark growing up and taking more of an interest in his heritage is still one of my favorite Pa/Clark moments in Superman's history. Ma Kent being a UFO buff is a great idea, apparently Waid had a story about that he never got to tell. I wonder what it was? Would probably make for a nice Annual or fill in story now that he's back at DC.

Lois is great of course, for all the reasons she usually is, as is Perry who gets way more panel space here than he usually does. Lois and Perry's relationship here is hilarious, love the gag where he writes out two lists of reasons to fire or keep her respectively. "No good place to hide the body" had me cackling. Jimmy though is just kind of there, he's the pal who has Supes back as always, but he's heavily overshadowed by the rest of the cast. Only real disappointment for me in terms of the core cast members.

There's a lot to like here in it's handling of Clark Kent as well. Love that Waid actually shows us Clark has travelled the world to gain some perspective, that he's not naïve or clueless, simply idealistic. He's seen the cruelty of the world up close, and he's also seen the way people react when they realize they're dealing with someone who has "gifts" (whether that's himself or Lex).

Showing us some of Clark's pre-Daily Planet journalist career is also a big pro for me, that's an area of Clark's life I wish got fleshed out more. Waid manages to establish a divide between the Clark and Superman identities that still makes the two feel different without it being a repeat of Pre-Crisis. It's a return to Superman being more "real" while Clark is more of a disguise, but "Clark" isn't bumbling so much as overlooked and ignored (which if you've lived in a big city is pretty much exactly how you get treated as a newcomer). His co-workers barely acknowledge his existence, Lois isn't giving him the time of day, Perry tears him a new one for not having a story to turn in about the ongoing alien invasion on time, Clark has to suffer in the trenches over the course of the story to prove himself.

Like Morrison's Action Comics run, this origin tries to fold a lot of the original Golden Age attitude back into Superman. This incarnation is a man with a temper, him shooting a gun then catching the bullet before it hits the guy who sold guns to a school shooter is literally a recreation of a Golden Age panel. Yet this isn't a "retro" take at all, despite being from Christopher Reeve's biggest fan. Waid writes Clark as someone who makes mistakes, fucks up in ways you don't typically see Superman do, and has a lot of doubts about whether or not he can live up to the task he's set before himself. Doesn't help that Metropolis doesn't welcome him any more easily as Superman than it does as Clark.

Public opinion about him is divided at first, then swings heavily to negative as Lex frames him for a false flag Kryptonian invasion, only to finally recover after he saves the day and exposes Lex. Personally I like Superman to have to work for that glowing reputation he usually enjoys, and if Lex is involved in trying to turn the public against him, so much the better. The anger and contempt towards Lex he demonstrates in particular sets the tone for the relationship between the two in the modern day.

Speaking of Lex, my God, this has got to be one of my favorite takes on him, and on his relationship with Clark, both pre and post Superman.

As adults Waid nails the Post-Crisis status quo of Lex being a selfish piece of shit who hides his nature behind a façade of philanthropy. For all his attempts at projecting an aura of power and intelligence, both of which he has in spades, Lex is so clearly defined by the lack of love and understanding he was shown as a youth. It's Superman "disrespecting" him, by not being happy to pose for photos with Lex after seeing him commit an act of sabotage, that pisses Lex off. For this "crime" Lex does everything he can to smear Superman to the public, and entertains holographic fantasies of dissecting Supes to copy his powers. He quips that killing Kal is "genocide" since he's the last of his people, something he demonstrates no empathy for at all given he laughs in Clark's face when he realizes Superman doesn't know he's the last.

Waid's Lex is probably one of the most monstrous incarnations, yet one of the most sympathetic as well. For my money, Waid is the one who convinced me that Clark and Lex being friends back in Smallville is a good thing.

One reason is that Clark gets to see how people react to "gifted" individuals. By observing the way Lex is treated for being unlike the rest, Clark gets a taste of what's to come if his own abilities were ever exposed. This has the dual benefit of establishing why Clark puts so much effort into making people feel at ease, and also establishing Lex as sympathetic for being unable to hide like Clark can.

The second big reason is that it shows why Clark thinks there's a chance Lex can be redeemed. Birthright Lex wasn't a monster from the start. At first he tried to help, but it always backfired. Doubling the efficiency of the milking machine scared/hurt the cows and upset Pa Kent, his ideas for how to improve the local government got rejected, and of course his experiment with Kryptonite. Sad twist of fate that Lex mistaking Clark's look of pain for the fear/disgust he sees everywhere else is what causes Clark to eventually give him that look of disgust for real when they reunite as adults. But having their first interactions be friendly instead of hostile makes Clark's hope that Lex can become a force for good feel grounded in reality instead of hopelessly naïve.

Can't gush enough about Yu's art either, he can make Superman look bright and inspiring, or scary as hell. His take on Metropolis makes it look and feel like a "City of Tomorrow", someplace exciting and dangerous, a city that needs Superman to protect it. Yu's Krypton is also one of my favorite incarnations, love that he gave Lara the S-curl! That's one idea from the DCAU I wish had become sacrosanct for all future origin retellings. Lara doesn't get to have enough influence on Kal to my tastes, so any little bit counts.

Sadly overlooked as it was coming out due to Azzarello and Lee doing For Tomorrow, it seems like it's risen in status after the fact. The S-shield being a symbol of hope on Krypton in addition to the El family crest has carried forward thanks to the DCEU (which is hilarious given Waid's feelings on that franchise).

Waid has another Superman project coming up next year with Brian Hitch that appears to be a "Year 2" follow up to Birthright. No clue if it will actually take place in strict continuity with Birthright, honestly it feels weird to have anyone but Yu do a direct followup to that, but Waid has said that a Superman run from him would basically be an issue 13 that continues from this story. I'm excited to see Waid take another big swing at Superman, I think he still has it in him to put out a great story, and Birthright being out of continuity may end up being to everyone's benefit. If this ends up being Waid's last Superman story, I hope he gets to do whatever he wants with the Birthrightverse. Kill off the Kents if that's his desire, I know he prefers them dead (as do I). Fingers crossed whatever he comes up with is good.

[dangerousconnoisseurdonut]

Omega Auction of the Century Preview

@jeromiah and @nostalgic90s proposed a most intriguing idea of Omegas being so rare, they are auctioned off, and Bruce would go for a frankly insane amount as he is the most eligible of Omegas around. This is just the start of an idea, but I have to get ready for work and want to know what people think of it so far!

Bruce couldn’t completely withhold his shudder of fear and revulsion as he heard the second Omega on the auction block went for a cool ten million, upped from the eight million the last one went for, simply because the first one had been a male and this one was a slightly pudgy (but not unattractive) female who came from a family of six, so she had a good chance for being a strong breeder. Oh, but how he and Brooke hated being referred to that way; as if they were cows or horses just waiting for a stud to come along. In school, they had both received a lot of flack from their peers, often being referred to as breeding stock or even whores once (Brooke had broken Grace Van Dhal’s nose when she said that). It was only their parents large donations to the school that they had taught them proper courses at all as many just enrolled Omega’s in more simple math courses, home economics, home estate management courses, and the like. When their parents had died, the school had tried to put them in those courses, thankfully their Uncles Lucius Fox and Ed Nygma, with their Alpha Dr. Leslie Thompkins, had simply pulled them from the school and taught them everything they needed to know.

  Sadly, he thought as the third Omega was taken out for the block, it was probably all going to be for naught; rich Alphas and Betas didn’t really care how smart the Omega was so long as they were fertile and not an imbecile as they worried about the child inheriting such a thing (too bad you couldn’t keep stupid Alphas from mating). And, as Bruce was a rare intersex Omega, his fertility was somewhere around 89%, meaning he would probably get pregnant right away when they took him on his birthday and went into Heat. This was one of the reasons he was being saved for last; his high fertility rate combined with his company and his higher than average intelligence made him a very appealing Omega. Combined with the fact his twin sister was also an Omega, Bruce and Brooke could very well break the record for highest auctioned Omega in the United States, possibly all of North America, which was a steep forty million last year when Lex Luthor bought his Omega, a farm boy by the name of Clark Kent. Some people thought he overpaid, until the rumours started circulating that Lex had had a crush on the boy through their high school years, but the boy had largely appeared straight. At least, he thought as the third Omega, a boy that went for only seven million due to him having a scar on his abdomen from when he had needed to have his appendix taken out as well as his sister having had a miscarriage, Lee, Lucius, and Ed would get a large ‘dowry’ for them as the family of the Omega got around 40% of the bid.

 As the fourth, and last Omega before them was hauled out, he bemoaned what they were making him and Brooke wear; all Omega’s had to wear very revealing clothes so as to entice the Alphas into spending big bucks on them. They had originally wanted Bruce and Brooke in something not even a prostitute would be caught dead in; some kind of lacy piece that frankly looked more like lingerie than any type of clothing. But, after a few well placed threats from Ed and Lee, what they was wearing was more fit for a rave or rock concert, but at least it wasn’t entirely see-through. They had put him in tight leather pants, a mesh t-shirt that left nothing to the imagination, and Lee had given him his favourite leather jacket to wear. Brooke was wearing some kind of leather halter top the covered her breasts and did nothing else, as well as a short skirt and fishnet stockings and her favourite knee high boots, all covered by her favourite leather duster. Soon though, he heard the last Omega, a beautiful young girl who came from a long line of strong Alphas and other beautiful Omegas, no Betas found in her family tree, even if her family wasn’t that well off, no doubt they would enjoy the 40% of the twenty million she was just sold for. They were soon being ushered onto the stage, and barely managed to hold in his whimpers as all the men and women in the room were looking at them like they were rib-eyes and they were all starving. Brooke had his hand clamped in a death grip as she looked out as well.

  “And here we have, Ladies and Gentlemen, saved the best for last; twin Omegas, Bruce and Brooke Wayne! The last of the Wayne’s, they actually score high in mathematics and sciences, Bruce is intersex…” Bruce drowned out the announcer as his and Brooke’s ‘accomplishments’ were listed, and took stock of just who was there, and felt more than a little sick at who he saw; crime bosses like Thorn, Falcone, and Maroni were there (God, but he hoped Maroni didn’t win them as the man had four Omega’s already, and more than one of them had been accidentally photographed with shiners). There were creeps like Hugo Strange, who was rumoured to experiment on Betas, and Kathryn Monroe, who was rumoured to be something of a cult leader. Then, there were just straight up assholes like Roland Daggett, an unscrupulous CEO that was suspected of taking several shortcuts to get what he wanted, their old classmate Brant Jones, and the one who made him the sickest of all; Theo Galavan. Bruce prayed to whatever powers were listening that Galavan didn’t get them as he would no doubt dissolve Wayne Enterprises as he despised the Wayne’s, and it had been all Thomas, and later Lee, could do to keep Galavan away from Bruce and Brooke when they were younger.

  “Shall we start the bidding at $500,000? Thank you, Mr. Daggett, that’s $500,000 to start us off.”

  “$550,000!”

 “You insult the pair, Salvatore! $750,000!” Bruce was pretty sure that was Carmine Falcone, and prayed that either they were going to be the old man’s, or his son Mario, who was said to actually be rather kind, as opposed to the daughter Sofia; word had it the woman was a straight up whack-job.

 “You both insult such fine specimens; $1,000,000!” Hugo Strange bid, and Bruce quickly hoped someone outbid the man quickly as he was losing feeling in his hand due to Brooke’s squeezing.

 “$1,500,000!” Bruce saw another acquaintance, Tommy Elliot enter the ring, and really hoped he had matured some since he punched his lights out.

 “$5,000,000!” Please, God, no was all Bruce could think as Galavan threw his own hat into the ring.

 “$6,000,000!” Bruce was both relieved someone outbid Galavan, but also a little disturbed as it was Kathryn Monroe who bid; he had nothing against older women taking younger lovers (he refused to call them cougars as he found it offensive), but it wasn’t really his thing and besides which, while he may be bisexual, he largely swung for his own team.

 “$10,000,000!” Bruce looked up at the familiar voice and saw Barbara Kean and her partner Tabitha Galavan had just thrown down a substantial gauntlet, and he wondered why as not only were Barbara and Tabitha lesbians, they had two Omegas already, and one Beta; his friends Ivy Pepper, Bridgit Pike, and Selina Kyle. He figured this way, he would carry the pups and they wouldn’t have to worry about it. They were probably his and Brooke’s best hope as they would be with their friends and while Barbara could be a little intense (and Tabitha was well known for her whip), he didn’t think either woman would be abusive to their Omegas; Selina had certainly never complained about how Bridgit and Ivy were treated.

 “$15,000,000!” Daggett came back into the ring with a strong bid, and Bruce was beginning to feel a little sick as he placed his other hand over Bryce, who whispered a sorry into his ear.

 “$23,000,000!” Bruce was rather surprised when Fish Mooney threw a bid out as the woman was usually too busy to have much to do with Omegas, but among the crime bosses littering Gotham, she was one of the better ones to be owned by.

 “$30,000,000!” Bruce gripped Brooke back as Galavan countered with a number not many would be willing to counter, even for twin Omegas.

 “$40,000,000!” Barbara and Tabitha countered, and it seemed like they were in a vacuum as there didn’t seem to be any noise whatsoever. Bruce prayed that it was too much for Galavan to go above his sister as the announcer exclaimed,

 “We have $40,000,000! Thank you Miss. Kean and Miss. Galavan! Do I have anymore bids? That’s $40,000,000 for the Wayne twins to Miss. Kean and Miss. Galavan going once! Going Twice! Going Three ti-!”

 “$50,000,000!” Bruce was almost certain he or Brooke were going to pass out as they felt the air pressure drop at an unprecedented number, even for a pair of Omegas. He looked out into the audience and saw that many had mentally withdrawn from the battle, and felt his heart sink as he knew not even Barbara and Tabitha would go against such a bid.

 “We now have $50,000,000 to Mr. Theo Galavan! That is a new record! Thank you, Mr. Galavan! Do I have anymore bids? Sirs? Ladies? Well, then that is $50,000,000 to Mr. Theo Galavan, going once!” Bruce prayed anyone would outbid Galavan; he would gladly cover the difference if at least his sister was safe, but none raised their hands.

 “Going twice!” Bruce felt Brooke clutch his shoulder as her own shook with the realization that no one was going to outbid their worst nightmare.

 “Going three times!” Bruce saw Galavan smirk as his dream of destroying the Wayne legacy was about to come to fruition.

 “So-”

 “$98,316,010.99!” Everyone was stunned and swirled their heads, trying to figure out who had placed such an outlandish (and rather peculiar) bid, only to see a man decked out in a tight leather outfit and completely bald; he didn’t even have eyebrows, but all knew who this man was. Victor Zsasz, one of, if not the most, Gotham’s most deadly assassins, the Penguin’s bodyguard and enforcer; a man not to be trifled with under any circumstances.

 “S-sir?” The announcer, who before had been annoyingly enthusiastic about selling off young men and women, was now very scared as the assassin actually walked up on stage with two of his Zsaszette’s as others referred to them, both of whom smiled gently at the frightened Omegas.

 “That, is a joint bid from my boss, Oswald Cobblepot, Jervis Tetch, Victor Fries, Jim Gordon, Alfred Pennyworth, and the Valeska twins, Jerome and Jeremiah. They couldn’t decide which one they wanted, so they pooled their resources for the pair of them.” Zsasz explained before he took a good look at the twins and asked,

 “Do either of you feel comfortable wearing that?” Bruce shook his head as Brooke whispered,

 “No, Mr. Zsasz.”

 “OK, we got some clothes in the car you can change into before we leave, make you look less like a pair of hookers and more like a pair of wealthy brats. Unless, of course, someone wishes to bid against the seven most dangerous men in the city?” Zsasz looked out toward the crowd, making eye contact with Galavan in particular, who actually looked to be gearing up to try and outbid the psychopath, when the announcer said,

 “Going once, going twice, going thrice, sold! Sold to -”

 “Just call them the Legion of Horribles; it’s quite the mouthful otherwise.” Zsasz said as he and his girls checked the pair for any bruising or scars, and somewhat surprised to see a few here and there, but they weren’t abuse scars; these were battle scars.

 “Sold to the Legion of Horribles! They just have to do one final check-up and then you can pick them up at the side entrance.”

 “Most valuable darlings in the world, and you make them sound like a pair of cheap hookers, nice.” One of the Zsaszette’s complained before the pair were escorted off the stage.

Please tell me what you think of it so far, as there’s a lot more to come!

[oreoambitions]

A companion to this piece for @liapetros and @jellybabykid

Lena is still standing over Lex with a smoking gun in her hand when she calls Jess. Her brother's blood is seeping across the floor, and her best friend is a liar, and she doesn't know what else to do. So when  Jess picks up the phone, she says, "Lex is dead. I shot him."

And Jess replies, "Don't worry, Ms. Luthor. I'm on my way."

Lena isn't sure what compels her to add, "Kara Danvers is Supergirl."

There's a long silence on the line. Lena can hear the vague background noise of Jess getting ready to come to her rescue. "I know," Jess says at last. "She didn't tell me; it was the way she looks at you that gave it away."

Lena hangs up . The room feels empty and crowded all at once, and she's just committed a crime, and she's just said goodbye to her brother for the last time, and there's been so much betrayal, and she feels like she can't breathe. She cries and she hates herself for it. She doesn't even know which part of it all she's crying about.

She's barely made it back to her apartment when Alex calls. She looks at the cellphone ringing on the kitchen counter and she considers turning the ringer off - honestly, fuck anyone with the last name 'Danvers' right now - but she thinks better of it. Maybe Kara's been hurt. Maybe she needs help. There is nothing, not even a betrayal like this, that will keep Lena from coming to Kara's aid when it really matters. Not a damn thing. She lets the phone go to voice mail anyway, and she pours the drink she's been too upset to touch down the sink before she calls Alex back.

Alex does need help, but not with Kara. She leads Lena down into the basement of the DEO, deeper than Lena has ever been before, to a medbay Lena has never seen. It makes her wonder what other secrets the DEO might have been keeping all this time. The figure on the bed is so still that Lena might have thought she were dead if it weren't for the rasping sound of her breathing, shallow and fast, and the sickly green light flickering through her veins. Lena looks at Red Daughter and sees Kara and almost cries out in spite of herself. Not Kara, she tells herself. Not Kara, not Kara, not Kara.

"Red Daughter," she says out loud. She still has to swallow down the tears that are threatening an encore but here, trembling in the doorway of a top secret government medical facility, is not the place. And this is not the time.

"She's not getting better," Alex says.

"Kryptonite poisoning?" Not that Lena really needs to ask. She pulls a box from her pocket. A suit meant for Supergirl, but then, Supergirl is Kara is Red Daughter in a way, so what does it matter? As the suit unfolds over Red Daughter's body, Lena thinks to herself that in an odd way she is all that's left of Lex. His Kryptonian pet. His legacy.

"How did this happen?"

"Supergirl was down; Lex had a Kryptonite cannon. Red Daughter threw herself in front of the blast."

Lena thinks of Lex's mocking laughter, of gun metal hot in her hand, of the smell of blood. "She's going to live," she says. It's more of a wish than a declaration, but Alex doesn't need to know that. "She'll need a transfusion."

Alex nods. "I'll get Supergirl. Now?"

"Tomorrow. They both need to rest."

Lena sits in that dark room all night holding Red Daughter's hand while the suit filters kryptonite out of her blood bit by bit. Fast enough to keep her alive. Not fast enough to make her better. Only Supergirl can do that, and it chafes at Lena's pride, but there it is. Lex was right about one thing: humanity is only worth so much in the company of gods. Still, here is one god who would be dead now if it weren't for Lena. That's not nothing.

Alex arrives in the morning looking cowed and leading a stonefaced Jess, who has come bearing food, a change of clothes, and Lena's laptop. She tells Lena that she "took care of it" and Lena nods but doesn't bother to answer the unspoken question on Alex's lips. So that's that. Lex is gone and gone and gone. But it's not important now, because Red Daughter is very much alive, and until she's stable that's all that matters. Jess looks at the vitals on the monitor without comment.

"Will that be all, Ms. Luthor?" she asks.

"Can you clear my schedule for the next few days?"

"It's already done."

Thank the fucking Lord for Jess.

Supergirl appears in the doorway later that same morning, perfectly still for once in her life, tears in her eyes, not quite meeting Lena's gaze. She kneels next to Red Daughter's bed and squeezes her arm and whispers something in Krpytonian which Lena isn't sure Red Daughter can even hear through the helmet, let alone understand, but then again, she isn't sure she can't. Then Supergirl rolls up her sleeve and pulls up a chair.

"How long will this take?"

It takes four hours, and it's awful. Kara shudders as the first of the Krpytonite hits her system and Lena wants to look away and she wants to tell Kara that she knows it's her and she can't do either of those things. She watches that eerie green glow creep through Kara's veins and feels sick. What if this doesn't work? What if they both die by Lena's hand?

Red Daughter stirs an hour in, groans, coughs, calls for Alex. Alex shoots Kara a puzzled look but she takes Red Daughter's other hand anyway. "I'm here," she says, and Red Daughter stills. Half an hour later they have to bring in a bed for Kara when she can't hold herself up in the chair anymore. An hour after that Red Daughter's vitals start to improve.

Kara is in the kryptonite suit for three days. So is Red Daughter. Lena spends every waking moment perched on a chair between their beds, ostensibly working, but mostly crying. They're both unconscious most of the time, so it's not like there's anyone but the DEO's security camera to see her moments of weakness. She prays a lot, but she couldn't say who it is she's praying to. God? Rao? The man in the moon? She prays in silence because she's never sure when Kara is and isn't awake. Red Daughter doesn't wake at all.

On the fourth day, Alex moves Supergirl upstairs.

On the fifth day, Sam calls.

"Everyone is talking about what happened," she says. "I keep thinking that I should have been there to help." And then, "I crushed the handle on the car door today. I wasn't even mad, I was just trying to open it. I told Ruby it was a hit and run but she's not stupid; she's going to figure this out."

Lena listens to Red Daughter's rhythmic breathing and considers telling Sam that there's another Kryptonian in the world. Instead she says, "You're going to be okay. Did you enroll in that meditation class you were talking about?"

On the sixth day, Red Daughter wakes up.

It's the sixth night, really. They've finally taken Red Daughter out of her kryptonite suit and have brought in the sun lamps. Lena, used to sleeping in a dark room, is tossing and turning on Kara's vacated hospital bed but too stubborn to leave. What if something happens in the night? What if Red Daughter gets worse and Lena isn't there to help?

So she's on her feet in an instant when she hears whimpering from across the room, and she's already there to gently push Red Daughter back against the bed when she starts to thrash against the wires and the needles connected to her body. Two blue eyes meet hers, and the struggling stops.

"Can you tell me your name?" Lena asks. She tells herself she's asking because she wants to better understand the mental state of the patient. In truth she just wants to avoid another secret.

"Alex?"

"She went home for the night, but she'll be here to see you in the morning." Probably Alex would be here in half an hour tops if Lena were to call her right now, but Lena doesn't see the point.

"No," Red Daughter says. "Alex. Your brother."

Lena takes a breath to speak, but no words come out. Red Daughter's gaze is flickering back and forth between her eyes, and one hand has found Lena's.

"He's dead," Lena manages at last. And then, because the avoidance of secrets goes both ways, she adds, "I killed him. After his fight with Supergirl."

Surprise, grief, anger, and relief cross Red Daughter's face in succession. All she says is, "Good. And Supergirl?"

"She's okay. She was here a couple of days ago. Gave her blood to save your life."

"Then we are even."

"I suppose you are."

They stare at one another. Lena is suddenly aware of how close she is, one hand still on Red Daughter's shoulder, the other in her grasp, their thighs touching where Lena is perched on the edge of the bed. The sun lamps are too warm for her comfort.

"Can you tell me your name?" Lena asks again.

Another succession of feelings: confusion, grief, anger, sadness. "Alex called me Linda."

"Do you want me to call you something else?"

"I don't have anything else."

The first time Linda tries to walk, she falls down and then sits on the floor crying. When she finally pulls herself together, it's to ask how long she has until she has to leave.

Lena and Alex look at one another and then at Linda.

"What do you mean, leave?" Alex asks.

"If I don't have my powers, I'm worthless to you."

Lena has to get out of the room because otherwise she's going to lose her temper in front of Linda, and Linda will think it's her fault and not Lex's. She paces in the hallway with her hands balled into fists so tight her muscles twitch, and then she puts her head up against the wall and she lets out a long frustrated growl.

"I think we should move her upstairs," she tells Alex. "I think it will be good for her to see people."

When Linda can finally walk on her own again, Alex agrees.

Lena goes back to work. Kara texts once in a while, but Lena doesn't answer often or at length and Supergirl doesn't stop by. Lena wonders whether Kara knows that she knows, or whether she's just picking up on the unspoken tension. She tells Kara that she's just so busy with work that she can't spare the time to hang out, but of course Kara is aware that she's spending every free minute with Linda. Lena justifies it by telling herself that Linda doesn't really have anyone else.

Linda says she misses reading, and so Lena begins to bring her books. A trickle at first, but she goes through them so fast that by the end of the week Lena is bringing her a stack every day. History and romance, biology and social theory. It takes her two days to finish all seven volumes of Harry Potter. She does His Dark Materials in an afternoon. Alex gives her a copy of Bridge to Terabithia; Lena bans her from providing books after that.

Ruby is suspended for shattering another student's rib cage. She swears it was an accident; she doesn't know how it happened. Her school enrolls her in anger management classes, and Ruby says she doesn't need them but she can't say it without getting angry, and so the classes stay. Sam is inconsolable over the phone.

"She doesn't know what's happening to her," she says. "I don't even know what's happening to her."

Lena wants to say, It's the same thing that's happening to you. Instead she says, "Have you considered talking to Supergirl about it?"

Sam says, "I'm sorry Lena, I have to go."

Linda starts attending physical fitness classes in the gym with the DEO recruits. She doesn't speak to them, and they don't speak to her, but Lena hopes it's good for everyone involved. Once in a while Supergirl lingers in the doorway, watching Linda's progress, but she makes the human recruits too nervous to visit with any frequency. When Linda is in the medbay, she doesn't visit at all.

And then one day Lena gets a text message from Alex: Linda left in the middle of class. She seemed upset. Lena walks out in the middle of a meeting and trusts that Jess will make it somehow okay.

She finds Linda leaning against the wall in the medbay bathroom. Her tears have dried, but her eyes are still puffy and red, and she's still wringing her hands. She looks at Lena warily, as though she expects to be in trouble. Lena supposes that if Lex were here, she would be.

"They said I wasn't real," Linda whispers. "I'm just a copy. And it's- It's true, isn't it? I'm nothing. I'm never going to fly again. On the ground, I can’t even keep up."

Lena feels something old and painful inside of her shift. It feels like childhood, and not in a sunshine and butterflies kind of way. It feels like cowering under Lilian's gaze. It feels like Lex throwing her work in the dirt. You'll have to do better than that if you ever want to be a real Luthor.

Lena reaches out a tentative hand to stroke Linda's cheek, and when she doesn't pull away, she brings the second hand up to cup her chin.

"You feel real to me," Lena says.

Maybe it shouldn't be a surprise when Linda kisses her, but it is. She steps into Lena's space and before Lena can register that she should perhaps step away Linda's mouth is on hers and it's... good. Linda tastes like sweat and tears and something Lena can't define. She brushes her tongue over Linda's bottom lip and her breath hitches when Linda moans and slips an arm around her waist.

It's like that cliche: it feels like a puzzle piece slipping into place. Only Lena knows the edges don't quite line up, and the colors aren't right, and she's only going to make more work for herself in the long run if she leaves this piece here, this imperfect fit. She knows it when Linda deepens the kiss and Lena has to keep from gasping Kara's name into her mouth. She knows it, but she doesn't walk away.

Sam agrees to come to National City. "I can't take this anymore. I have to do something."

Lena promises to talk to Supergirl for her, and it's probably the most uncomfortable promise she's ever made. "Next week?"

"The week after; we have a thing with Ruby's school next week. Will that work?"

"I'll make it happen."

Lena opens a blank message to Kara's personal phone and considers asking her right then and there if she would be willing to talk Sam through understanding and controlling her powers. But that would mean admitting that she knows who Kara is, and it would be a petty way to break the ice, and Lena has marks on her neck from last night when Linda discovered that she could make Lena squirm by sucking just so, and all of this is just wrong. She closes the messaging app.

Two days later she falls down the stairs in the DEO. It's these damn heels. A Luthor should be allowed to wear practical shoes. She steps just wrong and falls backwards, has only an instant to acknowledge that she's probably about to break her neck when Linda catches her.

"You have to be careful," Linda admonishes.

Lena laughs. She laughs because Linda was at the bottom of the stairs talking with Alex when she fell. She laughs because there's no way Linda could have gotten to her in time.

"Congratulations," Alex says, patting Linda's shoulder as she walks by. "You've just graduated from medbay."

They agree that even though Linda is recovering her powers, she should stay in the DEO, at least for the time being. The night she moves into her new room she asks if Lena will stay with her. Lena agrees without hesitation. They share a bed for the first time, but they've agreed in advance not to go any further than that. Linda's arms are so gentle around Lena in the night, her fingers absently rubbing circles across Lena's hip, her breath hot on the back of Lena's neck, and the whole thing is driving Lena absolutely mad. She has that wrong-piece feeling when she turns to kiss Linda's mouth.

"Are you ready to fly tomorrow?" she asks, mostly to distract herself from the heat pooling between her legs and from the thought of Kara holding her like this, pressing kisses to her jaw, slipping a thumb under the waistband of her shorts.

"I'm ready if that's what you need me to be," Linda replies.

"I don't need you to be anything," she says.

Linda smiles at her sadly in the half light. "Of course you do," she says. "You need me to be her."

Lena doesn't ask who 'her' is. She doesn't have to.

[c-optimistic]

pain

or, lena doesn’t feel her soulmate’s pain so she assumes she doesn’t have one at all

She comes to the conclusion that she doesn’t have a soulmate when she’s eight years old.

The other children at her foster home are so busy rubbing elbows they haven’t knocked, nursing bruises they don’t have on their skin, wincing at toothaches that aren’t their own, that they don’t notice Lena’s inability to relate to them—don’t notice as she draws herself further and further away from discussions about ‘how do you think my soulmate broke their arm?’ They don’t notice and Lena doesn’t care because this is good, this is better. If having a soulmate meant tolerating their pain as your own…well, she doesn’t think she deserves more pain in her life, she’s quite good as is.

(She’s never felt her soulmate’s pain—she’s never experienced a phantom stubbed toe, a ghostly pain in her head, the whip-like crack of a broken bone and the flare of pain that immediately follows. She’s never had to feel her soulmate’s skinned knees or bumped heads or even silly paper cuts and she knows it’s not because her soulmate is unnaturally careful—she knows because pain is a normal part of life—but because her soulmate doesn’t exist at all.)

When she turns nine years old, she whispers her secret to her foster mother—a kind, bustling old woman who isn’t perfect but at least triesto be—and is wrapped up in a rare hug. “You’re right to be happy about it, Lena dear,” her foster mother says as she pulls away and searches for the rather pitiful lone cupcake she bought to celebrate Lena’s birthday. “The day George died…well, I think it’s better to never have to deal with that.” When she turns back to Lena, her smile is wobbly and her eyes are wet and Lena has enough sense not to mention her foster father and how his absence is felt in every nook and cranny of that old house. “Yes,” her foster mother continues sadly, “yes. Better not to have a soulmate at all than to lose him.”

“Do you think it’s because I’mnot worth loving?” Lena asks, her voice barely above a whisper. But upstairs one of the boys lets out a loud groan as his accident-prone soulmate breaks another bone, and Lena’s question goes unanswered, her foster mother rushing off to comfort the others.

She picks up the pitiful cupcake, murmurs ‘happy birthday’ under her breath, and decides she’ll never think about this topic again.

x

She’s ten years old when the Luthors adopt her.

Lex—tall, handsome, and regal even at fourteen—tells her that the rumors are true. The adoption isa ploy to win back public favor after Lionel Luthor was ‘less than discrete.’ Lex tells her that she shouldn’t expect affection from Lillian, shouldn’t expect attention from Lionel, but that she could always—always—expect Lex to be by her side, to have her back, to be her pillar.

He tells her that she’s not his sister in blood, but she’s as good as, and he won’t allow her to fall to the wayside—won’t allow her to turn into another one of his parents’ neglected pet projects.  

And she doesn’t. Lex’s doting and careful attention to the silliest things—like how her day has gone—makes Lionel more interested in her. Soon enough, she finds herself sitting with her adoptive father in his study, enveloped in the smell of tobacco and whiskey, lulled to sleep by the sound of Lionel’s voice as he conducts business, woken up hours later by Lionel’s gentle hand on her shoulder, his eyes kind and soft. Lillian, too, takes Lex’s lead, and she takes Lena out with her, introduces her to her friend’s with a wide smile (too wide perhaps to be sincere) and a cheerful, “This is my daughter, Lena.”

(It’s enough to sometimes make Lena forget—forget that it’s not real, forget that save for Lex she doesn’t have a family, forget that she sees Lillian massage her hands and complain of arthritis though she hasn’t worked with her hands in her entire life, that she sees Lionel rub his chest where she swears she’s heard him say his soulmate had surgery, that she sees Lex close his eyes because of a headache that isn’t rightly his.

It’s enough to make her forget that she’s terribly alone—that even in a world where everyone has a soulmate, somehow she has fallen to the wayside, despite all the promises Lex has made.)

x

She’s fourteen when she receives a letter from her foster mother’s granddaughter.

It’s short, consisting of a few lines informing Lena that Geraldine has passed away in her sleep, that the photo sent along with the letter was among her things and everyone thought it was best to send it to Lena.

It’s worn and slightly faded, looking far older than it actually is, but in the picture, Lena is smiling and holding a pitiful looking cupcake and her foster mother has thrown an arm around her shoulders, her attention on something out of shot—perhaps one of the boys had just cursed or someone had asked her a question, Lena doesn’t remember. Somehow the photo makes something deep in Lena’s chest twist, but when she makes to shove it back in the envelope and hide it in a drawer so that she’ll never have to look at it again, she notices that on the back of the photo, in Geraldine’s careful handwriting, there are three short words: I was wrong.

(Lena, much more alone now that Lex has gone off to college and the novelty of her presence has faded, leaving her forgotten in the eyes of Lionel and Lillian, does not cry at the news of her former foster mother’s death nor does she contemplate what Geraldine could’ve been wrong about.

She just plasters on a smile and gets ready for school, not mentioning the letter or its contents again.)

x

She’s sixteen the day she feels her soulmate’s pain for the first time.

For the most part, she thinks she’s just lucky that it happens while she’s at home, at a time that Lex is visiting (home for the holidays none of the Luthors even bother to celebrate), the two of them huddled together on the couch watching Star Wars. She’s lucky because she thinks if Lex hadn’t been there to rub soothing circles into her back, allowing her to bury her face into his shoulder and clutch at his shirt, she wouldn’t have survived the experience.

Her soulmate’s pain is not physical.

It’s wave after wave of sorrow and loss, an ache so deep that it settles into the bones and burrows right into the chest. It’s heavy and dark, leaving her gasping for air and hoping for a respite and wondering what could possibly have happened to leave her soulmate feeling so terrifyingly broken, so horrendously alone.

Lena clutches at Lex and feels her heart break for this stranger she believed didn’t exist, this stranger who is struggling to shove the sorrow down and away, who is frantically attempting to keep their head above water, who is being torn apart with each breath. Lena holds onto her brother and she hopes that her stranger finds someone soft and warm and full of love to give to take away some of that loneliness, someone to carry some of that heavy sorrow.

Lena is sixteen the day she discovers the universe had not forgotten about her, that her soulmate is out there.

Lena is sixteen the day she wishes she could’ve stayed in the dark—willing to feel unworthy of love for her entire life—if only to spare her soulmate all of that terrible pain.

x

(Over the next few years that pain and loneliness and sorrow that takes up residence in her chest never really goes away. It is the only indication that her soulmate is still out there, still suffering, but getting better about hiding it—at pushing the pain away, shoving it deep in the bones where it lies in wait for a weak moment to strike.

And Lena finds herself taking extra care in everything she does—stepping carefully over cracks so as not to trip, avoiding alcohol to prevent the inevitable hangover, taking her time as she makes herself dinner to avoid burning herself, slowly turning the pages of her books and papers to limit the number of paper cuts—lest she cause her soulmate more undeserved pain.)

x

Sometimes she finds herself blaming her faceless soulmate for missing all of the warning signs.

Lex—her adoring, kind, decentolder brother—falls into madness slowly, the descent years in the making, the resulting crash-landing leaving all those around him bearing collateral scars. Looking back, she thinks it may have started with Lionel’s death.

She and her adoptive father were never particularly close, but after Lex goes off ‘looking to save the world,’ Lionel spends more time with Lena. He takes to having lunch with her when she’s in-between classes, asks her about her professors, chuckles as he debates her newest ideas with her. When she graduates, rather than send her off to work for Lex as initially planned, Lionel gives her a job at LuthorCorp, has her come to every single board meeting, watching her carefully as he assigns her more and more responsibility, clearly waiting to see if she would buckle under the pressure.

But she doesn’t.

Instead, she flourishes, somehow managing to keep up with grad work while spending so much time at LuthorCorp. Lionel beams with pride one evening, telling Lillian that Lena was bornto become CEO. He regales his wife with stories from board meetings, stories of how Lena managed to cow those ‘ridiculous, power hungry men’ into backing down with nothing but pursed lips and a raised eyebrow, how she’s brilliant, keeping up with his most illustrious scientists. He chuckles as he expresses how utterly sure he is that no one is quite suited for running LuthorCorp like Lena.

(What he doesn’t say—mostly because he doesn’t know—is that through it all, Lena worries about her stranger. She worries not because the sorrow and pain of loss has dulled to an ever-present throb, annoying but not overwhelming as it once was, but because she feels nothing else. There are no headaches, no broken bones, no bruises, no soreness—there’s nothing. And Lena doesn’t understand, she doesn’t understand how anyone can go through life so perfectly painless. Even she, with all her caution and all her attention, bites her lip a little too hard sometimes, drawing blood. Even she, despite all her efforts, bumps into her desk, gets headaches from a lack of sleep, and groans when she comes down with a particularly bad case of the flu.

What Lionel doesn’t say—because he absolutely does not know, could not know because she has never let this admission slip past her lips, never allowed the words to take shape—is that through it all, as brilliant as she might seem, deep down she worries that the dull throb of sorrow and loneliness she feels is not her soulmate’s pain, but her own.)

She is twenty-four the day Lionel Luthor passes away, the day she finds him slumped behind his desk, head tilted back against his chair, hand still reaching towards a glass of whiskey. She is twenty-four when Lex returns home, shaking with unshed tears and the sudden weight pressing on his shoulders now that everything has been passed to him. She is twenty-four the day she mistakes the bristle of anger, every word and gesture feeling sharp and intended to cut, for the pain of sorrow.

x

She’s celebrating her twenty-fifth birthday with coworkers the first time Lex’s madness becomes apparent to the rest of the world—the first time those cracks caused by Lionel’s death begin to grow and crumble.

One of the scientists is mid-toast, praising Lena’s most recent work and the generous funding LuthorCorp is providing for their research, when the bartender increases the volume of one of the televisions at a customer’s behest. The segment, as usual, seems to be about Superman, and Lena begins to tune out until she hears the name Luthor come up again and again.

“…sources claim that Lex Luthor, of LuthorCorp, has been developing anti-alien technology and—” The newscaster cuts himself off as the camera, which had been following Superman from a distance, suddenly pans over to the right, focusing on the figure approaching.

(It’s an image that sears itself into Lena’s mind, an image she can’t escape from that day forward: Lex, her friend, her brother, her pillar, strolling casually down the street, a bright green jewel in his hand, a wide, maniacal smile on his face.)

(She twists her ankle in her haste to get out of that bar, to escape the eyes on her, and for the first time since she was sixteen, she doesn’t spare her soulmate a thought at all.)

x

She’s twenty-seven when physical pain begins to accompany the familiar ache of sorrow in her chest.

She’s in her office, going through paper after paper that her lawyers brought her, the board having asked her to step in and bring s stop to Lex’s wasteful spending—“He’s going to ruin himself, Miss Luthor,” the executive vice president tells her, “and he’ll drag your family’s company down with him”—when she feels it.

It’s punches and kicks, bruising and achiness, and though it doesn’t last long—though it dulls almost immediately and feels as though she imagined it all just seconds later—it’s enough to make her cancel all her appointments for the day, go home, and fall into bed, drawing her knees up to her chest and burrowing her nose into her pillow.

(The physical pain becomes more of a regular thing from that moment on. Some days she wakes up feeling as though she’s just fallen from incredible heights, others she feels as if she’s gone toe to toe with someone eight times her size. On one memorable occasion, she feels the dull ache of the flu as well as a broken arm, though both only seem to last for about a day.

She goes from believing she didn’t have a soulmate, to hoping to protect them from pain, to wishing the stranger would bother to take more care. She’s tired of waking up with bruises and aches, tired of having them disappear over the course of a few hours, which doesn’t seem humanly possible. Mostly, Lena’s just tired, and she wonders if Geraldine was right after all: perhaps soulmates weren’t worth the pain.)

x

She’s twenty-eight when Lex kills those innocent people in his latest effort to ‘defeat Superman.’ Twenty-eight when she watches the coverage of his trial from the safety of her apartment. Twenty-eight when the name she was proud to call her own becomes tainted and synonymous with evil and she packs up all her things and decides she needs a new start.

x

Contrary to what Jess believes, it isn’t that she dislikes National City, even if that’s what her grimaces and impatience might suggest. It’s just that…well, it’s sunnierthan she’s used to, a sort of cheerfulness and gaiety saturating the very air she breathes even if she doesn’t share the same sentiments. But she has to admit, even if it’s something she ensures she never actually voices, for the most part, she actually rather likes the stark difference between Metropolis and National City.

For one, while National City is not her home, it has potential to become so. After all, her picture isn’t plastered on every newsstand here thanks to an absence of the Daily Planet’s efforts to consistently drag the Luthor name through mud, meaning that she enjoys a certain degree of anonymity.

For another, Lillian Luthor isn’t in National City. That in and of itself is enough to make a heaven of any hell.

But the most important difference between Metropolis and National City, the one difference that cements the latter’s place as somewhere she could consider her home, is that fact that Metropolis does not have a Kara Danvers.

And Lena is quite taken by Kara Danvers.

She doesn’t know what it is about the reporter that so draws her in. (It’s her smile, her laugh, her passion and determination to do what’s right. It’s her belief in the good of people, even of people the rest of the world has already written off as villainous.) All she knows is that she trusts Kara Danvers in a way she hasn’t allowed herself to trust anyone else—after all, look at what happened to her pillar, the regal fourteen year old who swore to always have her back.

(Lena has grown up believing that she does not deserve love, that the universe’s choice as her soulmate—a stranger whose experience with pain is unnatural at best—is ultimately a sign. And who could forget that the one person who did love her was driven to madness.

But Kara Danvers dares her to hope. And that danger, the fact that Lena desperately wants to give in, is what makes Kara Danvers so frightening.)

Lena is quite taken by Kara Danvers and National City doesn’t seem so bad.

x

It takes her an embarrassingly long time to connect the dots.

In her defense, rebuilding a company Lex nearly ran to the ground with his tunnel vision and hatred is much more difficult than she had anticipated. The alien detection device was supposed to be her trump card—it was supposed to guarantee her company’s financial security. She doesn’t quite expect Kara’s words to hit so close to home, doesn’t expect her mother (adoptivemother, she reminds herself) to be the leader of the anti-alien terrorist organization, doesn’t plan to have her last name dragged through the mud yet again.

She’s understandably distracted and busy, frantically attempting to keep her company from falling apart, all the while wondering if the effort was even worth it anymore. She doesn’t think she can be blamed for not noticing the signs.

(Not the signs that Kara is Supergirl—no, that one is terribly obvious, Lena would have seen through Kara’s dreadful lying in her sleep. Sometimes Lena wonders if Kara actually makes any effort to hide it in the first place—“I flew here on a bus,” honestly.

No, she’s referring to the signs that blatantly state that Kara/Supergirl is her soulmate. Something she should have noticed probably that fateful night in her own lobby, when she watched Supergirl get tossed into the L-Corp sign—ironic, really—and she felt the surge of pain in her own body.)

She finally realizes the truth several weeks later. It’s nearing two in the morning, and she’s still at her desk, flitting through papers and downing her second glass of wine. Since discovering Lillian was behind CADMUS (an unfortunate discovery which still makes her shudder, both at the knowledge that her adoptive mother is so twisted and the fact that Kara/Supergirl has so much faith in her), Lena’s spent every waking moment raking through every single report coming in and out of L-Corp, needing to make sure her mother hasn’t soiled the company with her hate. Her laptop is open, streaming a local news broadcast with the volume turned way down, and it’s only by luck (or fate, if she believed in that sort of thing) that she looks up.

And there, on the screen, is an image of Supergirl facing off with what looks to be a human with bright red eyes. The camera shakes a little and Lena abandons her work in favor of turning up the volume, eyes fixated on her laptop. Kara says something, but the human with the red eyes doesn’t seem to care, and with a resounding kick, he knocks Supergirl straight into a wall.

And Lena’s back blossoms with pain.

Nothing much escapes her other than a soft ‘oh,’ unable to move as she watches Kara stagger to her feet, shaking off the impact easily (Lena barely registers that she no longer feels the pain, gone as soon as it came) and shooting forward.

The camera feed gets cut off at that point, returning to the news anchor who swears that they’ll get an update as soon as they can about Supergirl’s faceoff with this newest threat, but Lena’s not listening.

She’s just wondering what Lex would say if he found out that his sister’s soulmate is none other than his worst enemy’s cousin.

(She laughs as she pours herself another glass of wine.)

x

“Are you planning on telling her?” Alex asks suddenly, pulling Lena’s hand away from where she’s rubbing her side (she thinks Kara might’ve broken a rib after blowing out her powers earlier in the week), her eyes narrowed in annoyance.

“Tell who what?” Lena asks, gently tugging her hand out of Alex’s grasp and busying herself with searching for a clean glass. With a huff, Alex reaches up and grabs one for her, rolling her eyes when she notices Lena’s slight wince of pain when Kara jostles her injury as she attempts to steal back the television remote from Winn.

“Don’t insult my intelligence, Luthor,” Alex says, making Lena chuckle. Their friendship (if it could be called that) took time to grow, mostly nurtured by Kara’s constant attempts to get them to spend time together, her determination to ensure everyone got along. And while Alex’s penchant for using Lena’s last name had been a…well, a sore point between them initially, it’s since turned into something of a teasing nature—something resembling an easy camaraderie that Lena’s never actually had before. “You’re being stubborn and it’s…tiring.”

Then again, Lena thinks, perhaps she still needs some time to get used to Alex’s blunt manner.

“I don’t know what I’m being stubborn about, you’ll have to elaborate.”

Alex’s mouth opens and closes several times before she rolls her eyes and places her hands on her hips—a gesture so lovingly mimicked by her sister when she wants to look tough or imposing. Lena thinks it’s adorable. “Are you going to tell Kara you’re her soulmate or not? Because this is getting painful to watch.”

It’s Lena’s turn to be speechless, turning away from Alex’s pointed glare directed at Lena’s rib, where she feels a throb she’s sure Kara feels ten-fold. She hopes Kara will get her powers back soon, for both their sakes. “I’m not ready yet.”

“What do you mean you’re not ready? You’re soulmates.”

“It’s more complicated than that—”

“—what’s complicated about—”

“—and it’s best to just…keep quiet. For now,” Lena says, ignoring Alex’s interruption. “I’m happy to have Kara in my life as a friend.” She is, she’s undeniably overjoyed. From their weekly lunches, to the nights she spends with Kara and her friends playing board games, to the first (and hopefully many more to come) Christmas they spent together, being Kara’s friend has been…warm, safe, strong. And she doesn’t trust the universe enough to ask for anything more than that.

“What do you think will happen if you tell her? That she’ll stop being your friend?” Lena’s silence is answer enough apparently, because Alex’s expression softens, and she reaches out to squeeze Lena’s elbow, just tightly enough to ensure Lena understands the gesture, the silent promise. “She’ll figure it out on her own. And then you’ll regret not telling her sooner, sparing yourself all the…whatever you’re doing.”

“You’re not going to tell her?”

“No,” Alex grins, “I’d hate to steal your thunder, Luthor.”

x

Kara gets her powers back the next day while Lena’s busy telling Maggie that the latest threats from her brother aren’t credible or important. Later, Kara refuses to tell Lena what triggered the adrenalin response that ensured her powers returned.

x

Lena Luthor is twenty-nine the first time she believes she might deserve love after all.

(The universe, it turns out, isn’t as crazy as she first thought—isn’t out to get her like she’d convinced herself all those years.)

This change of heart is thanks to Kara Danvers (or, of course, Supergirl). It’s because of the way she smiles, the way she laughs, the way her eyes widen when Lena bumps into her desk while circling around it to pull Kara into a hug after she talks about Krypton and her family for the first time, both of them feeling the pain of the hard desk and the pain of sorrow and loss at once. It’s the way Kara doesn’t run away like Lena had feared, but instead smiles wider and says softly, “I’d hoped it would be you,” words Lena thinks she should tattoo onto her skin, etch into every crevice of her ribcage, surrounding that familiar ache of loss Kara—and Lena—carry around, a burden that feels manageable now that they’re together.  

(She’s twenty-nine and when Kara kisses her for the first time she understands why Geraldine said she was wrong, understands the preoccupation with soulmates and belonging, understands why there were clichés about love being worth the pain.

She’s twenty-nine and Kara is soft, she’s warm, and it’s as if it’s one mad cosmic joke that her soulmate had to travel thousands of light years just to make it on the same planet as her. She doesn’t know what the odds are, doesn’t care, because it’s all she can do to remain on her feet, all she can do to not pinch herself and reassure herself that this isn’t all a dream.)

Lena is twenty-nine when she presses her forehead against Kara’s, eyes still closed, chest still heaving, and says, “I would’ve waited forever for you. You’re more than worth it.”

[queerbutstillhere]

Hiya!! Wow u still doing amazing prompts? How about a soulmate AU for Jondami? Where Kyptonians feel a "click" once they meet their soulmate and that even if they date someone else they can feel as much love that the feel for their mate.

(Hi! Sorry it took this long! I hope you get to see this! And I hope it is good!)

When he was young, his dad explained it to him. Told him how they, as Kryptonian's would often have "soulmates". Said he wasn't sure if Jon would experience this, since he was only half kryptonian, but it was best to just be prepared.

He explained how there was this click. Why everything seemed off and disfunctional, how it felt like everything was just shifted to the left a bit. Why Jon felt odd, like the world was buzzing at such a low decible that he could just barely hear it. And he told Jon that this may stop one day, or he would just stop noticing it.

It was this way because of their soulmates. And once he met his soulmate, things would just click. Everything would be normal and right again. He would feel the shift. So he needed to pay attention if that happened, watch who he had been with. Clark explained that he could still fall in love with people other then his soulmate, Clark had done it so many times before he met Lois, but it would never quite be as perfect as it would be with his soulmate.

Jon took this very seriously, and from that day as a young child, to an eleven year old when he felt it, he paid great attention to all his interactions.

And then he met Robin.

And his world shifted back into focus.

His meeting with Robin hadn't been fantastic, they had tried to kill each other, multiple times. But Jon couldn't ignore the fact that the first time he touched Robin, he physically felt this snap inside him. A Click. In fact it startled him so much that Robin got the upperhand and would have seriously hurt Jon, had Bruce not stepped in right at that moment.

Jon had been shaken up for days after, and refused to tell his parents why. So they chose to believe Robin had done something to their precious child. And they were furious. But he needed to tell someone, and when his older (yet younger?) brother popped in for his monthly visit, he managed to drag Kon outside.

"Hey, kiddo, what's wrong? You're looking a little green. Been exposed to any kryptonite recently?"

Jon shook his head. He did feel a little sick. They were sat on the roof of the barn, staring out over the cow pastures.

"Jon?" Conner asked, joking tone dropped, now just concerned. "Are you okay? What's wrong? Do you need to go to a doctor? I can take you to dad if you don't want Clark and Lois to know?"

"No! I'm not... I'm not sick. And why is Lex a better option then Dad?!"

"He does care what I do? Also I thought you liked Lex."

Jon didn't respond, wrapping his arms around his knees.

"Kon, did dad explain the soulmates thing to you?"

"Sure did. Why- oh my God, did you? Who is it?! Did you tell them?!"

"Shh!" Jon hissed, glaring at his brother.

Kon immediately sobered, reaching out to wrap an arm around Jon.

"Who is it, Jon? What's the matter?"

"It's... Robin."

Conner blinked at him a few times in confusion.

"The... The demon spawn? Tim's little brother?"

Jon nodded a couple times, pushing his face into his knees.

"... Wow. Okay. That's. Yikes. Didn't he try to kill you?"

Another nod.

Kon gently rubbed his back. "Well. It's okay, Jon. You don't... You're only eleven, you don't have to do anything about it. Maybe- maybe it's best not to tell anyone else? Clark and Lois might-" Kon cut off with a small sigh.

Jon just groaned and pressed his face harder against his legs.

"It's okay," was Kon's comforting mantra as he hugged his small brother for a moment.

And it was.

In the end, Jon practically forgot about it. He grew up, was Damian's partner, became his best friend, hung out with him all through highschool. He almost forgot about the soulmate thing. Except sometimes he'd notice how much sharper his world was when he was with Damian, or how much happier he was around him.

But he fell in love in highschool, had his heart dramatically broken when his girlfriend cheated on him, even spent a whole evening bemoaning his sad life to Damian as they ate vegan ice cream on the roof of the barn, wrapped in fluffy blankets.

He thought he maybe fell for Damian, his senior year of highschool, but Damian was off, traveling abroad, so it was easy to forget, and then he spent his summer after working and barely saw him. And then Jon was off to college, barely saw any of his friends, let alone his best friend who lived in another country at this point, stopped superheroing, just focused solely on college.

It wasn't until his senior year of college that he realized his world had fallen back into disarray, that things were off again.

It wasn't until senior year that he remembered Damian was his soulmate.

He sent Damian a simple text.

-Hey, next time you're in the states, we should hang out. I know it's been a while, but I'd love to catch up!

Two days later, he got a response.

~Hello! Sorry for not responding sooner. I am currently in Gotham, actually, would you like to meet up this weekend?

Well that was easier than anticipated.

-Yeah! Sure, I can come down there if you want? Does Sunday work?

~Yes. You can come for lunch if you wish. It shall be at noon.

-I'll be there :)

So Sunday Jon showered and flew to Gotham, wearing fairly nice clothes. As nice as it got for a college student with an unpaid internship. Okay so it was pretty nice clothes BECAUSE of his internship. He didn't fly much these days, but it wasn't like he forgot how to. He just headed to Gotham and plopped himself on the front step of the manor, taking a moment to sort himself, straighten out the wildly tangled hair, smooth down his burgandy sweater and fix the cuffs of the button down he had on underneath it. And then he rang the doorbell.

It was only a brief wait, and then the door swung open to reveal one of many black haired blue eyed brothers of Damian's. Jon's memory immediately kicked in and reminded him the buff one with the white streak was Jason.

"Hi, Jason!" He said with a grin.

Jason, who had scruff and bags under his eyes and smelled like cigarettes, grunted.

"Welcome back, kid. It's been a while since you've been around."

Jon smiled and shrugged. "Well, I've been busy with school and all that."

Jason shrugged in return and opened the door, letting Jon in

"Do I still need to take my shoes off?" Jon asked, pointing at the pile by the door.

Jason looked at it, then at Jon. "To save the old man's back, we'll say yes. I don't even know anymore."

Jon raised an eyebrow and took off his dress shoes, following Jason further into the house.

"I think Damian's in the kitchen with Alfie."

"Okay. Thanks Jason!"

"Uh-huh."

Jon headed into the kitchen and did indeed find Damian, sleeves rolled up to his elbows as he helped Alfred cook. He looked up as he heard the door open, and his eyes widened slightly. Jon felt the same thing happen to him. Because man had Damian grown up. Of course Jon had seen his social media and seen this, but it was completely different to see him in real life, just a few feet away. He was wearing a green sweater, and black slacks, black dress socks on his feet. His olive skin was dark, darker then Damian had ever been while living in Gotham. His black hair was short on the sides and back, and still the same long, fluffy top.

"Jonathan, hello!" Alfred said cheerfully, the elderly man smiled at him.

"Hey, Alfred."

Damian seemed to snap out of his daze, glancing down at the food he was stirring then back up to Jon.

"Hello," he said with a smile. He set down his spoon and washed his hands quickly.

"Hi."

Damian stepped closer. "Has it been too long to get a hug?"

Jon chuckled and stepped into him, wrapping his arms around Damian and hugging him tightly. Damian's arms slipped around his waist and returned it, his chin on Jon's shoulder.

And there it was again. The click. The settling of his universe. The reminder that things were okay and good and right.

"It's good to see you," Damian murmured gently, his eyes closed.

Jon hummed gently. "Yeah. It's been a while."

He didn't want to let go. He felt safe hugging Damian. He felt warm and happy.

Damian started to pull back so he let go and watched Damian head back and return to stirring his food.

"So watcha cooking?"

"Sauteing asparagus, lunch is almost ready. Grandfather, could you go get the others and then get them seated in the dining room?"

"Sure, my boy," Alfred said with a smile and then headed out, walking a little slower then Jon last remembered.

Damian watched him leave, eyes full of concern. Jon was too busy reeling in the fact that his ears weren't buzzing anymore and that things didn't feel slightly blurry.

"He's not moving as good as he used too," Damian commented softly, and then shook his head a bit.

"Anyway. How are you? How is college?" Damian asked, smiling.

"College is good. Was good. I'm almost done now. I've got an internship at an architectural firm."

"Oh. Nice. You were going for interior design, right? Or was it architecture?"

"Architecture."

"That makes sense...."

Jon chuckled, looking around the kitchen which was still the same.

"So you finally gave up on the glasses?"

"What? Oh yeah. I don't do a lot of superboy stuff anymore so no one really recognized me as him... I plan to change my uniform and add a mask here soon though."

"That's smart."

"Do you, um? Do you still do vigilante stuff?"

"Oh, in Europe? Some, but you'd be surprised at the lack of supervillains over there. But yes, I do some over there."

Jon nodded. "That makes sense."

"Can you grab that pan for me?" Damian pointed at a casserole dish.

"Sure!"

Jon grabbed it and followed him out to the dining room. The rest of the family was there, getting seated, fussing over Alfred. Jon ended up following Damian back into the kitchen and helped him carry out a few more dishes that all looked expertly cooked and foreign. And then they sat down and ate. Dinner was great, the Wayne family had fun catching up with Jon. And then after, Jon and Damian went for a walk around the Manor, enjoying the nice spring weather.

Jon knew he needed to tell Damian but he didn't know how. They just walked and lightly chatted and caught up. Finally they reached the gardens and Jon reached out grabbed Damian's hand, pulling him to sit on a bench.

"I need to tell you something."

"Okay? What's wrong?" Damian asked, concern filling his face.

Damian showed emotions so much more freely know. Jon had known him for over 10 years now, so this was kinda surprising.

"There's this. . . " He sighed.

Then he stood and started pacing.

"Kryptonian's have this thing. . . They have soulmates," he started explaining, not looking at Damian. "We can feel when we meet our soulmates, it's like this click when we first touch them and-"

"Oh," Damian said. "Interesting. Is there any changes after?"

"After? After the click? Yeah, before, things feel off and for me there's like this buzzing noise. After things just felt more clear and like the world is more focused."

"Interesting."

"Damian. Damian there's a reason I'm telling you this," Jon said, turning to him.

"Why-"

"Because the first time I touched you thirteen years ago, I felt that click."

Damian blinked.

"And when I hugged you again today, I felt the click again."

"Oh," Damian said softly.

"Yeah.... I'm sorry for throwing this on you, but I had to tell you. And we can still fall in love, outside of our soulmate, but things will always feel off."

Damian wasn't responding, just nodding slightly. Jon went silent, crossing his muscular arms and watching him cautiously.

"Well."

Jon sighed. "I'm sorry. Should I go? I should go. I'll let you think about it-"

"Jon, wait!" Damian exclaimed, standing.

Jon had already been flying, so he stopped, blinking.

"Thank you, for telling me. And especially thank you for not telling me earlier, when we were younger. I would not have known how to take it and I undoubtedly would have run away from you."

Jon smiled softly, touching back down to the ground.

"And I'm sorry, for being a horrible friend back then."

"It's okay, Damian. You weren't as bad as you seem to think."

Damian just shook his head slightly. He stepped forwards and hugged Jon again.

"Give me a little time to process this, okay? I'm not going to run away."

"Okay."

Jon smiled to himself as he hugged Damian for a minute, as he felt that warmth and safety.

And then he stepped back. "It was good to see you, Damian."

"You too, Jon."

They waved to each other and then Jon took off up into the air, heading back home.

A few days later he got another text from Damian.

~ I think I'm going to be in the states for a while.

- Yeah? That's cool! I'm sure your family will be happy to hear that.

~ yes. They were.

~ Would you like to get dinner sometime? So we can talk.

- That would be amazing.

~ Thursday?

- Sure, around seven? I can come down there if we push it to 7:30.

~ No, I'll come to you, so seven is fine. Send me your address and I'll pick you up. Dress nicely, business casual.

- Okay, I'll see you then :)

Three weeks later, they were dating.

Send me prompts!

[tribeworldarchive]

Worldview on PREGNANCY - Part one.

Over the next two weeks we take a look at pregnancy in the real world and compare it to pregnancy in the world of The Tribe.

There have been four pregnancies in the main cast of The Tribe from series 1-3.

PHOTO 1 - Trudy with new pride and joy - BRADY

Trudy was already pregnant when we first saw her and soon delivered her baby in the Mall with the help of some of the Mall Rats.

Zandra discovered that she was pregnant with Lex's baby but died in the explosion on Eagle Mountain.

Salene suffered a miscarriage after she fell down the stairs.

And now Amber is about to deliver in a barn in the middle of nowhere with the sounds of an ominous airplane overhead.

The first signs

Most women discover that they are 'with child' when they miss their period but this is not always due to pregnancy. It is really important for a woman to see a doctor if she misses a period. Next comes the morning sickness although again, this doesn't always affect every woman. The sickness doesn't just happen in the morning either - some women are quite sick all day long for the first few months of their pregnancy. A suspected pregnancy needs to be confirmed by a doctor. If the woman has done a home pregnancy test she should still consult her doctor. This will help her to make informed decisions as to whether she wants to keep or terminate the baby and to make sure that both she and the baby are monitored closely for health reasons if the pregnancy is to continue.

How is it that a woman can not actually realise that she is pregnant?

There are some girls who have not even started their periods when they become pregnant and so do not notice any difference in their body. That combined with not getting morning sickness might hide the fact that there is actually a baby in there. Sometimes girls who do not know much about the facts of life just don't realise they're pregnant until they're in labour. Even at this stage they might believe that the pains they are experiencing are the result of food poisoning, a strained muscle or a stomach bug.

Phantom pregnancies

Is it a ghost? Is it a spook? No, it's the belief that there is a baby in your belly. Sometimes women desperately want to become pregnant and think about it so much that they convince their bodies that it is actually carrying a baby! Other women have all the characteristics of a pregnancy but there is no baby there. Just a mass of cells which grow and grow and this can be very dangerous indeed. Other 'pregnancies' are ectopic where the fertilised egg starts to grow in the Fallopian tube until it reaches such a size that it bursts and can cause death. These points make it very obvious that if there is ever a change in your body that you need to go and see your GP or your family planning clinic as soon as possible so you know that everything is normal.

Health issues

Pregnant women need to be really careful with their health so as not to harm the baby. Smoking, drinking alcohol and, of course, drug substances travel right through the umbilical cord from the woman straight to the developing foetus. Every year there are too many babies born with deformities caused by the mothers' abuse of these substances and they lead a very painful life, if indeed they live at all. Food is also an issue with pregnant women. Simple things like eggs, soft cheese, paté and seafood need to be avoided because of the risk of food poisoning which could kill the baby.

PHOTO 2 - a very pregnant Amber with Bray, leaving town

Tribal pregnancies

Tribal life must be like going back in time in many ways and the Tribal girls must have found it very hard to be pregnant in this post apocalyptic world. No family support, no pain relief, no doctors, and no ultrasounds or blood tests.

Of course, this is the way that women have given birth since time began but many women and babies have also died in the past due to the lack of medical help.

The Tribal girls would have been hard pushed to find enough healthy food to eat during their pregnancies. Plenty of iron (which is found in red meat and green vegetables) is important so that the mother doesn't develop anaemia, which would leave her feeling very faint and unwell.

Other problems would arise if the mother was diabetic or suffered from high blood pressure. Both these conditions can be fatal if not monitored and treated properly.

PHOTO 3 - Trudy with new born Brady, but feverish already

Trudy suffered terribly after the birth of Brady. She developed a puerperal fever (or childbed fever) which could have been fatal had Dal not been able to find some antibiotics. This fever was actually the biggest killer of women before the Second World War. Trudy then developed postnatal depression and luckily had the help and support of the Mall Rats to get her through this dark time. Some women get so depressed after they give birth that they harm themselves or the baby.

Salene miscarried after falling down the stairs and it was lucky that she recovered well from this. Some women have severe complications after losing a baby and need to have an operation to make sure that the uterus has been cleaned out properly to stop the risk of infection.

Amber lay bleeding in the last episode of Tribe 3 and this can obviously be a very bad sign in childbirth. Hopefully the labour will progress normally and Bray will be able to help with a successful delivery.

A problem the Tribal mothers could encounter after the birth include breastfeeding. Some women develop an infection called mastitis and this needs to be treated quickly with antibiotics. Other women find out that they are just not comfortable or have problems with breast-feeding and so need to bottle feed their babies. And they then need to find formula milk and bottle sterilising equipment. Some babies are allergic to cow's milk and need to have soymilk.

PHOTO 4 - A very proud Daddy - ZOOT holding Brady in his arms

It takes two to tango...

Of course we have to remember that a woman doesn't just become pregnant on her own. The father of the child becomes as involved in the pregnancy, decision making and the upbringing of the child as his morals will allow. Imagine having Zoot as your father! Bray, Ryan and Lex were all happy with the thought of becoming fathers and Bray was very supportive of Trudy during her time of need. In fact Zoot was blown away when he found out that he was a father but we will never know what kind of a daddy he would have made as he was killed soon after this discovery.

Teenage pregnancies

There are many teenage pregnancies all around the world and the Tribal girls were all still teenagers themselves when they discovered that they were pregnant. Some girls find it incredibly hard to make a decision about the best plan of action when they discover they are pregnant. Some decide to terminate their pregnancy but this should never be treated as a form of contraception. Some decide to have their baby adopted. And some decide to battle on and raise the child themselves. Any decision would be a difficult one and should not be made lightly as this is a life in the making. Some girls have great support from friends and family whereas some are not supported at all. Those who become pregnant need all the help and support they can get as well as further education about contraception and safe sex. The Tribal girls were all very lucky to have the help and support of their partners and friends.

Remember...

If you are pregnant and worried about it, please see your GP or go to a Family Planning Clinic as soon as possible. Tell a friend or a teacher at school. But most importantly, tell your parents. This might sound easier than it is but you need the support your parents should offer and they should ultimately respect you for trusting them with the truth. Of course, some parents cannot offer this kind of support and then it is really important that you find somebody else who you trust and can help you through a stressful time. There are support groups throughout the world that have been set up to help pregnant teenagers. Your GP, family planning clinic or school should be able to point you in the right direction.

Other concerns

There are so many sexually transmitted diseases that can be picked up through unprotected sex as well as the HIV virus. Pregnancy is just one concern. What starts off as a bit of harmless fun can develop in to just another unwanted and unloved child in the world or the contraction of a deadly virus. If you are mature enough to have sex, you should be mature enough to realise what the possible consequences of your choice are...and deal with them. There are strict laws in place in most countries about underage sex and the male involved can be arrested and prosecuted for statutory rape.

[adventures-in-a-world-of-fiction]

Virus watch: The Tribe episode 1

Given the current situation with a global pandemic, I decided to rewatch The Tribe and blog my thoughts. It’s going to get pretty long.

The very first line in this show: “Code one: civil priority. Isolation now in effect. To avoid the risk of contamination, please stay indoors and await further instructions.”

The opening of the series is an official announcement to the general population to stay in their homes to avoid the spread of the virus. Yep, this feels very relevant to rewatch.

What’s with the gas cloud? In the flashback, we see Trudy being evacuated and saying goodbye to her parents who say it’s too late for them, then the shot transitions to this gas cloud. Were the adults all poisoned to stop the virus mutating and affecting kids? Is that what we’re meant to take away from this shot?

“We’ve got to at least try. There isn’t much time.” This line makes so much more sense with the knowledge of what’s going to be revealed in a couple of episodes’ time.

And Trudy’s fear of the Locos and going back also makes more sense. This scene is surprisingly good for foreshadowing.

I love the establishing shots of the city. This newspaper in a pile of rubbish. The cow wandering down an empty street.

Cloe looks both ways before crossing the street! This is adorable. We’ve just had a long wide shot establishing the empty street but she still stands on the pavement at one side, looks in both directions, and then starts to cross.

Kitty!

Really nice use of the sirens to increase dramatic tension.

“She’s a stray.”

“Are we talking about the girl or the cat?”

Zoot gets such a good dramatic intro. All the hints about people being scared of the Locos. Amber and Dal hiding from them. The glimpses and sirens. It’s such a good bad guy introduction for a character who’s barely present in the show.

I guess they hadn’t established Lex’s illiteracy in the first episode.

Why did this meeting fall apart so quickly? Zoot’s laughing ‘cause Lex said something silly, but that didn’t mean that the negotiations weren’t going to work. Lex could have laughed it off and continued the discussions about being in their gang. Why did he suddenly decide that the whole thing was a bust, grab the stuff and run?

Zoot only gave the order to get them after Lex whacked him with the bag and started to run. Everything could have been salvaged before then.

Lex, you asshole. This is such a good character-establishing moment. He’ll happily let Glen get caught to help himself get away.

“We have to save ourselves. Glen would have wanted us to.”

“The tribes have got the city. Let them live on tinned food.”

Dal actually had a pretty good point. Why didn’t the whole tribe just pick up and find an abandoned farm?

Lex, you asshole, part 2. “Maybe Glen sacrificed himself deliberately.” You sleazy slimeball.

“I did find something though. Gum!” Aw, Ryan. Find yourself some better friends.

Here’s a thought: maybe try hiding behind something that isn’t full of holes.

Were the Demon Dogs meant to be more of a thing? They get this big, dramatic face off moment with the Locos but they’re never more than a background threat. They never really do much.

Also, I’m now expecting the silver guy to yell “Witness me!” at the start of the fight.

I find this shot so hilarious. You’ve got Lez, Ryan, and Xandra in their really obvious and ineffectual hiding place...

And then the camera pulls back to the Locos and Demon Dogs charging at each other. There’s just something about these few seconds of camera work that I find really funny.

And they have to cut away from the fight half a second later because it’s so obviously fake. These are just a bunch of kids not stunt fighters so it’s incredibly clear that they’re not actually try to hit each other.

And our first shot of the mall!

Why the hell are there so many of these little fires? Random stuff seems to just spontaneously combust in this world, but never in any way that puts the surrounding buildings at risk.

And who is this mysterious figure?

Looks a lot like my local Co-op the last time I went in.

Lex, you asshole, part 1 billion. All you had to do was walk away and not chase a group with scared little kids in it.

“Do you lip read, Paul?”

“He says he prefers to sign.”

Casual introduction of the deaf character.

“Looks like you’re the one not getting away.”

You don’t have a clue what just happened or why the shutters dropped, Amber, but you’re still acting so confident about it.

Another good entrance. This show did a really good job of introducing all the characters. We know Jack’s there because we’ve seen his hands on the levers, but this is his first full appearance, basically calling Lex out on the futility of making threats. It’s a really fun intro to the character.

“Stay here. You’re safe here.” In this random and uncomfortable tunnel that’s actually really exposed if you’re right in the entrance.

Why not just try one of the buildings around? There must be a million empty rooms she could wait in.

“You won’t find a better place to crash than this.”

What’s with the fairy lights? I know they have solar panels to provide some electricity, but there’s got to be a more energy efficient form of lighting.

Why is everyone so excited about sheets and pillows? There’s got to be a million empty houses with perfectly good beds you could use.

“This is your home. For now at least.”

Aw

Random shot of an owl. Why not?

And yet another random fire.

What’s with the random shots like Bray on the helipad in the credits? Did they just shoot and load of random stuff to throw in there to mix the end credit footage up a bit?

The end credit song is really optimistic.

“We can find a way. Together we’ll make it.”

And you get all the shots of them hugging and dancing and stuff. The message is “Yeah, I know this sucks, but we’ll get through it.” That’s a really hopeful and necessary sentiment right now.

“If we’re gonna survive, the dream must stay alive.”

Overall thoughts: I’m actually really impressed with the editing. There were a lot of moments where you would have a scene of the nice characters talking casually but cut away to shots of Lex and co approaching to build up tension, and little things like the shots of Jacks’ hands and feet before he’s introduced that were nicely done.

There were a few bits of wooden child acting, but on the whole it was pretty good.

As an opening episode goes, it’s really effective at introducing the large cast of characters and showing how they interact with each other.