#supergirl tv fan stuffs

[robintheredhood]

I know this isn't a new thought at all, but how many people at CatCo do we think know Kara's secret? I'm not talking about the Nia/James/Cat/Winn people, but random others.

Does Ed the janitor sigh in frustration everytime he finds Kara's clothes ripped off in the middle of the hallway, only to fold them nicely and hide them behind the nearest plant? (Kara still hasn't quite caught on that they aren't landing there naturally when she throws them to the side)

Does Taylor in security casually loop footage and cut out the moments where Kara dramatically displays the House of El symbol?

Does Lindsay from accounting just so happen to sit across from a balcony Supergirl likes to use to fly in and out of, hidden enough that Kara doesnt think twice about what shes doing?

And Eric, from HR. He noticed that Kara's excessively late clock ins and very early clock outs lined up perfectly with Supergirl helping with massive fights and emergencies. He casually reroutes all the automated emails to Kara's bosses that should be reminding them to write her up.

Even bringing it outside of CatCo. Is there young a barista at Noonan's who always slips Kara an extra couple of sticky buns. Because she saw Kara become Supergirl in the alleyway behind the building one time, and Supergirl saved her sister during an alien attack. It's not much, but it's what a girl living off of tips can do, and saving the city must be hungry work.

The young couple living across the street from Kara's loft have seen her fly in the window carrying ridiculous amounts of takeout on so many late nights.

All these people, the normal citizens of National City. Connected by a secret they didn't mean to learn and would never tell, or even confront her about. They're all just content to keep the secret, and if Kara finds doughnuts on her desk after a particularly hard fight, or her favorite sweater that was discarded pre flight dry cleaned and delivered to her door? That'll just be their little way of saying thank you

[fallenrocket]

One of my favorite genres of character is Guy Who's Friends with the Straight Heroine in a Love Triangle or Long-Running Will-They-Won't-They. Someone who's there for her in moments when her love interest(s) struggles to, someone who always has her back and is rooting for her. Someone who treats her fully as the person she is because he has no romantic expectations of her--big fan of that guy.

Finnick with Katniss in The Hunger Games

Birkhoff with Nikita on Nikita

Brainy with Kara on Supergirl (the live-action TV show, anyway--I know they have a long romantic history in the comics and other media)

Sayid with Kate on Lost

Maybe it's the aroace in me talking, but I often prefer these relationships to the ones the heroine has with her love interest(s). To me, they're often less cliched, they give the heroine less grief, and they frequently show the heroine and her friend doing badass and/or fun stuff together. I love it so much!

I love to lap up a good female friendship too! But when straight men and women in stories so often relate to each other purely in terms of their potential for sexual/romantic chemistry, seeing a tight male/female friendship is such a balm to me.

[pcrtifacts]

Fandom creators tag game

1. What sort of content do you create, and what is the thing you’ve made that you’re most proud of?

I write stories. Strictly fanfic only; I don’t think I’m quite brave enough to try writing my own stuff. I’m trying to learn how to draw, but I’m a bit too much of a perfectionist so it’s slow going. I’m quite proud of my first CW Supergirl fanfic, make this place your home. I didn’t think people would like it so much.

2. What fandom(s) do you create for?

I’ve only posted things for CW Supergirl, and it’s just the one story plus a oneshot series for Supercorptober. But I’ve tried my hand at a couple other fandoms, namely Assassin’s Creed and Marvel’s X-23. But those aren’t fully fleshed out, more like writing exercises.

3. What is your current favourite ship (or brotp if you prefer), and how controversial is it?

Supercorp. Not sure if it’s controversial? Doesn’t feel like it.

4. For your answer to question 3, are they canon?

THEY ARE CANON IN MY HEART. Seriously though, they’re not explicitly canon on the TV series itself, but I know they were confirmed in the Batwoman comic by the writer.

5. What was your first fandom, and how old were you?

I know it’s controversial now, but the first fandom I really got obsessed with was Harry Potter. I grew up with those books, so since I was around 10, I guess? I’m not quite brave enough to get into fanfic writing for that fandom though, both because of the controversy and because the people over there can be kind of mean from what I’ve seen in comments. I’m sure it’s not everyone, but the Supercorp fandom has been so nice and I think I’m a bit spoiled.

6. What is your most unhinged fandom creation to date?

I haven’t written a lot, but maybe it’s the Spice Girls oneshot for my Supercorptober series? Or maybe the vigilante prompt for the same series, the one where Kara’s an office lunch thief. Idk.

7. Do you remember what started you off creating fandom content, and if so, what was it?

I first started watching Supergirl when it first started, but I fell out of it after S2. Then I got back into it during the lockdowns in 2020, smack in the middle of the big rift, and that was that.

8. Do you let people you know in real life see your fandom creations?

Nope. No one in real life knows.

9. How do you feel about fanworks of fanworks? Has anyone ever made something based on a thing you made?

I love it! I’ve received two pieces of fanworks, both from @thatonebirdwrites, who also tagged me in this game! I wish I could return the favor, but again, I’m not quite confident enough for that. Maybe in the future.

10. What feeling do you most often try to evoke with your creations?

I find that in canon stories, there’s a lot of handwaving over little details in a way that requires a lot of suspension of disbelief. Like in CW’s Supergirl, there’s a lot of vague science and plotholes that drive me crazy. I’m a scientist, so I like trying to infuse my work with realism, and I like making things make sense, if that makes sense lol. I think that goes for both character motivations and for things in the world I write. I usually end up with lots of background information that never makes into the story, but I feel like it makes the story stronger when I find the opportunity to weave it in. Tl;dr, I try to make the world and the characters feel real and grounded.

11. Has someone ever paid your work a compliment (in any form) that has stuck with you, and what was it?

In the same vein as the previous question, a few people have said they enjoy my worldbuilding and storytelling, so that’s lovely.

12. What’s your favourite thing someone else has made that you’ve seen in the last 24 hours (and link it if you can find it again!)

In the last 24 hours? I think it might be an older Supercorp art piece with Kara and Lena snuggled up together with a cat. It was reblogged by @fazedlight under #vintage supercorp, which is awesome because I wasn’t on tumblr at the time a lot of fan stuff was circulating.

13. Give a small sneak preview of something you’re working on right now (eg a couple of sentences of fic from a WIP, a gif set theme, a small piece of a larger picture, whatever you feel happy to share)

Little fluff scene from make this place your home:

“Ahem.”

Kara’s eyes opened when Lena jerked away. Jess was standing in the doorway, an amused, uncomfortable smile on her face. “Miss Luthor, the Danvers are here.”

“Right.” Lena straightened up, discreetly wiping at her mouth with the back of her hand. “We just need five minutes, then you can let them in.”

“Of course.”

Jess shut the door behind her, and Lena stood, clearing out the debris from lunch, and Kara started to help. “Are you upset that Jess saw us?”

Lena chuckled. “Not upset, no. A little embarrassed, maybe; kissing isn’t exactly a workplace activity, after all.”

Kara’s brow furrowed “Should we not do it here, then?” she asked, trying to get a firm grasp on what things were and were not allowed in terms of physical affection. For all that humans enjoyed it, it seemed there were a lot of rules surrounding what was and wasn’t appropriate in different places.

“No, no.” Lena smiled. “It’s fine. Besides, I think Jess will knock from now on.”

“Okay.”

Excerpt from an in-progress medieval omegaverse Supercorp AU:

“Might I cut in for the next dance?”

Lena turned. The clumsy blonde alpha from Krypton was standing there, a hopeful smile on her face. Edge turned as well, chest puffing up at the younger alpha as he exuded dominating pheromones. The Kryptonian straightened but remained perfectly civil. The music had ended, and Lena gladly took the opportunity to step away from the scowling Morgan Edge. “Certainly, my lord.” She cut her eyes back to Edge. “Duke Edge.”

Ignoring his grunted reply, she let the Kryptonian alpha take her hand, and oh, that felt nice. Lena’s hand just fit into the alpha’s warm, not-at-all-clammy one. Lena’s brow furrowed. That, combined with the blonde’s fairly pretty features and her refreshing scent, had Lena’s omega perking its head up.

It was annoying.

She allowed the Kryptonian to lead her back to the dance floor as the musicians started. “Lord Zor-El, is it?”

“Kara, please.” The alpha – Kara – settled her hand on her waist, leading them into an easy waltz. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lady Luthor.”

14. Have you ever seen/read anything made by the person who tagged you? If so, what was it and what was your favourite thing about it? (pick a favourite if there are several)

Yes! I’ve just caught up on the Shared Moments series by @thatonebirdwrites! It’s a Korrasami rewrite of The Legend of Korra, and the worldbuilding and lore is absolutely world-class; the changes they made to canon are so imaginative and so well thought out. It’s in progress, and I can’t wait to read more.

15. Do you leave comments on fandom works, and if so how would you describe your comment style?

I try, but I’m not very good at doing it consistently. It’s hypocritical, I know, considering how much I appreciate every comment I receive. But I’m trying to do better.

16. How many works in progress do you currently have? Will you finish them all?

I only have one fic that’s currently being posted, but I’ve got another Supercorp fic in the works (see sneak peek above). I have other ideas waiting, but those are probably the main ones. I’m definitely finishing make this place your home, and I do hope to finish my other ideas. There just never seems to be enough time.

17. what’s the longest it’s ever taken you to finish a fandom project?

I haven’t finished any! Not unless Supercorptober counts, and I finished that in the requisite month, by some kind of miracle. Make this place your home has been going for over a year and I really hope to have it done before it reaches two.

18. Describe the thing you made most recently in a way that is technically true, but also completely misleading. Link the thing if it’s published!

I’m gonna pass on this one, not sure I understand how to answer :/

19. Do you ever engage with fanworks for a fandom you’re not in? Which one(s) and how did you get into it?

I guess not? I find it hard to read fanfics if I don’t know the background, let alone write for it.

20. Recommend a fan work from your fandom to your followers

Not sure I have any followers lol. I think one of my favorite fics is The Science Guild by dreiser, which is one of the inspirations I had for a more science-y Kara. It went dormant for a few years but it miraculously updated a couple of weeks ago. But I also want to recommend Confession by TheBirdWrites, which is an absolutely fantastic. I’m still catching up on the sequel fic, Unraveling Realities, and it’s still ongoing, but it’s so good.

I know it’s not great to be a dead end for a tag game, but I don’t really have any mutuals because I’m too shy to follow people, let alone tag them. I did have fun answering this though :)

[sanversandfriends]

This writer needs no introduction. She's been keeping eyeballs glued to AO3 since the Halcyon days when the show was still good and Alex was still Alex. Behold the origin story of the Sanvers fandom's very own @performativezippers!

Tell us a little about yourself. How did you get started writing fic? Have you written for other fandoms? What are your favorite tropes?   I've talked about this before, but I found fic because of research I was doing in grad school. I was studying a fan advocacy group about queer representation on Glee (bleak times!) but the group folded before I had everything I needed. I had to produce a publishable paper by the end of the semester, and fanfic was the closest pivot I could make to use the research I'd already done. So I started studying Glee fanfic, and went down a rabbit hole of canon vs noncanon representation in fanfic and what that means for queer imaginations, basically (one of my papers was called "Faberry is Love, Pass it On," and another was "Write Your Own God Damned Stories," good fucking times). And then later I was like...you know what, there's a formula to successful fanfics, and now that I know it, could I do it? What if I wrote something as a test? And oops that was in like 2013! 

I originally wrote for Rizzoli and Isles, then for Sanvers, now also for Kacy (ncis hawaii).

In terms of tropes, I'm a sucker for a good friends-to-lovers slow burn arc. That's *chef's kiss* when it's done just right. What were your inspirations for this particular story? What was it about this/these ships that grabbed you?

Not to remind people of The Wars, but if you don't mind remembering, back when Sanvers was broken up (I'M SORRY), they said it was because Alex wanted a kid. Now, I thought that was stupid, because lord knows I fucking love Alexandra Danvers with all my heart but she was definitely not a parent of the year candidate in any way. I don't remember how it happened, but to get through our pain, some of us were joking about like, "just give her a dog and dress it up like a baby" and then I was thinking, "hmm, Alex would probably want like, a big ass predator for a child" and then somehow, probably in a fever dream, it became Make Alex's Child a Velociraptor. So it's actually a direct response to canon, which is weird because it's about a dinosaur and also Kara isn't in it, but there you have it.

This ship (Sanvers) grabbed me in a chokehold from day one. I had started watching Supergirl in season one because I like superhero stuff and I like ladies, and I crushed on Alex hard from the beginning. And then Maggie showed up for season two, and it was...fucking magic. I didn't know what was going to happen, I wasn't on the spoiler internet yet, so I watched it with baited breath. So often when you see two women characters with that kind of chemistry, you're screaming at the TV "YOU GUYS, THAT'S GAY" but it never happens. And this time it did. I yelled, "Alex, that's gay," and Maggie said, "Damn Alex, that's pretty gay," and then Alex said, "Fuck, you guys, I'm gay" and then THEY KISSED. I couldn't believe it.

And Alex's coming out speech was the most me-like thing I had ever seen on television, hands down. Has the time spent away from your story changed your outlook or approach to any of the storylines or themes? Have you had any new inspirations or breakthroughs/revelations in the meantime?

I'm a much better writer than I was when I started this fic. I've learned so much, from line-level work to how to write a plot and everything between. I still really love the worldbuilding I did originally, and the character of Gertrude the Dinosaur, and most of the large-scale choices I made for the ship and the tension. What's interesting about this fic is that it's the only thing I ever outlined, and it's the only thing I never finished. Not a coincidence! If I know what's happening, I get both bored and confined, and it doesn't work for me. The trick was to wait so long that I straight up forgot what was in the outline. I literally haven't reopened that word document, and I won't until my draft is finished. Maybe I'll find some gems in there that I want to work in, but I learned my lesson! No outlines! No thinking too far ahead!! That way lies madness (and unfinished fics). Any advice for new or aspiring fic writers?

Write what you want to read. Honestly, that's it. When I'm sad, I read my own stuff. When I want to be delighted, I read my own stuff. It's really easy to get hung up on what other people say or want to see, how many comments or kudos you get (I'm very guilty of this!) but ultimately, write something that, when you want comfort, you can read and go, "oh yeah, that's the good shit right there." Maybe that's fluff, maybe smut, maybe 100k of bloody torture--doesn't matter. Write what you want to read.

(But please, for the love of lesbian jesus, my actual advice is to put the dialogue tag on the same line as the dialogue. Please!) If you were going to promote this fic with a single line, what would it be?

Alex's child doesn't like Maggie, which is difficult because Alex is in love with Maggie and also the child is a velociraptor.  If you’ve already posted some of your work, please provide a link.

You can find the fic here, but I haven't posted the edited versions of the existing chapters yet, so I honestly recommend not diving in until I've posted the first of the new chapters (chapter 10): https://archiveofourown.org/works/13799136/chapters/31724760 

"Thanks, Zipps!"

she said.

[takaraphoenix]

C, M, and W?

Thanks for playing! :3

C - A ship you have never liked and probably never will (be nice)

The probably never will is the tricky part. There's pleeenty of NOTPs to go around, but I have also encountered versions of ships I didn't like that made me like them in the end, or there are aspects of the ships that I do appreciate.

So something that I'm really sure of nobody/nothing could make me like and I never liked. Let's go with the very first ship that comes to mind there. Bruce Wayne and Diana Prince. Just does not work for me and I'm very sure I'll never come around on it. I also have veeery solid OTPs for both characters too; I'm a multishipper at heart so it's rare for me to have an actual One True Pairing for a character and those are both characters where this rare instance applies, so that weighs heavy in too.

M - Say something genuinely nice about a ship that you don’t ship (or its shippers, or anything related to you)

This is way harder unprompted, like that I'd have to think of a ship too, to say something nice about. xD

Uuuhm so let's go with shippers. Despite not sailing the ship itself, I do like Karadox shippers - Brainy/Kara - because they're a real nice bunch, the ones I've met through the Supergirl fandom? And I also think they're really, really chill.

Because their ship, despite being a major ship for Kara in the comics, was not endgame - or even a brief ship - on the TV show. And they didn't go about harassing actors and fans about it. They're happy with the crumbs they get and while obviously disappointed their ship didn't sail, they didn't get nasty about it?

That just stood out all the more prominently in comparison to certain other shippers within that fandom? Not to name names, but I think if you are familiar with the Arrowverse, you know which shippers in the same situation acted wildly different. *clears throat*

So, especially contrasted by these, it really stood out to me how friendly Karadox shippers are? And generally also more open to other ships, like multishipping themselves or generally accepting that other people may ship these characters with other characters.

(Mind you, I can not speak for all of them, I'm sure there are some rotten apples in the bunch too, but that's always the case. The overall fandom behavior though, and the lovely individuals I've met have given the ship a very good name.)

W - 5 favorite ships and 5 kinks you like best for said ships

Oooh. Huh. Mh. Damn these are very hard when I have to also decide on ships. It's like suddenly my brain remembers not a single ship I have ever sailed... xDDD

Okay, let's go for five ships with different kinks too. Since I, uh, like to pile my favorite kinks onto my favorite ships... <_<

Shadowhunters: Malace + pet-play.

PJatO: Nicercy + praise kink.

BtVS: Spuffy + strength kink? I dunno what you'd call it but you can't tell me that Spike doesn't totally get off on seeing Buffy throw people around and stuff

RotG/HTTYD: HiJack + temperature play

DCMK: KaiShin + Shinichi having a thing for Kaito's hands, I don't know what you'd call that, but I know that's a thing and I'm sure our very talented thief would make that work ;D

Fandom Ask Game

[traceofexistence]

oh I have examples!

Star Trek Discovery, how much have been trashed by so called fans, because the protag is a black woman.

and I dont know if some of the choices made by the show early on were because women loved the show, but they were certainly controversial in my honest opinion, but later on they did way better.

first of all getting rid of Georgeou, by promising the actress a spin off that we have yet to see, (and no it's not because of covid, many trek have been created ever since already)

bringing her back for some episodes only for her to be an evil AU of herself, and put a stamp on the Georgeou-Michael relationship to be of "mother-daughter" to stop the shippers.

in the first seasons they gave Michael a love interest that, other characters had to tell her, he was interested in her. and it turned out he manipulated her as he was of the people who killed her family, and she had expressed hate over, and they played it as if they were destined, and he was like her soulmate or whatever the fuck, which was utterly disgusting and fucked up, complete character assassination.

then we spend an entire seasons of her being accused of the murder of her mentor, she self pity, losing her rank, to a cis-het white man, being mistreated left and right, and also he (as many years older than her as georgeou) was played as love interest in an alternative universe.

anyway

after that one ended as well, the writers wrote phenomenal stuff for the rest of the show.

--

another example of men despising women.

Supergirl the TV show.

it started on CBS with a woman show runner, excellent writing, wonderfully fleshed out characters, social commentary, and everything in between. besides the protags at the time abusive husband shoehorning himself in the show for an episode, as her love interest (she only came out about the abuse years after), the show was excellent.

of course the dudebros hated it, they hated the fact that the love interest was a handsome black man(in the racist sense of how dare take our white blonde women)

sadly CBS wasn't willing to pay for another seasons as it didnt make CBS numbers, and they dropped it to the CW where all the other DC comics shows were.

we lost couple of actors because of that.

just to be clear,

everyone LOVED supergirl's human sister Alex, who was an original character for the series.

for the second season, the showrunner decided to have a coming out story for Alex, as a lesbian, the actress loved it, and she even came out as queer herself later on, as the story that was told was so well written it made her rethink her entire existence.

and they brought in a well established in the comics lesbian character maggie sawyer, to be both Alex's awakening and later love interest.

they told the actress that maggie will not have a child like in the comic, as they were not interested in that storyline.

the woman show runner by going to CW her leadership was partly taken from her, until they fired her, so the guy who was lower than her in CBS could take full leadership.

that guy wrote a self insert, cis-het-white slave owning man child, who played as love interest to supergirl, who write after she kissed her black boyfriend she decided that you know what im not i love with him anymore. (which made zero sense and it was so obvious what they were trying to do, when they introduced said self insert)

the woman showrunner had written up to episode 8, so the coming out of Alex was in those episode.

what happened later?

everyone hated the manchild character, everyone loved the lesbian storyline,

so that asshole hated that so much, that he literally forced a "I want kids and you dont" bullshit on the lesbians and fired the actress who played maggie in the first five episodes of s3, that also along with reducing her screentime to nothing.

he was fired soon after that, for being a disgusting creep who sexually harassed more that 20 people, in the crew (he went for the low wage/low job security ones)

the actresses admitted he was a control freak who hated their characters, and deleted about 75% of their scenes.

Alex mind you, was not just a second lead in the first season she was a CO-lead, she had only slightly less screentime that supergirl herself. and in the second season, that asshole's self insert even had more screentime than supergirl at times. it was ridiculours.

after he left, he had done so much damage to Alex's character that a recovery needed actual writing skills that the show runners who were left behind didn't have it in them, not to mention the actress herself felt extremely betrayed and kinda lost her will to continue, but she was under 6 years contract.

[berlinnnnn]

Supergirl Inferiority Complex

Slowburn storyline where CatCo hires a new journalist and she’s no fan of Supergirl.

How will Kara cope as she becomes less popular and National City slowly finds someone new to admire? Someone who neither respects or fears her and enjoys taking Supergirl down several pegs.

This is a story where Kara can’t (or won’t) solve things with punches, but finds herself in over her head against a foe that dominates her through sheer force of personality.

Warnings: Mature Content. It's explicit so 18+ and there is a scene of degradation and Kara being touched against her will.

****************************************

Chapter 1: Old News

Kara Danvers arrived through the doors to CatCo looking flustered. She was still pulling on the coat of her suit jacket as she walked in inelegantly in her heels. She was also a little late, the clock ticking over to 9.15am as she walked through the office.

To her coworkers it simply looked like the same old Kara, head in the clouds. Little did they know that she’d had to take a detour on her way in to save a bus full of people as Supergirl. The news blared from an aging TV screen attached to the wall. Supergirl does it again. It crossed Kara’s mind that once upon a time this would be headline news, but now it was the third most important story of the day. People just weren’t as wowed with her as they used to be.

She stopped for a moment and caught the top stories. A break in at STAR Labs. Not much info, just something about some rare materials being stolen and some experimental weaponry. Great, more to worry about. She suppressed a sigh and dropped her jacket and her bag at her desk and went to grab coffee. STAR Labs had been the third laboratory hit either in or nearby National City in the last three months and Kara was starting to get concerned. When they said “rare materials” that covered a lot of areas, including kryptonite.

“Hey, Kara!” She was snapped out of her daze by Lena. Lena Luthor came out of her office in a black suit. “Late again I see.” Kara sometimes couldn’t tell when her friend, and boss, was teasing her or being serious. Lena could easily cut Kara down a peg worse than any supervillain she’d come up next to so far. Kara offered a half hearted reply, but before she could finish Lena was introducing her to the newest member of the team.

“This is Caitlin Lee, she’s starting today. She’ll be going the news team and writing some opinion pieces that are going to be pretty spicy.” Lena said the last part almost gleefully, CatCo’s news division had been needing a shot in the arm for a while. Kara looked up at her and slowly started to feel queasy. What had triggered this feeling she wondered as the statuesque brunette stood in front of her and extended her hand. She was taller than Kara, fit and in shape with dark hair. A little bit gothy, with dark lipstick. She stood in a shirt and pencil skirt in front of Kara who could feel a bead of sweat forming on her forehead. Caitlin spoke up, “Was it something I said?”

“Wh-what?” Kara had zoned out for a moment.

“I said, was it something I said? Or do you not shake hands? I understand post COVID.” She smiled at Kara, a slightly cruel smile. Lena rolled her eyes at Kara.

“No- I - I’m Kara. It’s lovely to meet you.” She stuck out her hand and shook her new coworker’s hand. Instantly the wave of nausea felt worse, pain shot up through her body, her legs felt weak. She could see it on Caitlin’s finger, a ring with a small green centre. Kryptonite.

“Lovely to meet you too-“ Caitlin squeezed Kara’s hand tightly. “-I have to say I’ve read a lot of your work Kara. It’s very… one sided. The Supergirl stuff at least.” Kara tried to pull her hand from the handshake, knees feeling weak. “Do you know how much damage she’s caused to the centre of National City this year alone? Well, you can read my first article tomorrow and find out.” With that she broke the handshake and patted lena on the back. “Anyway, got to go, lots more for Lena to show me. Sure we’ll speak properly soon.”

They walked away, Kara allowed herself to lean on the side for a moment to steady herself, she hoped no one would notice. It hadn’t been very much kryptonite, but it had been enough to rock her. She hadn’t been able to form a reply to Caitlin’s point about the damage caused to the city. She slowly walked over to her desk and sat down. Catching site of her reflection she could see that she was looking sweaty and tired. Slowly she felt her powers coming back to her, feeling stronger again. She made an excuse to her desk neighbour and headed out for some air and sunlight. She heard her mutter “But you just got here” as she left the office and entered the lift.

Standing outside in the sun helped. Where could she have gotten a ring like that? Did she know Kara’s secret? Searching for her online on her phone she found Caitlin. Years of experience, years of articles. How had Kara missed this one coming up behind her?

Kara had made a point of not really reading the media about her in her role as Supergirl. For years it had been positive. Yes, maybe it was a bit egotistical, not to mention a little unethical, but she had written positive pieces about herself on and off as well for a long time. Generally she had avoided any bad press because, well there hadn’t been much of it or it had been coming from types that she instantly dismissed. Now she stood leaning against the wall outside her office and read Caitlin’s blog, it wasn’t all about her but what was there about Supergirl was universally negative.

“Supergirl: More trouble than she’s worth” “Miss Goody Two Shoes doesn’t represent me or my city” “Supergirl: Unamerican alien”

And so it went on. Her social media accounts had similar sentiments, Kara lost 20 minutes before she realised she’d been missing for too long. Reading tweets that ranged from mocking her appearance and costume to what Caitlin would say if she ever ran into her. “Well-” Kara muttered “-she might get that chance” as she headed back inside.

“Lena do you have a moment?” Kara chapped on her door and poked her head inside Lena’s office.

“For you Kara, yes. An entire moment. Are you joining us for lunch? Caitlin has kindly offered to take out the the news team as a welcome.” Lena leant back on her desk. She looked casual in suit pants and a shirt showing a little cleavage. Her jacket hung on the back of her chair

“On our salary?” Kara half joked.

“Haven’t you heard? She sold her book. She’s about to be a very big deal around here.” Lena couldn’t hide how happy she was with herself.

“Her book? What’s that about? Supergirl?” Kara had a sinking feeling in her stomach.

“Yes actually. You should ask her yourself. Anyway, what did you want to talk about.” Lena switched to impatience at Kara not getting to her point.

“Well.. I mean.. Why would you hire someone so.. so… anti-Supergirl? She does so much for the city. She’s saved so many lives.. I…” Kara seemed meek as she stumbled over her words.

Lena butted in with a theatrical sigh. “I knew this was coming. Listen, I know she’s your friend or whatever but this is a purely business decision. Caitlin is shit hot when it comes to getting the news, she has a big following and frankly this place needs a bit of controversy. Supergirl saving a cat from a tree was big news three, four years ago. But now it’s not. Freedom of speech. If she can’t take opinion and for that matter, facts - or are we just going to ignore the damage she’s caused in the city this year alone - then that’s her problem. And if you have a problem with it, maybe you should write a pro-Supergirl article that actually makes us some money!”

Kara slunk out of the office, a little glassy eyed and sat back down at her desk. Soon enough she felt a slap on her back, Caitlin back again. This time, mercifully she was sans ring. “Come on Danvers, I’m buying everyone lunch.” Kara initially made noises about how much work she had on, not really wanting to spend any time with the new hire, but soon Lena joined the small group standing around her desk. Kara had faced down armadas of Parademons and villain after villain bravely, but the peer pressure of her work colleagues was too much and she gave in and joined them.

———————————————-

‘All I’m saying, all I’ve ever said really is that we should be allowed to question our heroes. Supergirl is many things, but she’s not perfect.” Caitlin had been holding court for a while now. Drinking wine and picking at the leftovers on the table. Kara noted how many at the table were simply nodding along with her. “Now, I understand that it’s a bit controversial, especially at this organisation. But I think debate is healthy. I’m just asking some questions.”

Kara thought back to some of the blogs she’d read that morning that felt like she was doing a bit more than asking questions. Comments on how she looked. Her heritage.

“What’s your article about in the morning?” One of their coworkers asked. Caitlin looked at Lena and smiled. “Can I tell them?” Lena took a moment and then nodded ok.

“We’ll, I’ve calculated the cost of the damage that’s resulted because of Supergirl over the years. Her carelessness, how businesses have been ruined, lives destroyed. I’m also making a call to action for the citizens of National City. To turn their back on her and if they can do anything to ward her off.”

“Ward her off?” Kara could barely keep her voice from cracking in anger.

“Ward her off. I have a ring, I was wearing it earlier. It has a tiny sliver of kryptonite in it. I don’t want that super powered bitch, pardon my French, anywhere near me.” The alcohol had loosened her tongue. “I can’t think of a better way to scare her off than that little taste of home.”

“That is insane, it’s so extreme!” Kara’s cool cracked. “She’s.. she’s a person. Kryptonite could kill her!”

“We’ll of course you would say that, Supergirl’s number one simp Kara Danvers.” The table laughed at this, Kara had lost the conversation before it had really began. In the court of public opinion, that afternoon at least Caitlin was coming out on top. “Truth is it won’t kill her, but it’ll teach her to stay away from me. Besides, she’s an alien. She’s not a person. I don’t give a shit.”

“Lena, please.” Kara turned to her friend and boss, tears in her eyes. Everyone else at the table was under the influence of alcohol, Kara sober as a judge.

“Controversy creates cash Kara. I don’t agree or disagree. But this will get us the attention we need.” Lena shrugged, it was nothing personal.

Kara sat in silence the rest of the lunch. Her face flushed as a mixture of anger and impotent frustration boiling up inside her.

—————————————

The article was a huge success. Traffic on the website was off the charts. Caitlin herself was interviewed by several competing news networks. Think pieces by the dozen, some agreeing and many not. Social media was on fire with post after post taking sides on the subject. Kara wrote an impassioned defence of Supergirl, trying to justify her own actions and point out how much good had been done over the years. It was well written but brought in a fraction of the attention ‘Supergirl: Menace?” managed.

Over the next few weeks things got awkward for Kara, both in her secret identity and as Supergirl. In the office Lena doubled down on the success of the initial article and commissioned more pieces on the subject. Caitlin wrote more, discussing everything from the damage that Supergirl should be blamed for to her costume being a disgrace and that she should be ashamed. Kara was more and more ostracised, given busy work and not much else. It didn’t help that Caitlin kept wearing the ring.

Kara had managed to brace herself and could stand to be around it in small doses, but still it took a toll. In conversations with Caitlin, she found herself being steamrolled more and more often, when the kryptonite ring was in play she struggled to keep up the pretence that it wasn’t effecting her and that her legs weren’t feeling weak, let alone respond to Caitlin’s point of view. Several times she would stumble to the toilets afterwards and sit in a cubicle to get her shit together. In truth she didn’t know what to do. She had considered stealing the ring, but it would be hard for her to hold it and that was if she could get hold of it without triggering any suspicion.

Caitlin kept attacking Supergirl via the press and Kara tried to seem above it when she was out in the city. Unfortunately, that was getting harder for her as the public started to respond to the attacks.

Kara had been looking forward to opening National City’s newest park for several weeks, the mayor had asked Supergirl to do the honours and Kara was excited to spread a little joy that bright Saturday morning. She flew down to a stage to claps from a relatively large crowd, if she’d been more aware she might have considered that the crowds celebrating her were getting a little smaller recently.

She bantered on mic with the mayor a little before speaking to the crowd. “I love this city and I’m so proud to be asked to open this new park. I hope you -“

A loud boo interrupted her. But Kara went on “I hope you all enjoy this as much as I-“

“Alien bitch!”

“Slut!”

Kara stopped, laughed nervously. She couldn’t think of a time when a member of the public had spoken to her like that. Let alone at something as wholesome as the grand opening of a park.

She started up again. “I hope you can enjoy it as much as I will-“

This time she was interrupted as a tomato hit her chest. An actual tomato. In the crowd a couple of people started to boo her and throw things at her. More name calling.

As the couple were apprehended by security, shouting loudly about freedom of speech, Kara quietly wiped the stain from her uniform. She could see the photo flashes going off and instantly wanted to be anywhere else. If ever there was a time for a giant robot attack or a robbery to break up, this was it. She finished her speech quickly and slapped on a big fake smile. She was hurt by the incident for sure and flew off much earlier than she had planned.

The next day, the attacks continued. “Supergirl: Loser? City turns on former favourite!” headed up the CatCo coverage. Kara decided to do something she never thought she would.

—————————————

Caitlin was staying late, she’d been upgraded to a corner office, looming over the city. She looked out and saw Supergirl floating in front of the office. She was far away, but Caitlin was sure she could see her eyes charged up and red. Caitlin smiled. “Come to intimidate me?” She asked, knowing the Girl of Steel would hear her with her super hearing.

She opened the window and made an over the top beckoning motion towards the window. A moment later Supergirl was standing in front of her. Caitlin didn’t skip a beat and walked around to her desk and sat down, putting her feet up. “I see you got the tomato out of your little costume.” Caitlin said with a shit eating grin.

Kara was thrown a little, she had expected Caitlin to be at least a little put off and intimidated by her presence. Caitlin was a bully, and in Kara’s experience standing up to a bully usually showed them to be a coward. Not so thus far. She walked forward slowly. “Hands where I can see them, I know you carry kryptonite on you.”



“Ha! Listen, I don’t need kryptonite to deal with you. Don’t you worry, it’s safely in my top desk drawer. Lead lined too. For your safety. I’m not intimidated by you Supergirl. At all.” Caitlin paused for a beat and let her comment sit there, the same shit eating grin stayed on her face. “Now, what do you want?”

“I don’t know where all this animosity is coming from, but your articles aren’t helping anyone. We both want the same things.” Kara was flashing her winning smile, optimistic she would be able to find common ground with Caitlin.

She was unimpressed. “I don’t think that we do, Girl Scout.”

Kara tried to pick her words carefully. “I protect this city. Keep people safe. The lies you’re telling in your artic-“

“My articles are completely fair. You’re just not used to having someone who won’t kiss your ass getting such a high profile gig. Your little simp, Kara - it’s pathetic, she writes the most banal and boring columns possible. People want something different. And where are the lies? Point them out to me. You have caused millions in property damage this year alone. We do over rely on you to save the day every time a cat gets stuck in a tree. And you do look like a slut in that short skirt. And I think you know it.”

Kara stood dumbfounded. The woman neither respected or feared her.

Caitlin continued. “Now, unless you have anything else for me please leave. Oh and you can take this with you. Preview of tomorrow’s edition.” She tossed a paper at Supergirl, the headline read “Does National City need Supergirl? You decide!”

Supergirl read it out loud. “What does that mean?” She muttered as much to herself as Caitlin.

“It means we’re having a call in vote. Test your popularity. Versus mine.” She smiled again.

“The people they… well… they love me.” Supergirl stuttered. Cursing how arrogant her words sounded as she said them. This was not going to plan.

Caitlin laughed out loud. “Loved Supergirl. Loved. Now, it’s time to go.” She stood up and walked towards the shaken Girl of Steel. Her figure looking shapely and perfect in her smart suit. “Unless-“ She got up close to Supergirl. Close enough that Kara could feel her hot breath on her neck. “Unless, there’s anything else you want.” Caitlin’s hand found its way to Supergirl’s hip and she let out an involuntary shocked noise. In a second she was out of the room. Flying out at super speed leaving Caitlin laughing.

Caitlin walked to her desk and picked up the phone. “Hi, Jerry. Yes could you do me a favour and send me a copy of the CCTV from my office tonight. Thank you so much.”

She sat in her office chair and looked out over the night sky.

—————————————

“The phone’s are ringing off the hook. Another great idea Caitlin.” Lena was positively giddy as she gave her employee a shoutout that morning. Kara could barely look at the two of them. “And the hits keep coming. Supergirl confronting and threatening our star reporter in the middle of the night. And we have footage!”

That perked Kara up. “Threatened you, what-“

“Visited me after hours and told me to stop writing my opinion pieces. What a hero.” Caitlin deadpanned.

“But.. I mean.. that’s not..” Kara struggled to find the words.

They were interrupted by an excited PA. “There’s trouble downtown. Intergang again.”

Lena told Kara to get going and Caitlin volunteered to go too. She was out the door faster than her super powered colleague - clearly excited to be chasing another story.

They hurried two blocks down from the office and ran into a crowd watching the spectacle of Intergang shooting it out with the police. Kara and Caitlin hadn’t shared more than two words hurrying over here but at this point Caitlin turned to speak to her. “How are we supposed to get through this crowd. Kara?” Her partner was nowhere to be seen. An explosion went off behind her. The firefight between the cops and Intergang was getting heated.

“Kara!?” Caitlin cried out, with everything going on she had lost site of her partner. She looked up to the sky and saw Supergirl flying into the fray. “Kara! Where are you?” She shouted again.

But Kara was gone, she had used the crowd to duck away and quickly turn into Supergirl. She was already in the air and flying towards the criminals before Caitlin had realised she was gone. Caitlin saw a blue and red blue sail over her head and suddenly had a very good idea of where Kara had gone. “That bitch.” She muttered to herself as a smile crossed her face.

Supergirl flew down and made short work of the gang members firing at the police. Whilst she didn’t think it was a good idea for them to hang around, she always appreciated that the people in National City would watch and cheer her on, though this time she noted how muted they sounded as she finished off the last criminal.

“There’s more inside Supergirl.” A cop waved her in. Supergirl didn’t give it a second thought.

The massive atrium of the building was empty as she walked in. What we’re they doing here she wondered. It wasn’t a bank or a lab. It couldn’t be a… trap?

She was too slow as a beam of green energy hit her from behind and sent her sprawling. “Kryptonite. Again.” She groaned.

Supergirl turned and saw him. Metallo the man with the kryptonite heart. She came very close to cursing.

He didn’t stop to chat or explain himself, simply firing a beam of kryptonite energy at her again. This time she was too quick for him and avoided it. Unfortunately the beam was powerful enough to destroy part of the roof of the building, causing it to collapse down into the atrium. Supergirl watched, scanning quickly to find that no one was hiding underneath and would be hit.

That momentary distraction allowed Metallo to get close and land a massive right hand to her gut sending her flying backwards through several walls.

As the fight continued, anyone outside would have just seen the slow destruction of the building. It was only going to get worse.

Back inside Supergir was thrown through another wall. The kryptonite and Metallo’s strength was taking a toll. Her costume was ripped, her body ached, her powers felt dampened. She used what was left of her super speed to get behind him, locking him in a still pretty strong choke. Being that close to kryptonite was hurting her, making her weak. As she climbed on his back and locked the choke in, she knew it was only a matter of time before she’d collapse.

“Why… why are you doing this Metallo?” She asked.

“It’s what I’m paid to do.” He answered, grabbing her hair and pulling her over his head and crashing down into the ground. He stomped her in the chest, right on her ‘S’ for good measure. Kara coughed, unable to catch her breath and tried to crawl away. “Uh uh. Not today Superbitch.” Metallo muttered as he grabbed her cape and through her through yet another set of walls.

Kara had down her best but she couldn’t stop the destruction of the building. She was barely keeping herself afloat in this fight. She rolled over through the rubble and the dust and then saw something surprising. A bomb. She barely had time to process it when Metallo was on her again. Who had planted it and why?

She didn’t have time to answer those questions. The one smart thing she did was to turn Metallo around, her on the other side of him. Meaning when it went off seconds later he took the brunt of the blast. The building was also heavily damaged.

Outside the people saw the blast and a lot assumed it was Supergirl’s heat vision setting things off. Further examples of her destructive tendencies.

Back inside Kara lay on her back in the aftermath of the explosion. Was it over? Had she won? She hoped so, she felt so drained. The blast, the beating, the kryptonite had left her weak. Her heart sank when she saw an incredibly damaged Metallo pull himself out of the debris. The green glow of kryptonite making her cringe.

“I am going to hurt you now.” A robotic voice spoke.

Perhaps it was the weeks of humiliation and frustration building up but Supergirl muttered “No” to herself and managed to pull herself up. She but all of her energy into her heat vision and fired it straight into the kryptonite heart of her enemy. She could feel her beam weakening but somehow, thankfully it was enough. The rock exploded, taking Metallo with it.

“I’m.. I’m still.. still Supergirl…” she said before collapsing to the ground. She struggled and picked herself up. Surveying the room. Feeling beyond drained.

Metallo was down. Kara had managed to defeat him and depower the rock in his chest at the same time. The moment of celebration was short lived however as the battle, the kryptonite exposure and the battering she had taken took its toll. Kara attempted to fly into the sky, instead landing flat on her face in the dust and debris.

She crawled into some sunlight and laid back against a wall. She couldn’t let people see her like this. Her uniform was dirty and torn and looking around her she thought of all the questions she would have about the destruction she had failed to stop from happening. Tears bubbles up inside her, all she had wanted to do, all she had ever wanted to do was help.

“There you are.” Kara almost jumped out of her skin, but was too weak to get to her feet. It was Caitlin. Climbing through the debris. Was she coming to help her?

“Look at what you’ve done. Look at what you’ve done Kara.”

Kara’s blood turned cold and she tried to formulate a response. “I’m.. I’m not who-“

Caitlin interrupted. “I’d suspected it, of course. I’m a fucking journalist you alien bitch. Did you really think glasses and a ponytail would stop me from seeing how similar Supergirl and her nerdy simp Kara Danvers look.” She was getting closer, now crouching down in front of the weakened Girl of Steel, a smile on her face. “And I have to say, I’ve been looking closely Kara.” She brushed her hand through Kara’s hair.

Kara was too weak to move as that hand traced down her neck to the neckline of her uniform. Caitlin started to trace the ‘S’ of her costume with one finger, brushing it against her breast slowly. “I’ve heard that the ‘S’ stands for hope on your planet. But I think it’s come to stand for something else on earth.” Her finger teased Kara’s nipple through the costume, Kara was breathing heavily unable to move. “Pub-please Caitlin st-stop.” Caitlin shuffled closer as she grabbed Kara’s breath through her costume “I think it stands for slut. Maybe Superslut. What do you think?”

She teased Kara’s tit and her other hand easily batted off Kara’s weak and futile attempts to stop it from slipping under her skirt. “I think that’s why you wear such a revealing outfit. Am I wrong?” Her fingers ran up the inside thigh of Kara and found themselves pressing against her panties. Kara gasped in shock and maybe a little in pleasure. Caitlin’s fingers easily found her clit and started to play with it, she pulled her panties to the side and continued. “Ha! I think I might be right. Is this getting you wet Danvers?”

“No.. I.. stop…” Kara struggled to find the words as Caitlin started to rub her clit. Kara let out a gasp and a moan as her body betrayed her. “Stop? Ok.” Caitlin abruptly stopped and Kara found herself cursing it. It had felt so good, with her powers gone she get so sensitive. But just as Kara was finishing that thought she was dragged to her feet. Caitlin was taking her out of the rubble into the sun. Was she saving her?

Quickly Kara realised what was going on. Journalists and cameras waited for the two of them. The sun beat down but it did not power her back up instantly, so when Caitlin let her go she fell on her face in front of the waiting press pack.

“There, I saved you.” Caitlin announced theatrically towards the cameras. “And maybe you can take a second to look at all the damage you caused. Look take it in everyone.” There had been an extreme amount of damage caused due to the fight. Kara struggled up to her knees, still so groggy. “This city doesn’t need a superheroine with this sort of disregard for us. Do you have anything to say Supergirl?” At least she wasn’t calling her Kara the heroine thought to herself.

“I.. I wanted to help… Metallo… He…” Tears welled up inside her again as the first boos came from the crowd.

Caitlin then did something Kara hadn’t even considered possible. In front of the crowd, the journalists and the cameras. She placed her boot on Kara’s chest and firmly pushed her over, back into the dust and the debris. Kara was still too weak to stay upright and toppled over. Humiliated in front of everyone. It was a moment destined to be replayed over and over on television and online for months to come. “Shut up. We’re tired of your excuses.”

Kara lay on the ground, struggling to pull herself up for a second time as Caitlin walked off. Kara’s costume was dirty and torn, the crowd had turned on her, her head was still foggy. She struggled up, tears dripping down her cheeks. A passerby tried to help her up and Kara snapped at them “GET AWAY!” Obviously that was caught on camera too. The crowd was shocked. She stumbled a little and managed to find enough strength to take to the air, flying away in shame. She was Supergirl. She’d never been made to feel so inferior in her life.

She managed to get as far as the top of the roof of a nearby skyscraper. Collapsing on the rooftop she lay in the sun for half an hour trying to pull herself together. What the hell has happened. She had saved the day but it felt like a defeat. And how dare that woman touch her like that. She felt her strength returning when she punched a part of the rooftop off in frustration.

She flew to where she’d left her things and checked her phone. Kara found angry text messages from Lena demanding to know where she was. She shakily flew to her office and found a place to change. She slowly put her shirt and skirt on over her costume. Despite the return of some of her powers her body ached. The kryptonite had done a number on her. She walked out in her professional outfit and glasses, flustered still but sure she could turn the situation around. Then further anxiety hit her as she walked back into the bullpen.

“Where were you?” Lena stood, humourless and angry asking the question of Kara in front of everyone.

“I-I went to get the story… I got lost in the crowd and…” Kara knew her lies sounded weak.

Lena interrupted her. “It doesn’t matter anyway. Caitlin is next door, she’s already got most of the story written.”

“Already..?” Kara weakly asked. Lena pointed her in the direction and told her to speak to her. “We need her story ASAP - it’s blowing up across social media. Help her in anyway she wants.”

Kara meekly knocked on Caitlin’s office door and heard a sharp “Come in.” Caitlin was sat with two of Kara’s colleagues. None of them looked up. Kara only heard “3 coffees, one with sugar, the other 2 black.” Kara started to say she could help with the story and Caitlin glanced up coldly. “Did I stutter?”

——————

The story was Caitlin’s triumph. The day she stood up to that superpowered menace and took things back for the city. After it went live to instant success Caitlin told Kara she needed help in her office. Kara who had spent the day marginalised, and not just by Caitlin, at this point it was a firmly anti-Supergirl office, agreed quietly.

It was a skeleton crew by that point, a long day. Kara looked dead on her feet, she would admit herself she needed a rest after her battle earlier. “I hope you don’t mind me saying this-“ Caitlin started knowing nobody was listening “-but you look like shit. Exhausted. Does your kind get tired?” Kara panicked a little at the conversation so open in the hallway as they walked to Caitlin’s office but realising no one else was around answered “Yes. I’m not… I’m not a God. I get tired like everyone else.” Kara cursed her choice of words when Caitlin laughed and said “That’s sure as shit true, if you’re a God what hope do the rest of us have?”

Caitlin gently shut the door behind them and Kara could no longer keep quiet. “Why are you doing this? You.. you’re destroying my reputation! I just want to-“

“Help people?” Caitlin interrupted. “Is that even true? I think you just enjoy all the attention. Well, you still have the attention but-“ she took out her phone “-according to 79% of our readers you’re more trouble than your worth.”

Caitlin laughed as she walked by Kara who meekly asked “What?”

Sitting at her desk and opening her desk drawer she replied “Oh the polls results, did you miss them? It was probably talked about during the third round of coffees we sent you out for.” She smirked.

The grin got under Kara’s skin and her meekness turned to anger. Her eyes lit up red. She’d hit her breaking point. “Who do you think you are? Don’t you know who I am?” She took her glasses off and started to walk towards the seated Caitlin. “Don’t you know what I could do to.. to…” Kara suddenly found herself weak again, unable to finish her sentence. She leant on the table to keep herself up. Caitlin had produced the kryptonite ring again.

“Geez you really have a short memory don’t you.” Caitlin stood up and placed the ring on her finger. Kara struggled to stay upright leaning on the desk as Caitlin grabbed her skirt and lifted it up.

“No.. don’t… please…” Kara managed as Caitlin slapped her pert Kryptonian ass hard. The kryptonite ring digging into her ass. A red handprint left there. Laughing Caitlin swept Kara’s legs and she crashed to the floor.

Climbing on top of her, straddling the Girl of Steel she grabbed Kara’s hand and took the ring from her own placing it on her finger even as Kara cried out. Then she unbuttoned her shirt showing off the Supergirl uniform underneath. “I’d shut up if I were you. Unless you want someone walking in finding you like this. No glasses. Supergirl costume. Why even these idiots might put two and two together.”

She took the ring back and stood over Kara, a foot on her chest. Her heel digging in. Kara cried out quietly, the kryptonite hurting her even though it was no longer touching her. This was a low moment for her, looking up and seeing Caitlin take pictures on her phone. “Please… don’t kill me.” She managed to say.

Caitlin laughed her cruel laugh again. “Kill you? Why would I do that? You’re doing wonders for my career!” She put the ring back in its lead box, closing it. “No. You can keep being a heroine all you want. Though I don’t know why you do it for a group of people this fickle. But you’re going to be my bitch. Do what I want and take your medicine. Otherwise these photos will be the focus of my next column. ‘How I ended up with Supergirl on the floor of my office’ - sounds like another winner to me.”

Kara pulled herself up to her elbows and started to button up her shirt. “You, you’re sick.” She spat out with all the venom she could muster.

“Maybe. But I’m giving you an option, be unpopular but continue save lives or I can simply ruin your life and probably end your superheroine career in one fell swoop!” Caitlin eyed her up once again as she weakly agreed to her terms. “Me and you, we’re going to have a lot of fun. To start with, what are you up to tomorrow night? Oh who am I kidding you don’t have much of a life. We’ll keep the diary free. I have some friends I want you to meet.”

Kara shakily put back on her glasses. What option did she have. “Ok.” She said meekly, her head falling, unable to look Caitlin in the eye.

————

A day later Caitlin sat on the phone discussing everything with her benefactor. “I told you Lex, we wouldn’t need kryptonite to destroy her. Although it didn’t hurt. A bit of bad press and she did the rest. The setup with Intergang was the cherry on top. The bomb. Kara Danvers, can you believe it? Yes you’ll get to meet her. I promise.”

She hung up. The same cruel smile that had become her trademark plastered across her face. Supergirl under her thumb, important allies by her side, she had won.

[supercorpsbian]

Entropy (part 1)

pair(s): Kara x Fifth Dimensional Imp!Reader, and all the other canon SG couples (Nia and Brainy, Kelly and Alex, etc)

content: slow burn ? but not really , hurt/comfort , eventual romance , wlw , kara x reader , reader needs therapy , reader is very socially anxious lmao

word count: 3,405

A/N: basically this whole thing is my HC's about the fifth dimension, mostly because of how vaguely it gets portrayed in supergirl! so yeah none of this is canon, I'm just making some stuff up as i go. I'd say that in my HCs the fifth dimension views the many earths as tv shows (like we see them, let's say), and maybe that's how Mxy found out about Kara in the first place! Also reader is fem presenting and uses She/Her pronouns!

As Cat Grant's new assistant, life wasn't easy, but you pulled through either way. You weren't Kara Danvers' assistant but Cat basically made you organize both schedules and bring her coffee even though Kara tried to reject it, she just didn't really like bossing people around, but as the new Editor in Chief of CatCo she needed to realize that she couldn't do everything on her own. Especially now that her secret was out there in the open.

You were Supergirl's biggest fan, watching her on TV and her adventures and her life for years. A while ago, a part of you just wished you could live in her dimension and be around her, especially after the finale of the show left you so unsatisfied. The fifth dimension has always been so boring, for some it's mind blowing and amazing, but as an Imp living by yourself in such a patriarchal society: it wasn't the best. And the third dimension just seemed so much easier, especially if you could use your magic to fix a few things here and there. However, migration laws were very strict unless you were married. And there was no way you'd marry some random guy for the rest of the eternity just to travel to another dimension. Your day-to-day activities were getting monotone and boring, your magic even seemed to weaken as your hopes and joy dissipated with each week passing by. Your parents always cared for you deeply, but they didn't understand you just wanted true freedom. If anything you wished Princess Nyxlygsptlnz could've gotten the AllStone totems and finally overthrow King Brpxz, this dimension really needed a new governor, but sure Kara didn't see that. All she was focused on was in stopping Nyxly, not questioning what she wanted the totems for.

But you still admired her and her adventures, ever since she came to earth her life was basically a reality show for the fifth dimension, you were surprised when Mxyzptlk appeared in season two. Everyone knew him, he was kinda like a celebrity but not the good kind. You immediately realized he even changed his appearance to woo Kara into falling for him, he was definitely the product of this ugly environment. It made you so happy to see how Kara defeated him by making him write his name backwards in Kryptonian. And then he appeared... Again? Now he was a good guy, good for him, sure. But something just made you feel so jealous. The fact that he got to freely travel around any dimensions like any other male Imp can, you just wished you were better at magic so you could at least fool some guards to leave. You felt hopeless for so long...

That until one night you were sitting on the floor in your living room, rewatching Supergirl, a wish came out of your mouth softly.

"I wish I could meet Kara..." You whispered as the intro of the show played in your giant orb. Usually your mumbles and whispers would go unnoticed by your family, and this one did, but something else noticed it. A bright blue light flooded the room, making you teleport to behind your couch immediately. When the light softened you peeked your head, glaring at the orb that was now just glowing with many little blue lights dancing inside of it, like they wanted to escape. You sat back down and took a deep breath.

"What are we hiding from?" You heard a familiar voice by your side, scaring the living crap out of you.

Yelling you immediately teleported back to where you were sitting, the unknown man got up, finally revealing himself.

"Hi! I'm Mxyzptlk, but my friends call me Mxy." He gave you a mischievous smile and handed you a small card.

"DUDE FUCK YOU!" You pushed him away, still terrified as you ran to the kitchen to get your parents.

"HEY! Mind your manners! I was just driving by the neighborhood and heard a pure hearted wish, and who am I to deny a wish to someone so awesome?" He was now sitting on the kitchen counter, eating an apple as he spoke to you.

"What do you want from me? Huh?" You walked backwards until you were back at the kitchen door, not taking your eyes off of him.

"So... My friend, Kara Danvers. She needs help, not urgent help, but she needs... A new perspective. Lena Luthor left to find more about her mom and practice magic, so Kara is really lonely, and her life isn't going really well. She just needs a new someone in her life, even if it's just a friend." His words were confusing, was he trying to be a wingman for you?

"How the fuck do you know me-"

"Language!" He spoke from behind you, making you turn around to face him. "So I'm friends with you dad and he keeps complaining about how you can't find a good husband and other stuff. My past self would've helped him, but instead I want to help you. As you may know I can travel through dimensions freely, so, I want to give you a chance. And I know you're a Supergirl fan." He mischievously pointed to the paused episode in your orb. You knew Mxyzptlk had changed over the years, but you still were unsure.

"What am I supposed to do? Once I get to the third dimension?" You asked hesitantly as you walked back to the living room, staring at your orb.

"So... You can't use your magic-" Your head snapped towards him, was he serious? If anything you needed your magic there! It was way more powerful in lower dimensions.

"Nope. Declined." You plopped down on your couch, crossing your arms over your chest as he sat down right by your side.

"Listen! Kara's friends can track fifth dimensional energy. If they find you like that they'll think you're like Nyxly or something and you'll be in trouble." You gave him a mean side eye as you thought about it. "I'll make some arrangements and find you a Job at CatCo and a nice apartment at Kara's building. If you want to, you can later tell her the truth, but she really needs something new in her life, and I think it'd benefit both you and her." He held your hands in his, giving you puppy eyes which made you creep out and snap your hands out of his grasp.

"And how do I know you're the real Mxyzptlk and not some scammer?" You cocked an eyebrow at him.

"I guess you'll just have to trust me." He gave you a smile and you rolled your eyes, just trying to recall how to say your own name backwards just in case this freak was an imposter. You knew your dad was acquaintances with Mxy back in his bad years but you never thought they were that close.

"Fine." You shook his hand and in that moment your orb glowed again, forcing you to close your eyes, and when you opened them you suddenly were all by yourself in an apartment, very similar to Kara's but yours was decorated in a more cold color palette (mostly blues and purples). And you had way less furniture. Still shocked, not knowing how you could check whether or not this was the third dimension you walked around, it sure was made to your liking, although it needed some more furniture. Taking a deep breath you felt the fifth dimension stronger than ever, yes, this was it. Excitedly you self toured your apartment, finding everything unpacked as if you've been living here for months already, except for a few boxes all around the house, to give the impression that you were a brand new neighbor. And a handwritten note by Mxyzptlk on the front door.

"Kara is your next door neighbor, and you'll have a job interview at CatCo tomorrow, good luck. :) -Mxy"

Your smile grew bigger as you finally got the new life you've been begging for so long.

[Now back to the present]

After three months on the third dimension one thing was sure: You were tired. Not being able to use your magic meant a lot of walking and a lot of carrying things around, but you were getting the hang of it. Although you haven't mustered the courage to take any steps with Kara. You could usually hear her and her friends having fun on game night or whenever she sobbed loudly while watching Wizard of Oz, but she never realized you were her neighbor. And at work it was pretty much the same, she'd just say 'Hi', 'Thanks' 'Goodbye' to you, she didn't even know your name. Most of your day to day conversations were with Cat Grant, who didn't even get your name right, but she was sweet deep inside. She even reminded you of your own mother. And by now you knew her favorite meals and every single specification about them, and you also knew Kara's favorite coffee but you weren't going to reveal you knew that one from 'the show'.

Your day-to-day now was basically just staring at Kara from your desk and sketching little drawings of her face or daily outfits on post-it notes that you kept underneath your keyboard. And that's what you were doing until Cat sneaked behind you and almost made you fall off your chair.

"Oh, so you're an artist?" She spoke loudly as she leaned over to have a better view of your little sketch.

"Miss Grant!" You yelped, turning your chair around so it'd block the view from your computer. "Is there anything I can help you with?" Your heart was beating loudly while you stared at the woman who was towering over you while squinting her eyes.

"You have a crush on Kara? Woah, what a shocker." She rolled her eyes as she walked to the new office that was built just for her weeks ago, right where the superfriends used to meet in season one.

You immediately got up and nervously walked behind her, you knew nothing escaped Cat, you saw how she knew all along Kara's identity, but you didn't expect this to happen to you.

"No, no- Miss Grant, I just usually draw what I see, it's a hobby, I've even drawn you and other colleagues here and not only Miss Danvers. I even draw animals sometimes!"

She stopped on her tracks, making you accidentally bump against her back. You quickly took two steps back and began apologizing profusely until she raised a finger, a clear signal for you to shut up.

"I'll help you. Kara needs someone. If only you could hear how she whines for that Luthor girl you'd go crazy. Plus from what I've seen you have a nice personality. And you're not ugly... I'll see what I can do for you, now bring me a cheeseburger from Noonan's. I'm giving myself a treat for being so generous." You silently nodded as she gave you a company credit card, your whole face blushing while you walked to the elevator. Said elevator was about to close when you heard a woman yell for someone to stop it, so you did. And you realized how bad your luck could get, because out of ALL the people in this office it had to be Kara Danvers the one inside the elevator with you.

You tried to play it cool as you stared at the panel in front of you, trying to not attract her attention.

"Did Cat send you on a random quest?" She spoke cheerfully after a couple seconds, making your heart race again.

"Yeah- No-... I mean- Kind of...? She wants a cheeseburger."

"No onions, extra pickles, and just a tiny dot of mustard right in the middle-" You both spoke at the same time, then stared at each other silently. That until Kara broke the silence with the most beautiful laughter you've ever heard, so much it made you laugh too.

"You're great, it took me a bit to memorize all that." She complimented you as she gave you a bright smile.

"Thanks... It's good to hear that from Miss Danvers herself, you were a hero before being Supergirl just by working for Cat." Now you fired back, also smiling at her as you felt butterflies flying though all of your body.

"I have to admit, Lex Luthor was easier to deal with." She joked as the elevator doors opened, making you realize the nice moment was over, it made your smile fade slightly as you both hopped off. You just waved at Kara as you took a step towards the restaurant. "Uhm- Actually, I was going to get lunch for myself, if you want I can get you something too." She stopped you by putting her hand on your shoulder.

"Oh no! There's no need, I don't-"

"C'mon! I can give you more Cat Tips, I invented them when I found Cat the first replacement assistants." She gave you that sweet smile again, almost making you melt and you just nodded. The two of you got to Noonan's quickly and it was fairly empty, which was good because usually you knew people would just get all around Kara to ask her questions, but now it was just you two, maybe six to seven people eating on their respective tables, and the workers.

"I'd like a dozen donuts and my regular coffee and for the lady right here..." She turned around to you, making you snap back to reality.

"U-Uh... A slice of chocolate cake will be fine." You gave her a wobbly smile as you fidgeted with the credit card in your hand.

"Are you sure? Please don't worry, it's all on me. Or maybe we can order some sushi? Nia told me she was craving some..."

"I- I'll order Cat's food and then we can go from there." You took her out of her thoughts, she just nodded while you turned around to the worker and placed Cat's order, which was ready almost instantly along with Kara's and your cake slice, all to go.

The two of you kept making small talk as you headed back to the office, you felt bad having to excuse yourself but you knew Cat Grant cannot wait.

"Here's your food Miss Grant." You put the paper bag on her desk and as you were walking out you heard her voice again.

"W/n. Where's my drink? I clearly asked you for a sparkling water." No she didn't, but you felt your face go pale as you remembered she had specific drinks for each food item. If you weren't so distracted by Kara maybe you would have remembered that, but now you only had two options: Owning up to your mistakes or... No. You couldn't do that. If you did there was a very high risk of the superfriends finding you and thinking you may be hostile. Or maybe the DEO, you didn't knew if it was already built back yet.

Either way it was risky... But it was just sparkling water, how much magic would you need for that? Probably the slightest bit, and maybe it'd go unnoticed by their sensors. Plus if you got fired you didn't want it to be over water. Breathing deep you snapped your fingers softly, the sparkling water appearing on your hands with a blue shine right before you turned around.

"Sorry! I was so distracted I forgot to hand it to you." You smiled nervously as you gave the woman the plastic bottle which she examined briefly, giving you a quick hand gesture which meant you were free to go now. That was definitely a stressful moment, but since you didn't see any of the superfriends around the building other than Kara chatting with Nia at her office you felt safe. Maybe this meant you could do some other tricks here and there, you just had to be careful, right?

[Meanwhile in the tower.]

Brainy was simply checking that everything was alright that day, then he'd go to buy Nia some lunch and take it to CatCo, an easy plan right? Unless something like the little alert on his screen ruined it.

"Hey, has anybody talked to Mxy lately?" Brainy turned on his comm device, sending the message to everyone.

He just got negative responses from everyone, which made him even more worried, this spark of fifth dimensional energy seemed so powerful yet it was so brief. Like it had been charging for a long time waiting to be let loose. And that wasn't a good sign, especially without Mxyzptlk around.

"I got a fifth dimensional energy signal coming from... CatCo. Nia, Kara I'm on my way, try searching the building but silently, we don't want to cause panic." He immediately turned on his image inductor and flew to CatCo, landing on the heliport and being greeted by his blonde friend.

"I searched the whole building, twice, and didn't find anything. Nia is in my office trying to see if she can dream about who's our fifth dimensional suspect." Kara was unconsciously doing the Supergirl pose although she was still wearing her usual office clothes, her face scrunched in worry.

"Okay... We need to see if it was Mxy, so we need to-"

"Mr. Mxyzptlk!" Kara yelled into the sky above, and the man appeared right beside them.

"You don't need to yell, bestie. I'm literally right here." He pretended to clean his ear with his pinky as he turned around to see Kara and Querl.

"We got a fifth dimensional energy signal here in CatCo. Was it you?" Brainy asked still deadpanning Mxyzptlk as the Imp's face seemed to go pale.

"Uh- Yeah! Of course. I was about to give Kara a visit but I saw how busy she was so I just left immediately. I was actually on my way back to the fifth dimension. My mom hasn't seen her favorite son in a while. Goodbye!" The man didn't even let them speak before snapping his fingers and disappearing, leaving both Kara and Brainy really confused yet somehow relieved by the fact the energy wasn't anything dangerous, allegedly.

"Kara... I think he's lying. It wasn't like his usual energy. This was a spark of colossal fifth dimensional energy, something like turning a switch on and off very quickly, usually Mxyzptlk hangs around leaving large trails of fifth dimensional energy, this isn't like him."

"We'll get to the bottom of this, I promise. Meanwhile... I think Nia may be hungry, what if we all go to eat something?" Kara suggested, laying her hand on the man's shoulder as he still looked unsure about the whole situation, but the Coluan just nodded, following Kara back to her office.

[...]

You sat down on your desk eating the slice of cake Kara had bought for you, smiling as you felt like your day was getting slightly better, especially since Cat Grant hasn't had the need to yell your name in the past thirty minutes or so. You finally felt like your life was going smoothly. Maybe Mxyzptlk was really a good man. Closing your eyes while enjoying one of the last bites of your cake you opened them just to find yourself sitting inside a broom closet. Confused, you immediately got up and looked around in the darkness until someone turned on the lights.

"I told you not to use your magic!" It had to be him.

"Hey! Don't yell at me! I wasn't using my magic, I was just eating my cake, which if you excuse me I might buy myself another slice." You tried to open the door but it was locked. "Mxyzptlk..." Looking back at him he just gave you a worried look.

"Please, Y/n. Don't use your magic until you gain Kara's trust. That's all I ask you for, especially since you could literally go to jail-" He then covered his own mouth, and turned around, his back facing you.

"WHAT- JAIL?!" Your jaw was on the floor, he surely had some explaining to do.

"Okay so- Maybe I... Broughtyouhereillegallysoifthesupremecourtfindsoutyou'reherewebothmayendupinjailandthatwouldn'tbereallynice-" He finished his sentence by gasping for air loudly, then he snapped his fingers and suddenly you were back on your desk, your mind still wondering how the fuck did you get into all this.

[to be continued]

[thefaeriefeatherdark]

Okay… as someone who sees the arguments in the narrative for Trans Kon. The answer is no.

Ultimately Kon isn’t in the worst position and already has a pretty big existing fan base. Not like… Batman or Nightwing or super major character big, sure. But… not small.

Kon won a fan vote to get a miniseries not even 2 years ago, beating a Suicide Squad book with Vampire Batman on it. Their last mini just ended? They recently showed up in a new comic (presumably to help launch it), and they’re getting stuff in the current Unchained arc.

The Trans Kon story could be an interesting story, but the pitch itself was meh and immediately struck a lot of problems.

The major problem is it’d destroy any marketability Kon already has, it’d basically mean that no one would ever do an adaptation of earlier Kon ever again because doing so would be stepping into the middle of a controversy over using the pre-transition version of the character. They couldn’t release any Superboy action figures or toys, they couldn’t use the Superboy name, etc.

The big problem is the name! Characters can change their names! They can use slightly different names, etc. Taking every recognizable name used to describe a character and giving them a whole set of new ones all at once? Not a great idea!

Furthermore we can do a breakdown with the actual pitches problems:

First: It talks about how messy Kon’s original continuity is and wanting to fix it, but then… never goes into what it means about Kon’s continuity being messy…

To all extents and purposes Kon is actually a character with pretty clean continuity. Our one big problem in terms of working stuff in is the N52 stuff, but unless there’s a plan to use that (and since that incarnation sorta dies at the end anyway…) there isn’t a reason to bring it in.

Worse is the fact that the comic doesn’t actually do anything that could be described as cleaning continuity. It introduces a new “The person actually responsible for making Kon” character (and with Westfield, Lex, Donovan, and Harvest we don’t really need another).

Second: The pitch never tells us what it’s pitching.

The story spends a lot of time building up to the transition but never gets past introducing Connie. And what her ongoing Status Quo will be is a pretty important thing for a story to establish!

Like at the end of the book is she supposed to be back in Hawaii full time (this is sort of what they set up)? Because that’s a bad choice!

If you want to understand why: The main hero of Hawaii being white is pretty fucking bad. A fact that even the original Superboy comics touch on (which is part of why Kon leaves!)

Third: This issue is mostly based in execution but the Evil Future Superfam dynasty would’ve sucked.

I can’t say that with 100% certainty! I’ll admit that. But the phrasing of the pitch seems to be a very Byrne/Krypton sucked approach. The two things discussed here are how the Super Dynasty were missing the humanity of Earth and how Superboy gets to lead since they’re closer to the original Superman genetically…

All of which feels iffy! It doesn’t help that their major addition is that Kon has a brother who is more Lex Luthor and therefore smarter.

The general… eugenics-I-ness of stuff just seems a bit off to me personally.

I Also think people are assuming diversity means people will use characters! It doesn’t.

Kenan Kong (Superman of China) pretty much vanished the moment his series ended (until recent Action Comics).

Jess Chambers has been in a handful of specials and then a singular team comic that ran six issues.

I’m all for a trans exploration of Kon-El as a character (Though I’d probably go with Kon being non-binary)! BUT I do not think it’d actually help Kon very much in terms of them having a book or in terms of their sales.

I think it’s important to remember Kon’s not the only Superfam member without a book (and frankly Kon’s mini only ended a little while ago)! Right now Supergirl (a character who had their own tv show within the last decade and is supposed to be getting a movie) doesn’t have a comic book. Heck even Jon who does often get favorable treatment over others doesn’t have a book!

Kon not having a book right now is more likely a result of them holding it back for a bigger release alongside other books, or the Mini not having sold well, or lack of an interested writer, or that there is a book in the works but only in basic development phase, etc.

CONNER KENT/KON-EL from DC Comics

JUSTIFICATION:

"If it makes DC editorial actually use her instead of shoving her behind Jon all the time..." - Anonymous

Reminder: Submissions are always open!

[chriswoodnetwork]

Chris Wood Stars in "Almost Famous" on Broadway

Television star Chris Wood (you might recognize him from “The Vampire Diaries” and “Supergirl”) returns to the stage and his musical theater roots with a starring role in “Almost Famous” this fall. The show begins previews on October 3, and we had the chance to sit down with him and chat about his stage background, his role as Russell Hammond and coming back to New York City.

WT: Tell us about your theater background. Wood: I grew up in the theater; it was sort of the only career path that I knew to get to be a performer. I started when I was around six years old, doing local community theater, playing a rat in “The Pied Piper” and a dwarf in “Snow White.” And, you know, I slowly worked my way up. I studied theater in college, then I left school and went on tour with “Spring Awakening,” playing Melchior.

That was a whirlwind experience touring the country and part of Canada and doing a show eight times a week for almost a year. That was pretty intense. Then I came back to New York, and I did some more shows. I was in some early workshops for Broadway productions.

And then my TV and film career started happening. Those contracts tend to be six years or more, occasionally shorter if it’s a film, but the TV contracts are so long that you lose the flexibility to schedule theater stuff. So it’s always been on my radar; I’ve been saying for so long that I want to get back to the stage. I feel like it’s long overdue, but I’m so glad that it’s this show. It feels like a lot of kismet.

WT: How does it feel to be back on the stage and be on Broadway in such an iconic production? Wood: I think that’s part of the enjoyment of it. Hopefully, people are going to come to the theater with a love of the film already because there’s a built-in adoration for the property of “Almost Famous” as a name.

The show is really special, and I came into the process a bit later and started earlier this year with it. Coming in from an outside perspective from a show that’s been workshopped— it was in San Diego before COVID shut down everything—getting to come in and see this artistic representation that really is true to the original but is its own thing and has its own magic. It was really special. And I think people are in for exactly what they want this to be when they see “Almost Famous.” I can’t wait to get back and share it with the world.

WT: Are you bringing your own spin to the character? Wood: Yeah, I think so. Billy in the film is so exquisite and so captivating and just the best that I think it would be a foolish path to go down trying to replicate that. We have similarities like we’re doing the mustache, and my hair is getting longer. So we’re halfway there in terms of look, but I think, for me, it’s humanizing these rockstars, these people who seem untouchable and seeing them in moments where they’re highly flawed and guarded. And then including the Golden Goddess sequence where the veil disappears, and you just see a person. I love playing the realness of the man behind the mask, if you will. I think everyone carries a certain amount of that, but with rockstars, it’s such an iconic world and the pedestal that we put them on, quite literally, on a stage with smoke and mirrors and flashing lights.

To kind of get behind what’s there and the artist behind Russell, that was kind of my mission. And yeah, I wouldn’t say that I’m doing what Billy did; I think Cameron so perfectly captured this guy’s essence. There are going to be similarities just because of the material and the descriptions and the guys’ truth. I definitely haven’t tried to do a copycat, but hopefully, people still like it.

WT: What are you looking forward to doing in New York? Are there any places you want to visit that you used to love when you lived here before? Wood: I’m a massive Yankees fan. I watch every single game, and if I’m not watching it live, I go back, and I watch later; I’m hugely passionate about baseball, so I cannot wait to get to some Yankees games. I don’t know how it will work with my show schedule. I’m going to have to figure that out. Central Park, I haven’t been back to. I just got back last week from home, so I’m still unpacking. I love the bike paths that go around the city and just like being on the west side bike path going all the way up and coming back around the south part of it. I’ve always loved going over the Brooklyn Bridge, and I just feel like certain parts of the city have not changed at all, even though it’s been almost ten years.

WT: You’ve lived in New York before? Wood: Oh, yeah, I moved to New York straight out of college. I started rehearsal for the “Spring Awakening” tour about a month later. I sort of shared this tiny room with my college roommate and my best friend, and then I went on the road and came back a couple of times for short stays. But then, after the tour, I moved back to New York, and I lived here. I can't think of how many years, but yeah, New York was home first out of college, and I still feel like a part of me has always identified more with New York. I live in LA now permanently. But getting back here and feeling the energy of the city, even in the middle of a pandemic. It's just there's nothing like anywhere in the world. And I feel so fortunate to get to do this show in this character in this city. Checking all of my lifelong dream boxes. It's pretty stupendous.

WT: What’s next for you after “Almost Famous?” Wood: There's a bunch of stuff that is, simmering on the stove, if you will. Nothing I can tell you specifically about, but I've been working really hard in different areas of my career. It’s nice to get back on stage because I've been writing for a while and have some projects that hopefully on the behind-the-scenes stuff can come out soon, but I have some exciting projects that I've been working on, and hopefully, by the time I'm done with this, those will be set up and going. (x)

[randomcartoonbro]

I'm sorry but I have genuine concern for the well-being of a huge chunk of the Stranger Things fandom right now. Just. Wow. I forgot there's a reason I didn't go into the main tag ever. The way people are saying their mental health is ruined, that they're going to kill themselves, or that they're going to kill any of the cast members or Duffer Brothers or generally throwing a fit and saying that they hate them for "queerbaiting". Or that "shipping is a very very serious thing and they're not taking it serious enough. Fucking straight people just don't get it". Guys. Jokes or not on some of that stuff, that isn't a normal or healthy reaction to something like this. You're teetering on the edge of being exactly like the Supercorp fans from the Supergirl fandom or the Amedot/Lapidot fans from the Steven Universe fandom. I hope to all the gods that you guys don't start actively harassing the cast and crew to the point any of the quit like the examples listed. Fandom and shipping is meant to be all in good fun. If you're not having fun and your mental health is literally on the line because of a stupid sci-fi horror TV show, you need to step away and take a breather. Genuinely get help or at least some perspective that it's not the end of the world. I passively ship Byler too, but it's literally not that big of a deal that they didn't get together. In universe, it feels like Will just isn't ready to come out yet and that's okay. That's a normal thing. Sometimes shit like what's happening with Will and Mike happens in real life. It's not queerbaiting if the character is already canonically queer and just not ready to come out. Plus Robin is right there and is about to have an adorable girlfriend, but you guys just don't perceive that because it doesn't benefit your ship. They also never stated that they would be canon. They just said they approved of the ship and told you to have fun with it. You guys just dug too deep and hurt yourselves. Even then, theorizing and having ships and all that should not have any impact on your mental health. That's not normal. I sincerely hope you guys get help. I'm worried.

[matan4il]

Let me preface this. I'm a life long shipper but I always stay away from "canon straight" characters because I saw what happened with OUAT and Supergirl. Like I reconize the signs you know. So I just wanted to scream into the void about these latest interviews (who by the way I dont believe) but I'm insulted by them. And heres why...

Of course I silently shipped Eddie and Buck because how could you not. But I was like they arent gonna go there dont waste your time on tumblr. And honestly when I would watch the show every freaking nod they gave I would roll my eyes. I even told my husband so many times it's rediculous these writers are baiting the shippers in ways I haven't seen before. It's mean. I didnt even come here till after Eddie dumped Ana and Buck and Taylor are so clearly a dumpster fire because I literally was like wait there is a chance.

So for them now to come out and pretend they haven't created this is gaslighting in the highest form. They made conscious decisions at every turn to promote them while simultaneously also not giving them female LIs.

Like 2 seasons ago that family dinner scene is something I would have been like awww at. 2 best bros having dinner with one of their girls. I can acknowledge bro besties without shipping, see Scrubs and TWD. But you did that dinner now, in an epsiode where you make Buck a cheater. Now I actually sympathize with Taylor.

Again I don't put a lot of stock into what they said I just find it highly insulting and gaslighting to the extreme that they would be so flippant to the shippers they fed for 4 seasons.

Hi Nonnie! Thank you for the ask!

TBH, I always believed they knew what they were doing since the moment they chose to make Eddie’s introduction all about Buck, and more than that, they made it all about Buck being overwhelmed by how fantastic (even physically) Eddie is (which Tim referred to in a recent interview as one of the reasons why Buddie has shippers). But let’s for the sake of argument say they didn’t intend to set up a subtextual slow burn and only later on realized that’s how some viewers saw it. In 210, Tim said the elf lady scene was a nod at Buddie fans. That means by that point, they were aware of the shipping. If it had been an “accidental” creation of shipping fodder, they could have change course at this point and make Buddie more like Chim and Eli. Instead, they chose to just keep making their bond deeper and more intense, intimate and meaningful. So yeah, I’m not buying that they aren’t aware of the romantic undertones between Buddie. But then, I never really believe TV showrunners. I’ve been burned one too many times, so I know what they say is more like what they think they need to say. But Buddie has already given me a lot of joy, shipping them and getting what we have so far, and I also believe the showrunners can choose bravery and making 911 into an actual TV historical moment by allowing Buddie to go canon. Even if they’re not there right now, they can get there before the show ends its run. So I’m hopeful that they will! And if they do, I really don’t expect them to talk about it in interviews ahead of time, you know?

Thank you again, I hope you found my reply helpful and that you’re having a great day! xoxox

(HEY, if it takes me a moment to reply to an ask, it's 'coz I'm juggling work overload and medical stuff. If I got it, I will reply to it! You can always check my ask tag. Thank you for understanding! xoxox)

[thevindicativevordan]

What's your opinion on the DCAU Superman? Tim Daly or George Newbern?

Daly over Newbern for a lot of reasons, mainly that Justice League Superman sucks.

Have an interesting relationship with this series. Namely that it was my introduction to the character and his wider mythos. I grew up watching this on TV, for some reason I never got any BTAS episodes. So this definitely helped make me into a Superman fan. My parents have told me that it was because of watching this series that I demanded Superman pajamas which I always tried to wear since they came with a little cape on the back. Thought the Saw movies were about Toyman because of how similar the two looked to me. Seeing John Henry Irons in this probably encouraged me to read Reign of the Supermen down the line. In short this series was a big influence on me growing up. Yet I have to say, I don't think it's the gold standard for Superman adaptations anymore.

Now Superman: The Animated Series brings a lot of ideas to the table. Some of them I like and some of them I don't, but it's important to be fair to Timm and Dini about one thing: they were working under the restrictions of Post-Crisis DC. The rules of that era had a number of restrictions that they had to work around, such as bringing in a Kara Supergirl who couldn't be Superman's cousin or from Krypton. So even though a more "grounded" take isn't to my taste, I don't hold that as being "bad" necessarily. Do think that they should've gone with their initial gut instinct of nerfing him back to Golden Age power levels (they seriously considered having this incarnation unable to fly). Clearly they were more interested in quasi-realism, and I do think Superman can work in that mindset. Just needs to be reset to what he was at the very beginning when he dealt with "real" problems.

Revamping Superman more to Timm's liking in Gods and Monsters resulted in a Superman that I enjoyed more because you could tell there was much greater enthusiasm for the character. Their approach to Superman in STAS felt like a compromise between stuff they wanted to do, and stuff they felt like they had to include in order for it to be a Superman show. The results were a mixed bag.

What I Liked About DCAU Superman

There is actually much that I think the creators did well. Superman himself is solid if rather flat characterization-wise. Daly does a great job at voicing a Superman who is cast in the Byrne model. As Superman he is suitably heroic and courageous. As Clark Kent... he's basically the exact same personality-wise, just a little more subdued. Not my favorite take on the divide between the two, but well-done here. There is some slyness to his Clark that I love, such as his "confession" to Lois about his secret identity. I love that bit, very cheeky and deadpan as befitting Superman's sense of humor. Have to say though, I think Daly's post-STAS return to the character is a lot better. He's got this warmth in movies like the Superman/Batman team-ups and Justice League Doom that feels much closer to my ideal voice for the character. It's because of those movies that I hear Daly as the voice of Earth 0 Superman in my head when I read his dialogue. While they didn't portray Superman as smart as I would have liked, he's not a complete idiot either. He breaks out protective suits when he has to face Parasite, Livewire, or Joker. Of course the suits get shredded but at least the creators didn't force him to be a moron to make their plots work, and JL has episodes like the one where he's flung into the future and loses his powers to show that it's not the powers that make him Superman.

Delany is fantastic as Lois Lane, she's the voice I hear for Earth 0 Lois. Great for all the usual reasons an actress portrays a great Lois (DCAU Lois is snarky yet compassionate and fiercely committed to her pursuit of the truth), the largest contribution to the wider mythos DCAU Lois made is I think she started the trend of Lois having purple eyes. Really like that attribute, it's a real shame we don't get to see this Lois and Clark get hitched. Does DCAU Lois ever even learn his secret? I don't think so but I could be misremembering. Only misfire is that Timm and Dini needed to assert their self-insert's alphaness by having her get into a fling with Bruce. Yes I recognize it was probably a play on Delany also voicing Phantasm, but if you don't think Timm at the very least had a hard-on at the idea of Batman fucking "Superman's girl", you clearly haven't been seeing the DC movies he makes once the restrictions are all off (and the fuckery was always there just low-key like the Bruce/Babs romance).

Rest of the supporting cast vary. Jimmy had one cool moment that I remember when he was leading the Resistance to Lex and Superman in Brave New Metropolis. Otherwise he was just Superman's Pal in a rather nondescript fashion. Love the mullet though! Perry was there but not really relevant. Ma and Pa were wise and old, clearly cast in the Byrne/Donner model. Jor-El and Lara were cool, the DCAU was the first to have Lara be the one with the S-curl right? I love that so kudos to the DCAU for putting forth that idea. Kara In-Ze was a great way of getting Supergirl while still paying lip serve to the editorial rules of the time. John Henry Irons rocked as Steel, damn shame he didn't get more to do because I loved him. Bibbo was cool. Dan Turpin and Maggie Sawyer were great, probably the best supporting cast members outside of Lois. Really bold of the creators to sneak in Maggie's girlfriend/wife (even if she couldn't be acknowledged as such due to the censors) in the scene where Maggie is in the hospital. Seeing Turpin die hit especially hard, Superman failing to save someone? That blew my mind!

Now the villains were usually pretty great. Clancy Brown as Lex Luthor and Michael Ironside as Darkseid are absolutely up there with Hamill Joker in terms of being the definitive voices for the characters. DCAU Lex pretty much set the bar for the modern Lex Luthor, combining the best of Pre-Crisis and Post-Crisis into one take. Lex is a scientific genius who used his brains to get rich and has crafted a public persona of being a philanthropist. More or less, if you're wondering how we went from Byrne's older Kingpin lite Lex to modern young Lex, the DCAU is what facilitated that change. Darkseid is phenomenal here, cunning and threatening. Whenever he showed up you knew shit was going to get serious. Kirby's New Gods probably get their best showcase here in the DCAU, on account of Timm being a Kirby fanboy. New Genesis gets to show up and actually be relevant! Kudos to the creators, they did a good job with the Kirby creations. STAS is definitely what cemented Darkseid and the other New Gods as being part of Superman's world in popular perception.

DCAU revamped Metallo, Toyman, and Brainiac, and I thought all of those were well done. Making Brainiac a Kryptonian AI built by Jor-El was actually a really neat way to connect Superman and Brainiac together! Morrison's idea of "Brainiac" being the Kryptonian internet equivalent that Jor-El built in the New 52 which merges with the Collector of Worlds feels like it had its roots in DCAU Brainiac. Maxima was a much better character here than in the comics, which is kind of crazy given it's Timm. The new villains they created were usually cool, I've written before about Livewire and Volcana. Lobo was great, such a piece of shit in an entertaining way. You could tell he really got under Superman's skin which is exactly how it should be. Bizarro was great, much better handling of the "clone" take than what Byrne did.

Overall the best summary of the series is that it's more consistent than Batman: The Animated Series. Nothing in STAS is as bad as I've Got Batman In My Basement or the Catwoman episodes, but there's nothing quite on the same level as Heart of Ice. Not to say there aren't some GREAT episodes though. The Late Great Mr. Kent for example is absolutely worthy of the accolades thrown it's way. Weird to say, but it's STAS that technically started the shared universe even though BTAS came first. Other heroes with powers first made their debuts here: Flash, GL (albeit Kyle not John), Aquaman, etc. It's this show, not BTAS, that really has a bunch of plot points come back in the JL seasons. Batman may have kicked the DCAU off but Superman is where the real building blocks got laid.

Also I'll throw one point in Newbern's favor here: I like that Superman's temper is portrayed as his fatal flaw. I like that he struggles with it over the course of Justice League. Wrath is what I consider to be Superman's Deadly Sin (like Pride is Batman's), and this incarnation of the character definitely showcases that.

What I Didn't Like About DCAU Superman

Alright so what went wrong? Well you may have heard that DCAU Superman is a jobber. This is very, very true. I'm not someone who really gives a shit about if Superman can push a planet or if he struggles to lift a car. Power levels aren't the most important thing to me, I'm fine with a weaker Superman who needs to wear a space suit out in space. But I need him to not constantly be flopping on the floor after he gets hit by a light breeze. Early seasons of JL really didn't know how to handle the cast, and it's something they got better on over time. There's one huge jobbing moment that I'll talk about later because it's the perfect encapsulation of how this guy went wrong.

Some of the villains I didn't like. Heresy to some but I don't like Gottfried's voice for Mxyzptlk. Gotta admit that's a me thing since I don't think Mxy just being a nuisance is the best use for him. Jax-Ur and whatshername were lame. Again the creators had to work under Post-Crisis rules so I don't hold it against them, but those two really should've just been Zod and Ursa. They're clear stand-ins but lack either the hamminess of the Donner takes or the nuance of later versions. Luminous is an interesting concept, a villain who manipulates light is a great challenge for Superman, but the execution feels undercooked. If I were to use Luminous it would basically be taking the name and the powerset and changing everything else.

These are all sort of minor nitpicks, nothing dealbreaking right? When it comes to the non-character aspects of Superman, I try to be more flexible. But there's a serious problem with this take on Superman that is baked into the show, and it's something that entirely lies in the opinions of the people handling Superman.

The fundamental problem of DCAU Superman is simple: the showrunners don't know what the appeal of the character is. Timm and Dini truly just don't know why people like him. They understand that people do like him, and they try a variety of methods to make Superman appeal to kids, the Superman fans that already exist, and themselves, but they just can't do it. Fundamentally they see the character and his world as lame. As an example Timm has made a lot of comments about how Superman's Rogues Gallery sucks which piss me off. It's not that I disagree that his Rogues couldn't be better, look how many posts about his Rogues I've written where I've "fixed" them to my liking, but Batman's Rogues weren't all awesome from Day 1 either. Timm knows this, look at Mr. Freeze! That's a character who sucked so hard he shows up in Limbo (place where all the uncool and forgotten characters go) in Morrison's Animal Man run! Hard to believe but he was a terrible character that people thought was lame before Timm and Dini reinvented him, and gave him a cool new design for the DCAU.

James Gunn isn't a big fan of Superman either, but he took Bloodsport, revamped him, and now people like Bloodsport! So I don't have much sympathy for Timm when he whines about stuff like that, it's clear he simply didn't want to put forth the effort. No reason "weak" Rogues such as Terra-Man for example couldn't have appeared in the DCAU and been revamped. The Legion of Superheroes cartoon did exactly that! Hell Timm and Dini did do a good job with Metallo, the idea of him losing all physical sensation as a result of his new body was an inspired change! I like that idea a lot personally, so they did have it in them to revamp the villains they didn't like into something cooler. There was a passion and excitement present you could see in the work on Batman, a desire to touch on every aspect of his Mythos possible, that just wasn't present in STAS.

One truly bitter fruit of DCAU Superman is that he's the start of all these fucking evil Superman stories nowadays. Darkseid mindcontrols him and sets him loose on Earth at the end of STAS, something that is admittedly well-executed, but results in him being a grumpy asshole for most of JL. Turning evil twice, TWICE, of his own free will in alternate universes, the main nailbiter of the Cadmus arc is whether mainline Superman is a big enough asshole to break bad due to Lex Luthor's goading like Justice Lord Superman. Brave New Metropolis Superman tossed morality in the trash after his Lois died, and main universe Lois has to point out to him that fascism is bad. Hell main universe Superman needs the same damn talk in JL, Lois has to explain to him that people don't like the League throwing it's weight around with zero restrictions. His response? "We come on a little strong sometimes, but it's for the peoples own good". Remind you of anything? Maybe two very high profile takes on Superman in film and video games? It's easy to tell that the heads were far more interested in the idea of Superman going bad then they ever were in a baseline take on Superman.

To be fair to Newbern, he plays that really well which is why he's such a good fit for Injustice. But his take is far too grumpy and bitter to work on a heroic Superman, which is why I'm always going to pick Daly over him for a more straightforward take. He just can't sell Superman as a good guy underneath all that anger to me, which can be blamed in part on the writing I suppose.

"But Vordan," you cry "you hypocrite, didn't you say you liked that Newbern played Superman as having a temper? Didn't you say Wrath is his Deadly Sin?" Yes I did, but here's the thing: that shouldn't fucking overshadow compassion as his main attribute. Love the Hulk, but Superman isn't the Hulk. If you're going to play up Superman's anger issues we need to see more of his compassionate side also, otherwise we end up with DCAU Superman: An angry toddler essentially who can barely control himself. He's an incredibly bitter dick throughout JL, and the heads just flat out refused to showcase him as anything but that. The best illustration of this is the contrast between what the "iconic moments" are for the two headliners of the DCAU: Batman and Superman.

Batman's iconic moment is his comforting of Ace. This is a beautiful moment that truly captures Batman's character. For all the talk of Batman's ruthlessness and preptime, he tosses aside the weapon and instead chooses to take a gamble on Ace's compassion. Why? Because this Batman wants to help people. He wanted to help his Rogues get better, it wasn't just about glorifying in the brutality of what he did. He wanted to protect people, to help others overcome their trauma in a way he could not. To be there for Ace, a child, in her darkest moment was exactly what Bruce crafted Batman to be.

This moment of compassion is what sticks with you even though we know Bruce is going to end up a bitter old man dying alone because he drove everyone away. It makes that ending feel sad instead of well-deserved because Batman wasn't a dick at the start. Slowly over time as things got worse and worse, he became what he is in Beyond, but the old Batman is still there. Understanding that Batman is more than just being dark and edgy is why DCAU Batman is so good.

Superman's iconic moment is the "World of Cardboard" speech and then punching Darkseid. People gush over this, but what exactly is it if you analyze it? Basically it's a speech where Superman talks tough, throws a punch... and still loses the fight. A jobber to the end, he has to be bailed out by Lex Luthor after Darkseid uses the "Agony Matrix" or whatever the fuck it's called. While hilarious that Superman gets taken down by "magic electricity" essentially (God is that fitting), this is such a frustratingly perfect encapsulation of the DCAU take on him. Superman screams about how ANGRY he is ALL THE TIME, how he just wants to SMASH, and now he's going to SMASH REALLY REALLY HARD!!!!! Except they can't even let him accomplish that, the cool moment is immediately undercut by him jobbing because the writers would probably die if they didn't remind you that they think Superman sucks.

Compare the two and you tell me, who comes off better? That Batman is by far the more popular of the two should tell you what the kids growing up watching the show thought anyway. Now we get stories about how Superman is one bad day from losing it, and I don't think that's at all disconnected from how the DCAU portrayed him. Not enough humanizing moments, not enough stuff where Superman gets to show how much he cares for the people he protects. The writers are too busy pushing back against the idea of him as being "corny" (something they probably think is true themselves) and trying to make him darker that they end up breaking him essentially. Truthfully it's Batman who is the guiding hero of the DCAU, with Superman as the loose cannon who fucks everyone over.

Ultimately the DCAU did a lot of cool storytelling, but that it's take on Superman himself went south is a dealbreaker for me. Characterization of Clark is the final arbitrator for me in terms of whether I like a work or not, and this take just doesn't do it for me. That DCAU Superman was basically the last major focus on Superman in animation has definitely played a role in his fall-off. Thankfully we're getting a new animated Superman show which doesn't appear to have Timm or any of his cronies involved. Hopefully that will be a much better showcase of Superman and his world.

[sanversandfriends]

Sanvers fans know her from her amazing contributions of art and fic to the Big Bang, but @morganastorm24 is also a multi-talented writer and artist for multiple ships in the DC universe. She also has love of everything Lois Lane. In honor of the Planet's star reporter, we've asked her to share a glimpse into her writing process. Thanks, Morgana!

Tell us a little about yourself. How did you get started writing fic? Have you written for other fandoms? What are your favorite tropes?  

I've been writing for as long as I can remember - even longer according to my mum. I've always loved creating stories and would sit with my teddies and toy horses, reading them stories (even before I could read, because that's what pictures are for, right? Telling a thousand words and all that). For my 6th or 7th birthday, I apparently asked for a "really nice writing set and an even nicer book to write in". I was given a ring binder with plastic pockets, a notebook and a pencil case full of stationery. I still have that ring binder to this day, though it's not filled with all my random childish scribbles like it once was. 

I started writing fanfiction not long after Star Wars: Attack of the Clones came out. That's the earliest fanfic I can remember writing, anyway. I wrote Anakin and Padme's adventures after they got married, and then when rumours started flying about what was going to happen in Episode 3, I wrote my very first "fix it fic" by finding a way to keep Padme alive (as I couldn't bear the thought of my favourite character dying). Most of those very early fics never left the pages of the notebooks they were scrawled in and nobody else ever saw them (thank god!), but it wasn't until I started reading fanfiction online that I realised I could actually do that too - share my ideas with the world. I dabbled a little in fanfic for the tv show Casualty (a British medical drama), had more success with Doctor Who, wrote some more Star Wars, then Merlin and eventually (and most recently) Supergirl (with a dash of other DC). 

What were your inspirations for this particular story? What was it about this/these ships that grabbed you?

This fic was born of a single image - namely Chyler first revealing that she was going to wear a black and blue super suit and become Supergirl for one episode. That image alone was enough to get my mind racing with possibilities and ideas of how it might come to pass. I have to be honest and say I stopped watching the show after the Crisis stuff, so I've never actually seen her episode as Supergirl, but maybe that's a good thing? At least this way I know that my version of her is different and unique.

I am and always will be a huge Sanvers stan, but there's something so appealing about AgentCorp as well, and the show really dropped the ball when they wouldn't let Alex and Lena be together. They're an interesting and dynamic pairing - they share interests, are both huge science nerds and yet so completely different that its great fun writing them both together.

As for Lois and Kara - that one literally came out of nowhere and took me by surprise. I'd never intended for it to happen, and yet now that it has, I'm wondering why I never thought of it sooner!

Has the time spent away from your story changed your outlook or approach to any of the storylines or themes? Have you had any new inspirations or breakthroughs/revelations in the meantime? 

Absolutely. I got to a point with the fic where it had grown stale, and I was constantly hitting up against a wall with no idea how to get around it, or to power through it. So, I walked away from the fic and decided to focus on other WIPs and new creations instead. Coming back to it now, I've been able to see everything with fresh eyes, and I can see not only where I was going wrong before, but also a way to fix it. Changing the villain, adding characters, getting rid of redundant plot threads and adding more relevant pieces has really helped to get this work to a place where finally, I can see the finish line and I know I'm going to make it. That's a huge relief, considering where I was 2 years ago when I first started writing it.

Any advice for new or aspiring fic writers?

Never give up. No matter how hard it might be, just put words on a page. It doesn't matter how rubbish they are, as my BFF always says, "You can't edit a blank page." Let yourself suck, let yourself write horrendously. It's all good practice. Even if those words never leave your notebook or the document on your computer, they've taught you something, they've helped you to improve, so be proud of them.

Writing is also a bit like a painting. Not even Da Vinci or Van Gogh sat at his easel and created a masterpiece on his first try. There's the initial sketches to plan out the idea. That's your plot or summary. Then you add basic blocks of colours. That's your first draft. From then on, you work away slowly, adding details, shading, contouring...those are your second, third, fourth drafts. Keep revising and editing as much as you need - there's no right or wrong number of times you should be doing it. Because each time you do, you're adding more detail to your masterpiece. And what you end up with is a work of art.

One final piece of advice... writing is not a solo event. All those times a writer is depicted sitting along, tapping away at a keyboard or scribbling in a notebook, it's so misleading. Get yourself a writing buddy. DKGwrites and I are best friends, we met through fanfiction (and I'm eternally grateful for that everyday). We have regular writing sessions together, and ok it's 90% messing around, distracting one another, talking utter nonsense or throwing random videos and links to each other, but that 10% when we do actually behave and get down to the task at hand, it's so much more fun writing together than it ever is when we try to write alone. Silliness aside, we help one another, bounce ideas off one another, motivate and encourage one another, and it's the best thing ever. So find yourself a writing buddy, and have a blast!

If you were going to promote this fic with a single line, what would it be? 

What if Supergirl was a badass redhead called Alex Danvers?

We'll have more about her artwork in the coming weeks, but in the meantime, check out her work on A03!

[lesbianmarrow]

one thing I love about ava as a character is that…. she’s literally a character. like she’s given stuff to do entirely separately to her relationship with sara. one of my biggest gripes toward the majority of gay relationships on tv is that they’re usually positioned as “main character” and “main character’s companion” 🤨😑 but with Ava, she gets to get actual plot and scene work with other cast members 🥰

yeahhhh its so good!!! i was so delighted to see her building a rapport with nate at the beginning of season 4 just because you know it's a relationship mostly outside of her relationship with sara. and then the one where she and nora and mona are all trapped in the cell together and they bond, again it's her having conflicts and forming friendships with women who are not sara. i know supergirl fans really liked the alex and maggie relationship but i think that one had the problem you are describing where only one of them gets to be a fully realized character and the other is just like their accessory for gay points. so it's nice to see legends consciously not doing that with ava. making ava into a fully developed character is good for its own sake but it's also good for making the sara/ava relationship more compelling and believable, because if ava feels like a person with a life outside of sara then it makes her a better love interest for sara because it makes her seem like an actual person rather than like mandated gay representation