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stranger-who-writes-fiction · 2 months

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What's this? Another Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow post?? But it's 2024! Surely, there's nothing new to uncover with regards to this seminal work of sequential storytelling...right?!?!?

Well...kinda. XD

BEHOLD! Another Tom King podcast interview, wherein he discusses Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, and mostly confirms stuff we already knew, but! BUT! He does drop some new bits of info!

Right then. LET'S GO!

My usual disclaimer applies, recommend listening to the interview firsthand to get a more objective perspective.

But if you're cool with my (INCREDIBLY BIASED! ALWAYS! ALWAYS BIASED WITH THIS BOOK!) summary, then ONWARDS WE GO.

(And when I say 'biased summary' what I mean is that I will be including the bits that make me want to run a victory lap because my readings were SPOT HECKIN' ON, ALL YE NAYSAYERS!*)

Ahem. Anyways.

So I'm going to start off with some new-ish info (at least, it's new-ish to me. XD) The interviewers had asked about the title, specifically in regards to Zor-El's dialogue in issue six (I believe it's the portion where Zor is explaining to Kara why he's going to save her, and says something like, "tomorrow will come soon enough...and you will be a woman looking back on the many decades of your life..." hence 'Woman of Tomorrow') and whether that was planned from the outset, or if that part came about organically as he was writing it.

King said he'd originally written a completely different script for issue six (which we did know) but FUN NEW FACTOID TIME: Zor-El/Kara's origin (initially) weren't included in issue six like, at all. It therefore would not have come up at any point within the mini-series, had they gone with that first script.

But editorial hated it (King agreed with their conclusion, and another fun fact, we'll get to see said script in the backmatter for the new deluxe edition, YAY) and when King asked if there was anything in it that they liked, they said the tiny flashback to Kara's time on Argo was good.

SO. King then decided to expand that/incorporate her origin, because that would be 'easy', and this was back during his crazy COVID writing schedule.

(Folks will perhaps recall that he wrote issue seven in like...a day. What we did not know was that he rewrote issue six in that same week.)

And then it ended up being everyone's favorite issue so yaaaaay for editors! Unsung heroes of comics!

They are also comics' greatest villains but that's a discussion for another day!

Evely's art was mentioned at this point and King was like, 'I had to go back and make the writing more beautiful/esoteric to match what she was putting out.'

Also we stan a comic writer who lets his artists take as long as they need on art. (Though as he's mentioned before, Evely was able to turn in the art quickly on this book, which is heckin' WILD to me, have you SEEN that woman's pencils and inkwork??!??!?!??!?!)

They touched on the True Grit comparisons, only relevant/new bits there are that King feels it's the perfect novel (agree) and that the John Wayne version is terrible (also correct) and the Cohen Brothers' version is great (right again.)

Another bit we already knew: It was an editor who was responsible for the suggestion that Kara should be Rooster, not Mattie. (I think in the past he credited this to Jamie Rich, but this time he said he couldn't remember if it was Rich or Brittany Holzherr, and said they could fight over the credit if they want. XD)

Either way, THANK YOU, WHOEVER YOU ARE, b/c the alternative pitch, with Kara as Mattie and Lobo as Rooster, sounded awful.

Instead King went with, 'Kara will learn from the young naïf, and teach the young naïf.'

(Much better.)

MORE NEW, FUN TRIVIA!!!!

King said they had the first issue completely drawn, colored, and lettered--basically ready to go, and DC said, 'we can't publish this because Supergirl doesn't drink.'

King called Jim Lee, trying to make his case, that she was twenty-one, it was legal, it was a totally normal/human thing to do, and Lee was like, 'but we can't.'

King: Could I do it with Superman? Lee: Yeah.

Essentially it was a lot of tiptoeing around stuff like, 'girls can't get drunk and whatnot' coupled with 'Supergirl can't do that because she's perfect and pure.'

But! Lee ultimately was like, 'okay, you can leave the scene in, but you can't say she's drunk.'

So if you go back and read the actual dialogue/narration, there's no explicit language confirming that kara is three sheets to the wind.

(Which is so, so ridiculous to me because the art makes it very, very clear that she is. XD LOOPHOLES!)

King and the interviewers pointed out that this real world editorial incident ironically tied into one of the metanarratives of the character, that being the pressure placed on Kara, which Clark doesn't have to deal with.

Art imitating life etc. etc. XD

Feel like I've heard this bit in other interviews but it's sweet so it bears repeating: the green sun planet's name is based on King's nickname for his daughter, and she was the one who came up with the idea of a 'green sun planet' during a discussion at dinner one night.

So shifting gears a bit, the rest of the podcast focused specifically on various plot points that the interviewers wanted to discuss/had questions about; it's basically King offering his insights as the writer. And I really, really appreciate this, for reasons I'll get to further down. Now then, more summarizing!

One of the interviewers brought up a sticking point he had with the book: the execution of the Brigand in issue four. Ruthye says to Supergirl that she thought she would save him. To which Supergirl replies: Did you?

King explained that Ruthye and Kara are on opposite journeys in this book. In issue one, Kara is on the side of 'I don't kill, heroes never kill' and Ruthye is on the opposite side, 'Krem killed my father, I have to kill him.' At the end of the book, they are once again on opposite sides, but they've switched.

(I love the way King described it, that Ruthye becomes Supergirl, and saves Supergirl. More on this later.)

But specifically that part in issue four, where Kara doesn't step in, King confirmed that she's on that journey, she's going through that transition, but she hasn't crossed the line of, 'I'll kill him myself.' Rather, she's allowing the system to do what it will.

King also mentioned that this theme isn't especially new and has been examined in comics time and time again, of superheroes asserting their morality over governments, and how that spirals into fascism. He cited Kingdom Come, etc.

Further comments from King on Kara's character: she's conflicted, unlike Clark. Clark's soul and ideals are aligned one to one; Kara wants that. She loves those ideals and wants to uphold them, but she's not fully aligned like that because of what she's been through (read: She's Seen Some Things)

Loved this bit from King: "Supergirl's a little more human than Clark, in spite of being more alien."

King said DC probably would've let him have Supergirl kill Krem in the end, BUT (and it's a good 'but' tying into that earlier bit about Ruthye becoming Supergirl) he said that the theme of this book was 'what makes Supergirl awesome' (he admits this is kind of a dumb theme, but hard disagree, sir) and he liked that Kara's lessons to Ruthye are ultimately what saves her. Kara saves herself.

(STICK A PIN IN THAT ONE, FOLKS)

King once again stated, for the record, that Krem does not die in the end!

The two interviewers had differing interpretations, hence King needing to confirm. XD He even pulled out his script for issue eight, and the description does indeed say that Krem is unconscious, not dead.

And, AND, Evely even made this clearer in the art; the script didn't have Krem moving after Ruthye hit him, but Evely added Krem placing his hand on his head.

Another point the interviewers wanted to discuss: Ruthye writing that Supergirl had killed Krem.

King confirmed that this was to prevent the Brigands from retaliating against Ruthye, and instead focus on going after Supergirl.

In King's mind, Kara feels immense guilt that her father saved her over literally anyone else, so she spends her life taking on other people's pain, to make up for what she sees as taking someone else's spot on that ship.

The scene in issue seven, where Kara's falling through the atmosphere and pushes through in order to preserve the memories that she carries with her was inspired by events from King's life; his mother died unexpectedly, and when going through her things, realized that he was one of the only people who carried certain memories of his mother and grandparents; he described it as a kind of burden.

Last question from the interviewers: Why make Ruthye and unreliable narrator? Do we believe anything in this book, now?

King started off his answer by noting that he fought against using captions in his books for his entire career; by the time he started writing comics, caption boxes had sort of lost their vitality and had become the equivalent of thought balloons, which had long since fallen out of style.

But when he returned to them with Supergirl, he said, (and I have the full quote below)

King: "What I love about [captions] is that you can write things that contrast what's in the pictures, so that the captions can tell you a little bit of a different story than what you're seeing, and thereby enhance it--it's that idea of Ruthye being, she's narrating the story but we're seeing pictures of what's actually happening, creates an excellent sort of tension I think." (Bold mine)

And so, some THOUGHTS!

As always, I love learning new things about this comic. I wish this comic had a commentary track, with King (and Evely, Lopes, and Cowles!) talking about the creation/processes behind the book.

Next best thing is podcasts, I guess! XD

But IN ADDITION to fun, new information, as I mentioned at the outset, King has basically confirmed a bunch of stuff I mentioned in my deep dive posts.

To quote one of the interviews: "I was validated by Tom King!"

This also debunks like. Every bad-faith criticism lobbed at the book. It's almost like a checklist of the month-to-month stuff I was seeing from those aforementioned naysayers, complaining on twitter that King had ruined Kara beyond repair.

They'll likely never listen to this podcast, but I wish they would! I think it would make them feel better. XD Like, hearing the insights on Kara/Ruthye/etc has just reminded me once again how good this book is, and how emotionally moving.

Like, again, I love the way King sums up how Kara and Ruthye work together in this book to shine a spotlight on Supergirl; Kara teaches Ruthye lessons, Ruthye becomes Supergirl thanks to those lessons, Ruthye then saves Kara, thus Kara saves herself.

(Which hey, I touched on in my issue eight post, way back when.)

(I'm also beyond thrilled that my assumption that the art is the true account while the narration boxes are Ruthye's recounting was CORRECT.)

(Which isn't to suggest this is a terribly deep, difficult to decipher text. I mean. It's a monthly comic book intended for mass consumption, starring popular IP--the writing isn't inaccessible by any means. XD But I just remember seeing SO MANY PEOPLE deliberately misreading these specific points as a way to Stay Mad, so I'm relieved that my glass half full interpretations wasn't just the result of desperate Evely Stan goggles, you know? XD)

TL;DR: I cannot heckin' WAIT for that big, beautiful hardcover coming out in July (IDK if I've posted about it here yet but Lopes said he recolored some stuff so you BETTER BELIEVE I'll be back on my Woman of Tomorrow nonsense this summer) and I'm also thrilled that this entire creative team has returned with a new creator owned title (EXPECT A POST ON THAT...AT SOME POINT???)

#long post #supergirl: woman of tomorrow #supergirl: woman of tomorrow spoilers #dc comics

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stranger-who-writes-fiction · 2 months

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I watched all of Mando last summer finally and thought it was great, so I would love to see more of the Mandalorian J'onn AU

Aw, nice! I actually fell behind on it--I think I saw up through season two? Can't really recall. And speaking of not being able to recall, I really could not remember if I'd posted any full chapters but apparently I did post chapter one! XD Aside from that I think I've only ever shared a preview from the second chapter, but I think I have up through three completely written. Here's a bit I liked from chapter three:

“...Is it heavy?”

“Not anymore.”

“...Does it get hot?”

“Sometimes.”

“But you have to keep it on.”

“Always.”

“How do you wash it?”

“I don't.”

“Ewwww,” Kara laughs, grinning. “Your armor probably stinks!”

J'onn finds himself smiling, even as he defends himself. “I've never noticed any smell,” he says, minding the controls of the Razor Crest.

Kara hums thoughtfully behind him, in her seat. “You're just used to it, maybe” she reasons.

“Maybe,” J'onn humors her. “I suppose we'll never know for sure.”

Kara hums again, this time in agreement.

There's a lengthy pause in the conversation after that. So long in fact, that J'onn assumes Kara's gone back to stargazing. But then, quietly, almost more to herself than to J'onn, she says, “I don't think I'd like it. Wearing a helmet all the time.”

He hears fabric rustle behind him; when he glances over his shoulder, he sees that Kara's drawn her knees up to her chest, head resting against the transparasteel canopy, looking out at the stars.

He's seized with a sudden urge to reassure her that it's not so bad, but she lifts her head and asks him, “do you really have to wear it all the time? Forever?”

“I can take my armor off,” J'onn replies, “I just can't do it in front of anyone. Not if I want to put it back on.”

Kara sits forward suddenly.

“How come?” She asks. Oddly enough, she sounds almost...distressed. But J'onn can't imagine why his answer would be upsetting.

“It's not The Way,” he says reflexively. Then, remembering he's speaking to a child, “no one is allowed to see us, without our armor on.” That's not entirely true, but it's an answer that will suffice, for now.

“But what if...” he looks over his shoulder again, and Kara has his cloak twisted in her grip. “What if someone did see? By accident.”

“Accidents rarely happen,” J'onn says, “because we're very careful.”

“What if...someone saw by accident with your helmet still on?” Kara asks.

J'onn is, quite frankly, baffled by the question.

“I don't underst—”

It's at that precise moment that an indicator light flashes on the control panel.

As with a lot of my half-finished multichapter stuff, WHO CAN SAY when I'll return to it, if ever. XD Maybe I'll just post what I have? Regardless, thanks for the ask! :)

#stranger writes #WIP tag game #mando AU #SG post #supergirl fic #in this AU Kara is a kid #again not sure how clear I've made that in any of the stuff I've posted about it XD

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stranger-who-writes-fiction · 2 months

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Ooh, can I have "Alex Lois thing" for 200? It makes me think of Cool Aunt Kara AU, but I'm sure whatever you've come up with is fabulous

In a shocking turn of events, it was actually a canon thing! XD Long, loooooong ago, I noticed this parallel between Lois and Alex and I started brainstorming a crossover fic. But then I fell behind on Superman & Lois and thus the motivation to see it through kinda petered out. XD

Here's what I had:

“Are you going to tell him?”

They're standing in what remains of the main cavern of the Fortress. Alien weaponry and salvaged Kryptonian artifacts litter the floor, the shelves that once displayed them reduced to slushy masses of ice chips.

As Alex surveys the damage, she wants to laugh at the question. Are you going to tell him? Clark will know, the minute he returns to the Fortress, that something has happened.

But she sincerely doubts she'll get a questioning phone call.

“No,” Alex tells J'onn, her voice sounding much stronger than she currently feels. “No, we—we don't know anything—won't know anything until Brainy is finished with the diagnostics.”

J'onn's expression is skeptical, and she can tell he wants to press the issue further, so she moves to start putting the scattered items back...somewhere. Anywhere. Anything to keep her hands and mind occupied, away from the only concrete thought she's had in the last hour or so.

Kara is trapped in the Phantom Zone. She's gone. She's—

“He needs to know, Alex.”

J'onn's voice is low and gentle. She shoves aside a pile of snow with her bare hand, ignoring the way the chill is starting to settle into her arms and legs. A stark reminder that this place...really isn't meant for humans.

“Not yet,” Alex says. She briefly worries that J'onn will argue with her...and that she'll lose that argument, because she can't come up with a single, compelling reason as to why she shouldn't tell him.

She just...she can't. Because the only time they call Clark is when the world is ending—literally. Clark is a last resort. Clark is...he's...

Next of kin is the phrase that comes to mind.

And Alex refuses to even acknowledge that possibility.

J'onn must sense her thoughts—an impressive feat, given how hard she's trying to suppress them—and simply nods.

“Alright,” he agrees. “Not yet.”

It's a bright, beautiful, downright pastoral day in Smallville. Not that Lois would know, as she's spent the greater part of the last...seventeen? hours? Seated at the kitchen table, pouring over the collection of files Maxy was able to dig up and send her way.

She finishes skimming another accounts report, and checks it against another document on her laptop. Notes the inconsistencies, moves on to the next.

Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

“Mom. Mom.” Lois blinks, and looks up from her mountain of files. Jonathan stands at the far end of the table, holding a bowl of cereal. “You're using like. The whole table.”

“Oh,” she stands and starts to try and clear a space for him. “Sorry hon. Let me just—”

“Actually, I think I'll go...” he nods towards the family room, wearing an amused look. “Coffee table looks safer.”

“Yeah, yeah,” she waves off his gentle teasing. “Use a coaster!”

He disappears into the family room, and Lois smiles, ultimately grateful for the interruption; the mention of the coffee table has made her acutely aware that some caffeine would be...pretty good, right about now.

She moves to start a pot, checking her phone as she pulls the filters and grounds from the cupboard. The usual alerts appear on her notifications screens—The NY Times, Gotham Gazette, National City Tribune...

In fact...there have been a lot of alerts from the Tribune, of late, and yet hardly any coverage of Supergirl exploits.

She skims the top stories—a few mentions of other meta-human heroes. Nothing about Kara.

Gonna have to tell Clark his cousin is slacking, she thinks as she turns on the coffee maker. ...Maybe have him call—

“Mom, mom!”

It's Jonathan again, but his voice is high and distressed, coming from upstairs. Lois drops her phone on the counter, all thoughts of the Tribune and coffee forgotten as she hurries for the stairs. There's only one thing on her mind, only one thing that could make Jonathan call out like that.

Jordan.

Probably won't return to this but would love to (maybe? someday???) write more Lois. She's such a great character, and so often underserved in the actual comic books. DC greenlight a new Lois books you COWARDS. XD Thanks for sending this in!

#stranger replies #WIP tag game #stranger writes #SG fic #this has reminded me about my Lois rant re: the main supes book making her editor in chief @ the Daily Planet and then doing NOTHING WITH I

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stranger-who-writes-fiction · 2 months

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Avengers, meet WidowFam

Fandom: MCU Compilation: Moments in the Life of WidowFam A/N: I don’t care about canon, so no characters are dead, and I get to do whatever I want.

Maria quietly lets herself into the safe house.

Outside in the backyard, Natasha and Yelena are busy sparring, but Maria has no delusions that her entrance went unnoticed. She proceeds into the kitchen and sets about preparing her materials for the briefing.

Sure enough, when the sisters eventually wander in, neither reacts to her presence with surprise. Yelena merely gives her an appraising look and greets her by name.

"Maria Hill."

"Yelena Belova," Maria responds in kind.

Natasha, who has retrieved water bottles from the refrigerator, merely rolls her eyes at them. She throws one at Yelena, hard. Yelena catches it easily. She fakes throwing it back, arm shooting forward. Natasha doesn't fall for it. Instead of preparing to catch anything, she pelts Yelena with the second bottle. Yelena has to readjust quickly to catch it.

"If we could get on with the briefing"--Maria pauses as a water bottle flies past her face--"you are the reason I'm here after all."

"Yes, Natasha. Behave," Yelena says, smugness only growing when a look from Maria stops Natasha's retaliation in its tracks.

Maria tells them about Ross' investigation into the Red Room and the tracking of the subjugated Widows.

"This is where he plans to start looking." Maria slides several hard copy files across the table. "Depending on how much you trust him, you can decide if you want to prioritize them or the others."

Natasha slides the list to Yelena.

"I've got a list of identities and documents you can use for them." Following Natasha's cue, Maria tosses a packet Yelena's way. She turns to Natasha. "And I've got a call with Stark set up for you."

"These names are so boring," Yelena says, rifling through passports. "But I guess that should be expected from Robin Parios of Canada."

She reaches for a pocket, then frowns. She pats around her other pockets.

Natasha tosses the passport of Maria's current cover at her.

Yelena glares at her, affronted. "When did you--?"

"Stop stealing things from Hill."

"Stop stealing things from me."

Maria has no idea when Yelena had the chance to filch her passport, and she doesn't bother wondering. She merely keeps a firm grip on it for the rest of her visit.

…

Natasha tells Clint about her newly reunited family.

He's her best friend, her family as much as the widows. He tells her he's happy for her, but he knows better than to ask too many questions. He accepts whatever details she's willing to give and requests nothing more.

The reunion comes in handy when they encounter a black market device that requires an expertise in neurochemistry. Even though Natasha has started making amends with Stark, Clint has not. And truthfully, it's only because it's Clint that Natasha offers to call Melina.

Melina picks up promptly. She gives Natasha a once over to make sure she's okay. Natasha briefly introduces Clint, and then they're off discussing potential mitigation plans and inventory needs. Melina is matter-of-fact as always, but it's nice.

Until she hears, "Natasha!"

Natasha groans as Alexei appears beside Melina. His eyes rove across the screen. When he confirms his nemesis is no where to be found, he begins, "Where is--" before catching the look of annoyance on Natasha's face. He clears his throat. "How is my favorite Avenger?"

After Natasha responds that she's fine, Melina wrestles the conversation back to the topic at hand. She has to shush Alexei a few more times. Alexei takes it good-naturedly--after all, what does he know about neurochemistry--until they start strategizing how to break into the enemy compound.

"You cannot use a Photostatic Veil to bypass all biometric security measures," Melina protests. “Think, Natasha. It is not logical.”

“Why not?" Alexei jumps in. "What I say, Natasha, hmm? Remember Santa Claus.”

“Oh my god,” Natasha mutters under her breath.

Oblivious to her embarrassment, Alexei proudly states, “Our girls learned to believe, to reach for the stars, and they took down the Red Room.”

“Santa Claus?” Clint asks, smirk entirely too wide.

Natasha sighs. Later, she'll get her fair share of payback for all the teasing she's wrangled out of Laura's stories.

…

Natasha follows Tony and Bruce into one of the compound lounges. Her sauntering pace prevents her from stumbling into Tony as he stutter-steps to a halt.

A familiar figure lies on one of the couches. Familiar to her. Not so much to Tony and Bruce.

“Who are you?" Tony asks, feigning nonchalance. "And how did you get in here?”

Yelena ignores the first question. “Your security is very lacking.”

Natasha walks behind the couch and leans over the back. “What are you doing here?” She reaches down to brush her hand against Yelena’s forehead and up into her hair.

“There was a widow nearby," Yelena replies. "I thought I’d come say hi.”

“You okay?” Natasha asks.

Yelena doesn't respond verbally. She turns her head, pressing her cheek into Natasha's hand. That tells Natasha everything she needs to know.

“Next time you can go to my room. We’ll get your biometrics set up.”

“Woah, presumptuous much?” Tony protests. "Maybe you should run that by us first."

"I can do it," Bruce volunteers. "Let me get my tablet."

Natasha appreciates the immediate trust.

"Uh, maybe we should find out who the mystery woman is first," Tony says to Bruce, but Natasha can tell he's posturing just for the sake of it. He trusts her too.

To reward that trust, she says, "She's my little sister."

"Oh. Well, okay then--Wait, little sister?"

…

Natasha has a sister.

It's not a revelation Steve saw coming, but their sisterly connection is undeniable. In fact, the reason behind their relationship is precisely the reason Steve lets Natasha bring Yelena along on this mission.

Bucky is still being held in cryogenic stasis in Wakanda, and Steve wants to make sure there are no more hidden Hydra scientists and facilities to haunt him when he's woken up.

Natasha and Yelena know exactly what that's like.

As Steve stalks down the dark corridor, he hears something, movement further down the corridor but out of sight. He turns back to signal a warning to the sisters.

He doesn't need to.

By the time he turns, Natasha and Yelena are both stopping of their own accord, heads tilting in completely synchronized responses to the same sound.

It's sweet or some other adjective that they would hate but is relevant nonetheless.

The facility is run by a skeleton crew that's easy to dispose of between the three of them. They separate to get the job done. Before the trio are reunited, Steve hears two whistles. The first from his left: pitch low then high--Natasha. The second with pitches reversed--Yelena.

Despite the whistle signals, Natasha instinctively checks to make sure Yelena's all right. Yelena does the same.

Again, it's sweet.

He's glad Natasha has that. She deserves it.

…

Thor calls while Natasha is in Russia with her family.

"Hey," Natasha says as she accepts the call.

"Widow!" Thor greets cheerfully.

What has Thor reaching out from space, Natasha will never know because Yelena plops down on the couch beside her. “Hello, god from space.”

Natasha shoves her out of frame. "Ignore her."

“Hey,” Yelena complains, voice whinier than usual, higher than usual, making her sound younger, which naturally means–

“Natasha, be nice,” Melina’s voice floats in from her study.

“What? I didn’t even– She started it.”

“Listen to your mother,” Alexei interjects.

“Oh my god,” Natasha mutters in Russian.

With Thor's allspeak, he doesn't even blink at the linguistic transition. He merely laughs. “Yes, even gods are familiar with bothersome siblings. When we were children, Loki once recruited a pit of snakes to wrap me up like one of your Egyptian mummies.”

Yelena frowns at his fond tone. “Isn’t he the one that tried to take over Earth?”

Natasha wonders if Thor's tired of that question by now, but he shrugs easily. “He’s adopted.”

Natasha jerks her head to the left. “So is she.”

“So are you!” Yelena protests.

"I was unaware you had siblings," Thor says.

"It's been a while," Natasha explains. "We only recently reconnected."

"How wonderful," Thor replies.

"Yes, it is," Yelena says. "For her. I'm delightful."

Natasha shoves Yelena out of frame again.

But yeah, she has to admit, it is.

#other people's writing #MCU fic #black widow #natasha romanoff #yelena belova #oooOOoooh this is great #characterization/voice is spot on for everyone #the Thor portion might be my favorite though XD #fic rec

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stranger-who-writes-fiction · 2 months

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Pacific Ring AU parts 2 and 3? (and 1? lol)

XD Part 1 is finished and posted so I did go to the trouble of giving it a *slightly* better name than 'Pac Rim AU Part 1'. It's here! :D

As for parts 2 and 3, at one point I did have the whole thing ~loosely~ outlined, the idea being that part 1 would be 'Before the Drift', part 2 would be a kind of incident report, so 'The Drift' and part 3 would be 'After the Drift'.

I have like. Barely anything written for either part, here is the entirety of the part 3 document at this point XD

Kara tries not to fidget anxiously, as she stands in line at the food truck.

“Wait, no. It was three elotes, actually.”

“Oh, sorry, just a sec—”

Kara exhales nosily and checks her watch. The man ahead of her glances over his shoulder, his expression one of faint disapproval.

She takes another deep breath and forces herself to calm down. It's fine. She has plenty of time.

“There's no tostada in here.”

“I'm sorry, ma'am, I'm not seeing that on the receipt...?”

Twenty minutes later, Kara is practically vibrating with nervous energy as she hastily orders the usual, and blurts out an apology as she practically dives headfirst into the order window to tear the bag from Mia's hands.

“Sorryinarushtodaygottagothanksbye!”

She doesn't stick around for Mia's bemused, “No worries, Lara!” She's already running down the sidewalk, three, four, five blocks over, scanning the side streets, trying to find one deserted enough to take off.

“No...no...no—ah!” She nearly misses a narrow passage between two old brick buildings, populated by two dumpsters and a surly-looking alley cat. “I'm going to be so late—Alex is going to kill me—”

Kara hurriedly tucks the bag of takeout into her jacket and zips it up as far as it'll go, taking a brief moment to adjust her knit cap.

The alley cat stretches languidly and saunters over, drawn by the smell of food, or maybe just the racket Kara's making. She isn't sure.

He sits down, several feet away, and tilts his head to the side, considering her.

“Don't tell anyone, okay?” Kara offers the cat a warm smile.

He just blinks.

No clue if/when I'll return to this--I would love to complete it, but it's tough when so much time has passed and I can't recall exactly where I was going with it. XD Anyways, thanks for sending the ask! :D

#stranger replies #WIP tag game #stranger writes #Pac Rim AU #kinda

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stranger-who-writes-fiction · 2 months

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WIP Tag Game

Rules:

post the names of all the files in your wip folder regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous.

let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them and then post a little snippet or tell them something about it! and then tag as many people as you have wips.

Tagged by: @wizardofahz (thank you!)

Oof. It's a dire state of affairs on this here writing sideblog, in that there isn't exactly much writing happening, of late. I did recently finish and post two new fics...to two 'new' fandoms, anonymously, because I'm a coward. XD But. Lemme see if I can pull something together, here.

Supergirl/Superfam stuff: (I swear these are the file names yes I am *that bad* at naming stuff.)

Otho Thing Alex Lois Thing William Thing Mando AU Chapter 1 The Manhunter Mando AU Chapter 2 The Girl Mando AU Chapter 3 The Plan Mando AU Chapter 4 Sanctuary Pac Rim AU Part 2 Pac Rim AU Part 3

I also have a few other WIPs, but for those aforementioned 'new' fandoms, so IDK about including the titles here, as I may finish/post 'em (anonymously, because of the mortifying ordeal of being known) at some point. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Gonna break the rules and just tag a few people: @couragedontdesertme and @insectoid5 :)

#stranger speaks #fic stuff #WIP game #wip tag game

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stranger-who-writes-fiction · 3 months

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Already seeing the clickbait-y 'Gunn says new Supergirl isn't earnest, she's EDGY!' soundbites and lord give me strength to block and mute all that noise. XD

#sg post

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stranger-who-writes-fiction · 3 months

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Deluxe hardcover edition of Woman of Tomorrow has COVER ART (and I think it's also available for pre-order through local comic shops as well as am*zon)

#it's so pretty #sg post #supergirl: woman of tomorrow #DARE I HOPE FOR SPOT GLOSS!??!??!?!?#yes I think I shall XD

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stranger-who-writes-fiction · 3 months

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Me, a fraud: who’s my favorite comic artist?? I could never pick just one; it’s way too subjective, different creators bring different perspectives and strengths to the table and no single individual can excel at every—

*Sees new Helen of Wyndhorn art* Evely. Always and forever Bilquis Evely. With Mat Lopes colors.

#stranger speaks #helen of wyndhorn #Bilquis Evely #Tom King #Clayton Cowles #am I gonna do a deep dive on this book like WoT????#maaaaaaybe so XD #Mat Lopes #dark horse comics

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stranger-who-writes-fiction · 3 months

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I’ve been digging Waid and Mora’s Shazam run but if indeed Josie Campbell and Emanuela Luppachino are taking over the title (as opposed to just doing a filler arc) then frankly I’m thrilled.

#couldn’t have picked a better follow up creative team IMO #and also nice to see her on an ongoing title #I’m a little concerned re: the book’s longevity #given the poor box office performance of the film #as well as the fact that the trade is going straight to softcover #but whatever man #more Shazam family and more Josie Campbell comics LETS GOOOOOOOO

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stranger-who-writes-fiction · 4 months

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NBD just crying over Action Comics 1060 (in a good way but also a sad way because DC is being VERY DUMB and ending PKJ’s run in favor of a Jason Aaron Bizarro filler arc ohhhhhh how I weep bitter tears of frustration)

…Anyways, spoilers!

So 1060 is the penultimate installment of PKJ’s (stellar, spectacular, phenomenal, brilliant, top-tier) run on Action Comics and I just want to applaud him—for a lot of things, really, but in *this* specific case, I wanna stand and cheer because he’s making it EXTREMELY CLEAR that the twins (who are not actually twins) are in fact, Clark’s kids. No question, no ambiguity; Otho calls him papa, Clark refers to her as his daughter, and he’s willing to travel through LITERAL HELL to get her back.

It’s entirely possible that future writers will try to get rid of these kids, but I appreciate that PKJ has made it *very* difficult for them. XD Any retcon they’d come up with would be so messy. (Of course, saying this, I realize that the more depressingly realistic outcome here isn’t that writers actively try to erase them, but rather, will probably sideline/ignore them, trot them out for generic precocious kids stuff every now and then, and wait for the next line-wide reboot to ‘streamline’ Clark aka toss out anything mildly interesting and/or additive to Clark’s corner of the DCU.)

Right. Sorry. Salty tangent. XD

So anyways here’s some panels that tugged on my ‘Aunt Kara’ heartstrings.

‘I know sweetie. I know. It’s so hard, not knowing.’ HOW VERY DARE.

There’s also a really great page wherein Kara gets Osul to calm down by reminding him of a…I think Phaelosian legend? Or possibly Kryptonian, I know she was trying to find stuff for them in a previous issue.

(Went back and it’s actually the House of Ra fable; the House of El’s is ‘Nightwing and Flamebird’, Ra’s is ‘Red Son and Starchild’.)

I love that Lois lets Kara and Osul have that moment, that space; I maintain that while Clark has a better handle on getting what the kids went through on Warworld given that he was there, and Lois obviously has more experience with raising kids that have unique needs thanks to Jon being half alien, but *Kara* is more readily equipped to sympathize with Otho and Osul’s struggles with transitioning to Earth life, based on her current, canon characterization. (Which is, uhhhh…Woman of Tomorrow and alsoooooo…Rebirth? Maybe? WoT is def canon, the recent SG one shot visually referenced Kara’s departure from Argo.) But I digress!

Speaking of the kids’ struggles…Otho is Going Through It. The stuff with Sister Shadow (AKA Norah Stone AKA evil daughter of an alt universe Bruce and Talia) trying to tempt her to the dark side by preying on her trauma/difficulty adapting to her new home and revealing a future, tyrannical version of herself is some wonderfully juicy character work, both from the perspective of fleshing out Otho AND being additive to Superman’s roster of villains; that’s something I love about PKJ’s approach to world building overall. Yes, he’s revamped some of Superman’s established bad guys (Metallo, Mongul) but he’s also added awesome new foes, like Norah Stone, and Pyrrhos.

I really hope DC lets him do like. A mini series on his original Kryptonian/House of El characters. I would honestly love to read about all these cool new, additive elements, than deal with the Luthor cameo fest over in Superman rn. XD

In conclusion: DC once again shying away from anything interesting and new with Superman in favor of the safe status quo. -_- I mean, I hope I’m wrong. I hope the new ‘Superman Superstars’ opt to build on the solid foundation PKJ has set up. But given what happened with Bendis? Creators’ absolute refusal to incorporate any of the canon he built, because they knew DC would walk it back ASAP? (And the Superman group editor openly admitting that was his number one priority as soon as he GOT THE JOB???) Just shows a complete lack of faith in your creators, and doesn’t really give me too much hope for one of the few remaining titles I look forward to each month.

…but hey, hopefully Marilyn Moonlight will be neat??? XD

(Also LET A WOMAN WRITE A MAIN SUPERMAN BOOK YOU COWARDS.)

#long post #dc comics #action comics #action comics spoilers #sg post #kinda #I was enjoying the flagship Superman title…#and then Campbell left and Williamson doubled down on Luthors XD #so yeeeeah it’s firmly back in ‘meh’ territory

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stranger-who-writes-fiction · 5 months

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How. Hooooooow. Do I always end up lumped into the shipping corners of fandom.

When I never. Write.

ROMANCE?!??!??!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

This post brought to you by: My ongoing, unending confusion.

#stranger speaks #fandom nonense #SG fandom #gif

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stranger-who-writes-fiction · 6 months

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ACTION COMICS (1938) #371 written by Leo Dorfman art by Kurt Schaffenberger

#dc comics #supergirl #long post #kara zor el #linda lee danvers #some folks: Tom King ruined Supergirl he made her too dark #some random comic from the sixties: hey so Kara’s childhood friend died right in front of her

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stranger-who-writes-fiction · 6 months

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The Mom Fine Print

Fandom: Supergirl Compilation: Moments in the Life of SuperFam A/N: A little SuperFam treat for @stranger-who-writes-fiction because she more than deserves it. This is set during the 3x06 "Midvale" era.

Eliza isn't supposed to know her girls are outside on the deck upstairs.

The microwave clock lets her know that it's almost 2 AM on a school night. Eliza mostly ignores that and continues her task. Midvale is lucky to be spared big city levels of light pollution, and the moonlight is sufficient for Eliza, who knows the kitchen like the back of her hand.

She prepares three mugs, lifts the pan from the stove top, and pours its contents into two of them. The third she fills with coffee. Eliza pours some marshmallows into a bowl and arranges it along with the mugs on a tray, balancing them carefully and heads for the deck.

Alex is on her feet the moment Eliza walks through the door.

"Mom!" She's about to give her best excuse until she spots what Eliza is carrying. She freezes then, using all her brain power to put two and two together before concluding correctly that they aren't in trouble.

Over by the telescope, Kara continues on unbothered.

She had been quiet during dinner. Eliza hadn't missed the concerned looks Alex had been shooting her way. There had been something knowing about them. Something that spoke of grief and Krypton.

"Of course when we break the rules for Kara, we get hot chocolate," Alex grumbles.

It's not exactly a fair assessment of course. Kara has gotten her fair share of scolding and lectures, especially when her actions put herself and their family at risk. In this particular case, the worst Kara and Alex can do is spend their upcoming day at school in a sleepy haze. Eliza isn't worried about that.

Nonetheless, Eliza is pleased to hear a fondness in Alex's voice that was more likely to be begrudging just a few months ago.

Eliza proffers the tray of hot chocolate and marshmallows. Alex eyes it suspiciously but caves quickly, grabbing a handful of marshmallows and dropping them into her hot chocolate.

As Alex retakes her seat on the cushioned bench, Eliza places the tray on the side table for whenever Kara's ready. She carries her own mug to the patio chair on Alex's left, so she can keep an eye on both her girls.

It's a good thing she does. In their attempt to be stealthy, Alex and Kara hadn't come out in more than their pajamas. When Eliza notices the nighttime chill starting to get to Alex, she goes inside to retrieve a blanket and drapes it over. Now relaxed into the situation, Alex receives it gratefully.

Alex tries her hardest to stay awake, but as the minutes turn into hours, she loses the battle. Other than gently coaxing Alex into a more comfortable position, Eliza leaves her be. Alex had clearly wanted to keep Kara company, and Eliza will respect that.

The coffee helps keep her awake, but even without it, Eliza thinks she'd manage to stay awake on her own. This is the "mom fine print," the drive to be there for her girls whenever they need her no matter the hour.

She watches Kara, who's still looking intently into the telescope, and checks on Alex once in a while, making sure she's still warm enough.

When twilight brightens the sky, Kara steps away from the telescope, appearing in a daze as the memories refuse to let her go.

Eliza walks across the deck to her. She rests her arms on the railing and turns to face Kara. She doesn't get too close. She doesn't pry. She'll let Kara decide how much she wants to engage.

"I made hot chocolate," Eliza says in case Kara wants an opening. "Would you like me to re-heat it for you?"

Kara doesn't respond at first. Eventually she returns to the present, stepping to Eliza's side and letting herself fall limply into Eliza's shoulder.

"Thank you," is all Kara says. It's all she can manage right now, but Eliza understands the enormity behind those two words. That's the other part of the "mom fine print."

Thank you for making hot chocolate for me, but, no, I don't need it re-heated right now.

Thank you for staying with me all night. Even lost in my memories, part of me could sense your presence, and it helped.

Thank you for letting Alex stay with me.

Thank you for not trying to stop us.

Eliza kisses the top of her head. "Always."

They stay like that for a moment. Then Kara straightens and turns to look at Alex, gaze fond.

"I've got her," Kara says. She easily lifts Alex into her arms and heads inside.

Eliza follows. "You should get some sleep too," she says.

Kara nods, more emotionally exhausted than anything else.

After making sure both of them are tucked in properly, Eliza heads back out to the deck to gather the mugs and bring them to the kitchen. She leaves everything on the counter. She can handle the clean up later.

Instead, she goes back upstairs to the girls' bedroom to make sure Kara has fallen asleep. Eliza tiptoes through the room, turning off the girls' alarm clocks. They deserve to sleep in today. Eliza kisses each of them on the forehead before going to her own bedroom.

When the time comes for everyone to leave for work or school, Eliza will call in sick for all of them.

#other people's writing #fic rec #sg fic #ohhh WHERE TO BEGIN #ON HOW MUCH I LOVE THIS COZY LITTLE ONESHOT????#honestly title first and foremost #great callback to an excellent line from Midvale #and then of course characterization which is always excellent across the board BUT #Eliza just Knowing what's up with her kids #Alex being protective/defensive of Kara #KARA AND STARS MAN #KARA AND STARRRRRSSSSSSSSSS (and melancholic aching for Krypton but also ultimately love for her little found earth family)#HNNNNGGGGGG #ahem #it's very good I love it so #THANK YOOOOUUUUUUUUUU

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