@the-queen-of-the-light post crossed my dash so I did a thing

An AU where Kara has a long commute on the subway every day, and one of her favorite ways to keep herself occupied is people-watching. She almost always keeps a sketchbook in her bag, so when she happens to sit across from someone particularly interesting, she likes to sketch them.

And that’s where Kara finds herself on one random Friday commute home, sitting across from the most stunning brunette she’s ever seen. She’s not sure what draws her in more. If it’s the silent grace and poise with which the gorgeous woman sits as she delicately crosses her legs, or the way she adjusts her thick-framed glasses as she cracks open a well-loved copy of The Fellowship of the Ring. But before she’s even fully thought about it, Kara has paper and a charcoal pencil in hand.

Every few moments she glances up through her lashes, letting her eyes trace the woman’s soft features, indulging in it, before she drops her gaze back to her sketchbook to capture them. She starts with the outline, but quickly moves to etching in her eyes, her smile, the way her nose crinkles as she reads. Her expression jumps to life on the page, and Kara is almost finished when she glances up again, only for her breath to catch in her chest.

Because across from her, brilliant green eyes gaze back at her over the spine of the book, and Kara is completely ensnared. A dark brow cocks upwards, and Kara slams back to earth from the green skies she’d been floating amongst, a vibrant red spreading across her cheeks as she locks her eyes resolutely on the sketchbook in her lap.

She buries herself in perfecting the shading, adding the finishing shadows around the perked corners of the woman’s lips, so she doesn’t bend to the embarrassing temptation to peek once more. And Kara’s successful—barely—only looking again once she adds the finishing touch, blending the faintest freckle onto her neck.

But when she does look, the seat across from her is vacant.

Kara’s shoulders slump, feeling rather glum that she’d lost the chance of one last glance at the beautiful stranger. Ah well…

“Hmm, so that’s why you were staring, then,” a rich voice purrs from the seat beside her. Kara’s neck creaks dangerously as she whips her head up, finding the woman now seated gracefully beside her and… and staring at the drawing of herself.

Oh no. Oh crap. Is this creepy? Was I being creepy? Oh—

Kara’s internal spiral is interrupted by a throaty chuckle, and the woman continues, “And here I was getting an inflated ego, thinking that a pretty blond was working up the courage to ask me out.”

As the woman’s words and playful smirk register, Kara’s mind comes a screeching halt, only weak spluttering escaping her.

“May I?” The stranger holds her hand out, and Kara hands the sketchbook over with a shaky nod.

Long pale fingers ghost over the edges of the drawing, taking it in with wonder. “This is pretty good,” she whispers. “More than, actually. You really just drew this?” The woman turns to her with a look of awe, and Kara nods, before finally managing to find her words.

“I, uh… c-can we, uh… back up a moment? Back to the ‘asking you out’ thing, please?” Kara could smack herself for the way she stumbles over her words.

The woman just hums inquisitively, eyes back to tracing the drawing of herself.

“Would that uh… be something you’d… be interested in?”

Kara’s breath catches at the woman’s wicked grin.

“I certainly wouldn’t be opposed.”

“O-oh. Really?”

The woman nods, and Kara’s heart races. She hasn’t the faintest clue how she got herself here, but despite her blushing embarrassment, she wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.

A dark brow creeps up again—a mirror image of their first shared look—and she wants to capture that detail in charcoal now, too. The expression is just so full of humor as the other brow joins the first in an expectant look, and… shit.

Kara yanks herself out of her daze and scrambles to ask, “Right! Well uh… would you want to go out? Some… time? With… me?”

The corners of the woman’s eyes crinkle in laughter as she gestures for Kara to hand over the charcoal pencil as well. She quickly scribbles something down in the corner of the sketch and glances up at the subway map on the wall.

“Here,” she says, handing both the pencil and the sketchbook back. Kara’s breath catches at the soft feeling of the woman’s hands brushing over her own, and she almost misses the woman’s question.

“Give me a call sometime, yeah?”

A wide-eyed Kara nods earnestly, and her heart melts at the way the woman’s playful smirk softens.

“This is my stop.” She gathers her belongings and stands, before catching Kara’s gaze one last time with a wink. “I’ll talk to you soon.” And with that, the stunning stranger is gone, stepping off the train and disappearing into a rushing crowd.

Kara smiles down at the sketchbook in her lap, still open to the drawing, and under it scrawled in neat, slanted handwriting is a number. And a name.

Lena.

people misunderstand what ‘gifted kid’ actually means but it’s ok it’s fine it’s cool it’s good

it’s not about actually being gifted, it’s about an initial higher scoring on standardized testing that means little to nothing or being good at learning in the way elementary and middle school wants you to, so you get marked as ‘advanced’. in reality, maybe you had faster development in certain areas, but the issue with being a gifted kid isn’t that “everyone told me I was so cool and special for reading and then I actually wasn’t :(” it’s “I wasn’t properly taught to handle things not coming easily to me, but the adults around me were counting on me not being a ‘difficult’ child in school.”

people who use it as some weird bragging method or interpret it that way are ignoring the way a lot of school systems force certain roles on students to simplify the learning process. If your kid doesn’t need to take notes to understand a science concept bc they get it naturally, well that’s good, but now you’re not teaching them how to take notes and they’re not learning that important soft skill. but because ‘gifted’ kids are easy and don’t show that they’re falling behind in learning in other categories that are harder to quantify, they eventually fall behind after that catches up to them. It’s about the failures of a one size fits all school system trying to compensate in the worst way possible.

And also the thing where ‘gifted’ kids are super likely to also be neuroatypical, which they don’t get screened for because they appear to be doing well in school. Or “You can’t be ADHD/autistic/etc, because you’re doing so well in school!”. Or being shamed for developing mental health issues/generally not being able to keep up with school work later, because you USED TO BE able to do it just fine.

Or the assumption that just because you can read well or you like math class, you’re somehow more EMOTIONALLY mature than your little kid brain is actually capable of being.

Or gifted kids whose parents and teachers put immense pressure on them to Do Great Things and Save The World and you’re like. “I’m 10 and I have no idea how to do that, but everyone is saying that’s my job?”.

Kara Zor-El

PSA regarding tumblr’s latest Censorship Nightmare

For those of you who haven’t seen this announcement, tumblr recently made some changes to the iOS version of the app, purportedly to comply with Apple’s content guidelines. These changes took effect on Dec 21, starting in version 22.5.1 of the iOS app. As some of you may recall, Apple’s strict guidelines were the driving force for the infamous Great Purge of 2018, which coincidentally also happened around this time of year, but it seems banning all of the female-presenting nipples wasn’t good enough for Apple.

Below is a summary of the important changes. Note that these changes technically ONLY affect those using the iOS app. If you’re accessing tumblr through a different app or operating system (Google Chrome, Android app, etc) it won’t affect you directly but it will affect your followers who use iOS so you should definitely be aware of it.

As usual, tumblr was extremely unclear and evasive about all of this in their official announcement. Not surprising, of course, since if more people were aware of these new draconian tactics I can’t imagine there wouldn’t be more of an uproar about it. Tumblr claims that these changes are somewhat temporary and that they are currently working on something that will allow for a less restricted iOS experience, but they refuse to say what that something is and when it will be implemented. And let’s just say, considering their track record, I’m not hopeful.

All of this is horrible and infuriating for many reasons, but the worst part is how insanely counterproductive it is to creating the “safe” environment tumblr (or more specifically Apple) supposedly wants.

Tags have always been used for both blog organization and filtering purposes. Tagging posts with triggers and content warnings is a common practice that gives users the ability to filter out content they may find upsetting or just don’t don’t want to see for whatever reason. By choosing to ban a bunch of unlisted “sensitive content” tags, all they’re doing is encouraging people who want to share that kind of content to come up with alternative less well-known tags or simply not tag that content at all anymore if they want it to show up on their follower’s dashboards, thereby making it more likely for someone to encounter it when they didn’t want to.

So really, with all of the alleged concern for safety and “protecting the children,” all they’ve done is make tumblr less safe for everyone. Typical.

Also please note that this appears to only be applicable to THAT SPECIFIC version of the app. If you simply do not update the app, everything seems to still be working as normal (as of December 25th, 2021)

If you’re on apple, DO NOT UPDATE THE APP IF YOU HAVEN’T YET

not to be overly serious (lol) but if you're mad about these stupid new ""safe mode"" changes on tumblr's iOS app you need to be directing your energy towards apple because, realistically speaking, there is literally nothing tumblr staff can do about this lol. they've either gotta follow apple's rules or get their app removed from the app store.

but also this is just part of a way bigger and longstanding issue with apple's walled-garden approach to software where you can only get shit that meets their very specific standards and doesn't compete with their own proprietary apps AND if users make an in-app transaction apple gets like, a 30% cut or something insane. this is why epic games had that whole thing where they took fortnite off the app store in protest (and which iirc is still part of a big pending legal case that'll have some serious precedent based on its outcome.....?) so like. this is actually just one tiny battle being waged in a full-scale war of online content and access and censorship and yelling at a bunch of ragtag mobile devs on tumblr's staff will fix exactly nothing, I promise. so go complain about it to apple!!!!

actually, extremely relevant example because I just saw someone mention discord as an example of an app with nsfw content that apple does allow in their app store (which means clearly tumblr's just doing this on purpose), but here's the thing: discord got fucked by apple too!!! on this exact same issue!!!!

earlier this year discord announced that iOS users would no longer be able to access "mature" servers from the discord mobile app due to apple's content rules. it was a whole thing. apple walked back the restrictions ever so slightly (so you can still visit servers with "incidental" nsfw content as long as you opt in to a certain setting, although I don't an iphone so idk exactly what that looks like) but you definitely cannot access Big Jack's Bareback Shack on your iphone anymore and it is unequivocally apple's fault. discord was gonna get banned entirely on iOS devices if they didn't comply.

Kara’s never really celebrated Christmas. They certainly didn’t have anything like it on Krypton, and the Danvers were always thrilled to include her in Hanukkah celebrations. But Christmas… Christmas just wasn’t a holiday she’d ever had a reason to understand

This year though, she wanted to try. After stories, told with a saddened, underlying longing, of how Christmas just wasn’t very big in the Luthor household—a distraction, Lillian had called it—Kara realized that Lena hadn’t had a real Christmas since before her birth mother passed away.

And Lena—sweet, loving, caring Lena—had helped set up this year’s Hanukkah celebration with her and Alex for all the superfriends. She’d done everything she could to make it perfect. Kara still remembers waking up in the middle of the night to see Lena was still awake, still had her bedside lamp on as she worked on her tablet in the dim light. Only for Kara to find out, she was researching. She was finding recipes and supplies, and she was watching videos and reading up on everything she could find. She was up in the middle of the night trying to give Kara an amazing Hanukkah. (She likely would have gotten up, despite the hour, to try making a test-batch of latkes, if Kara hadn’t pulled her back into bed, into her arms)

So this year, Kara wanted to give Lena the same—a happy holiday memory, together. After she was certain Lena had fallen asleep on Christmas Eve, she zipped around their apartment, decorating and setting up her surprise.

Lena awoke to breakfast in bed and Christmas carols blaring as Kara happily sang along, despite not knowing even an eighth of the words. And really at this point, it had been so long since she’d even experienced a Christmas, but she was certain of one thing. This holiday season with her new found-family, and with Kara especially, was one of the best ones she’d had in as long as she could remember

A supercorp college au:

The Luthors never cared much for the holidays, certainly didn’t do much to celebrate the few they even acknowledged. So Lena usually chose to stay on campus during the winter holiday. What was the point of going home? Lillian wanted to see Lena even less than she wanted to see Lillian. Really, there wasn’t much draw, and Lena could honestly care less

Except Kara cared. A whole lot. How could she want to stay alone on campus for almost a whole month when she should be celebrating?!?! No. Kara wouldn’t have any of it, and if Lena didn’t want to go to her own home, well the Danvers always had extra space

Lena supposed spending the holidays with her best friend—the one that she was lowkey, kinda, sorta, maybe deeply in love with—wouldn’t be too bad. She could definitely do this

But when they arrived at Kara’s childhood home, they found that Eliza had set up one of the guest rooms for them to share? And that she kept trying to give them “alone time”?? And that she had given them matching holiday sweaters just like Kara’s sister and her girlfriend??? And.... wait. Kara... you did specify to your mom that we’re not dating, right?!?

(Kara accidentally chocking on her eggnog in shock very much indicated that she might have forgotten to mention that tiny detail)

HOW DARE YOU HIDE THE REST IN THE TAGS 😩👌🏻

For their first holiday season as a couple, Kara and Lena want to start some new traditions together. They get together with the full Danvers family to make latkes and light menorahs for Hanukkah. They pull out Lena’s lights and decorations to brighten up the apartment.

They do a lot of fun little holiday things, but they want is a new tradition, truly all their own. So one weekend morning in mid-December, Lena finds herself being dragged out of bed, bright and early by an excited Kara. She’s already bundled up in a chunky knit Hanukkah sweater, and she tosses Lena her thick ugly Christmas sweater along with endless other knitwear to keep her toasty as they hit the chilly city.

Kara bounces down the street, pulling a confused Lena along to National City Park. In the center is a massive frozen rink that’s mostly deserted at the early hour. Ice skating, it’s Lena’s first time ever, but she trusts her gracefully gliding superhero to keep her from falling as she scoots along precariously like a baby deer

It’s as Kara takes both her mittened hands, skating backwards and pulling her along with a brilliant grin on her face, that Lena knows they’ve found their first holiday tradition as a couple, with many more to come in their future

Even when she starts to get the hang of skating, Lena fakes being bad so Kara will keep holding her close (and Kara knows she’s faking but she goes along with it because she likes holding her just as much)

Kara’s almost fourteen the first time she experiences snow, and she’s so excited. They didn’t really have snow on Krypton because of environmental degradation, so when she awakens in the middle of the night to see snow for the first time flurrying outside her window? Well, she’s positively beside herself with glee!

It sounds different than rain. She’d gotten used to that sound—the pitter-patter of water droplets hitting the roof—but snow is different, more of a gentle splat as thick flakes land. That’s what wakes her, and once she realizes what it is, she’s dragging Alex out of bed, barely pausing to let her grab her coat and boots before they’re out the door playing in the snow.

Alex has so much to teach her: sledding, snowmen, snow angels, snow forts, and most importantly, snowball fights.

Eliza and Jeremiah are woken at 3 in the morning by loud squeals, finding their girls—one barefoot in her pjs and the other bundled up like a burrito—in the backyard soaked and giggling, snow covering every inch of them

When Alex sees the forecast for the next morning, she calls out of work for ‘personal reasons’. She goes to sleep in her thermals and socks, the rest of her cold weather gear on the chair beside the bed, ready for her to throw on at a moment’s notice.

Her eyes pop open at 7:58 in the morning, and she swears Kara’s happy shriek from across town is what woke her up, not the almost otherworldly silence the snow brings, or the gentle sound of the first snowflakes. 

30 seconds later, she’s already out of bed and half dressed, and Maggie’s falling out of bed in surprise when there’s a rapid knocking at the bedroom window. Standing on their fire escape is Supergirl, wearing her usual outfit, plus a beanie, gloves and a scarf, a duffle bag in her hand poofed out and obviously holding her winter coat.

“Does she even need all that,” Maggie grumbled as she crawls back under the covers, “she’s Supergirl, she probably doesn’t even feel the cold.”

“She doesn’t,” Alex responded as she opens the window to let the red-cheeked hero in, “but if she wants me to go to the park with her, she knows she has to wear it. Right Kara?”

“Done,” she said, spinning out of her Supergirl outfit and into her Kara Danvers one. “You too!” She helped Alex finish buttoning up her coat and wrapped her scarf around her neck. “Maggie?”

“Supergirl or not, if you try to make me go out in the snow, I will do something horrible to you,” she said from under her pillow. “Like not order potstickers the next time Alex and I host game night.”

“Grump,” Alex said affectionately, lifting the pillow to lay a kiss on top of Maggie’s head. “We’re heading to the park. We’ll be back…probably when I’m halfway to frostbite.”

“Mmh. I’ll have the hot chocolate ready when you get back. Have fun you two.”

(From the glorious @sterling-jay)

lil comic inspired by @iwritesupercorp <3

lena gives kara the heimlich maneuver (not pictured)

Merry Christmas to those who celebrate it! May the miracle of Christmas fill your heart with joy.

(also I dedicate this to all of the amazing ficwriters who inspired me to draw this : @jazzfordshire @hrwinter @valkyrieskwad @the-queen-of-the-light @lynnearlington @bigmammallama5 and many others; i hope y’all have a good day!)

No Parking

This is my @supergirlfemslashsecretsanta gift for the lovely @the-queen-of-the-light .

Sometimes all you can do about a situation is sit down and laugh at it :P

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