what do you think it would be like if Brainy from Supergirl met the MAWS version of Kara?
Oh boy, I have to imagine that a version of Kara that was literally raised to be a weapon by Brainiac would not sit well with Brainy.
I think he'd feel guilty at first. With the mentions of ancestral memory peppered into Supergirl canon, it makes me believe that Brainy's connection to Brainiac goes beyond him being a distant relative/reoccurring threat even in the 31st century. Brainiac's history, mind and knowledge is a part of Brainy in some visceral way that goes beyond our own natural understanding and so coming face-to-face with a Kara that was brainwashed by the teachings of a version of his own ancestor... oof that has GOT to cut deep.
Once Brainy gets to know Kara, though, the friends she made in her universe despite the awful things she'd been made to do, I think he would be inspired by her perseverance. They would probably have a lot of opportunity to trauma bond considering they were both raised by people who sought to control them by limiting their minds. Not only that, but they both share the emotional scars of their past, and an underlying fear that they can't escape the poison that is Brainiac, that they might share a little of that darkness no matter how far they try to run from it.
From Kara's perspective, meeting another Brainiac has gotta feel a little bittersweet. To know his legacy continued on in another universe for so many generations probably makes her fear for the future of her own world, and likewise it would also make it extremely difficult for her to trust anyone who carried the title or markings of Brainiac. But again, I think that after learning more about this Querl Dox, she'd come to realise that they were both unwitting victims of the Brainiac clan, manipulated into doing awful things, even believing them to be correct (Kara's adamance of the superiority of the Kryptonian Empire vs Brainy wanting to bottle an entire planet) but that paving a path for themselves as well as finding a chosen family of close friends to help carry them forward is what really defines them. Also, knowing that a Brainiac was able to break that cycle of violence would probably also help her believe in herself a little more.
On a more lighthearted note, Kara's forwardness and penchant to speak her mind is kinda similar to Brainy's, which would either lead to some hilarious clashing or maybe some eventual established common ground. Speaking of common ground, I think they'd also bond over food. (After Kara's crash-course in human desserts, I have to believe she's developed some funky flavour preferences).
I also feel like Brainy might be somewhat relieved to know that Clark is taking a closer interest in Kara and personally helping her acclimatise to Earth in this universe. Kara was a lot younger in the CW universe when she arrived, and the Danvers family did prove to be a good fit for her, but it's canon even in the show that Clark wasn't around nearly as much as he could've been, even when Kara idolized him so much. (I know it's never explicitly stated Brainy and Clark even really knew each other in Supergirl, but there is a Legion ring at the Fortress, so I like to believe that some version of the events of Superboy & LoSH did occur, enough that Brainy would have had a certain expectation of Clark when they met as adults).
I could go on lol, but those are some of my thoughts. Thanks for the question Rachel! I'm also SUPER excited for season 3 dropping in a matter of hours!!
okay yes I did prompt Brainy getting hurt by his mother and Kara staying by his side until he wakes up, so alternately: baby Alura is the one who gets hurt and Kara and Brainy are both worried about her and refuse to leave her side
Okay, so this has been in my drafts since you sent this in a couple of years ago. And only now I have been thinking about this. So, sorry for how late this is and how much this might hurt. I may have went a different direction completely
I will put a trigger warning just in case: child endangerment and/or kidnapping.
———
She’s so frantic, she doesn’t recognize the stares she gets as she rushes into the DEO. She doesn’t realize she’s not dressed as Supergirl, still in her pjs, too out of sorts as she looks for Querl. When she finds him, she’s in front of him in seconds, startling him and the people around him.
“Supergirl?” he asked, eyes taking her in. She’s crying and breathing heavily, a mix of worry and fear in her eyes. He hasn’t seen Kara like this…well never once he thinks about it. And it raises alarm bells in his head. “What’s wrong?”
“I…Alura…she…” Kara stuttered, frustrated that she can’t talk. Trying to take a minute to calm down so she can, but it doesn’t work. It fails her and her breathing starts to pick up. She can’t breathe and that only spikes up her anxiety of it all. Why can’t she breathe?
Furrowing his eyebrows, he studies her in concern. “What about Alura?” he asked, thinking. “Shouldn’t you be with her?” That seemed to be the wrong thing to say as he watches her breath hitch and her face is slowly turning red with how little oxygen she’s getting.
He knows what this is, and he doesn’t think he’s ever seen Kara have a panic attack.
“Come on, let’s go somewhere private,” he said, grabbing Kara’s hand, he gently pulled her into a room that’s not being used. “You need to slow down.”
“I can’t…can’t… breathe,” she finally managed out, pulling at her shirt hoping it would help. It didn’t. She goes for her throat, maybe that will help. But a pair of hands stops them before she can do any real damage to it. She wants to rip her hands away, to scream or cry, she doesn’t know. But finds that she doesn’t have the strength. She can barely focus on anything, eyes searching the room, looking for something that gives her answers. Why can’t she breathe?
“I need you to look at me,” she faintly hears Querl say. Why does he sound like he's underwater? She tries, she really does. But her eyes aren’t focusing on his face, all she sees is Alura. And that makes it worse. So, she focuses on his shirt instead, straining her ears when he speaks. Trying to break the surface of the water. Maybe she was the one that was underwater and maybe that’s why she couldn’t breathe.
“Okay, that’s okay,” Querl says as he’s wrecking his brain for a different solution. “Okay,” he repeats and she’s not sure who he’s talking to. Gently, Querl brings her hands to his chest and she feels him breathing. Though exaggerated a bit so she sees and hears it too.
“I want you to copy my breathing,” he explains at the confusion she shot him. “Can you do that?” Clutching the shirt in her hands, Kara jerkily nods. It starts off slow and stuttering, and it continues like that until Kara matches Querl's breathing patterns.
In a matter of minutes, Kara’s breathing normally. Quel leaves her be for a moment, to make sure she’s okay before asking, “are you okay to tell me what’s wrong?”
Kara nods, and takes a deep breath be fore starting her explanation. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep,” she stated, stressing that this is important part of the story.
But Quel doesn’t blame her if she did, with a newborn still not sleeping through the night, they both have lost sleep over it.
“And I only dozed off for a minute, I swear Brainy,” Kara said, beginning to panic again. Her hands grip Querl’s shirt to the point that if he stepped away, it would rip. He squeezes her hands, reassuring her he’s still there, still with her no matter what.
“What happen, Kara?” Querl asks gently. It’s what breaks her completely.
“She’s gone, Querl. She’s gone and I have no idea where she is,” Kara cries, leaning in and burying her head in his shirt. “I fell asleep for a moment, and when I came to I watched as someone took Alura and leave. I thought it was a dream at first, but it wasn’t.”
Querl’s blood runs cold and his first instinct is to yell. And logically, he knows it will only make this situation worse but he would feel better. But Kara is already beating herself up for this and it wouldn’t do for him to add onto the guilt.
Querl’s arm wraps around Kara, and holds her there as he's running through every scenario he can come up with. To think of a plan to find their daughter and bring her home.
“Do you have an idea who could have taken her?” Querl asks, trying his hardest to keep his voice even. Kara doesn’t say anything, she just sticks her hand in her pocket of her robe and hand him a very familiar calling card.
This time he lets his anger take over. He gently leads Kara to a chair and sit her down before turning to the door. A hand gripping his stops him before he could even leave the room.
He turns back to see Kara looking up at him. Questions swimming in her eyes, to afraid to know the answers to for her to ask. Querl takes a moment to shove the anger aside and goes to kneel in front of his wife.
“I’m not angry at you,” he said, gently gripping her face and she leans into the touch. He doesn’t think he could ever be angry at Kara for something like this. He’s angry at himself, he should have been there too, helping her with the baby. But he doesn’t say that. “I’m angry at my mother for having the nerve to think that she can get away with this.”
“What are we going to do?” Kara whispered
“I'm going to tell Alex to stay with you and I will do whatever I can to find our baby,” he said, leaning in to kiss her forehead. “I promise.”
The promise gets broken within a week when Querl couldn’t find anything regarding his mother’s ship. And he’s tried everything he could think of. Asking other hero’s if thy had seen anything, using satellites to locate her ship. Everything and it all yielded the same result.
He doesn’t have the heart to tell Kara yet and so he keeps trying. Though he has a feeling that she knows, but neither of them can talk about it. If they do speak it out into existence, then they’ve accepted defeat.
So Querl keeps trying, keeps looking for his lost daughter while both himself and Kara get use to their new reality that neither wants to accept.
Two months have past of searching. Two months of on and off talking to one another. They mostly have good days, but on the bass days not even Alex can help them.
Two months of wondering if their baby is okay, if she’s healthy and not anything worst. They don’t talk about the worst, can’t mention it without Kara breaking down.
Two months of no Supergirl because Kara can’t bring herself to be Supergirl to the city if she couldn't save her own daughter. How can she save someone else?
Two months of depression before Querl finds something. And that something is odd because there should only be two Kryptonain ships in existence. Ones at the DEO and the other in the Artic.
His first call is to Kara.
“Did you find her?” Is the first thing she says as soon as she picked up the phone. He hesitates for a second, but enough for Kara to deflate. “Oh.”
“I don’t know if it’s her,” he says slowly, staring at the red dot on his screen. “And I’m not saying it’s is her or not. It’s just, a Kryptonain ship landed in Smallville twenty minutes ago.”
“But Krypton is gone,” Kara says in confusion. “And why in Smallville?”
“I don’t know. But we should take a look.”
They fly to Smallville in silence, and soon they reach the country side. Standing in front of what appears to be an old model of an escape pod, neither move to open it.
“What if it's not her?” Kara whispers. Querl moves to hold her hand and squeezes.
“Then we keep looking,” he answers as he turns to look at her. She looks back at him, and after taking a breath, nod. Together they move to open the ship.
They were expecting to see a baby no older then two months, crying. But instead they are met with a blond child, no older then ten, who has similar features of the both of them.
They watch as the child blinks awake, and stares at the two in confusion before realization dawns. “Mom? Dad?” Is all that the kid croaks out before promptly passing out again.
They don’t waist time to bring her back to the DEO. Querl having contacted Alex about the situation on the way back. So when they arrive, Alex has a private medbay room ready for them.
Kara and and Querl don’t leave the room as Alex and her team runs tests. Minds running a marathon as they realize that they missed ten years of their baby’s life.
But at the moment it doesn’t matter, because now they have their baby back. They can figure out the rest later.
Well. so i think there’s so many avenues this can take them. i think u sent this at the end of the season 😭😭 (and my thoughts are still very convoluted regarding that but i’ll have #something #soon🧘🏿) But. i have had many things brewing at All points of the season. and it just kept getting Worse. 😊. this specifically was my braindump post pats:
derrick is supposed to be going home. he’s trying to calm down but all he knows is his head is still ringing from the hit and the fumble and everything smells like cleaning solution and that weird burned popcorn smell from the media lounge and he has to press his fingers to his temples where he feels another migraine forming — the 4th in like two weeks. lights are half off in the corridor and there’s lamar already out there at the rail, hood up & elbows locked, hands curled around metal-white paint and his shoulders are set. derrick’s got his to-go box in one hand cold styrofoam sweating his palm and he tips his head considering, thinking. saw lamar head in the bathroom earlier, water running too long and then retching in between silence and he should keep walking should hit the exit and the night and his fridge and whatever sleep he can manage because lamar probably won’t really say anything right now to him anyway but he turns anyway and ends up next to lamar anyway; crowd gone game gone world gone
& it’s freezing freezing freezing and lamar is looking at some middle point at the field he doesn’t look over not even once just stares at whatever black nothing is past the stadium wall like there’s film running out there. like only he can see it over and over and over again: his last drive, last step, last twist in his back that made everything go sideways and derrick sets his hand on the rail behind him not touching but almost could if he shifted an inch but he doesn’t and his fingers curl round the bar instead and his knuckles knock against cold metal and he feels irritated immediately and still his body won’t move away because if he moves away he’s gone for real and lamar doesn’t even twitch at the new weight there just tips his head a little deeper into the hood shadow eyes somewhere derrick can’t see and that’s always the worst when he can’t see the eyes because then he’s guessing — is he mad is he sad is he just tired is he about to start laughing about something dumb and save them both from this or is this the night he finally says he’s done being eaten alive by the city & everything else and derrick fucking hates guessing like just give it to me straight hell he’d rather take a hit to the back than guess wrong but there he is guessing anyway chewing on the inside of his cheek tasting salt and old blood thinking about nothing and everything, his arm stays where it is pinned behind lamar on the rail holding nothing but air and metal and he’s abt to say something like maybe apologize again or — but lamar, as if he can sense something just cuts him off. is just like you gotta get home man gotta tuck the girls in huh and still isn’t looking at him and derrick is like Oh Okkkkkk 👍🏿 Cool and just. leaves
derrick basically like Girl Whatever 😒 i’m not even arguing w/ you you got it man. idk chewing on this i think lamar just wanted to continue to cry a little bit in peace so!!! and also like yeah maybe i don’t really want to be around you right now (but i’m not mad at you really anyway it’s just like damn man! we are kind of running out of time here 😂! and like he could probably Know and Assume what things derrick might try and say but that’s. that’s just like??? Ok. does that even matter really in the grand scheme of things. what did you even come here for really. [i know & you know.] not this certainly & not really me huh especially not when i’m Like This) And Whatever. when it’s all said and done this (whatever u want to call it) is not more important than that and we will just move on to next week and hope we can get it fucking done #Whatever just go home and kiss your girl and your kids man and get your head straight (and hey!!! next week was good right)
also:
“you came here for this?” lamar says then, real quiet and very very neutral under his breath, and derrick feels his stomach drop because he knows exactly what that means and what it doesn’t mean and how far back it reaches
for half a second he thinks about saying: well i came here for you you know that i did — full stop, but that feels like lying by omission because the truth is uglier and simpler and yet very complicated and tied up in silver trophies and foam confetti, he wanted the ring same as anybody and lamar made sense for it, a sure path, that final bet you take when you still believe in magic and now here they are empty handed in the cold
“i came here,” he says slow, tasting each word “and i’m still here ain’t i” because it’s true, he did, put the pen to the paper again and dotted his i’s, which is not an answer and they both know it
also essentially:
soooo yeah 😵💫😵💫 it’s hard to imagine them like. actually fighting like spitting mean that kind of thing. but Hmmm.
^ pls 😭😭😭♥️♥️♥️♥️ i love you
this is soo convoluted i feel like chewing on tree bark!! anyway bottom line it can always get much much worse i need to put the pen to paper….
how do you think Alex, J’onn, and Lena would have reacted to Brainy telling each of them about his inhibitors?
Ooh, this is a fun question.
I think the most interesting thing about considering the answer here is that while the Super Friends all see Brainy as family and vice versa, they all have remarkably different dynamics with him.
For Alex, she’s always been the protective older sister. I think often about the scene in season 4 that really cements that relationship for me, when Alex finds out that Brainy had been threatened and almost attacked when he was inadvertently outed as an alien. Alex was Kara’s protector for so long, it was almost second nature for her to take Brainy under her wing, and I don’t doubt that she’d have a similar if not stronger reaction when she found out what Brainy’s father had done to him. Honestly, I think she’d be promising to punch the guy straight into next week if he so much as tried coming close to Brainy ever again. She’d probably keep her threats light-hearted for the most part for Brainy’s sake though, and while she’d take what she’d been told very seriously, she’d also be able to throw in just enough outlandish ideas on what she’d do to Brainy’s parents if given the chance that she’d definitely be the first to get Brainy to crack a smile.
As for J’onn, well, he’s Space Dad in our hearts for a reason. J’onn may have started with just two adopted daughters, but as the Super Friends expanded, so too did his ever-growing list of chaotic children. There’s a really soft gentleness I can imagine in J’onn’s expression when Brainy tells him. Being more attuned to people’s thoughts and emotions as a Green Martian, I think that finding out how Brainy’s father had inhibited him would have nearly broken J’onn’s heart. Whether Brainy was expecting it or not, J’onn would have most certainly pulled him into a hug, and though Brainy isn’t quite sure how to respond to it at first, I think a part of him would find solace in that closeness, and kick-starts a healing process he may not have even been aware was required.
Basically, what I’m saying is Brainy deserves a proper father figure and J’onn ‘Papa Bear’ J’onzz more than qualifies for the role. 😉
As for Lena, I think she may actually be one of my favourites to conceptualise. It’s no secret that I love Lena and Brainy’s dynamic, especially because they both seem to understand each other in the absolute messiest way possible. Lena and Brainy are so alike at times that they end up agreeing on coping mechanisms that are just hilariously bad, but for this kind of a story, I don’t imagine Lena would offer much in words at all. Well, not at first, at least.
For Lena, hearing Brainy’s story would probably feel like getting dragged back down her own torrid memory lane. Lena and Brainy are both victims of abuse, victims of a family name they can’t shake for the life of them, and they both live with a fear that - perhaps - what people think about them isn’t far from the truth.
I think Lena would hold herself very still as Brainy told his story, her expression remaining impassive aside for the shimmering film of tears dancing across her eyes.
When Brainy finishes, though, that’s when Lena would break the tension by very decisively suggesting that they have a drink together. None of the cheap stuff, either, but the good bourbon she keeps in her office for rainy days, pick-me-ups or close calls with whatever recent foe has tried to kill her that week.
They’d drain that bottle together, and they’d spend the whole night exchanging stories about what awful things their parents had made them do, and everything they’d done in retaliation that had only drawn them further away from any pre-existing path set out for them. They’d rant, because they could, because neither one of them would face judgement from the other, and when the night was through, they’d mention it to no one. Not because it was intended as a secret, but because – for them – once they’d got it all out in the open, they wouldn’t see the use in lingering on it. To them, if they’ve let those emotions out, it’s gotta be over. Right?
Is it healthy? Nope. Do they both need proper therapy? Of course. But, for Lena and Brainy, their relationship is one of mutual benefit when it comes to sharing the darkest sides of themselves, sides they might fear that others would shy away from. Kara is always the first person to jump to their defence, to convince them of the goodness in their hearts, and she’s right to do so.
But, you don’t spend that long in the dark without picking up a couple of shadows.
I was listening to an episode of a podcast that was about the history of witchcraft, and apparently the salem witch trials were in 1692, while Agatha's flashback in the show took place in 1693? I'm not sure whether that was a mistake, or a deliberate choice
I mean, I guess since Agatha’s flashback wasn’t actually one of the Salem Witch Trials since it was actually her coven trying her and executing her for using dark magic, so it could have been a mistake but it still works anyway. (Another fun fact, in the US at least, witches actually didn’t get burned at the stake! My understanding is that they were drowned usually.)
Who said “I love you” first: Kara did! Flustered and with a smile!
Who would have the other’s picture as their phone background: Kate has a picture of Supergirl as her background and everyone just thinks that that’s her favorite hero and if asked about it, Kate just lists all the things that do make Supergirl the best hero, it never fails to fluster Kara, who indeed does have a picture of Kate (in civil attire) as her background
Who leaves notes written in fog on the bathroom mirror: Kara does. Sometimes even on days she hasn’t even been staying over at Kate’s. Just, quickly flew by, left bagels and a note in the mirror ;)
Who buys the other cheesy gifts: I feel like Kara does the cheesier gifts
Who initiated the first kiss: Kate did and it lasted for a while ;D
Who kisses the other awake in the morning: Kate would never. Her Supergirl is already shouldering so much and when she’s asleep, she really deserves to sleep! Kara does sometimes
Who starts tickle fights: Neither of them
Who asks who if they can join the other in the shower: Kara! She likes tracing Kate’s tattoos with a sponge ^o^
Who surprises the other in the middle of the day at work with lunch: Kara, if her time allows it, she will fly over, visit Kate for a quick lunch!
Who was nervous and shy on the first date: Kara was shy, Kate was nervous, it was a bit awkward, but since both felt awkward, that was also a tension breaker for them ;)
Who kills/takes out the spiders: Kate does; Kara is not above opening a portal and dragging Kate through it so she can take care of a spider for Kara too ùû (I’d like to imagine that Cisco’s little pocket-portals will be developed into boom-tube-esque transport systems between the slowly forming Justice League... and Kara and Kate get an early prototype of that to link their apartments and make their long-distance relationship easier)
Who loudly proclaims their love when they’re drunk: Kate is good at handling her alcohol and Kara isn’t used to being drunk and if she does get drunk, she will wax poetry!
Winndox:
Who said “I love you” first: Winn, but not by much, they were both shortly before saying it, but Winn beat Brainy to it
Who would have the other’s picture as their phone background: Winn has one of Brainy, all green and white-haired, smiling startled into the camera
Who leaves notes written in fog on the bathroom mirror: They leave each other equations on the mirror, for the other to solve. Sometimes, it’s a cheesy math pun
Who buys the other cheesy gifts: That’s a Brainy thing. I mean, c’mon, boy got Winn special shiny dirt for Winn’s dirt-collection and we all know that he likes to go overboard in showing his partner appreciation - he’d shower Winn in nerdy gifts
Who initiated the first kiss: Winn did, surprising Brainy (but in the best way)
Who kisses the other awake in the morning: Brainy does, after getting breakfast, so they can eat together
Who starts tickle fights: Sometimes, Winn does
Who asks who if they can join the other in the shower: That’s a Winn-thing! Brainy found it peculiar until he understood where it leads ;D
Who surprises the other in the middle of the day at work with lunch: Cooonsidering they work with each other, it’s not so much a “surprise at work”, but they do eat together
Who was nervous and shy on the first date: Brainy was nervous and maybe overplanning a little so he crams about 10 dates into one, which is a lot, but Winn found it very charming
Who kills/takes out the spiders: Brainy does! Winn finds them icky
Who loudly proclaims their love when they’re drunk: That’s totally a Brainy thing! Brainy has written whole sonnets about Winn ;)
