Poem: "Half My Potential"
This is today's second freebie, courtesy of new prompter Dreamwidth user Ombra_la_lupa99, who inspired it along with a recent comment from HylianEngineer over on AO3. It also fills the "12 Moment of Frustration Day" square in my 10-3-23 card for the Fall Fest Bingo. This poem belongs to the LIFC series.
"Half My Potential"
Bruce had enjoyed the library discussion
about the evolution of humanity, right up
until the bigot started ranting about mutants
and all the reasons they "weren't really human"
and, inevitably, didn't need or deserve human rights.
It wouldn't be professional to roll his eyes at the man.
Bruce lasted all of five minutes before doing it anyway.
"No matter what arguments you lay out, clearly
they all belong to the genus Homo," said Bruce.
"They are bipedal with non-opposable toes, limbs of
similar lengths relative to torso, a rounded skull shape
that incorporates a brain-to-body-size ratio similar to
Homo sapiens, and complex language use."
Joel Simmons spewed more unscientific vitriol
about apes and cavemen. Bruce was half-expecting
him to throw dinosaurs into the mix somewhere.
"Minor features such as color morphs, difference
in hair texture or amount, body size, and such
do not affect species identity," said Bruce.
"I belong to Homo sapiens, and so does
Hulk, even though he is bigger and greener."
"That just goes to show that you're not
really human either!" Mr. Simmons snarled.
Bruce laughed. "Oh you really have no idea
how much time I've spent staring at our DNA,"
he said. "It is definitely Homo sapiens."
"You should not be embracing
your bestial side," said Mr. Simmons.
"Hulk is part of me. He's my other half,
my brother," Bruce said softly. "I spent
a long time denying that, but it's not
really working for me anymore, so
I'm trying to break the habit."
It felt strange to defend Hulk,
to claim him, after years of
trying to destroy him -- but
Bruce was too much of
a scientist to deny evidence,
even when it was changing.
Even in the moment of frustration,
Hulk was content to let Bruce
wage the argument -- and that
alone showed their progress.
"But you were so much better
before!" Mr. Simmons protested.
"I thought I was, but I was wrong,"
said Bruce. "I'm learning that Hulk
can share his strength with me, and
I can share my wits with him, so that
we're better together than we are apart.
When I function in only one mode
or the other, then I am denying
half myself, half my potential."
"He's like your mirror twin,
though," said Mr. Simmons.
"He's a dark, twisted version
of the man you're meant to be."
"A mirror does not exist by itself,"
Bruce said. "A mirror is a half. Half
is done by the piece. The other half
has to be done by the beholder. You
need to be the half to see what you’re
looking for, so the mirror can exist --
as you should do with other persons."
Mr. Simmons finally threw up his hands
and stormed away, unable to face
his own reflection in Bruce's eyes.
Hank McCoy sidled over to Bruce,
smiling enough to show his teeth.
The two of them had spent plenty
of time together, trying to convince
kids that being a different color --
even one out of a crayon box --
wasn't the end of the world.
"You know, I actually do have
opposable toes," Hank said,
scratching behind one blue ear.
"So?" Bruce replied. "You might
have to move up to Hominini instead
of Homo, but you're certainly still human."
"Besides, we're all composite creatures
in our own ways," Tony said, coming up
to sling an arm around Bruce. "Me, I am
Iron Man. Steve's new improved lungs
came from an ancestor getting frisky
with a Denisovan. And so on."
Steve had been so excited when
they pinned down that little detail.
He was every bit as much a nerd
as the actual scientists on the team.
"There's no need for any of to live
with half our potential," said Bruce.
"All of us should strive to become
our whole selves, whatever that
may mean for each of us."
And deep inside, Hulk
gave a happy rumble.
* * *
Notes:
"When I function in only one mode or the other, I am denying half myself, half my potential."
-- Dean Koontz, Forever Odd
"A mirror does not exist by itself. A mirror is a half. Half is done by the piece. The other half has to be done by the beholder. You need to be the half to see what you’re looking for, so the mirror can exist. As you should do with other persons."
-- Cristiane Serruya, Trust: Pandora's Box
Human evolution has a long, intricate, controversial history. Genus Homo includes modern humans, some recent direct ancestors, and also some of the ancillary relatives.
A species is a group within a genus, defined by species concepts of which there are at least 26. Among the most widely used definitions is that members of a species are all fertile with each other, but are not fertile with other species -- at most, interspecific hybrids may produce infertile offspring (such as mules). Subspecies, however, may have different features but produce (at least mostly) fertile offspring together. Based on Marvelverse canon, mutants are typically fertile with ordinary humans, and often capable of passing down their innovative traits (which is how evolution works).
Many traits, such as color morphs, simply show the genetic diversity within a species and thus do not count as separate species -- although they may be mistaken for separate. See examples from big cats.
Compare mutants from local-Earth with mutants from Marvelverse. When a mutation first appears, it is simply part of the parent species' genetic diversity; thus all mutants initially belong to the same species as their parents. Over time, however, mutation contributes to speciation.
Human rights are supposed to be universal and inalienable, but they are routinely and widely denied to many disadvantaged groups. So they're more wishes than rights, accorded to some privileged groups but nowhere near universal as claimed. This happens because people are always looking for an excuse to abuse others, and will seize on any small difference to argue that "those people" aren't "really human." Bigots have argued that women don't have souls and that black people don't have souls. So of course, in a setting with superpowered mutants, bigots would argue that they aren't human or worthy of human rights. This is just as much bullshit at the previous two examples.
Tibetans, particularly the highland Sherpas, inherited "superathlete" genes from Denisovans that help them survive at high altitudes. This is not a unique occurrence. Humans apparently have fucked around the entire family tree.
"Half My Potential"
Bruce had enjoyed the library discussion
about the evolution of humanity, right up
until the bigot started ranting about mutants
and all the reasons they "weren't really human"
and, inevitably, didn't need or deserve human rights.
It wouldn't be professional to roll his eyes at the man.
Bruce lasted all of five minutes before doing it anyway.
"No matter what arguments you lay out, clearly
they all belong to the genus Homo," said Bruce.
"They are bipedal with non-opposable toes, limbs of
similar lengths relative to torso, a rounded skull shape
that incorporates a brain-to-body-size ratio similar to
Homo sapiens, and complex language use."
Joel Simmons spewed more unscientific vitriol
about apes and cavemen. Bruce was half-expecting
him to throw dinosaurs into the mix somewhere.
"Minor features such as color morphs, difference
in hair texture or amount, body size, and such
do not affect species identity," said Bruce.
"I belong to Homo sapiens, and so does
Hulk, even though he is bigger and greener."
"That just goes to show that you're not
really human either!" Mr. Simmons snarled.
Bruce laughed. "Oh you really have no idea
how much time I've spent staring at our DNA,"
he said. "It is definitely Homo sapiens."
"You should not be embracing
your bestial side," said Mr. Simmons.
"Hulk is part of me. He's my other half,
my brother," Bruce said softly. "I spent
a long time denying that, but it's not
really working for me anymore, so
I'm trying to break the habit."
It felt strange to defend Hulk,
to claim him, after years of
trying to destroy him -- but
Bruce was too much of
a scientist to deny evidence,
even when it was changing.
Even in the moment of frustration,
Hulk was content to let Bruce
wage the argument -- and that
alone showed their progress.
"But you were so much better
before!" Mr. Simmons protested.
"I thought I was, but I was wrong,"
said Bruce. "I'm learning that Hulk
can share his strength with me, and
I can share my wits with him, so that
we're better together than we are apart.
When I function in only one mode
or the other, then I am denying
half myself, half my potential."
"He's like your mirror twin,
though," said Mr. Simmons.
"He's a dark, twisted version
of the man you're meant to be."
"A mirror does not exist by itself,"
Bruce said. "A mirror is a half. Half
is done by the piece. The other half
has to be done by the beholder. You
need to be the half to see what you’re
looking for, so the mirror can exist --
as you should do with other persons."
Mr. Simmons finally threw up his hands
and stormed away, unable to face
his own reflection in Bruce's eyes.
Hank McCoy sidled over to Bruce,
smiling enough to show his teeth.
The two of them had spent plenty
of time together, trying to convince
kids that being a different color --
even one out of a crayon box --
wasn't the end of the world.
"You know, I actually do have
opposable toes," Hank said,
scratching behind one blue ear.
"So?" Bruce replied. "You might
have to move up to Hominini instead
of Homo, but you're certainly still human."
"Besides, we're all composite creatures
in our own ways," Tony said, coming up
to sling an arm around Bruce. "Me, I am
Iron Man. Steve's new improved lungs
came from an ancestor getting frisky
with a Denisovan. And so on."
Steve had been so excited when
they pinned down that little detail.
He was every bit as much a nerd
as the actual scientists on the team.
"There's no need for any of to live
with half our potential," said Bruce.
"All of us should strive to become
our whole selves, whatever that
may mean for each of us."
And deep inside, Hulk
gave a happy rumble.
* * *
Notes:
"When I function in only one mode or the other, I am denying half myself, half my potential."
-- Dean Koontz, Forever Odd
"A mirror does not exist by itself. A mirror is a half. Half is done by the piece. The other half has to be done by the beholder. You need to be the half to see what you’re looking for, so the mirror can exist. As you should do with other persons."
-- Cristiane Serruya, Trust: Pandora's Box
Human evolution has a long, intricate, controversial history. Genus Homo includes modern humans, some recent direct ancestors, and also some of the ancillary relatives.
A species is a group within a genus, defined by species concepts of which there are at least 26. Among the most widely used definitions is that members of a species are all fertile with each other, but are not fertile with other species -- at most, interspecific hybrids may produce infertile offspring (such as mules). Subspecies, however, may have different features but produce (at least mostly) fertile offspring together. Based on Marvelverse canon, mutants are typically fertile with ordinary humans, and often capable of passing down their innovative traits (which is how evolution works).
Many traits, such as color morphs, simply show the genetic diversity within a species and thus do not count as separate species -- although they may be mistaken for separate. See examples from big cats.
Compare mutants from local-Earth with mutants from Marvelverse. When a mutation first appears, it is simply part of the parent species' genetic diversity; thus all mutants initially belong to the same species as their parents. Over time, however, mutation contributes to speciation.
Human rights are supposed to be universal and inalienable, but they are routinely and widely denied to many disadvantaged groups. So they're more wishes than rights, accorded to some privileged groups but nowhere near universal as claimed. This happens because people are always looking for an excuse to abuse others, and will seize on any small difference to argue that "those people" aren't "really human." Bigots have argued that women don't have souls and that black people don't have souls. So of course, in a setting with superpowered mutants, bigots would argue that they aren't human or worthy of human rights. This is just as much bullshit at the previous two examples.
Tibetans, particularly the highland Sherpas, inherited "superathlete" genes from Denisovans that help them survive at high altitudes. This is not a unique occurrence. Humans apparently have fucked around the entire family tree.