Kryptonite (Writing Night)

Prompt: Write about the kyptonite of the super power shapeshifting

Transcript from a Super Powers Anonymous meeting

"Hello, my power is shape shifting, and I don’t know who I am.

Everything was going fine enough until 2020. As of 2020, I can’t enter a chatroom without being asked to give a little speech about who I am – Greek, male, he/him, lactose intolerant, son of Zeus and Hera. The last part is true, but I could drink as much milk as you weigh if I turn into a baby elephant right now, and then I wouldn’t be Greek either. But really, every new social gathering I go to I’m asked to give a little bio of myself these days. And it feels like a lie, it feels like I’m constantly lying to everyone. My super power might be better said: pathological liar, founded in 2020. Good name for a speakeasy. I feel I am as much that baby elephant as a centaur as the son of Zeus. And I feel just as much that I am none of those things. I hate these chats. I eyeroll at giving these bios. I hate channeling myself into a few words that people are going to interpret wrongly anyway. Somedays I just want to be an asshole (not literally) and what am I going to introduce myself as, then? Can’t I be an asshole for a day and live in peace? It used to be fun and carefree, shape shifting. I could be spontaneous to suit the moment, shape shift from my joy or anger. But these new norms that ask me who I am at every turn…they have me feeling like a liar. I’m not a liar, not in most of my forms, and I don’t think of myself that way. I fundamentally don’t and can’t know who I am. I can be anything. But I can’t be who you want me to be, when you want it. Where among mortals can that be alright?"

Every month my writing group convenes for 90 minutes. 30 mins of shooting the breeze, 30 mins of creative writing, and 30 minutes of sharing. This is the result.