Mars Head Canons
Sep. 20th, 2013 05:00 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
littlewhiteliesWOOP, WOOP, entering head canon territory, folks! As such, don't take any of this as gospel and realize that Word of Greg may eventually veto it. (If so, I'll do what I can to mend any mistakes made.) This is largely a place for me to show off how I think about this stuff way too much, and do a little theorizing about M'gann's home planet, society, and her place in it.
History:
From a pre-recorded history perspective, word of Greg says that Martians evolved along similar lines as the species that would eventually become bio-ships, and the creatures they get their organic clothing from. I like to think it was a mostly symbiotic evolution.
Also, shapeshifting, psychic powers, etc, are all things that are natural to Martians as a species and came about with their evolution. Along with this are three dominant colors that emerged in the species; green, red, and white. This will be important later on. Chances are the ways Martian culture developed, there are some differences from humans due to their abilities, but some similarities as well.
Fast forward multiple eons, centuries and into a more established social order. At this point, we know there is some form of schism forming between the Greens who are the most common color, and the Whites, who are minority. The exact cause of it, we don't know...But personal head canon is that it eventually leads to a very bloody civil war, which contributed to the surface of Mars becoming so barren and inhospitable. Ultimately the Greens won out with help from their Red allies, and the Whites were forcefully assimilated into the winner's society.
As a major effect of this, there's likely a lot of propaganda floating around that paints Whites as inherently violent, savage, and in many ways close to their comic counterparts. This is used as justification for them to remain as second class citizens, under the control of the Greens and Reds; its for the good of everyone if the Whites are kept down, so there isn't a repeat of the war. And for the most part, Martians buy into it; history is written by the winners, and all.
Religion:
M'gann notes in Denial regarding Doctor Fate:
"He is like the great sorcerer priests and priestesses of Mars. I would be honored to help find him."
Those are the two lines we get regarding Martian religion and another hint at their culture, but from them there's some conclusions. It seems likely that Martians have a loose caste/career system of some sort, organized religion, and a dedicated order of priests and priestesses. Going by M'gann's words and voice, she also has some level of respect for them.
Extrapolating past that, Reds are most likely the leaders of the priesthood and make up the higher echelons, though it isn't uncommon to see a talented Green in the ranks as well. Whites...Are next to non-existant in the priesthood. Chances are, tracking and dealing with Whites that possesses heightened powers and who pose a threat to the society (be it real or an imagined challenge to the social order) may be a martial task for the priesthood as well.
Despite that glaring spot of racism, the church is equal opportunity when it comes to genders. Priests and Priestesses are both welcome in the order, with only slightly differing duties; talent, training, and ability trumps biological sex in most cases.
Known gods in the comics-verse (and there may be different ones in Universe-16/YJ Canon. We don't really know.) include H'ronmeer as a god of light, life, fire and death, who despite that last association is highly revered. He appears to be the head of whatever pantheon the Martians follow. (And yes, there are parallels to the Endless here, with L'zoril as the god of sleep as well.)
As far as what counts for 'Sorcery' in Martian culture, I'd guess heightened psychic powers that have been pushed and trained to the point they border on the incredible and the very edges of conventional psychic powers. Not just density shifting (which is noted to be an advanced technique) but also astral projection with the possibility of moving their consciousness backwards and forwards through time along with divination (either through scrying, psychometry, or just pure meditational force of will) energy manipulation through telekinesis, plus such telepathic command over their own and other's bodies and shapeshifting that they are capable of harming and healing with enough concentration. At the ridiculous levels, they may be capable of psychically emposing their wills on reality and warping it (think Tuning from Dark City) though that has to be ludicrously far up the power skill tree, and accordingly infrequent.
Biology:
We know that Martians have large families, about 30 children on average. Due to that it seems likely that mothers give birth to large families. I agree with fanon in this, in that it’s likely they clutch in some fashion; makes it easier for the mother with such a small hip radius like that.
Related to that, Martians live for a really long time. Around 200 to 300 years, so population control seems like a big deal. I can understand the idea of a social limitation for Martian families to only reproduce once, but I also like the idea of a biological limitation as well. Namely that their estrous cycle is REALLY different. Like they may only come into season once or twice in their lifespan, and thus they have to make that pregnancy count; ergo more children produced in a single pregnancy, to give their genes the most chances of surviving and being passed on.
Even the pregnancy period might be different, depending on how many offspring are produced per clutch, and how soon they manifest their shapeshifting. It seems plausible that the young are unlikely to pick up shapeshifting until much later on, probably around the time they really gain their motor skills and ability to use their limbs.
Which come to think of it, means that Martian society has lots of chances to ingrain and impress their psychic, color-coded identity right from the time they’re born until they finally can pick up shapeshifting.
On a slightly different note, M’gann notes in the YJ comics that she was psychically aware on some level in the womb. This could be metaphorical (perhaps similar to the Cadmus walls that produced one wave of the G-elves?) or literal, but either way I like the notion that martian mothers have a habit of telepathically talking or even singing to their young, prenatal.
As for actual reproduction…That’s where things get tricky. On the one hand it’s hard to pick out any reproductive organs, but given that they’re a shapeshifting race that could mean very little. I could accept either that there is some form of copulation, or they reproduce via spawning. One particularly interesting suggestion I’ve heard is the idea that martians could reproduce via external spawning, but then the female might brood her offspring in a pouch similar to a male seahorse before giving birth. Personally I like the idea of the eggs being carried to a certain term in the womb, before being laid; I think it’s a good middle ground that supports what M’gann says in the comics, while also accounting for clutching and the like.
M'gann:
SO, how does this all tie back into M'gann?
The main thing to remember is that while M'gann came from a loving, tolerant family, she grew up in a less than loving OR tolerant society. Actual racial violence and hate crimes against her were probably rare, if they occurred at all, but growing up in an environment that saw her as a lesser being left a mark on her.
Out of an immediate family of 32, she has only two other people with a dominant white gene; her father and one brother. Even in her own family, she's still a minority. There's even a chance that her own siblings may have been distant from her, out of wanting to fit in better with their peers and avoid any guilt by association.
She ages and develops at a rate that is about three times slower than a human; so 48 earth years for M'gann translates into being around 16 when it comes to psychology, biology, and emotional levels. Still, 16 biological years is a long time to develop on a planet where she's viewed as a second-class citizen. On Mars she had fewer rights, less room for social mobility and advancement, and less respect then the Green members of her family and society. It's telling that the first words out of M'gann's mouth when she gets her memories back in Bereft are; "I'm on a team! I have friends!" Like that level of acceptance is just so amazing for her that she has to exclaim it out loud.
Finally, I'll let this Word of Greg put in the last words:
"Well, you need to understand that by Martian standards, she was never considered attractive at all, because of her white skin. Now, all Martians are shape-shifters, but all are also telepathic, so skin color can't be truly hidden, and the cultural bias on Mars against White Martians is so strong, that as a young girl, she was constantly reminded of her lack of desirability - on many different levels. You speak of "white martians beauty standards" - but culturally, there is no such thing. I'm not saying that's right; I'm just saying that's the current state of affairs on Mars-16.
Then she saw American Television and was exposed to a (skewed) view of American Culture - both at its idealistic best and at its populist worst. So although being a pretty Martian was something she felt - rightly or wrongly - that she couldn't aspire to, being an attractive, smart, funny and NECESSARY human girl was something she COULD aspire to. She had a role model in her famous Uncle J'onn, whom she had never met, but to whom she was blood-related. And she had a template in Megan Wheeler, the lead character of "Hello, Megan!" So M'gann learned - again for better and worse - her view of our standards of beauty from our television programs.
Now, you say she's self-hating, and there's some truth to that - up to a point. But once she decides WHO SHE IS INSIDE, that stops. It's only when others force her to become that person that she never felt comfortable as, that she retreats to fear, loathing and self-hatred. But she truly LIKES herself as Megan Morse and as green-skinned M'gann M'orzz AND as the hero Miss Martian. "
History:
From a pre-recorded history perspective, word of Greg says that Martians evolved along similar lines as the species that would eventually become bio-ships, and the creatures they get their organic clothing from. I like to think it was a mostly symbiotic evolution.
Also, shapeshifting, psychic powers, etc, are all things that are natural to Martians as a species and came about with their evolution. Along with this are three dominant colors that emerged in the species; green, red, and white. This will be important later on. Chances are the ways Martian culture developed, there are some differences from humans due to their abilities, but some similarities as well.
Fast forward multiple eons, centuries and into a more established social order. At this point, we know there is some form of schism forming between the Greens who are the most common color, and the Whites, who are minority. The exact cause of it, we don't know...But personal head canon is that it eventually leads to a very bloody civil war, which contributed to the surface of Mars becoming so barren and inhospitable. Ultimately the Greens won out with help from their Red allies, and the Whites were forcefully assimilated into the winner's society.
As a major effect of this, there's likely a lot of propaganda floating around that paints Whites as inherently violent, savage, and in many ways close to their comic counterparts. This is used as justification for them to remain as second class citizens, under the control of the Greens and Reds; its for the good of everyone if the Whites are kept down, so there isn't a repeat of the war. And for the most part, Martians buy into it; history is written by the winners, and all.
Religion:
M'gann notes in Denial regarding Doctor Fate:
"He is like the great sorcerer priests and priestesses of Mars. I would be honored to help find him."
Those are the two lines we get regarding Martian religion and another hint at their culture, but from them there's some conclusions. It seems likely that Martians have a loose caste/career system of some sort, organized religion, and a dedicated order of priests and priestesses. Going by M'gann's words and voice, she also has some level of respect for them.
Extrapolating past that, Reds are most likely the leaders of the priesthood and make up the higher echelons, though it isn't uncommon to see a talented Green in the ranks as well. Whites...Are next to non-existant in the priesthood. Chances are, tracking and dealing with Whites that possesses heightened powers and who pose a threat to the society (be it real or an imagined challenge to the social order) may be a martial task for the priesthood as well.
Despite that glaring spot of racism, the church is equal opportunity when it comes to genders. Priests and Priestesses are both welcome in the order, with only slightly differing duties; talent, training, and ability trumps biological sex in most cases.
Known gods in the comics-verse (and there may be different ones in Universe-16/YJ Canon. We don't really know.) include H'ronmeer as a god of light, life, fire and death, who despite that last association is highly revered. He appears to be the head of whatever pantheon the Martians follow. (And yes, there are parallels to the Endless here, with L'zoril as the god of sleep as well.)
As far as what counts for 'Sorcery' in Martian culture, I'd guess heightened psychic powers that have been pushed and trained to the point they border on the incredible and the very edges of conventional psychic powers. Not just density shifting (which is noted to be an advanced technique) but also astral projection with the possibility of moving their consciousness backwards and forwards through time along with divination (either through scrying, psychometry, or just pure meditational force of will) energy manipulation through telekinesis, plus such telepathic command over their own and other's bodies and shapeshifting that they are capable of harming and healing with enough concentration. At the ridiculous levels, they may be capable of psychically emposing their wills on reality and warping it (think Tuning from Dark City) though that has to be ludicrously far up the power skill tree, and accordingly infrequent.
Biology:
We know that Martians have large families, about 30 children on average. Due to that it seems likely that mothers give birth to large families. I agree with fanon in this, in that it’s likely they clutch in some fashion; makes it easier for the mother with such a small hip radius like that.
Related to that, Martians live for a really long time. Around 200 to 300 years, so population control seems like a big deal. I can understand the idea of a social limitation for Martian families to only reproduce once, but I also like the idea of a biological limitation as well. Namely that their estrous cycle is REALLY different. Like they may only come into season once or twice in their lifespan, and thus they have to make that pregnancy count; ergo more children produced in a single pregnancy, to give their genes the most chances of surviving and being passed on.
Even the pregnancy period might be different, depending on how many offspring are produced per clutch, and how soon they manifest their shapeshifting. It seems plausible that the young are unlikely to pick up shapeshifting until much later on, probably around the time they really gain their motor skills and ability to use their limbs.
Which come to think of it, means that Martian society has lots of chances to ingrain and impress their psychic, color-coded identity right from the time they’re born until they finally can pick up shapeshifting.
On a slightly different note, M’gann notes in the YJ comics that she was psychically aware on some level in the womb. This could be metaphorical (perhaps similar to the Cadmus walls that produced one wave of the G-elves?) or literal, but either way I like the notion that martian mothers have a habit of telepathically talking or even singing to their young, prenatal.
As for actual reproduction…That’s where things get tricky. On the one hand it’s hard to pick out any reproductive organs, but given that they’re a shapeshifting race that could mean very little. I could accept either that there is some form of copulation, or they reproduce via spawning. One particularly interesting suggestion I’ve heard is the idea that martians could reproduce via external spawning, but then the female might brood her offspring in a pouch similar to a male seahorse before giving birth. Personally I like the idea of the eggs being carried to a certain term in the womb, before being laid; I think it’s a good middle ground that supports what M’gann says in the comics, while also accounting for clutching and the like.
M'gann:
SO, how does this all tie back into M'gann?
The main thing to remember is that while M'gann came from a loving, tolerant family, she grew up in a less than loving OR tolerant society. Actual racial violence and hate crimes against her were probably rare, if they occurred at all, but growing up in an environment that saw her as a lesser being left a mark on her.
Out of an immediate family of 32, she has only two other people with a dominant white gene; her father and one brother. Even in her own family, she's still a minority. There's even a chance that her own siblings may have been distant from her, out of wanting to fit in better with their peers and avoid any guilt by association.
She ages and develops at a rate that is about three times slower than a human; so 48 earth years for M'gann translates into being around 16 when it comes to psychology, biology, and emotional levels. Still, 16 biological years is a long time to develop on a planet where she's viewed as a second-class citizen. On Mars she had fewer rights, less room for social mobility and advancement, and less respect then the Green members of her family and society. It's telling that the first words out of M'gann's mouth when she gets her memories back in Bereft are; "I'm on a team! I have friends!" Like that level of acceptance is just so amazing for her that she has to exclaim it out loud.
Finally, I'll let this Word of Greg put in the last words:
"Well, you need to understand that by Martian standards, she was never considered attractive at all, because of her white skin. Now, all Martians are shape-shifters, but all are also telepathic, so skin color can't be truly hidden, and the cultural bias on Mars against White Martians is so strong, that as a young girl, she was constantly reminded of her lack of desirability - on many different levels. You speak of "white martians beauty standards" - but culturally, there is no such thing. I'm not saying that's right; I'm just saying that's the current state of affairs on Mars-16.
Then she saw American Television and was exposed to a (skewed) view of American Culture - both at its idealistic best and at its populist worst. So although being a pretty Martian was something she felt - rightly or wrongly - that she couldn't aspire to, being an attractive, smart, funny and NECESSARY human girl was something she COULD aspire to. She had a role model in her famous Uncle J'onn, whom she had never met, but to whom she was blood-related. And she had a template in Megan Wheeler, the lead character of "Hello, Megan!" So M'gann learned - again for better and worse - her view of our standards of beauty from our television programs.
Now, you say she's self-hating, and there's some truth to that - up to a point. But once she decides WHO SHE IS INSIDE, that stops. It's only when others force her to become that person that she never felt comfortable as, that she retreats to fear, loathing and self-hatred. But she truly LIKES herself as Megan Morse and as green-skinned M'gann M'orzz AND as the hero Miss Martian. "
