Kryptonite

So Superman is probably my least favorite superhero... I am not really a superhero fan anyway, and he's pretty much the Mary Sue of the bunch. A little sad, really—I think he is the only writer character I can think of who makes me think, “meh.”

But several years back when my daughter was maybe in kindergarten we ended up with a Disney Rocks or Rockin' Disney, or some such silliness—a CD with mostly current (at the time) songs that just happened to be used for the various Disney programming and there was the song from Three Doors Down, Kryptonite.

You can listen to Kryptonite here (the video is odd and sad at the same time).

But what I loved about the song was that whole love and insanity crossover I got into so much for the Sad Songs Blogfest.

Here are the lyrics:

It might help that he's adorable.

I took a walk around the world to ease my troubled mind
I left my body lying somewhere in sense of time
I watched the world float to the dark side of the moon
I feel there's nothing I can do

I watched the world float to the dark side of the moon
After all I knew it had to be something to do with you
I really don't mind what happens now and then
As long as you'll be my friend at the end

If I go crazy then will you still call me Superman?
If I'm alive and well, will you be there holding my hand?
I'll keep you by my side with my superhuman might
Kryptonite

You call me strong, you call me weak
But still your secrets I will keep
You took for granted all the times I never let you down

You stumbled in and bumped your head
If not for me then you'd be dead
I picked you up and put you back on solid ground

If I go crazy then will you still call me Superman?
If I'm alive and well, will you be there holding my hand
I'll keep you by my side with my superhuman might
Kryptonite

{repeat x 2}

You may not believe this, but I'm Barbara Hershey

You see... this song, at its core, is about being the sane one and loving and caring for somebody... holding up somebody... as they fall apart... wondering if they'd do the same for you.

And I've been here. More than once, actually. In fact maybe that is MY Kryptonite—the draw to save hopeless cases. The undying belief that I can. I think I have an underlying need to be not just needed as a loved one, but NEEDED. Maybe underneath it is a need to be important... more than important... vital.

There has been more than once that I've really resented that I never get to be the one who falls apart.

At the same time, there is nothing more amazing than realizing you were strong enough and you did it. That a person is a full contributing happy human being because you did what had to be done.

I will leave the rest of that a little cryptic for privacy reasons (not mine), but now you have my confession.


Literary Kryptonite

You know... heroes in stories need their kryptonite, too. They need something that will force them to act outside of their self-interest—force them to do something they normally don't think they could or would, morally, ethically or spiritually.

Look at Katniss Everdeen. Prim is her Kryptonite. To save Prim she volunteers to participate in something she believes is evil, that she is sure she cannot survive. Katniss KNOWS this, too... she's already HAD to be the sane one.

I think for Harry Potter, Draco is perhaps Harry's original kryptonite. I mean he hates Snape more, and Voldemort is his deadly enemy, but it is Draco that drives Harry to be truly irrational in books 1 and 6, anyway. He's a little that way about Snape, but he rarely acts on it—only re-acts. Oh... and then there's Sirius... but that was a lesson Harry had to learn...(It's a little beautiful that Harry is Voldemort's Kryptonite)


So what about you? Do you have a personal Kryptonite? Have you thought about the true Achilles heel for your MC? What is THEIR Kryptonite?