cthulhu-macula

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S02 E20 - The Long, Twilight Struggle

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How the Infinite Realms/Ghost Zone fits into DC canon, as well as the GIW.

So I read Spirit World, which actually explains a lot of things.

To get from the world of the living to the world of the dead, you have to walk. There is no teleportation. You walk through the In-Between, the Space between Spaces, and you need a bridge. The only denizens that can walk/wander through the Space between Spaces are the denizens of that realm, which are not supposed to be in the world of the living or the world of the dead.

This is where shades live, as well as "monsters". It is also possible for spirits on their way from point A to point B to lose the path and get lost, wherein they forget themselves and are unable to escape. They become one of the denizens of the medium.

It's fairly ambiguous BUT THE POINT IS that this is the Infinite Realms, a medium that connects all worlds, living and dead.

SPOILERS PAST THIS POINT

The more important point, though, is that Spirit World is a comic arc following DCs very own canonical halfa. Non-binary/genderneutral, they don't have a separate spirit form because, unlike Danny, who was in the process of dying, they were caught up in a botched attempt at reincarnation.

So while Danny has to turn into a ghost form, which is a separate thing because he is still, for the most part, alive; Xanthe Zhou, the half-dead half-alive bridge between worlds, is always in theirs, and it's always able to be perceived by the living as well.

Danny and Vlad also differ from Xanthe in that they, unlike Xanthe, were formed in the Space between Spaces. Xanthe, conversely, was formed in the World of the Dead, straight up.

The Spirit World/World of the Dead also has different tiers of strength in spirits/gods, as well as a council that dictates almost all things.

The Infinite Realms/Ghost Zone has different tiers of strength in spirits/gods, as well as a council that dictates almost all things.

Both Xanthe and Danny (and Vlad but ugh) are considered freakishly powerful, and this can be directly attributed to being half dead and half alive.

Spirits contaminated with the Space between Spaces, or spirits that lost who they are, look awful familiar.

Does that not look like a ghost straight from the Ghost Zone? Also the person with the giant sword is Xanthe.

Now, moving on to

The G.I.W.

In Static Shock, there's a legitimate shadow-agency pretending to be the government and rounding up people off the streets.

Not only is the Justice League not doing anything about it, but no one at all comes to investigate.

Even though this takes place after Meta protections, it doesn't matter. They're still kidnapping people and experimenting on them, and no one bothers to protect them.

That being said, it is 100% feasible for the G.I.W to go full on Raze the Earth and the Justice League to not only stand by, but turn the other way.

In Superboy, CADMUS, while not necessarily stealing people off the streets (normally) was still doing some pretty shitty things.

Things that the Justice League couldn't really step in to stop.

So canonically there's, like, a lot of organizations that violate protection acts and not enough time or resources to handle them all.

It's usually left to the locals to handle, or the local vigilante.

The Justice League gets roped in, or it's affiliates get roped in, when the situation spirals out of control and leaks past the borders it set for itself.

However, it's far more likely that even if it does do that, then it'll be a team up between the local vigilante/hero and the next nearest one, not a full on Justice League response.

The existence of the G.I.W. would be a surprise, just not much of one, and more likely to be met with tired acceptance of "oh, another one? let's add it to the list."

From Static; doesn't she already look like a G.I.W. scientist with her outfit and lack of morals? Now imagine her partnering up with the G.I.W.

Terrifying.

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I’m the weirdest kind of extremely online because I would be severely offline if it wasn’t for tumblr. you genuinely can’t reach me anywhere else other than tumblr I simply don’t use other social media. I don’t even like texting or calling people. I only like hanging out with people irl and being on tumblr and reading the weather forecast

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Avatar!Zuko, but he thinks everyone can bend all elements, he's not special

I had a short phase were I really liked to read Avatar!Zuko stories and got the following idea stuck in my head: Zuko is born as the Avatar (Aang is still around, but he's just an airbender who was told he's the avatar and got atuck in the spirit realm for one hundred years). Zuko manages to bend water, air and fire before the age of ten, but because of a row of misunderstandings he believes that a) every bender can bend all elements to a varying degree, b) the Avatar is special as they're the only one able to master all four and c) his father wants him to absolutely master fire first and would get super angry if he found out about him bending anything else, so he keeps it a secret. He still practices a but, maybe from rolls in the library, but it's kind of his guilty pleasure. The only one who knows is Azula, who shares his belief and is very proud that she has an affinity to fire so strong she basically doesn't even manage any of the other elements which obviously makes her better.

Canon proceeds pretty much as usual, except Zuko sometimes gets away to enjoy practicing the other elements and us quite interested in things like waterbending scrolls. I also have this idea where he finds one of these flying sticks Aang uses in one of the air temples and learns flyimg, feeling free for the first time.

And of course Aang has to deal with the fact that he just doesn't manage to bend water, no matter how much he tries. He gets doubts about being the Avatar, but Katara probably gives him confidence.

I can imagine dozens of scenarios of people finding out about Zuko being the Avatar, and him being deep in denial, most of them hilarious. I'm not quite sure what happens if Azula is the one to figure it out first. And whether her father would even believe her...

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powerpoint night with the gaang

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Do you always have to be alone

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it's fanfiction not manfiction, put some fucking girls in there

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love neal and el they're both sexy young brunette things with charm and adventuresomeness to spare and what they've chosen to do with it is be obsessed to death with the world's most regular man

[cthulhu-macula]

HR 9495 is going back up for voting. All non-profit orgs are in danger.

The Committee on Rules is meeting at 1600 EST on 18 Nov 2024. The agenda includes HR 9495.

If this bill passes, the Secretary of the Treasury would have the power to strip any non-profit group of it's tax-exempt status with no due process.

If you are part of the fandom community and you are in America, please contact your reps and ask them to vote NO on HR 9495.

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[cthulhu-macula]

Hal Jordan, mid-Justice League meeting, just now finding out that Batman and Superman look so similar they can swap suits if needed: and you guys do that…platonically?

[cthulhu-macula]

Avian flu in North America: What we know as of Nov 16, 2024.

This post will have a west coast USA focus as that is where I live and currently a hotspot. Canadians are welcome to add on if they know more about their government response.

H5N1 is zoonotic. We do not know to what extent fully, but dairy cattle can carry it asymptomatically and pass it through their milk. The virus is killed by pasteurization (which you can do at home!). Do not drink raw milk right now (or ever maybe, but that’s another can of worms). Source: https://www.fda.gov/food/alerts-advisories-safety-information/investigation-avian-influenza-h5n1-virus-dairy-cattle

Cats can also get avian flu. It can be lethal to them. Source: https://www.woah.org/app/uploads/2023/07/qa-avian-influenza-in-cats.pdf

A teen in British Columbia is currently infected and in critical condition. We do not know the source of the infection. Source: https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/avian-influenza-bird-flu/canadas-national-lab-confirms-h5n1-hospitalized-teen

Oregon just had its first confirmed human case. Source: https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/4993916-cdc-detects-first-human-bird-flu-case-in-oregon/amp/

Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle just had an avian flu death of a not-on-display bird and is locking down all birds. Source: https://blog.zoo.org/2024/11/confirmed-avian-flu-case-at-woodland.html?m=1

H5N1 is being monitored in wastewater and is notably detected throughout California. Source: https://www.cdc.gov/nwss/rv/wwd-h5.html

CURRENT BEST PRACTICES FOR SAFETY:

As previously mentioned, do not consume raw dairy products.

It is believed to be airborne. Mask up - Covid and Avian Flu are threats still!

Wash hands before and after interactions with any birds.

Bring cats indoors.

If you have birds, do not allow people who have been in the area of recent outbreaks near birds. Require all visitors to step in diluted bleach foot baths. If possible, keep birds in limited and covered areas.

Any birds moving between areas should be quarantined for several weeks with zero cross contamination between them and other birds.

Please feel free to add further info I may have missed, or as it becomes known.

[cthulhu-macula]

EVERYONE NEEDS TO LOOK AT HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON UNTRAINABLE THE STAGE PLAY RN

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You know, I was thinking about Monstrous Regiment as I always do, and I just say, damn, Terry Pratchett sure as shit did the "Female attack drone operator killing children" joke ages before we even got there culturally.

Like, OK, during the climax of the book we find out that half of the Military high command are also women right? Disguised as men and wanting to keep their secret hidden as they live as men yes, but still women.

And here's the thing.

That's not, unlike Jackrum's ending, to be read as a trans allegory.

These are women, who joined the military, a sexist and awful military force who would have killed them had it found out for both being women and for crossdressing, got in a position of power by following the rules and not rocking the Boat (unlike Polly and her squad, who were offered the perfect way out yet still decided to come out as women), and then once they become the high command of the military they do NOTHING.

They do not change those same structures who oppressed them, because now they are in power so who care if other women get hurt.

And they do not stop the war, continuing it instead.

"Women can do the same things man can" is one of the Book's arc words, and it does sound like a pretty neat message, until Terry points out how this very same message can be used to sponsor horrible actions too and passing them for progress.

Women can be war criminals just like man can.

Much like back in the days, cigarette companies sold women cancer on a stick presenting it as freedom and liberation for their gender.

Much like The pilot of the drone that's going to burn your house to the ground has a pride flag pin on their lapel.

You are not immune to fucking military propaganda.

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favourite rpg trope is the merchants in incredibly hostile environments. we are at the evil curse mountain and youre just selling me items normal style

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I don’t think we talk enough about how, despite the presence of multiple globes, PotC takes place on a flat earth, ice wall included.

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Banging on the walls chanting "OPEN ENROLLMENT FOR ACA THRU JAN 15" like some deranged town crier. Election results aside, you have options to access healthcare as a RIGHT through the ACA. NO one can dismantle the Affordable Care Act in less than 4 years, so SIGN UP! GET YOUR CARE! USE THE SYSTEM!

You have options RIGHT NOW that will be stable thru the next year, the one after that, and I'd be shocked to see them shrink even the year after that. That means RIGHT NOW you can get signed up for next year to gain 100% covered preventative care (your annual check ups, pap smears, dental cleaning, vision check). You have the option to get checked and screened as you need, do NOT be dissuaded from exploring ACA choices. They are SOLID, LEGISLATED, and WORK BEST WHEN PEOPLE USE THEM.

I can't change most things around me, BUT I CAN tell everyone I know that THEY CAN GET LIFE SAVING CARE. THEY CAN GET PRESCRIPTIONS. THEY CAN GET PREGNANCY CARE. THEY CAN GET CANCER CARE. AND THEY WILL GET THAT CARE!!!!!!

SIGN UP BY DECEMBER 15, 2024 FOR COVERAGE TO BEGIN ON JANUARY 1, 2025. ENROLLMENT AFTER 12/15/24 WILL HAVE COVERAGE BEGINNING FEBRUARY 1, 2025.