#whereas it should be the other way around if el had died

[hypoclericalcunt]

El is NOT dying yall cmon, get it together.

[davidmann95]

How about those JL storyboards?

In case you haven’t heard, Zack Snyder is putting on display the ‘storyboards’ - i.e. a rough plot summary accompanied by some Jim Lee sketches - for what would have been Justice League 2 and 3, or as this puts it 2 and ‘2A’. You can see them here (I imagine better-quality versions will soon be released), and read a transcript here. This is evidently a very early version: this was apparently pitched prior to the release of BvS and Justice League being rewritten in the wake of it, with numerous plot details that now don’t line up with what we know about the Snyder Cut, plus it outright mentions it builds on the originally planned versions of the Batman and Flash movies. But it’s a broad outline of what was gonna go down, and while I initially thought it was Snyder throwing in the towel, the timing - paired with the ambiguity left by the necessity for changes, including that this doesn’t factor whatever that “massive cliffhanger” at the end of the Cut is - says to me he’s hoping this’ll be a force multiplier behind efforts to will sequel/s into existence. He’s probably right.

I’ll be discussing spoilers below, but in short: with this Zack Snyder has finally lived up to Alan Moore, in that like Twilight of the Superheroes I wouldn’t believe this was real as opposed to a shockingly on-point parody if not for direct, irrefutable evidence.

Doing some rapid-fire bullet points for this baby to kick us off:

* Folks who know the subject say a lot of this is a yet further continuation of Snyder doing Arthuriana fanfic with the League reskinned over those major players, and I’ll take their word for it.

* I don’t know whether I love or hate that in Justice League 2 the Justice League are only an extant thing for the first scene, and then it’s Snyder giving everybody their own mini-movies. It’s compressing the entire MCU “loosely interconnected solo stories leading to a single big movie later” strategy into a single movie!

*  Funniest line in the whole thing: "Even Lantern has heard of the Kryptonian, worried that he's under the control of Darkseid. He heard his spirit was unbreakable." Hal what fuckin' Superman movie did YOU watch? Second funniest being “IT WILL GIVE HIM POWER OVER ALL LIVING LIFE”

* 90% of the plot I have nothing to say about, it’s generic stage-setting crap. That to be clear is the ‘shocked it’s Snyder’ element, it feels so crassly commercial in a way I can’t believe is coming from the BvS guy.

* Most of what I have to say is unsurprisingly gonna be about a handful of characters but Cyborg’s happy ending being “he isn’t visibly disabled anymore!” is not great!

* The Goddess of War battle with Superman...never pays off? No clue why it’s there.

* What I’d originally heard was that the Codex in Superman’s blood was the last key to the Anti-Life Equation and that’s why Darkseid was coming to Earth. It’s not like all of this wouldn’t have already been averted by Kal-El’s pod smacking into an asteroid on the way to Earth so it’s not as if this makes it any more Superman’s fault, and it would have at least tied all this back to the beginning of the movies, but I suppose that was either fake or from a later draft.

* I have NO idea how this was reimagined without the ‘love triangle’, it’s the central character thing and the entire climax flows directly out of it!

* Darkseid’s kinda a chump in this, huh

Anonymous said: So: Does Zack Snyder hate Superman?

Look: the hilarity of this when Cuck Kent has been a go-to Snyder cult insult towards ‘inferior’ takes on Superman for years cannot be understated, yet at the same time I can almost wrap my brain around where Snyder’s coming from with that as the end for his take on the character. He talked in that Variety piece on how his interest in Superman is informed by having adopted children himself, and Deborah Snyder is the stepmother to his kids by previous relationships, so I can see where he’d be coming from, and I can even imagine how he’d see this as ‘rhyming’ in the sense of “the series begins with Kal-El being adopted by Earth, it ends with him adopting a child of Earth!” In the same way as MARTHA, I can envision how he would put these pieces together in his head thematically without registering or caring what the end result would actually look like. In this case, Superman raising the kid of the man who beat the shit out of him who Batman had with Clark’s wife, who earlier told Bruce she was staying with Clark because he ‘needed her’, suggesting if inadvertently that this really honest to god was a “she’s only staying with Superman out of pity, she really loved Batman more” thing.

But Clark is nothing in this. He’s sad and existential because of coming back from the dead I guess, then he’s corrupted, then time’s undone and he woo-rah rallies the collective armies of the world (interesting angle for the ‘anti-military/anti-establishment’ Superman he’s talked up as) as his big heroic moment in the finale, and then he stops being sad because he’s adopting a kid. So his big much-ballyhooed, extremely necessary five-movie character arc towards truly becoming Superman was:

Sad weird kid -> sad weird kid learns he’s an alien, is still weird and sad, maybe he shouldn’t save people because things could go really wrong? -> his dad is so convinced it could go wrong he lets himself die -> ????? -> Clark is saving people anyway -> learns his origin, gets an inspiring speech about being a bridge between worlds and a costume -> becomes superman (not Superman, that’s later) to save the world, albeit a very property-damagey version, rejects his heritage he just learned about and space dad’s bridge idea -> folks hate him being superman and that sucks though at least he’s got a girlfriend now -> things go so wrong he considers not being superman but his ghost dad reminds him shit always goes wrong so he should be good anyway, which sorta feels like it contradicts his previous advice -> immediate renewed goodness is out the window as he’s blackmailed into having to try and kill a dude but the dude happens to coincidentally have some things in common so they don’t kill each other after all -> big monster now but superman keeps supermaning at it because he loves his girlfriend and he dies -> he’s brought back, wears black which apparently means now he likes Krypton again? -> he has work friends now but he’s still sad because he was dead -> evil now! -> wait nevermind time travel -> rallies the troops -> his wife’s having a kid so he’s not sad anymore -> Superman! Who gives way to more Batman.

Do I think Zack Snyder is lying when he says he likes Superman? No. I think he sincerely finds much of the basic conceits and imagery engaging. But I don’t think he meaningfully gives shit about Clark as a character, just a vessel for Big Iconic Beats he wants to hit. Whereas while for instance he’s critical of Batman as an idea (at least up to a point), he’s much more passionately, directly enamored with him as a presence and personality. So while Superman may be the character whose ostensible myth cycle or arc or however it’s spun might be propelling a lot of events here, it’s a distant appreciation - of course the other guy takes over and subsumes him into his own narrative. Of course Batman is the savior, the past and the future (though if he’s supposed to be Batman’s kid raised by Superman there’s no excuse for him not to be Nightwing), the tragic martyr to our potential. Admittedly the implication here is also that Batman can apparently only REALLY with his whole heart be willing to sacrifice his life to save an innocent, for that matter apparently his great love, once said innocent is a receptacle for his Bat-brood, but he and Clark are both already irredeemable pieces of shit by the end of BvS so it’s not like this even registers by comparison.

Anonymous said: That “plan” Snyder had was utter dogshit. Picture proof that DC & WB hate Superman. Also I love how you’re like Jor-El: Every single idealistic take you had about Snyder, his fandom, and BvS was wrong. Snyder’s an edgy hack, his fanbase just wants to jerk off to their edgy self-insert Batgod as he screams FUCK while mowing people down with machine guns, and the idea that BvS said Superman was better than Bats was completely wrong. You know what comes next SuperMann: Either you die or I do.

In the final analysis, beyond that mother of god is there sure no conceivable excuse for the treatment of Lois in this? The temptation is to join that anon and say as I originally tweeted that these were “built entirely to disabuse every single redemptive reading of the previous work and any notion of these movies as nuanced, artistic, self-reflective, or meaningful”.

...

...

...yeah, okay, that’s mostly right. Zack Snyder’s vision really was the vision of an edgelord idiot with bad ideas who was never going to build up to anything that would reframe it all as a sensible whole. He’s a sincere edgelord genuinely trying really hard with his bad ideas who put some of them together quite cleverly! But they’re fucking bad and the endgame was never anything more than ramping up into smashing the action figures together as big as he could, the political overtones and moral sketchiness of BvS while trying to say something in that movie reverberated through the grand scheme of his pentalogy in no way beyond giving his boys a big sad pit to rise out of so when they kicked ass later it’d rule harder, and all the gods among men questions and horror and trappings were only that: trappings. Apparently he’s really pleasant and well-meaning in person, but at his core his art as embodied in a couple weeks in his 4-hour R-rated Justice League movie meant to be seen in black-and-white all comes down to that time he yelled at someone on Twitter that he couldn’t appreciate Snyder’s work because it’s for grown-ups. He made half-clever, occasionally exciting shit cape movies for a bunch of corny pseudo-intellectual douchebags, folks latching onto and justifying blockbusters that at least acknowledge how horrifying the world is right now even if the superheroes are basically useless in the face of it if not outright part of the problem until a convenient alien invasion shows up to justify them, and a handful of non-asshole smart people who vibe with it but...well. ‘Suckered’ is a harsh word, and definitely doesn’t apply to all of them re: what they’ve gotten out of it up to this point and would (somehow) get out of this. But it doesn’t apply to none of them, either.

[panharmonium]

some disjointed thoughts about stranger things 2 under the cut (concealed to hide spoilers from my sister)

so, season 2!

i’ve gone into every season of this show knowing absolutely nothing about it.  i’ve had no exposure to the fandom or to reviews or anything that would indicate what it was about or how good the seasons are in relation to each other, which i like, because i know my opinions are my own.  season 1 i watched back in the winter, i think, and it was amazing.  blew me away. 

i just finished season 2 and i’m like...not as into it?

and i’m glad i had no preexposure to anything, because if i had, i’d worry that i was just being influenced by other people’s opinions, but i genuinely don’t know what people think of the various seasons.  i’ve been stringently avoiding anything about this show, have it blocked on tumblr, etc, so i could watch it cold.

i’d have to watch it again to really pin down the places where my investment was flagging, and i’ll probably do that eventually, because i know my roommate will want to see it, but my general impression was this: they had me hooked in the beginning, and then they started to lose me.

- i feel like overall it was 9 episodes where very little substance actually happened.  plotlines were stretched out over a reallllllly long period of time and became paper-thin.  like nancy and jonathan?  the only thing they really did over those entire nine episodes was make a tape recording and send it to the paper.  that was their whole story, and it could have fit in one episode.

- and what did happen felt like it suffered from a lack of focus.  can i explain this in more detail without watching the show again?  not really.  but i just mean that in S1, i could tell you what each of the main character’s arcs were, and i could lay out how those arcs had clear beginnings, middles, and endings.  in S2, i can really only do that for El (and even that i feel like got messy by the last third).  

- the horror vibe was different this season.  it was LESS scary, to me.  S1 was a CREEP factor that had my skin crawling - it wasn’t like...creature horror - it was the unsettlingness.  the whole parallel world thing was so - well, the only word for it is unsettling, like.  you felt like you could take a step and accidentally wind up somewhere no one should be - the idea that you can be trapped so close to somebody and yet so far away - you just felt like the world was inside out (or upside down, if you will).  and so much of the fear in the first one came from how incomprehensible and uncertain the entire situation was - you didn’t know how things worked and nobody believed you when you tried to tell them what was happening.  that scene where the christmas lights spell out R-U-N?  scariest fucking thing i’ve ever seen.  but S2 changed it to be like...it felt like more of a monster flick.  like a zombie movie or something - lots of creatures running around that you can just shoot with a gun - that’s just not really the same vibe as the first season, and i didn’t find it quite as interesting.

- i don’t want to be That Person, because i liked maxine as a character in general, on her own terms, but from a writing perspective - what even was the purpose of her introduction?  her and her brother both, honestly, the whole family.  i feel almost bad for saying that, because i can guarantee that there were people out there complaining about her being introduced because “they just wanted to have another girl; it’s so stupid, blah blah,” cue more sexist stuff, etc, and that’s really not where i’m coming from, but for me, from a general storytelling perspective, i don’t understand why she or her family were introduced.  they were superfluous to the story.  they didn’t need to be there.  and since i don’t even feel like the returning characters got enough development this season (see point #2), i don’t understand why we spent so much time on her/her family/her introduction to the Party.  it felt like filler.

- stranger things S2 did that thing teen wolf does where 2/3 of the way through the season it drops a tonally-different expository/flashback episode that does a lot of the legwork tying other shit together while also being completely disconnected from the rest of the plot, which is basically an info dump and is my least favorite way of relaying plot/getting characters to the spot the writer wants them to go.  i think kali was the most interesting new character we met this season; i was rapt every time she was onscreen, but i don’t love the “we’re going to shove all of the character development and background info into this one episode and at the end El has had her turnaround and goes back home.”  it didn’t feel believable to me.  are we ever going to see those people again, or were they just a plot convenience to serve the aforementioned purpose?  (idk, i haven’t watched S3 yet, so...we’ll see.)

- some weird...minor tonal changes/dropped plots?  in S1 one of the running undercurrents was how mike and nancy’s mom wanted them to talk to her and she really did care about what was going on but they couldn’t connect to her and that bothered her, whereas in S2 it’s like - that theme has been dropped; she’s not involved in their lives really at all, and her and ted’s spousal relationship is just being played for laughs, and there was that REALLY weird scene with her like...lusting after billy??????  that was so fucking bizarre.  

and until one line in the very last episode, they dropped the whole thing about hopper’s daughter, too - the way they wove that into the first season was brilliantly done, and just - you don’t see a bit of it in S2, and that felt off, to me.

- killing bob was a bad call.  it was gratuitous, AND it was contrived - who the hell is running for their life and then just stops dead in the lobby to smile at their girlfriend?  ANY SENSIBLE PERSON WOULD KEEP RUNNING FOR THE DOOR.  like - bob died, but the doctor survived????????  the doctor, who was attacked and immobilized and defenseless in a stairwell, somehow wasn’t killed??????  of course not, because he needed to survive, so he could get El her papers later....that entire thing irritated me.  it made no sense.  that was actually the point where i said to myself “uh-oh.  first Bad-with-a-capital-B decision this show’s made.”  

- lack of consistency in terms of how, exactly, Stuff Works.  in S1 it was like - the Upside Down is everywhere.  the demigorgon could come through anywhere, if you were unlucky.  that was part of what made it so creepy - there’s this whole other world and it is RIGHT THERE with you, and sometimes the fabric separating the two universes gets scary thin, and bam, you’re somewhere no human has any business being.  whereas in S2 it’s like - ok, things are coming through this one portal and spreading through tunnels underground, in our own dimension???  like at first i thought hopper had actually entered the Upside Down in the tunnels, but then it seemed like the tunnels were still on our plane, just gross-looking.  so why in S1 could the demigorgon come through the ceiling of will’s house, or through that tree in the woods, or take barbara through the pool?  why did the lab people think burning that little gate would help, when the first monster from last season was obviously popping into our dimension from all sorts of other places?  

- this is a minor quibble, but it was driving me up the WALL in the last couple of episodes - what in god’s name were they injecting will with???  and HOW.  mike just grabs that syringe off the counter like “we need to make will go to sleep” - there is NO reason that anyone in the room would know what was in the syringe or what the correct dosage was or HOW TO GIVE AN INJECTION IN THE FIRST PLACE.  joyce gives it???????  by stabbing straight down????????  into will’s arm????????????  what the hell kind of injection technique is that?!?!?!  that’s not....how that works.  ever.  and maxine does it to billy too, in his NECK - just straight in there.  there is no....look, people in human medicine can weigh in better than me here; maybe things are different, but just from the veterinary perspective, you can’t just stab a creature any old place you want, and giving something via any route that isn’t intravenous isn’t going to drop an animal immediately, AND you do not have control over how long they’re going to be out.  if you give a sedative, you can’t just wake an animal up by wafting ammonia under their nose.  AND the animal is likely not going to be actually asleep until you also give an anaesthetic induction agent, and if you do give an anaesthetic induction agent, you’d better have some monitoring equipment and a breathing apparatus hooked up to your patient!

look, it just - the “go to sleep” injection was used to solve too many critical situations for me to just ignore it.  it bothered me.

anyhow.  overall, i didn’t hate it.  but i thought it was way less cohesive than the first season, and therefore way less effective.  i’m still curious to see what happens in S3, but my expectations are lower now. 

[if you wanna talk to me about this, you have my permission, but ONLY if you’re able to do it without talking about S3 in any capacity, including your own personal evaluation of how good/bad it is in relation to the other seasons.  i like to watch without knowing other people’s opinions of things, otherwise i feel like my viewing experience is colored by what i hear.  thanks! :) ]

[ruffiorocks]

Good and Bad on Supergirl, a matter of perspective

People comparing Lena and Lex haven't watched this show at all, or are simply watching selective scences.

I'm thoroughly convinced many of these fans aren't composing thoughts of their own.

Notice how when one personal states an opinion on Twitter suddenly there are also these people who were 'thinking the exact same thing'.

E.g. "Lena KNEW Kara was claustrophobic" - I saw one person tweet this and then suddenly lots of people jumped on the bandwagon and all agreed 🤔🤔 the thing is, we never saw a scene where Lena would ever have known that information.

It's the same as people saying Lena set the fortress to attack Kara with Kryptonite, Lena has no idea what the fortress would do, she had never seen it's tech before, personally I think it was a bit daft she was able to use it by that's another story. All Lena did was change the security system so it saw Kara as the intruder. Remember this took place not long after Lena had been held in a forcefield by the fortress, Lena would only have thought the same prison that held her would hold Kara. Lena COULD NOT have known it would have Kryptonite. Do you know was responsible for Kryptonite being at the fortress at all and part of the security system? That would be either Clark or Kara. But one person said Lena KNEW and suddenly the bandwagon was full again with people claiming Lena 'tortured' Kara, when she clearly wasn't arsed by it at all.

Now, for Lex and Lena, they just AREN'T comparable at all.

Lex is a xenophobic, insane, genocidal, narcissistic murderor. Lex Luthor believes HE is above everyone else, he believes he should be in charge, that due to being a Luthor he should be running things. He was jealous of Superman because he was the 'man of tomorrow' and now Lex was no longer on top. He wants to destroy all alien life on Earth and doesnt care who he kills on his way to do it. He is so obsessed with Kryptonians he wanted to destroy a planet of them! RAO even Lillian Luthor tried to take out Lex because he had gone to far!

Lex is all for Lex, in the last episode he said he was the good guy, Lex probably does believe that but just because Lena said the same thing doesn't make them the same.

Lex thinks he's the good guy, but he's all a our Lex and what lex wants, his motivation is to be better than others, to be on top to be in control.

Lena believes she's the good guy to, but her motivations are completely different. Whereas Lex wants to murder every alien on Earth and doesnt care who he kills as long as he is on top Lena isn't like that. Lena's primary motivation is to PREVENT people from hurting each other. This is the exact opposite to Lex. Lena doesnt happily go around shooting people to get her way, if she does hurt someone you can see how it effect her, how she isn't detached from it in the same way Lex is.

The point is everyone, good guys, bad guys and all those inbetween think they are doing the right thing.

Kara, Alex and Jonn were the 'good guy's' but look how the DEO treated aliens?

Kara thought she was the good guy when she killed parasite, but he was just an innocent man called Rudy being used as a host, Kara made the decision to kill him rather than capture him and try and find him a cure. But she thought she was the good guy.

What about when Kara let Lex fall to his 'death' ? She thought she was being the good guy, but was she just getting rid of the problem? Smiling immediately at the crowds after lex 'died'.

Alex thought she was being the 'good guy' when she shot Kara out of the sky with a Kryptonite bullet (or she was there, I forget). She also think she's the good guys every time she gets gun happy and shoots an alone rather than taking them in.

Jonn thought he was being the good guy when he murdered Manchester Black. I mean at least Jonn acknowledged it even if his remorse lasted for less than 5 minutes. But he thought he was doing the right thing, that he was the good guys, but was he? Was killing an already disarmed man heroic? Apparently to everyone it was because he's a superfriend.

Maxwell Lord thought he was the 'good guy' his motivation wasn't villainous like Lex, he saw that Earth was being invaded more and more and wanted to find away to stand up to them without having to rely on Supergirl. His methods were wrong, but his motivations made sense, especially after the Red K incident.

General Lane thought he was the 'good guy' his motivation was to protect Earth from aliens, he took it to the extreme but he believed he was doing the right thing.

Ben Lockwood thought he was doing the right thing and after seeing his back story you could see his motivations and sympathise with him. He thought he was doing the right thing to.

The point is everyone on this show, hero and villain or inbetween believes what they are doing is the 'right' thing, that they are the 'good guy's'. But that is a matter of opinion. Both the heroes and villains on this show have their motivations and methods which includes killing on both sides (regardless of what Kara says since we know this 'no kill' nonsense was made redundant ages ago).

The show mostly portrays the DEO and the Superfriends as the ones doing the 'right thing' and being the 'good guys' when in fact sometimes we see that they aren't actually always right of doing the right thing, but they always think they are.

Kara thought she was doing the right thing by keeping Mon El with her and not telling him to go and help his people. But was that the right thing? Or was that Kara not wanting to lose her boyfriend? Kara talked a big game about how bad Daxam was with Rhea and Lar Grand but the solution was sitting right next to her and she decided suddenly that the slaves and people of Daxam didn't matter if it meant her boyfriend had to go. But it was framed as Romeo and Juliet, when in reality Kara and Mon El were both being selfish and it led to Rhea invading. Rhea had no intention of staying on Earth until she thought that Kara has stolen Mon El.

That's just one example, and I know those that love Mon El will see it in a different way, but the right thing to do was for Mon El to step up and go help his people and for Kara to at least advice him to.

But being 'good 'is a matter of perspective. It must not be forgotten that however you see Lena or her methods, she has been the reason the world has been saved many times and she's the reason that Kara is still alive.

But in no way is Lena at all like Lex! Not at all!

[getawaygreenbean]

Stories from the Darkness, Day 2

Item: my neck

For those of you without trigger warnings filtered, here is another. This one deals with issues a little bit more serious than the last one, so viewer discretion is advised.

I guess this one is another huge factor in my personality that leaves people like, what the fuck??? but it's very important in this explanation for the reader to understand that I PHYSICALLY CANNOT stand having my neck touched. Even for a few seconds, even by accident. It makes me nauseous and immediately sets me into defensive mode. But like there's exceptions and that'll come up later. This won't be in complete chronological order because the incidents kinda blended together and I try not to think of them often.

One of the reasons I don't like having my neck touched is because of my brother. Roughly around the end of the Railroad Ties and before El Diablito (<my baby brother) was born, Ricardo spent an entire summer trying to kill me via strangulation. He threatened to complete the job if I ever told my grandparents or father. This took place for two months and continued sparingly for the next three years. During eighth grade to sophomore year he began making comments that I should hang myself, going as far as to throw the rope we had in the garage at me. He said it would be better for everyone if I were dead. During sophomore year we shared a room, and there was never a time where I felt the least safe. I couldn't fall asleep until long after he was out and I didn't stay asleep if I heard him shift in any way.

The next reason that my neck is off limits is because of my stepfather. Context for this main is that he is comparable to an emotionally underdeveloped and volatile teenage boy. He is also around fifty years old. He has a habit of grabbing me by the back of my neck and either forcing me to the ground or forcing me to stand near him. He also use the back of my neck to slam my head into a keyboard, concrete floor, shut me up while I was screaming for help and establish "dominance".

The final reason is one of the worst because it still happens. And it sucks and hurts. I have really vivid nightmares that feel incredibly real. I think the first nightmare I had that had to do with death was when I was in first grade. The nightmare started in a dark room and then transitioned to a serial killer that was parading around wearing people's faces as realistic masks, I trusted this person because they looked like my mother but then they changed to have my stepfather's face and killed me via strangulation. Then there were others such as faceless spirit next to a noose, drowning, strangulation by seventy six different people, the slit throat, etc. The worst part of all of these was that they felt real. I couldn't breathe as I was dying in each of them and woke up right after "dying". Because of survival necessities, I don't move when I wake up and I regulate my breathing to match that of sleeping to make sure that my room was empty, so imagine having a Tier 1 nightmare and being frozen because you aren't sure if someone is in the room or not and not being able to relax until you find hear that it's empty. It's great /s

The exceptions. There have so far been three. Just three. Two were my exes and one is dead. These will be in chronological order. Ms Pat was my closest friend and the nearest thing I had to a mother and friend when I lived in an apartment. However we moved and I lost real contact with her. I found out that she died 26th of March 2015 so if any of you irl people wonder why I'm depressed or keeping distracted, that's why. The next person was also the first person I loved. Because of privacy, I'm going to call her Siren. She was an excellent person and incredibly gentle at the time when we dated, however I wasn't ready for a relationship and I wasn't doing well in Texas so we split and dropped contact. Final one was butterfly and that was such a fucking mistake considering she BLACKMAILED ME. They were all incredibly emotionally close to me, even closer than my family (not hard). The latter two also had a killer grip on my heart whereas the first one gave me a reason to fight for survival.

[sarroora]

DuckTales Headcanon on some Pre-movie Events

I’m curious as to how many people Genie served, but we do know that the last two before the Ducks were Merlock, and Collie Baba. 

Merlock is/was of Persian descent, whilst Collie was from Aleppo. Yes, I know Collies aren’t native to Bilad El Sham but hey, it’s DuckTales.:D They wrote the rules, not me. 

Genie must’ve had many masters before those two, and I believe he used to be moved around very quickly at first; the first master would use up their wishes, and the lamp would be passed on to the next master. This went on and sometimes the lamp would be passed onto several masters in the same day. Most wishes were pretty dumb. Harmless, really. A few, however, were petty and full of anger. And Genie was always the only one left apologizing. 

Genie does know kindness, and he must’ve had a few kind owners over his years of existing, but nothing like what he came to have with the triplets and Webby. Those are the first actual friendships he ever made with people considered his ‘age peers’. 

It’s when the lamp came to Merlock that wishes took on a whole new level of evil. Entire cities were wiped out. Two known examples being: Atlantis drowned, and Pompeii burned alive. Both horrible ways to die. 

A couple things Genie says when he first meets the children stand out:

That he’s been sealed in the lamp since the 6th century (although the alternative is that he's been sealed for 6 centuries but we'll go with the former)

Has Rome fallen yet? 

Here’s the theory..  😈

–There was a war in the region - escalating dangerously to a global level - and it only ended when Collie Baba stole the lamp and sealed the Genie away with the rest of his treasures in a pyramid in the 600s.–

This theory works because of the statement that he’s been sealed since the 6th century. Bear with me: 

In that era, Egypt was already a province of Rome. Persia and Rome were bitter enemies, warring for centuries. Portions of the Arabian peninsula were on Persia’s side, whereas Egypt and Abyssinia were on Rome’s. Collie Baba is based on the fictional character Ali Baba (a story from the 1001 Arabian Nights collection). His ethnicity is disputed since the story is old and has been retold countless times, but one variation has him of Aleppo descent, so I’ll go with that.

Remember that this tense war setting is a few hundred years after the sinking of Atlantis (360 B.C) and destruction of Pompeii (79). Pompeii is in Italy, where the Roman empire once ruled. See where this is going?

The entire region was at war, and Merlock was a well-known, feared and powerful sorcerer with a huge advantage and a weapon like no other. No one could touch him. The Kings of Persia, one after the other, offered him everything and anything in exchange for his allegiance to bring Persia victory once and for all, but why the hell would Merlock ally himself with anyone. He wasn’t interested in serving some mortal king, and Persia’s victory meant nothing to him. He could rule the entire world, if he so desired, and with the lamp, he did not even need to be an actual king. Anyone who stood in his way and did not swear complete allegiance would die a horrible death. All he needed to do..was wish for it. 

Collie Baba was a Robin Hood kind of personality, and a traveller and treasure hunter. Rulers tended to hate him but ordinary folk loved him. And he adored his homeland the way many people in the region do. Seeing as the great kings of the most powerful nations on earth were helpless against the evil sorcerer, Collie bravely took it upon himself along with some freedom fighters from all over the region to attempt to get close enough to Merlock to steal the lamp. They were all willing to die. It had to be done. Or the entire world will lay waste at Merlock’s feet, and their homelands would be no more. 

As time went on, the fighting over the lamp reached insane levels, and “the wishes got out of control”. Collie Baba successfully stole the lamp from Merlock (while his loyal, hyper-competent slave girl Morgiana diverted the sorcerer’s attention) and escaped with his life. Genie was in a state so beyond that the idea of any master other than Merlock at that point was almost as good as freedom. He helped in his own stealing and went with Collie willingly. 

Collie hid the lamp among his treasures in a pyramid in Egypt, a country allied with Rome, where no one would think of searching. Collie Baba was smart; hide the weapon inside a pyramid in an era that’s already moved on from Ancient Egyptian gods worship. People won’t think of searching for the lamp there.  

Question is, why didn’t Collie at least let the Genie out before he dumped the lamp inside an abandoned pyramid? Because even Collie Baba didn’t see the Genie as a soul. As the war raged on, the magic lamp and its inhabitant Genie had only become more feared. A weapon that can talk, and never fails to obey its master. They were seen as cursed items, and only a man wishing for eternal misery and unhappiness should pursue their ownership. All sorts of legends and myths sprung around them. 

Collie Baba either never considered wishing something along the lines of “I wish the Lamp and the Genie are destroyed once and for all”, or may have thought it a waste. Why destroy the lamp when it could be used later? Or he may have left that pyramid in a rush because he was being followed and wanted no one to see him come out of it. Perhaps he even intended to come back for the lamp, and died before he could. 

And so the magic lamp became a thing of legend, these events during the war having been (intentionally) very poorly documented and eventually lost, and the genie became nothing more than a mythical, ‘evil’ spirit.

Would love to hear your lovely HCs, @huntingwabbits @spacedpanini @theothersideshowmel and everyone interested!

[ashfaqqahmad]

Can religion be logical 9

The earth was considered to be a flat platform

Click here to read the previous part of this article

At that time, it was generally believed that the earth was like a flat platform and there was a sea across it where according to them the world would end. The story of earth sinking into the sea and Lord Vishnu’s incarnation as Varaha to rescue it or the story of Hanuman swallowing the sun was based on this concept. The sky was considered to be a gaseous roof where the constellations and the sun rested with some supernatural miracle and revolved around the earth. And astrology was based on the calculation of these constellations. Now in such situation gods could live only on mountains, distant from humans.

By the time of the Quran, a little wisdom had been developed, and even while adopting the old stuff, they edited and removed everything from the ground but were still stuck to the same concept with the sky and declared it to be made of seven levels like a multi-story building where prophets were allotted till the sixth level and God was placed on the seventh.

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With this view, all the verses of the Quran which have been said about heaven will be clearly understood, but now the concept of earth and universe has been cleared, then to make those verses scientific, they connect irrelevant loops. Also, due to the compulsion of not editing, they prove the meaning according to their convenience by adding brackets. For example, it is said that sun and all the stars are completing their journey according to the same concept, but today the people put a bracket in the middle and wrote ‘the orbit’, to prove that we had already revealed that the stars and planets are all revolving in their orbits.

How much is the credibility of hadiths

Since many unscientific hadiths (related to heaven like Miraj, Burraq, hiding behind the throne of the sun, fearing eclipses, offering special namaz, a sign of doom, etc.) become obstacle so a new trend has been started to deal with it. It is said that a committee is investigating the hadiths, that which particular hadith has been narrated by which ravis (who had propagated the hadith) and what is the credibility and which of the hadiths/ incidents can be denied through their support?

That is, the credibility of the ravis of the hadiths written in the ninth century was not acknowledged by the people then. Their credibility is being checked after twelve hundred years now.

It was during Galileo‘s time when finding an out-of-earth condition was initiated when Galileo started looking into space by refining Lippershey’s ordinary telescope. Although this was started in the fifteenth century by the Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus, which Bruno proceeded resulting in eight years imprisonment and eventually executed by burning and finally Galileo stamped Copernicus’ theory.

what possibilities are there in the universe outside our planet

And since then religious scholars (especially Hindus and Muslims) have been constantly yearning to prove by twisting the symbolic statements that Copernicus, Bruno, and Galileo have revealed it much later but we have known it thousands of years ago.

Here you have to note two fun facts. In both versions of the Bibles, according to the lineage that is told from Adam to Abraham, the creation would have been found at the most ten thousand years ago whereas several human fossils of many millions of years ago and fossils of dinosaurs from six million years ago have been found.

And all the religious texts of the world may say that the human civilization in the world started with the creation of the world, but they cannot tell a word about the huge animals like mammoths and dinosaurs, who once had a monopoly on earth.

Views of Muslims on pharaoh’s mummy

There is an even more famous story in the Islamic world, which is related to a miracle of the Quran that how God presented Firon’s corpse to be an example in order to enlighten the world.

If God is there then how can it be from the point of view of science

A story is presented that (I will address this further as ‘Meem story’) how a corpse was found on the bank of the Red Sea and Muslims began to claim it to be Firon’s body. Then a Christian doctor/author Maurice Bucaille conducted tests on this corpse and converted to Islam himself, knowing that there was truth in the claims of the Muslims. This story is presented by magnifying a lot. How much truth is there in it, you should consider yourself.

The first oddity in this is that Firon is a title and not a name. The Quran or the Exodus (Part of Old Testament) has no period or identification of the Firon’s conflict with Moses but because Moses’ period It is believed to be three thousand BC and this mummy is also around the same period, then there is a possibility. But there is no proof anywhere that if this story associates with any of Seti I, Ramses II or Merneptah. While this famous mummy belongs to Ramses II or Merneptah. Actually, there is a big confusion in this whole episode between Ramses II and Merneptah. Bucaille mentions Merneptah in his book, while the entire discussion is about Ramses II.

There is an issue here that in history Ramses II is recorded as the son of Seti I and Merneptah, as the thirteenth son of Ramses but surprisingly both have similar ends and the events with mummy in their stories. This problem is also with this mummy that according to the recorded history, its face resembles Merneptah and also Seti the Great.

The history of Ramses does not match the story of Exodus

However, this man (Ramses II) was buried in the KV7 tomb of the Valley of Kings, but his mummy was removed from there due to the looting there, rewrapped and placed in Queen Inhapi’s tomb but 72 hours later it was removed again and was secured in the tomb of High Priest Pinedjem II (located at Deir El-Bahri) where more than 50 mummies of kings, queens and members of the royal family were safe. This information is recorded on linen, wrapping mummies. From here, it was discovered in 1881 by German egyptologists Emile Brugsch and French Egyptologist Gaston Maspero.

While Merneptah was buried in KV8, his mummy was found in the KV35 tomb of the Amenhotep II which Victor Loret discovered along with 18 other mummies and in 1907, at the Museum of Cairo, Dr G. Elliott Smith unwrapped and examined it.

what are the possibilities for new writers

During their visit in 1974, the archaeologists found that mummy’s condition was deteriorating and then it was deported to Paris as a king, issuing a passport. Where during the examination it was found that it was being attacked by a fungus, which was treated. Then some wounds and fractures in his body were confirmed by tests and scientific analysis. It was clear from the body that he was suffering from Arthritis badly. Recent studies also suggest that Ankylosing Spondylitis may be the cause. He was also suffering from Haunched back in the last decade of life, dental infections were confirmed as well and these things were considered the cause of death.

Ramses’ body was mummified

The examiners here paid particular attention to mummy’s thin neck. The x-ray revealed a wood stuck between his upper chest and head that was holding the head steady. It was concluded that since the people of Egyptian culture believed afterlife, people believed in life and would preserve themselves as mummies, in such a situation, they believed that if a body part is left, then the soul will not be able to exist in the life after death and during the mummification process, the head of the corpse may have been moved from its place, then they used wood to keep it stable. The mummy was then sent back to Cairo where it was placed in the Museum of Cairo and was visited by Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and his wife. From here, an attempt to prove him to be Firon, associated with Moses began. The mainstay of which was sea salt traces found on mummy. Then there was no research on if this salt was part of the mummification process. This theory was implanted into Bucaille’s mind by Islamic scholar Yusuf Estes when Bucaille was talking about preserving the mummies over Merneptah’s mummy among scholars in the Museum of Cairo.

Now come to Maurice Bucaille. As per ‘Meem story‘ Bucaille was a Christian and had no knowledge of Islam or Quran beforehand (Yusuf Estes also insisted on it) while around this research Bucaille was the family physician of King Faisal and the royal family of Saudi Arabia and the then ruler of Egypt, Anwar Sadat, were also among his clients, who had given Bucaille a special exemption and facility for research on royal mummies. However, other researchers did not agree with the conclusion of the work at all, and they raised questions on this.

How to write a book in Microsoft word  

Bucaille did not write about drowning in the first official report, but the book that he wrote later, “The Bible, the Quran and Science“, emphasized this, while emphasizing more upon religious prejudice than fact. Though the Islamic world welcomed the book, it was severely criticized outside Islam. It is believed that Bucaille did this trick by finding an easy chance to make a different identity in Islam and to increase his influence among rulers like Anwar Sadat and King Faisal and he got all that.

Claims of Muslims v/s facts

Now come to the claims of ‘Meem story‘. The claim is that Firon’s corpse was found on the side of the Red Sea, while this mummy was found in the tomb of Pinedjem II. It is claimed that this is the same Firon who was drowned in the sea chasing Moses but neither it is clear from the Quran nor the Exodus that whom Moses had a conflict with among Seti I, Ramses II or Merneptah. Because they all were Firon or Pharaohs and interestingly, none of them died due to drowning.

It is claimed that God preserved Firon’s corpse in a natural way, while the reality is that it is a mummy and has gone through the mummification process to this stage. It is claimed that sea salt traces on the mummies confirm that he died of drowning, but sea salt and baking soda mixture were part of the mummification process that was also found on other mummies.

Then claim is that Firon associated with Moses was drowned in chasing Moses and his body was later taken out. Even if it is believed, the question arises that corpse would not have been left as unprotected as it was. While even the common priests of that era were mummified and preserved, then why would they not preserve their dead ruler? Although there is no evidence that his corpse was taken out after drowning, then left unprotected or safe. Secondly, this story is also mythological, originating from the Exodus and there is no description of this story with any other ruler of that period.

And yet, even if all the claims including Bucaille’s (except for the natural reserve / mummified part, because the mummy is proved) are believed, then how can a mummy be a lesson to anyone? This was human workmanship and was an art for the ancient Egyptians, with the help of this not only the royal family, the rich people of the state, the priests but also the common well-to-do people used to secure their bodies. The witness of which are many mummies still present. What is a miracle in them? On the official website of Egypt’s Department of Archeology, you can read about Ramses and other mummies that no one was died by drowning in the sea.

Click here to read the next part of this article

इस लेख को हिंदी में पढ़ने के लिये यहाँ क्लिक करें

[notaplane]

Kara felt sick with nerves as she let the Danvers lead her into the building. She had crashed on this planet three months ago and Kal-El had been the one to find her but he wasn’t her Kal-El. He was wearing the crest of the house of El emblazoned across his chest, yes, but he was an adult. That sweet little baby she had played with and nurtured was older than her now. And he was not Kryptonian. 

She shouldn’t be bitter. She should be happy to have him because it was quickly clear to her that this planet was far more like Daxam than Krypton but Kal-El had looked at her in confusion, his lack of understanding her comment making it clear that Kara was very, very alone here. He spoke their language haltingly, struggling with it whereas Kara had worked her tongue around the Earth language Kal-El spoke within a day. Had she been younger, it would have been more instantaneous but at sixteen, she had to work a little harder to figure it out.

Kal-El didn’t want her, though. He wanted to give her a real life. A life where she could learn about the humans so that she could understand them and, one day, join him in his efforts to keep them safe. He didn’t want her and she should be furious at him but, if she was honest with herself, she didn’t want him, either. It was better to attach herself to Humans than to be continuously disappointed in her cousin. He was not of their kind and Kara hated seeing him fumbling because the worst of it was that she was supposed to be his caretaker. She had been trusted with this. She had been trained for this because her uncle often left Kal-El in her care and surely he knew that this would happen and that Kara would be the one who would follow Kal-El and she would raise him and teach him their ways. 

But it was too late. He was almost a decade her senior now and there was no care left to give. Maybe, after she adjusted and stopped reeling from the loss of everyone she loved (because this was not her Kal-El, this was not her cousin, that soft, innocent baby that she had played with not six months ago), she could be the cousin that Kal-El needed. Maybe she could adjust and they could be happy. 

For now, though, Kara was stuck with the Danvers and their daughter, Alex, who had allowed Kara to read every old magazine she had as she tried to fit in. It was strange the way that this planet seemed to be so focused on violence and sex and controversy. Were these chronicles skewed towards that or was this world truly like Daxam? Their technology was laughable and it took Kara almost a week to figure out how to turn a page without tearing it because, on top of everything else, she now had powers that were far too strong. Kal-El had waited a few weeks before finally offering Kara a decent, yet painful, solution. Kryptonite. It was a vile green substance that made Kara feel weak and Kal-El had hesitated to give it to her but Kara needed it. She needed to tone down her powers, to make herself weaker or she would end up killing someone. He had surrendered it reluctantly and it had taken a few days for the Danvers to figure out just how much Kara needed to dampen her powers without causing her too much pain. She was still stronger than necessary but it meant that she wouldn’t end up hurting anyone unintentionally. The only way Kal-El agreed to this was the understanding that the dose would be lowered over time so that Kara could safely adjust to the planet’s yellow sun since she didn’t have the luxury of having her powers increase incrementally through puberty the way Kal-El’s had. 

The Kryptonite bracelets burned her wrists a little, the thin silver bands flipped so that the glow of the Kryptonite was pressed against her bare skin, each piece equally spaced around the bracelets. The pieces could be removed gradually and Kara was already down a piece since she had first worn them. They had hurt the first few days but Kara had kept her mouth shut about the pain, preferring this over breaking furniture or freezing the floor because she had sneezed too hard. Despite their backwards culture, Kara liked the Danvers. They were nice and Alex was nice to her even though Kara thought it was pretty clear that Alex hadn’t wanted a sister, alien or otherwise. She had spent her whole life as an only child and now Kara was taking the attention of her parents, making Eliza fuss over her while Jeremiah tried to probe Kara for information about Kryptonian technology which, to Kara, felt a bit like trying to explain physics to a bird; Humans just didn’t have the proper language for these things and it wasn’t as if she could ask Kal-El to translate for her because his grasp of their native tongue was weak at best. 

There were a lot of things that Kara had to learn, though. The language itself had been simple to master but their alphabet and actually constructing sentences on paper by hand was incredibly difficult. There were words with silent letters and words spelled exactly the same that meant different things and sounded entirely different and Kara was struggling to keep up with just reading Alex’s magazine articles, often consulting a datapad that Kal-El had given her that would help with the translations. She had to practice her writing over and over again, struggling to remember how each word was spelled, particularly the irregular ones which conjugated in such a ridiculous manner that she had accused Alex of lying to her when she had explained it. There was no way that there was a language this counter intuitive. There was no way that anyone would believe that the word for laying down would have so many variations, all of them somehow correct and Kara still wasn’t sure that there was a difference between laid and lain and lie also meant an untruth and the entire language was a mess. 

But Kal-El wanted Kara to be normal. He wanted Kara to have a decent life and to understand humanity because this was their home now. And that meant that Kara had to attend an Earth education center which, on the one hand, would be an absolute breeze for her. On the other, her spelling was atrocious and her grasp of the written language in general was weak at best. But she was improving with practice and Kal-El assured her that this was the best way for her to learn about the planet and Kara was reluctantly attending the school where Alex studied and where the Danvers taught science. Kara wasn’t allowed to room with Alex since they were in different grades (Kara still wasn’t sure what that indicated but she had simply gone along with it because she was supposed to be part of the Science Guild and she felt so stupid on this planet) and Kal-El--Clark. She should start thinking of him as his Human name--had ensured that she would be paired with the sister of a close friend who could be trusted with Kara’s secret who could help Kara if needed. 

The school itself didn’t seem as different as Kara had feared and, with the Kryptonite bracelets keeping her powers mostly in check, she relaxed a little. It wasn’t going to be awful. Kara was learning the written language quickly and the Danvers had a story about how Kara was Eliza’s niece whose parents had died and she’d been living somewhere far away with her parents who were on some sort of research team or something. Maybe Kara should double check her details with Eliza later so that she didn’t mess things up but the hope was that it would explain Kara’s lack of pop culture knowledge and the fact that she was... weird. Still, studying the chronicles that Alex had given her had helped immensely and she felt far more confident about her ability to blend in than she had a month ago even if Alex had groaned at Kara’s taste in music, saying that it was “so nineties” of her. Maybe Kara could ask her new roommate what that meant when she met her. 

Kara set her bag on the floor in the middle of the room she had been assigned, not sure what the convention was when choosing a bed. Would they split the room down the middle? Or was the whole thing fair game? Was there one side that was inherently better or did it not matter? With Alex, Kara had felt like most of the room was clearly Alex’s and Kara’s part was her bed and the small desk. Not that it had mattered since Kara’s possessions were mostly just Alex’s old clothes and the clothes she had been wearing in the pod. Even now, all of Kara’s possessions fit neatly into one suitcase and she tried not to let it get to her even though it made her feel very, very lonely. Maybe she could buy new things someday. Alex had images on her walls of musical artists that she liked so maybe Kara could purchase some, too. It would definitely be an improvement on these plain walls with their small windows. Didn’t Humans feel claustrophobic like this? And there were wooden supports in them, crisscrossing and getting in the way and it was just--weird. This whole planet was weird. 

Or maybe just Kara was weird. 

Kara paced nervously for a few minutes, starting to regret sending Jeremiah away, telling him that Alex probably needed him more since Alex had a lot more stuff than she did. He was good at talking to people, though, and Kara was so obviously alien that sometimes Alex still stared at her like she had grown a second head when she said some things and Alex knew her. What would a stranger think? 

@officefullofflowers

[2whatcom-blog]

7 Frequent Issues of the Measles

When many individuals hear the phrase "measles," they typically consider the preliminary adopted by a rash three to 5 days later. However there are additionally problems of measles that individuals want to concentrate on. "Measles can start out as a rash, but it can escalate very quickly to dangerous complications," stated Swapna Reddy, JD, MPH, a well being legislation and coverage professor at Arizona State College, in Phoenix. Kids youthful than 5 years of age and adults older than 20 years of age are most in danger from measles , studies the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention (CDC). However nobody is totally protected from problems. "We get concerned about very young babies because we can't vaccinate them. So of course we see the most complications in that age group," stated Dr. Sharon Nachman, chief of the division of pediatric infectious ailments at Stony Brook College Hospital, in Stony Brook, New York. "Having said that, if you get measles at any age, you can have complications such as measles pneumonia or measles encephalitis." This is an summary of the most typical and severe problems of measles.

Diarrhea

Diarrhea is the most typical measles complication, occurring in about 1 in 12 individuals with measles.

Ear infections

Ear an infection is one other frequent complication of measles. About 1 in 14 individuals with measles will get an ear an infection. This happens primarily in youngsters. Ear infections aren't simply uncomfortable, however they'll additionally result in everlasting listening to loss.

Pneumonia

About 1 in 16 individuals with measles will develop pneumonia, both viral or bacterial. Pneumonia is the most typical reason behind measles-related loss of life in youngsters.

Encephalitis

Acute encephalitis, or swelling of the mind, happens in about 1 in 1,000 individuals with measles. Signs begin on common six days after the looks of the measles rash. These embrace fever, headache, stiff neck, drowsiness, vomiting, convulsions, and coma. A 43-year-old El Al Airways flight attendant just lately developed encephalitis after contracting measles. She's now in a coma and desires a respirator with a view to breathe. About 15 p.c of people that develop measles encephalitis will die. As much as one-quarter could have ongoing mind injury afterward.

Loss of life

The studies that in 2017, there have been 110,000 measles deaths around the globe. The danger is larger in younger youngsters and adults. The most typical reason behind measles-related loss of life youngsters is pneumonia. In adults, it is encephalitis. In america, about 1 in 500 individuals who had measles from 1985 by way of 1992 died. Though that is small in comparison with the remainder of the world, measles-related deaths are nonetheless a priority -- particularly with the within the nation in recent times. "The vast majority of deaths due to measles are happening outside the U.S.," stated Reddy. "But that picture is changing. And it's going in the opposite direction than we need to be headed."

Being pregnant problems

Ladies who develop measles whereas pregnant have a better threat of untimely labor, spontaneous abortion, or having a child with a low delivery weight.

Lengthy-term problems

One complication of measles can happen years after the preliminary sickness. Often called subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE), this degenerative illness impacts the central nervous system. Individuals develop signs on common seven years after having measles, though this ranges from one month to 27 years. Signs embrace problem considering, slurred speech, stumbling, falling, seizures, and ultimately loss of life. The CDC that four to 11 out of each 100,000 individuals who contracted measles in america from 1989 by way of 1991 have been susceptible to growing SSPE. The danger could also be larger for individuals who get measles earlier than 2 years of age. SSPE has been extraordinarily uncommon in america for the reason that early 1980s. However Nachman stated that as measles instances within the nation improve, we're more likely to see not less than one case of SSPE within the close to future.

Vaccination is the perfect safety

The success of the measles vaccination program led to the CDC declaring that measles was in 2000. New instances, although, are nonetheless being introduced into the nation by unvaccinated vacationers, each Individuals and overseas guests. Nachman stated to ensure that vaccination applications to proceed being profitable, misconceptions about vaccines should be addressed. One in all these is dad and mom' issues over the preservative . After 2001, all childhood vaccines not included this preservative. As well as, the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine by no means contained thimerosal. The CDC additionally that analysis would not present any hyperlink between thimerosal in vaccines and autism. Vaccination prevents youngsters from getting the measles rash, but additionally the problems. "Measles comes with consequences -- some happen soon and others come later," stated Nachman. "All of those can be avoided with vaccination." As well as, on account of "community immunity," this safety can lengthen to the unvaccinated. "There are children that are just not capable of being immunized for one reason or another. This may take the form of kids that are immunocompromised, for example," stated Matthew Speer, a college analysis affiliate on the School of Well being Options at Arizona State College. Read the full article

[discountchris]

On Superman

I’ve been thinking about Superman a lot lately.

I don’t know if it’s because I found my copy of Kingdom Come, if I’ve had a desire to get back into playing DC Universe Online again or if it’s just one of those chunks in the soup of my mind that’s floated to the top apropos of nothing. But it’s one of those things where I feel like he’s a fantastic character that people don’t seem to understand. That seems fairly normal, because it’s pretty normal for people to not understand characters, but Superman cops a lot of it because I think they don’t want to understand him. Not to claim that I do, mind you. I’m just some guy who has a few comics and fell asleep last time he watched Superman 3. This is just my understanding of the character and since this is the internet, I’m sure I’m wrong so scroll to the comments for that one.

For me, at least, the core of understanding Superman is understanding Clark Kent. Despite being the same person, they’re two separate characters. Clark Kent is a guy who grew up in Smallville, Kansas and moved to the big city of Metropolis to become a reporter. That’s a pretty decent indie film in of itself, to be honest. But it’s a fairly concise life story of someone you or I might even know. Superman is an alien who crashed to Earth and has amazing superpowers that he uses to save us all from the likes of Metallo, Brainiac and Lex Luthor. Those stories are so different and I think people try to focus on the latter because that’s what makes for better films and comics, but it’s the former that influences so much of what makes them interesting.

There’s that monologue in Kill Bill Volume 2 about Superman, where Bill talks about how Clark Kent is Superman’s critique on humanity because he’s weak.

Now, a staple of the superhero mythology is, there's the superhero and there's the alter ego. Batman is actually Bruce Wayne, Spider-Man is actually Peter Parker. When that character wakes up in the morning, he's Peter Parker. He has to put on a costume to become Spider-Man. And it is in that characteristic Superman stands alone. Superman didn't become Superman. Superman was born Superman. When Superman wakes up in the morning, he's Superman. His alter ego is Clark Kent. His outfit with the big red "S", that's the blanket he was wrapped in as a baby when the Kents found him. Those are his clothes. What Kent wears - the glasses, the business suit - that's the costume. That's the costume Superman wears to blend in with us. Clark Kent is how Superman views us. And what are the characteristics of Clark Kent. He's weak... he's unsure of himself... he's a coward. Clark Kent is Superman's critique on the whole human race.

I hate that entire speech with a passion. Hate it, hate it, hate it. It demonstrates such a lack of even willingness to connect with the idea of Superman and what he stands for as a hero and as a person. It’s the typical macho bravado that the typical Tarantino film flourishes on, and using Superman, the stereotypical “boy scout” archetype to promote that misses much of the point of what makes Superman work. Maybe that’s the point. Maybe it’s supposed to show that Bill himself doesn’t get it, but typical of everything Tarantino has made, people take it at face value. Who knows?

My point is, everything that Bill said in his little speech is the exact opposite to the truth. I didn’t have a father growing up. He died when I was a few months old and as unfortunate as it is, I don’t have any memories about him or anything of the sort. A few pictures and stories, but nothing personal to me. He was just some guy, and as much as it sucks to have not met him or anything, it’s just a fact of my life that I live with. The exact same is for Kal-El. He was sent to Earth as a baby right before his entire planet exploded. He doesn’t know anything about Krypton or Jor-El. All he’s known is Jonathan and Martha Kent are his parents and his home is Smallville. Yeah, he has the capsule and the blankets from his travel, but it’s not something that he remembers. It’s not something that he’s going to recognize as personal to him. He might get bummed out that he’s not able to meet his real parents occasionally, but they aren’t the ones who raised him from childhood. Clark Kent is who he is at heart because that’s all he’s ever really known. He can hardly “critique” the human race when that’s all he’s ever been and wants to have been.

‘With great power comes great responsibility’ might be Spider-Man’s thing, but Superman is the one who exemplifies it way more than Peter Parker ever could. Clark Kent is able to lift planets and fly and is impervious to bullets and he refuses to do it full time because his real passion is reporting. Journalism is a rough job, and you don’t do it on a whim to pass time between saving the world. He just has to save the world because he’s the only guy that can fight Parasite and not get stomped into the ground twenty seconds after introductions. Being Superman, persona included, is Superman’s retail job. The thing he has to do because he feels as though he has to. Not because he wants to, not because he’s the Ubermensch looking down upon us puny mortals, but because he has the ability to help people and that’s just how he was raised.

The coward? The weak, nervous dork? That’s his true face. He wears glasses not to disguise himself, but because he needs them to see. He wears the business suit because, uh, he’s trying to be professional for his job? That was a weird point to make, Bill. In any case, he’s only Superman because he has to be, not necessarily that he wants to be. He’s a person that people should aspire to be like. Everyone in their own way wants to save the world and because he has that ability, he does just that. The blue tights, the red undies and the cape are just his uniform that he wears to the job. It is part of his heritage, yes, but it’s more because he understands the gifts he’s been given by his parents and his planet. They’re the ones that allowed him to rescue people, and so he honors them by wearing the remnants of that life.

That’s how he differs from the other two main DC superheros, Batman and Wonder Woman. Bruce Wayne was a child when his parents died, right in front of him. That messed him right the fuck up and from that point on, he stopped being Bruce Wayne and became Batman. He trained 25 or so years to be skilled in ninjitsu, detective work and chiropterology. He lost himself and his identity to the Bat, and so when he is out and about as Bruce Wayne, that’s Batman pretending to be a Regular Human Being. Bill’s speech is so much more accurate if you replace Superman with Batman. Bruce Wayne is a disguise Batman wears, whereas Superman is a disguise Clark Kent wears.

Wonder Woman, too, is a fish out of water who uses her gifts to help people, but she was raised to adulthood as a warrior. Someone who understands how to fight and is willing to end someone who’s getting too uppity because that’s how she was raised. All three have different childhoods and ideals about how to effectively be heroes, but they also understand the different methodologies are needed for different situations. Superman might disapprove of Batman’s brutality and Wonder Woman’s killing, but he’s smart enough to realize how the Joker and Ares are so much different to Lex Luthor. That’s what allows them to be a team. That’s what allows them to be friends. Super friends, even.

This is also what makes Superman’s rogues gallery so interesting too. For the most part, they’re things that stand on equal or greater footing with Superman. Darkseid, ruler of Apokolips. General Zod, Kryptonian war criminal. Mr Mxyzptlk, a reality warping imp from the 5th Dimension. Titano, a 50 foot giant ape that shoots Kryptonite laser beams out of it’s eyes. They’re all people and monkeys that can put up a proper challenge to Superman. He has to be smart to outwit them because they can do most of the same things he can do or worse. But his main enemy, the guy that’s always been around and will always be fighting Superman until the heat death of the universe is Lex Luthor. He’s just a bald guy. A rich bald guy who’s pissed off that Superman exists. In the Silver Age it was because Superboy was the one who made him bald, but that was a time when he was also stealing forty cakes. (And that’s terrible.)

Usually, the arch enemy is a foil for the protagonist. The Joker is the opposite to everything Batman is, for example. Light vs Dark, Chaos vs Order, Funny vs Serious, Evil vs Good. So it might seem a bit strange how Superman’s arch-nemesis is someone he can take out with one quick punch and-- Of course it’s because he’s a foil for Clark Kent. If you were questioning that, you probably haven’t read the past thousand words or so.

Lex Luthor hates Superman because  he used to be the most powerful man in Metropolis. He used to be the one who held all the power and he is no longer. He has to share it and that is unacceptable, especially when it’s someone who isn’t even human. Whereas Clark just wants to live his life and uses his powers when necessary, Lex obsesses over it to the point where the very idea of Superman existing and being alive is abhorrent to him. He’s a genius that could cure cancer and save the world but refuses to because he prefers having power and influence. The conflict between the two works because it’s not really a challenge of might, it’s a challenge between viewpoints and ideas. Luthor believes that Might Makes Right, but when that might isn't his, there’s an issue. He wants to destroy Superman, but only to make himself top dog again. He just wants the power and not the responsibility that comes with it. They come to blows so frequently because Clark sees all the power and potential that Lex has already but refuses to use it on anything but hoarding it for himself and trying to kill metahumans (mostly Superman.)

And I think this is the primary reason why people don’t like Superman. Why they don’t like his films. They’re not the kind of stories that work well as a two-hour action blockbuster. The best Superman stories are the ones that are about the difficulties of balancing his life in such a way that he can save the world without giving up his passions. “What’s So Funny About Truth, Justice And The American Way?” is one of my favorite stories because it’s so much more about the nature of his No Killing policy instead of the big fights he has. If it were made into a DC Cinematic Universe film, not only would it not fit as part of the universe they’ve established, but I don’t think people would walk out of the theater believing that Superman’s way of pacifism works or that The Elite are in the wrong. They’d just see how the cool and edgy British man kills the bad guys and we came to see fights. People would love Manchester Black and ignore the second half of the film, which is the entire point.

The main difference between Marvel and DC is that people with powers are feared and shunned in the Marvel universe, while heroes are celebrated in DC. Spider-Man has a newspaper running a smear campaign every Tuesday while The Flash has an entire museum dedicated to him. The difference is Superman. He is the paragon of goodness and what all people should try to aspire to. And to dismiss him because of that is a damn shame.

[spicynbachili1]

‘The last call’: Searching for missing relatives on migrant route | Mexico News

Puebla, Mexico – Edgar Rodolfo Xon Ajanel known as his mom simply earlier than he was set to cross the border from Mexico into america greater than 10 years in the past.

The decision got here from Matamoros, simply south of the border from Brownsville, Texas, on July 22, 2008.

“He stated he was minutes away from crossing,” Sofia Sebastiana Xon, one among Edgar’s youthful sisters, advised Al Jazeera.

“That was his final name.”

Xon was solely 9 years outdated when her brother left the household residence in Chichicastenango, a principally Indigenous Maya Kiche city within the Quiche division in Guatemala. Edgar, then 22, wished to seek out work within the US to assist his 5 youthful sisters and their mom.

Earlier than leaving, Edgar labored as a avenue vendor in Chichicastenango and throughout Quiche. However someday after his father deserted the household, he grew to become the only real breadwinner and his earnings weren’t sufficient to feed the household.

Edgar paid a smuggler to take him over the border however they by no means discovered whether or not or not he made it into the US, Xon stated, talking softly whereas twiddling with the big laminated of her brother she wore round her neck.

The picture was one among many worn by members of the family in Puebla this week as a part of an annual caravan of Central American Moms of Disappeared Migrants. 

Tens of hundreds of migrants and refugees have disappeared whereas travelling north by Mexico to the border with the US, in line with human rights and migrant assist teams.

[Sandra Cuffe/Al Jazeera] 

Many Central American migrants merely lose contact with their households alongside their northbound journey, however others are believed to have died both by the hands of organised crime teams or safety forces or from dehydration or publicity to the weather, amongst different situations.

Normally, households of the disappeared by no means discover out what occurred.

Yearly since 2004, Central American moms and different kin spend two weeks travelling hundreds of kilometres in Mexico to seek for their family members, elevating consciousness, and talking out for radical modifications in border and immigration insurance policies. 

This yr was Xon’s second time collaborating within the moms’ caravan.

She stepped off the group’s bus in Puebla to cheers, drumming and applause from members of dozens of native activist collectives, migrant assist teams, feminist and scholar associations, and others who arrived at a metropolis market to listen to from the ladies from Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua looking for their family members.

The caravan is organised by the Mesoamerican Migrant Motion, a grassroots community coordinated in Mexico however with ties all through Central America.

A lot of the community’s work is targeted on trying to find migrants and refugees who’ve disappeared in Mexico and reunite them with their households. Typically they succeed. However typically, they don’t. 

Ladies of the Caravan of Central American Moms maintain up images of lacking migrants as they go to the Basilica de Guadalupe throughout their journey looking for kin [File: Carlos Jasso/Reuters]

The motion additionally coordinates Puentes de Esperanza (Bridges of Hope), a challenge wherein Mesoamerican Migrant Motion members journey the migrant path in Mexico, discover Central American migrants who’ve misplaced contact with their households, after which try to trace down the kin in Central America.

This yr’s caravan contributors met moms of disappeared migrants from Mauritania, Senegal, Morocco and different international locations, forming world community.

Ruben Figueroa, the motion’s coordinator for Central America and southeastern Mexico, known as the assembly vital, including that the group issued a declaration, which acknowledged that the “technique of pressured displacement all around the world has obligated individuals to go away their hometown, their nation, and their family members behind”.

‘Simply wish to cry’

The moms of disappeared migrants from the Americas, Africa and Europe urged governments worldwide to respect worldwide legislation with regard to asylum, refugees and the remedy of migrants. 

“Nothing can cease a mom who’s looking for her son or daughter. Moms will deliver down all of the limitations and canopy all of the kilometres they should till they arrive on the reality,” the moms famous within the declaration.

Siblings typically do the identical. Like Xon, Marcela Melchor has been looking for her sister for a decade. Her sister Izabel Melchor Ramos known as residence to want their mom a Glad Mom’s Day in Could 2008. It was her final name.

“She at all times communicated by cellphone, however from public telephones in Mexico,” Melchor advised Al Jazeera.

The Indigenous Maya Kiche sisters are from Ixcan, within the northern reaches of the Quiche division of Guatemala.

A single mom, Izabel first left residence to work in a garment manufacturing unit close to Guatemala Metropolis to assist her three kids, nevertheless it grew to become unsafe.

“There’s loads of crime. When she would go away work, she was adopted and hassled,” stated Melchor, carrying her sister’s on the moms caravan occasion Tuesday in Puebla.

Males line up for a meal as posters for the lacking line a window at a shelter for migrants in Tijuana, Mexico [File: Gregory Bull/AP Photo]

Izabel got here residence after which set out in January 2008 for Mexico to seek for a job. She labored at a restaurant in Cancun for some time, however her final name residence in Could of that yr was from the state of Chiapas in southern Mexico.

On the time, Izabel’s three daughters have been eight, 10 and 12 years outdated. She left them in her sister’s care.

“They name me mama tia [mom-aunt]. I raised them,” stated Melchor. 

Your complete household continues to seek for Izabel. They discovered assist from native associations in Ixcan, then from a Guatemala Metropolis organisation, after which from the Mesoamerican Migrant Motion.

Melchor feels good to be with different ladies in comparable positions on the moms caravan, however specializing in so many tales and circumstances of disappeared migrants whereas overlaying greater than 5,000km from residence to and round Mexico and again is tough, she stated.

“Typically there are moments of smiles, however typically you simply wish to cry,” stated Melchor.

‘Seeking to survive’

This yr the moms caravan overlapped with the continued exodus of hundreds Central American migrants and refugees, in massive teams additionally known as caravans, heading north by Mexico to the US. Conscious of the tales of violence and disappearances, the migrants and refugees are sticking collectively for security in numbers.

An preliminary wave of greater than 1,000 Hondurans left their nation final month, primarily fleeing violence, repression, poverty and unemployment. The group rapidly grew to greater than 5,000 individuals,

Hundreds of Central Individuals, primarily Hondurans and Salvadorans, have left in subsequent caravans and are heading north behind the primary group, which is presently in Mexico Metropolis. An estimated 12,000 Central Individuals are making the trek north en masse in massive, seen teams.

Central American migrants cross the Suchiate river, the pure border between Guatemala and Mexico, to succeed in the US [Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters]

The caravan of Central American kin of disappeared migrants first met up with the primary group of hundreds of migrants and refugees within the state of Chiapas in southern Mexico on the outset of the moms caravan.

If anybody has heard of my brother, if anybody is aware of him. Please inform us.

 Sofia Sebastiana Xon, sister of lacking migrant, Edgar Rodolfo Xon Ajanel

Each Melchor and Xon advised Al Jazeera they felt disappointment once they witnessed the scale and situations of the group and heard among the particular person tales of contributors. For Xon, it reminded her of her brother Edgar and why he left a decade in the past.

“They’re on the lookout for a method to survive,” stated Xon, noting the insecurity and violence in lots of Central American international locations.

Ladies of the Caravan of Central American Moms maintain up images of lacking migrants as they protest in opposition to President Donald Trump’s anti-immigrant coverage in entrance of the US embassy in Mexico Metropolis [File: Carlos Jasso/Reuters] 

Requested if she wished so as to add something earlier than the moms caravan took off from Puebla to its subsequent cease in Oaxaca on the best way residence to Central America, Xon started reeling off the essential particulars that might assist establish her brother.

It was clear she has had apply reciting the litany of data.

Edgar is 1.62 metres tall. He was 22 when he went lacking, so would now be 32. His final identified location was Matamoros. He has birthmarks on his nostril and cheek, each on the left aspect, Xon continued.

“If anybody has heard of my brother, if anybody is aware of him,” she pleaded. “Please inform us.”

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from SpicyNBAChili.com http://spicymoviechili.spicynbachili.com/the-last-call-searching-for-missing-relatives-on-migrant-route-mexico-news/

[ruffiorocks]

Double standards where Lena is concerned. She can't win.

I find a lot of opinions about Lena to be so hypocritical, honestly it's like 'pick a lane!'

1. People say that Lena is selfish because she and Kara only ever talk about her issues. But then when Kara does have issues and Lena tries to talk to her about them Kara rejects her. (Ie after Mon El left)

These same people say that Lena is selfish for NOT telling Kara every time she decides to work on something.

So which is it? Because you can't have it both ways. Lena can't be selfish for talking to Kara about what's she's doing but also be selfish for not telling her what she's doing.

2. People say that Lena is Xenophobic because she made an alien detection device in ONE episode which we only ever saw again when she used it on Rhea. Oh and because she thinks humans should be able to fight bad aliens that ALWAYS show up, and people like the COL and shouldn't have to rely only on the good graces of Supergirl and her few friends. She also had Kryptonite to PROTECT the world from Reign and to protect Sam from herself.

But then Lena saves all the aliens of National City, Supergirl, Sam, builds a statue of Supergirl, works with Supergirl, makes image inducors tech to protect aliens, protects Supergirl, condemns her mothers and brothers actions, makes Harun El to keep Argo City alive, saves Argo City from Lex and then shoots her own brother to keep him from murdering and terrorizing aliens and humans alike.

So which is it? Because you can't have to both ways.

3. People say that Lena is a cold blooded murderer that kills kids. Because she shot Corbin, Lex , accidentally killed Adam and was going to shoot Edge.

But Corbin was going to kill Alex and was trying to kill Lena. She shot Corbin when he had a gun to Alex's head, even Kara isn't faster than a gun touching Alex's head. So you would prefer her to have just let the guy kill Alex? To ignore the guy trying to kill her? She shot an unarmed Lex because he was an insane, murdering, evil man who wanted to commit genocide and would never stop and was essentially Hitler 2.0. But you would have preferred she turn him in only to have him escape again and try to kill her and everyone else again? For the record, Adam was not an unaware kid. He was well aware of what was happening, he was NOT a kid and he convinced Lena to go ahead. Lena shouldn't have gone ahead, but that's not cold blooded murder. She also went to kill Edge, a man who was ACTUALLY trying to kill children.

So which is it? Lena uses a gun to save lives and she's a murderer, she uses a gun to kill those that are about to kill others and she's a murderer, someone accidentally dies from her experiments and she's a murderer, oh and she prevents genocide more than once and she's a murderer?? It can't be both (or all).

4. It's also completely glossed over that Kara, Jonn and Alex have all killed people for whatever reason, some unnecessarily. But they get off Scott free whereas Lena is a murderer.

You can't have it both ways, the Superfriends can't be allowed to kill but Lena isn't.

5. Lena is condemned for being pro gun, not just by haters but by characters such as James.

But Alex essentially has a love affair with her gun and it's seen as awesome and bad ass not just by the audience but people like James.

So which is it? Guns are good or bad? Because it can't be both based on preference of character.

6. People condem Lena for talking about her Luthor origins.

But Mon El was allowed to talk about how crap his family were, Kara is allowed to talk about how crap her family was, Winn is allowed to talk about his crap family, Brainy is allowed to talk about his crap family, even Alex is allowed to talk about how crap her dad is. I bet Jonn is going to be allowed to talk about how crap his bother is going to be.

So which is it? You're either allowed to talk about a crap family or you're not. It can't be one rule for Lena and another for others.

6. Lena is condemned for not telling Kara all her secrets.

But apparently Kara is entitled to keep all of hers?

Well which is it? It can't be one rule for Lena and another for Kara.

7. Lena is condemned still for helping Rhea. She's blamed for the Daxamite invasion and Mon El having to leave.

But let's take a look back, Lena may have been tricked into opening a gate, but she ISN'T the reason Rhea chose to invade. That was all Mon El and Kara. Remember Rhea only wanted to take Mon El back to Daxam and rebuild. She had no interest in Earth at all. Mon El made a half assed protest against slavery and as soon as he was rebuked and told he would spend a few years in a cell he immediately gave up his protest and decided being with Kara and enjoying life on Earth was way more appealing. Even Kara who was supposedly against Slavery and even had a go at Rhea about it during dinner didn't even try to convince Mon El to go and help his people. She immediately wanted him to stay with her, regardless of the difference he could have made. It was Mon Els rejection and the fact that Kara was Kryptonian that drove Rhea to want to invade Earth. Lena had bugger all to do with that. If Kara had been honest with Lena she would have known that Rhea was Mon Els mother and not to trust her.

So which is it? Is she the whole reason the Daxamites invaded? Or are you going to acknowledge Kara and Mon Els part in it?

8. Lena is condemned for making Kryptonite to protect Sam, keep her contained so Reign didnt kill anyone else. No intention of it being anywhere near supergirl at any time.

But Alex shoots Kara out of the sky with Kryptonite bullets in the first episode but that's OK? Jonn owns a Kryptonite knife he really liked and that's OK? Jonn carried Kryptonite cuffs so he can use them on Kara but that's OK? The DEO stock piles Kryptonite Kara is well aware of and that's OK? There's a Kryptonite room in the DEO and that's OK? Alex kills Astra with a Kryptonite sword but that's OK?

So which is it? All those Kryptonite issues were meant to be in contact or hurt Kara in some way. Lena is actually the only one to be in possession of it without any intention of it hurting or coming into contact with Supergirl in any way.

9. Lena is accused of talking advantage of Kara.

But it's actually Kara that takes advantage of Lena since they first met. It's Kara who went asking about Roulette, it's Kara who used her all access privilege to try to trick Lena into giving up info about her mother. It's Kara who ignored Lena and then Immediately went to her to save Cat Co, then when Lena has spent millions on it rejected her again. It was Kara who thought she could take advantage of Lena as her boss and didn't think she had to follow the rules. It was Kara and Alura that used Lena to make Harun El for Argo City. It was also Kara who used Lena's personal relationships to betray her trust.

So yeah, Lena doesn't take advantage of Kara, she wants to be around Kara, gives Kara pretty much anything she wants and instantly let's things go. (unfortunately I think that part has ended).

10. Lena is hated because she told Kara off at work and set up meetings without James.

Well Kara thought she could do whatever she wanted, repeatedly ignored requests from her new boss, let her personal life interfere with her job, had a go at her boss who was patient and even offered understanding and more time off. You can only disrespect your boss so much before they have to pull rank on you, friend or family. Lena also instantly forgave Kara and offered up more understanding. As for James, he was shocked Lena even showed up, no she doesn't have to tell him. This was her new company, best to turn up and see what's its really like, than phone ahead and see what people want you to see. She was probably also aware Olsen didn't like her. She was well within her rights to set up a meeting to get to know her staff without them being briefed by James, a guy who didn't like her. James was also beyond disrespectful and acted like her opinion didn't matter at work while they were dating to the point she stopped coming to Cat Co.

So which is it? Is she selfish and taking advantage of Kara and James when they are disrespectful to her at work ? Or is she allowed to put them in their place since she is their boss. Bare in mind, Lena only pulls rank when she is pushed to the absolute limit. It's also totally fine when Cat treats everyone especially Kara like garbage, but Lena the understanding best friend is bad??

11. Lena is condemned for working with the government/DEO on her super serum.

But when Jonn, Alex, Kara, Brainy, Winn, etc all worked for the DEO that was absolutely fine. Even James stuck his nose in consistently at the DEO but then when Lena was actually wanted there he basically threatened to break up with her. Remember the DEO pre- Col Haley, still wasnt the best place . Since season one it locked up aliens without trial. Pre that Alex was against all aliens save for Kara. But when Lena is asked to come and help, and works ALONGSIDE both Brainy and Alex, she is still the ONLY one to be condemned.

So which is it? Lena can't be the only bad one for working with the DEO when she was working alongside Alex and Brainy and EVERYONE at some point has worked with the DEO.

12. Lena is always condemned for making Harun El and accused of stealing it.

Lena didn't steal Harun El, she made it. Haters never acknowledge the fact that Lena made more to help with Sam or even the huge deal that was her saving Argo City from extinction or even that she managed to do something in a week an advanced society of alien scientists couldn't figure out. But when she realises that Harun El that she has manufactured could benefit the human race and probably cure Cancer she's told she can't have it because Alura and Kara say so?? If Kara and Alura had got off their high Kryptontian horses Lena wouldn't have had to lie or rather not inform them that she intended to use Harun El. They didn't want it used because THEY didn't understand the full uses of it, something Lena got closer than Argo did at figuring out. You dont stop studying something because you don't know it's potential. That's the whole point of science.

So which it? Is Lena bad for making Harun El and saving Argo , basically curing cancer etc? Is she bad for thinking humans deserve the same chances that Argo has? Is she bad for using a substance she figured out how to make? Is she bad for thinking humans could have super powers? Something that wasn't even her original intent. Is she bad that she DID tell her ideas to the Superfriends and they rejected it so she didn't bother mentioning it again until she nearly had it sorted. Do you know who else worked on the Harun El? Alex and Brainy did.

13. Lena was an evil murderer for shooting an unarmed Lex.

But apparently she's also evil and stupid for saving Lex when he had Cancer.

So which is it? She's can't be bad for both those things.

I could write more but that's enough. Can anyone think of anymore??

[aeon-wolf]

Ascension - Chapter 15

Demos Educational Organization was like no other college Lena could have imagined. Instead of reading, math, and science, they were taught Ancient Greek, War Strategy, and Swordsmanship. Lena, shocked to find out her true parentage strikes friendships left and right at her new school. Her most treasured friendship of all, her friendship with one Daughter of Zeus, Kara Danvers. Follow Lena on a journey of self-discovery in an attempt to foil the plot of the Titans, and maybe learn a few things about herself along the way.

Or

A PJO inspired Supercorp series. Part One: Ascension.

Read it here on AO3.

I.

“So, Little Danvers, huh?” Maggie said. The two friends had decided to go check out one of the shopping centers on the strip, just wandering around for the moment. They had decided to all meet up at one of the local Chinese restaurants later so Kara could get her potsticker fix. Lena raised an eyebrow.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Lena deflected, but Maggie gave her a critical look.

“Don’t even think you can hide it Little Luthor. A seasoned gay like myself can spot a crush like yours a mile away.” Maggie teased. Lena just sighed.

“Is it that obvious?” Lena asked, a little wary of the answer. Kara never let on that she knew anything about her feelings. They just did normal friend stuff, right?

“Girl, you’re about as obvious about your feelings for Kara as I am for her sister,” Maggie said, bumping her shoulder against Lena lightly. The younger halfblood groaned.

“Great.” She moaned. But Maggie just shrugged.

“Hey, Kara is a great girl. She seems to like you too, you know?” Maggie commented. She had noticed that Kara treated Lena differently than everyone else. She willing shared food with Lena. She had always been affectionate with the group, but she always seemed to go out of her way to be close to Lena. But Lena just frowned.

“Really?” She asked curiously. Frankly, Lena hadn’t had very many friends growing up. And those that she had considered friends she had still kept at arm’s length. She could never trust people’s intentions with the family she came from. Maggie just laughed.

“Have you ever seen that girl willing to share her food with anyone? Even her own sister? No. You’ve got a special place in her heart Lena. I think you should go for it.” Maggie said. Everyone was getting a little sick of Lena and Kara ignoring the obvious feelings they had for each other. And insisting that they were just friends.

“I wouldn’t want to make things awkward,” Lena said. “I mean, Kara is my friend. Isn’t that like some sort of no-no?” Lena asked. She was trained to be a businesswoman sure, but her social compass still wasn’t tuned very well.

“Sometimes,” Maggie said with a shrug. “But your friendship with Kara has never been conventional. I’ve never seen Kara take such an interest in someone. Except maybe Mon-El. And that’s a little bit different. And you know how Ms. Sunshine is. She loves everyone.” Lena nodded slowly, chewing the inside of her cheek. Deciding to confide her feelings for Kara with Maggie. After all, Maggie was one of her closest friends besides Kara. Maggie and Mon-El. But she didn’t want to talk to Mon-El about this. She liked Mon-El. But he wasn’t exactly the person she could picture herself going to for relationship advice. Even if it was about their mutual friend.

“I guess I’m just scared.” Lena finally said after a couple of minutes of silence. “Kara is one of the best things to happen to me. I guess I knew she had more than platonic feelings toward me somewhere inside my head, but can you blame me for not wanting to risk our friendship if our relationship doesn’t work out?” Lena asked and Maggie just shrugged.

“All relationships take a certain amount of risk. It’s just like a business I guess.” Maggie said, trying to put it in terms that she thought Lena would understand. “The bigger the risk, the higher the potential payout. Does it not work out sometimes? Sure. But if you’re smart about it, you can always recoup your losses.” Maggie said. Lena just blinked, processing her words. Before she smiled and lightly punched Maggie on the shoulder.

“You know, you’re wiser than you look Sawyer.” She teased. Maggie looked mock offended.

“Hey! I can be very wise thank you! I may not be a daughter of Athena, but don’t you think we have enough of her kids in our group?” Maggie said with a chuckle. Lena laughed along with Maggie, nodding.

“I guess so. Nike suits you much better. Even if you always lose your poll games to Alex.” Lena teased. Maggie pouted.

“It’s not my fault. Nemesis is probably punishing me for winning all of our other bets.” She said, shrugging. “But stop avoiding. What are you going to do about Kara?” Lena sighed.

“I… I want to… you know, try a relationship with her. But now isn’t the right time, you know? We’re in the middle of a potentially dangerous quest. I don’t want to just go up to her and say ‘Hey, I have feelings for you and I want to kiss you, all the time. Can we go out sometime?’ It feels kind of wrong somehow. One challenge at a time I suppose.” Lena reasoned.

“Well, the way Kara looks at you sometimes, I think it’s probably safe to say that even if you told her that today, she’d be okay with it. But you’re probably right. Promise that you’ll ask her out when this is all over?” Maggie asked. Lena simply nodded. “Maybe pray to Aphro for some courage?” Maggie teased with a smirk. Lena just rolled her eyes.

“I won’t need it,” Lena said, far more confidently than she was actually feeling about the idea. But it was getting increasingly more difficult to reign in her feelings for Kara. The last couple of nights they had slept together, Lena could easily get used to sleeping with and waking up next to Kara. Maggie noticed the goofy smile Lena had on her face. She laughed to herself, shaking her head. Lena was just as, if not more so, smitten with the daughter of Zeus.

II.

Meanwhile, Mon-El and Winn had changed into their swim shorts and were lounging around in the hotel pool. Both of them swam laps, trying to see who could go the longest. Unsurprising, Mon-El swam both more laps as well as quicker than Winn, but the shorter man wasn’t too fussed. He and Mon-El hadn’t ever been the closest of friends back at Demos, but with Maggie and Alex pairing up, and Kara and Lena, it left the two of them the odd ones out. Mon-El always tended to hang out with Kara. And Winn with James. But since James was left back at Demos, Winn got to know Mon-El more.

“Hey man, what do you think of all this?” Winn asked, sitting on the side of the pool, watching Mon-El continue to swim laps before he swam over to the poolside where Winn was sitting, resting his arms on the wet tiles.

“What do you mean?” He asked. Winn shrugged.

“This quest. The Titans. Lena, even I guess. I mean, she’s awesome. Don’t get me wrong, but ever since the Chimera fight yesterday, she’s seemed a little off. A little more… snappy I guess. Kara said she was having troubles sleeping last night too.” Winn said, a little concerned for their friend. Mon-El frowned.

“I don’t think we can draw any conclusion that the Chimera was anything but a targeted attack. The Titans know we’re coming for them. I think the question is why have we gotten this far without running into more opposition. As for Lena, she’s always been one to handle things on her own.” Mon-El said. She had quickly wormed her way into his heart, like the younger sister that he had lost. He wasn’t trying to replace his family that had died when he was young, but having that kind of interaction again was comforting for him. “If there’s something really wrong, she’ll tell us.” He said confidently. “But you know how we all have our own skeletons in our pasts? She’s no exception. She probably has more than most of us.” Mon-El said sadly. He had been privy to some of the stories of her childhood, though not nearly as many as Kara he was sure of. Winn nodded.

“Yeah. I guess I’m just worried. I don’t know what the gods were thinking, sending her on this quest. She’s so young.” He said. Not in age years, as they were all only a few years older than Lena on average, but in terms of experience in their world. She had only been at Demos for a handful of months, whereas most of them had been there for years, at least 5 more most of them except Winn, who had only been there for 3.

“What she lacks in godly experience, she makes up for in real world experience though,” Mon-El argued. “She knows how to survive out here. Probably more than most. Her family name helps with that. But she’s got street smarts in the upper echelons of society. It’s how she was brought up. The prophecy allowed her to bring us for the godly experience she’s lacking. But she’s also guiding us too.” Mon-El said with a smile. He believed that Lena knew what she was doing. He trusted that she would see to it that they all got back safely. Winn nodded thoughtfully.

“You’re probably right, man. Want to go dry off and get ready for lunch?” Winn said, glancing at the clock They still had an hour or so, but knowing Kara, if they weren’t exactly on time, she’d eat all the food herself. Mon-El nodded, lifting himself out of the pool, shaking some of the water from his body.

III.

Alex and Kara decided to go sightseeing on the strip. Both girls had never been to Vegas. In fact, the hadn’t left Demos for an extended amount of time in years. So they were both eager to just take in the sights. Kara was also excited to just spend some time with her sister. They had always been close, but for the last few months, ever since Lena had come into their lives, Kara had been spending increasing amounts of time with her.

“So, how are things with you and Maggie?” Kara asked. Alex grinned as they walked past a couple of casinos.

“Things are good. We’re thinking of going on a trip to Greece together once we graduate. A little bit of a vacation.” Alex said.

“That sounds awesome! Back to the land of our forefathers?” Kara teased her sister. Alex had always been extremely fascinated by the vast history that to the rest of the world was just mythology. Alex nodded.

“Yeah.” She said excitedly. “Seeing some of the places there is like a dream. I’m pretty sure Maggie is just humoring me, you know she doesn’t really care about history or anything. But I managed to bribe her into it.” Alex said with a smirk. Kara tilted her head to the side.

“Do I want to know…” Kara trailed off and Alex shook her head.

“Probably not. Some of the things I offered would probably hurt your innocent ears.” Alex teased, poking Kara’s side. The blonde yelped a bit and pouted.

“Hey! I’m not innocent!” She insisted, huffing a little bit. Alex chuckled.

“Oh yeah, I forgot. Some of those things you probably want to do to Lena. How has been sharing a bed with your crush been?” Alex laughed. Kara sighed wistfully. Alex was the only other one that knew about the prophecy about her love life from Aphrodite. And Kara had confided in Alex her suspicions about Lena, as well as her growing feelings for the young halfblood ever since they had met.

“It’s so hard!” Kara complained. “The first night I woke up with her almost sleeping on top of me. She had moved in her sleep, ending up cuddling with me most of the night. I woke up once and there she was. She was way too cute and beautiful and peaceful for me to move her, so I just… ugh.” Kara groaned. “It’s just unfair how perfect she is,” Kara complained. Alex remembered those exactly feelings that Kara was experiencing when she had met Maggie for the first time. So she could relate.

“Why don’t you just talk to her? If you’re right about the prophecy, and your instincts are hardly ever wrong, she’s probably just as in love with you as you are with her. I don’t see the problem here.” Alex said. Kara’s shoulders sagged.

“What if I’m wrong? Lena’s friendship is way more important than any feelings I might have for her. She’s such a…” Kara paused, trying to find the right word. “Broken person, emotionally. She’s got barriers at high as Olympus. She can be cold, detached, even a bitch sometimes. At least, if any of the stories she’s told me are any indication. But I don’t see that person at all. She’s so vulnerable and loving, and kind. She has those barriers because people have hurt her in the past. She had to learn to protect herself. What if I’m wrong and I end up hurting her? Playing with her feelings. She’ll hate me.” Kara said with a slight sniffle. Alex stopped walking, turning to face Kara, putting her hands on her shoulders, looking her straight in the eye.

“You’re not playing with her Kara. You do have feelings for her. I can tell. Hell, everyone I think can tell. And I know that Lena returns them. She’d be crazy not to. You’re one hell of a catch yourself. And I don’t think she could ever hate you, Kara. Even if you were wrong. That girl looks up to you. I think you’re one of the first real close friends she’s had. I don’t think she’ll let go of that anytime soon. Just… you know, be careful with her. Sounds like she’s had a lot of heartbreak. And also let her know, if she hurts you, even Apollo won’t be able to stop me from killing her.” Alex said seriously. Kara laughed. She stepping closer to Alex, pulling her older sister in for a hug, squeezing her tightly.

“Thank you,” Kara whispered into Alex’s ear. She stepped back from her sister. “I’ll talk to her,” Kara said, a surge of confidence coursing through her. Heck, she was a daughter of Zeus, she could overcome anything if she wanted to. And she really wanted to this time.

IV.

Around noon, the entire group met up at some Chinese restaurant that Lena had recommended. It was her favorite one in the city. Alex and Kara were the last ones to arrive, heading towards the podium. “Name?” The waitress asked.

“Should be under the name ‘Luthor.’” Alex said as Lena had made the reservations. She said it would be easier for everyone if she did. The woman nodded, beckoning for the two women to follow her.

“This way.” Kara and Alex followed her to a secluded table near the back of the restaurant, affording the group a moderate amount of privacy. The other four were already there, talking about what they had been doing that morning. Kara spotted an empty chair next to Lena and made a beeline for it, sitting down next to her crush. Lena pulled her attention away from her conversation with Mon-El, who was sitting on her other side to say hi to Kara. She smiled warmly at the blonde who felt a happy, warm heat pool in her stomach at the way Lena looked at her.

Looking back at Lena, she couldn’t believe she hadn’t seen it before. Or maybe she had and she had been willfully ignoring it because she was scared. But Kara smiled back. “Hi, Lena.” She said a little shyly, but Lena seemed to not sense anything wrong.

“Hi, Kara. Have fun with Alex?” She inquired curiously, genuinely interested in how Kara’s day was going. The blonde nodded.

“It’s been awesome. Not that I don’t love hanging out with you, but I’ve missed my sister.” Kara said. Lena nodded.

“It’s okay. I understand.” Giving Kara a somewhat bittersweet smile. She missed her own brother, Lex quite a bit. But knew that he was so wrapped up in the family company that he didn’t have time for his little sister anymore. It had been that way ever since Lena was a teenager and he had left for college. She was glad that Kara had such a pure and strong relationship with her older sibling.

“What about you? Good time with Maggie?” Kara asked. Lena seemed to stiffen up a little bit but relaxed quickly.

“It was… enlightening.” Lena said cryptically, leaving Kara a little confused. But as it was clear the raven haired woman wasn’t going to elaborate, she just nodded. “But it’s been good. Maggie was kind of my first friend here. It’s been good to just… hang out.” Lena said.

The entire group fell into easy conversation about their days until food arrived. The restaurant was one that had a small assortment of daily specials to choose from and Maggie had chosen something for Alex that she thought her girlfriend would like as they were all getting hungry and the two sisters had been running a bit late. Lena had also taken it upon herself to throw her weight around a little bit and had the chef prepare a platter of potstickers especially for Kara, whose eyes lit up as soon as they were placed in front of her. “Did you have something to do with this?” Kara eyed the potstickers. Lena raised an eyebrow.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Lena said innocently. Kara just laughed, instead leaning closer to Lena.

“Thank you.” She said, whispering in Lena’s ear before placing a soft kiss on Lena’s cheek. Her actions didn’t go unnoticed to Maggie and Alex, the former gave Lena a subtle thumbs up while the latter smiled softly at her sister. Lena herself blushed before busying herself with the food in front of her, striking up a conversation with Mon-El, though her mind was far from the topic at hand. Rather thinking about how soft Kara’s lips had felt against her cheek.

Just a little relationship building. Getting around to Kara and Lena's romance too. Now that they've both acknowledged they have feelings for each other, to other people mind you. And they also seem to have different timelines for their relationship too. We'll see where that all goes.

It's been amusing to see people speculate about Lena's parentage and why the Titan's are so interested in her. Well, the mystery is almost coming to a close. I think the next chapter should answer a lot of those questions.

[newstfionline]

At least 58 killed in massive earthquake off Mexico coast

By Joshua Partlow, Washington Post, September 8, 2017

MEXICO CITY--Minutes before midnight, warning sirens blared across this earthquake-anxious capital.

This, in itself, was not unusual. Temblors are common here, and in recent years Mexico City has held annual disaster drills, revamped building codes and installed sophisticated sensors to be ready for an emergency. Many residents still have clear memories of the calamitous 1985 earthquake that killed at least 5,000 people here and left a quarter-million homeless.

But minutes after the sirens began wailing late Thursday, hanging houseplants started swaying and books tumbled from shelves. Plaster cracked. Streetlights shimmied like reeds in the wind. Lights went black. In pajamas and barefoot, with babies swaddled in blankets, residents rushed out of their apartments to wait in the darkened streets.

This was no drill.

This was an 8.1-magnitude earthquake, the most powerful one in Mexico in the past 100 years, according to President Enrique Peña Nieto, and was felt by some 50 million people. Mexico City, with many of its newer buildings built to withstand severe tremors, was spared significant damage, but the earthquake left pockets of destruction across southern states such as Oaxaca, Chiapas and Tabasco.

By Friday afternoon, Mexican authorities had put the death toll at 58 people, including 45 in Oaxaca and 10 in Chiapas. Mexican media published photos and video of collapsed buildings and rubble in the streets. The Anel Hotel in Oaxaca collapsed, but authorities said that people inside managed to escape and that there were not believed to be any casualties.

One of the worst-hit towns appeared to be Juchitan, with 31 people reported dead, according to the Mexican daily El Universal. There was severe damage at the city hall, a market, a car dealership and a hospital. Residents put out pleas on social media for help recovering people from the wreckage.

Three people died in Tabasco state, including an infant who perished when hospital electricity failed and a ventilator shut off, authorities said.

The earthquake was centered more than 600 miles from the capital in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Tapachula, a town in Chiapas famous as a way station for Central American migrants headed to the United States.

Mexican authorities closed schools on Friday in Mexico City and 11 states in the central and southern part of the country so they could check for damage to infrastructure.

The U.S. Geological Survey counted at least 20 aftershocks greater than magnitude 4.0. The shaking set off waves that washed up on the coast; some coastal residents evacuated their homes and sought shelter elsewhere.

The main quake was centered 43 miles underground, more than twice as deep as the one in 1985, and experts said that dampened its impact.

After the shaking stopped, Mexico City and other large cities emerged mostly unscathed. Peña Nieto said more than 1 million people lost power but electricity was soon restored for most of them.

Since the 1985 quake, which destroyed or damaged an estimated 5,000 buildings in Mexico City, residents here remain wary of any temblors. The devastation left a profound impact on city activists and politics, ushering in demands for more-rigorous building standards. Authorities conduct anniversary drills to teach residents how to react.

Whereas there was one earthquake sensor in Mexico in 1985, now there are about 100 solar-powered sensors around the country.

When a quake is detected, these sensors send automatic alerts to a network of 8,000 alarms, intended to provide about a minute of warning before the shock waves reach Mexico City.

Since the early 1990s, there have been various alarm systems in use in Mexico, including radio announcements, and by 2014 Mexico City had installed its current loudspeaker system, said Juan Manuel Espinosa, director of the Center of Instrumentation and Seismic Registry, a nonprofit civil society group.

While preparations have improved, Espinosa said that becoming complacent is dangerous and that the government should continue to expand the alert network.

“I don’t want to give the impression that we are prepared and doing enough for a disaster. There are building standards that must be observed. There are many factors,” he said. “If this earthquake had been half the distance between Chiapas and Mexico City, the scenario that we would be living through now would be totally different.”

“One is never fully prepared for this,” he added. “And it’s been a long time since we’ve seen something of that magnitude in this city.”