Vaermina
Well worn.
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Yup, I wrote that.

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Yup, I wrote that.
Just caught up, I assume it's dead.
I'd think approaching the problem from the other direction and having the ring translate Dr. Crane would be acceptable.I offered to extend my ring's translation effect to her, but apparently including the Queen in your magic is a local taboo.
He looks genuinely concerned, and for a moment I think that I might be getting- "But I can still kill people, right?" -through to him. "So long as they're murderers
I step closer and embrace him, arms around his sides and wings around his shoulders. He stands there awkwardly, arms frozen where they were
"Your brother's death was a tragic accident, and you are not to blame for it."
He shakes, as Heaven's authority rules on the accusation of sin and makes him aware of his acquittal to the depths of his soul. I can feel his thoughts shift as the burden is removed, and his own astonishment as the weight he's borne for most of his life suddenly isn't there any more. He pulls back, left hand grasping the side of his head. A moment more and he'll start reviewing his own memories freed from the guilt he attached to them only seconds ago
I see they had no trouble with the jackanape who interrupted their much-needed discussion. And from the looks of the timestamp, it didn't take particularly long. Then again, trick pies and gag-themed weapons don't hold up well against guns.13th December 2023
23:47 GMT -5
The three of us look down at the bullet-riddled body of our would-be ambusher.
General Flag looks at me and Peacemaker. "Do either of you have any idea who-?"
Yes, that's a perfectly natural reaction. Pity it doesn't look like he'll get that Shirley Temple with Baby Doll, though.I nod. "I'd like to take a moment to say a prayer for the soul of our wayward brother, Gagsworth A. Gagsworthy-"
Next to me, Peacemaker splutters with laughter.
Hey, now, just because he had a few moral shortcomings in life... Don't cut him down to size about it."-in the hope that despite his numerous crimes, he may-."
Peacemaker pats me on the shoulder. "Like what? Being too short to ride the rollercoaster?"
...Little fella's been busy. Definitely deserved his fate, then."Ah… Five murders, approximately two hundred felony murders relating to his time as the Joker's sidekick, a… Probably-unknowable number of assaults and other such lesser crimes-. Please understand that as I say this I'm just working from Gotham police reports rather than drawing upon the knowledge of Heaven."
Hey, now. Sometimes the Bat-Cat thing can be a good thing. If nothing else, you get amazing kids who live up to both parents' legacies."Oh." He thinks for a moment, and then nods. "Now I don't feel so bad about shooting him." Then he freezes, then stares at me with an excited expression on his face. "Is the Joker here?" He raises his gun. "Because I wanna do what Batman's too much of a pussy to do."
"I agree that his romantic relationship with Catwoman is ill-considered, but I don't believe that she has influenced his actions towards the Joker."
Oh, he knows exactly what you mean, but he's to polite to acknowledge it. Even if he wasn't touched by an angel, he'd be too British to laugh."No, not pussy. Pussy!"
I regard him levelly as he gestures to his crotch.
...Please stop."You know, like…"
He makes a crude gestures over his groin with his left hand.
"Pussy."
That would be akin to tugging on Superman's cape, wouldn't it? And not in the nice way, either.General Flag sighs. "Smith, stop jerking off at the angel. He knows what you mean. He's just too polite to point out that you just said 'pussy' four times to an angel."
"Oh." Peacemaker looks down for a moment, and then moves his left hand. Then unconsciously wipes it on his trousers before putting in on his hip. "But is he here?"
Ah, here comes the controversial, if canon, take.I shake my head. "The Joker is currently convalescing at Arkham Asylum with broken arms, legs and several broken ribs."
"So it would be real easy?" General Flag glares at him. "Oh, come on! He's killed hundreds of people." Peacemaker looks at me. "He's on the express route to Hell."
No, he's a man broken by a very bad day, what with losing his wife and (presumably unborn) child, being threatened with a beating or death if he doesn't lead the next job, and then he ran into Batman and took a header into an ambiguously-defined vat of 'chemicals'. Doesn't really excuse his shit afterwards, but it's understandable, right?"Ah…"
He looks concerned. "Right?"
"In point of fact, no."
"Oh, fuck off! What do you mean, he's not going to Hell! He's the fucking Joker!"
Better than the 'Joker' movie origin, that's for sure. That's just 'Taxi Driver' with a mentally unstable comedian instead of a Vietnam veteran taxi driver. And a decidedly New Teens attitude.I nod slowly. "While under normal circumstances his criminal activity prior to his unfortunate accident in the Ace Chemical Processing Plant would be grounds for chastisement, everything since then is a result of the mind-altering affect of the Smilex he was inadvertently exposed to."
And depending on the reality, some other poor schmuck may end having a bad day, getting a bleached-white face and deciding to mess with Batman. Because Gotham is cursed.General Flag snorts. "Heaven's got insanity pleas too?"
"Sort of. It's more that the false 'Joker' personality will be entirely erased and his true personality will rise to Heaven. Or, if you prefer, Heaven can fix insanity flawlessly, so we won't be dealing with Joker but with the failed comedian and petty criminal he used to be who just wanted to provide for his wife and son and made some poor decisions."
Because two hippies took bad advice about produce from a snake, Humanity got fucked over.Peacemaker frowns. "So why don't you just fix him now?"
"Well, several reasons. But fundamentally it's because Eve and Adam didn't leave the tree alone like they were told to."
"Huh?"
Which most people will bitch about as 'God moves in Mysterious ways' or 'If God were good, there'd be no evil'. It's all excuses, though. We have free will, being the place where the rising ape meets the falling angel, as stories love to highlight. And if some power beyond wants to sit, watch and judge, well, that's their prerogative."The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil? In the Garden of Eden? What actually happened is a little more complicated, but fundamentally, humanity's desire to reach out for knowledge and responsibility is respected by Heaven as part of the telos of your species, and as such we mostly leave the material world to you to deal with and just hand out score cards at the end."
And then he shudders as Lan sucks his breath through his teeth.
...Is that really the point you're taking away from all this?"Heaven requires that mortals inflict no more in punishment than was done in the crime. As such, your habit of wilfully killing people who have not themselves killed anyone will result in your never seeing the Silver City. On that subject, you should repent and amend your life."
He looks genuinely concerned, and for a moment I think that I might be getting- "But I can still kill people, right?" -through to him. "So long as they're murderers?"
Well, he never said he wasn't a hypocrite, what with his crusade against war and violence by using violence... He probably knew he wasn't headed upstairs."Yes, though I am concerned about the fact that it is that that you reached for, rather than a chance at the salvation of your soul."
He snorts and shrugs sullenly.
Heh, yeah, that sort of request would raise eyebrows. Especially from a guy like Peacemaker."Ah. I think I understand. May this emissary of Heaven lighten your path?"
He blinks. "Sure?"
Oooh, deep past trauma. And maybe a little nervousness. Angels are traditionally good-looking, after all.I step closer and embrace him, arms around his sides and wings around his shoulders. He stands there awkwardly, arms frozen where they were.
"Your brother's death was a tragic accident, and you are not to blame for it."
I can picture him feeling a little adrift without that cornerstone of his psyche. Might be useful to nudge him onto a better path.He shakes, as Heaven's authority rules on the accusation of sin and makes him aware of his acquittal to the depths of his soul. I can feel his thoughts shift as the burden is removed, and his own astonishment as the weight he's borne for most of his life suddenly isn't there any more. He pulls back, left hand grasping the side of his head. A moment more and he'll start reviewing his own memories freed from the guilt he attached to them only seconds ago.
I expect it feels rather like getting poked in the brain. Or like someone stuck a finger in and stirred his mind for a second."U-rh!"
He blinks, gurns, and generally looks unsteady on his feet as his brain readjusts.
...He better be enjoying the not-so-tender mercies of Hell, I hope. That's fucked up.General Flag comes up alongside me. "His brother?"
"His father used to make them fight one another when they were little boys as a form of martial training. He accidentally killed his brother with an extremely unlucky hit."
As much for their reasons as the accidental nature of it?"Unlucky like Rick?"
"That was not quite the same. He believed that fight had to be fought. I will warn you now that both your son and him would be judged free of guilt for that."
And that was a hell of a gamble he took, doing that. Throwing himself on his foes' mercy in the name of propriety towards the fallen? They could easily have taken him hostage, if they'd been more pragmatic. Instead, they accepted him under xenia and let him make his plea."I don't-." General Flag shakes his head. "Who was that Greek guy, the one who had to beg Brad Pitt to give his son's body back?"
"King Priam."
So in the end, he chooses mercy over vengeance? Lan is probably giving a quiet smile and nod when he thinks they're not looking."DuBois disobeyed orders even knowing Waller had a bomb in his skull. And Smith obeyed because he genuinely thought it was the right thing to do. He killed my son, and I-. I hate this. Smith!"
"Ugh…" Peacemaker shakes his head, becoming somewhat coherent now that he has something external to focus on. "Yeah?"
Given Bloodsport still had it... And Peacemaker technically went AWOL, though he's probably considered KIA. No point detonating a bomb in a corpse.
Probably won't even feel as weird as having his self-loathing about his brother's death washed away."You want it gone?"
"Yeah?" He doesn't sound particularly certain.
So, a few private meetings, possibly involving breaking and entering. And depending on what they say in those meetings, they might soon afterwards be taking up the matter with Saint Peter."Waller covered up for the people who made Corto Maltese happen. That means they're still in the U.S. government. I understand not wanting to announce things to the world. I don't know if it would have resulted in a war or not… But if we handle things quietly then it won't. Are you in?"
I have the feeling Waller won't be happy about this."Yeah." This time he sounds certain. "That was fucked up, and everyone involved deserves what's coming to them."
"Then that's what we're doing."
"No, not pussy. Pussy!"
I regard him levelly as he gestures to his crotch.
"You know, like…"
He makes a crude gestures over his groin with his left hand.
"Pussy."
What's the A for?!!moment to say a prayer for the soul of our wayward brother, Gagsworth A. Gagsworthy
Rick Flag Senior. Welcome to the green lantern corps.
Oh shit, does that mean if anyone were to kill the Joker in cold blood, then they would possibly go to hell for that?I nod slowly. "While under normal circumstances his criminal activity prior to his unfortunate accident in the Ace Chemical Processing Plant would be grounds for chastisement, everything since then is a result of the mind-altering affect of the Smilex he was inadvertently exposed to."
Not necessarily.Oh shit, does that mean if anyone were to kill the Joker in cold blood, then they would possibly go to hell for that?
Better than the 'Joker' movie origin, that's for sure. That's just 'Taxi Driver' with a mentally unstable comedian instead of a Vietnam veteran taxi driver. And a decidedly New Teens attitude.
...He better be enjoying the not-so-tender mercies of Hell, I hope. That's fucked up.
Given Bloodsport still had it... And Peacemaker technically went AWOL, though he's probably considered KIA. No point detonating a bomb in a corpse.
"In cold blood" basically never applies, outside of his current state of injury. But the key is to genuinely repent afterwards, which would require one to acknowledge the human under the makeup. It would require one to confront that they took the easy choice, rather than supporting his capture by safe means like watching a camera feed, supporting the creation of new non-lethal takedown tools, or researching ways to cure all kinds of maddening ailments.Oh shit, does that mean if anyone were to kill the Joker in cold blood, then they would possibly go to hell for that?
Oh. OH, this director is like Uncle Sam and the German predecessor to Captain Nazi, eh? Huh. An administrative role… oh, and Mister Gort this chapter, AKA Steel Wolf, likely appreciates the unnamed director's competence, since Steel Wolf believes every Russian leader since Stalin has been "ineffective and weak." Just like golden age americans would appreciate Uncle Sam, but more zealously.And for the first time his eyes waver. "There is no such thing as too much unity. My predecessor lived through the breakup of the Russian Empire. I lived through both Stalin and de-Stalinisation, through the occupation of Eastern Europe and the privatisation of national industries. Where there is disunity, there is weakness. And that is not to be tolerated."
"I didn't realise that you-" I open up my empathic vision again. "-were that old. Are you another Danner enhancile?"
I manage to control my reaction well enough not to frown. The colours I saw before are still there, but now that I take a closer look I start to notice the things that aren't. I can't follow threads to formative memories or experiences, they just sort of... Trail off to nowhere. I mean, the most intense green is associated with... I think that's a gulag. But the rest...
His face remains impassive. "My personal history is of no relevance. I act on behalf of the Russian people at the direction of their leader, the President. So far as you may be concerned, I am the face of the Russian state. One functionary among many, and completely replaceable. Good day, Orange Lantern."
You can see a list of alternate povs in the recap page on tv tropes.
It was noticed on SV. The story had migrated there by then.Oh. OH, this director is like Uncle Sam and the German predecessor to Captain Nazi, eh? Huh. An administrative role… oh, and Mister Gort this chapter, AKA Steel Wolf, likely appreciates the unnamed director's competence, since Steel Wolf believes every Russian leader since Stalin has been "ineffective and weak." Just like golden age americans would appreciate Uncle Sam, but more zealously.
I suppose there are other possibilities for this director, but I THINK all the pieces line up. I wonder if this was caught on SB or SV.
That's not actually true afaik. Pusillanimous just happens to be similar. I may be wrong but I remember looking up the etymology and this not bearing out.The joke, of course, being that 'pussy' in this context apparently is derived from a longer word and not from the slang for vagina.
Sadly yes, my currently active stories are the three in my signature.
Hey, now. Sometimes the Bat-Cat thing can be a good thing. If nothing else, you get amazing kids who live up to both parents' legacies.
So if someone calls out for aid during a hunt, they're probably not talking about you."
She nods thoughtfully. "I do not think that there are any other women named Artemis on my world
"Yes. My father came from the world of Zerox originally. He was an immensely powerful wizard, and I seem to have inherited part of his longevity
"I'm not showing you the raw data. I've published so very little lately. It must be peer reviewed, first
Which, unless there's temporal trickery stuff going on, would make it comparatively new compared to some parts of the Dreaming. Though only the long-lived would particularly notice, given it happened almost a thousand years ago.4th June 2013
Not Sure
"I had not realised that the Dream City was originally a part of your world."
I nod. That shortened our journey considerably. Artemis assumed that there would be some sort of link, but the journey there took more time than the journey towards the Gates of Horn and Ivory which are now coming into sight.
Bit of a duff move, even if it made for an amazing story. And OL really does have a lot of dangling meeting owed about the place, doesn't he?"Yes. I…" Uh. "I told the Caliph that I would go back and tell him about the time some friends and I ran through a dream storm. I just.. haven't gotten around to it." I shake my head. "But yes, in a remarkable feat of self-absorption he had Morpheus take everything great about his realm into the Dream, ensuring that the memory would outlast the physical realm."
A grim way to look at it, but in a way, it's a fair price he paid for a kind of immortality.I shake my head.
"And I can't even get angry at anyone, because the person who did it stopped existing the moment all of his noble traits were taken into the Dream and a husk of a mortal ruler was left behind, and as far as I know the Caliph here didn't exist until it happened."
Yeah, the current Bahgdad is a long way from the ancient city. Even if it occupies around the same physical location."Then there is a real place which corresponds to the Dream City?"
"There was, but it's been destroyed and rebuilt and changed around so many times that if you wanted to do a correspondence ritual you'd be better off starting from scratch."
Half-formed ideas and barely-glimpsed dreams, I take it? Echoes of sleepers passing through, leaving a wispy after-image of their resting consciousness?"A pity. It would be easier to anchor the spell if that were not the case."
"Let's put a pin in that until after you've had a meeting with Morpheus." I lean against the railings, looking down at the shambling figments of imagined lifelessness. "Doesn't feel like all that long ago that I last came through here. It took me a little while to work out that they weren't misplaced shades."
I always wonder if the goddess sees the choice of name as a bit presumptuous of the parents.Queen Artemis comes over to stand besides me. "Is that what your people are reduced to once they die?"
"They were. Our God of the Dead had a bit of a rethink a few centuries ago, and now you can barely tell that they're not alive. Oh, I should probably warn you: amongst the people you'll be staying with there's another woman named Artemis, and it's also the name of one of our goddesses. So if someone calls out for aid during a hunt, they're probably not talking about you."
Probably something of an unspoken social taboo, especially given the nature of Name-based magic.She nods thoughtfully. "I do not think that there are any other women named Artemis on my world."
"No?"
Given the nature of extended lifespans, I would wonder about the birth rates. Or is it just the more deeply-inclined students of magic that live longer..."It is a name of an earlier age. And it is heavily associated with me."
"Is your longevity unusual?"
Zerox again. Funny how that one world has so many seeds cast across the universe."Yes. My father came from the world of Zerox originally. He was an immensely powerful wizard, and I seem to have inherited part of his longevity."
"Oh. That's a problem Queen Hippolyta doesn't have. Most Amazons are about as old as her."
Heh. And of course she's oblivious to it, while the lady in question pines away. I hope some outside influence finally gives them the nudge they need."Is she married?"
"No. Ah. It's a.. bit of a joke that it's obvious to everyone on the island except her who she should marry, but I'm too afraid of what our Goddess of Love will do to me if I say anything to give them a nudge."
I expect someone on Olympus was keeping track. Hermes perhaps, or Dionysus. They seem the most likely."Why would your Goddess of Love be troubled by that?"
"There are bets going. I'm also the reason why the husband she hated being forced to marry divorced her the moment he got the power to do so, and married her to a eunuch. She's, ah… Not a very nice person, and I don't want her attention." … "Also, some of the bets are really big, and I don't know who bet what."
Artemis probably had a slight eyebrow-raising moment at that. But a kingdom of only women, well...Queen Artemis smiles. "What is his name, that I might avoid saying anything that I should not?"
"Oh, no. Her name. There are very few men on Themyscira." Hm. "In fact, there probably aren't any at all at the moment."
"Why is that?"
Conner and Mitchell, of course. I assume"Uh… They had a sex-segregated society, and then lost a war, and only the women and young children evacuated to their new island, and while there were a few boys with them their goddesses only blessed the women with extended lifespans. So eventually the men aged and died. There are five men with Themysciran citizenship, one by marriage, three because their mother is a citizen and me because the crown princess took pity on me. The rest, all women."
There are such things as abhorrent worshippers, after all. He probably acts like a creepy fanboy around her.I look towards the bow as we approach the Gates. Melinoë is occupied, though I'm not sure whether she's just avoiding me-.
I look to where Dr. Crane is coming out of his trance, smiling broadly.
Ah, yes, she was cybernetically augmented to deal with her perpetually rotting state, if I remember right?Avoiding one of us, or is actually busy. Instead, Cyber-Akhlys is on door duty. I
just have to reach out and strum her desire
and the Gates open for our passage. I catch sight of one of the dream-shades try to shamble through, and it fades to nothing the moment it leaves its medium. That just reassures me that they're not really alive, and are just human-shaped scenery.
Queen Artemis is looking… Pretty darn impressed, actually. "I have not seen the like before. How is this possible?"
A vastly simplified explanation, but an accurate one. Remember that trouble with the emergent Titan of technology that he headed off by feeding it to Hephaestus? Things do get weird when that much thaumic energy is involved."You're looking at the bound titan, Erebos. The gods of my people beat it into submission and repurposed it for storing the souls of the dead. I don't understand the exact process, but I'd guess that it's sufficiently primal that it can touch both the Dream and the Earth directly without issue."
Planning a courtesy meeting, or are you worried they're not nice gods?"A titan would-. Do your gods live here?"
"Some of them do. Why do you ask?"
And with almost no clues, she's basically pegged the Olympian's relationship to the Titans vis-a-vis their manifestations."Normally, gods cannot exist in the corporeal world in anything like their true form as it cannot support pure magic beings. But in a bound titan, they could use its own primal magic to…"
She looks away, clearly considering the implications. I.. didn't think to ask about her world's gods, though from the sound of things they didn't do anything similar.
I'm guessing it's obvious enough in anything close to a modern light bulb, but by candlelight, very subtle?"What is the condition of the souls of the dead?"
"Lord Hades replaces their connection to the material with one to Erebos itself. In some lights you wouldn't know that you're talking to a shade. Doctor Crane, have you been here before?"
Heh, of course he would think boredom is their greatest concern."Not physically. If you don't need me, I'd like to speak to some of the shades. I've been wondering what it's like to exist without the fear of death to motivate them."
"No, by all means. Put me down for a medallion on 'fear of ennui'."
I'm guessing she hasn't done much exploration into post-mortem communications."An obvious choice, but I'll allow it. Your majesty?"
"I have no idea."
I assume the crew is needed for more conventional duties, since the ship is fully functional as both an airship and sailing vessel?"Anyone else?"
A couple of the other members of the crew look around, but most of them carry on with their preparations as we finally sail through the Gate. Looks like Erebos isn't on fire. Good.
A fear of... Change? Huh, I suppose that would be a concern for them. If things are changing, then Hades is probably having Ideas."Then I will put my own coin on 'fear of impermanence', since basic psychology requires it to be something like the sensation it is replacing."
I nod. "Let me know your results."
Wise. Wouldn't do for her to discover her magic has nasty side effects on Earth, like some kind of Wild magic."I'm not showing you the raw data. I've published so very little lately. It must be peer reviewed, first."
"Far be it for me to criticise your professionalism. Your majesty, I thought that a tour of Themyscira would do for today, to allow you to adapt to Earth's magic fields. We can visit Hub City tomorrow, or Poseidonis if you prefer."
A flying visit for the first day, then? A quick overview, a look around the safer parts of the city? Perhaps a more detailed one later, once she's rested.She nods. "I would like to see Hub City. I believe that it will allow me to understand how your world has suffered."
"Not a problem. I'll let the mayor know once we reach the surface."
Hector Hall is Hippolyta Hall's husband, meaning he's Themysciran by marriage, while their son Daniel Hall is Themysciran through his mother.Conner and Mitchell, of course. I assume Hector Hall is the third by descent from Hippolyta Hall. The one by marriage would probably be that fellow that got an Amazon pregnant?
which mean it a new field and is getting dunk on right now by every one else but also very exciting to get into cause everything is newNot sure there are many psychologists that study the state of ghosts.
She already knew that., realising Earth might be more than some mystical backwater compared to your world?
Er... You know what, I'll just change it.
'from'?"Far be it for me to criticise your professionalism. Your majesty, I thought that a tour of Themyscira would do for today, to allow you to adapt to Earth's magic fields. We can visit Hub City tomorrow, or Poseidonis if you prefer."
No, that's correct. I only found out that some places consider 'from' to be valid despite not making any sense when I looked it up just now.