With This Ring (Young Justice SI) (Thread Fourteen)

[ForeverShogo]

Well, if you have to poach anyone, you could do a LOT worse than poaching Bleez. She is quite the beauty. And I suppose sparing her from her canon fate is good too.

 

[Mquz]

Eh.... It's hard to take seriously when you know that they only named it that because they didn't realize they could just call it Cthulhu.

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They possibly can't use the name due to possible copyright at the time the character was created. HP Lovecraft copyright / trademarks are wierd, and it's hard to tell who what belongs to. Ichthulhu also seems to be different mechanically, in that it has it's own dimension as opposed to just sleeping underwater, is conscious, just trapped, and is an actual great old one, as opposed to (as I understand it) their High Priest.


From what I understand, normal Cthulhu would be kind of underpowered in this setting. He can be hurt (not permanently, but still) by driving a boat through him, and he's mostly known for causing madness (which is preety much just Atrocitus' thing, though may be closer to someone else), which can probably be resisted by a Green Lantern corps member, at which point, you can just send him to the Phantom Zone or something / come up with a way to make him sleep again - (aging ray maybe? Deal enough damage so it gives up?)

The Justice League did somehow beat Icthulhu, as did the ancient Thanagarians, so it can't be that impossible to weaken / kill. The Ophidian could probably do it.

 

[Prince Charon]

Well, if you have to poach anyone, you could do a LOT worse than poaching Bleez. She is quite the beauty. And I suppose sparing her from her canon fate is good too.

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I would say that sparing her from her canon fate is certainly good.

 

[Queshire]

They possibly can't use the name due to possible copyright at the time the character was used.
The Justice League did somehow beat it, as did the ancient Thanagarians, so it can't be that impossible to kill.

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Oh that's what they thought. They didn't realize that Lovecraft purposefully never copy righted his stuff just so that others could add to the mythos.

 

[Mquz]

Oh that's what they thought. They didn't realize that Lovecraft purposefully never copy righted his stuff just so that others could add to the mythos.

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True, but there could have been a trademark, and those are a problem with Lovecraft.
Also though, as I explained above, Icthulhu is more powerful than Cthulhu, and they wanted a reference, without being stuck with him being exactly the same.

 

[Mquz]

I would say that sparing her from her canon fate is certainly good.

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The Thanagarian empire might not like it though - you're arming the border colonies, and possibly weakening the whole.

 

[numantia]

Doing a marathon reading. Nice work. Kept going

 

[Sockmonkey]

I've got no idea how she's breathing.
Big... Lungs.

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Maybe she's doing that circular breathing thing Australian natives do to play the didgeridoo.

 

[Mr Zoat]

The Thanagarian empire might not like it though - you're arming the border colonies, and possibly weakening the whole.

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"It's a mature colony. There's a defence network and a picket fleet. It's not up to Thanagar's standards and the locals have opposed further militarization. They have no need to fear raiders, though I suppose.. if there was a serious attack which took us by surprise..." He shifts in his seat as the.. astonishingly… Weirdly beautiful sound flows over us. "Illustres, if you know about a threat to the Thanagarian Empire or its citizens-."

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The actual border colonies are settled by ex-navy personnel, and are far more loyal to the centre than the older colonies.

 

[Siskulous]

They possibly can't use the name due to possible copyright at the time the character was created. HP Lovecraft copyright / trademarks are wierd, and it's hard to tell who what belongs to.

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I'm pretty sure Cthulhu was never copyrighted or trademarked. If he was, though, that copyright would have only just expired. Call of Cthulhu was published the same year as Steamboat Willie, so it would have fallen under the ridiculous copyright extensions that Disney kept brib....er, lobbying for.

Maybe she's doing that circular breathing thing Australian natives do to play the didgeridoo.

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Once upon a time, back when dinosaurs roamed the earth and I was still in high school, I learned to do that for playing trombone. Unless there's a technique other than the one I learned you couldn't use it to sing.

 

[TheDudeMan400]

Mr Zoat

I think you forgot to include the omake "Kalmin's Weapons" by Empericist2 in your omake index. It is directly under Alienated Part 11 on page 2988 on Sufficient Velocity.

 

[PrinceJonathan]

"Bleez of Havania, what do you want?"

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Probably half her heart back.

"♪Havania, ooh na-na (ayy)♪
"♪Half of my heart is in Havania, ooh na-na (ayy, ayy)♪"
"♪He took me back to East Thanagar, na-na-na, ah♪"
"♪Oh, but my heart is in Havania (ayy)♪"
"♪There's somethin' 'bout his manners (uh huh)♪"
"♪Havania, ooh na-na (uh)♪"

 

[Coda]

suitably armigerous alien

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What are you intending this word to mean? Because when I look it up, it suggests that the aliens are flaunting heraldry to indicate their allegiance.

 

[iamnuff]

A young thanagarian woman dressed in an even-more-impractical-than-normal rendition of the Thanagarian military uniform is currently singing her heart out to the obvious enjoyment of the thanagarian -and the suitably armigerous alien- great and good sitting at the surrounding tables. Her dancing is energetic, and incorporates her wings with both gestures and short aerial sections to emphasise her athleticism. I've got my rings recording the whole thing, and I… Think I'll send a copy to Ms Parish once I return to Earth.

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"... Did you just send me a video of a winged alien stripper?"

That's the sort of thing that could give the wrong impression, OL.

 

[Vaermina]

"... Did you just send me a video of a winged alien stripper?"

That's the sort of thing that could give the wrong impression, OL.

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She seems to be less of a stripper and more of a burlesque dancer.

And yes, it matters.

 

[Mr Zoat]

Mr Zoat

I think you forgot to include the omake "Kalmin's Weapons" by Empericist2 in your omake index. It is directly under Alienated Part 11 on page 2988 on Sufficient Velocity.

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No, that isn't canon.

What are you intending this word to mean? Because when I look it up, it suggests that the aliens are flaunting heraldry to indicate their allegiance.

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It means 'important enough to have heraldry'.

 

[Maelgwyn]

So am I getting this right: Bleez (who is some sort of high-ranking Havanian noblewoman, if not the princess of the whole planet) is also some sort of pop singer here? I suppose the two aren't mutually exclusive, but you'd think the family would want her within arm's reach.

 

[Mr Zoat]

So am I getting this right: Bleez (who is some sort of high-ranking Havanian noblewoman, if not the princess of the whole planet) is also some sort of pop singer here? I suppose the two aren't mutually exclusive, but you'd think the family would want her within arm's reach.

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Full explanation tomorrow.

 

[Maxx Crowley]

causing madness (which is preety much just Atrocitus' thing,

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Forcing into a state of permanent Berserker rage isn't exactly Madness. I mean, they are mad yeah, but not Mad.

 

[Ngamer11]

With Bleez and the Tamaranian princesses, Paul knows a few hot alien women. I wonder what kind of reactions his friends would have knowing he interacts with them and would they ask Paul for their numbers. If Koriand'r does ever show up on Earth, would she find Robin attractive?

 

[Navi-Hank]

With Bleez and the Tamaranian princesses, Paul knows a few hot alien women. I wonder what kind of reactions his friends would have knowing he interacts with them and would they ask Paul for their numbers. If Koriand'r does ever show up on Earth, would she find Robin attractive?

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Doubtful, hesh still only 14 or so

 

[Mquz]

I'm pretty sure Cthulhu was never copyrighted or trademarked. If he was, though, that copyright would have only just expired. Call of Cthulhu was published the same year as Steamboat Willie, so it would have fallen under the ridiculous copyright extensions that Disney kept brib....er, lobbying for.

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Call of Cthulhu and Arkham Horror are trademarked tabletop RPGs that have had lawsuits against other companies trying to copy their aesthetic. Not sure if there is something similar in comics, but Cthulhu is a minefield of trademarks as far as gaming goes.

 

[Mquz]

Doubtful, hesh still only 14 or so

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And how old is she? Just because he's young, doesn't mean he's out of her age range - or is she Komand'rs' twin?

 

[Mr Zoat]

21st January
17:42 GMT

"What did you think?"

Bleez is.. smiling at me. From what I.. dimly remember of her pre-Red Lantern life in the comics, she didn't seem exactly joyful. And yet I can clearly see that she's doing something she loves: singing and performing before an audience.

"I'm afraid that to human ears, lyrics in Quarish don't translate particularly well. I did like your last piece-" Her smile broadens slightly. "-and your dancing… Choreography and performance was most impressive."

"Thank you. And I know about-" Shaky wing jerk. An eye roll equivalent. "-the Quarish thing; it's like our language uses a whole different register to every other humanoid language."

"I think it could work for an English-speaking audience, but you'd need different instrumentation. The relatively soft, pop music sound is just too much of a clash." I take a small Thanagarian data storage device out of subspace and load… A cross-section of Earth's music onto it. "As I understand it, thanagarian performers don't usually have much to do with alien music. I hope that it's a norm you'll continue to subvert."

I hold it out to her, and she takes it with obvious eagerness. "Thank you. I don't really have anywhere to put it in this costume..." She carefully clips it onto her… Belt? "My manager will love it if I can break into alien markets!"

"Earth doesn't really have a market for alien music. A.. kryptonian released a good chunk of their historical musical archive a few years ago and it just sits on our data network."

"Anyone perform it?"

"Not to a big crowd. I think there have been.. small scale attempts to reproduce it."

"Well that's the problem! People aren't going to get excited about a recording. Do your people.. trade with Krypton?"

"Krypton exploded about forty years ago with the loss of virtually the entire species."

"Oh." The wrists of her wings twitch towards her face, an acknowledgement of a faux pas.

"Three.. survivors have made their home on Earth, and one of them released it. He's not much of a musician." And since he grew up on Earth, probably wouldn't play Kryptonian instruments even if he was. I'll ask Kara if she's interested in that sort of thing, because while Karsta might I have no desire to intrude on her any further. "But no, before that happened we didn't."

"Do you have a copy of that?"

"Ah… I.. never bothered recording the whole thing, but…" I transmute another storage device. "Here's some of it."

She attaches it to the other side of her belt. "If they… The survivors want to commemorate their world, they should do a… Whole expo thing. Displays on their art and culture, examples of their technology… Maybe have a few people live like they did and record the whole thing. You need to get people interested in the culture before anyone will be interested in the music for itself. They need to understand the context for what they're hearing."

I nod. Despite Kal-El being a major hero, there isn't really much interest on Earth for Kryptonian culture beyond buying t-shirts with his 'S' on them. Thanks to me there's more interest in Themysciran culture these days, but Diana's most ardent admirers would have struggled to name a single piece of Themysciran music before I jollied the theatre company into touring. Actually, that applies to Thanagar as well. The Hawks have been around for eight years now, and I don't remember any cultural data release. Or any interest in one. Same with Mars.

"I don't recognise your uniform. That is a uniform, right?"

I glance down at my robes. "Official clothing, certainly. I'm a member of the Orange Lantern Corps."

"Like the Green Lanterns, only orange?"

"The rings work slightly differently and we're more a military than a police force, but… Yes."

She leans forward slightly. "Are you recruiting? Or have you already recruited someone and you're here to train them?"

"Lantern Dul is already receiving training, but she's not assigned to this region of space. She hasn't actually.. been back to Thanagar for years, that's one of the reasons we made this trip. The other is because my-" I gesture to where Ms Parker and Mr Cantrell are talking to.. a thanagarian I don't know. "-colleagues are able to provide information to the Thanagarian government relating to something that's worrying them."

"Like what?"

"Magic. They're worried about Hyathis' exotic threat potential, so they're here to offer their services as consultants."

"That's… Kind of a big deal. Shouldn't there be more guards around?"

"They're accomplished fighters, I'm a Lantern and we're on Thanagar, a short flight from the main city garrison and under its home defence fleet. There's only so safe you can get before it starts getting absurd."

"I suppose you've got a point. So… Why are you here?"

"I'm just a glorified taxi service at the moment. My top speed is far faster than anyone else's, and I can bring passengers. And while I know a good deal about magic, I wouldn't expect the Thanagarian government to trust me. Um." She looks at me expectantly. "This is… Probably something of a personal question, but… Is your mother nagging you about getting married?"

"Yes! You have no idea how annoying it is! I tried saying 'mother, I'm focusing on my career right now, can't it wait?' and she's all 'you are the great granddaughter of Prince Yiiqi and my sole heir, you must marry and have children right now'. The main reason I'm on this tour is so I can get my manager to pretend I'm working whenever she calls to try and introduce me to some.. baronet's son or something." She blinks. "How did you know that?" She leans in again, looking at me expectantly. "Are you like a spy? Are you spying on me? No, are you trying to groom me as an intelligence source?"

"Ah-. No, just trying to verify.. information I'd heard from elsewhere."

She pulls back slightly. "She didn't.. put you up to-?"

"No."

"Not that you're, you know, unattractive-."

I raise my eyebrows, then create construct wings and fan them out. "I'm gorgeous. But no." I fold the wings behind my back as she blinks at me. "I've never met your mother. My species uses magic for all sorts of things, not just for controlling plants. One of the things we do with it is… Seeing the future, with… Varying degrees of reliability. And one of the things that got seen was your mother entertaining a.. suitor to whom you were not well suited."

"So your species' prophets say I should focus on my career?"

I suppose it.. keeps her away from home. That way there can't be a Lantern Bleez. "You could interpret it like that. Although… An equally valid reading would be that you should pick someone yourself because her suggestions are all terrible."

"That's true. They are. Ugh, they're just so backwards. I mean, we have legally defined citizenship tiers, why do we even need slaves!?"

…

"Quite. Um. Have you.. been on Thanagar long?"

"Not that long this trip, but Mother and Father used to bring me here every year to make sure I grew up as a 'proper lady of the nobility'." She looks at me speculatively. "Wanna help me do something that would really burr her feathers?"

 

[Athrawe]

that slipup about slaves has gotta concern paul

 

[thepsyborg]

Okay, I like Bleez. I'm a little bit concerned whatever she has in mind would really burr Jade's feathers, but I like her.

 

[Chojin Patriarch]

"Krypton exploded about forty years ago with the loss of virtually the entire species."

"Oh." The wrists of her wings twitch towards her face, an acknowledgement of a faux pas.

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Yeah, that'll put a dampener on any conversation...

Spoiler: Commentary spoilered for length

She attached it to the other side of her belt.

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She attaches it to the other side of her belt.

I nod. Despite Kal-El being a major hero, there isn't really much interest on Earth for Krytponian culture beyond buying t-shirts with his 'S' on them. Thanks to me there's more interest in Themysciran culture these days, but Diana's most ardent admirers would have struggled to name a single piece of Themysciran music before I jollied the theatre company into touring. Actually, that applies to Thanagar as well. The Hawks have been around for eight years now, and I don't remember any cultural data release. Or any interest in one. Same with Mars.

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Boss Smiley's subtle influence, or just mundane cultural apathy? You decide!

She leans forward slightly. "Are you recruiting? Or have you already recruited someone and you're here to train them?"

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Hmm... Why the interest, I wonder...

"Are you like a spy? Are you spying on me? No, are you trying to groom me as an intelligence source?"

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Ah... Girlish fantasy.

"That's true. They are. Ugh, they're just so backwards" I mean, we have legally defined citizenship tiers, why do we even need slaves!"

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Stray quotation mark. Presumably a Full Stop instead.

…

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Cultural Differences, OL...

"Wanna help me do something that would really burr her feathers?"

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Cue Takei. "Oh, my..."

 

[Mr Zoat]

She attached it to the other side of her belt.
She attaches it to the other side of her belt.
"That's true. They are. Ugh, they're just so backwards" I mean, we have legally defined citizenship tiers, why do we even need slaves!"
Stray quotation mark. Presumably a Full Stop instead.

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Thank you, corrected.

 

[Handlewithcare]

Bleez is like that airhead fairytale princess that does not realise how condescending she is to the "simple folk" while still being nice enough that people grudingly forgive her.

Also Paul: it is, diplomatically speaking, a bad first impression to help royalty annoy their parents.

 

[Ganurath]

Thank you, corrected.

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Actually...

"That's true. They are. Ugh, they're just so backwards." I mean, we have legally defined citizenship tiers, why do we even need slaves!"

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You put in the full stop, but left in the superfluous quotation mark. Also!

Bleez is.. smiling at me. From what I.. dimly remember of her pre-Red Lantern life in the comics, she didn't seem exactly joyful. And yet I can clearly see that she's doing something she loves: singing and performing before an audience.

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I didn't realize that, for all the differences in body language between Thanagarians and Humans, smiling was a point of common ground.

Bleez is like that airhead fairytale princess that does not realise how condescending she is to the "simple folk" while still being nice enough that people grudingly forgive her.

Also Paul it is, diplomatically speaking, a bad first impression to help royalty annoy their parents.

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It's a role he has experience with, as you may recall.