Arrow & Medusa: The Tell-Tale City [Archangel Comics]

[Abishai100]

This is a media-metaphysics fable inspired by Labyrinth.

Cheers,







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Arrow (real name: Oliver Queen) was a very fine archer and vigilante in the modern world. However, when Arrow took a vacation to Sicily, he encountered a very full red-haired woman who went by the name Medusa and carried a strange rubber-robot doll with her at all times. When Arrow became fascinated by Medusa, he demanded to know what her rubber-doll signified, and she explained it was a 'mystical totem' of self-reliance. Arrow wondered if he should debate with Medusa about intelligence and sentimentality.

ARROW: I get the sneaking-suspicion you're related to the 'ancient Medusa.'
MEDUSA: I get the nagging-thought you're a real-life 'superhero.'
ARROW: Do you think it takes real magic to contend with ancient-Medusa?
MEDUSA: Like Ancient-Medusa (as you can see, Arrow), I have a full head of hair!
ARROW: Medusa's hair was made of snakes, since her heart was spoiled.
MEDUSA: Do you think that's my story, my archer-friend?
ARROW: I don't know what your story is, but I seriously doubt you're the 'real' Medusa.
MEDUSA: How'd you know if there was a real Medusa?
ARROW: If there were not, your 'lofty-praise' of the 'idea' of Medusa would make her you?
MEDUSA: Correct; I myself would be the real and only Medusa...
ARROW: You mingle metaphysics with philosophy; are you a fan of Descartes?
MEDUSA: I like the concept, "I think, therefore I am," implying we're all 'deep thinkers.'
ARROW: You can even think silly thoughts to feel the elation of free-will and self-control!
MEDUSA: Are you a fan of American celebrities and Hollywood movies?
ARROW: I like how American films capture a modernism fascination with indulgences.
MEDUSA: There are all sorts of toys out there...
ARROW: I like my Tinkerbell glowing night-light...does that make me gay?
MEDUSA: No; it doesn't.
ARROW: Tom Cruise and I work on Archangel Comics (William Gibson) about terrorism.
MEDUSA: I suppose you, Cruise, and other 'American dolls' comprise a 'modern army.'

After Arrow concluded his heated discussion with Medusa about ethics, consciousness, modernism, and values, they parted ways and agreed that they considered each other 'worthy warrior-avatar reflections' on the opposite sides of the imagination. Arrow was reserved, careful, self-aware, and romantic, while Medusa was precise, cool, strange, and somewhat vicious and creative in a non-mainstream way. They also agreed that values-evaluation requires a serious focus on perspectives on personality. Meanwhile, Arrow was about to start a new film venture involving Archangel Comics and Steven Spielberg titled The Tell-Tale City.

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[Abishai100]

Chapter 2: The Omen



This is a media-and-toy addendum, Chapter 2, of my Arrow-Medusa 'adventure' about civilization ergonomics.

It was inspired by Toys.



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As Arrow prepared for this new film project with Archangel Comics, he had to research some post-office labors, since he'd play a post-office worker in the film. After about a week of research, Arrow had a strange dream in which Medusa visited him and whispered in his ear. She was telling him about a new 'omen.'



"Arrow, listen to me. It's me, Medusa! I want you to imagine you're a real-life post-office worker who's discovered that a terrible anarchy-scheme involving the mail-delivery system (paper and electronic) has surfaced thanks to the terrorist group ISIS and the American crime-syndicate known as Black Mask. The mail system hysteria is to be coupled with a terrible bomb-crusade all over U.S. cities. This is the new face of evil, Arrow, so what would you do if you were simple post-office worker?"



"Well, Medusa, I'm happy to respond to your omen-inquiry, and I imagine I'm dreaming all this but I can sense my surroundings and gather some self-control and awareness, so I'll proceed! As the Green Arrow, an archer, I don't think I could do much. However, since I'm a 'post-office laborer/worker' as you suggested, I could become a masked vigilante named the 'Batman.' As Batman, I can infiltrate crime networks and empires as a crusader. I'd try to find the key links to this terrorism-scheme involving the subversion of the American mail-delivery system (paper, electronic)."



"That sounds very dashing, Arrow. However, you didn't account for the emergence of a terrible female siren, a witch named Haggar who is the secret 'war-vizier' of ISIS and Black Mask. It was Haggar who advised ISIS to join forces with Black Mask and Black Mask to contribute arms and minions and schemes to ISIS. It's Haggar you'd need to deal with directly to determine why the mail-system is so valuable/symbolic in America."



"I think you're correct. Well, it's been some time since I did my mission as Batman, and though I still believe this is all just a dream and I'm just sleeping, I've been proceeding on this 'adventure' you've 'created' for me perhaps. Since Haggar's rise to ominous power, I've recruited a 'team' of vigilantes, and we refer to ourselves as the American Justice League [AJL]. The AJL tries to create grid-securities to establish communications and mailings in normal urban networks and traffic while working with crime-syndicate informants and CIA intelligence to determine the next moves of ISIS and Black Mask. The AJL is the best weapon against Haggar's evil mind."



"Haggar has employed a new 'anti-vigilante' named Mr. Hammer. This guy wields a giant sledgehammer (circus-style) and uses it to crush cop cars (and the cops sitting inside them!). Apparently, Mr. Hammer drew his 'insane inspiration' from a Hollywood (USA) film called Django Unchained in which an eccentric wields a hammer for show. Can the AJL deal with the likes of Mr. Hammer, who now has the 'blessings' of both ISIS and Black Mask? What do you think, Arrow/Batman?"



"You were right about Mr. Hammer, Medusa. He really did seem to believe he was 'called' by a scene in that Hollywood (USA) movie. Well, I've managed to track and arrest Mr. Hammer personally, and he's now in a center for the criminally-insane known as Arkham Asylum. He was able to give me information about the whereabouts of the evil witch Haggar. I suppose I should consider that Hollywood (USA) film as an ironic 'resource' for modern-day detectives."



"It looks like you and the AJL have a firm grip on how to proceed against Haggar, ISIS, and Black Mask. I suppose I was wise in assigning you the position of 'post-office worker,' since it's inspired you to become an 'active' pedestrian masked vigilante named Batman. You avoided the temptations of simply 'donning' your heroism-mantle of Green Arrow, which is why I can guarantee that your daughter, Delilah will not be harmed or seduced by any of these modern 'terrorism-entanglements' involving media and traffic. Your daughter will appreciate the differences between idol-worship and patriotism. Congratulations, Arrow/Batman. Time to wake!"



After Arrow (aka, the 'Batman') awoke from his very strange but lucid dream about being 'guided' by the voice/spirit of Medusa, he decided that the modern world required a fair amount of sociological insight, since it was much about traffic, grids, totems, and of course toys. Arrow wondered if it was his basic optimism that made him have a dream that he was being 'coached' by Medusa, who was otherwise rather diabolical and deceptive. However, he nevertheless wondered about the general 'social significance' of the 'ugly presence' of the intolerably evil witch Haggar in his crusade-themed dream. That's when his daughter ran up to him to show him the new Batman video-game featuring a new clown-like brute-villain...named Mr. Hammer.

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[Abishai100]

Chapter 3: Overwatch



This addendum, Chapter 3, is about 'modernism superstition' and was inspired by Kick-Ass and Being John Malkovich.



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An Internet-blogging self-proclaimed vigilante named Ajay Satan and a celebrity in America named Kurt Russell were both fascinated by Medusa mythology and wondered how they'd contribute to the mythology aesthetic with their personal brands of 'democratic idealism.' After all, Medusa signified a timeless social fascination with focus and obsession, which was the hallmark of modern-day (tech-obsession) insanity (e.g., eBay, email, eTrade, Facebook, Amazon, WikiLeaks, etc., etc.). Ajay and Kurt believed they should work together to engage with 'special modernism-symbolic demons' and ghouls, since Halloween was approaching. They were correct.

Ajay Satan became the comic book identity-donned hero Green Arrow(!), while Kurt Russell decided to become Hawkman. Both Arrow and Hawkman were made popular after the heroic deeds of the real-life Arrow who was able to defeat the diabolical spirit of 'Medusa' (a deed which was recorded in pop-culture). Now, Ajay wanted to carry on the torch as the 'new Arrow.' Likewise, Kurt wanted to give the beloved DC Comics superhero Hawkman a special 'pedestrian dimension' by donning his identity and mask and costume. Now, Arrow (Ajay) and Hawkman (Kurt) debated on how to tackled new age demons after they met each other in an Internet chatroom and decided to become 'team-mates.' Who was the sidekick?

Arrow (Ajay) decided to 'chase around' the demonic spirits of Jason Voorhees and Medusa in the suburbs of New York. Arrow looked for anyone in a Jason costume on Halloween Eve and ran up to him and pulled out an arrow tipped with a potent sedative. When Arrow came upon a psychotic strange man who claimed to be the 'real Jason,' Arrow shot him with his arrow, and the man ('Jason') fell unconscious. Arrow then went looking for any suspicious-looking female that same Halloween Eve and jokingly ask her if she thought she was as 'cool' as Medusa. When one mysterious woman named Eve answered, "Yes, I do," Arrow shot her too, and she too fell unconscious. He tied up 'Jason' and 'Medusa' and carried them off to Arkham Asylum.

Meanwhile, Hawkman (Kurt) was pursuing an urban crime-ghoul named Black Mask and his rival and equally villainous Red Hood. Black Mask and Red Hood wanted to turn Brooklyn and the Bronx into hell-holes, their respective 'havens.' Hawkman decided to infiltrate the groups of both Black Mask and Red Hood by forcing their street-minions to tell him where they were hiding out; Hawkman threatened these 'informants' by claiming to be a costumed agent of the CIA. When Hawkman extracted the hideout-info, he used a tranquilizer-gun to sedate Black Mask and Red Hood and haul them off to prison. Hawkman then sought to reunite with Arrow (Ajay) to report on his successes; Arrow was eager to do the same. At least, the 'demons' of Halloween that evening were somewhat 'laid to rest.'

Arrow and Hawkman recruited a team of vigilantes and called them the American Justice League [AJL]. Arrow and Hawkman were elected the Presidents, since they had the impressive successes that now-infamous Halloween Eve. The AJL discussed how they could 'complement' the work of Arrow (Ajay) and Hawkman (Kurt) by dealing with new forms of urban crime. Arrow (Ajay) still believed Medusa was a timeless 'totem' of modernism criminality, since her obsession/hypnosis-symbolism was an allusion to crime-neglect. However, Hawkman (Kurt) believed it was Black Mask who was more 'representative' of new age sins. The AJL deliberated on how to make both Presidents happy...

A member of the AJL named Nightwing decided to design a SimCity oriented office-video game in which various office-workers, dressed in hero/crusader/soldier costumes and uniforms engaged with each other about everyday labors and also crime-fighting intelligence in a cubical-arrayed area. The members of the AJL loved Nightwing's office-simulation game, since it encouraged each member to think actively about how to organize and communicate/negotiate with the other members. Suddenly, crime-fighting had a sort of 'professional appearance.'

ARROW: You see how I've inspired a real-life AJL to form?
MEDUSA: Well, Ajay Satan and Kurt Russell are certainly 'idealists.'
ARROW: You insist, however, they're not as 'philosophical' as we were...
MEDUSA: Well, they're not, right?
ARROW: I think the AJL resembled in scope the sort of 'omen' I dreamed you sent me!
MEDUSA: When you told me about that dream-omen, I couldn't stop giggling.
ARROW: You're as cynical as always.
MEDUSA: This new age is all about chatter and fantasies (e.g., Facebook).
ARROW: Technology can be a toy, ya know!
MEDUSA: I wonder what's the metaphysical link between Halloween and crime.
ARROW: I think it has something to do with masquerade and civilization itself.
MEDUSA: That sounds interesting; hey, you never decided if I was the 'real' Medusa.
ARROW: So what; you never said why a 'copycat' would be completely juvenile.
MEDUSA: Well, we might as well cheer on the AJL.
ARROW: I'm sure there's a Hollywood (USA) movie about the AJL in the works.
MEDUSA: There is! It stars Leo DiCaprio as Ajay Satan.
ARROW: Modern civilization is all about pranksters...

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