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

Reader mode
DAT_NOOB said:
Isn't it that every time an embodiment of a nation 'dies' in DC it gets resurrected as being that is a better representation of the countries current state?
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Perhaps the spirit of America will never die? And that everytime Uncle Sam does, he just body swaps into the most suitably American host he can find, like a malignant tumor of freedom?

If it were a magical thing, Germany would be ill equipped to deal with it.
 
Darko said:
I think that if it were that easy to get rid of him then he would have done it by now.
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Overman is a reluctant killer if he is a killer at all and Uncle Sam is likely very, very hard to kill. Also, Overman and his superiors aren't likely to know of the being's true nature as an embodiment of a nation. There may be orders not to kill Uncle Sam for deeply cynical political reasons.

DAT_NOOB said:
Isn't it that every time an embodiment of a nation 'dies' in DC it gets resurrected as being that is a better representation of the countries current state?
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That's how it worked in this fic at least.

Michael Vonica said:
Perhaps the spirit of America will never die? And that everytime Uncle Sam does, he just body swaps into the most suitably American host he can find, like a malignant tumor of freedom?
If it were a magical thing, Germany would be ill equipped to deal with it.
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Even that would help as he would be less likely to be a psycho terrorist and become a less murderous freedom fighter.
 
It really is lucky that, in the universe where he had access to Overman and Kryptonian technology, Hitler decided magic was silly and purged the Thule Society. If he also had the Spear of Destiny to reinforce National Socialist thought/rule? At the very least Overman wouldn't have the doubts he does. Hell, he might have eagerly participated in the genocides to make them more thorough.

Though I am curious . . . The excuse for superheroes not stomping the Axis flat is that if they entered their sphere of influence the Spear of Destiny would put the mind whammy on them and force them to fight for the Axis. Well, I think they could get away with in and out raids. They just couldn't stick around long enough to meaningfully contribute.

But, like, does this mean they didn't have to worry about partisans on Earths where the Nazis had the Spear? Was everyone in occupied Europe just perfectly compliant with Nazi rule? Including those they wanted to kill? Was the DC Holocaust worse because they were all eagerly collaborating?

And I guess the same for Japan and its fucked up stuff in occupied Asia. If I remember right, they were given the Holy Grail to perform a similar mind whammy ritual for their sphere of influence.
 
ForeverShogo said:
It really is lucky that, in the universe where he had access to Overman and Kryptonian technology, Hitler decided magic was silly and purged the Thule Society. If he also had the Spear of Destiny to reinforce National Socialist thought/rule? At the very least Overman wouldn't have the doubts he does. Hell, he might have eagerly participated in the genocides to make them more thorough.

Though I am curious . . . The excuse for superheroes not stomping the Axis flat is that if they entered their sphere of influence the Spear of Destiny would put the mind whammy on them and force them to fight for the Axis. Well, I think they could get away with in and out raids. They just couldn't stick around long enough to meaningfully contribute.

But, like, does this mean they didn't have to worry about partisans on Earths where the Nazis had the Spear? Was everyone in occupied Europe just perfectly compliant with Nazi rule? Including those they wanted to kill? Was the DC Holocaust worse because they were all eagerly collaborating?
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No, they had to deal with collaborators. Wolf could probably have worked something out, but it wasn't like he wanted less killing and so just keeping the superheroes out was enough.
And I guess the same for Japan and its fucked up stuff in occupied Asia. If I remember right, they were given the Holy Grail to perform a similar mind whammy ritual for their sphere of influence.
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While the Japanese had magicians, the Grail was outside of their mythos and they didn't know what to do with it beyond following the instructions the Thule Society provided.
 
Mr Zoat said:
that if American and Britain had
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'America'

Mr Zoat said:
The Light appear to have been stealing from sites on this world. That would
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Maybe 'appears to have'

Mr Zoat said:
He never used it this way, but… It would let it manipulate a large number of magic-influenced people at
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Maybe 'let him manipulate'

Mr Zoat said:
need to learn more about him than 'he is
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'him other than'
 
The greed from the emotional spectrum is pretty much a mix of envy, lust, greed, gluttony, pride, and sloth, all in one.
 
Past Participant (part 23)
  • Threadmarks
    • 16th September 2012
    14:57 GMT -5

    Overman frowns.

    "I do not have one of those."

    We're approaching Peru from the south, so as to better avoid the gaze of the Demon Superman. Frankly… Yes, he could hit us from here. He can probably track us by sound even assuming that he doesn't have the ability to extend his awareness using the planet's thaumosphere, which he probably does.

    Superman raises his eyebrows.

    "You don't? Jor-El included the seed crystal in my pod."

    "Mine may have been destroyed during the early attempts by the Reich's scientists to understand Kryptonian technology."

    Superman nods. "I could have my Fortress make another one, if you want it."

    "In my society, showing clearly my allegiance to an alien culture would not be wise."

    "In mine, people keep their traditions of their homelands at the same time as taking on new ones."

    Overman gives his head a small shake. "I do not live in yours. And… While I would prefer it if the Reich did things in that manner…" He pauses. "I do not like to speak positively of it, but I have had the opportunity to compare nations similar to yours with my own. There are benefits to uniformity. They are simply not worth the evil we did to gain them."

    We can see the South American Fortress from here, and it… Seems to be relatively intact. We're too far away for my rune stone to pick up anything more than the background magic level, but there's something… Odd about the surrounding forest. There are towns in the general vicinity of the Fortress, but I've yet to see anything that shouts 'demonic superhero' or Wolf Krieger himself.

    "So I can level the site from here, if that's what we're considering."

    Superman shakes his head. "Any of us could do that. But we're trying to save these people."

    Overman shrugs. "I would rather not kill them, but until we see a portal of my Earth we do not truly know that this is the true site."

    I alter my mouth and eyes to resemble those of the local Marked, including the 'S' tattoo on my forehead.

    "I can go and take a closer look. Unless they open the portal in the open we're not going to see it from here."

    Angelika looks sceptical. "Do they have an Orange Lantern?"

    "How would they know?" I shrug. "I can't make it much more realistic than this. Last time I metabolised demonic magic I.. became someone I didn't like."

    Now she's concerned. "What did you do?"

    "I broke up with Jade on the grounds that our relationship didn't provide a benefit to me proportional to the time I was investing." I shrug. "She shot me until I got better."

    Overman looks me over. "Do you think that you can pretend to be as deranged as they are?"

    Superman clears his throat and looks away.

    "I'm not going to be completely au fait with the local patois, but I'm confident of my ability to perform reconnaissance."

    Overman considers the idea. "What race are the people of Peru on this Earth? Could we all fit in?"

    "Everyone speak Spanish?" All three of my companions nod. "Then maybe. I can't reshape your faces, but if you pretend to be cultists, that might work. You'll need to change your clothes, obviously."

    Overman nods. "Superman?"

    "I'd rather we stay together on a world like this."

    "Right then. Dishevelled Peruvian peasant it is."

    Take a few pictures from ring records, adjust for size and… And opaque construct modesty screens and change. Lastly, 'S' stickers for their foreheads…

    Eh. They're all too good looking and healthy to really sell it, and blonde hair's not exactly common in Peru, but… It should work for a little while.

    I generate a construct topographical map, and we all examine it.

    "Here." / "Here."

    Overman and Superman point to the same position, out of sight of the settlements with enough high ground to cover us as we approach from the air. Angelika nods.

    "Should I go somewhere else? We don't know what the relationship between the superhumans and Marked cultists is."

    Angelika nods, rolling her eyes. "You want to land in the middle, don't you?"

    "Seems quickest. Overman, how much caution did the superhumans who attacked you show?"

    "None. The Marked cultists, a little more."

    "There we go. If they're all violent Demon Superman-fixated crazies, I should be able to fit right in."

    Superman nods. "We'll come in low, but we'll be listening for your voice. You can assume that we'll hear everything you say."

    I flash him a slasher-smile and a mock-salute and then rocket away. I see them drop down to start their approach, then flare my corona into a burning orange fireball. I don't know if drawing attention to myself will actually achieve anything here, but I don't see how it can hurt.

    Let's see… How was their voice altered?

    "I bear the-." Hm. "I bear the mark. Tell me his commands!"

    Yes, that'll do it. Right, no sense mucking about. I'll head right for the Fortress at maximum flight speed. It'll attract attention, if nothing else.

    Alert! Will detected!

    I frown as a green glow rises from the Fortress. A Lantern? That might explain why the Corps were so concerned, but assuming they remote destructed the ring's AI they shouldn't have to worry about them getting off the planet. The figure heads my way and I… Don't recognise them. They have the signature wide mouth and a green-burning 'S' on their forehead, but I have no idea of their character.

    I don't alter course and react to them coming my way at all, even as they fly towards me. Looks like he's slower than me.

    "Who are you? Why are you-"

    I fly past him, and he reverses direction to keep up with me. His legs… Huh. They're actually constructs. Curious.

    "-here?"

    "I hear his commands and I obey! There is no other purpose!"

    He gives me a too-broad smile. "Excellent! We are all his dutiful servants. I will guide you to his prophet, who will lead us to spread his word!"

    I grin back. "Take me there!"
     
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    • Mr Zoat said:
    He can probably track us by sound even assuming that he doesn't have the ability to extend his awareness using the planet's thaumosphere, which he probably does.
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    Maybe 'sound, even assuming'

    Mr Zoat said:
    Now she's concerned. "What did you do?"

    "I broke up with Jade on the grounds that our relationship didn't provide a benefit to me proportional to the time I was investing." I shrug. "She stabbed me until I got better
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    Don't forget shooting you with the Ace of Winchester.

    Actually, I don't think she stabbed him at all, so maybe change it to 'She shot me'.

    Mr Zoat said:
    Overman looks me over. "Do you think that you can pretend to be as deranged as they are?"
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    Don't worry, Karl.

    Paul is an expert at doing crazy.

    Mr Zoat said:
    Superman clears his throat and looks away
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    Hah!

    Clark knows what Paul is all about.
     
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    Mr Zoat said:
    16th September 2012
    14:57 GMT -5

    Overman frowns.

    "I do not have one of those."
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    :oops: Oh, my, what a line to open on! Though He's referring to the fortress, I'll bet. I hope they're observing from a safe distance, and well-concealed from Demon-Superman's senses. Then again, he's probably watching them anyway, just waiting for the right moment to smash in and dash their hopes of success, for maximum despair.

    We're approaching Peru from the south, so as to better avoid the gaze of the Demon Superman. Frankly… Yes, he could hit us from here. He can probably track us by sound even assuming that he doesn't have the ability to extend his awareness using the planet's thaumosphere, which he probably does.

    Superman raises his eyebrows.
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    And if they get the angles right, they could probably use his fortress as cover from his heat vision of doom.

    "You don't? Jor-El included the seed crystal in my pod."

    "Mine may have been destroyed during the early attempts by the Reich's scientists to understand Kryptonian technology."
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    Interestingly, one Fortress design he used at this time was a spherical Tesseract device, an orb the size of maybe a car. This is the more likely option. Classy.

    Superman nods. "I could have my Fortress make another one, if you want it."

    "In my society, showing clearly my allegiance to an alien culture would not be wise."
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    Then put it somewhere no-one would come looking. That's the whole point of a Fortress of Solitude...

    "In mine, people keep their traditions of their homelands at the same time as taking on new ones."

    Overman gives his head a small shake. "I do not live in yours. And… While I would prefer it if the Reich did things in that manner…" He pauses. "I do not like to speak positively of it, but I have had the opportunity to compare nations similar to yours with my own. There are benefits to uniformity. They are simply not worth the evil we did to gain them."
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    But by the same extent, sometimes you need the exceptional or individualistic aspects in order to progress...

    We can see the South American Fortress from here, and it… Seems to be relatively intact. We're too far away for my rune stone to pick up anything more than the background magic level, but there's something… Odd about the surrounding forest. There are towns in the general vicinity of the Fortress, but I've yet to see anything that shouts 'demonic superhero' or Wolf Krieger himself.

    "So I can level the site from here, if that's what we're considering."
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    "Nuke the site from orbit, it's the only way to be sure." Unfortunately, I suspect Demon Superman has added all manner of defences to it beyond the purely scientific.

    Superman shakes his head. "Any of us could do that. But we're trying to save these people."

    Overman shrugs. "I would rather not kill them, but until we see a portal of my Earth we do not truly know that this is the true site."
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    You're only going to get one shot at this, after all. Pick the wrong target, and the next time, Demon Superman will be waiting for you...

    I alter my mouth and eyes to resemble those of the local Marked, including the 'S' tattoo on my forehead.

    "I can go and take closer look. Unless they open the portal in the open we're not going to see it from here."
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    Hopefully the spell doesn't affect solely through the shape, like the Scry Wards back on Earth-16. Though I suspect Enlightenment would provide quite solid resistance to mind-altering effects. Never mind the spell-eater.

    Angelika looks sceptical. "Do they have an Orange Lantern?"

    "How would they know?" I shrug. "I can't make it much more realistic than this. Last time I metabolised demonic magic I.. became someone I didn't like."
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    Nor did anyone else, except the demons. And they don't count.

    Now she's concerned. "What did you do?"

    "I broke up with Jade on the grounds that our relationship didn't provide a benefit to me proportional to the time I was investing." I shrug. "She stabbed me until I got better."
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    I mean, he does have the ability to regenerate himself easily enough. I shudder to imagine what it would be like for a masochist with a ring...

    Overman looks me over. "Do you think that you can pretend to be as deranged as they are?"

    Superman clears his throat and looks away.
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    At least he's super-intelligent enough not to touch that straight line...

    "I'm not going to be completely au fait with the local patois, but I'm confident of my ability to perform reconnaissance."

    Overman considers the idea. "What race are the people of Peru on this Earth? Could we all fit in?"
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    A sensible question, given the state of the Americas in his world.

    "Everyone speak Spanish?" All three of my companions nod. "Then maybe. I can't reshape your faces, but if you pretend to be cultists, that might work. You'll need to change your clothes, obviously."

    Overman nods. "Superman?"
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    Logical that they'd know Spanish, probably because Germany backed one faction during the Civil War there in the thirties. I suppose it's no great challenge for a Kryptonian to learn a new language anyway.

    "I'd rather we stay together on a world like this."

    "Right then. Dishevelled Peruvian peasant it is."
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    ...These three? It'd be like dipping a supermodel in mud. No matter how you dirty it up, the beauty underneath will shine through...

    Take a few pictures from ring records, adjust for size and… And opaque construct modesty screens and change. Lastly, 'S' stickers for their foreheads…

    Eh. They're all too good looking and healthy to really sell it, and blonde hair's not exactly common in Peru, but… It should work for a little while.
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    Worst case, claim they're Europeans from some remote plantation? Not like the daemons will be looking too closely... Until the smart ones catch sight of them.

    I generate a construct topographical map, and we all examine it.

    "Here." / "Here."

    Overman and Superman point to the same position, out of sight of the settlements with enough high ground to cover us as we approach from the air. Angelika nods.
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    Proof they are the same person deep down, whatever their upbringing.

    "Should I go somewhere else? We don't know what the relationship between the superhumans and Marked cultists is."

    Angelika nods, rolling her eyes. "You want to land in the middle, don't you?"
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    ...Well, it is the quickest route in. And I doubt the guards will be all that clever.

    "Seems quickest. Overman, how much caution did the superhumans who attacked you show?"

    "None. The Marked cultists, a little more."
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    Little to no sense of self-preservation. About what you'd expect. But they were probably sending through z-listers...

    "There we go. If they're all violent Demon Superman-fixated crazies, I should be able to fit right in."

    Superman nods. "We'll come in low, but we'll be listening for your voice. You can assume that we'll hear everything you say."
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    OL, no. Don't you remember? Never split the party! On the other hand, would this make him the rogue?

    I flash him a slasher-smile and a mock-salute and then rocket away. I see them drop down to start their approach, then flare my corona into a burning orange fireball. I don't know if drawing attention to myself will actually achieve anything here, but I don't see how it can hurt.

    Let's see… How was their voice altered?
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    Rather painfully, I expect. Just act like your IQ is about.. half of its normal score...

    "I bear the-." Hm. "I bear the mark. Tell me his commands!"

    Yes, that'll do it. Right, no sense mucking about. I'll head right for the Fortress at maximum flight speed. It'll attract attention, if nothing else.
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    Let's hope it's not the kind of attention you won't like...

    Alert! Will detected!

    I frown as a green glow rises from the Fortress. A Lantern? That might explain why the Corps were so concerned, but assuming they remote destructed the ring's AI they shouldn't have to worry about them getting off the planet. The figure heads my way and I… Don't recognise them. They have the signature wide mouth and a green-burning 'S' on their forehead, but I have no idea of their character.
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    Ooof, one more of Neron's victims... He's had many in the years since he was introduced... Thankfully, he was never as clever as he thought he was.

    I don't alter course and react to them coming my way at all, even as they fly towards me. Looks like he's slower than me.

    "Who are you? Why are you-"
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    Fortunately, even if he attacks, OL can stomp him without breaking character...

    I fly past him, and he reverses direction to keep up with me. His legs… Huh. They're actually constructs. Curious.

    "-here?"
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    Thankfully, it looks like this guy has the same debuff to intelligence that all the Marked have...

    "I hear his commands and I obey! There is no other purpose!"

    He gives me a too-broad smile. "Excellent! We are all his dutiful servants. I will guide you to his prophet, who will lead us to spread his word!"

    I grin back. "Take me there!"
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    Yes, bring the 'fly' into the spider's parlour...

    Still no guarantee that this 'Prophet' is Wolf Kreiger, but it's probably one step closer to finding out. Hopefully, OL can avoid his cover being blown until the Super-trio arrive. With any luck, the Prophet won't be shielded against empathic vision, so that OL can tell him exactly what he wants to hear... Then when they have what they need to know, they can pull a Samson on the place...
     
    Chojin Patriarch said:
    At least he's super-intelligent enough not to touch that straight line...
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    It's a fairly cheap shot anyway.

    Chojin Patriarch said:
    These three? It'd be like dipping a supermodel in mud. No matter how you dirty it up, the beauty underneath will shine through...
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    If anything the mud would make them more attractive.

    Chojin Patriarch said:
    OL, no. Don't you remember? Never split the party! On the other hand, would this make him the rogue?
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    I'd say he's more wizard or thief.

    They better keep him in their sight.

    Chojin Patriarch said:
    Ooof, one more of Neron's victims... He's had many in the years since he was introduced... Thankfully, he was never as clever as he thought he was.
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    True, if I remember correctly he once tried to get Billy Batson's soul due to its purity, even though he can't have pure souls, and later tried to get someone's love, even though it's poisonous to him.
     
    Bigking321 said:
    Paul Christian?

    A guy Kyle Raynor gave a bit of power to so he could have legs again. Sold out to Neron the demon lord for more power.
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    I'm surprised to see him, I got the impression that just imbuing people with Emotional electromagnetic Energy that they can just use without a ring was something that didn't fit within the rules that Zoat made for this fic's cosmology when I mentioned him before. Without becoming an elemental of course.

    Hallalax ended up doing the same thing to Stewart when he healed him. "Hey don't do that!" and bam green energy blast without a ring, to everyone's surprise.

    And Neon's origin. A green lantern blew up in her face and she absorbed the energy and became a living lantern herself

    DC apparently likes that trick, lantern types who need neither ring nor lantern.
     
    Stsword said:
    I'm surprised to see him, I got the impression that just imbuing people with Emotional electromagnetic Energy that they can just use without a ring was something that didn't fit within the rules that Zoat made for this fic's cosmology when I mentioned him before. Without becoming an elemental of course
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    That may be true for Earth 16 but not necessarily for this version of Earth.
     
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