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

DAT_NOOB · Oct 14, 2022

Mr Zoat said:
I will not be using anything of that storyline, because it was stupid.

What??? but it's from the New 52 and we all know how much you love the New 52!

Jokes aside isn't that the blackest night? or are you using a different blackest/orangest night?

BR549 · Oct 14, 2022

Blackest Night is pre New-52. Barely.

Also the Green Lantern comics kinda...ignored that New 52 had happened for quite awhile, and kept doing their own thing just as they had been doing all along with no noticable changes.

(Then presumably The Board noticed this and that's where Relic and Ysmault being in Sector 2814 came from.)

Stsword · Oct 14, 2022

DAT_NOOB said:
What??? but it's from the New 52 and we all know how much you love the New 52!

Jokes aside isn't that the blackest night? or are you using a different blackest/orangest night?

I'm pretty sure he was referring to the Relic storyline with the emotional lights being used up and not the second part of where I referenced Blackest Night.

Considering there is an alt.Paul who is a vampire black lantern in Buffyverse and it has been established that Earth is the 5th World because Earth is the 5th world that the Guardians have hidden the White Light Entity, obviously he has already referenced Blackest Night in this story

Mr Zoat · Oct 15, 2022

31st December 2012
14:14 GMT -5

Karon tightens her hold around my shoulders as she feels me twitch, and I lean my head against her shoulder. I know what she's doing: trying to reassure me without making it obvious what she's doing. It'll take, like, a moment, but there's this thing where she kinda realizes what she's doing and she's not sure if she needs to-.

This time I snort. Which makes her turn her head towards me and get a face full of hair.

Okay, a chin full of hair. I need to try wearing heels or something.

"Holly?"

"Just thinking."

"'kay. Thinking what?"

"It's New Years Eve. In Gotham. And we're walking down a street in The Bowery like it's no big."

"We're both carrying."

"Yeah-yeah, but that's just 'cause… I mean, duh. But you really think we're gunna have to use 'em?"

"No. No, I don't."

"And it's New Year, and I don't think some crazy Arkham-escapee's gonna try anything. How 'bout you?"

"Huh."

"Yeah. 'Huh'. We're-. We're actually doing good. You, and me, and-. And the city. And I don't think it's just 'cause Batman busted some guy. I think it's… Like… Fixed."

"And lemme guess, you've got three days 'til retirement."

Huh?

"No? I've got, like, fifty years-. Oh. No. I mean, I'm prob'bly gonna live 'til retirement, but… It's nice. Like the future's taken care of and we can just live."

Karon stops, and I stop with her. I look up, and she's sort of looking around in a way that I wouldn't have dared to do a couple years ago 'cause it makes you look like you don't know where you are and stand out and stuff and that's just asking to get mugged. I mean, this street's not all that… Huh. Guess I never really looked at it eith-.

It's tall and dark and I can feel the streets pressing in around me and why did I think coming out was a good idea? A girl-.

There's a pressure on my hand and for a moment I think they've got me but I look up and I see it's Karon and I can see the same look in her eyes and we need to get out of here!

I grab her back and we run, we run back towards the bridge and I can hear screams around us but with the rows of buildings I can't see what or who's screaming and there's a guy-.

We skid to a halt and in his face I see alla the guys who used to fuck me and then I see his face and it's just some guy but that just means he hasn't tried me yet and he could, he could.

He's going to.

And I just stand there because that's what I do and Karon's got her gun out and-

BANG! BANG!

-she shoots him but there's a world full of guys like him all around us-.
And That's Just How It Is.
"C'm on."

She keeps her gun in her hand and grabs me with the other, grabs my upper arm and not my hand and pulling me because I belong to her for whatever she wants because she shot him and she'll shoot them and that's fine.
And That's Just How It Is.
It's better to be a toy than a dishcloth.

31st December 2012
14:19 GMT -5

Zauriel lunges, burning sword raised and air vibrating with his voice.

"No."

Mannheim steps forward and catches him around the throat too quickly for me to see. He yanks Zauriel towards him and I see his lips move for a moment before he drop Zauriel to the floor.

"N-o-o."

Zauriel collapses onto his back, sword abandoned, body convulsing and what looks like silver… Blood? Leaking from his eyes.

"Ignorant angel. You will learn. All is one in Darkseid, now and forever."

I could try looking into Zauriel, try to work out what the Anti-Life's doing to him and maybe fix it. But that opens a point of vulnerability. Mundane attacks, let Dr. Balewa and Mr. Free handle the exotic aspect.

"Activate gauntlets and lunge."

"Miss." Unimpeachable Authority.

He sidesteps as I swing my right palm, arms back behind his back, expression calm. Come on, I've always been sceptical about this. He's a large target. No matter how agile he is, there's only so much space for him to move to. And my kinetic system lets me move in all directions without worrying about momentum.

"Armour, message-"

I reverse direction and he steps back, and I immediately extend the kinetic barrier behind him, causing-.

He just steps through it.

"-team: any time."

Accelerate towards him, then.

He backs up but I'm faster, my arms swinging inwards to clap him-.

He catches my wrists just below the crumbler zone. Which means that his head is in exactly the right place for the purple ray. Not sure if having an evil god in your soul is healable-

I trigger the ray and shoot him in the face.

-but I'll give it a try.

He doesn't even notice. "All you build will come to naught."

"Maybe, but not to-"

I charge upwards, his hands still clasped around my wrists. The ceiling explodes, a broken-down dryer going flying across the room.

"-day."

His eyes glow a very faint red and I fly up through the building, the plaster board used for the weak interior divides bursting all over the place as he keeps holding on and not even bothering to try and attack me. I try and manoeuvre so that a lump of it at least blocks his face off, but it's not happening. Then I guess it's another-

Boof!

-floor-!

And-. And he's gone?

Ring active. Alert! Major mental alternations detected.

What? Considering, I feel f-.

Worldwide.

Handlewithcare · Oct 15, 2022

First the Sheeda, now a global Anti-Life infection. Every human on the planet is going to be in therapy forever.

Bud-E · Oct 15, 2022

Where's the rest of the League? Didn't Paul call them before they attacked the alliance?

lancelot · Oct 15, 2022

Mr Zoat said:
And-. And he's gone?

Ring active. Alert! Major mental alternations detected.

What? Considering, I feel f-.

Worldwide.

This would be a great time for Paul to stop sandbagging and go all out for once.

Alasnuyo · Oct 15, 2022

Welp, time to break out the Spear again and get Balewa to inject some Life-entity juice into it.

Sojiko · Oct 15, 2022

Pete Tong indeed.

Lord Ernest · Oct 15, 2022

Ho-ly Shit! Was the teleportation system just the basis for this then, not a subtle corrupting system for the heroes? Damn, well played, practically nobody saw this coming, well played indeed.

And once again, Renegade/Grayven's Earth pulls ahead as the best Earth to be in.

Chojin Patriarch · Oct 15, 2022

Mr Zoat said:
31st December 2012
14:14 GMT -5

Karon tightens her hold around my shoulders as she feels me twitch, and I lean my head against her shoulder. I know what she's doing; trying to reassure me without making it obvious what she's doing. It'll take, like, a moment, but there's this thing where she kinda realizes what she's doing and she's not sure if she needs to-.

This time I snort. Which makes her turn her head towards me and get a face full of hair.

Wait, that's not OL... What a time to cut away to another person. I hope we're not going to see the whole fight resolve off-screen, that'd be... Anticlimactic. ...Or is something not good about to happen?

Okay, a chin full of hair. I need to try wearing heels or something.

"Holly?"

Ah, the erstwhile Cat-Girl. Or at least she would be, if she had her way in some distant reality. What with being one of Selina Kyle's oldest friends.

"Just thinking."

"'kay. Thinking what?"

Ah, simple relationship things...

Shit's about to go bad, isn't it?

"It's New Years Eve. In Gotham. And we're walking down a street in The Bowery like it's no big."

"We're both carrying."

Well, yeah, they're not idiots or out-of-towners. Oh, wait, tautology.

"Yeah-yeah, but that's just 'cause… I mean, duh. But you really think we're gunna have to use 'em?"

"No. No, I don't."

Just flashing them should be enough to ward off any wanna-be gangbangers...

Wait... Phrasing!

"And it's New Year, and I don't think some crazy Arkham-escapee's gonna try anything. How 'bout you?"

"Huh."

Never underestimate one of the Freaks. They'll go out of their way to spite the universe's goodwill.

"Yeah. 'Huh'. We're-. We're actually doing good. You, and me, and-. And the city. And I don't think it's just 'cause Batman busted some guy. I think it's… Like… Fixed."

"And lemme guess, you've got three days 'til retirement."

Yeah, kind of tripping a buncha death flags here, kiddo.

Huh?

"No? I've got, like, fifty years-. Oh. No. I mean, I'm prob'bly gonna live 'til retirement, but… It's nice. Like the future's taken care of and we can just live."

And thus, by the law of Narrative, something bad must now happen...

Karon stops, and I stop with her. I look up, and she's sort of looking around in a way that I wouldn't have dared to do a couple years ago 'cause it makes you look like you don't know where you are and stand out and stuff and that's just asking to get mugged. I mean, this street's not all that… Huh. Guess I never really looked at it eith-.

It's tall and dark and I can feel the streets pressing in around me and why did I think coming out was a good idea? A girl-.

And here it comes. I'm guessing the effects of Bruno's Anti-Life machine is being felt everywhere.

There's a pressure on my hand and for a moment I think they've got me but I look up and I see it's Karon and I can see the same look in her eyes and we need to get out of here!

A grab her back and we run, we run back towards the bridge and I can hear screams around us but with the rows of buildings I can't see what or who's screaming and there's a guy-.

Hmm...Emotions running wild. Their inner light trying to resist in any way it can, perhaps?

We skid to a halt and in his face I see alla the guys who used to fuck me and then I see his face and it's just some guy but that just means he hasn't tried me yet and he could, he could.

He's going to.

Concerning that she's flip-flopping between emotions. What happens if one of them hits Rage?

And I just stand there because that's what I do and Karon's got her gun out and-

BANG! BANG!

Aw, crap. that's gonna have consequences...

-she shoots him but there's a world full of guys like him all around us-.
And That's Just How It Is.
"C'm on."

And the whole world is acting like this, isn't it? Emotions being driven into madness, panic and fear driving people into rage and destruction...

She keeps her gun in her hand and grabs me with the other, grabs my upper arm and not my hand and pulling me because I belong to her for whatever she wants because she shot him and she'll shoot them and that's fine.
And That's Just How It Is.
It's better to be a toy than a dishcloth.

And there goes her self-worth. That's gonna leave a mark.

31st December 2012
14:19 GMT -5

Zauriel lunges, burning sword raised and air vibrating with his voice.

"No."

And here we go with the New God Hax...

Mannheim steps forward and catches him around the throat too quickly for me to see. He yanks Zauriel towards him and I see his lips move for a moment before he drop Zauriel to the floor.

"N-o-o."

...Would Anti-life work better on an angel, being naturally subservient to the Presence, or less effective because of that devotion, I wonder...

Zauriel collapses onto his back, sword abandoned, body convulsing and what looks like silver… Blood? Leaking from his eyes.

"Ignorant angel. You will learn. All is one in Darkseid, now and forever."

Oof. Punched him right in the soul.

I could try looking into Zauriel, try to work out what the Anti-Life's doing to him and maybe fix it. But that opens a point of vulnerability. Mundane attacks, let Dr. Balewa and Mr. Free handle the exotic aspect.

"Activate gauntlets and lunge."

Also, I don't think Bruno's gonna let you try to fix Zauriel while he's standing there.

"Miss." Unimpeachable Authority.

He sidesteps as I swing my right palm, arms back behind his back, expression calm. Come on, I've always been sceptical about this. He's a large target. No matter how agile he is, there's only so much space for him to move to. And my kinetic system lets me move in all directions without worrying about momentum.

Yes, but he can force your body to deflect the swing. And you hardly even noticed him do it.

"Armour, message-"

I reverse direction and he steps back, and I immediately extend the kinetic barrier behind him, causing-.

The scary thing is...

He just steps through it.

"-team: any time."

...Bruno might not even be attacking. He could have mind-whammied OL without him noticing and this is just an illusion. Not likely, I know, but maybe?

Accelerate towards him, then.

He backs up but I'm faster, my arms swinging inwards to clap him-.

Problem is, OL, when he's got nowhere to go except through you.

He catches my wrists just below the crumbler zone. Which means that his head is in exactly the right place for the purple ray. Not sure if having an evil god in your soul is healable-

I trigger the ray and shoot him in the face

Ah, if only you'd figured out the alt-fire mode. One Purple Death ray to the face and this would have been... If not over, then much easier.

-but I'll give it a try.

He doesn't even notice. "All you build will come to naught."

Maybe so, but the act of building it is defiance enough.

"Maybe, but not to-"

I charge upwards, his hands still clasped around my wrists. The ceiling explodes, a broken-down dryer going flying across the room.

"-day."

And he actually heard that one, huh? Maybe he can try throwing his own metaphysical weight around, then.

His eyes glow a very faint red and I fly up through the building, the plaster board used for the weak interior divides bursting all over the place as he keeps holding on and not even bothering to try and attack me. I try and manoeuvre so that a lump of it at least blocks his face off, but it's not happening. Then I guess it's another-

Boof!

Ah, the good old 'world of cardboard' moment. Usually it's Superman getting this kind of treatment.

-floor-!

And-. And he's gone?

...huh. Guess he wasn't interested in a straight fight, then.

Ring active. Alert! Major mental alternations detected.

What? Considering, I feel f-.

Worldwide.

Ah, there's the shoe. Why waste time tussling with one mook when you can claim the whole shebang?

And all of a sudden, it's starting to look a little Final Crisis in here. Wonder if this'll go down as 'The Day The World Went Mad' or something like that? At any rate, it's going to be all hands on deck for this one. League, Team, Alliance (Those who aren't Justified yet) and every incidental hero, getting dragged into keeping the world from ripping itself a new one. This is certainly a Season Finale episode now!

NightmareWarden · Oct 15, 2022

If enlightenment helps, then Guy should be able to lend a hand. Unfortunately since his promotion he hasn't spend much time on Earth.

The interlude half of the update was deeply unsettling, Mr Zoat. A lack of hope. Minimal will. Waning love. Apathy in the face of the Darkseid's "revelation" for Earth.

Ngamer11 · Oct 15, 2022

NightmareWarden said:
If enlightenment helps, then Guy should be able to lend a hand. Unfortunately since his promotion he hasn't spend much time on Earth.

Adom and maybe Captain Marvel should be able to at least partially resist the Anti-Life Equation's effect, so maybe they could provide backup. Jordan also has enlightenment, though he may also not be on Earth due to being a member of the Honor Guard as well.

Lord Ernest · Oct 15, 2022

Ngamer11 said:
Jordan also has enlightenment

He does? Since when?

Ngamer11 · Oct 15, 2022

Lord Ernest said:
He does? Since when?

After he passed the M'eelam Na'aquall ritual. One POV has Hal remarking that he is now able to make constructs without being completely focused on only that one thing and disregarding everything else around him.

Old Knife · Oct 15, 2022

Haha. Now they've motivated Paul.
Time to Nom.

Lord Ernest · Oct 15, 2022

Ngamer11 said:
After he passed the M'eelam Na'aquall ritual. One POV has Hal remarking that he is now able to make constructs without being completely focused on only that one thing and disregarding everything else around him.

I mean, that sounds like he's a better Lantern. Not that he's enlightened. The only other Green Lantern that I remember having seen with green quotes, besides Guy, is the Illustres we met on Oa. Has Hal showed up with green quotes?

Ngamer11 · Oct 15, 2022

Lord Ernest said:
I mean, that sounds like he's a better Lantern. Not that he's enlightened. The only other Green Lantern that I remember having seen with green quotes, besides Guy, is the Illustres we met on Oa. Has Hal showed up with green quotes?

Sorry. I double checked, and you're right. So he isn't enlightened, and wouldn't have any resistance to the Anti-Life Equation.

Assblaster5000 · Oct 15, 2022

Oh boy. Trying to take what Avarice has claimed as Theirs?

Bad plan Darkseid. Very, very bad plan. Begins your better have fell to The Gnats ire for daring to touch what he felt was his, and he was far from Best Girl's Hunger.

Vaermina · Oct 15, 2022

Assblaster5000 said:
Oh boy. Trying to take what Avarice has claimed as Theirs?

Bad plan Darkseid. Very, very bad plan. Begins your better have fell to The Gnats ire for daring to touch what he felt was his, and he was far from Best Girl's Hunger.

Beings Darkseid's lesser have trapped emotional entities in jars for millions of years.

Vanbers · Oct 15, 2022

Lord Ernest said:
And once again, Renegade/Grayven's Earth pulls ahead as the best Earth to be in.

Paul: *Intricate plan and trying to save everyone*

Grayven!Paul: "Okay, but like, have you considered just stabbing your problems until they go away? That tends to work for me. Also is this going to take long? I have to pick up my daughter."

I kinda dig Renegade more since he comes off as like... more human? I dunno, OG!Paul seems less like a person and more a plot device or comes off as kinda inhuman a little, whereas Grayven has like a family and actual strong interpersonal relations and friendships.

I mean I can name like 5 actual-factual close friends of Grayven, but Paul comes off as kind of impersonal/standoffish. Renegade is more charismatic maybe? I'm too tired for deep character analysis.

Vaermina said:
Beings Darkseid's lesser have trapped emotional entities in jars for millions of years.

The fact one random asshole wizard trapped DREAM, the metaphysical universal concept of reality, one of the ENDLESS, in a glorified bottle, while trying to literally call up & imprison the literal metaphysical universal incarnation of DEATH, makes me really want something along the lines of some random wizard summoning Darkseid, and then just... leaving him there after Darkseid tries his whole 'anti-life' thing but fails due to some incredibly mundane reason. Like the circle is made of Life juice or something.

DC is a setting where random nobodies can do insane, absurd things inexplicably. I want 'This random hedge mage has trapped Darkseid in a salt circle, and now it's everyone's problem' shenanigans.

AmericanNumbers · Oct 15, 2022

It's yet another example of how styles makes fights. Paragon is not suited for this one. Renegade would be.

I do think it's weird that Paul had an Anti Life infection possibly happening and didn't have Shade on call.

mastermenthe · Oct 15, 2022

Mr Zoat said:
And That's Just How It Is.

I've always said that Darksied is a representation of badly written shitty premise power fantasy Self Inserts, and this just proves it: he's using a Normality Field!

What next, will he randomly seduce his family into an incestuous harem completely lacking all personality except when he is in the room?

Oh wait, he already has.

Radiant Knight · Oct 15, 2022

Mr Zoat said:
He doesn't even notice. "All you build will come to naught."

"Maybe, but not to-"

I charge upwards, his hands still clasped around my wrists. The ceiling explodes, a broken-down dryer going flying across the room.

"-day."

Huh, Paul responding to godspeech. Haven't seen that before. I know the last time it came up he could sort of hear it in a vague sense where he was aware it was happening, but I think this is the most fluent he's been for it yet.

Darko · Oct 15, 2022

Mr Zoat said:
"And it's New Year, and I don't think some crazy Arkham-escapee's gonna try anything. How 'bout you

No, but something worse is coming.

Mr Zoat said:
"Yeah. 'Huh'. We're-. We're actually doing good. You, and me, and-. And the city. And I don't think it's just 'cause Batman busted some guy. I think it's… Like… Fixed

I'm wondering if Anti-Life somehow first brings out all the good before crushing it.

Mr Zoat said:
Karon stops, and I stop with her. I look up, and she's sort of looking around in a way that I wouldn't have dared to do a couple years ago 'cause it makes you look like you don't know where you are and stand out and stuff and that's just asking to get mugged

This kinda reminds me of one story from the Books of Blood where a Satanist says that an important aspect when dealing with Hell is to always look forward.

Mr Zoat said:
It's tall and dark and I can feel the streets pressing in around me and why did I think coming out was a good idea? A girl-.

There's a pressure on my hand and for a moment I think they've got me but I look up and I see it's Karon and I can see the same look in her eyes and we need to get out of here

And there's Anti-Life.

Mr Zoat said:
A grab her back and we run, we run

"I grab"

Mr Zoat said:
And I just stand there because that's what I do and Karon's got her gun out and-

BANG! BANG!

-she shoots him but there's a world full of guys like him all around us

Shit.

Okay, this was maybe the scariest way you could show Anti-Life and its effects.

Bravo.

Mr Zoat said:
He doesn't even notice. "All you build will come to naught."

"Maybe, but not to-"

Ohoh, so you noticed that.

Mr Zoat said:
Ring active. Alert! Major mental alternations detected.

What? Considering, I feel f-.

Worldwide

Oh fuck.

Windona · Oct 15, 2022

Vanbers said:
I kinda dig Renegade more since he comes off as like... more human? I dunno, OG!Paul seems less like a person and more a plot device or comes off as kinda inhuman a little, whereas Grayven has like a family and actual strong interpersonal relations and friendships.

I mean I can name like 5 actual-factual close friends of Grayven, but Paul comes off as kind of impersonal/standoffish. Renegade is more charismatic maybe? I'm too tired for deep character analysis.

Whereas I am fresh as a daisy!

Renegade had a tendency to push people away early on, but when he left the Team 1) on his terms and 2) still on Earth he rapidly began to form a stable friend group. He also has Grayven memories, which make him think 'yes I need a court and this is how to develop one'. Renegade had a lot of trouble relating to people early on, but then he learned from that.

Paragon had a lot of early success with his friends and family and love life. Even now he has Jade. But because the break from the Team was so sudden and lead to space, and he hasn't really been hanging out with them or rebuilding those relationships, he doesn't have many. And even with the kick in the pants the JSI adventure gave him, he's still very work mode and hasn't yet gotten to a place where he realizes how much he needs to reinvest in his friendships since he's mostly spending time around work friends like Dr. Balewa.

Ngamer11 · Oct 15, 2022

I'm now curious as to what effect this is happening to the more mystical people and beings of Earth, like the Amazons, the Greek Gods, or Atlantis. Could any of them have developed some kind of defense against this? If not, I hope we get to see the aftereffects of this for all of them.

Edit: I'm adding Accalacan, just to get an update on how that place is progressing and to see Paul interact with Euanthe and have him gently turn down her propositions. I'd also be happy to see how the people of that nation react to Paul refusing their goddess' advances like that.

Mr Zoat · Oct 15, 2022

Radiant Knight said:
Huh, Paul responding to godspeech. Haven't seen that before. I know the last time it came up he could sort of hear it in a vague sense where he was aware it was happening, but I think this is the most fluent he's been for it yet.

I'm pretty sure he did it during the fight with The Key.

Darko said:
"I grab"

Thank you, corrected.

crazygrox · Oct 15, 2022

It occurs to me that this'd be a time to go looking for more humans who are enlightened, or in the aftermath of this. Because they would be more resistant.

This is also going to be a pain to fix.
I think OL himself eliminated time travel as an entirely viable way to fix this, which I think basically leaves mass mind control, and if OL realizes the scale of the problem he's liable to break off from the fighting and start mind controlling the planet to reduce the damage.
Maybe implant a strong worldwide desire to recognize and resist harm from ongoing mind control, and keep physical damage from getting too bad in the time until the effect stops/is counteracted?

Lothlo · Oct 15, 2022

Well, time to get the Big Guns. Merge with the Ophidian and temporarely mindfuck the Earth by their desires. So long as he can influence the desires of people not to kill each other, and fight the Anti-Life, he can gain time for others to find a solution. It is radical, but its either that, the spear of Longinus, or try to contact the Life Entity and that would be like lighting a neon sign on the dark for anyone who has knowledge of what the Life Entity is.

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

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At the End...

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At the End...

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I trust you know where the happy button is?

Well worn.

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Mint Thistle

Phoenix Fire

Connoisseur.

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