Atika went to bed a normal girl in a normal world, and woke up floating in space over an Earth...
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Control through Compassion - MCU/Lantern Corps
- Thread starter JeckJack
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Chapter 1 - Almost Stuck
JeckJack
Mask Seller
- Joined
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Atika went to bed a normal girl in a normal world, and woke up floating in space over an Earth that she thought was fictional, with an indigo power ring on one hand, and a glowing staff in the other.
Considering that this was a world that would be going through one disaster after another, and that her brand-new powers are fueled by compassion and brainwashing, she resolves to try and save the universe with the tools at her disposal.
Huh.
I'm still dreaming. I thought I woke up, but... here I am. I don't think I've had a dream like this before, of floating in space over the Earth. It's beautiful.
I read something about the "overview effect" the other day. That looking down on Earth from above like this fills astronauts with such a sheer kind of awe for Earth, and a knowledge that everyone is connected. I think I can understand where they're coming from. Wait. Something just happened. What just happened? I feel...
<Compassion detected. Atika Sandhurst of Earth, welcome to the indigo tribe.>
"What?" I stare down at my right hand, at the object around my pinky. That's a power ring.
<Error. User fortunately does not match qualifications for control ring requirements. User does match qualification for staff use. Altering ring protocols. Certain freedoms restored. Primary user recognized as Atika Sandhurst.>
I let out a small shriek as indigo light shoots from the ring, and wraps around my neck into a... a collar? There's a disc hanging from it, with the same symbol as the ring.
I don't understand what's going on. Am I... am I in control? Is this real life? I don't think a dream could make me feel like this. I try flying to the right and the left, although it's hard to tell if it worked, with nothing to compare my position to.
I look down at the Earth, and begin descending.
I aim for the great lakes, and then as they become bigger and bigger, I start looking for people. I see buildings on the edge of the lakeside, and fly towards them. As I pass overhead, I hear a sudden crash from the road on the other side.
Are they okay-
They need help!
I rush over, and everything becomes a blur.
That's the last of them in this hospital. Now, where to next?
<Plotting course.>
Right. I start flying along the invisible path in my mind, only to be pulled from it by another chime from the ring.
<This ring will require recharging again soon. Currently at 10% power.>
I don't say anything, simply urging the staff into existence, and staring up into the light inside it.
I raise up the ring on my hand to it, before hesitating.
"Ring? How long has it been since I woke up?"
<39 hours and eighteen minutes.>
"Oh." that was a lot longer than I was comfortable with.
The glowing jewel inside my staff shifts, suddenly, from indigo to yellow.
<Yellow charge available.>
"Store it." I say, just as I remember doing when it informed me it had blue charge, "Do that automatically for any color that comes up, not just blue."
<Understood. Would you like to hear the current level of charge?>
"Sure."
<The Power Staff currently contains the equivalent of 226% of an indigo ring charge, and building at a rate of 12% of a charge per hour. Preserved light includes 14% of a blue ring charge, 6% of a violet ring charge, 3% of an orange ring charge, 1% of a yellow ring charge.>
"Where did the orange and violet- never mind." I say, shaking my head, "I've... have you been controlling me? This whole time?"
<This ring is enabling you to follow through on your compassionate instincts.>
"But- I've spent almost forty straight hours doing nothing but healing people." I say, "I was stuck. How many times have I recharged?"
<Twice.>
I stare up at the staff. I would have recharged this time as well, if there were still injured people right in front of me. If I hadn't happened to get low on ring power in-between hospitals...
The next hospital! Agh! I got distracted, I need to... to relax. And focus. Yes, if I go there, it'll help people. Maybe even save their lives. But this isn't the best way to do things. Just hopping from hospital to hospital forever isn't the way that helps the most people.
I bite my lip, staring down at the ring, and then I reach for it with my other hand, and... slide it off.
The sudden difference is like cold water pouring down my spine. I shudder, and let the ring drop from my hand onto the roof below. I cup my mouth with one hand, and focus on my breathing. I barely take note as my collar- god I was wearing a collar -and my tattoos evaporate into motes of light.
It had me. Even when I wasn't being actively compassionate, it still had me. Changing me. I look at the staff, and feel another twinge of fear. Did it still have me?
I let go of the staff, and then shriek as I fall five feet onto the roof below. I hit it mostly standing up, but I lose my balance immediately after, and begin sliding. I fight for balance for a few seconds, breathing hard, before looking back up at the staff floating in the air.
I don't really feel that different. Being out of contact with the staff didn't bring any sudden shift in the way my thoughts felt like it did when I let go of the ring.
A smile pulls at my face as I look back to the staff. I reach out to it- and sure enough, it drifts towards me. When I grab onto it again, there's a wave of indigo light as my glowing tattoos reestablish themselves. But... no collar.
"Thank god." I breathe out, relief flooding into my veins. I note with some amusement that the gem inside the staff flashed briefly to blue again. Without any kind of notification, though. Was all of that talking just the ring?
I look down at where its lying on the roof, caught in a crack in one of the tiles. A tiled roof, too. Where even am I? I have no clue.
Part of me wants to just leave it there, but it'll get blown down by wind, or something, eventually. And someone might pick it up and get themselves brainwashed. I need to take it with me.
Frowning, I glance back at my staff.
This thing is basically just a battery, going off of what I remember about the comics. Did holding a battery let you do all the things the ring could? I mean... I'm flying. That's something. Could I make constructs?
I aim the staff down at the ring, and try to create a bubble around it. Nothing. But... emotion is important to this stuff, isn't it? I need to pick up the ring, so it doesn't accidentally hurt anyone.
A bubble forms around the ring, and I float it up to me.
Oh, this isn't bad at all. Lantern Atika is here, ring or no ring!
But now there's the question of where to put the ring.
I'm definitely not going to wear it. No matter how helpful the AI is, it isn't worth the brainwashing. But just having it sit in my pocket feels like asking for trouble. I don't want to accidentally brainwash a pickpocket or anything.
But without a better option at the moment... I unzip my fanny pack, hold it under the bubble, and pop it. The ring drops in, and I quickly zip it shut over it.
Now... where the hell am I?
I raise up higher into the air with a thought, before looking out over the suburbs I've found myself in. I don't really recognize any of it, but I'm not sure why I would. I'm... pretty sure I descended down from space aiming for the great lakes, but once I came close to a city, I noticed a car accident and had to help. From there, I saw an ambulance with its lights flashing, so I followed it to help whoever they were going to help.
It turned out to be heading to a hospital, rather than driving away from it. I began slowly healing the person on the stretcher inside with compassion, but once the EMT people noticed just what it was that I was doing, they began to feel hope, and the ring told me I could emulate it, and suddenly the healing suddenly started going a lot faster, and with a lot less crying on the part of the victim.
And from there I got stuck in a loop of constantly healing anyone who I noticed needed it, and then asking the ring for the next nearest group of people who could use healing too. A loop that apparently lasted forty fucking hours.
I shudder again, before flying even higher. I should be able to recognize things from higher up, right?
I try to call up a map with my power, but it doesn't produce much of anything. I guess this is another area where an AI would be useful.
Even from a bird's eye view, nothing really stands out. Sighing, I look for the nearest city, and start heading that way. The suburbs shoot past in a blur, and soon I'm among buildings. Still nothing I recognize. I fly parallel with the roads for a few minutes, watching the sidewalks below- and the people staring up at me in shock, when I notice something that might help me learn the name of the city at least.
A news stand.
I drop down, sending everyone nearby my landing spot scattering, watching me carefully. I notice, with some displeasure, that the gem in my staff is glowing yellow again.
...
I wonder if my staff stopped storing emulated emotions, without the ring to tell it to do so, or if my command to start doing that automatically still holds.
I land without a sound, and then pointedly ignore the gawking crowds as I pick up a newspaper from the rack. Huh. I'm in Wisconsin. Cool. That's not too far away.
I smile, before something catches my eye.
The date is October 15th, 2011.
I look at the others, and see the same dates on the other papers. Worse yet, I begin looking at the headlines and pictures, and while most of it is stuff that doesn't light up any bells, seeing Gyneth Paltrow's picture in front of a massive construction site listed next to a headline about "Stark Tower: The Future of Clean Energy" and an interview with quotes from "Stark CEO, Virginia Potts."
Another paper had a picture of Chris Evans, with the headline "Captain America Alive!"
I stare at them in confusion, and then horror. God damn it, was this really happening? The MCU. Why did I have a DC superpower if I'm in Marvel?
I turn my glare on a random passer-by. "Hey. I need your phone."
"But-"
"Give me." I hold out my free hand, while I make my staff glow menacingly- huh. And it works. Glowing yellow, though, rather than indigo. Inspire fear and all that.
He tosses it to me, and starts backing off. I turn it on, and sigh. "It's locked." Hesitantly, he starts moving closer again, and slowly taps in his password.
"Thank you." I say, before turning my attention to the phone. The date really is October 15th, and the year really is 2011. I go into his browser, and look up 'Stark'. In the image results I see pictures of Iron Man, missiles, Robert Downey Jr., and Gwyneth Paltrow. In the links... wikipedia, the Stark Industries website, a bunch of different news sites... nothing connected to Marvel, though.
In fact...
I look up 'Marvel Comics'. Nothing. Nada.
Stan Lee? It asks if I mean Stanley, and none of the images are immediately recognizable.
Captain America? Wikipedia, new sites, history sites...
Sighing, I exit out of the browser, and look to the scared man watching me. He seemed unsure if he was allowed to run or not. I look down at the phone, and fight the urge to just take it and run. The maps alone would be extremely useful. But...
I pass it over to him. "Thank you. I'm sorry for scaring you."
He hurries off as soon as the phone is in his hand, not bothering to reply. I don't really blame him. This is a world with actual supervillains, he was probably in fear for his life.
With a thought, I'm flying up into the air again, although without a clear aim. What should I do with this information? If it was 2011, and Captain America had only just woken up... I was in between the Incredible Hulk and Avengers.
In less than a year, in 2012, New York would be invaded by aliens. In 2013, portals to the nine realms are gonna open, and elves will try and destroy all of them. In 2014, Ego tries to consume the Earth and thousands of other planets. In 2015, Ultron tries to cause an extinction-level event. In 2017 Dormammu is going to try and eat this whole reality... or maybe just Earth, I wasn't really sure. I think Asgard was destroyed then, too. And in 2018, the Snap happens, and I just have to hope I'm not in the 50% that don't feel so good.
This... isn't an ideal situation. I mean, I could just sit back, and trust the Avengers to make sure that everything happens as it should. But I've already made a bunch of changes. What if I've ruined Doctor Strange's 'one timeline' thing? A bunch of people are alive now where they would have probably died before. Heck, a bunch of people being totally healed without needing to wait for their normal recovery times would make a bunch of changes too.
Which means that sitting back and letting things happen might result in being doomed.
I turn around and look down at the Earth stretching out in every direction.
...
And I decide to help.
Considering that this was a world that would be going through one disaster after another, and that her brand-new powers are fueled by compassion and brainwashing, she resolves to try and save the universe with the tools at her disposal.
Huh.
I'm still dreaming. I thought I woke up, but... here I am. I don't think I've had a dream like this before, of floating in space over the Earth. It's beautiful.
I read something about the "overview effect" the other day. That looking down on Earth from above like this fills astronauts with such a sheer kind of awe for Earth, and a knowledge that everyone is connected. I think I can understand where they're coming from. Wait. Something just happened. What just happened? I feel...
<Compassion detected. Atika Sandhurst of Earth, welcome to the indigo tribe.>
"What?" I stare down at my right hand, at the object around my pinky. That's a power ring.
<Error. User fortunately does not match qualifications for control ring requirements. User does match qualification for staff use. Altering ring protocols. Certain freedoms restored. Primary user recognized as Atika Sandhurst.>
I let out a small shriek as indigo light shoots from the ring, and wraps around my neck into a... a collar? There's a disc hanging from it, with the same symbol as the ring.
I don't understand what's going on. Am I... am I in control? Is this real life? I don't think a dream could make me feel like this. I try flying to the right and the left, although it's hard to tell if it worked, with nothing to compare my position to.
I look down at the Earth, and begin descending.
I aim for the great lakes, and then as they become bigger and bigger, I start looking for people. I see buildings on the edge of the lakeside, and fly towards them. As I pass overhead, I hear a sudden crash from the road on the other side.
Are they okay-
They need help!
I rush over, and everything becomes a blur.
That's the last of them in this hospital. Now, where to next?
<Plotting course.>
Right. I start flying along the invisible path in my mind, only to be pulled from it by another chime from the ring.
<This ring will require recharging again soon. Currently at 10% power.>
I don't say anything, simply urging the staff into existence, and staring up into the light inside it.
I raise up the ring on my hand to it, before hesitating.
"Ring? How long has it been since I woke up?"
<39 hours and eighteen minutes.>
"Oh." that was a lot longer than I was comfortable with.
The glowing jewel inside my staff shifts, suddenly, from indigo to yellow.
<Yellow charge available.>
"Store it." I say, just as I remember doing when it informed me it had blue charge, "Do that automatically for any color that comes up, not just blue."
<Understood. Would you like to hear the current level of charge?>
"Sure."
<The Power Staff currently contains the equivalent of 226% of an indigo ring charge, and building at a rate of 12% of a charge per hour. Preserved light includes 14% of a blue ring charge, 6% of a violet ring charge, 3% of an orange ring charge, 1% of a yellow ring charge.>
"Where did the orange and violet- never mind." I say, shaking my head, "I've... have you been controlling me? This whole time?"
<This ring is enabling you to follow through on your compassionate instincts.>
"But- I've spent almost forty straight hours doing nothing but healing people." I say, "I was stuck. How many times have I recharged?"
<Twice.>
I stare up at the staff. I would have recharged this time as well, if there were still injured people right in front of me. If I hadn't happened to get low on ring power in-between hospitals...
The next hospital! Agh! I got distracted, I need to... to relax. And focus. Yes, if I go there, it'll help people. Maybe even save their lives. But this isn't the best way to do things. Just hopping from hospital to hospital forever isn't the way that helps the most people.
I bite my lip, staring down at the ring, and then I reach for it with my other hand, and... slide it off.
The sudden difference is like cold water pouring down my spine. I shudder, and let the ring drop from my hand onto the roof below. I cup my mouth with one hand, and focus on my breathing. I barely take note as my collar- god I was wearing a collar -and my tattoos evaporate into motes of light.
It had me. Even when I wasn't being actively compassionate, it still had me. Changing me. I look at the staff, and feel another twinge of fear. Did it still have me?
I let go of the staff, and then shriek as I fall five feet onto the roof below. I hit it mostly standing up, but I lose my balance immediately after, and begin sliding. I fight for balance for a few seconds, breathing hard, before looking back up at the staff floating in the air.
I don't really feel that different. Being out of contact with the staff didn't bring any sudden shift in the way my thoughts felt like it did when I let go of the ring.
A smile pulls at my face as I look back to the staff. I reach out to it- and sure enough, it drifts towards me. When I grab onto it again, there's a wave of indigo light as my glowing tattoos reestablish themselves. But... no collar.
"Thank god." I breathe out, relief flooding into my veins. I note with some amusement that the gem inside the staff flashed briefly to blue again. Without any kind of notification, though. Was all of that talking just the ring?
I look down at where its lying on the roof, caught in a crack in one of the tiles. A tiled roof, too. Where even am I? I have no clue.
Part of me wants to just leave it there, but it'll get blown down by wind, or something, eventually. And someone might pick it up and get themselves brainwashed. I need to take it with me.
Frowning, I glance back at my staff.
This thing is basically just a battery, going off of what I remember about the comics. Did holding a battery let you do all the things the ring could? I mean... I'm flying. That's something. Could I make constructs?
I aim the staff down at the ring, and try to create a bubble around it. Nothing. But... emotion is important to this stuff, isn't it? I need to pick up the ring, so it doesn't accidentally hurt anyone.
A bubble forms around the ring, and I float it up to me.
Oh, this isn't bad at all. Lantern Atika is here, ring or no ring!
But now there's the question of where to put the ring.
I'm definitely not going to wear it. No matter how helpful the AI is, it isn't worth the brainwashing. But just having it sit in my pocket feels like asking for trouble. I don't want to accidentally brainwash a pickpocket or anything.
But without a better option at the moment... I unzip my fanny pack, hold it under the bubble, and pop it. The ring drops in, and I quickly zip it shut over it.
Now... where the hell am I?
I raise up higher into the air with a thought, before looking out over the suburbs I've found myself in. I don't really recognize any of it, but I'm not sure why I would. I'm... pretty sure I descended down from space aiming for the great lakes, but once I came close to a city, I noticed a car accident and had to help. From there, I saw an ambulance with its lights flashing, so I followed it to help whoever they were going to help.
It turned out to be heading to a hospital, rather than driving away from it. I began slowly healing the person on the stretcher inside with compassion, but once the EMT people noticed just what it was that I was doing, they began to feel hope, and the ring told me I could emulate it, and suddenly the healing suddenly started going a lot faster, and with a lot less crying on the part of the victim.
And from there I got stuck in a loop of constantly healing anyone who I noticed needed it, and then asking the ring for the next nearest group of people who could use healing too. A loop that apparently lasted forty fucking hours.
I shudder again, before flying even higher. I should be able to recognize things from higher up, right?
I try to call up a map with my power, but it doesn't produce much of anything. I guess this is another area where an AI would be useful.
Even from a bird's eye view, nothing really stands out. Sighing, I look for the nearest city, and start heading that way. The suburbs shoot past in a blur, and soon I'm among buildings. Still nothing I recognize. I fly parallel with the roads for a few minutes, watching the sidewalks below- and the people staring up at me in shock, when I notice something that might help me learn the name of the city at least.
A news stand.
I drop down, sending everyone nearby my landing spot scattering, watching me carefully. I notice, with some displeasure, that the gem in my staff is glowing yellow again.
...
I wonder if my staff stopped storing emulated emotions, without the ring to tell it to do so, or if my command to start doing that automatically still holds.
I land without a sound, and then pointedly ignore the gawking crowds as I pick up a newspaper from the rack. Huh. I'm in Wisconsin. Cool. That's not too far away.
I smile, before something catches my eye.
The date is October 15th, 2011.
I look at the others, and see the same dates on the other papers. Worse yet, I begin looking at the headlines and pictures, and while most of it is stuff that doesn't light up any bells, seeing Gyneth Paltrow's picture in front of a massive construction site listed next to a headline about "Stark Tower: The Future of Clean Energy" and an interview with quotes from "Stark CEO, Virginia Potts."
Another paper had a picture of Chris Evans, with the headline "Captain America Alive!"
I stare at them in confusion, and then horror. God damn it, was this really happening? The MCU. Why did I have a DC superpower if I'm in Marvel?
I turn my glare on a random passer-by. "Hey. I need your phone."
"But-"
"Give me." I hold out my free hand, while I make my staff glow menacingly- huh. And it works. Glowing yellow, though, rather than indigo. Inspire fear and all that.
He tosses it to me, and starts backing off. I turn it on, and sigh. "It's locked." Hesitantly, he starts moving closer again, and slowly taps in his password.
"Thank you." I say, before turning my attention to the phone. The date really is October 15th, and the year really is 2011. I go into his browser, and look up 'Stark'. In the image results I see pictures of Iron Man, missiles, Robert Downey Jr., and Gwyneth Paltrow. In the links... wikipedia, the Stark Industries website, a bunch of different news sites... nothing connected to Marvel, though.
In fact...
I look up 'Marvel Comics'. Nothing. Nada.
Stan Lee? It asks if I mean Stanley, and none of the images are immediately recognizable.
Captain America? Wikipedia, new sites, history sites...
Sighing, I exit out of the browser, and look to the scared man watching me. He seemed unsure if he was allowed to run or not. I look down at the phone, and fight the urge to just take it and run. The maps alone would be extremely useful. But...
I pass it over to him. "Thank you. I'm sorry for scaring you."
He hurries off as soon as the phone is in his hand, not bothering to reply. I don't really blame him. This is a world with actual supervillains, he was probably in fear for his life.
With a thought, I'm flying up into the air again, although without a clear aim. What should I do with this information? If it was 2011, and Captain America had only just woken up... I was in between the Incredible Hulk and Avengers.
In less than a year, in 2012, New York would be invaded by aliens. In 2013, portals to the nine realms are gonna open, and elves will try and destroy all of them. In 2014, Ego tries to consume the Earth and thousands of other planets. In 2015, Ultron tries to cause an extinction-level event. In 2017 Dormammu is going to try and eat this whole reality... or maybe just Earth, I wasn't really sure. I think Asgard was destroyed then, too. And in 2018, the Snap happens, and I just have to hope I'm not in the 50% that don't feel so good.
This... isn't an ideal situation. I mean, I could just sit back, and trust the Avengers to make sure that everything happens as it should. But I've already made a bunch of changes. What if I've ruined Doctor Strange's 'one timeline' thing? A bunch of people are alive now where they would have probably died before. Heck, a bunch of people being totally healed without needing to wait for their normal recovery times would make a bunch of changes too.
Which means that sitting back and letting things happen might result in being doomed.
I turn around and look down at the Earth stretching out in every direction.
...
And I decide to help.
I decided to write something really self-indulgent. Unlike most of my stories, I do actually have a goal and ending planned for this one, so it might be the first story I actually finish on here.
Not really looking for criticism. Just having a fun time with this one.
Edit: Didn't watch Agents of SHIELD or Inhumans, and I'm not planning on doing so. So the only things that are canon for this story are the MCU movies proper.
Not really looking for criticism. Just having a fun time with this one.
Edit: Didn't watch Agents of SHIELD or Inhumans, and I'm not planning on doing so. So the only things that are canon for this story are the MCU movies proper.
Last edited:
theBSDude
Space Ace
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I see this as an absolute win! It feels like everything that tries to do SHIELD gets caught in a black hole of nobodies.
IahIahShipping
Well worn.
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* Looks at Dial from spacebattles * Nah I just think it needs someone hella familiar with the comic and showverse to make it work.
theBSDude
Space Ace
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I was thinking of Dial specifically. I don't have the familiarity with the non-movie properties to care about all those characters.
kongarthur
Know what you're doing yet?
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What does the mc look like?
theBSDude
Space Ace
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The first word of the thread is a link. It's a modern AU of Petra from Fire Emblem Three Houses.
kongarthur
Know what you're doing yet?
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Thanks hadn't seen it
derkan
Experienced.
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So, the ring brainwashing can be at lest held off enough to take it off...
If the MC manage to control it for like 5 second, white collar crime will essentially disappear.
"Ring ? Scan every electronic device on this world for proof of unlawful action and behaviour according to the law of the country this device is and then send it to the proper authorities."
If the MC manage to control it for like 5 second, white collar crime will essentially disappear.
"Ring ? Scan every electronic device on this world for proof of unlawful action and behaviour according to the law of the country this device is and then send it to the proper authorities."
M4DM0XX1
"Always love a good tip."
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Nice great Job JeckJack. I always enjoy your stories.
Although the beginning had me very confused until i reread it a few times.
I feel like a paragraph of the MC waking up in space with the ring on her hand, with a short moment of clarity before it took over and started healing would've explained a lot
Although the beginning had me very confused until i reread it a few times.
I feel like a paragraph of the MC waking up in space with the ring on her hand, with a short moment of clarity before it took over and started healing would've explained a lot
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MadMarx420
Not too sore, are you?
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Indigo power rings come in control and free mode AFAIK, meaning that a ring on free mode shouldn't be forcing you to be as compassionate as a brainwashed user since you're already compassionate.
other than that not much you can do power rings influence you more and more the further you get away from Green. Personally I'd accept the ring but can understand why you'd be hesitant.
other than that not much you can do power rings influence you more and more the further you get away from Green. Personally I'd accept the ring but can understand why you'd be hesitant.
JeckJack
Mask Seller
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I think I'll do that. Thanks for the suggestion.
This will be explained later in the story, but basically, it isn't a ring in free mode, but because she wasn't a mass murderer or anything like that before she put it on, the same restrictions that would keep criminals from removing their rings aren't holding her back.
Basically, it automatically compels compassion no matter what, but only actually imprisons people who 'deserve' it.
MadMarx420
Not too sore, are you?
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Seems like your MC is kinda screwed then, on one hand a very powerful tool even by DC comics standards in a relatively low power setting such as the MCU on the other hand if you want to use it you've got to feel compassion and very little else. I mean at least it isn't a red ring lol.
Well looking forward to future chapters seems fairly good so far.
Gorgrath177
Professional supervillain
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This has potential, always down for some wholesome yuri. I do hope it's not too Mary stu though.
Chapter 2 - Fishing Emulator
JeckJack
Mask Seller
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- May 11, 2017
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"Okay... here we go..." I've decided that before I do anything else, I should at the very least get a grip on what I have to work with. So I flew out to the middle of the lake, to the point where I'm far enough that I can barely see the land. The goal for now? Successfully emulating every color of emotion. I managed to make yellow work when I scared that poor guy into giving me his phone, and I used plenty of blue and indigo during the... blur.
I figure I should start with green. It's supposed to be the easiest color to use.
I close my eyes, but it doesn't take too many tries to make myself focus. When I open them, sure enough, the gem in my staff is glowing green. I look out over the lake, and then point towards it. Green light shoots out of the head, and creates a pretty simple bucket construct. Nothing fancy, basically Lantern 101. It scoops up a large amount of water... and then becomes translucent.
I can see the fish inside there.
Okay... now... I create holes in the bottom of the construct. The water drains out of the bucket, leaving just the fish- and there goes my construct. The fish falling safely back into the water only a few inches away. Come on! One was a carp! They're an invasive species!
Ugh. Never mind. The point is to practice. Actually, now that I do have a little red... I aim my staff back at the lake, and try to find that carp again... but I can't work up the nerve to actually fire. Oh well.
So... I've practiced with indigo, blue, yellow, and now green. I've been able to emulate each of them without too many problems. What next?
Orange could be pretty damn useful. I'll try that next.
Now... I'd feel bad about shooting a beam of pure hatred into the lake that might kill all kinds of things... but would I feel bad about transforming a carp into something I can put to good use? The gem of my staff glows orange, and I create another bucket construct. I turn it transparent, just like before, and then... ha. There you are. I create a fishing pole construct and let the line coil off and lower the hook into the water... upon which it seeks out the carp. It latches onto the fish painlessly, and the orange light from the construct begins to spill into it.
It's kind of hard to see, considering I'm already looking at it through a transparent orange filter, but I can still see that the carp's colors begin to change. It doesn't fight the effect, as far as I can tell, simply becoming a little more agitated at the most.
And then... its completely orange.
I drop the bucket construct gently into the water, and let the other fish go free. But the carp, now my carp, remains where it was, gently swimming in the air, surrounded by orange glow, and keeping its low-eyed gaze on me.
"How intelligent are you?"
I don't get much of an answer. "Swim up."
It does immediately, darting up higher into the sky. I want it to come back- and it does. Even without me giving an explicit order. Now... what else could orange constructs do? I think I remember that they could turn other living things into constructs, too? Like orange light zombies.
I grin evilly.
"Find all the other carp you can, and turn them orange too. Oh, and sea lampreys. And gobeys. And ruffe. And zebra mussels and-
...
Actually... that could turn out really badly. I don't know how good their attention span is. Obviously, getting rid of all of these invasive species would be good for the environment, but what if it can even recognize the species I'm thinking of. What if it just starts assimilating everything? Unleashing a wave of self-replicating orange zombie fish onto the great lakes might not be... great.
Find one other carp. Assimilate it, and bring it to me. Assimilate nothing else.
It swims down, and slips into the water. I wait for a few minutes, kind of nervous, before two orange lights swim over to me, and then rise out of the water.
Okay!
Now... find a sea lamprey, assimilate it, and nothing else. Huh. When I focused on the image of one, I think I felt a click in my carp's minds.
They both immediately dart back into the water. Maybe this could work.
...
But I think I'm going to practice with a smaller, less important lake before I do anything further. And besides, I'm in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I have bigger problems coming up than invasive species. Apocalypse-level problems.
Which is why I'm practicing, to see what I can do.
So! Indigo, blue, yellow, green, orange, and now... red next. Its probably the best offensive option, so I should practice with that next.
I'm still unwilling to shoot a beam into the lake and hurt a bunch of innocent creatures, but I think an acceptable target will be heading back right... now.
Five orange lights rise up out of the water. Wait. Five?
The two glowing carp, now each with a glowing lamprey, although the smaller of the two was currently hanging onto a poor innocent lake trout. Which was also glowing orange. With a thought, I make it let go. I suppose this just goes to show why I had to be careful with construct lanterns. Even if my carp didn't go overboard, the lamprey they made did.
I have it squirm up, higher into the air. Then, I tell it to stay there. I raise up my staff, and try to feel angry at it. And... and nothing.
How do I make myself compassionately mad?
"Can I just... recall you guys? Make you disappear until I need you later?"
The first carp I assimilated glows briefly, and then transforms into a featureless ring. Then, the other four constructs all fade into light, and are sucked into the ring, which glows slightly brighter with each construct that enters its signet.
"Huh." I reach out to touch it and- nonononono! I drop it just as quickly. Not doing the fucking brainwashing thing again. No. NO.
I won't be controlled! I blast it with the staff!
To my shock, it... works? the corrosive blast of red light rips through the ring. Crackling and almost bubbling with energy as it does so. The thing explodes. And then I see the five orange constructs fleeing from the explosion, more-or-less fine. Hm.
So... I can emulate anger out of concern. For myself, and definitely for others. I can work with that. Righteous fury and all that.
Good to know I suppose.
"Return to being a ring." I order them, and they congeal once more, with the first carp as the base.
Now what to do with an orange ring? It's probably even more dangerous than the indigo one, honestly. The construct lanterns seem relatively safe though in their normal shapes. I lightly tap the orange ring, and focus on drawing out my lamprey in that moment. And, sure enough, I draw out one glowing orange lamprey before I break contact.
"...Eat that." I say, pointing at the orange ring. The lamprey surges forwards and latches onto it. Within a few moments ring seems to dissolve into it. The construct lantern is glowing a lot brighter than before, but seems... stable. Okay. I can work with this. It's still doing what I want, too.
"Now... wait in here." I say, unzipping my fanny pack, "And don't eat anything else until I tell you to!" It slithers through the air, and into the pack. I zip it shut afterwards, and let out a sigh.
Well. A loyal construct lantern on demand isn't a small thing at all.
I refocus myself, and grip the staff tighter. I've practiced emulating every emotion now except for the violet light of love. I was, either fortunately or unfortunately, between girlfriends when I suddenly appeared here. It was probably a good thing, because it meant that she wouldn't have to worry about my sudden disappearance. But it also meant I didn't really have anyone in particular to focus on at the moment. I mean, there's always memories... but I'm not sure how to make use of them.
Maybe... a general, unselfish love for just about everybody? I love humanity. I love humanity! In order to help everyone, I need to know how to use my powers.
So... crystal shield!
No. Not quite. Maybe something more direct... I love myself. I want to know how to protect myself. Crystal shield!
It doesn't quite come out all at once like I expected, but a beam of light spills out of the gem, and takes shape like my previous constructs. It forms a shield, and then the construct crystallizes, becoming something genuinely solid. And it's kind of gorgeous. It's like I created a pink diamond the size of a windshield! I wonder if I could sell this. Probably not a smart idea.
Okay. So that was the last emotion. I'm not sure I can call any of it reliable, but I have a taste for each of them now.
And considering that's a police boat heading towards me, I think I have a good sense of timing for when to stop. I fly up into the air, before realizing I've left the crystal shield floating in the air. How do I get rid of it? I think willpower could be used to break them, but I'm not positive.
I'm not sure my willpower is that strong, anyway.
Can I... recall it? I aim the staff at it, and try to pull it back- but no dice. The police boat is getting closer...
If I leave it here, people are going to probably study it, or weaponize it, or someone is going to turn themselves into a Star Sapphire or something. Come on!
If it's made by love... I'm safe, I don't need it any more.
I smile, relieved, as it begins to disintegrate, the fragments it breaks into boiling away into nothing. Satisfied that I'm not leaving anything behind, I fly off again.
Colors:
Do any of the colors hurt you eyes, or are you finding them hard to read?
Right now, I'm using these colors:
Red
Orange
Yellow
Green
Blue
Indigo
Violet
But I could switch over to using these:
Red
Orange
Yellow
Green
Blue
Indigo
Violet
Or a combination of both lists if it's easier for anyone. Please let me know.
edit: Final Color Choices
Red
Orange
Yellow
Green
Blue
Indigo
Violet
I figure I should start with green. It's supposed to be the easiest color to use.
I close my eyes, but it doesn't take too many tries to make myself focus. When I open them, sure enough, the gem in my staff is glowing green. I look out over the lake, and then point towards it. Green light shoots out of the head, and creates a pretty simple bucket construct. Nothing fancy, basically Lantern 101. It scoops up a large amount of water... and then becomes translucent.
I can see the fish inside there.
Okay... now... I create holes in the bottom of the construct. The water drains out of the bucket, leaving just the fish- and there goes my construct. The fish falling safely back into the water only a few inches away. Come on! One was a carp! They're an invasive species!
Ugh. Never mind. The point is to practice. Actually, now that I do have a little red... I aim my staff back at the lake, and try to find that carp again... but I can't work up the nerve to actually fire. Oh well.
So... I've practiced with indigo, blue, yellow, and now green. I've been able to emulate each of them without too many problems. What next?
Orange could be pretty damn useful. I'll try that next.
Now... I'd feel bad about shooting a beam of pure hatred into the lake that might kill all kinds of things... but would I feel bad about transforming a carp into something I can put to good use? The gem of my staff glows orange, and I create another bucket construct. I turn it transparent, just like before, and then... ha. There you are. I create a fishing pole construct and let the line coil off and lower the hook into the water... upon which it seeks out the carp. It latches onto the fish painlessly, and the orange light from the construct begins to spill into it.
It's kind of hard to see, considering I'm already looking at it through a transparent orange filter, but I can still see that the carp's colors begin to change. It doesn't fight the effect, as far as I can tell, simply becoming a little more agitated at the most.
And then... its completely orange.
I drop the bucket construct gently into the water, and let the other fish go free. But the carp, now my carp, remains where it was, gently swimming in the air, surrounded by orange glow, and keeping its low-eyed gaze on me.
"How intelligent are you?"
I don't get much of an answer. "Swim up."
It does immediately, darting up higher into the sky. I want it to come back- and it does. Even without me giving an explicit order. Now... what else could orange constructs do? I think I remember that they could turn other living things into constructs, too? Like orange light zombies.
I grin evilly.
"Find all the other carp you can, and turn them orange too. Oh, and sea lampreys. And gobeys. And ruffe. And zebra mussels and-
...
Actually... that could turn out really badly. I don't know how good their attention span is. Obviously, getting rid of all of these invasive species would be good for the environment, but what if it can even recognize the species I'm thinking of. What if it just starts assimilating everything? Unleashing a wave of self-replicating orange zombie fish onto the great lakes might not be... great.
Find one other carp. Assimilate it, and bring it to me. Assimilate nothing else.
It swims down, and slips into the water. I wait for a few minutes, kind of nervous, before two orange lights swim over to me, and then rise out of the water.
Okay!
Now... find a sea lamprey, assimilate it, and nothing else. Huh. When I focused on the image of one, I think I felt a click in my carp's minds.
They both immediately dart back into the water. Maybe this could work.
...
But I think I'm going to practice with a smaller, less important lake before I do anything further. And besides, I'm in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I have bigger problems coming up than invasive species. Apocalypse-level problems.
Which is why I'm practicing, to see what I can do.
So! Indigo, blue, yellow, green, orange, and now... red next. Its probably the best offensive option, so I should practice with that next.
I'm still unwilling to shoot a beam into the lake and hurt a bunch of innocent creatures, but I think an acceptable target will be heading back right... now.
Five orange lights rise up out of the water. Wait. Five?
The two glowing carp, now each with a glowing lamprey, although the smaller of the two was currently hanging onto a poor innocent lake trout. Which was also glowing orange. With a thought, I make it let go. I suppose this just goes to show why I had to be careful with construct lanterns. Even if my carp didn't go overboard, the lamprey they made did.
I have it squirm up, higher into the air. Then, I tell it to stay there. I raise up my staff, and try to feel angry at it. And... and nothing.
How do I make myself compassionately mad?
"Can I just... recall you guys? Make you disappear until I need you later?"
The first carp I assimilated glows briefly, and then transforms into a featureless ring. Then, the other four constructs all fade into light, and are sucked into the ring, which glows slightly brighter with each construct that enters its signet.
"Huh." I reach out to touch it and- nonononono! I drop it just as quickly. Not doing the fucking brainwashing thing again. No. NO.
I won't be controlled! I blast it with the staff!
To my shock, it... works? the corrosive blast of red light rips through the ring. Crackling and almost bubbling with energy as it does so. The thing explodes. And then I see the five orange constructs fleeing from the explosion, more-or-less fine. Hm.
So... I can emulate anger out of concern. For myself, and definitely for others. I can work with that. Righteous fury and all that.
Good to know I suppose.
"Return to being a ring." I order them, and they congeal once more, with the first carp as the base.
Now what to do with an orange ring? It's probably even more dangerous than the indigo one, honestly. The construct lanterns seem relatively safe though in their normal shapes. I lightly tap the orange ring, and focus on drawing out my lamprey in that moment. And, sure enough, I draw out one glowing orange lamprey before I break contact.
"...Eat that." I say, pointing at the orange ring. The lamprey surges forwards and latches onto it. Within a few moments ring seems to dissolve into it. The construct lantern is glowing a lot brighter than before, but seems... stable. Okay. I can work with this. It's still doing what I want, too.
"Now... wait in here." I say, unzipping my fanny pack, "And don't eat anything else until I tell you to!" It slithers through the air, and into the pack. I zip it shut afterwards, and let out a sigh.
Well. A loyal construct lantern on demand isn't a small thing at all.
I refocus myself, and grip the staff tighter. I've practiced emulating every emotion now except for the violet light of love. I was, either fortunately or unfortunately, between girlfriends when I suddenly appeared here. It was probably a good thing, because it meant that she wouldn't have to worry about my sudden disappearance. But it also meant I didn't really have anyone in particular to focus on at the moment. I mean, there's always memories... but I'm not sure how to make use of them.
Maybe... a general, unselfish love for just about everybody? I love humanity. I love humanity! In order to help everyone, I need to know how to use my powers.
So... crystal shield!
No. Not quite. Maybe something more direct... I love myself. I want to know how to protect myself. Crystal shield!
It doesn't quite come out all at once like I expected, but a beam of light spills out of the gem, and takes shape like my previous constructs. It forms a shield, and then the construct crystallizes, becoming something genuinely solid. And it's kind of gorgeous. It's like I created a pink diamond the size of a windshield! I wonder if I could sell this. Probably not a smart idea.
Okay. So that was the last emotion. I'm not sure I can call any of it reliable, but I have a taste for each of them now.
And considering that's a police boat heading towards me, I think I have a good sense of timing for when to stop. I fly up into the air, before realizing I've left the crystal shield floating in the air. How do I get rid of it? I think willpower could be used to break them, but I'm not positive.
I'm not sure my willpower is that strong, anyway.
Can I... recall it? I aim the staff at it, and try to pull it back- but no dice. The police boat is getting closer...
If I leave it here, people are going to probably study it, or weaponize it, or someone is going to turn themselves into a Star Sapphire or something. Come on!
If it's made by love... I'm safe, I don't need it any more.
I smile, relieved, as it begins to disintegrate, the fragments it breaks into boiling away into nothing. Satisfied that I'm not leaving anything behind, I fly off again.
Colors:
Do any of the colors hurt you eyes, or are you finding them hard to read?
Right now, I'm using these colors:
Red
Orange
Yellow
Green
Blue
Indigo
Violet
But I could switch over to using these:
Red
Orange
Yellow
Green
Blue
Indigo
Violet
Or a combination of both lists if it's easier for anyone. Please let me know.
edit: Final Color Choices
Red
Orange
Yellow
Green
Blue
Indigo
Violet
Last edited:
Infinite Dragon
Always tired
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So I know that each of the lantern corps colors/emotions give their respective corps unique abilities; for example willpower being the most stable, rage being incredibly destructive, avarice can seize control of other corps' constructs, etc. What unique abilities does the Indigo tribe possess? ...besides brainwashing criminals to be compassionate.
Also the colors are fine for me.
Also the colors are fine for me.
hakutheice
Your first time is always over so quickly, isn't it?
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The normal indigo is hard to read on dark mode mobile.
Simon Buchan
Getting sticky.
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Maybe swap the indigo, which is a little hard to see on the dark backgrounds? Especially if it's going to be the most common.
oct9010
.
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I prefer the first set in general, except that Indigo is kind of hard to see (especially on my phone), so the second version of that would be better for me at least. In particular the indigo ellipsis set off as its own paragraph was practically invisible, so I assumed there was invisitext until I came back to it on my desktop.
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Well, this looks interesting.
JeckJack
Mask Seller
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The indigo tribe have four unique abilities.
The first, is that when they heal, it causes whoever they are healing to become intensely remorseful for every wrong thing they've ever done. (Which is why the MC preferred to heal by emulating blue light, as it made people 'cry less')
Second, they can do the brainwashing thing. Their rings can be programmed into forcing people to feel compassion over any of their normal emotions. Although they can make rings that don't do this, too.
Third, they are better at teleporting and making portals than the other colors, with a greater range, and when they teleport, they cannot be tracked, where other colors teleporting can be tracked.
Fourth, they can emulate the other colors. When nearby a source of a different emotion, they can use the indigo light to channel that emotion, and use that different color instead of their normal indigo.
Omake 1: Thor wins a bet
Potates
Degenerate Spud
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Director Fury sat across the table, glaring at Akita. Well, she thought he was glaring. It was hard to tell compared to his resting scowl face.
"I'll repeat the question. You have one of, if not the, most powerful weapon in the universe?"
"Yes sir."
Fury's eye narrowed. "And you have had it for approximately three days?"
"Yes sir."
She saw his jaw clench and had anyone asked, she would tell them she heard his teeth grinding. "And the first thing you did with it was...?"
She swallowed. "Um, before or after I retook control?"
The directors's body froze for a moment before returning to his previous posture. "We will discuss that later. After you...retook control."
"Ha, ha, um, fishing and cleaning out the local ecosystem of invasive species?"
He did nothing for what seemed like an eternity before placing his finger where his ear way. "Widow, did you get that?"
"Yes Director. Do you want me to let everyone know?"
"Please."
"I'll be back in a moment."
Fury placed his hand back on the table and stared. Akita stared back. Fury stared some more. Akita resisted the urge to squirm. It sort of worked.
Then she heard it, groaning sounds of disappointment along with one happy cheer. "What-what was-?"
"That, was sound of S.H.I.E.L.D. personal and the Avengers losing a bet. Along with Thor winning one."
Akita blinked, now very confused. "A bet? Over what I did with my powers first?"
"Correct. And you just caused us to give Thor $10. Each. All the mugs he buys and breaks will be coming out of your salary."
"Salary? I don't work for-" she started
"-You do now" he finished.
"...Dang it"
Infinite Dragon
Always tired
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...people are going to freak out once they realize her ring mind controls her aren't they? And then Tony is going to go crazy trying to figure out how the ring and staff work...and now I have goosebumps at the idea of Tony making an armor that can manipulate the emotional spectrum.
MadGreenSon
Verified Devil Tiger, The Childish Yandere
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If anyone could, it would be him. Tony Stark is kinda scary in how much he can do when he puts his mind to it.
Infinite Dragon
Always tired
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It's why I've always kind of doubted the claims that Shuri is smarter than Tony. I haven't watched Black Panther but the sheer degree that Tony's tech advanced throughout the MCU is insane.
As a side note I wonder if Atika will be able to prevent some of the more disastrous events in the MCU, or at least get the Avengers to actually communicate. How much could've been avoided if they actually talked things through?
As a side note I wonder if Atika will be able to prevent some of the more disastrous events in the MCU, or at least get the Avengers to actually communicate. How much could've been avoided if they actually talked things through?
mental_shifter
Not too sore, are you?
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The current colors are good in both light and dark backgrounds