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

Darko · Nov 18, 2020

Mastigos2 said:
To be fair, people have been speculating about Flash being mind controlled from the moment he barged in on the assault mission

I still don't buy this theory.

Just because Flash is a nice guy, doesn't mean that he can't hate or do some bad things sometimes.

Young Justice attempted to portray realism in its story, and while I think it failed a lot of ways in that department it did have some pretty accurate moments.

Superman and his relationship with Kon being one such moment.

People may have thought that the borderline saintly Superman would adopt Kon right away, or just try to help him, but instead he avoided him.

This isn't saintly behavior, but it is highly realistic.

Most people, even extremely nice and good ones like Supes, would be extremely uncomfortable and try to avoid someone like Kon, who is basically in some sense a child by rape, made to either kill him or replace him and was made by a man who has dedicated his life to destroying Supes and everything he stands for.

His treatment of Kon wasn't right, but it was very, very understandable.

What is happening to Flash is most likely just a bout of realism.

After seeing what the Sheeda do to their victims, a lot of people, even nice ones like Barry, would hate them to the point they would want them dead, and they would be extremely pissed if it looked like they could be set free and would want to kill them on the spot without thinking of the bigger picture.

It's shocking, but very realistic.

Agent Orange · Nov 18, 2020

Darko said:
It's shocking, but very realistic.

Alternatively, it's a very out of character for him to react like this. If we're supposed to believe that some atrocity Sheeda committed affected him in a way none of the atrocities committed by other parties ever did then we need to see a good on screen reason for this. This is not even a Show Don't Tell issue. Whatever drove the Flash to this point not only happened off screen, it was not even described.

So yeah, this not actually being the (present) Flash, not being Flash at all but someone possessing him/disguised like him or something fucking with his head makes a lot more sense.

Darko · Nov 18, 2020

Agent Orange said:
If we're supposed to believe that some atrocity Sheeda committed affected him in a way none of the atrocities committed by other parties ever did

His rogues gallery doesn't exactly contain a lot of people that can do the things the Sheeda are willing to do, so his run in with people being melted to be used for the creation of tech was probably experienced when he first met the Sheeda.

Agent Orange said:
So yeah, this not actually being the (present) Flash, not being Flash at all but someone possessing him/disguised like him or something fucking with his head makes a lot more sense.

Or the less fantastic explanation of him just getting really pissed at the Sheeda makes a lot more sense.

Coda · Nov 18, 2020

Lord Ernest said:
Is it me or is the Illustres in full "snarky, no fucks given" mode? I mean, lately he's been generally pretty passive, or passive aggressive at most, but the only way I can ready phrases like "Will wonders never cease." and "Good for you." is with a hundred percent high quality sarcastic tone. And for a guy that sometimes reads/sounds as robotic as Red Tornado, that's a lot.

Or... hear me out on this one...

Maybe he's British.

Mr Zoat said:
Bit of a problem with his skill set; his inability to fight in space.

Colon instead of semicolon

Mr Zoat · Nov 18, 2020

Coda said:
Colon instead of semicolon

Thank you, corrected.

Vaermina · Nov 18, 2020

Darko said:
His rogues gallery doesn't exactly contain a lot of people that can do the things the Sheeda are willing to do, so his run in with people being melted to be used for the creation of tech was probably experienced when he first met the Sheeda.

The Reverse Flash literally murdered Barry Allen's mother in front of him...

And his wife...

And his other wife...

Maxx Crowley · Nov 18, 2020

Pez said:
If the Queen is dead, OL sees their mission as completed His desire was to stop the Sheeda. If that's been accomplished, then fighting Malvolio, who won't be able to follow them home, is a pointless fight.

For glory! Honor! Because it's fun! Battle is its own reward!

Pez said:
I would like to see Paul actually open up on Malvolio, just to see how his planning and creativity stacks up against Malvolio's experience and power, but Paul can't do everything. What's the point of having the people he's criticized actually grow if he just constantly solves their problems for them.

I mean, Mal just bitch smacked Hal through an entire planet. One of his teammates could die here, and he's been pretty nonplussed about it.

Pez said:
Comic-world physics are bullshit. The shockwave from a lot of these insanely powerful attacks should be turning internal organs to mush. Just like your example, they can tank through the kinetic damage that can shatter planets, but a minor piercing would, and the baddies have access to enough clone materials to create an army.

Yeah, this is true. Granted, some characters are more consistent than others. Of course, for the setting to be any fun, physics sort of has to go by the wayside.

It's kinda like Green K. Sometimes, Superman drops like a stone. Other times, it takes a while to really get to him. Then there are the times where it hits him instantly, but he can power through it.

*Shrug* What are ya gonna do?

Mastigos2 said:
He was rescuing the civilians. Plus the reason he disn't join the fight until Malovio attacked him was that as far as Paul was concerned, the JL members were the ones in the wrong. As guests/ambassadors they had just openly murdered another set of guests/ambassadors in front of the leader of the sovereign nation. After asking for but not waiting for his adjudication. And then proceeded to fight said leader.

I mean, again, Mal could have killed Hal just now, and I thought OL and Diana were fairly close despite the whole Nabu situation. Plus, even if Mal sided with them, there would still be a fight. I don't see the Sheeda queen just letting herself be killed after all.

I dunno....this is a level of detachment that is pretty jarring even for Para-Paul.

DrThoth said:
This whole incident really feels like jumping the shark a bit to me. Should Flash hate the Sheeda so viscerally? Of course, that makes sense given what they've done (though as I said before, we barely see any of their current Harrowing on Earth so narratively the impact of his anger is really diluted). But where was this righteous anger when Klarion became what I believe is the biggest mass murderer in human history? When tyrants and dictators (and any government, really) commit similar atrocities to the Sheeda, just on a smaller scale? Are those situations logistically and politically complicated in ways that can't be simply solved by lethal force? Of course. So was this one.

Well for one, Flash has been in the shit for longer than he was during Klarion. The sheeda attack has lasted longer, thus he's seen more. With his perception, that time might have even been extended further.

Plus, after Klarion, this could have been the straw that broke the camel's back. Flash could have taken a personal "Never again" vow.

It's also entirely possible that Flash has entered a Maxx-like phase of "I don't give a fuck". Because that has happened to me...many times. Like...it would have been better for me to leave it alone, to let "Justice" take it's course. But the fucker is RIGHT there, and breaking his bones would feel so good.

No regrets.

DrThoth said:
But in general heroism should be about not taking the easy way

This...this has always baffled me. Like, I beat the living piss out of a villain who has murdered however many people, totally plans to do it again, has tried to kill me, and destroyed however much property. So I hammer him down into unconsciousness...and just one more would do it and rid me of him forever. But somehow it's harder to leave him/drag him to the police?

I mean, yes, lets be real. Every DC villain from Lex Luthor on down would have been executed by the state, and the issue would never come up for the hero to kill them.

But at what point are you just letting people die for your own self-righteousness? Because lets face it, if Batman snaps Joker's neck...Batman is not going to become a murdering lunatic from that. The writer is just trying to justify keeping one of the most popular villains in comics around.

Furthermore....what's the difference? I crush your skull now with my power ring. Or I lock you in a cage and wait for you to live to death? Because honestly, option two sounds like its more for my feelings than anything.

How many is enough? Couple hundred thousand? How many escapes is enough? Twelve? Thirteen?

How many times does it take before honestly? All those deaths are on you. You could have stopped it. But you didn't want to admit what was going to have to happen. How many chances does Joker get? Why does he deserve all those chances in the face of how many dead?

Finally, I really don't buy the argument that if I pulverize Joker and purge to the point where not even a trace of his cells remain...that I'm going to ice the purse-snatcher I run into tomorrow. Because (PTSD aside) millions of men and women have gone to war, did the duty that was asked of them, and came home just fine. They don't even take out the bastard who took a big bite out of the sandwich that was in their lunch box....and then put it back.

Coda said:
Maybe he's British.

...I thought he was English?

I literally can never remember the difference. It's been explained, but I both didn't really get it...and forgot.

DrThoth · Nov 18, 2020

Maxx Crowley said:
This...this has always baffled me. Like, I beat the living piss out of a villain who has murdered however many people, totally plans to do it again, has tried to kill me, and destroyed however much property. So I hammer him down into unconsciousness...and just one more would do it and rid me of him forever. But somehow it's harder to leave him/drag him to the police?

I mean, yes, lets be real. Every DC villain from Lex Luthor on down would have been executed by the state, and the issue would never come up for the hero to kill them.

But at what point are you just letting people die for your own self-righteousness? Because lets face it, if Batman snaps Joker's neck...Batman is not going to become a murdering lunatic from that. The writer is just trying to justify keeping one of the most popular villains in comics around.

This isn't a Joker Immunity situation, which is something I more or less agree with you on. Executing the Sheeda is something I'm theoretically fine with, but this wasn't the best situation to do that. This is an issue of attacking during negotiations with a being of unknown capabilities (multiple beings, if we include the Sheeda, though at this point I'll concede he probably knows their capabilities well enough) whose domain you've unwittingly trespassed in. It also involved insubordination and undermining Diana. This is all kind of a stupid thing to do.
You then have the fact that there were multiple casualties as a result of his action, which I can accept as not being the most predictable outcome for Malvolio's reaction. I'm not trying to absolve Malvolio of blame here in endangering his own subjects, but I think that sense of heroic responsibility means he shouldn't just be unchanged in his opinion after the immediate fallout, especially while he's rescuing people and his teammate (Jordan) could have potentially just died.

Your point about this being Flash's breaking point is fine, but like multiple people have pointed out, something like this needs way more build-up than it was given in terms of good storytelling, hence people wondering about his motives or mindset the moment he barged his way onto the mission. Paragon didn't seem to note unusual amounts of red in Flash as he accompanied them (assuming he's not wearing a ward that blocks empathic vision), for example.

Now if everything is as it seems and Flash cares about atrocities to the extent of overpowering his reason and assuming authority as an executioner, and is willing to break diplomatic rules in order to resolve them, I look forward to his global spree of executing every war criminal on Earth in a day (though I'm only semi-joking about that, I'd like to see someone taking more onscreen initiative against the Light).

Darko · Nov 18, 2020

DrThoth said:
I look forward to his global spree of executing every war criminal on Earth in a day (though I'm only semi-joking about that, I'd like to see someone taking more onscreen initiative against the Light).

Well if you really want to see something like this then I recommend It's an Unliving on SB.

Maxx Crowley · Nov 18, 2020

DrThoth said:
This isn't a Joker Immunity situation, which is something I more or less agree with you on. Executing the Sheeda is something I'm theoretically fine with, but this wasn't the best situation to do that. This is an issue of attacking during negotiations with a being of unknown capabilities (multiple beings, if we include the Sheeda, though at this point I'll concede he probably knows their capabilities well enough) whose domain you've unwittingly trespassed in. It also involved insubordination and undermining Diana. This is all kind of a stupid thing to do.

I'm not saying that what he did was the smartest move, and it certainly wasn't at the right time. I'm just saying...I understand.

Maybe there were loads of people who he couldn't help, and watched die. Maybe a lot of things happened.

Seems to me, that he felt he was in a position to keep the Sheeda queen from getting away with it, and decided to go with plan "fuck it".

Again, if this is even Barry. I dunno.

DrThoth said:
Your point about this being Flash's breaking point is fine, but like multiple people have pointed out, something like this needs way more build-up than it was given in terms of good storytelling, hence people wondering about his motives or mindset the moment he barged his way onto the mission. Paragon didn't seem to not unusual amounts of red in Flash as he accompanied them (assuming he's not wearing a ward that blocks empathic vision), for example.

Thing of that is....this is part for the course for Zoat's story telling. We don't get that build up...because we only follow OL, and he hasn't been around Flash for entire time this has been going on.

I get storytelling, but what just happened, could totally go down just like that in real life.

DrThoth said:
Now if everything is as it seems and Flash cares about atrocities to the extent of overpowering his reason and assuming authority as an executioner, and is willing to break diplomatic rules in order to resolve them, I look forward to his global spree of executing every war criminal on Earth in a day

Putting myself in Flash's shoes, I have a hard time believing that Mal was just going to hand her over anyway. Plus, with his perception, he could have basically been sitting there, listening to this bullshit, and stewing for hours at least.

And again, I can't say I haven't made impulsive, violent choices myself. So I get the idea of "She's right there. She's not getting away. Fuck this, She is NOT getting away."

People just aren't always rational.

I am interested in the after-action report, and hope Zoat doesn't skip it.

DrThoth · Nov 18, 2020

Darko said:
Well if you really want to see something like this then I recommend It's an Unliving on SB.

I'm up to date on it, yes. I'm sure that fic was inspired by With This Ring to some extent, especially given what seems to be an explicit reference in one of the latest updates.

Valint · Nov 19, 2020

Maxx Crowley said:
I mean, yes, lets be real. Every DC villain from Lex Luthor on down would have been executed by the state, and the issue would never come up for the hero to kill them.

Head-canon: The comics trope "People sometimes get superpowers instead of dying" didn't mesh that well with executions, leading to a mass repeal of all capital punishment laws in DC America.

Sure, it's a one in a million chance that snapping his neck turns him into a sentient cloud of poisonous gas, but then, it's massively improbable that he keeps escaping both prison and accidental death, so who wants to take that chance?

Maxx Crowley said:
I mean, again, Mal could have killed Hal just now, and I thought OL and Diana were fairly close despite the whole Nabu situation. Plus, even if Mal sided with them, there would still be a fight. I don't see the Sheeda queen just letting herself be killed after all.

I dunno....this is a level of detachment that is pretty jarring even for Para-Paul.

Yeah, this is coming across weird to me.

I literally can't tell if he's angry at the Leaguers for some reason and being passive-aggressive about it, has drifted away from the League to a level where he's stopped giving any fucks if they live or die, or is being mind-controlled by something.

Maxx Crowley said:
...I thought he was English?

Great Britain = England + Scotland + Wales
United Kingdom = Great Britain + Northern Ireland

moralrelativity · Nov 19, 2020

Handlewithcare said:
So is Malvolios collateral damage kill count due to the Green Light or due to him being a "Lord" ruling over "peasents"?

Little of column A, little of column B?

jmartinez8089 · Nov 19, 2020

I don't really understand why people are thinking OL is showing detachment or is uncaring about whether his teammates live or die. While Jordan could have died from Marvolio's hit do people really expect OL to have this big emotional reaction, especially since he needs to focus on the battle still going on and the civilians still in the line of fire? Then since Diana seems to be holding her own and not in danger he decides to get Flash, who he sees has just finished evacuating people, off the currently falling apart space station that he is a sitting duck on. After he drops Flash off and is backing up Diana til Jordan can rejoin the fight OL makes sure that any shots he dodges doesn't hit Castle Revolving where he left Flash.

Is it because of the comment OL made after Flash said he didn't regret it because im pretty sure making snarky or sarcastic comments after your teammate does something stupid was the teams whole dynamic in Young Justice season 1?

Honestly it kind of feels like people are complaining that OL thinks the better plan is 'find a way for us to retreat since we don't have to fight this guy' instead of '"righteous" face-punch this guy who we have attacked after invading his home and killing his guests until he is defeated and our superiority is clearly shown' .

Darko · Nov 19, 2020

DrThoth said:
I'm up to date on it, yes. I'm sure that fic was inspired by With This Ring to some extent, especially given what seems to be an explicit reference in one of the latest updates.

The author stated that the SI has read WTR and so chose to not give the Light the chance to adapt to him or his abilities and just cripple/kill them before they can figure out what's happening.

There was also that bit with Eris.

Mr Zoat · Nov 19, 2020

26th June 2012
17:04 GMT -5

Ovoid enclosure with sensor-resistant inner coating?

No.

Extreme extra-galactic displacement?

No.

Planar displacement?

No. Thank you, blue me.

Particle cloud?

No.

Exotic singularity?

No.

Surprisingly large stellar life form?

No.

'Space magic'?

No.

…

Bit of a puzzler.

I know quite a large number of methods which could be used for enclosing a star system like this, and testing isn't showing up anything helpful. After a certain point there's just nothing. Trying to fly into it results in me remaining stationary, relative to the star behind me. Constructs peter out. Projectiles vanish.

Mysticism it is, then.

Hopefully, with Malvolio's full attention on his fight, I can pass into the Honden unnoticed. Opening my/her serpentine eyes I/we look around, trying to see the trails of desire that brought these people to this system in the first place. The Hall of the Green Flame had clear references to the initial colonisation-.

Nothing. Nothing. Empty halls, with the faintest tint of orange to show where desires might perhaps be if there were any to display.

Someone is trying to make a mockery of me/us in my/our own house. That is not something I/we can tolerate.

I/We expand ourselves into the walls, into the floors, into the ceilings and the spaces within, existing as them, feeling for every crack and crease and irregularity. We extend back, back towards where the people of this system connect weakly to the Honden, obscured by the overwhelming green/will of their overlord.

All Things Strive.

There, there there! Tracings, etchings, residues not wholly scrubbed clear! Oh, you tried, savage, defiler! But I am/we are wise, careful, observant! I/we twist the way I/we look…

And there is our corridor. There are our walls, there are our ceilings and our spaces and our needs and wants and desires. An enlightened soul came through here, but they did not understand, did not know what they were playing with! And there is our path, our connection to the wider universe. We could leave on our own now, but we would not leave our friends and we are not completely certain that we could shield them.

The only question is, where is Lord Malvolio within these walls? Will his malevolence remain if we free him, or will he accept that as a trade for Barry Allen's treachery against him? Our instincts say to let him free, for we cannot control his actions but we can control our own, though that is… Technically a nonsense as we are confident that given time we are quite capable of controlling his actions, strong as he is. But we should give him the rope with which he could hang himself.

"Please do not."

I remember Guy 'spotting' me during an exercise session I did during that week I went without a ring following my initial bonding with the Ophidian, him having a laugh at my unfamiliarity with physical exercise and me needing to push onwards. The… Part of me that is the Ophidian merely hisses at the intrusion.

Our tongue flicks out, tasting for the desire to communicate, the desire which maintains this barrier. It takes a moment, for the desire is weak and the soul… Like a Guardian, cut off from other colours. It tastes like concrete: not malevolent, but something that should not be eaten.

The soul becomes aware of us regarding it as we become aware of it regarding us. We can't see its body like this, though its general way of perceiving the universe implies a humanoid.

"Who are you?"

"When I served the Guardians of the Universe as a Green Lantern, I was commonly called 'Priest'. And I must ask you to refrain from releasing Lord Malvolio."

"We are minded to ignore your request. Justify yourself swiftly."

"I was once assigned to this Sector as a Green Lantern. My partner came from the world of Selsia Five. Many years ago I was alerted to his death, and travelled there to discover that his son had slain him and taken his ring. He took to it naturally, and to begin with the Guardians ordered forbearance. That was not a unique occurrence; the Green Lantern Corps frequently recruits from warrior cultures where there are lawful ways of fatally duelling someone, and since he was able to wield the ring I accepted that there was something worthy in him which the Guardians in their wisdom could see. Still, he had killed a friend and colleague and I made a point of having little to do with him."

"It was not until many years later that the Guardians ordered me to kill him, in clear contravention of their usual policy on lethal force. I wondered why they were arbitrarily acting against a mere murderer, but when I investigated the extent of his misdeeds and discovered that they had been closely monitoring him for some time, I thought that they sought to use me as a tool to conceal their misjudgement. It was not until after I refused their order and created this void to contain him that I came to understand the true reason."

"You have felt Lord Malvolio's power. The connection he possesses to the green light of will. Have you realised yet how such power affects those around him? How it becomes natural to them to share his certainty in those subjects upon which he is certain?"

"We have not. He was not our primary focus. Though we know that what you say is possible."

"It is a curse of Green Lanterns: for every one of us to believe bull headedly that ours is the only way. It is a belief that empowered our rings, but-."

"We are well acquainted with the intellectual failings of the Green Lantern Corps."

"Power without the wisdom of restraint. A sufficiently powerful Lantern can turn all those around themselves into extensions of their own psyche without specifically meaning to. Even now, the people of this Sector are fixated with Lord Malvolio's restoration."

Con… Cerning. But… No. We've been keeping track of the desires of those around us on and off since we bonded. If we'd been fanning the desires of people closest to us we would have become aware of it. And if people on the Earth generally wanted what we want then our life would be a good deal less frustrating.

"And are they fixating quietly and peacefully?"

"I would not describe their response in that way. Two of the largest groups are in what I can only describe as a theological war."

"Sounds like it would be better if we released him."

"They will learn to live without him, eventually."

"Almost certainly. But we are not prepared to make a decision on the rightness or wrongness of their heartfelt desires after a short conversation. Goodbye, and-"

We fortify the link between the desires within and without, restoring the links between the rest of the universe and this small severed part. We feel a resistance, but we are stronger and older, and the universe remembers its proper shape.

"-goodbye."

I open my eyes and the stars are back! We're in Sector 1634, a short hop from home. I

step out

and appear on the planet's surface next to the refugee fortification.

"Jordan, time to leave. I've got the prisoners."

"Understood. I'll-."

His face vanishes, and a green-burning image of Lord Malvolio's head replaces it.

"This is not the end."

"It is for now."

I grab my refuge and its inhabitants in a construct excavation bucket, set a course for the middle of nowhere…

And we're gone.

Vaermina · Nov 19, 2020

Mr Zoat said:
"We are well acquainted with the intellectual failings of the Green Lantern Corps."

Which is ironic given your inability to see your own failings..

I grab my refuge and its inhabitants in a construct excavation bucket, set a course for the middle of nowhere…

And we're gone.

Lord Malvolio appears in orbit of Earth and snaps his fingers.

The planet explodes.

Darko · Nov 19, 2020

Mr Zoat said:
Particular cloud?

'particle'

Mr Zoat said:
a star system like

'like this'

Mr Zoat said:
to make a make a mockery

remove one 'make a'

Mr Zoat said:
by the overwhelmed green/will of their overlord.

'overwhelming'

Mr Zoat said:
Technically a nonsense as we are confident

remove 'a'

Mr Zoat said:
and to begin with the Guardians ordered forbearance.

maybe 'began with'

Mr Zoat said:
are lawful forms ways of fatally duelling someone,

remove forms' or 'ways'

Mr Zoat said:
It is a curse of Green Lantern;

'a Green Lantern'

Darko · Nov 19, 2020

Zoat on the first page it says that this is part 23 and 24 and both are connected, when it should be part 22.

Mr Zoat said:
Cold Iron (part 23)
Cold Iron (part 24)

moralrelativity · Nov 19, 2020

Mr Zoat said:
I open my eyes and the stars are back! We're in Sector 1634, a short hop from home. I

step out

...

His face vanishes, and a green-burning image of Lord Malvolio's head replaces it.

"This is not the end."

"It is for now."

Why, Paul? WHY?!? WHY!!!! Paul, you idiot.

Why did you let this monster out of it's box? This is NOT going to end well.

Tavarokk · Nov 19, 2020

moralrelativity said:
Why, Paul? WHY?!? WHY!!!! Paul, you idiot.

Why did you let this monster out of it's box? This is NOT going to end well.

Probably because making boxes of doom to be unsealed untold number of years later is a dubious practice. Given that team Earth is demonstrably able to keep up with him, electing to force the issue to its conclusion one way or another is, well, bothersome and meddlesome, but not necessarily wrong.

Chojin Patriarch · Nov 19, 2020

Mr Zoat said:
26th June 2012
17:04 GMT -5

Right... This is trippy metaphysical. Cue up your best head music, we're going weird!

Ovoid enclosure with sensor-resistant inner coating?

No.

An egg the size of a solar system... Even if the outside was similarly treated, it would eventually be noticed... And probably have started a religion...

Extreme extra-galactic displacement?

No.

Too few stars for that. No matter where you are in the universe, you'd see something...

Planar displacement?

No. Thank you, blue me.

Yeah, that could easily have been a thing. Or the whole place might be inside a very specialised Subspace pocket.

Particular cloud?

No.

Little unclear on what that could even be. The solar system hidden inside some sort of cloud in space?

Exotic singularity?

No.

Not unlikely. Given advanced enough anti-gravity tech to resist the event horizon...

Surprisingly large stellar life form?

No.

Before anyone says 'bullshit', Pluto was a Starro. Is it so hard to believe they might be inside the belly of some truly titanic space whale?

'Space magic'?

No.

Time-space magic, maybe. Ironically closest guess to the apparent truth, though. Literally a Wizard did it (or rather, a Priest.)

…

Bit of a puzzler.

Of course, this is hardly the best time for a puzzle. Shit's going down back at the planet, after all...

I know quite a large number of methods which could be used for enclosing a star system like, and testing isn't showing up anything helpful. After a certain point there's just nothing. Trying to fly into it results in me remaining stationary, relative to the star behind me. Constructs peter out. Projectiles vanish.

Mysticism it is, then.

And press play on your really trippy music, now!

Hopefully, with Malvolio's full attention on his fight, I can pass into the Honden unnoticed. Opening my/her serpentine eyes I/we look around, trying to see the trails of desire that brought these people to this system in the first place. The Hall of the Green Flame had clear references to the initial colonisation-.

Nothing. Nothing. Empty halls, with the faintest tint of orange to show where desires might perhaps be if there were any to display.

Hardly subtle. A proper job would simply have hidden it from the Orange Light's perceptions entirely. If that's even possible.

Someone is trying to make a make a mockery of me/us in my/our own house. That is not something I/we can tolerate.

I/We expand ourselves into the walls, into the floors, into the ceilings and the spaces within, existing as them, feeling for every crack and crease and irregularity. We extend back, back towards where the people of this system connect weakly to the Honden, obscured by the overwhelmed green/will of their overlord.

Looks like the Ophidian isn't happy about this bit of redecorating.

All Things Strive.

There, there there! Tracings, etchings, residues not wholly scrubbed clear! Oh, you tried, savage, defiler! But I am/we are wise, careful, observant! I/we twist the way I/we look…

The metaphysical equivalent of plastering over detailed etching on the wall. Clearly whoever did this was not an expert.

And there is our corridor. There are our walls, there are our ceilings and our spaces and our needs and wants and desires. An enlightened soul came through here, but they did not understand, did not know what they were playing with! And there is our path, our connection to the wider universe. We could leave on our own now, but we would not leave our friends and we are not completely certain that we could shield them.

Yeah, the Sorcerers you brought through were experts in magical self-defence. Diana? Barry? Hal? Not nearly so much.

The only question is, where is Lord Malvolio within these walls? Will his malevolence remain if we free him, or will he accept that as a trade for Barry Allen's treachery against him? Our instincts say to let him free, for we cannot control his actions but we can control our own, though that is… Technically a nonsense as we are confident that given time we are quite capable of controlling his actions, strong as he is. But we should give him the rope with which he could hang himself.

Rope the Guardians would probably happily loop around his neck as a noose, rather than a lead.

"Please do not."

I remember Guy 'spotting' me during an exercise session I did during that week I went without a ring following my initial bonding with the Ophidian, him having a laugh at my unfamiliarity with physical exercise and me needing to push onwards. The… Part of me that is the Ophidian merely hisses at the intrusion.

"Filthy Will... It burnsss usss..."

Our tongue flicks out, tasting for the desire to communicate, the desire which maintains this barrier. It takes a moment, for the desire is weak and the soul… Like a Guardian, cut off from other colours. It tastes like concrete: not malevolent, but something that should not be eaten.

The soul becomes aware of us regarding it as we become aware of it regarding us. We can't see it's body like this, though its general way of perceiving the universe implies a humanoid.

An echo of whoever did this, or a live feed from him now? Presumably the Will makes it harder to focus on it...

"Who are you?"

"When I served the Guardians of the Universe as a Green Lantern, I was commonly called 'Priest'. And I must ask you to refrain from releasing Lord Malvolio."

"We are minded to ignore your request. Justify yourself swiftly."

Ah, the original gaoler. Let;'s see what he has to say for himself.

"I was once assigned to this Sector as a Green Lantern. My partner came from the world of Selsia Five. Many years ago I was alerted to his death, and travelled there to discover that his son had slain him and taken his ring. He took to it naturally, and to begin with the Guardians ordered forbearance. That was not a unique occurrence; the Green Lantern Corps frequently recruits from warrior cultures where there are lawful forms ways of fatally duelling someone, and since he was able to wield the ring I accepted that there was something worthy in him which the Guardians in their wisdom could see. Still, he had killed a friend and colleague and I made a point of having little to do with him."

And the Guardians do often recruit from families, as we saw with Arisia's. Presumably they assumed if he was strong enough to take the ring, he'd be strong enough for taking it away to be.. difficult, even with the on-board software disabled.

"It was not until many years later that the Guardians ordered me to kill him, in clear contravention of their usual policy on lethal force. I wondered why they were arbitrarily acting against a mere murderer, but when I investigated the extent of his misdeeds and discovered that they had been closely monitoring him for some time, I thought that they sought to use me as a tool to conceal their misjudgement. It was not until after I refused their order and created this void to contain him that I came to understand the true reason."

I wonder, if Priest had been more attentive, watched more closely, would Malvolio still have gone the way he did? ...Probably yes. He does strike me as especially stubborn for a Green Lantern...

"You have felt Lord Malvolio's power. The connection he possesses to the green light of will. Have you realised yet how such power affects those around him? How it becomes natural to them to share his certainty in those subjects upon which he is certain?"

"We have not. He was not our primary focus. Though we know that what you say is possible."

Also the fact that he slapped you down when you tried to look deeper with your empathic vision. Like, literally slapped you, from across the solar system...

"It is a curse of Green Lantern; for every one of us to believe bull headedly that ours is the only way. It is a belief that empowered our rings, but-."

"We are well acquainted with the intellectual failings of the Green Lantern Corps."

Hey, if it works for them, it works. You have your own issues, OL. Don't pretend you don't.

"Power without the wisdom of restraint. A sufficiently powerful Lantern can turn all those around themselves into extensions of their own psyche without specifically meaning to. Even now, the people of this Sector are fixated with Lord Malvolio's restoration."

Con… Cerning. But… No. We've been keeping track of the desires of those around us on and off since we bonded. If we'd been fanning the desires of people closest to us we would have become aware of it. And if people on the Earth generally wanted what we want then our life would be a good deal less frustrating.

Yes... But we're talking about Malvolio, and do you think he, with his Lordly pretensions and clear 'colonialist' instincts, would be so reserved? Also, reminiscent of 'Tangseid'...

"And are they fixating quietly and peacefully?"

"I would not describe their response in that way. Two of the largest groups are in what I can only describe as a theological war."

To be clear: over the nature of Malvolio's divinity; whether he is or not; which of them is his favoured people; just on some article of worship; what? 'Theological war' covers such a wide, wide variety of topics... On the upside, that makes it clearer that this is a live feed.

"Sounds like it would be better if we released him."

"They will learn to live without him, eventually."

Like an addict can learn to do without their drug... But it's a long, painful process, isn't it? How many are dying right now?

"Almost certainly. But we are not prepared to make a decision on the rightness or wrongness of their heartfelt desires after a short conversation. Goodbye, and-"

We fortify the link between the desires within and without, restoring the links between the rest of the universe and this small severed part. We feel a resistance, but we are stronger and older, and the universe remembers its proper shape.

...Oh, this is gonna piss off so many people, both in-universe and out...

"-goodbye."

I open my eyes and the stars are back! We're in Sector 1634, a short hop from home. I

Great. Now how are you going to keep Malvolio here? Have you thought about that at all? Or is that one of those problems for someone else to clean up?

step out

and appear on the planet's surface next to the refugee fortification.

"Jordan, time to leave. I've got the prisoners."

I expect everyone out there noticed the sudden return of, you know, the entire universe to their skies...

"Understood. I'll-."

His face vanishes, and a green-burning image of Lord Malvolio's head replaces it.

Oh, dear... Looks like he does have some communication facilities available... Hal better be sending a priority call to the Guardians ASAP.

"This is not the end."

"It is for now."

And as we've seen with OL before, he is past caring. Job's done, he's taking his shit home. And leaving the mess for others to clean up...

Argh, this is going to bite somebody in the ass, isn't it?

I grab my refuge and its inhabitants in a construct excavation bucket, set a course for the middle of nowhere…

And we're gone.

...To avoid Malvolio following you, I hope? Also... What about the Castle Revolving?! Or do you expect Hal to pick that up?

Oh, boy... Never has OL's mindset been more annoyingly alien than right now. I seriously expect this to have consequences. Dire ones. He's certainly not doing the Orange Lantern's reputation with the Guardians any favours, either. Never mind what the League is going to be thinking...

Darko · Nov 19, 2020

Chojin Patriarch said:
Time-space magic, maybe. Ironically closest guess to the apparent truth, though. Literally a Wizard did it (or rather, a Priest.)

Wizard Priest seems a fitting title.

Chojin Patriarch said:
Yeah, the Sorcerers you brought through were experts in magical self-defence. Diana? Barry? Hal? Not nearly so much.

Diana may be able to survive.

Chojin Patriarch said:
Also the fact that he slapped you down when you tried to look deeper with your empathic vision. Like, literally slapped you, from across the solar system...

Paul was being a peeping tom.

Chojin Patriarch said:
Hey, if it works for them, it works. You have your own issues,

Yes, yes he does.

Chojin Patriarch said:
Yes... But we're talking about Malvolio, and do you think he, with his Lordly pretensions and clear 'White Man's Burden' instincts, would be so reserved? Also, reminiscent of 'Tangseid'...

Yeah, it really is.

At least Paul will probably not go full on utilitarian sociopath, if that snippet in the Gate universe is any indication, where he thought that the road for pure utility was not something he'd take.

Chojin Patriarch said:
Great. Now how are you going to keep Malvolio here? Have you thought about that at all? Or is that one of those problems for someone else to clean up?

He's either planning on fighting Malvolio after this, or thinking of letting the GLC finish off one of their mistakes.

And to be fair finishing him off now is a whole lot better than risking him escaping in the future, potentially more powerful than ever, though it's still very risky.

Mr Zoat · Nov 19, 2020

Darko said:
'particle'
'like this'
remove one 'make a'
'overwhelming'
remove forms' or 'ways'
'a Green Lantern'

Thank you, corrected.

remove 'a'
maybe 'began with'

No, those are correct.

Darko said:
Zoat on the first page it says that this is part 23 and 24 and both are connected, when it should be part 22.

Weird. Thank you, corrected.

Chojin Patriarch said:
Yes... But we're talking about Malvolio, and do you think he, with his Lordly pretensions and clear 'White Man's Burden' instincts, would be so reserved?

Lord Malvolio's from the 17th century. Kipling was 19th century. Malvolio treats his white subjects in the same way as he treats his orange ones.

Great. Now how are you going to keep Malvolio here? Have you thought about that at all? Or is that one of those problems for someone else to clean up?

What's to clean up? He only has one man's word that Malvolio was a bad influence, and even he appeared to be saying that the immediate result of his release is that a local war would stop. The SI has no particular problem with Malvolio being released.

I expect everyone out there noticed the sudden return of, you know, the entire universe to their skies...

Not for several minutes. Light only moves at the speed of light.

...To avoid Malvolio following you, I hope? Also... What about the Castle Revolving?! Or do you expect Hal to pick that up?

The League trashed the internal mechanisms, so if they really want the hull they're welcome to it.

Handlewithcare · Nov 19, 2020

The Guardians believe far too mich in "out os sihgt, out of mind".

Odd for Green Light users to not want definitve solutions, isn't it?

Ngamer11 · Nov 19, 2020

Handlewithcare said:
The Guardians believe far too mich in "out os sihgt, out of mind".

Odd for Green Light users to not want definitve solutions, isn't it?

I think this is more out of willful ignorance. Since it was already sort of resolved, they'll pretend it never happened, at least as long as it isn't a problem anymore.

Chojin Patriarch · Nov 19, 2020

Mr Zoat said:
Lord Malvolio's from the 17th century. Kipling was 19th century. Malvolio treats his white subjects in the same way as he treats his orange ones.

Probably not the best term I could have used... I meant more in a 'Clearly I'm more sensible, knowledgable and powerful than these people, I deserve to be in charge, don't I?' sort of fashion. You know, that sort of instinct some cultures took towards other cultures as they spread to 'new' lands... I might go back and reword that...

Ngamer11 · Nov 19, 2020

Chojin Patriarch said:
Probably not the best term I could have used... I meant more in a 'Clearly I'm more sensible, knowledgable and powerful than these people, I deserve to be in charge, don't I?' sort of fashion. You know, that sort of instinct some cultures took towards other cultures as they spread to 'new' lands... I might go back and reword that...

I think the term you are looking for is benevolent imperialization, like what the Fire Nation from Avatar believed it was doing at first. Except instead of a nation doing it, it's just Malvolio.

Maxx Crowley · Nov 19, 2020

Wait....I'm confused.

Did OL just release Malvolio? Because I read it as him grabbing prisoners and bouncing, leaving Mal to stew in his hole.

I honestly dont know what OL is thinking anymore. His alien mindset is interesting at times. But the level of indifference here was rather jarring. Typically when someone very politely asked something of OL, he at least gives it some thought.

On the other hand...if Mal is out of his void, I see no reason why the Guardians could instantly shut down and recall his ring. So there is that.

Ngamer11 · Nov 19, 2020

Maxx Crowley said:
Wait....I'm confused.

Did OL just release Malvolio? Because I read it as him grabbing prisoners and bouncing, leaving Mal to stew in his hole.

I honestly dont know what OL is thinking anymore. His alien mindset is interesting at times. But the level of indifference here was rather jarring. Typically when someone very politely asked something of OL, he at least gives it some thought.

On the other hand...if Mal is out of his void, I see no reason why the Guardians could instantly shut down and recall his ring. So there is that.

OL did that because there is no definitive proof that Malvolio would do anything really catastrophic if released, releasing him would free the people he's been influencing, and it was the only known way to escape and get back to Earth. Also, if the Guardians could shut down Malvolio's ring, they would have done so instead of asking another Green Lantern to kill him.

For some reason, I'm imagining Malvolio meeting Sinestro and the two duking it out, with Sinestro ultimately coming out on top. This is because I would think that Sinestro wouldn't like what the former did, specifically influencing the minds of others to keep them compliant instead of actually enforcing will through oppression, since Sinestro seems to like competent help more than an army of lackeys.

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

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