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

[ForeverShogo]

That's interesting. I've genuinely never seen Texas form unless I was the one doing it. Though I did see Oklahoma form once.

What I usually see in my games is Lanius conquering the east, Caesar conquering the west (if his tumor doesn't get him), the White Legs conquering the north, and Costa del Sol conquering their little corner of the south.

What happens from there usually depends on how successful Santa Anna has been. With the Legion-Santa Anna War being the real war.

The remaining nations tend to be a bit more of a coin toss.

 

[Mr Zoat]

That's interesting. I've genuinely never seen Texas form unless I was the one doing it. Though I did see Oklahoma form once.

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In my games, Texas generally forms just in time for Santa Anna to conquer it.

What I usually see in my games is Lanius conquering the east, Caesar conquering the west (if his tumor doesn't get him), the White Legs conquering the north, and Costa del Sol conquering their little corner of the south.

What happens from there usually depends on how successful Santa Anna has been. With the Legion-Santa Anna War being the real war.

The remaining nations tend to be a bit more of a coin toss.

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I see the Hangdogs conquer Lanius about a fifth of the time. Always Hangdogs mind, never WARDEN.

Ouraboros always goes Hounds of Dae, but I have seen White Legs lose to New Canaan occasionally.

 

[WereDragon]

15th May 2282
07:16 MTZ

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Jolly cooperation? Pending at least.

Interesting that this iteration has fallen into the same troubleshooter role despite his vastly less adaptable powers.

 

[Pinklestia]

Zoat have you played any of the Tropico games?

 

[Mr Zoat]

Zoat have you played any of the Tropico games?

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No.

 

[Ciber]

Dammit wish this was its own fic I love fallout and adore great si's and this looks so interesting.

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I'm working on it.
Unfortunately all my cloning attempts so far refuse to write anything but sonic the hedgehog fanfic, and had to be put down.

 

[jasonh23761]

In virtually all of my games The Republic of the Rio Grande gets conquered by Santa Anna. And that's with me buffing their start to the maximum.

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That's rather odd, it usually takes Santa Anna a good long while to get over to them. Normally he's already beaten the Alamo Brotherhood and the RRG before pivoting that way. I really enjoy OWB and what they did with Mexico but I do not enjoy going up against Santa Anna at all.

Generalissimo Valle is basically a Tropico dictator dropped into Fallout and actually doing pretty well by sheer virtue of win. Also guns, so many guns. The Gunrunners think they're big? They don't have anything on what Costa Del Sol can cook up.

As a side note, I can't help but feel there is potential for a rather interesting story with a NCR/RRG aligned Costa Del Sol pivoting to stand against the Legion. The two Republics supporting a (admittedly beloved) dictator for political expediency in their fight against the Legion. Really lean into an OSS/CIA training cadre with the Rangers too. Hmm, ideas, ideas.

Ah well, I can always look forward to the Washington Brotherhood rework, eventually.

 

[Mr Zoat]

That's rather odd, it usually takes Santa Anna a good long while to get over to them. Normally he's already beaten the Alamo Brotherhood and the RRG before pivoting that way. I really enjoy OWB and what they did with Mexico but I do not enjoy going up against Santa Anna at all.

Generalissimo Valle is basically a Tropico dictator dropped into Fallout and actually doing pretty well by sheer virtue of win. Also guns, so many guns. The Gunrunners think they're big? They don't have anything on what Costa Del Sol can cook up.

As a side note, I can't help but feel there is potential for a rather interesting story with a NCR/RRG aligned Costa Del Sol pivoting to stand against the Legion. The two Republics supporting a (admittedly beloved) dictator for political expediency in their fight against the Legion. Really lean into an OSS/CIA training cadre with the Rangers too. Hmm, ideas, ideas.

Ah well, I can always look forward to the Washington Brotherhood rework, eventually.

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I'm looking forward to the NCR rework. I tried a playthrough but gave up when I found out that Grant Hayes got a generic focus tree with no bonus technology.

When I play RRG I always go Rosado, making Santa Anna my second target, right after the Texas Arms Association. It's a bit odd that the game assumes that you puppet them when conquering them is better. Rosado doesn't care about the Legion and they generally don't care about her.

 

[jasonh23761]

I'm looking forward to the NCR rework. I tried a playthrough but gave up when I found out that Grant Hayes got a generic focus tree with no bonus technology.

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I'm also rather looking forward to that, especially since the whole circle of sin update should hit at the same time unless I'm looking at an old dev outline. Personally I'm most looking forward to the Rangers being redone (they struggle so badly with the caps mechanic) and New Reno, though a revamped Vault City would also be such fun.

The teased BoS exclusive units also look quite interesting. I'd be curious to see what routes we'll be able to take the Western BoS down. Also MANPADs are going to be a thing it looks like.

 

[jasonh23761]

When I play RRG I always go Rosado, making Santa Anna my second target, right after the Texas Arms Association. It's a bit odd that the game assumes that you puppet them when conquering them is better. Rosado doesn't care about the Legion and they generally don't care about her.

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I've been meaning to finish a Rosado playthrough, it hadn't happened yet though. The TAA has a lot of cool stuff that is hampered by the realities of where they are. You'll see 1/3 of it max before someone in a much better position ends up stomping you.

 

[Maxx Crowley]

Could you just fucking leave at this point, or something?

It is one thing to whine about DC stuff- it's the main continuity of the story, some of your whining could be percieved as genuine criticism


But this here is just "Bwah! Stuff doesn't align with what I want, imma whine!".
Zoat isn't shy about pointing out it's the mod's lore. Every single time.
Shut your trap about that one, at the very least, will ya?

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I'm endlessly amused that, even though I've had him blocked for a long time now, I instantly know this is about Vaermina.

Moving on.

Fallout eh? Can't say I was expecting that. I don't really remember psychics being a big thing, I mean I think the Master was one, but I'm certainly no expert on the universe. Sad what happened to the series though.

Fallout 4 has me pretty much writing off whatever the next Elder Scrolls will be.

I'd say I'll always have Oblivion (I have such affection for that game, just the overworld music is enough to put a smile on my face) but my 360 won't last forever, and the steam version doesn't have controller support (I simply cannot play that kind of game with a keyboard and mouse.)

 

[Mr Zoat]

I've been meaning to finish a Rosado playthrough, it hadn't happened yet though. The TAA has a lot of cool stuff that is hampered by the realities of where they are. You'll see 1/3 of it max before someone in a much better position ends up stomping you.

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The TAA has a focus that gives them power armour they can't use, due to not being able to research it. I've conquered 'South Texas' with them before.

Fallout eh? Can't say I was expecting that. I don't really remember psychics being a big thing, I mean I think the Master was one, but I'm certainly no expert on the universe. Sad what happened to the series though.

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You spend the first part of Fallout 2 getting messages in your deams from your tribe's shaman. They're not a big thing, but that's probably because civilisation has fallen apart and no one can properly research it.

 

[Coda]

I'd say I'll always have Oblivion (I have such affection for that game, just the overworld music is enough to put a smile on my face) but my 360 won't last forever, and the steam version doesn't have controller support (I simply cannot play that kind of game with a keyboard and mouse.)

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Steam can emulate keyboard and mouse inputs if you'e using a controller, if you take a moment to set it up.

 

[Radix]

Wait is Fallout a wargame? This sounds pretty interesting.

What are the SI's powers in this setting?

Was there a previous story with this SI?

 

[NightmareWarden]

I'd say I'll always have Oblivion (I have such affection for that game, just the overworld music is enough to put a smile on my face) but my 360 won't last forever, and the steam version doesn't have controller support (I simply cannot play that kind of game with a keyboard and mouse.)

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This page says a bit more controller support can be included via Northern UI mod from NexusMods. I doubt it is perfect, but it sounds like you'll need to fiddle with it in the future anyway. The page description says the Xbox controller support works on its own so you don't have to overhaul your game with the other options.

Wait is Fallout a wargame? This sounds pretty interesting.

What are the SI's powers in this setting?

Was there a previous story with this SI?

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Not a full story, as in a separate thread, no. Just a few peeks at Krono-Paul's adventures. The last time we saw him was at the end of the Time Trapper arc. Krono used most of his ring's juice to fix up a crashed alien ship, focusing on the MedBay. With that he gave himself psychic powers and is using it to build up a sane community among the wastelands.

 

[Mr Zoat]

Wait is Fallout a wargame? This sounds pretty interesting.

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It's a Hearts of Iron IV mod. See here.

What are the SI's powers in this setting?

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Moderate physical augmentation from the Forced Evolutionary Virus and various psychic abilities from alien technology.

Was there a previous story with this SI?

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He's shown up a few times before.

 

[Twilight666]

It's a Hearts of Iron IV mod. See here.

Moderate physical augmentation from the Forced Evolutionary Virus and various psychic abilities from alien technology.

He's shown up a few times before.

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Actually the last we saw him was on Duplication (part 23) when he killed Krona after the Crisis event.
Didn't he also get one of Krona's gold rings? Did he decide not to use them?
Or did that also lack a personal Lantern so it run out of charge like his original ring?

 

[Mr Zoat]

Actually the last we saw him was on Duplication (part 23) when he killed Krona after the Crisis event.

Didn't he also get one of Krona's gold rings? Did he decide not to use them?

Or did that also lack a personal Lantern so it run out of charge like his original ring?

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Still no lantern. He has a somewhat charged ring, but he's keeping it for when he desperately needs it.

 

[ForeverShogo]

Now, see, you've said something that proves you must be engaging in techno-sorcery.

Every single time I've played, without fail, the Hangdogs get replaced with WARDEN. It's actually kind of annoying.

==

As for psychic powers in Fallout . . . There's usually at least one person in each game who has some kind of psychic ability. With the idea being that it's generally pretty rare.

It's always some kind of induced change or something you're born with.

The Master tried to make people psychic by injecting FEV directly into their brain. It worked in that it gave people powers, but it also drove each and every test subject insane.

Zoat already mentioned that shaman.

Calvert from 3's Point Lookout eventually developed psychic powers (telepathy) after spending 200 years as a brain in the jar, but given that we don't see similar abilities in, say, the Think Tank, he probably just got lucky.

A couple of different characters across the series have had the ability to see visions of the future. In fact, seeing the future seems to be the most common psychic ability.

Lorenzo Cabot got a number of abilities from an artifact that fused with his nervous system and drove him insane.

In the non-canon Tactics, the Beastlords gained the ability to control animals after prolonged exposure to "special radiation" found in a specific cave system. A Super Mutant in 2 could also control animals, and there was the Ant-Agonizer in 3 who could control giant ants. (Though I believe OWB is going to make the Beastlords a faction whenever the Midwest update happens.)

Given that most of the people who are shown to get psychic powers from external factors are also driven bug fuck nuts, the Paul in the Fallout world got pretty damn lucky that alien tech didn't scramble his brain.

 

[Maxx Crowley]

You spend the first part of Fallout 2 getting messages in your deams from your tribe's shaman. They're not a big thing, but that's probably because civilisation has fallen apart and no one can properly research it.

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Though I do own a version of Fallout 2. I never played it when it came out, and I've never been able to play the version I own. There have always been technical issues.

Steam can emulate keyboard and mouse inputs if you'e using a controller, if you take a moment to set it up.

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I tried using Big Picture mode, it only...kinda worked, and I don't quite know how to troubleshoot it at this moment. The actual board was zero help. Just page after page of "Just use keyboard and mouse."

This page says a bit more controller support can be included via Northern UI mod from NexusMods. I doubt it is perfect, but it sounds like you'll need to fiddle with it in the future anyway. The page description says the Xbox controller support works on its own so you don't have to overhaul your game with the other options.

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I'll take a look, thank you.

Though, to be honest, I prefer the look of Oblivion's UI to Skyrim's. Oblivion just has so much...charm to me.

That's my issue with so much of games of late. They lack charm. It's like everything is a piece of ultra-modern art these days....and I'm just a big sucker for brick and stonework.

 

[Mr Zoat]

10th July 2012
16:36 GMT

"Do you think he died?"

I raise my eyebrows at Lantern Ragnar. "Who?"

"The Reach commander who killed you. Do you think that he was on the ship which exploded?"

"I think it unlikely. Honestly, I'd be surprised if he was anywhere near this system. There was no logical reason for it; nothing that was likely to happen required an immediate political decision."

"Not even nearby? At least?"

"He might have been just outside of the system with some sort of advanced stealth setup, but the Reach have FTL sensors and FTL communicators and I wasn't making an effort to block either. Sorry to disappoint."

"I know that I shouldn't expect him to challenge us in person once he learns that his gambit has failed, but he should confirm the death of his target. This is slovenly."

"You… Really want to fight those elite scarab warriors, don't you?"

He smiles at his own foolishness. "Do you think I could simply put in a request?"

"Not yet, but if you want to raise your profile I can ask Dox about having you appear in a few propaganda broadcasts. Then you could take a tour of worlds on the front lines with your public appearances advertised well in advance, and we could see who turns up."

For a moment he looks interested, then the interest fades.

"They would probably just plant a bomb."

"Probably."

"It is churlish to ask, but can our next great crusade be against people who fight as elite warriors who prefer single combat between champions?"

"Well, the galaxy's other major evil empire is Apokolips, and… New Gods tend to fight in that way. So we can do them next?"

"I will look forward to it. My ring, tell me of the new gods."

"Illustres, we believe that we may have a solution."

I smile and fly towards the Venturians. "Yes?"

One of them has a space suit shaped for a fin, and from his face I see that he's a dolphin-man. Wait…

"Oh, hello again. We met briefly at Professor Sephtian's party last September."

"Yes. I remember. The party where he told me to go and sit in the corner when everyone else did interesting work. Where I was the only one left after everyone else decamped to the surface."

"Oh. Ah, sorry, I didn't-. I wasn't keeping.. track. I didn't mean to insult your speciality."

"No, I don't hold you responsible. And it's… Due to you that I'm out here."

Doctor Wilsone nods.

"Doctor Damon's preference for studying behaviour rather than thaumatic systems has been quite helpful in understanding how the orange light you use works in relation to magic. And this is largely his idea."

"Whether I'm taking credit or blame. The problem isn't forcing the separated parts of your soul back into you; being in you is their natural state. The problem is that your tattoos -which appear to have been re-empowered by whatever spiritual energies you have left- are, combined with the lack of a background magic system, preventing the natural process of re-incorporation."

"Okay, makes sense so far."

"So since we can't spread you out across a few hundred cubic kilometres, we think that-"

"Why not?"

"-by-. What? What do you mean, 'why not'?"

"The.. second thing I did with my ring was reconfiguring my physical body. There's no fundamental reason why I can't just grow a huge amount of skin."

"And-. 'Huge amount' includes hundreds of cubic kilometres?"

"I'm not saying that I'd enjoy it or that I'd keep it afterwards, but if it would make things easier to get the rest of my soul back then yes."

"That might simplify things. What I had been going to say is that while your tattoos stop spells detecting you, they don't do anything to block physical contact. The disassociated parts of your soul can't detect you, but if we touch you then we can replicate your 'feel' and draw it to you through our magic. In a place like this our range wouldn't be particularly great, but it would be faster than trying to go through every part of this region of space. As you are now, anyway. If you can turn yourself into a giant flesh-blob, then it's even more practical."

"How far can you 'pull'?"

"In theory, as far as the local mana field extends. But given how diffuse it is, we won't be able to pull hard or fast. We'll literally just be pulling with our own spiritual strength."

I turn around in a circle, taking in the entirety of local space.

"There aren't any influences here that could stop the spread. How far has it spread?"

"We haven't had time to test it, exactly. That's one of the things I hope to be able to research while I'm in space. What do souls do when they're trapped in a void for an extended period of time?"

"Ah… As far as I know, desperately cluster together and eventually sort of merge into a screaming nightmare."

"…"

With how his eyes are designed and the shape of his helmet it's hard to tell, but I think he's staring at me.

"That's… Plausible. How do you know that? I wasn't provided with data from previous studies."

"I've had an interesting life. And Lord Hades has given me some pointers."

"I'm going to request an audience when we return to Earth. We've had the Leentniar ships who were in the system remain here until we can cleanse them of arcane influences."

I frown. "Why would we want to stop the souls of their dead leaving with them?"

"Because we don't know if it would just be their souls, and because it's unlikely that their souls have retained perfect individual integrity. They may well have taken bits of you with them. To be completely clear, you're unlikely to get all of you back."

I nod. "I accept that. I just need the general shape, then I'll spend some time on a thaumically active world until I'm fully recovered. Oh, and can we build a soul siphon of some sort for the Leentniar? Ideally, they'd-."

"Keep the souls of their own dead, yes, but no, we can't. There isn't enough thaumic energy here to brute force them into one place and they don't have their own magic system that we could learn in order to bind them with finesse. The best we could do is remove as much of you as possible and then have their larger ships fly through the area and pick up any souls that wished to make the journey."

I nod. "Alright. Is there anything you need to do before I turn myself into a giant skin flap?"

"Warning the L.E.G.I.O.N. ships to keep their distance would be a good idea. Otherwise, we're ready to begin."

 

[Mr Zoat]

Now, see, you've said something that proves you must be engaging in techno-sorcery.

Every single time I've played, without fail, the Hangdogs get replaced with WARDEN. It's actually kind of annoying.

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How the heck does that happen? If you play it, you'll see that 1) WARDEN shouldn't be able to beat the Hangdog's starting units and 2) should run out of support robots after a few days.

 

[SemiAnarchist]

I nod. "Alright. Is there anything you need to do before I turn myself into a giant skin flap?"

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Oh boy, oh boy. This is going to be Paul's new giant cake, isn't it?

 

[Darko]

"You… Really want to fight those elite scarab warriors, don't you?

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Ya think.

well in advanced

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'advance'

turned up.

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'turns up'

Well, the galaxy's other major evil empire is Apokolips, and… New Gods tend to fight in that way. So we can do them next?"

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There's always Grayven.

Oh, hello again. We met briefly at Professor Sephtian's party last September."

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Where Sephtian mocked his specialty.

So since we can't spread you out across a few hundred cubic kilometres, we think that-"

"Why not?"

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Because you won't look good being so fat.

by-. What? What do you mean, 'why not'?

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Ahh, he doesn't know how crazy Paul can be.

And just wait until he gets his soul back!

trying to through

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'to go'

don't know it would

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'if it'

They my well

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'may well'

 

[Someguy Somewhere]

Pauls new look?

Spoiler: It's getting damned Whovian around here.

 

[Darko]

Oh boy, oh boy. This is going to be Paul's new giant cake, isn't it?

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Probably.

He shall be called:

Skin Flap Guy.

 

[Signaller]

"Oh, I take no umbrage. I can well understand the desire to continue to oversee something you have created, even as a shade. Still, if you wish to ensure that you will come here, there is a spell I can perform to bind you to Erebos."

"As you do your dead?"

"It would not be quite the same. I am offering you no power. But upon your death it would bring you here, or notify me if it was disrupted."

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- from just after Paul was killed the first time. Has anyone tried making contact with Hades this time to figure out what's going on?

 

[King of Frost]

Oh boy, oh boy. This is going to be Paul's new giant cake, isn't it?

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I don't think it'll replace the giant cake thing. I think ol' OL is about to get a new addition to it all. "Pavlos the Discordant Spider Consort, Demigod of Gluttony"

Him becoming a massive blob will be seen as only natural if he has a penchant for making city-sized cakes.

 

[PrinceJonathan]

"So since we can't spread you out across a few hundred cubic kilometres, we think that-"

"Why not?"

"-by-. What? What do you mean, 'why not'?"

"The.. second thing I did with my ring was reconfiguring my physical body. There's no fundamental reason why I can't just grow a huge amount of skin."

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Source Wall meet Meat Wall.

 

[Mr Zoat]

'advance'
'turns up'
'to go'
'if it'
'may well'

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Thank you, corrected.