thepsyborg
I trust you know where the happy button is?
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Time to bake another cake?And Paul is going to visit a world were blowing shit up won't net you points? Interesting
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Time to bake another cake?And Paul is going to visit a world were blowing shit up won't net you points? Interesting
Nobody is that cunning, he's an utter trainwreck when it comes to subtly."You formed a rapport with Lantern Drusa, and she is sufficiently cunning to make up for your complete failure in matters of subtlety."
You can also check the TV Tropes page. That has a few more members in it.I can only hope that someone with a better memory than me (and/or more patience) will update the list of Orange Lanterns on the wiki, and maybe even give more of them articles. Like, I recognize Drusa's name, but I'm blanking on details. I do know who Ratchet is, though, and at least he's on the list, but Drusa doesn't even have that, and neither does Xor (though I do recall reading the chapters he was in, just not the names of the episodes).
Drusa's the one who hacked Aya in the Green Lantern animated series.I can only hope that someone with a better memory than me (and/or more patience) will update the list of Orange Lanterns on the wiki, and maybe even give more of them articles. Like, I recognize Drusa's name, but I'm blanking on details. I do know who Ratchet is, though, and at least he's on the list, but Drusa doesn't even have that, and neither does Xor (though I do recall reading the chapters he was in, just not the names of the episodes).
That's less helpful than you probably think.Drusa's the one who hacked Aya in the Green Lantern animated series.
I'd rather not give TVTropes more page views than absolutely necessary.You can also check the TV Tropes page. That has a few more members in it.
I think it's more that he has more people that he cares about on Earth. As such, he wants to improve it with as little chance of people he cares about being hurt as possible. When he's on other planets, he wants to improve them, but he's more willing to do things like mass murder.EDIT: In reference to Paul's increased tendency to get into fights: To be fair, he's very powerful, quite skilled, and very hard to kill, he's fond of efficiency, and he's in a violent profession, so even without whatever Boss Smiley did to him, he isn't forced to maintain the skills and habits of talking things out with people, and thus those skills and habits could fade.
beneficially -> beneficial
I feel like that's a loaded way of saying itI think it's more that he has more people that he cares about on Earth. As such, he wants to improve it with as little chance of people he cares about being hurt as possible. When he's on other planets, he wants to improve them, but he's more willing to do things like mass murder.
I just noticed, the second part of this is set on June 13, so the date should be added.
Thank you, corrected.I just noticed, the second part of this is set on June 13, so the date should be added.
Paul would take that opening to recommend his game."You don't know of anything you really really want? So maybe you just need to try completely new things. How do you feel about model wargaming?"
Come on. Becoming a god's not that hard. Have these people even met a god?
And I wasn't really… I'm not naturally inclined to question things that I'm told-."
Thank you, corrected.
I assume that it was a changing experience in more than one way.This does not match up with what we've seen him do when he's told something by someone.
Probably feeling a little concerned about what the Illustres wants from her this time. Bad enough she's stuck being the diplomatic one on their joint mission. If she's been keeping up on his affairs, she knows how badly things can go...4th August 2012
15:33 GMT
"So?"
Lantern Drusa looks at me a little cautiously.
In other words, you want to know the things that don't get logged in the records."So?"
"How have you been? How do you feel about our mission? Are there any developments in your skills regarding which you need to appraise me?"
Not yet. but you're getting there, kind of.
With OL, the splash zone is quite large. I expect a few have discreetly started filming, just in case something funny happens...I take a seat on the opposite side of the refectory table, the various L.E.G.I.O.N.-affiliated personnel around us suddenly taking a great deal more interest. At least, those who aren't heading for what they imagine to be minimum safe distance.
Come on. Becoming a god's not that hard. Have these people even met a god?
But that would be more of a Hope thing than a Want. Still, good to see she's looking for something."And I wasn't expecting you to be a god. I was wondering how much progress you'd made in finding out what it is that you most value?"
Her eyes drop to… Her copy of 'The Grace of Aulier'? A religious book from her homeworld.
If it's written anything like this, it must have been interesting."I'm not finding it here." She stares into my eyes. "How did you become immortal?"
"Did you try reading my book?"
What a delightful understatement.She nods. "You abhor decay."
I extend my right forefinger and point to a worn section of her book at it is restored back to prime condition. Then a scuff on the table, a faint stain…
Well, for a start, it involved merging with the Ophidian. Not something for a casual Orange Lantern without a good understanding of their wants to attempt..."I abhor decay. My environmental shield undoes it without me even really thinking about it."
"How do you get like that?"
Indeed. That's not exactly the image other people see of him much of the time. Then again... As we saw in his briefings with Dox, he usually only asks questions to clarify details, but rarely do we see him say 'No, that's not right.'"I don't know, exactly. I didn't grow up in a-" I point to her book again. "-religious household. But I did go to a religious primary school. And I wasn't really… I'm not naturally inclined to question things that I'm told-."
She blinks, her mouth falling open slightly for a moment before she closes it again, trying to make it look like she wasn't astonished.
Then you haven't been working hard enough at it. Much like a sensible wizard, a good Orange Lantern is very, very hard to kill. OL has just taken it to the point that he's even harder to keep dead."I grew up surrounded by trustworthy people. I know, I was lucky. But when the local vicar gave weekly sermons I just… Accepted that was how the universe worked. And then… When I learned a little more about the world around me, I couldn't relate the fantastical stuff that he was saying with.. practical reality. That was when I first came to believe that death was permanent."
"It still is for most people."
Admittedly, there isn't always a lot to ship back sometimes.I shake my head.
"No. Lantern Corps policy involves shipping our corpses back to our homeworlds where possible, or a friendly world where it's not. Your soul will end up somewhere. Did you see my tattoos?"
And there's the start of his thanatophobia, eh?"… Yes."
"That's what I had to do to even get a soul. Well before I developed my current level of pain resistance, I volunteered to have my flesh branded so I could benefit from something that you've had your entire life at no cost." I lean back slightly. "Once I stopped believing in God, I stopped believing in souls. And if souls didn't exist, death was inevitable oblivion."
Well, not every culture has an afterlife equivalent after all. For some, it's merely in being honoured by others. For others, it's a literal place their soul goes. I wouldn't be surprised if each of her planet's religions had different ideas about it..."Yes?"
"I can only assume that it was more of a shock to me than it is to you because I had previously believed that it wasn't the case."
...I won't ask, it's probably a messed up memory. But most people's first brush with actual death is often a dead animal or the like..."That was it?"
"There was an encounter with a dead chicken as well, but… Yes. I don't like me decaying. I don't like the things around me decaying. The first thing-."
And unlike that first time, you know to block your pain receptors when you do it."The first thing you did with your ring was improve your body."
"I can heal myself very easily, too."
This is probably going to be a running theme for those more interested in the esoteric side of Orange Light use. Since each person's desires are unique, so will their path towards Enlightenment..."So without having gone through those experiences, I can't make myself immortal."
"No, you probably can. Just not in the same way. Is there really no long-term goal that you're working towards? I-" I shake my head and shrug. "-mean, anything."
To be fair, that's probably a concept that turns up on every planet now and again. So it wouldn't be completely unknown to her.She thinks for a moment.
"Which god?"
"Ah… In my home parallel, we haven't had contact with other intelligent species. I don't know if there's anything like the Source Wall. But it was a monotheistic religion worshipping an all-powerful creator deity."
Well, that's certainly a thorough way to apply yourself to a task... Bet she's noticed a few running themes and similarities between them. After all, most members of a species have some ideas in common."My peo-. My homeworld had several religions. All they were for me was a source of curse words."
"You didn't grow up with one in-" I point to the book again. "-particular?"
"I'm going through them in alphabetical order. No."
An odd way to look at it, but hey... Whatever works. I'm sure there's something that'll get you invested in it."Okay, so you don't specifically want to be immortal."
"I want to be immortal. I just don't want it as hard as you do. I'm so used to things decaying that it doesn't seem wrong to me."
See? You're invested in not wanting your mind to be messed with. It's a good start."If you're interested in taking that route, I know a few telepaths-."
"No."
Which will mean your Orange Light will allow you to shrug off mental effects more easily."Ah, progress! You-."
"I value my mental integrity over becoming a better Lantern."
...Huh. That... That is honestly an interesting viewpoint on it. It makes sense, too. He mainlined Avarice for so long that his own desires were buried underneath the collectives wants of the universe. Like one grain of sand in a desert."'Better' is a loaded term. There's no one right way to be an Orange Lantern. Though-. Have you ever visited Larfleeze?" I get a shallow nod. "That's the wrong way."
"Because he has no desires that are actually his own, he just acts on pure desire."
So, desire fulfilled. Now what? What do you want to use it for?"That's not a terrible answer. I honestly hadn't thought of it like that." I nod. "But I think you're right. So… Okay, you're having a problem with a visceral drive. Working on pure intellectual desire. Where do you want to end up? If given a choice of jobs, which do you opt for, all other things being equal?"
"I like working with technology. But now I have-" She raises her left hand, ring shimmering. "-the most advanced piece of technology in the universe on my finger."
And why would you need more than one ring? As OL's showed, extra rings only supply more charge, and a good personal lantern can mitigate that issue easily enough."Do you want to learn to create them?"
"I could, but then I'd just have the ability to create something I've already got."
Welp. What do you want, then? When your power works on wanting things, you have to be able to focus on something you want, after all. The joy of satiation..."Only machines it has a record of. Have you read the files on my homeworld scientists?"
"I picked up machines because it made me useful but not threatening. I don't have some great underlying love for technology."
See, that's a good idea. New experiences end up sparking new wants. But be honest, OL, you just want another player for your refined, balanced Warhammer, don't you?"Okay. Maybe we're taking the wrong approach, here."
"What do you mean?"
"You don't know of anything you really really want? So maybe you just need to try completely new things. How do you feel about model wargaming?"
A few days later, she really really wants to be Sanguinius, with an army of genesons."You don't know of anything you really really want? So maybe you just need to try completely new things. How do you feel about model wargaming?"
Is this the Lantern who really valued wealth/material resources because they were rare on her planet? I forget if we got a detailed explanation of how she was chosen
I mean, it's happened a couple times. Like with him just going along with being on the Team and assuming it wasn't the kid's team until someone set up a school identity for him.This does not match up with what we've seen him do when he's told something by someone.
No.
And Paragon doesn't.
Right. The ring allows you to completely reshape your body, anyways. Wouldn't the vast majority of old people want to stop being old if they have the ring on?The idea that you need some special mindset to be effectively immortal as an Orange Lantern still seems really dumb to me. Most people don't really want to get old, or decrepit, or deal with illness or injury or whatever.
The idea that always being in your prime isn't just part of the package is just absolutely bonkers to me.