Assblaster5000
I trust you know where the happy button is?
- Joined
- Jun 7, 2020
- Messages
- 738
- Likes received
- 4,340
Well. I can that someone hates power scaling.
Good, one more welcomed to the fold.
-
The site has now migrated to Xenforo 2. If you see any issues with the forum operation, please post them in the feedback thread.
-
Due to issues with external spam filters, QQ is currently unable to send any mail to Microsoft E-mail addresses. This includes any account at live.com, hotmail.com or msn.com. Signing up to the forum with one of these addresses will result in your verification E-mail never arriving. For best results, please use a different E-mail provider for your QQ address.
-
The rules regarding NSFW links have been updated. See here for details.
With This Ring (Young Justice SI) (Thread Fourteen)
- Thread starter Mr Zoat
- Start date
-
- Tags
- self insert young justice
Well. I can that someone hates power scaling.
Good, one more welcomed to the fold.
Coda
Versed in the lewd.
- Joined
- Jan 27, 2019
- Messages
- 1,084
- Likes received
- 4,211
You can just use color=orange as bbcode....also how the hell do I get the color hex values, I cannot find the bloody fucking BBcode-deformatting button to see it directly, and have no clue how to use the hex color box!
Mr Zoat
Dedicated ragequitter
- Joined
- Dec 1, 2016
- Messages
- 15,979
- Likes received
- 818,028
Half right. The Controllers were the ones who didn't want to keep using the Manhunters.
I was trying to make a reference to the Green Lantern Animated episode 'Babel', where Kilowog makes a similar comment about a marching song.
In the comics, once the Green Lantern Corps was resurrected a few deaths ago, all the Lanterns switched from personal oaths to copying Jordan's. Naturally, that meant that they rhymed in English.
Doccer
Versed in the lewd.
- Joined
- Jul 21, 2019
- Messages
- 1,041
- Likes received
- 2,748
What are your thoughts on Earth 12 GL being able to recharge their rings in electricity?
Stsword
Versed in the lewd.
- Joined
- Aug 7, 2017
- Messages
- 1,807
- Likes received
- 10,242
A slightly different matter, but that feat has been discussed before, and Zoat said that in this story rings can absorb energy like that but it takes charge, so as to not replace the dependence on the Glow.
Otherwise all those alt.Pauls disadvantaged by their lack of battery would have been significantly less screwed.
Medidiction (part 20)
Mr Zoat
Dedicated ragequitter
- Joined
- Dec 1, 2016
- Messages
- 15,979
- Likes received
- 818,028
27th August 2012
09:25 GMT
"Illustres to Lantern Toren."
I suppose there's an outside chance that the ring has merely selected a new bearer as per its seeker protocols. That seems unlikely given that it didn't just fly to the meanest Spider Guild affiliated slave master, but in the interest of the presumption of innocence I should at least ask them before I go in shooting. With the designs for the anti-construct ray stored in my ring, I'd be astonished if a newly minted Yellow Lantern was able-
"Lantern Toren here."
-to stand against me.
"A Spider Guilder with a yellow power ring just attacked Lantern Onik's old monastery. The attack has been defeated, as has the Lantern who carried it out. Their ring is heading this way and I want to see who it goes to."
"That is concerning, but I agree with your judgement. Do you believe that we can defeat Sinestro?"
I take a moment to look over the planet, looking for… Something that could conceivably be Sinestro. I'm not seeing anything, not even another individual with the same green blur as the abbot.
"Yes, as long as you don't mind explaining to the Guardians why you jumped straight to lethal force. Otherwise, I believe that I can defeat Sinestro."
"Under the circumstances I believe that to be the correct decision. Can you detect his location?"
"I'm not convinced that he's actually here. At the moment my money's on your abbot."
"That-. Why? How?"
"To paraphrase J'onn J'onzz, 'He was the only one on the planet whose soul I couldn't see'."
"I hope that you're wrong, but I'll stand by in case." The image of his head changes angle slightly. "I can detect the ring now. You're right, it's heading this way."
Some of the defence fleet ships pick it up on their sensors as it flies past, but it's a tiny object and not the sort of thing they were designed to track. And… They're ships designed to fight Spider Guild swarm fleets, not Lanterns.
"Stand ready. I'll follow-"
The ring flies past me and I turn to follow it.
"-it down."
"I will be ready."
"Good man. End." Toren's face vanishes. "Contact Lantern Dul."
"Oh, I'm included, am I?"
Because she was still sparring with Lantern Toren and heard the entire conversation. Nice to know that she was using her time productively.
"Yes. Recharge and stand ready to cover an evacuation."
"I'm in position to intercept the ring."
"So am I; I don't want it intercepted. I want to find out where it's going and who it's going to."
"Understood. Dul out."
Descending through the atmosphere, towards… Yes, the monastery. The ring is slowing slightly, scanning for something or more likely someone. Of course: if the abbot is keeping his willpower active then the fear ring is going to have trouble locating him. I suppose I could try assimilating it, but that runs the risk of it wiping itself. And I can always do that after we find its target.
Still don't really know what I'll do if I do encounter Sinestro. Yes, Kalmin wants me to kill him, and I can think of uses for a yellow ring… And an extra blue ring for Koriand'r, of course. But Sinestro's a veteran and if he's actually got a body of Lanterns under his command already…
I see a burst of fear and the ring zips away towards… The monastery's front lawn, and into the open right hand of the abbot. Toren is a short distance behind him inside the monastery, though clearly still aware of the man. Dul is circling around, ready to block the route between here and the closest population centre.
I slow to a stop as the abbot considers the ring. His environmental shield is active but he hasn't actually put the ring on yet.
"Would you like to explain?"
He looks sombre, his eyes only lifting from the ring for a moment to acknowledge me.
"I was a young man during the last war with the Spider Guild. I served in the marines, it was… The last time we actually tried occupying one of their worlds. I got to bear witness to their barbarity first hand. Their butchery centres, carcasses… I originally came here-"
He lifts his eyes up for a moment to take in his surroundings.
"-to try and learn how to cope with the nightmares."
"Did it help?"
"As you noticed, I can control what happens in my mind. So long as I do that, I sleep perfectly easily. It's.. supposed to be a triumph of will." He rotates the ring around until the sigil is facing him. "It doesn't feel that way."
"And that ring?"
"Sinestro sent it to me, along with a quantum entanglement communicator. He made me see exactly-. That my whole life had been defined by fear. All of our… Society. We reacted in fear of the Spider Guild, and…" His face creases in distaste. "Our fear shapes us, cracks papered over with will. We've never gone all out. We know they're evil, we say that we prize the ability to follow through on an action, on a thought, above all other psychological virtues, yet we never followed through on killing the people who kidnap and eat us. Because we're afraid of them. We bravely sit in one place and let them carry on. And we lie to ourselves about it."
"'We' or 'you'?"
"Do you think I became abbot by being atypical? My people consider me to be the pinnacle of virtue."
"Well… On the positive side, they probably don't any more."
"Tuh-hah! Yes. You're right."
"Why did you give the ring to that Spider Guilder?"
"I wanted to see if you would be paralysed into inaction as we have been. Instead, you fed her your own body just to make a point."
"Lantern Onik had trouble, to start with."
"But only to start with."
"I'm not sure what would have happened if I hadn't caught up with him."
"It was foolish of me to assume that everyone was motivated by the same thing or in the same way." He looks up and makes eye contact with me. "What happens now?"
What indeed?
09:25 GMT
"Illustres to Lantern Toren."
I suppose there's an outside chance that the ring has merely selected a new bearer as per its seeker protocols. That seems unlikely given that it didn't just fly to the meanest Spider Guild affiliated slave master, but in the interest of the presumption of innocence I should at least ask them before I go in shooting. With the designs for the anti-construct ray stored in my ring, I'd be astonished if a newly minted Yellow Lantern was able-
"Lantern Toren here."
-to stand against me.
"A Spider Guilder with a yellow power ring just attacked Lantern Onik's old monastery. The attack has been defeated, as has the Lantern who carried it out. Their ring is heading this way and I want to see who it goes to."
"That is concerning, but I agree with your judgement. Do you believe that we can defeat Sinestro?"
I take a moment to look over the planet, looking for… Something that could conceivably be Sinestro. I'm not seeing anything, not even another individual with the same green blur as the abbot.
"Yes, as long as you don't mind explaining to the Guardians why you jumped straight to lethal force. Otherwise, I believe that I can defeat Sinestro."
"Under the circumstances I believe that to be the correct decision. Can you detect his location?"
"I'm not convinced that he's actually here. At the moment my money's on your abbot."
"That-. Why? How?"
"To paraphrase J'onn J'onzz, 'He was the only one on the planet whose soul I couldn't see'."
"I hope that you're wrong, but I'll stand by in case." The image of his head changes angle slightly. "I can detect the ring now. You're right, it's heading this way."
Some of the defence fleet ships pick it up on their sensors as it flies past, but it's a tiny object and not the sort of thing they were designed to track. And… They're ships designed to fight Spider Guild swarm fleets, not Lanterns.
"Stand ready. I'll follow-"
The ring flies past me and I turn to follow it.
"-it down."
"I will be ready."
"Good man. End." Toren's face vanishes. "Contact Lantern Dul."
"Oh, I'm included, am I?"
Because she was still sparring with Lantern Toren and heard the entire conversation. Nice to know that she was using her time productively.
"Yes. Recharge and stand ready to cover an evacuation."
"I'm in position to intercept the ring."
"So am I; I don't want it intercepted. I want to find out where it's going and who it's going to."
"Understood. Dul out."
Descending through the atmosphere, towards… Yes, the monastery. The ring is slowing slightly, scanning for something or more likely someone. Of course: if the abbot is keeping his willpower active then the fear ring is going to have trouble locating him. I suppose I could try assimilating it, but that runs the risk of it wiping itself. And I can always do that after we find its target.
Still don't really know what I'll do if I do encounter Sinestro. Yes, Kalmin wants me to kill him, and I can think of uses for a yellow ring… And an extra blue ring for Koriand'r, of course. But Sinestro's a veteran and if he's actually got a body of Lanterns under his command already…
I see a burst of fear and the ring zips away towards… The monastery's front lawn, and into the open right hand of the abbot. Toren is a short distance behind him inside the monastery, though clearly still aware of the man. Dul is circling around, ready to block the route between here and the closest population centre.
I slow to a stop as the abbot considers the ring. His environmental shield is active but he hasn't actually put the ring on yet.
"Would you like to explain?"
He looks sombre, his eyes only lifting from the ring for a moment to acknowledge me.
"I was a young man during the last war with the Spider Guild. I served in the marines, it was… The last time we actually tried occupying one of their worlds. I got to bear witness to their barbarity first hand. Their butchery centres, carcasses… I originally came here-"
He lifts his eyes up for a moment to take in his surroundings.
"-to try and learn how to cope with the nightmares."
"Did it help?"
"As you noticed, I can control what happens in my mind. So long as I do that, I sleep perfectly easily. It's.. supposed to be a triumph of will." He rotates the ring around until the sigil is facing him. "It doesn't feel that way."
"And that ring?"
"Sinestro sent it to me, along with a quantum entanglement communicator. He made me see exactly-. That my whole life had been defined by fear. All of our… Society. We reacted in fear of the Spider Guild, and…" His face creases in distaste. "Our fear shapes us, cracks papered over with will. We've never gone all out. We know they're evil, we say that we prize the ability to follow through on an action, on a thought, above all other psychological virtues, yet we never followed through on killing the people who kidnap and eat us. Because we're afraid of them. We bravely sit in one place and let them carry on. And we lie to ourselves about it."
"'We' or 'you'?"
"Do you think I became abbot by being atypical? My people consider me to be the pinnacle of virtue."
"Well… On the positive side, they probably don't any more."
"Tuh-hah! Yes. You're right."
"Why did you give the ring to that Spider Guilder?"
"I wanted to see if you would be paralysed into inaction as we have been. Instead, you fed her your own body just to make a point."
"Lantern Onik had trouble, to start with."
"But only to start with."
"I'm not sure what would have happened if I hadn't caught up with him."
"It was foolish of me to assume that everyone was motivated by the same thing or in the same way." He looks up and makes eye contact with me. "What happens now?"
What indeed?
Last edited:
BlueMangoAdea
Alive. For now.
- Joined
- Dec 30, 2019
- Messages
- 4,924
- Likes received
- 19,931
...Convince him to join your corps? Gotta catch them all.
FreeGod
If you see a God on the road fuck it!
- Joined
- May 26, 2016
- Messages
- 8,830
- Likes received
- 16,474
He doesn't seem the right type.
Vaermina
Well worn.
- Joined
- Oct 16, 2015
- Messages
- 6,114
- Likes received
- 67,039
He would have been eaten by the spiders.
Darko
Connoisseur.
- Joined
- Nov 20, 2019
- Messages
- 22,479
- Likes received
- 323,918
And I can just see religious groups being up in arms over creating ships that are meant to fight people they consider to be saints and gods.
Don't forget improving your relationship with Soranik.
Though you may not get much practical value from that, while with Kalmin and Kori you can improve your relationship with a guy that can make hyper advanced tech and with Kori you can get a Lantern with incredible potential.
Of course.
Now they may view him as something like their version of a Satanic priest.
Time to see Paul potentially recruit another criminal and murderer.
Handlewithcare
Versed in the lewd.
- Joined
- Feb 6, 2019
- Messages
- 1,289
- Likes received
- 13,045
Welp, guess it's time for a new baby Corps of Yellow Lanterns.
The abbott hasn't quite achieved fear enlightenment yet, but he seems on the right path.
The abbott hasn't quite achieved fear enlightenment yet, but he seems on the right path.
NightmareWarden
Versed in the lewd.
- Joined
- Oct 14, 2015
- Messages
- 1,204
- Likes received
- 5,527
Bribe him to become enlightened, convince him to enter the Hypercube of Fright, and recover our deceased Fear Elemental from his dissatisfactory afterlife (courtesy of Nabu)?
Am I blind, or did we never get the Abbot's name?
Am I blind, or did we never get the Abbot's name?
FreeGod
If you see a God on the road fuck it!
- Joined
- May 26, 2016
- Messages
- 8,830
- Likes received
- 16,474
Paul isn't just making Lantern corps just for the sake of it. It only makes sense if Paul has some purpose in mind for it or otherwise benefits from it's existence.
Darko
Connoisseur.
- Joined
- Nov 20, 2019
- Messages
- 22,479
- Likes received
- 323,918
Assuming Nabu didn't completely destroy Siskin.
No, we didn't get his name.
For all we know it's possible that once he joined the monastery he had to abandon it for some religious purpose.
He has expressed an interest in the past of making Lantern Corps' of different colors for reasons ranging from any unique properties that light may have to simply wanting to control them so other less reputable groups won't.
chxenocide
Know what you're doing yet?
- Joined
- Jan 10, 2015
- Messages
- 101
- Likes received
- 1,381
To prepare in case of Blackest Night
Chojin Patriarch
Veteran Lurker
- Joined
- Jan 27, 2019
- Messages
- 2,381
- Likes received
- 36,131
Hopefully it's just headed to the person who gave it to the Spider-guilder. The question is, to remind everyone, who is that person and why did they give the ring away? A test for the Orange Lantern Illustres? Curiosity to see if the Spiders were a worthwhile recruitment source? For the lulz? I'm sure we're about to find out.
"And you didn't think to call me sooner?" I can see Toren taking that decision poorly. Or he'll chalk it down to 'If an Illustres couldn't handle it, I would not make much difference.'
Because it's only natural to assume that Sinestro, the only known Yellow Ring user, would be present. Even we're assuming he's lurking nearby, just waiting to leap out in his black-and-purple long-johns to monologue...
What with the anti-construct weapons presumably still being classified, I assume Toren wouldn't have any illusions about his chances..
Let's give Toren a moment to pick his jaw up off the floor, please...
Heh. I suppose being the only person to be concealing their emotions would make him suspicious as hell. Sure, it could have been mental discipline learned through years of study... But in the face of hostile action, it's easy to jump to that conclusion without any hesitation...
I expect the captains of the vessels are going to be familiar with a Ring in transit, given Karax's history. The colour, though, would be a surprise...
Hopefully with the beefiest anti-Lantern constructs he can think of...
Is that insubordination I hear, Dul?
Good to see you;'re making progress in thinking for yourself!Bet that'll ruffle her feathers. She's probably looking forwards to some real combat.
After all, they can be handled while they're adjusting to the ring, if it's someone unfamiliar with wielding one. And this is not a situation where immediate belligerence is the best option...
No doubt Sinestro's already heard of what OL did to Stewart's ring that first New Year's. Whether via contacts in the Green Lantern Corps or via galactic scuttlebutt about Orange Lantern's abilities to convert items and people... It's reasonable that the ring would have protections against Orange Light interference.
Still, let's not go straight for the guns here, kids. He's not wearing it yet. Perhaps you can convince him to surrender it...
Just the fact he's already got a field on... That suggests a measure of talent... Not something to be wasted.
...Not an unreasonable excuse for taking up a ring...
No doubt that helped him to master his own fear enough to make him a prime subject for recruitment.
Yes, you built a brick wall of will around that fear and pain... But even the best wall has holes which can leak things through...
Or perhaps your people are well aware that an all-out war against the Guild worlds would likely kill more than either race could cope with. Especially since the Spider Guild septs aren't likely to hold back on planet-killing weapons if they think they have nothing left to lose...
I shudder at what the Karaxians could do if they fell into the worship of Fear... Imagine the Lanterns they'd produce...
Well, at least he can see the funny side of becoming an arch-heretic.
Disturbing as it was... It was certainly effective.
Nothing good, I think. Thankfully, that's nothing to worry about now.
Given your usual methods? Either a recruitment attempt or a philosophical talking to that makes the abbot surrender. Or both.
Well...Looks like everyone saw that coming. I mean, he wasn't Sinestro in disguise - I doubt he could maintain a disguise for long amongst the monks - but the master of Fear was still behind this. I wonder, was this a test to see if he could successfully recruit such a paragon of will? Because Sinestro is all about control. I don't see him making a Yellow ring and giving it to anyone without some bigger plan behind it...
Darko
Connoisseur.
- Joined
- Nov 20, 2019
- Messages
- 22,479
- Likes received
- 323,918
It could have been to see if he could recruit a paragon of will or even just a petty ego thing to take away a worshiper of the Guardians.
Ardy
I trust you know where the happy button is?
- Joined
- Dec 30, 2017
- Messages
- 748
- Likes received
- 3,778
Seduce the Abbot! Jade and Ophidi-Chan never need to know!
DrThoth
I trust you know where the happy button is?
- Joined
- Dec 3, 2016
- Messages
- 711
- Likes received
- 3,445
I'm not certain Ophidian would have a problem with it; she's all about wanting more, after all, and whatever is Paragon's is hers as well. I forget how much interaction there's been between Ophidian and Jade, actually, if any. I guess introducing your girlfriend to your literal soulmate is a big step.
Senevri
Not too sore, are you?
- Joined
- Aug 17, 2015
- Messages
- 302
- Likes received
- 1,141
Ninjas, explosion, recruitment and dueling philosophies all seem likely.
Clell65619
Getting sticky.
- Joined
- Jan 28, 2019
- Messages
- 54
- Likes received
- 155
- Steve? In their language it translates to 'obvious badguy'.
mastermenthe
Mint Thistle
- Joined
- Nov 8, 2018
- Messages
- 285
- Likes received
- 1,422
On the bright side: The abbot could wear the ring and command it to transmit all data to Ol's ring.
Also, it's obvious that the abbot always intended to give away the ring, you don't pull a mcguffin antichrist stunt unless you intend for the mcguffin involved to end up in properly worthy hands.
It's a classic mythological trial-by-conquest trope.
Also, it's obvious that the abbot always intended to give away the ring, you don't pull a mcguffin antichrist stunt unless you intend for the mcguffin involved to end up in properly worthy hands.
It's a classic mythological trial-by-conquest trope.
That is a big deal! Some of OL's prospective apprentices can't manage that!
Last edited:
Coda
Versed in the lewd.
- Joined
- Jan 27, 2019
- Messages
- 1,084
- Likes received
- 4,211
whose soul
Mr Zoat
Dedicated ragequitter
- Joined
- Dec 1, 2016
- Messages
- 15,979
- Likes received
- 818,028
Thank you, corrected.
Medidiction (part 21)
Mr Zoat
Dedicated ragequitter
- Joined
- Dec 1, 2016
- Messages
- 15,979
- Likes received
- 818,028
27th August 2012
09:29 GMT
Supplying weapons to the Spider Guild carries some fairly heavy penalties on Karax, for obvious reasons. Treating with enemies of the Green Lantern Corps like Sinestro would also warrant a heavy punishment. Karax tends to treat persistent criminality as a defect of will, so their punishments for serious crimes tend to involve the sorts of things that this monastery did anyway. Is there anything to gain by trying to arrange for something different to happen here?
I haven't personally lost anything. Lantern Onik got a useful lesson in the face of his people's ancestral enemies, I got a slightly better look at modern Spider Guild combat robots and we've got access to a yellow power ring.
"Did Sinestro provide you with a yellow personal lantern?"
"No. He said that I should.. seek him out, if I… Came to a resolution."
So… What? Option one, hand him over to the local police. I can actually see inside him now, and he has no desire to resist. Option two… Try and get him to act as a double agent inside whatever Corps Sinestro is building? Karaxians aren't generally considered good at obfuscation, and he's not in the best mental state. Option three…
Ring..?
Option three would be to allow him to carry out a one-man death and glory attack on the Spider Guild, an option that is actually supported by Karaxian law. I don't know how much charge he's got left, but there's no way that the Spiders would try and take a Lantern alive right now.
"Have you?"
"Even though I didn't feel it, fear shaped my thoughts and actions. My will was impotent. His argument that fear is more fundamental was borne out by my actions."
"Do you want people to fear you?"
"If that is the most productive way to act, yes. I don't like it, but that's… My life hasn't been about doing things that I've liked."
And given how I assisted Onik in beating the Guilder, I can't argue about the efficacy of fear.
What was Sinestro trying to get out of this? A loyal henchman? Was it for a propaganda victory, and if so who is the intended audience? To weaken Lantern Toren in some way? To disrupt interstellar Lanternism and so encourage other fear-filled people to seek him out?
But that's all really about Sinestro.
My 'Lord Protector' alter ego attained enlightenment by meditating on his fears. By constantly forcing himself to feel them he became preternaturally aware of them, and so freed himself from their control. I wouldn't mind sticking the abbot in a laboratory to see exactly what he can learn to do…
Except that I'm here to improve my abilities as a teacher, and the abilities of my students. Mucking about with this is likely to get me cut off from this place as a source of teaching materials. Self-centredness is the way to go. If the Karaxians want to try something clever I'll offer my advice, but that's something they can decide for themselves.
"To return to your question, what happens next depends on you. I can tell that you're feeling pretty down about the whole thing. If I ask you to hand over your ring and surrender, will you?"
"Would it help?"
"Counselling by a non-Karaxian psychiatrist would probably help, but I imagine that they're going to want to disarm you before taking your case."
All else failing I can probably persuade Harleen to take the case. This sounds more like a cultural blind spot rather than a complex issue.
"But…"
"You said yourself: you haven't ever truly overcome your fear. There is nothing in your current belief structure that you haven't tried. All that's left is to try something else, something new."
He holds up the ring slightly.
"Like this?"
"If an excess of fear caused this problem, how would more fear help you solve it? Don't you want to stop feeling fear because the fear is gone? Don't you want to stop being afraid of fear?"
He shudders slightly.
"More than anything. I-."
"Conflicting emotional resonance registered. Avarice overriding fear."
"A curious response, and not one I was expecting."
The ring… Fades. It was a construct of some sort? I suppose that would explain part of how it could exist. I know that imbuing energy from a ring into another object is possible, it just never seemed useful or efficient. As it fades, the light spreads out slightly, forming an…
That's what the local Sinestro looks like.
"I assume that you have spoken to one of Vril Dox's people, then. If a man as fearful as you can learn to overcome himself through avarice, then perhaps I should reconsider my selection criteria. Farewell. I doubt that we'll see one another again."
The light fades out completely, leaving no trace of his presence.
Oh. So-. A transmission? He didn't seem to be aware of my physical presence. Aware of the candidate only? I could just contact him directly but I strongly suspect that he's a better character analyst than me when I can't use my empathic abilities.
Lantern Toren walks out of the monastery and towards the abbot, who has collapsed to his knees. Lantern Dul follows, though she stays a little distant and keeps her ring at the ready. Toren has the resigned air of someone with a necessary but unpleasant job to do, and his ring's glowing at the bare minimum level that it can and still function.
"Abbot, you're under arrest."
The abbot doesn't move for a moment, then nods.
"Yes. Of course."
He rises to his feet, then holds his arms limply out for Toren to cuff. Toren nods at me as he does so.
"Thank you for resolving this peacefully."
"In the interest of providing you with all pertinent information-"
I toss a glowing orange mote to his ring, where it provides him with everything that happened since I left.
"-I only handled this bit peacefully. But you're both welcome."
Toren's eyes glow as he takes it in.
"I.. see. I will have to consider this. What are your plans now?"
"Being slightly more aware of the Spider Guild now, I think I'll have the practical part of this instruction session take part on their side of the border. Have Lanterns Dul, Onik and Xor put what they've learned into practice. Until either Dox calls us back or one of them has a breakthrough I need to share with Maltus immediately, I'll be staying here."
"We will speak more about that when I return."
He and the abbot rise into the air and head in the direction of the nearest large city.
I turn to Lantern Dul.
"Does the Thanagarian Empire have any contact with the Spider Guild?"
"No. We don't."
I smile.
"Let's go and fix that."
09:29 GMT
Supplying weapons to the Spider Guild carries some fairly heavy penalties on Karax, for obvious reasons. Treating with enemies of the Green Lantern Corps like Sinestro would also warrant a heavy punishment. Karax tends to treat persistent criminality as a defect of will, so their punishments for serious crimes tend to involve the sorts of things that this monastery did anyway. Is there anything to gain by trying to arrange for something different to happen here?
I haven't personally lost anything. Lantern Onik got a useful lesson in the face of his people's ancestral enemies, I got a slightly better look at modern Spider Guild combat robots and we've got access to a yellow power ring.
"Did Sinestro provide you with a yellow personal lantern?"
"No. He said that I should.. seek him out, if I… Came to a resolution."
So… What? Option one, hand him over to the local police. I can actually see inside him now, and he has no desire to resist. Option two… Try and get him to act as a double agent inside whatever Corps Sinestro is building? Karaxians aren't generally considered good at obfuscation, and he's not in the best mental state. Option three…
Ring..?
Option three would be to allow him to carry out a one-man death and glory attack on the Spider Guild, an option that is actually supported by Karaxian law. I don't know how much charge he's got left, but there's no way that the Spiders would try and take a Lantern alive right now.
"Have you?"
"Even though I didn't feel it, fear shaped my thoughts and actions. My will was impotent. His argument that fear is more fundamental was borne out by my actions."
"Do you want people to fear you?"
"If that is the most productive way to act, yes. I don't like it, but that's… My life hasn't been about doing things that I've liked."
And given how I assisted Onik in beating the Guilder, I can't argue about the efficacy of fear.
What was Sinestro trying to get out of this? A loyal henchman? Was it for a propaganda victory, and if so who is the intended audience? To weaken Lantern Toren in some way? To disrupt interstellar Lanternism and so encourage other fear-filled people to seek him out?
But that's all really about Sinestro.
My 'Lord Protector' alter ego attained enlightenment by meditating on his fears. By constantly forcing himself to feel them he became preternaturally aware of them, and so freed himself from their control. I wouldn't mind sticking the abbot in a laboratory to see exactly what he can learn to do…
Except that I'm here to improve my abilities as a teacher, and the abilities of my students. Mucking about with this is likely to get me cut off from this place as a source of teaching materials. Self-centredness is the way to go. If the Karaxians want to try something clever I'll offer my advice, but that's something they can decide for themselves.
"To return to your question, what happens next depends on you. I can tell that you're feeling pretty down about the whole thing. If I ask you to hand over your ring and surrender, will you?"
"Would it help?"
"Counselling by a non-Karaxian psychiatrist would probably help, but I imagine that they're going to want to disarm you before taking your case."
All else failing I can probably persuade Harleen to take the case. This sounds more like a cultural blind spot rather than a complex issue.
"But…"
"You said yourself: you haven't ever truly overcome your fear. There is nothing in your current belief structure that you haven't tried. All that's left is to try something else, something new."
He holds up the ring slightly.
"Like this?"
"If an excess of fear caused this problem, how would more fear help you solve it? Don't you want to stop feeling fear because the fear is gone? Don't you want to stop being afraid of fear?"
He shudders slightly.
"More than anything. I-."
"Conflicting emotional resonance registered. Avarice overriding fear."
"A curious response, and not one I was expecting."
The ring… Fades. It was a construct of some sort? I suppose that would explain part of how it could exist. I know that imbuing energy from a ring into another object is possible, it just never seemed useful or efficient. As it fades, the light spreads out slightly, forming an…
That's what the local Sinestro looks like.
"I assume that you have spoken to one of Vril Dox's people, then. If a man as fearful as you can learn to overcome himself through avarice, then perhaps I should reconsider my selection criteria. Farewell. I doubt that we'll see one another again."
The light fades out completely, leaving no trace of his presence.
Oh. So-. A transmission? He didn't seem to be aware of my physical presence. Aware of the candidate only? I could just contact him directly but I strongly suspect that he's a better character analyst than me when I can't use my empathic abilities.
Lantern Toren walks out of the monastery and towards the abbot, who has collapsed to his knees. Lantern Dul follows, though she stays a little distant and keeps her ring at the ready. Toren has the resigned air of someone with a necessary but unpleasant job to do, and his ring's glowing at the bare minimum level that it can and still function.
"Abbot, you're under arrest."
The abbot doesn't move for a moment, then nods.
"Yes. Of course."
He rises to his feet, then holds his arms limply out for Toren to cuff. Toren nods at me as he does so.
"Thank you for resolving this peacefully."
"In the interest of providing you with all pertinent information-"
I toss a glowing orange mote to his ring, where it provides him with everything that happened since I left.
"-I only handled this bit peacefully. But you're both welcome."
Toren's eyes glow as he takes it in.
"I.. see. I will have to consider this. What are your plans now?"
"Being slightly more aware of the Spider Guild now, I think I'll have the practical part of this instruction session take part on their side of the border. Have Lanterns Dul, Onik and Xor put what they've learned into practice. Until either Dox calls us back or one of them has a breakthrough I need to share with Maltus immediately, I'll be staying here."
"We will speak more about that when I return."
He and the abbot rise into the air and head in the direction of the nearest large city.
I turn to Lantern Dul.
"Does the Thanagarian Empire have any contact with the Spider Guild?"
"No. We don't."
I smile.
"Let's go and fix that."
Last edited:
Handlewithcare
Versed in the lewd.
- Joined
- Feb 6, 2019
- Messages
- 1,289
- Likes received
- 13,045
A ring construct that can do anything a full ring can do?
Wow, I actually underestimated Sinestro.
Perhaps a sideeffect of fear creating more fear?
"How was the first contact between Thanagar and the Spider-Guild?"
"Crunchy"
Wow, I actually underestimated Sinestro.
Perhaps a sideeffect of fear creating more fear?
"How was the first contact between Thanagar and the Spider-Guild?"
"Crunchy"
Ngamer11
Experienced.
- Joined
- Jan 28, 2019
- Messages
- 3,181
- Likes received
- 19,108
I have to admit, I'm little disappointed that Paul didn't get a chance to speak with Sinestro. Hopefully when it inevitably happens, it will be a memorable event.
That should be 'from'.
Darko
Connoisseur.
- Joined
- Nov 20, 2019
- Messages
- 22,479
- Likes received
- 323,918
I remember it being mentioned that disgraced Green Lanterns could be allowed to fight Qwardians to redeem themselves, so the Karaxians may have adopted that practice.
Maybe 'was borne out of my'
Or like I mentioned previously it could be just a petty ego thing.
'to encourage'
'fails'
She may be interested in studying an aliens mindset.
'said it'
Maybe 'a little distance away'
We do not come in peace.
Is the next episode renegade or paragon focused?
Mr Zoat
Dedicated ragequitter
- Joined
- Dec 1, 2016
- Messages
- 15,979
- Likes received
- 818,028
Thank you, corrected.
I think that's correct.
Thank you, corrected.
Vaermina
Well worn.
- Joined
- Oct 16, 2015
- Messages
- 6,114
- Likes received
- 67,039
Oh hey! Paragon finally lost!