1. 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.
    Dismiss Notice
  2. For prospective new members, a word of warning: don't use common names like Dennis, Simon, or Kenny if you decide to create an account. Spammers have used them all before you and gotten those names flagged in the anti-spam databases. Your account registration will be rejected because of it.
    Dismiss Notice
  3. Since it has happened MULTIPLE times now, I want to be very clear about this. You do not get to abandon an account and create a new one. You do not get to pass an account to someone else and create a new one. If you do so anyway, you will be banned for creating sockpuppets.
    Dismiss Notice
  4. If you wish to change your username, please ask via conversation to tehelgee instead of asking via my profile. I'd like to not clutter it up with such requests.
    Dismiss Notice
  5. Due to the actions of particularly persistent spammers and trolls, we will be banning disposable email addresses from today onward.
    Dismiss Notice
  6. A note about the current Ukraine situation: Discussion of it is still prohibited as per Rule 8
    Dismiss Notice
  7. The rules regarding NSFW links have been updated. See here for details.
    Dismiss Notice
  8. The testbed for the QQ XF2 transition is now publicly available. Please see more information here.
    Dismiss Notice

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

Discussion in 'Creative Writing' started by Mr Zoat, Jan 27, 2019.

Loading...
  1. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

    Joined:
    Nov 20, 2019
    Messages:
    22,134
    Likes Received:
    320,293
    It kinda reminds of that tale the old African guy was telling his son, grandson or just someone from their tribe, about how Dream's attempt at romance with an ancient queen lead to destruction.

    Well, they wouldn't be completely wrong.

    He may have done it either because he was injured and needed the support, and just kept using it even after he was healed.

    Or he may have just wanted the Gandalf look.

    Though this could apply to both paragon and a potential alternate.

    Paul being wise.

    A weird thought.

    Betting Dream and Desire may have all sorts of weird feelings concerning him.

    Maybe not quite.

    It seems to be like an ordinary Lantern, albeit looking like an angry face, instead of being tied to the staff.

    And it's the same in real life.

    They just lay about.

    And whatever love he may have originally had for cats is long gone.
     
  2. DrThoth

    DrThoth I trust you know where the happy button is?

    Joined:
    Dec 3, 2016
    Messages:
    697
    Likes Received:
    2,975
    The story you're describing is Sandman: Overture, the prequel to Preludes and Nocturnes and indeed the entire Sandman series, but written way after it.
     
    ChestBurster and Cuchulin like this.
  3. AmericanNumbers

    AmericanNumbers Not too sore, are you?

    Joined:
    Jun 25, 2021
    Messages:
    302
    Likes Received:
    2,834
    Gaiman and Prachett were dear friends and collaborators.
    They wrote one novel together "Good Omens" and it's one of the best things you'll ever read.
    The amazon tv adaptation is also very good.

    A sample quote:

    “God does not play dice with the universe; He plays an ineffable game of His own devising, which might be compared, from the perspective of any of the other players [i.e. everybody], to being involved in an obscure and complex variant of poker in a pitch-dark room, with blank cards, for infinite stakes, with a Dealer who won't tell you the rules, and who smiles all the time.”
     
  4. Cuchulin

    Cuchulin Versed in the lewd.

    Joined:
    Jan 25, 2019
    Messages:
    1,976
    Likes Received:
    7,717
    You should, you really should! Especially the one about Emperor Norton, that's my fave!
     
    Xmaster3000 likes this.
  5. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

    Joined:
    Nov 20, 2019
    Messages:
    22,134
    Likes Received:
    320,293
    Mine was the one where all those gods and entities tried to buy Hell.
     
    ChestBurster and Cuchulin like this.
  6. Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

    Joined:
    Dec 1, 2016
    Messages:
    14,694
    Likes Received:
    728,877
    What did we say about calling them that?
    I was thinking 'grandmother', but it doesn't actually say that anywhere.
    Thank you, corrected.
     
  7. Cuchulin

    Cuchulin Versed in the lewd.

    Joined:
    Jan 25, 2019
    Messages:
    1,976
    Likes Received:
    7,717
    That one was very good as well, I like the Emperor Norton one because it was based on the true story of Norton I., Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico. Also Emperor Norton is considered a Saint Second Class in Discordianism according to Wikipedia.
    Also I was born and grew up in the San Francisco bay area.
     
    Last edited: Sep 11, 2021
    ChestBurster and Ardy like this.
  8. Sordid Snake

    Sordid Snake (Verified Viper)

    Joined:
    Aug 8, 2016
    Messages:
    89
    Likes Received:
    375
    From a certain point of view (1) it is a true story. The "Dreaming" explanation might seem too Lamarckian, but cultural evolution is Lamarckian. So its a simplified approximation of half of the true story.


    (1) Registered Trademark, O. Kenobi.
     
  9. Old Knife

    Old Knife Not too sore, are you?

    Joined:
    Feb 12, 2016
    Messages:
    430
    Likes Received:
    1,694
    Time to encounter New Gods and their shenanigans?
    Or go meet the Guardians/Controllers?
     
  10. Hell's Razer

    Hell's Razer Passive Member

    Joined:
    Sep 19, 2016
    Messages:
    1,341
    Likes Received:
    3,893
    A correction:
    "had"
     
  11. Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

    Joined:
    Dec 1, 2016
    Messages:
    14,694
    Likes Received:
    728,877
    Thank you, corrected.
     
  12. Rafin

    Rafin Not too sore, are you?

    Joined:
    Jan 16, 2016
    Messages:
    353
    Likes Received:
    1,061
    I am genuinely curious: Why do you still read this story? What does it add to your daily routine?
     
    Vorian and Ardy like this.
  13. Bramble Thorn

    Bramble Thorn Verified Silhouette

    Joined:
    Dec 9, 2015
    Messages:
    667
    Likes Received:
    4,406
  14. WereDragon

    WereDragon Bookwyrm

    Joined:
    Feb 17, 2020
    Messages:
    309
    Likes Received:
    1,503
    An unusial and highly unpleasant style of prose. May we never have to suffer through it again.

    Also: No context. No interest.
     
    TheSkywardStar likes this.
  15. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

    Joined:
    Nov 20, 2019
    Messages:
    22,134
    Likes Received:
    320,293
    Blame Neil Gaiman.

    Dude writes a lot of stuff like this and Zoat was just imitating his style.

    As for context, well you'll have to be familiar with the Sandman comics to know what the fuck they're talking about.
     
    protoss16, Cuchulin and Ardy like this.
  16. Ideomancer

    Ideomancer Getting out there.

    Joined:
    Jan 27, 2019
    Messages:
    10
    Likes Received:
    109
    This entire train of discussion makes me feel kind of weird about having A. Never read the Sandman comics but also B. Feeling like I pretty well 'got' what was going on in the story.

    It's mythopoetic as hell, but sure, but it's not just Gaiman. Gaiman was, to at least some degree, drawing on the well of 'real' mythology concerning the nature of reality and the idea of consciousness defining the world rather than the world defining consciousness. Spiritualism vs. Materialism, in Stellaris Empire terms.

    Like, the story is a specific reference to Gaiman's story, sure, particularly the details with the cats, but that's not the important bit, narratively speaking? In the context of a character who quite literally shapes reality according to his desires.

    I think the most confusing thing here might be how it's written as a dialog, but we're only directly seeing one side of the conversation. We're left to infer what the speaker is responding to, based on what is being said. Another character is implied to be present and interacting, but we don't see or hear them at all. They're not shown, so it's like we're hearing one end of a telephone call rather than watching two people talk, which can be a little disorienting.
     
  17. Huttj509

    Huttj509 Getting sticky.

    Joined:
    Feb 10, 2019
    Messages:
    50
    Likes Received:
    316
    I'm with you. Never read any of the sandman stuff, and mostly know about the DC Dream from this fic, and I was able to follow the gist. The Dream reflects the people, and reality reflect the Dream, sort of thing.
     
  18. Doccer

    Doccer I trust you know where the happy button is?

    Joined:
    Jul 21, 2019
    Messages:
    876
    Likes Received:
    2,250
    Ok I get it. But wouldn't it look like more of a hungry or screaming face? He might have gotten a Red Lantern if he asked for a angry face. Which I suppose is fine if he has a Red Ring.
     
  19. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

    Joined:
    Nov 20, 2019
    Messages:
    22,134
    Likes Received:
    320,293
    It looks like it was an orange one though.
     
    ChestBurster, Doccer and Cuchulin like this.
  20. Ardy

    Ardy I trust you know where the happy button is?

    Joined:
    Dec 30, 2017
    Messages:
    640
    Likes Received:
    3,462
    Zoat, all of my fics across the web are dying, especially the 40k ones. Zoat, I need you to not die before completing this. Zoat please
     
    Last edited: Sep 10, 2021
  21. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

    Joined:
    Nov 20, 2019
    Messages:
    22,134
    Likes Received:
    320,293
    Just found out Imperium Ascendant is on hiatus, maybe a permanent one.
     
    ChestBurster and Ardy like this.
  22. Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

    Joined:
    Dec 1, 2016
    Messages:
    14,694
    Likes Received:
    728,877
    I'll... Try?
     
    mastermenthe, c3qo, Vorian and 12 others like this.
  23. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

    Joined:
    Nov 20, 2019
    Messages:
    22,134
    Likes Received:
    320,293
    Do or do not, there is no try.

    ...

    Sorry, just got the urge to say this.
     
    Vorian, ChestBurster, Doccer and 4 others like this.
  24. Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

    Joined:
    Dec 1, 2016
    Messages:
    14,694
    Likes Received:
    728,877
    Eventually we all 'not do'.
     
    mastermenthe, Vorian, Xelloss and 8 others like this.
  25. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

    Joined:
    Nov 20, 2019
    Messages:
    22,134
    Likes Received:
    320,293
    Sad but true.
     
  26. Threadmarks: Sungate (part 3)
    Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

    Joined:
    Dec 1, 2016
    Messages:
    14,694
    Likes Received:
    728,877
    11th September 2012
    09:02 GMT


    I put-

    "No."

    -Larfleeze's ring on the table between us.

    "I haven't asked anything."

    "Please don't imply that you believe I'm stupid. You've made it clear to me that I can't get the result I want if I stick to the Guardians' rules of engagement.. Do you not intend to recruit me?"

    "I don't hate the idea. But there wouldn't be any point in you putting on an orange ring if what you really want is to be a Green Lantern. Though I would suggest that it might be worth trying it out, just to see what it feels like."

    "The orange light is highly addictive."

    "I can give it up any time I like. I just don't want to."

    She pauses, briefly.

    "That was a joke, I assume."

    I hold out my left hand, palm level. And then I turn the ring off, and leave it off for a few moments before allowing it to resume its connection.

    "It's a mildly amusing fact relating to one of the most popular narcotics of my homeworld, that a sizeable proportion of the population lack the receptors to actually get addicted to it, yet use it anyway. My desires are indeed the core of my psychological makeup. But I'll never slide into self-destructive urge-indulgence."

    I pick up the ring and hold it in my right hand.

    "You're doing all that the Guardians want of you, you know that? A Controller of my acquaintance told me that for the Guardians, the Sector Lanterns maintaining order is what the Corps is for. There is no demand from the organisation for you to go further."

    "That doesn't matter."

    "I've met four enlightened Green Lanterns. Two were human, but the other two weren't. If you managed that mental transformation yourself you would be substantially more powerful. I suspect that Lantern Priest of Sector One Six Three Four would be happy to advise you. He should certainly be able to spare the time."

    "What are you doing?"

    "Helping you overcome your contradictions. It's what I do. Let me repeat: there is no point in me trying to put a ring on someone who doesn't want it. Self-actualisation without restriction is an appealing concept to me, but it's not appealing to everyone and -given how enlightenment affects me- the idea of forcing it on someone who isn't ready strikes me as bizarre and wrong."

    "Ready? You're so certain that it's right for everyone?"

    "I can't see cutting off a chunk of your personality… Or if you prefer, a rationalisation of the phenomena emergent from the programming evolution has left you with… As anything other than ill-advised. Unless you've got more cybernetics than just your eyes, your physiology works best when used in a particular way. The green light is the actualisation of the useful trait of tenacity, your motive the intellectualisation and universalisation of the desire to protect the tribe."

    I put Larfleeze's ring back on my right ring finger.

    "The Orange Lantern Corps has no desire to directly compete with the Green Lantern Corps. Lord Malvolio of One Six Three Four may decide to do that, but I'd really prefer to cooperate. And that won't happen if I start pinching their Lanterns. Though if you're interested in trying an orange ring for the sake of comparison, I'm happy to lend one to you."

    "But to your way of thinking, refusing an orange ring means that I want to be as I am, and not to destroy the Spider Guild."

    "And that's not a terrible thing. Having a constant threat encourages people to develop their own strategies to deal with it. There's nothing stopping any of the worlds in this region building up their military resources and carrying out an attack. If they could depend on you for everything, why would they bother looking to their own defences?"

    "Should I spend more time on that, do you think?"

    "That would seem logical. But now you know how you feel, how do you feel about that?"

    "Disappointed. I thoughtThat I was an unstoppable force of opposition."

    "Then you can change your behaviour, better informed of your true nature. Or… Not, and at least you will know who you truly are a little better."

    "That is true." Now she faces me directly. "I thought that you would be different."

    "Oh dear. Are Green Lanterns spreading rumours about me?"

    "Since we learned that you exist, some of us have tried to decide on a policy."

    "There are two Sectors away from the Reach that have Orange Lanterns in them. Lantern Green Man appeared to have a reasonable relationship with Lanterns Komand'r and Koriand'r, and… The Alignment needed realigning."

    "What can I do to help with the Spider Guild?"

    "Create a coherent plan and put it separately to the governments and the people of the Sector. Share some of the-."

    My ring blinks.

    "Excuse me. Illustres here?"

    Dox's face appears over the ring.

    "Clarissi."

    "The Spider Guild Nests in your area have requested a parley. Is it useful to you for me to pretend to be interested?"

    "No, not really. But thank you for offering."

    "Have you made progress with your task?"

    "They're all stronger, but I'm not sure that it's anything we can systematise…" Hm. "Do we have any telepaths in the Corps?"

    "I do not believe that telepathic conditioning would work."

    I shake my head. "Me neither, but if we're trying to come up with a way to improve teaching and we don't have anyone else like me, telepaths would be the next best thing."

    "Then yes, a few, but I do not believe that any of them would be appropriate."

    I nod. "I'll see if I can talk Dubbilex into it. Anything else?"

    "Controller Hinon has a task for you, but she wants to brief you in person."

    "Okay. I can be-."

    "She will come to you once she has met with Lantern Malvolio. Dox out."

    A Controller and former Guardian… Coming to the largest centre of Lanternism in the galaxy.

    I should probably warn some people.
     
    Last edited: Sep 11, 2021
  27. Ngamer11

    Ngamer11 Experienced.

    Joined:
    Jan 28, 2019
    Messages:
    2,860
    Likes Received:
    17,209
    I think that's wrong, but I'm not certain on how to fix it.

    And just when I thought that nothing could shake up Karax even more than a super Green Lantern with a self-made Green Central Power Battery could, you throw us this surprise Mr Zoat. At least no one can logically blame Paul for this one.
     
  28. Handlewithcare

    Handlewithcare Versed in the lewd.

    Joined:
    Feb 6, 2019
    Messages:
    1,289
    Likes Received:
    12,971
    Hehe. Might actually be a new experience for Hinon.

    Getting swamped by screeching fans wanting an autograph.

    "We love you, Orange Grandma!"

    "What the...PAAAAULLLL!"
     
  29. Dakkan Sall

    Dakkan Sall Random Encounter

    Joined:
    Apr 25, 2013
    Messages:
    386
    Likes Received:
    2,631
    should be "of" I believe
    I... think that they're supposed to end with "-zation" rather than "-sation", but that might just be a difference in the forms of English.
     
  30. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

    Joined:
    Nov 20, 2019
    Messages:
    22,134
    Likes Received:
    320,293
    She's got your number.

    Spoken like a true addict.

    'slide into'

    Unless we count your tendency of trying to get friendly with supervillains, which has bitten you in the ass.

    'of my'

    Well Malvolio isn't fully human, though he probably considers himself to be.

    If that self-actualization involves the person actualization themselves as something horrible, like say a killer, then yeah it's not so good.

    Karax really is in for an interesting time.

    First a bunch of weird Lanterns come there, next a priest is outed as working with their version of the devil, then a Green Light demigod comes strolling in and now a being they may view as a full on god is going to show up.
     
Loading...