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

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

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  1. Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

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    So Many Ways to Die.
     
  2. gattsuru

    gattsuru Making the rounds.

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    Not sure if it counts as a musical number rather than in-setting, but Invite Them In plays repeatedly during the tail end of the Ophidian merge.
     
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  3. Coda

    Coda Versed in the lewd.

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    Ah, so you DID mean "hellion," but there's a dialect variant.

    wastelanders (at least twice more than you've already fixed)

    Semicolon instead of comma

    orders
     
  4. PDV

    PDV Revelation That Uncertainty Is Itself An Answer

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    It's not a pure musical number, but the Hephaestaen/Zeus fight has Paul singing from Oathbreakers as the background. Pretty sure there's been other Valdemar songs at times, though I don't remember which or when.
     
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  5. Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

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    Take it up with the Irish.
    Thank you, corrected.
     
  6. Windona

    Windona Beetle Queen of Crackshipping

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    Awesome, now we have the With This Ring playlist written down.
     
  7. BR549

    BR549 This is filth! FILTH!!

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    ...aaugh, you stepped on one of my pet peeves. Media always uses it but "over and out" is actually wrong. In radio parlance, "Over" is basically a paragraph break - it means "I am done speaking for the moment and I am listening for your reply". "Out" means "This is the end of my transmission and I am going off the air".

    So "over and out" is half redundant (you're saying 'end of transmission' twice, in slightly different ways) and half contradictory (you're both saying you're listening to the other party and not).
     
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  8. Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

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    Krono has never been trained in proper radio etiquette. NCR and Enclave soldiers us it, but tribals generally don't.
     
  9. Threadmarks: Dear John (part 7)
    Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

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    7th November 2012
    09:22 GMT -5


    Slaughter Swamp. The magical arsehole of Connecticut. Place of unbirth of Solomon Grundy and a Sheeda swarming ground, burned with considerable white phosphorus prejudice by the US air force during the Harrowing. Not that that changed the water table, but as I look past the burned tree stumps and hard-baked ground to the civil engineering crew who are working to turn this into Slaughter River Through Reclaimed Agricultural Land, I'm forced to conclude that we're unlikely to get a trace on John Constantine here.

    Did he have some sort of foreknowledge? Was it just obvious that the place was no good, so he used it to disguise himself? Or is the Demon just listing places we can't possibly check?

    No, no, he knows that if it comes to it we can just ask Diana to lasso him. The only reason he'd lie was if he needed to delay us to a particular point in time, and given that we interrupted him in the middle of a date that seems unlikely. I mean, he might well have automatically triggering contingencies, but since there's nothing that can extricate him from a prison Dr. Balewa built for him the worst that can happen is that some confederates we don’t know about go into hiding and it's John that I'm looking for.

    "Orange Lantern to Doctor Mist. I don't think I'm going to find anything here. Moving to next site."

    "Understood."

    I transition to a small farm in Kansas, frowning slightly as three FBI-owned cars pull off the verge and drive away. Not sure what that was about.

    And I'm also not sure that a foreigner like me can even access the Heartland, but I've got my flag, my apple pie and my Happy Meal. And… I put a strip of chewing gum in my mouth.

    "Flipping rituals."

    When I was very young, I heard something about chewing gum causing an increase in stomach acid production which would cause potentially fatal stomach ulcers. I avoided it like the plague ever since, and developed a bit of a complex about chewing in general.

    I chew, once. And check for recording equipment, because I'll need to put actual effort into this. Make it sound genuine.

    Deep breath.

    "Abraham Lincoln in Sixty two,
    Your guidance lead us through,
    And now your spirit shall aid us,
    In subduing the Kaiser too."

    Oh please Nike open the damn yes!

    I fly at speed to a patch of ground where the grass looks just a little too green, and as my feet land on it-! The farm vanishes, the road vanishes, and I'm surrounded by empty grassland and-. That's a herd of buffalo.

    The Heartland. America's collective delusion about its true nature.

    No, that's a little harsh. The generous version would be to describe it as a dream of all the best characteristics of the nation. I think Robert mentioned something about a English version called Abaton, though it.. sounded like a silly place.

    "Uncle Sam! Firebrand Two!" One of the buffalo looks up at me for a moment, then goes back to grazing. "Anyone?! I'm looking for John Constantine, and I'm not afraid to plant a Union Jack standard here if that's what it takes!"

    I hear the cry of a bald eagle, and then the ruffling of wings as it comes in for a landing nearby. It furls its wings and looks at me expectantly.

    "What?"

    "Is that a Happy Meal?"

    Talking eagle. Fine. I disintegrate the chewing gum, the foul substance having served its purpose.

    "Yes?"

    "You gunna eat it?"

    "Of course not, it's a Happy Meal."

    "You mind passing it over, then?"

    "Ah. I'm not sure this is eagle-safe. In.. fact, I'm fairly confident that it's not."

    "Is it American?"

    "Yes."

    "Then it's safe for this eagle." He cranes his neck towards the bag. "Come on, man. Do you know how long it's been since I smelled McDonalds?"

    "No. I-."

    I sigh. Then I open the bag, then the box, then unwrap the burger and lay it on the ground. The eagle does a hop-run closer and jams its beak into the bun in a decidedly uneaglelike manner.

    "Thanks, buddy."

    "Do you want the..? Fries as well?"

    "Yeah I want the fries. If the question is 'do you want fries with that?', the answer is always 'yes'."

    I tear through one surface of the small packet of fries and lay it on the ground next to the burger. "So..? You represent the American obesity epidemic?"

    "No." He picks up the lettuce leaf in his right claw and tosses it aside. "Freedom."

    "I've got a couple of questions."

    "And you're free to answer them."

    "Have you seen a British man named John Constantine?"

    "Blue suit, long jacket, blond hair? Yes, he came through here a few years ago."

    "'A few' as in one or two, or 'a few' as in longer?"

    He swallows some burger as he thinks about it.

    "It's not that easy to keep track of time in here, but I think it was longer."

    Darn it. The Demon wasn't lying, but it's not useful.

    "Do you want the orange juice as well?"

    He peers up at me.

    "Of course I don't want the orange juice. I'm an eagle."

    "Right. How silly of me. How about Uncle Sam?"

    "Haven't seen him for years."

    "Is that unusual?"

    "He basically lives here. Or he used to. Went out one day in Seventy Four and didn't come back."

    "That sounds like something you should be worried about."

    "Easy come, easy go."

    "Could you track him down if you were in the material world?"

    "Maybe. Probably. Why?"

    "Because while I've been getting distracted a lot lately, this sounds like something that I need to fix."
     
    Last edited: May 21, 2022
  10. RichardWhereat

    RichardWhereat Aia airëa Fëanáro.

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    Missing a Threadmark there Zoat.
     
  11. hance1986

    hance1986 A pitiful excuse for a man.

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    Lettuce
     
  12. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

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    Not surprising that those pests would like it.

    After that much fire that makes sense.

    This is just one of many complexes you have.

    What sort of heathen filth does nit want fries?

    "free to ask them"

    Because that makes sense.
     
  13. CTrees

    CTrees Chasing the ring

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    The eagle is delightful. My phone wanted to "correct" that to delicious, which... Probably also true.
     
  14. Handlewithcare

    Handlewithcare Versed in the lewd.

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    So is Scott Free going to get an eagle pet/sidekick?

    Also, does this eagle make a real eagle call or the falcon one instead?
     
  15. preier

    preier I trust you know where the happy button is?

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    in a McDonalds burger? No... No, I think using a term that basically means decorative is about right.
     
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  16. Brainwasher-Boy

    Brainwasher-Boy Flectere si nequeo superos, Acheronta movebo.

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    Forgive me if this has already been pointed out, but do you think Paul pushed for Demon John to have a potted plant so that he'd be the first casualty when plants across the world become anti-demon weapons?
     
  17. Bud-E

    Bud-E Stand up so I can push you down!

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    I'm a little confused why would John go to the Heartland? Is there something that would make him more balanced here?
     
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  18. Doccer

    Doccer I trust you know where the happy button is?

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    You live in a sillyverse dude.
     
  19. Chojin Patriarch

    Chojin Patriarch Veteran Lurker

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    And knowing the cursed nature of the land, it'll have regrown within a year. Probably just in time for the next incarnation of Solomon Grundy to pop out. Such is the nature of magic. Though what John could have been doing here, I can't imagine.

    Never underestimate the sheer craftiness of a Constantine, demonic or otherwise. But yeah, I doubt he's got anything planned right now.

    It was a long shot anyway.

    Truth is stranger than fiction, and reality even weirder.

    Gee, it's okay when it's a ritual to get into Olympus, sure. But tapping into the great American unconscious? John must have been after something big.

    Boy, so shy all of a sudden? What have you got to say that's so...

    ...Ah. Okay, that makes sense. :p Also amazingly funny, a Brit having to sing an American patriotic marching tune...

    Trippy. Wonder if it looks like a Norman Rockwell painting brought to life in terms of atmosphere... (Or some other great American painter. :confused: I don't know...)

    "It's just a model." Shush! Though I bet it's got a little hideaway for a sleeping King Arthur...

    "Don't you fucking dare, you limey sunnuvabitch."

    Ah, the currency of magical America.

    With the unhealthiest options possible, i take it?

    Of course not. :D Collectors buy them for the toy. The food is just a bonus.

    Why would that stop an American Eagle?

    Geez, no need to sound like a junkie looking for a fix...

    ...In fact, now I'm picturing it more like a pigeon.

    Even if they're sloppy and undercooked? Not that OL would stand for that sort of low quality stuff, I suppose.

    Gee, red-blooded, huh? No vegetables for you.

    Well, he's rather hoping the bribe will get you to answer them...

    You sure it was him and not one of his lookalikes? At least one of them is American, after all...

    I mean, you expect him to be aware of the passing time?

    Still, that wasn't a flat 'no'. There could still be a chance?

    To be fair, I'd be amazed if it wasn't orange-flavoured sugary water... Maybe leave it for the bugs?

    Since the Fake wouldn't care to touch the Heartlands, except to mine it for resources or propaganda imagery, I suppose.

    Yes, can't imagine why... :rolleyes:

    Sadly, that's entirely in character for an embodiment of America...

    And I'm sure you could get all the Macdonald's you could stomach, eagle-guy...
    "I don't know, I can stomach a lot."

    On the one hand, OL getting distracted from the search for Constantine. On the other hand, sorting out the Uncle Sam thing. But the search isn't going to be quick either way, so why not take a chance? Wonder where Sam will turn up, then... He popped about a lot during the U.S. comics. And you never know, OL might trip over something else more interesting... Or maybe somebody.
     
  20. Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

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    If I fix it before you post then it doesn't count.
    Wait, lettuce has a 'u' in it? What the heck, English?
    Morgan Spurlock.
    Thank you, corrected, though technically the original wasn't ungrammatical.
    Possibly, though it would also be a good place to hide.
     
  21. moralrelativity

    moralrelativity Recovering pendant.

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    Either
    as -> at
    or
    pulling -> pull
    driving -> drive

    "sounds like a silly place"
    nice Monty Python reference
     
  22. PrinceJonathan

    PrinceJonathan Versed in the lewd.

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    The more this goes on, the more I feel like this is less a crisis and more like John and Uncle Sam went out drinking and Paul is probably going to find them in Vegas surrounded by booze and hookers.
     
  23. Radiant Knight

    Radiant Knight Phoenix Fire

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    I mean, Lattice is a real word, it's just a different word with an entirely different meaning. It means a structural framework of ordered intersections.
     
  24. CTrees

    CTrees Chasing the ring

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    My recollection is it went from the Latin lactuca (species name is still lactuca sativa), to old English as lactuce, and then eventually morphed into lettuce. That u has been stubborn, but it got there honestly.
     
  25. RichardWhereat

    RichardWhereat Aia airëa Fëanáro.

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    Yes, that's why vicars are always saying Lettuce Prey.
     
  26. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

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    If this is true then Sam went out with John Constantine.

    That is a disaster waiting to happen.
     
  27. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

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    The place is very magical and connected to death, and John may have been trying to contact a previous incarnation, so he could have been using it as a focus.

    I'm still hoping this episode includes him singing the sing from The Brave and the Bold.

    And now I can't stop imaging him sounding like Norm Macdonald.

    I can just picture him sexually harassing Jade and insulting Paul.

    He's British so his idea of good food is extremely warped.

    He's free to eat whatever he wants.

    Yeah, I was also thinking that.

    That time period was pretty turbulent for America and its identity so maybe Fake Sam replaced his counterpart while he was weakened.
     
  28. Stsword

    Stsword Versed in the lewd.

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    Except the Eagle said that Sam went missing in the 70s.

    So if he went out with John than he's been hung over for decades apparently.
     
  29. PKRudeBoy

    PKRudeBoy Making the rounds.

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    Did we just find Camelot? Do the inhabitants eat ham and jam and spam-a-lot?
     
  30. Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

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    Thank you, corrected.
    Yes, I know what a lattice is. I just assumed that my only mistake with lettuce was the first vowel. 'Lettice' just looks better.
    "All your life you just stood there questioning
    Feeling your ambition crumble away
    As the power within you began to decay
    Never finding what you were searching for
    And feeling a longing you couldn't ignore
    You felt it ache inside like never before"

    "Take the path that the weak ones demonize
    Look around and begin to realise"

    "That you're no longer alone tonight
    You're coming into your own tonight
    One of the brave and the bold tonight"
    Did you ever hear the story of how we invented curry?
    I was a little worried, given that I recently got a Rule 8 warning for something that happened in the 1930s.
     
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