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

Dear John (part 10)
7th November 2012
09:56 GMT -5


Armour, construct shield with runes linking it to my tattoos to help it absorb magic, actual spell eaters and-.

The eagle bursts out of the shrine, back-winging to slow down as he ducks behind my fortification!

I'm staring at the shrine and the image isn't moving but that doesn't necessarily mean that it isn't about to.

"Eagle?"

"We have a problem."

"Details? What did Lady Liberty say?"

"Didn't see her. That Susano guy intercepted me and he was not pleased to see me." I hear him ruffle his wings, and I glance at him-.

And spot the smoke rising from his tail-. Construct fire extinguisher!

"Agh!" His head jerks around and he spots the lingering smoke. "Oh. Thanks."

"Again, what happened?"

"He doesn't want us to find out what happened to Sam."

"Is that what he said? Because Lady Liberty didn't mind telling me that the person walking around dressed like Sam isn't Sam."

"No, he said that I 'should not disturb matters'."

"That doesn't mean that it's his personal desire."

"Of course it does. They're self-interested in the extreme. Anything that helps their pantheon, they do. Including sabotaging other pantheons." His ruffles his wings. "If they weaken our culture and subvert our nexuses, they can alter it into something they can use, their manga and anime and mutating girls to have cat ears."

"I think you.. might be-."

"Culture is the form of the thoughts we can think, the mental landscapes in which we arrange our universe. And that goes double for things like us."

"I'm not arguing that point, but everyone likes cute girls and almost everyone likes cats. Ancient Kahndaqis had girls with cat ears. That's not a specifically Japanese invention."

"That's not the main point. The point is that Susano is competing to win, and if that means sabotaging every other culture then that's fine with him."

With no angry god forthcoming I dismiss my barricade construct.

"So you're not the embodiment of economic capitalistic freedom."

"No, I'm personal freedom and liberation from oppression. If someone runs a race faster than me then they get to win, but hamstringing the competition at the starting gate is still cheating."

"So you think that Susano thinks that whoever it is pretending to be Uncle Sam will sabotage American culture?"

"To his advantage."

"Did he say anything about John Constantine?"

"What?" He glances at the shrine. "Was I supposed to ask him about him?"

I sigh quietly. "No, I suppose not. Okay, plenty of people benefit from sabotaging American culture, me included. And I could probably replicate Uncle Sam's abilities if I had to. Do we have any leads on who they are or what their aims are-"

"The subvers-."

"-other than the very vague one you came up with."

"No. Eagles don't really investigate crimes."

"Do you have any ideas?"

"I could claw his face off?"

"You could claw a normal man's face off. This is someone who's successfully pretended to be Uncle Sam, who is stronger and tougher than a normal man."

"I'm stronger and tougher than a normal eagle when I'm fighting on the side of freedom."

"And I'm… Quite a bit stronger than an eagle."

"Yeah, um. Okay, I know that your heart yearns for freedom as much as anyone who isn't America can, but…"

"What?"

"If you fight fake Sam, real Sam might die."

Why would-?

"Because I have enough spiritual presence that destroying another nexus stamps my nature onto it in place of its own, and America really doesn't need to be more avaricious."

"Well… I was going to say that we might never find him if you kill the person who hid him, but what you said is true as well."

"Okay, but that still doesn't help us find Uncle Sam." I shake my head. "Orange Lantern to Doctor Mist."

"Are you well?"

"Heh, how would I tell? Eagle, do you want to try contacting Lady Liberty in another way, or something else?"

"I mean… We could try the statue."

"The statue depicting-."

"It's an American statue. Since she's jumped ship, she might not hear it."

"Okay, we may as well try it."

I return my armour to subspace and generate a construct perch, which the eagle jump-flaps onto. Then I start walking towards the embassy entrance.

"Is there any particular reason why another.. symbol of America can't defeat the fake Sam?"

"Like who?"

"Superman?"

"Not magical enough."

"Ah… Swamp Thing?"

He eyes me suspiciously. "I heard about Brazil. Is that going to be a thing with you?"

"No, it's just that America's a bit short of magical patriots. Ah, Zatanna Zatara?"

"She… Might work, but I'd really rather just get Sam back. I don't know what would happen if someone else stepped in and I'd really rather not find out if we don't have to."

"Alright, Statue of Liberty it is. And then if it doesn't work I need to check on one of Constantine's past locations while you come up with a new approach."
 
Last edited:
One is an Eagle

The other is a greed elemental.

...TOGETHER! They try to solve the impending collapse of the 'American' pantheon.

Also have you seen this british lord of chaos?

...Pft...enjoyable read!
 
"Orange Lantern to Doctor Mist."

"Are you well?"

"Heh, how would I tell? Eagle, do you want to try contacting Lady Liberty in another way, or something else?"

"I mean… We could try the statue."

Why did Paul call Doctor Mist?
It looks like he called him up on the ring and then just continued talking to the eagle without really saying anything to Mist except for answering his question about whether he was ok or not?

Is there a line missing?
 
"Is there any particular reason why another.. symbol of America can't defeat the fake Sam?"

"Like who?"

"Superman?"

"Not magical enough."

Well you know who both is a big symbol and "magic is what I'm all about"?

The Big Red Cheese: Captain Marvel

...who's now working with Susano-O, at Paul's suggestion...

tfs-dbz.gif
 
"Of course it does. They're self-interested in the extreme. Anything that helps their pantheon, they do. Including sabotaging other pantheons." His ruffles his wings. "If they weaken our culture and subvert our nexuses, they can alter it into something they can use, their manga and anime and mutating girls to have cat ears."

I support this as long as they only have cat ears, having two pairs of ears is just stupid. Best if they also have cat tails as well.
 
7th November 2012
09:56 GMT -5


Armour, construct shield with runes linking it to my tattoos to help it absorb magic, actual spell eaters and-.

The eagle bursts out of the shrine, back-winging to slow down as he ducks behind my fortification!
Probably a good thing the soldier didn't stay to watch, or he'd be sounding the alarm. And if Susano-o comes through, the last thing they need is extra targets, even if they would be his own people...

I'm staring at the shine and the image isn't moving but that doesn't necessarily mean that it isn't about to.

"Eagle?"
Though I wouldn't be surprised if the picture of Susano-o had a somewhat fiercer scowl than it did before.

"We have a problem."

"Details? What did Lady Liberty say?"
Did he even get to see her, or was Susano-o blocking the way like an angry father?

"Didn't see her. That Susano guy intercepted me and he was not pleased to see me." I hear him ruffle his wings, and I glance at him-.

And spot the smoke rising from his tail-. Construct fire extinguisher!
Well, Roger must be discombobulated, if he didn't notice his tail feathers cooking...

"Agh!" His head jerks around and he spots the lingering smoke. "Oh. Thanks."

"Again, what happened?"
Take a deep breath or two if you need to calm down.

"He doesn't want us to find out what happened to Sam."

"Is that what he said? Because Lady Liberty didn't mind telling me that the person walking around dressed like Sam isn't Sam."
And keep in mind, anything he did say might well have been couched in such elegant terms Roger here might have easily misunderstood...

"No, he said that I 'should not disturb matters'."

"That doesn't mean that it's his personal desire."
And maybe he meant that the situation would eventually resolve itself by itself? Admittedly, not without some issues.

"Of course it does. They're self-interested in the extreme. Anything that helps their pantheon, they do. Including sabotaging other pantheons." His ruffles his wings. "If they weaken our culture and subvert our nexuses, they can alter it into something they can use, their manga and anime and mutating girls to have cat ears."

"I think you.. might be-."
I suppose crazy conspiracy theorists do have some effect on the American zeitgeist, after all... And what's wrong with cat-girls? Would you complain about bunny-girls too?

"Culture is the form of the thoughts we can think, the mental landscapes in which we arrange our universe. And that goes double for things like us."

"I'm not arguing that point, but everyone likes cute girls and almost everyone likes cats. Ancient Kahndaqis had girls with cat ears. That's not a specifically Japanese invention."
Admittedly, Kahndaqi furries were on a slightly different scale to the modern types.

"That's not the main point. The point is that Susano is competing to win, and if that means sabotaging every other culture then that's fine with him."

With no angry god forthcoming I dismiss my barricade construct.
So, can't expect any help from that front, then.

"So you're not the embodiment of economic capitalistic freedom."

"No, I'm personal freedom and liberation from oppression. If someone runs a race faster than me then they get to win, but hamstringing the competition at the starting gate is still cheating."
See, that, I can get behind. Fair and equal chances, eh?

"So you think that Susano thinks that whoever it is pretending to be Uncle Sam will sabotage American culture?"

"To his advantage."
But you don't think he's responsible for it, do you?

"Did he say anything about John Constantine?"

"What?" He glances at the shrine. "Was I supposed to ask him about him?"
I meant, things went south faster than migrating ducks once he showed his face...

I sigh quietly. "No, I suppose not. Okay, plenty of people benefit from sabotaging American culture, me included. And I could probably replicate Uncle Sam's abilities if I had to. Do we have any leads on who they are or what their aims are-"

"The subvers-."
Let's leave the conspiracy theories for the real crazy guys, shall we?

"-other than the very vague one you came up with."

"No. Eagles don't really investigate crimes."
Well, could be a chance to branch out.

"Do you have any ideas?"

"I could claw his face off?"
Nah, the Fake would probably pluck your feathers.

"You could claw a normal man's face off. This is someone who's successfully pretended to be Uncle Sam, who is stronger and tougher than a normal man."

"I'm stronger and tougher than a normal eagle when I'm fighting on the side of freedom."
Sadly, Super-bird, you ain't. Even if you had, say, a Proton Energy Pill.

"And I'm… Quite a bit stronger than an eagle."

"Yeah, um. Okay, I know that your heart yearns for freedom as much as anyone who isn't America can, but…"
Yes, such praise. :rolleyes: Thank you.

"What?"

"If you fight fake Sam, real Sam might die."
Okay, wanna explain that, birbdrain?

Why would-?

"Because I have enough spiritual presence that destroying another nexus stamps my nature onto it in place of its own, and America really doesn't need to be more avaricious."
...Ah. Yeah, that would probably push them into 'cyberpunk setting' dystopia...

"Well… I was going to say that might never find him if you kill the person who hid him, but what you said is true as well."

"Okay, but that still doesn't help us find Uncle Sam." I shake my head. "Orange Lantern to Doctor Mist."
I suppose you need to check in, anyway, after hanging up earlier. Good chance to update him.

"Are you well?"

"Heh, how would I tell? Eagle, do you want to try contacting Lady Liberty in another way, or something else?"
I doubt she'd be able to contact you, after all. Not unless you happen to visit a holy place...

"I mean… We could try the statue."

"The statue depicting-."
Oh, that is going to be hilarious. Would she embody using the statue as an avatar? Would anyone in the observation deck in her head get seasick if she moves around? :p

"It's an American statue. Since she's jumped ship, she might not hear it."

"Okay, we may as well try it."
Well, technically, it's a French-made statue they gave to America, but sure...

I return my armour to subspace and generate a construct perch, which the eagle jump-flaps onto. Then I start walking towards the embassy entrance.

"Is there any particular reason why another.. symbol of America can't defeat the fake Sam?"
Got someone in mind? There aren't that many personifications around.

"Like who?"

"Superman?"
I mean, technically. An immigrant who became possibly the most famous man in the country?

"Not magical enough."

"Ah… Swamp Thing?"
:confused: ...I can't even...

He eyes me suspiciously. "I heard about Brazil. Is that going to be a thing with you?"

"No, it's just that America's a bit short of magical patriots. Ah, Zatanna Zatara?"
OL, please. I know your real super-power is 'phone a friend', but let's not get carried away..

"She… Might work, but I'd really rather just get Sam back. I don't know what would happen if someone else stepped in and I'd really rather not find out if we don't have to."

"Alright, Statue of Liberty it is. And then if it doesn't work I need to check on one of Constantine's past locations while you come up with a new approach."
Good to see he's not forgotten about that yet.

Ah, well. Looks like the trail of Uncle Sam might be going cold, then. Still, this is proving to be an entertaining diversion into the weird world of the metaphysical. I do like the logical explanation of why OL can't just go stomp the fake Sam, too. Hopefully OL can get back on his original track, and keep an eye on the Sam thing for later.
 
Double uh oh. We have barely started the Mythological Rennaissance and we already have Pantheons competing like this.

The last thing Earth needs is Crusades and Jihads starting everywhere all at once.
It may be the last thing Earth needs, but it looks like it's what Earth is going to get.

And LePaul is 100% to blame for it.
 
I think I just got something.

I thought the Eagle subverting Paul's expectations was just an amusing character quirk. But if it represents freedom, maybe that's why it's hard to predict or pin down on a conceptual level.
 
I'm just sitting here in the world's oldest colony laughing at the eagle claiming to represent personal freedom and liberation from oppression and rooting for Susano-oh.

Oh and reminded of a notable anime stand in for the US:
dragon-ball-majin-buu-celebrate.jpg
 
Why did Paul call Doctor Mist?
It looks like he called him up on the ring and then just continued talking to the eagle without really saying anything to Mist except for answering his question about whether he was ok or not?

Is there a line missing?
He called him because he cut the conversation off suddenly and wanted to let mission control know that he was alright.
"shrine"
"we might never"
Thank you, corrected.
I support this as long as they only have cat ears, having two pairs of ears is just stupid. Best if they also have cat tails as well.
5d4aaeafa728908fd289fa56c5124a13.jpg

It's their British better side coming to the surface.
 
Surely there is a spirit for Rosie the Riveter, a representation of the Gold Rush, public libraries, invention, or a spirit for transportation (railway construction and horsemanship)? I'm trying to think of old spirits.

Well.
Not that Paul would consider them old.

Anyway, surely some weak but cunning spiritual entity exists that calls the USA home. Something better than this eagle.
 
I'm so American I literally own a wall of guns but I'm sick as fuck because I'm in between jobs and getting on medicaid has taken so long I'm reduced to using about a quarter of the insulin I need. The two that manage my beetus are 1500 a month without insurance. It's hard to fuck the united states zeitgeist harder than that.

So believe me when I say I love me some America fuck yeah.

The best version of it is the really obnoxious boisterous kind that is also kind of strained because it's being used like a suicide joke by a depressed person.

I'm definitely enjoying Paul and freedom eagle. Great job zoat.

America fuck yeah is a catchier slogan than 'England shall muddle through' but admittedly not quite as iconic as Rule Britannia.
 
Surely there is a spirit for Rosie the Riveter, a representation of the Gold Rush, public libraries, invention, or a spirit for transportation (railway construction and horsemanship)? I'm trying to think of old spirits.

Well.
Not that Paul would consider them old.

Anyway, surely some weak but cunning spiritual entity exists that calls the USA home. Something better than this eagle.
I don't know if the count but there is also folklore characters like johny Appleseed, John Henry, Paul bunion, or Pecos bill.

They each have their own issues though
 
You know, considering cats once ruled the world and are angling to restore their power, maybe nekomimi are actually a bigger problem than you would think.

Oh shit, that's a future WTR Plot right there.

So the Shinto are being manipulated by the cats to help them restore their lost power by having them make cat-girls become widely loved and practically worshipped?

...

It makes perfect sense!
 
I mean, loving cats isn't an inherently Japanese thing. Look at all the American groups dedicated to their kitties.

Eagle is very endearing. I keep on wanting to type Eagly though.

Ahaha, all the pantheon competition! It's interesting how all these religions are becoming proselytizing ones given that proselytizing ones are the loud minority of religions.

Very curious as to what's up with Uncle Sam.
 

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