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

[dxdragon]

Judging by those blue quotation marks, looks like Alan is about to unlock Hope Enlightenment.

Can't wait to see what this causes going forward. Maybe Alan will start pushing to make a Blue Lantern Corp after feeling the Hopes of the Universe?
He's probably tapping into all the Koriandr & Mr. Rogers of the universe. Imagine them all gaining Blue Rings?

 

[Mr Zoat]

Add a " at the end.

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their -> they're

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I thought they'd be looking for John Fitzgerald Kennedy? Did he have a different middle name on Earth-16, or is this just Paul's memory being flawed (after all, Paul is from the UK, and also fairly young compared to JFK's generation) and Alan not correcting him?

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Stray space after the Quotation mark.

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Thank you, corrected.

 

[PrinceJonathan]

Who wants to bet this ideal Kennedy becomes a superhero.

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He's probably going to be the new Uncle Sam.

The real question is, is Alan and Adara going to be the new Power Couple?

I can just imagine Ophidian and Adara gushing over their respective Agents over afternoon tea like gossiping housewives.

 

[Bud-E]

He's probably going to be the new Uncle Sam.

The real question is, is Alan and Adara going to be the new Power Couple?

I can just imagine Ophidian and Adara gushing over their respective Agents over afternoon tea like gossiping housewives.

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And like any suburban housewife, they will always compare and try to one-up each other saying their host is better than the others.

 

[Fouredged]

"I can. I see a clear road, free of pot holes. The sun is out, but the weather is comfortably cool. And there's a gas station. The parking lot is empty and free of trash. It has biofuel and a recharging station. To the side- row after row of clean, spacious bathrooms. The toilets have heated seats, they have bidets. The entrance is stocked with free toiletries, non-scented ones. They even have changing stations."
"It's… All so beautiful…"

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You had me until the bidet thing. That's when you went off the rails from Merican. We wipe our ass with triple ply and LIKE it.

Man, Alan picked this up fast.

I guess it helps Paul is helping walk him through it based on his own experience, but he is also just such a fount of Hope already and near an elemental in nature so he is likely connecting to it easier.

No doubt that doing this will turn what remains of Kennedy's soul into the very ideal of what all American people view as an amazing president, a kinda American demigod of leadership or something.

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One could almost say Alan was hopeful about success. Blue rings are extremely powerful, just damned fickle.

 

[Windona]

"It is a noble thing to help others without the desire for reward, but that is not where you are. This is a place for inspiring others, not aiding them directly. Your compassion is elsewhere, waiting for you when you leave."

The flaming effect is basically gone, though the size of his aura has continued to grow. I wonder if that's what I look like when I meditate?

"Love is our particular attachment to those closest to us. But you are somewhere universal, and the particular only serves to distract you. All around you are your hopes made manifest."

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I love this. The meditation seems pretty interesting, and how it goes with the 'these emotions don't power our rings but keep us sane' thing.

It's an interesting assumption to make, all things considered. To assume that your parallel is the special one that doesn't have any kind of afterlife when you've been thrown into a multiverse where other things you thought were fictional turned out to be real. Even had that crossover event with other versions of yourself that ended up in non-DC universes.

If anything I'd wonder how it is that our reality has the same religions. Like, the Earth he's on now can say their pantheons are actually there. But our Earth, where he's assuming they never existed, just happens to come up with all the same shit?

Of course I'm not talking about real life belief, or lack thereof. Just that the SI doesn't really seem to question it.

Beyond that, I guess I'm kind of curious how this ULTIMATE PRESIDENT will turn out. I'm sure various people have their fair share of ideas of what would make someone the best possible President.

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Mechanically, Earth Prime people don't have a soul so there's a good reason to think there's no way to get to an afterlife without one. Whether or not that's true is... well, I highly doubt a definitive statement on religion on Earth Prime will exist.

 

[DrThoth]

Can Guy, Malvolio or other enlightened Green Lanterns access the presumable Honden of Will? Or did the Guardian's control mechanisms of the green light prevent that somehow? (Though Malvolio shows that's not exactly ironclad).

I forget, but why did Paul/the Ophidian/both think of it as the Honden in the first place? Did he see the term in an anime or something?

I assume at least some Maltusians have done the equivalent of Honden visits, though hopefully not just Krona. Hinon hasn't really done anything impressive with the orange light as far as I remember (at least things that feel impressive like what Alan's doing now, I know making a Central Power Battery is very sophisticated and everything), but I know that's Maltusians in most media most of the time for obvious protagonist focused-reasons.

I wonder if Alan's semi-green nature would allow him to visit the Honden of Will even without a green power ring (I don't remember what happened to Kalmin's anti-Green ring at the moment. Or the one belonging to alt-universe Paul, for that matter. If they still exist, it could be interesting how he does with it after some reprogramming).
This was probably already answered, but why didn't Renegade Awaken Alan the same way as John Stewart-50?

 

[Ngamer11]

Can Guy, Malvolio or other enlightened Green Lanterns access the presumable Honden of Will? Or did the Guardian's control mechanisms of the green light prevent that somehow? (Though Malvolio shows that's not exactly ironclad).

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I think it was implied that Malvolio used it when he teleported back to his sector after the Green Lanterns started trying to free Priest.

 

[Bud-E]

I think it was implied that Malvolio used it when he teleported back to his sector after the Green Lanterns started trying to free Priest.

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And I think Hinon visited the Honden of Will with Malvolio after he fought Guy and those other green lanterns. I think she was examining Malvolio to see just how connected he is with the Green Light of willpower?

 

[Stsword]

Mechanically, Earth Prime people don't have a soul so there's a good reason to think there's no way to get to an afterlife without one. Whether or not that's true is... well, I highly doubt a definitive statement on religion on Earth Prime will exist.

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We know no such thing.

The Pauls don't have a soul.

They also all think they are from Earth Prime.

All but one of them must be incorrect, and it's possible that they are in fact all incorrect.

So in fact "from Earth Prime" and "No soul" have shown no correlation in this story.

 

[Coda]

they're it's friends."

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I don't believe that you're correct. They are it's friends.

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Oh dang it all. *facepalm* I'm sorry, I derped on what correction I was going to make when I quoted it, and so I ended up typing the wrong thing. The actual correction was it's -> its

It's name is Adara

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Just like this one, too.

 

[kerleth]

He's probably going to be the new Uncle Sam.

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It would be cool if he became the incarnation of idealized America, the symbol it was held up to be and the purest dreams of what it might become. Balanced by an incarnation of corrupted America from this place. Then have Uncle Sam become the incarnation of America facing itself. Looking in the mirror and realizing what we think we are isn't the same as what we are, and the full complicated history. Neither Dream America, nor Nightmarica (heh, puns), but instead America as it wakes from sleep.

On an unrelated note, I can't see a Hamilton reference without thinking of Helsing Abridged.
Alexander Anderson!

 

[Istaran]

They also all think they are from Earth Prime.

All but one of them must be incorrect, and it's possible that they are in fact all incorrect.

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You are making an unprovable assumption that they didn't transfer to the current multiverse in a duplicative process.
For example, these words you are reading come from me, as do all of the duplicates of these words being read by other people. They are brought to each of you by a duplicative process that allows these words from me to appear on many browsers, but all of them come from me.

In RL, we humans do not yet have a duplicative process we experience (if you don't count reproduction, which I don't because it makes a distinct new human), but Paul's scenario is obviously very unlike RL. It could be like the origin of Thomas Riker in ST:TNG

 

[Aabcehmu]

We know no such thing.

The Pauls don't have a soul.

They also all think they are from Earth Prime.

All but one of them must be incorrect, and it's possible that they are in fact all incorrect.

So in fact "from Earth Prime" and "No soul" have shown no correlation in this story.

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The real Paul is here, writing With This Ring, so it's only natural to assume all of them, including Paragon, are copies.

 

[Stsword]

You are making an unprovable assumption that they didn't transfer to the current multiverse in a duplicative process.
For example, these words you are reading come from me, as do all of the duplicates of these words being read by other people. They are brought to each of you by a duplicative process that allows these words from me to appear on many browsers, but all of them come from me.

In RL, we humans do not yet have a duplicative process we experience (if you don't count reproduction, which I don't because it makes a distinct new human), but Paul's scenario is obviously very unlike RL. It could be like the origin of Thomas Riker in ST:TNG

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And if I went down to Fedex and printed out your message that print out would still be from Fedex.

If the alt.Pauls are copies made from him in the Bleed, than they are from the Bleed, not Earth Prime.

If Picard ordered up a copy of the Mona Lisa to hang up on his wall that copy is from the replicator, not Italy.

The real Paul is here, writing With This Ring, so it's only natural to assume all of them, including Paragon, are copies.

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Shh! It's supposed to be a secret that Zoat Prime is a Memesmith from Earth 33 using his author powers to manipulate his doppelgangers adventures in other universes.

 

[Mr Zoat]

Oh dang it all. *facepalm* I'm sorry, I derped on what correction I was going to make when I quoted it, and so I ended up typing the wrong thing. The actual correction was it's -> its
Just like this one, too.

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Thank you, corrected.

Stupid irregular possessive tense.

 

[PDV]

-particularly after they're dead- has only the most tenuous connection to what they were actually like.

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Both a song about historiography and one which is pretty tenuously connected to the subject. Nice.

Beyond that, I guess I'm kind of curious how this ULTIMATE PRESIDENT will turn out. I'm sure various people have their fair share of ideas of what would make someone the best possible President.

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Twelve stories tall and made of radiation. Knew the secrets of all space and time.

You had me until the bidet thing. That's when you went off the rails from Merican. We wipe our ass with triple ply and LIKE it.

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Except in Silicon Valley, which is maximum-America. Checkmate.

 

[Birdsie]

"Don't believe in yourself. Believe in the me who believes in you!"

I'm betting that among the hopes of the people, at least several of them hoped that Kennedy would prove to be the president who fixed America completely, so we're probably about to get a supercompetent hyper-Kennedy, and I'm all for it.

 

[Windona]

"Don't believe in yourself. Believe in the me who believes in you!"

I'm betting that among the hopes of the people, at least several of them hoped that Kennedy would prove to be the president who fixed America completely, so we're probably about to get a supercompetent hyper-Kennedy, and I'm all for it.

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Kennedy: Died a B+ President and serial philanderer. Reborn an AAA+ president.

 

[Orm Embar]

easygoing that the Ophidian

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that -> than

Paul's interactions with Alan are always interesting. He's one of the fic's original characters, so seeing how he's come out of retirement and into his own is gratifying. Here's hoping this ends with Blue enlightenment, there's no reason Paul and Guy should get to have all the fun. Kennedy should be cool in his own right, though.

 

[Bud-E]

Mr Zoat is Saint Walker in your story, and are you gonna add in stuff from the Green Lantern animated series cause that's canon to YJ now.

 

[dw7thdoctor]

Mr Zoat is Saint Walker in your story, and are you gonna add in stuff from the Green Lantern animated series cause that's canon to YJ now.

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I think if Saint Walker is in this story he is still on his own planet. Either before or during his planet learns about the sun's impending doom. The only Blue Lantern stated in this story right is Alan Scott and Earth -14 Paul. No one else has made blue lanterns yet. Though I do hope that Alan gets on that if Paul can make an orange lantern, I bet Alan can make a lantern and ring that functions the same as his pre-fixed ring did(eventually).

 

[Doccer]

And somewhere, the Smiling Bastard is feeling something like ice water running down his spine.

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Paul: "Boss Smiley, your greatest mistake was crossing me."
That's why when trying to off a guy you don't leave the job unfinished.
Just look at all of comic book history. Hell Justice League Doom just had me shaking my head. Everyone of those fools had the opportunity to kill their respective nemesis. Yet not a one of them put the effort to pull the trigger.

 

[Windona]

Paul: "Boss Smiley, your greatest mistake was crossing me."
That's why when trying to off a guy you don't leave the job unfinished.
Just look at all of comic book history. Hell Justice League Doom just had me shaking my head. Everyone of those fools had the opportunity to kill their respective nemesis. Yet not a one of them put the effort to pull the trigger.

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You assume they wanted to end their enemies more than they wanted to play with said enemies.

 

[Alasnuyo]

Just a thought: Might it be possible that if one were delve deep enough into the any of the Hondens of the emotional spectrum, one would come across the emotional imprints of the Source itself?

 

[Mr Zoat]

that -> than

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Thank you, corrected.

Mr Zoat is Saint Walker in your story

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He's around somewhere. I'm not sure if he'll actually feature.

are you gonna add in stuff from the Green Lantern animated series cause that's canon to YJ now.

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I did actually intend to include Razer at some point, but I've used planets and characters from the region of space that featured in Green Lantern Animated so it wouldn't really make sense to import the whole thing.

 

[Mr Zoat]

7th November 2012
Roughly 10:51 GMT -5

I cautiously look at the two men sitting at the side of the idea of a road. One is floating just off the ground in the cross legged position, his eyes closed. The other keeps reaching up to his head as if to check that it's still there, then jerking his hands down.

"Green Lantern."

"Yes, Mister President?"

"This administration-." The younger man twitches slightly. "I feel that I have just incurred some great debt to you, but I don't seem quite able to recall what for."

Alan floats upright, though his feet don't quite touch the ground.

"You were in a bad way, sir, and I put you back together. But I'm afraid that America needs your help."

"It's my duty to the free world to aid our greatest hero." President Kennedy has a confused frown as he pulls himself to his feet and dusts himself off, and I find myself smiling at his description of Alan. "What seems to be the problem?"

"An evil spirit-."

"Alan, Alan. Just a… Just a minute."

Alan looks at me, his eyes still glowing pits.

"All of those emotions that were somewhere else, you feel them begin to return as you move away from the blue place. Remember all the things that made you angry? They're with you again, burning under your-."

Alan gasps, dropping to his feet and his eyes returning to normal.

"You alright?"

He nods. "Is that what it's like for you?"

"Don't know, but maybe."

"Ah. I need a moment-."

"No problem. Mister President." I step forward and offer him my right hand. "Orange Lantern."

"Any friend of Green Lantern is a friend of mine."

He takes my hand and I feel a tremendous sense of reassurance and warmth at his presence. It's like meeting my father again after being at university for a term.

I don't think I like it.

"Sir, we're in a magic realm where all the worst parts of the American psyche are real objects or people. We're trying to get to the part which corresponds to Washington so that we can deal with the spirit of corruption that has kidnapped Uncle Sam and replaced him in the real world."

"And where do I come in?"

"A manifestation of the Military-Industrial Complex has fortified the outskirts with a giant wall, but I'm hoping that they'll open the gates for the President."

"A wall around Washington? Unthinkable. I'll demand that they tear it down!"

"Sir, I'm not sure that a direct confrontation with the Military-Industrial Complex would turn out well for you."

"I choose to tear down the Military-Industrial Complex, not because it is easy, but because it is hard."

Alan nods, creating a platform under the Super President's feet and rising into the air. The birds and I follow them, the great grey walls of the Military-Industrial Complex growing steadily closer. I see the missile batteries and flak guns train themselves on us.

"Green Lantern, put me on the radio."

An old style radio microphone appears in front of him.

"To the forces occupying the capital of the great nation, I am the President of the United States. With the authority invested in me by the Constitution, I as Commander in Chief order you to stand down."

The guns keep tracking us, but… We're over their perimeter now and they haven't fired. Close up, the walls tower into the heavens and we're flying almost vertical in an attempt to clear the battlements.

"Our purpose is to defend America. Why would the President order us to stand down?"

"Total war makes no sense in an age where great powers can maintain large and relatively invulnerable nuclear forces and refuse to surrender without resort to those forces. It makes no sense in an age when a single nuclear weapon contains almost ten times the explosive force delivered by all the allied air forces in the Second World War. It makes no sense in an age when the deadly poisons produced by a nuclear exchange would be carried by wind and water and soil and seed to the far corners of the globe and to generations yet unborn."

"What alternative is there?"

"Too many of us think that peace is impossible. Too many think it is unreal. But that is a dangerous, defeatist belief. It leads to the conclusion that war is inevitable, that mankind is doomed, that we are gripped by forces we cannot control. We need not accept that view. Our problems are manmade. Therefore, they can be solved by man. And man can be as big as he wants. No problem of human destiny is beyond human beings. Man's reason and spirit have often solved the seemingly unsolvable and I believe they can do it again."

…

Huh.

Okay. Didn't feel too bad that time.

"You clearly don't understand what we're about. But this sounds like a problem for The Brass."

There's a clunk, and a section of the wall slides away while the missiles and gun batteries return to the neutral position.

"Come on in, Mister President."

"Thank you."

The five of us fly forward into the gap, prompting me to frown at the vulture.

"Why are you still here? The Military-Industrial Complex didn't kill us."

"Early days."

We enter the tunnel, which… Keeps going, the entry gate sliding back into place behind us, followed by a bulkhead shutter-. And then another, and another, slamming down the moment we're past them.

Alan glances back. "Friendly, aren't they?"

"Perhaps we should have pretended to be arms lobbyists."

Kennedy shakes his head. "That would be unwise. The Military-Industrial Complex that besets this great country is not friendly towards foreign competition, even from our most stalwart allies. They would sell an armed robber a bullet to shoot their own mothers if they could turn a profit that way."

The inner door opens ahead of us, but I can't help frowning.

"Did anyone else hear the way he said 'The Brass'? Because-."

"The M.I.C. leaves complex decisions to me!"

The titanic robot made of shining brown metal standing towering over Washington raises its shoulder and forearm mounted cannons.

"And I've decided to designate this place a free-fire zone!"

 

[Ngamer11]

"Green Lantern.

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I feel that I have just incurred some great debt to you, but I don't seem quite able to recall what for."

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These two are missing quotation marks.

"Alan, Alan. Just a… Just a minute."

Alan looks at me, his eyes still glowing pits.

"All of those emotions that were somewhere else, you feel them begin to return as you move away from the blue place. Remember all the things that made you angry? They're with you again, burning under your-."

Alan gasps, dropping to his feet and his eyes returning to normal.

"You alright?"

He nods. "Is that what it's like for you?"

"Don't know, but maybe."

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Now that Alan has an idea of what Paul feels like when doing that, will this lead to a greater understanding of the Blue Light for future enlightenment?

The five of us fly forward into the gap, prompting my to frown at the vulture.

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That should say 'me'.

 

[Darko]

Huh.

Okay. Didn't feel too bad that time

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Probably because the things he was saying were things you wanted to hear.

 

[Bud-E]

So Kennedy is a hope elemental now or just inspiring hope in America?