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

Reader mode
Mr Zoat said:
8th November 2012
13:19 GMT

A small café, nearly empty in the off-season. The cafés in the Eastbourne area that were inside the local parks used to shut down completely, but I suppose that in centres of tourism like London they can justify staying open all year round.

"So, ah…" Alan looks around, but I certainly don't want to talk to the Demon and Dr. Balewa appears to prefer to leave him to his own devices. "Do you feel any more… Complete than you did before?"
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Sadly, I doubt it's like he's got an Experience Bar labelled 'Constantine-ness'. Most people don't have that kind of aid for emotional or mental stability. However much some might wish they did... :confused: Well, not a 'Constantine-ness' bar, but you get what I mean.

"Damned if I know."

"So you do know?"
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:V Oh, nice burn, OL. Think Demon boy there needs some cream for that one?

The Demon leans back in his metal chair, his face a picture of exaggerated nonchalance. "Not how it works. I won't know if I'm more complete until I have to live like him."

"Don't get too comfortable. This is psychological counselling, not freedom. We're not helping you take over his life."
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To be fair, he might well do a better job of things than John did, if he weren't motivated to tear it all down...

"'cept the bits he gave me."

"If you wanted to make a go of things with Ms. Ryan, I'd have been all for that, if you weren't an accessory to quite a lot of murder."
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I mean, it's not like he holds much sanctity in the value of Human life anyway. Probably singe him if he did.

"Just like Blaze, then."

"Yours is a bit more recent. Though if you're asking to eat a Pomegranate of Good and Evil, I can make enquiries."
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And somewhere in San Francisco, Zauriel feels a chill run down his spine.

He goes to reply, then closes his mouth. Is he..? Actually considering it? John… John Constantine has an understanding of morality, even if he's prepared to be a ruthless bastard in how he goes about acting on it. I've never got the impression that the Demon does. He's what he was made: all ruthless self-hating bastard all the time. Even this trying to become more like John, he's doing because he believes that he's being denied something rightfully his.
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...I wonder how he'd get on with Sally Sonic. Remember her? The teenager 'blessed' with fey immortality, and later fed a potion that removed all Hope, Compassion and Love from her psyche?
(edited, after Mr Zoat's correction.)

"What other options are there?"

"What do you mean?"
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I assume he's looking for a way to get out of the whole 'multiple murders' thing...

"I met Chantinelle. Saw what you did to her."

"I'm all out of love crystal. Though if you want to volunteer to become a construct, I could probably square it with myself."
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On the other hand, that would mean learning what he knows and feels, every time you recall him to the ring.

"Paul." Alan leans forward slightly to break line of sight between myself and the Demon. "I've been meaning to ask. Can I do something like that?"

"Not at present. Your personal lantern isn't designed to work like the Star Sapphire. You'd have to do a lot of meditation, learn to exist in the Honden, and.. probably contact Adara. Or you could talk to a maltusian about making Blue Central Power Battery; I think I heard that Ganthet was interested in the other colours."
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On the other hand, I can't imagine Enlightenment being particularly bad for him. Imagine always knowing that 'All Will Be Well' all the time? Bet Saint Walker will be Enlightened if he ever shows up.

The Demon smiles. "I could help with… Adara, was it?"

I take a moment to look deeper in him. No, no real change.
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Also, I bet you feeling like your brain needs a shower, now...

"No, you couldn't. There's no hope in you. I doubt that she would even be aware of you, and as a Earthly demon you're stuck with the Earth's thaumosphere anyway."

"I've got the same cunning as John. You think I can't work out how to manipulate an elemental?"
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Yes, please do piss off the primal incarnation of Hope. You might make it feel rage for the first time in history...

"I think the very fact that you're asking like that disqualifies you. Doctor, why is he here?"

"If we are to enter the Tower of Fate unseen, it would help us to have one with free access with us."
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I seriously doubt the Tower's wards wouldn't notice the Demon, even if...

Why would he give the Demon access even if-.

"Because they're the same person. You think that the wards can't distinguish between different John Constantines."
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...His figurative 'key' fits the lock.

"It is not so simple. But it will be easier with him there than without."

"So… How are we doing this? Because the Tower's defences are pretty good. I'm confident that I could eat them eventually-."
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Except they're trying for subtlety, OL. Going all FEED on the wards would be like employing a Thunder Hammer to crack a walnut...

"No, you could not. There are subtle uses of magic that are well within John Quinn's abilities thet could be used to move the Tower to places you could not reach. Or use your own hunger to delude you, and draw you into a trep."

Alan nods. "So how're we going to do this?"
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And I have no doubt John's got lots of protections in place against OL, just in case.

"The tower is accessible -in parts- through the Dream."

I nod. "I remember seeing a Dream Storm through a window in the library. And you think that we can get in that way?"
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Oh, yay. Not just a heist, but one involving a metaphysical road trip...

"With help, yes."

"I'm open-minded, but I might not be enthusiastic."
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Huh, guess you don't really want to do it that way, then? :p

"I believe thet Sanderson Hawkins is most likely to be able to guide us through the Dream. Navigating thet place is… Not a simple matter."

"Why not Melinoë?"
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OL, that kind of thing might get her Daddy mad at you again. Also, do you want her meeting the Demon Constantine?

"A god would draw attention, and her magic would make our passage harder."

"A couple of Sivanas?"
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OL, no. You do not go introducing the super-science savants to the metaphysical.

He regards me with an expression to scepticism on his face.

"I do not think that showing them how to navigate the Dream is a wise thing to do. Thet is not a power I would trust to them."
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Gods only know what they'd get up to with it. Nothing pleasant, surely.

"Okay. I haven't… Seen Sanderson for a while. Um."

"I have." Alan nods. "He's going okay, considering everything. I don't know if he'll want to help with this, though."
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Good to hear he's been adapting to modern life. Wonder what he makes of the Internet?

"How about if we point out that-."

"I…" Alan shakes his head. "Don't think he's ready for your… Ah, particular style of reasoning."
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Tactful, Alan. Well done.

"Diplomatic. I appreciate it."

"How about I talk to him instead?"
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Let's hope he'll leap at the chance to do some heroing, assuming he hasn't been already.

"Thet may be wise, but if we are to be working together, it may be wise for Paul and Sanderson to become better acquainted."

"I'll behave."
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Schyeah, right... :rolleyes:

Alan nods. "Okay, I guess that works. What about you?"

"Constantine and I will finish our work in London, and then I will prepare the spells needed to access the Dream."
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Hopefully that won't take long?

"Why don't we just go through the gate in Tartarus?"

"Has John Quinn had cause to visit Erebos?"
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Oh, right, that was a thing...

"No, but it would be easy to check. I visit there quite often, and I doubt that anyone would lie to me if I asked. Besides, meditating until we access the Dream from the material universe just sounds like we'd be asking for someone to kill our real bodies while we're there."

Dr. Balewa nods

"Then thet is what we will do."
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Okay, then. Sounds like the heist is on.

This is certainly promising. Getting to see Sandy again after a while, and getting him to use his connection to the Dreaming to navigate? With the Demon Constantine in tow? What could possibly go wrong? Such is the joy of devising a plan with so many moving parts, I suppose. Let's just hope this catches John Quinn off-guard. For all we know, he has a permanent scrying watch on OL, after all...

Dr. Balewa nods
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Missing Full Stop.
 
Last edited:
Rebu said:
Remind me; how is Alan recharging?
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Weaponer made a Hope Lantern (and paired Ring) after Paul badgered and wheedled him into it. Currently makes it the only Blue Lantern and Ring in existence until we see signs of any other existing Blue.
Minor whoops considering that Paul already shared the story of Saint Walker, who've we've not seen any signs of and may not even exist / had his background happened yet.
 
BlackCoat13 said:
Weaponer made a Hope Lantern (and paired Ring) after Paul badgered and wheedled him into it. Currently makes it the only Blue Lantern and Ring in existence until we see signs of any other existing Blue.
Minor whoops considering that Paul already shared the story of Saint Walker, who've we've not seen any signs of and may not even exist / had his background happened yet.
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No, Alan's ring changed colors when he charged his ring on hope.

A blue ring was never part of the deal.
 
Rebu said:
Remind me; how is Alan recharging?
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An onanistic personal lantern.
Chojin Patriarch said:
...I wonder how he'd get on with Sally Sonic. Remember her? The immortal teenager 'blessed' with a fey potion that removed all Hope, Compassion and Love from her psyche?
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No, the fairy blessing stopped her aging. The psychopathy was from a British-made augentation formula.
Missing Full Stop.
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Duke Long said:
'thet'
'thet'
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Thank you, corrected.
 
You know, I am honestly still a bit iffy regarding the Demonology of this setting, and of Demon John in particular.

Does becoming Demon essentially twist you into someone who enjoys Kick the Puppy kinds of behavior intrinsically? Or are engaging in the types of behaviors that increase suffering or are tied into negative traits necessary for a Demon to feed off of to survive? I feel like I remember reading that gaining power from darker actions and such is something Demons can do, but is it required for them to exist as sentient beings to begin with?

Because if becoming a Demon turns you into a Psychopath, that's something else entirely. Sure, psychopaths are scary as fuck as a concept, but there are plenty who operate successfully in society without really ever directly harming another human being. Unless they are on the farthest of the far side of psychopathy, deriving joy from suffering doesn't exactly come packaged in to the condition of anti-social personality disorder.

I mean, just because someone doesn't get the dopamine button hit from helping other human beings like psychopaths or Demon John doesn't seem to doesn't mean that it automatically switches to them getting joy from causing them suffering either.
 
Before I ask Mr Zoat, I'm curious what everyone here can come up with.
How would Common Sense!Paul handle Alan's rapid aging (since it looked like he converted Alan's green lantern from what I recall). Seek Green Enlightenment and use it to call the whale?
 
NightmareWarden said:
How would Common Sense!Paul handle Alan's rapid aging (since it looked like he converted Alan's green lantern from what I recall). Seek Green Enlightenment and use it to call the whale?
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Mr Zoat actually already showed that. Paul found a loophole in the rules that allowed Alan to recharge from Hal's lantern.
 
Xepeyon said:
You know, I am honestly still a bit iffy regarding the Demonology of this setting, and of Demon John in particular.

Does becoming Demon essentially twist you into someone who enjoys Kick the Puppy kinds of behavior intrinsically? Or are engaging in the types of behaviors that increase suffering or are tied into negative traits necessary for a Demon to feed off of to survive? I feel like I remember reading that gaining power from darker actions and such is something Demons can do, but is it required for them to exist as sentient beings to begin with?

Because if becoming a Demon turns you into a Psychopath, that's something else entirely. Sure, psychopaths are scary as fuck as a concept, but there are plenty who operate successfully in society without really ever directly harming another human being. Unless they are on the farthest of the far side of psychopathy, deriving joy from suffering doesn't exactly come packaged in to the condition of anti-social personality disorder.

I mean, just because someone doesn't get the dopamine button hit from helping other human beings like psychopaths or Demon John doesn't seem to doesn't mean that it automatically switches to them getting joy from causing them suffering either.
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Strictly speaking, the Demon Constantine wasn't twisted into running only off The Bad Stuff - that's how Original Flavor John made him.
 
Windona said:
Yup. Though the way it's phrased in story is that they think Quinn is keeping Constantine to draw power from him. So I don't think they see it that way yet
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Well even if he is, so what? Should he have killed him instead? Imprisoned him and let him accumulate the Chaos Power until it's enough to let him escape? Ground it and let perfectly good magical energy go to waste?
 
AmericanNumbers said:
I don't get the resentment that Paul has for the Demon Constantine. He was created evil and is actively trying to improve himself.
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Paul puts up with Constantine's shenanigans because of his virtues, Demon C. is everything wrong with John, with none of the upsides that Paul cares about, nor is he made of anything useful John had when Paul started interacting with him. I imagine that he's a very unpleasant individual to be around on an empathic level as well.
 
Mr Zoat said:
Honestly, it's more likely to be: "Um. Why-why are they all naked-? TURNITOFFTURNITOFF!"
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Also:

Sandy: Hey neat, that girl graduated with honors from her university...Wow, those are a lot of rape threats.

Xepeyon said:
You know, I am honestly still a bit iffy regarding the Demonology of this setting, and of Demon John in particular.

Does becoming Demon essentially twist you into someone who enjoys Kick the Puppy kinds of behavior intrinsically? Or are engaging in the types of behaviors that increase suffering or are tied into negative traits necessary for a Demon to feed off of to survive? I feel like I remember reading that gaining power from darker actions and such is something Demons can do, but is it required for them to exist as sentient beings to begin with?

Because if becoming a Demon turns you into a Psychopath, that's something else entirely. Sure, psychopaths are scary as fuck as a concept, but there are plenty who operate successfully in society without really ever directly harming another human being. Unless they are on the farthest of the far side of psychopathy, deriving joy from suffering doesn't exactly come packaged in to the condition of anti-social personality disorder.

I mean, just because someone doesn't get the dopamine button hit from helping other human beings like psychopaths or Demon John doesn't seem to doesn't mean that it automatically switches to them getting joy from causing them suffering either.
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It seems to be more committing evil actions.

Simpson for example only absorbed demon energy and became a demon but was otherwise fairly moral, or at least compared to most demons, but that speedster demon only became one after he started engaging in evil actions.

NightmareWarden said:
How would Common Sense!Paul handle Alan's rapid aging (since it looked like he converted Alan's green lantern from what I recall). Seek Green Enlightenment and use it to call the whale?
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That was laready covered; he found a loophole in GLC policy that allowed them to heal people the Lantern may deem important and that allowed Hal to use his Lantern to recharge Alan's ring.

AmericanNumbers said:
I don't get the resentment that Paul has for the Demon Constantine. He was created evil and is actively trying to improve himself.
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The demon Constantine has so far shown no desire to improve himself and has continued to engage in evil actions.

He's also the worst parts of John given form, and John even on hid best days is a piece of shit you wouldn't spit on, so this version is far far worse.
 
Ah, the Return of Sandy!

It's a shame for Demon!Constantine, because he does show love for one person so the love crystal could work. And I don't think turning him into an anger or fear elemental is a good idea.
 
Chojin Patriarch said:
him. Imagine always knowing that 'All Will Be Well' all the time? Bet Saint Walker will be Enlightened if he ever shows up.
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That would be being consumed by hope.

Hope enlightenment would be Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.
 
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