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

Reader mode
Chojin Patriarch said:
Sadly, it generally turns out that people are much the same everywhere, no matter how many other ways they differ. Some will always want more than they have and be willing to take it from those who have it
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Like that Twilight Zone episode said, people are alike everywhere.

That's not always a good thing.

Chojin Patriarch said:
To some degree, he's the sort of villain that some virtuous Orange Lanterns would happily smite without guilt
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And he's probably not the only one that has such an attitude.

Sadly, the OLC can't be picky for recruits.
 
TodaBruh said:
I know Paul is badass, but is he that powerful? He keeps encountering stronger foes that it's hard to judge.
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I don't know exactly how he compares to other Lanterns, but in general it's important to remember that he might not be using full strength. I'm pretty sure that he could have beaten those Citizens much more handily if he was completely unconcerned about collateral damage and used stuff like a singularity projector or other WMDs.
 
I'm fairly certain the Illustres is one of the most powerful individuals in the galaxy, at this point. The problem, if it is one, is that he's accostumed to fighting in a "clever" way or with tactics instead of with power. For example, he's always using a railgun construct to fire smart or specialized ammo, whereas you can easily count the few occasions where he implements the Destruction Pulse; and this might be because he doesn't like to unmake things but I would think his Enlightment would help to discern when it's appropriate.

The other part of it is that Mr Zoat may be trying to present challenges to the Illustres, not necessarily more powerful than him but esoteric in nature or in circumstances where he can't just easily swat aside the opposition. Or he can also forget the abilities of the protagonist, cause I haven't seen the thought acceleration technique in a while, for example, and with that he should be able to overwhelm most enemies that aren't a speedster.
 
Lord Ernest said:
I'm fairly certain the Illustres is one of the most powerful individuals in the galaxy, at this point. The problem, if it is one, is that he's accostumed to fighting in a "clever" way or with tactics instead of with power. For example, he's always using a railgun construct to fire smart or specialized ammo, whereas you can easily count the few occasions where he implements the Destruction Pulse; and this might be because he doesn't like to unmake things but I would think his Enlightment would help to discern when it's appropriate.

The other part of it is that Mr Zoat may be trying to present challenges to the Illustres, not necessarily more powerful than him but esoteric in nature or in circumstances where he can't just easily swat aside the opposition. Or he can also forget the abilities of the protagonist, cause I haven't seen the thought acceleration technique in a while, for example, and with that he should be able to overwhelm most enemies that aren't a speedster.
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He used acceleration as recently as his fight with Aramis.
 
How does Paul use his empath abilities without his ring? I mean, it's been stated that it's because he's achieved enlightenment, but does that mean that anyone who achieves enlightenment has empath abilities? As far as I can see, this doesn't seem to be the case, or at least their abilities don't seem to be as strong as Paul's. So did it come from his innate connection with the orange light? It would make sense, seeing how the Ophidian implies that Avarice was the source of the other emotions. Or maybe she was being dramatic. If this is the case, then why does it continue to work even when Paul doesn't have his ring? I mean, his other exotic orange light abilities don't work without his ring as far as I know, so why would the empathy? We know that he can't really turn it off, and that it's built into his soul. So why can't he use exotic orange light abilities if a decent portion of his soul is made out of it, but can use this ability just fine? I didn't mean for this to become a rant or an essay, but this is still pretty weird.
 
Mr Zoat said:
Gremlin was created in that facility by tau geneticists and the SI, by getting hold of a embryonic snotling and removing the later revisions in its genetic code.
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Can I get some more information about this?

What were the later revisions to the genetic code?
Who or what made them, that removing them seems to have made the resulting being more evolved/capable rather than less?

I think the Orks were created by the Old Ones, right?
Is he as they originally made/intended Orks to be, and the modern strain was devolved/defanged by someone (like the Guardians did to the Martians)?
 
DeathReaperZ said:
How does Paul use his empath abilities without his ring? I mean, it's been stated that it's because he's achieved enlightenment, but does that mean that anyone who achieves enlightenment has empath abilities? As far as I can see, this doesn't seem to be the case, or at least their abilities don't seem to be as strong as Paul's. So did it come from his innate connection with the orange light? It would make sense, seeing how the Ophidian implies that Avarice was the source of the other emotions. Or maybe she was being dramatic. If this is the case, then why does it continue to work even when Paul doesn't have his ring? I mean, his other exotic orange light abilities don't work without his ring as far as I know, so why would the empathy? We know that he can't really turn it off, and that it's built into his soul. So why can't he use exotic orange light abilities if a decent portion of his soul is made out of it, but can use this ability just fine? I didn't mean for this to become a rant or an essay, but this is still pretty weird.
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Everyone is connected to the orange light. He is able to connect to the orange light in other people via that.
 
Can anyone remind me of what ended up happening to that AI that wanted to run for POTUS? I just remembered his existence and he seemed pretty cool.
Edit: Now I'm wondering how an AI would be affected by Anti-Life.
 
Ooo, I like the change in perspective. This looks interesting.
 
Counterpunched (part 2)
  • Threadmarks
    • 14th January 2013
    06:15 GMT

    I watch as Zartok waits for his new student in the arena. That's new. When we were first recruited, he wouldn't have been so patient. He would have dragged the new Lantern to the arena, or picked a new sparring partner to kill time until they arrived. Instead, he's actually meditating.

    And when I make an effort, I can feel the change in the way in which it makes the orange light flows through him.

    When we met, I joined up with him for two main reasons. One, he was the most powerful Lantern in our group despite the lack of training. Two, he clearly had no sexual interest in me at all. Distant third was probably his honesty. Or how easy to manipulate he was.

    But what irritates me now is how he's been able to learn what the Illustres was trying to teach him, while I haven't. And what irritates me more is that he's done it without really changing his aims. I pride myself on my ability to think things through logically and dispassionately. I judged him to be a simpleminded brute, and it turned out that I was half-wrong.

    I want what he has, but I don't want what he wants.

    For a moment I'm glowing, orange light building without any direction. Grood looks up from the bone he's gnawing on for a moment, then loses interest as it fades.

    One step above an animal and he understands-. No, he doesn't understand. He intuits the orange light better than I do. When he and Zartok train against one another, they're roughly as strong as each other. Zartok wins because he can think-. And I hate being the weak link.

    But being the strongest makes you a target, and I don't want that either.

    And there's… 'Allyn'.

    Isn't that name of the Illustres' mentor? No, Alan. Allyn.

    Standard humanoid. Solid musculature, but beyond that there's nothing physically special about him. His armour has orange-glowing decoration, so perhaps he's using his ring to fortify it in some way? His posture shows that he's relaxed in this environment, but uncertain. He's new, but doesn't have any problem seeing the people around him as allies.

    I still can't.

    And it's holding me back.

    I pull a face. Ring, tell me about 'Allyn'.

    This is something that I can do. My ring feeds the information directly into my brain, bypassing my senses and increasing throughput. Before I joined the Orange Lantern Corps I considered getting implants to let me access computers like this, but who could I possibly trust to do the work?

    Okay, I get it, I get it. I'm my own worst enemy, as far as getting stronger goes.

    And what does the Illustres recommend for dealing with that?

    ...

    What's a psilocybin mushroom?

    Huh.

    No. Why would he suggest that? Would that work on my species?

    Because it gets people out of cognitive loops, and 'yes'.

    "…train without a weapon." Zartox makes a staff construct. "Since you're a 'god', it may be that your people have weapons that can compare to power rings, but I suggest that you do as I do to increase your ability to shift flexibly between one approach and another in combat."

    Allyn nods. I look closer, and he has a sword which glows in the same way as his armour. Not all that long ago I'd have tried acquiring that sword. But in an organisational structure like this acquiring a new ally is far more useful. While Zartox is distracted, take a look.

    Ah. He thinks that there's something about teaching others that he needs to learn to match the Illustres' power. He thinks that it's something that he'll need to do when he kills the Illustres and takes over.

    Most gang lieutenants I knew would try and be a little bit subtle about that desire. The Illustres took it well enough. When Zartok showed me his recording of the conversation, it sounded like he liked the possibility.

    Sounded like. I've carefully crafted an argument for a particular set of ears enough to read below the surface. No one who accepted their death like he claimed to would have been able to bring themselves back from total atomisation with their ring. He said what he said to encourage a man who wants to kill him.

    In the sparring arena, Allyn has made a simple shield and Zartok is firing a pistol at it. While that looks like he's giving him time to get used to actually defending himself, it's clear to anyone who knows him that Zartok is doing it either as an insult, or-.

    A beam of orange energy blasts out from Zartok's chest, smashes apart Allyn's shield and sends him flying into the arena wall.

    Zartok watches him as he regains his footing, nodding with mild satisfaction as Allyn takes a stance. Usually, new Lanterns who get hit like that get injured. At their level of power environmental shields aren't enough to keep them completely protected. Ragnar hits recruits like this to teach them to heal themselves. I didn't see Allyn heal himself.

    "Did you protect yourself, or are you unharmed because of your armour?"

    "My armour is fortified by my soul. My ring makes it stronger. I can claim no credit for being uninjured."

    "Being prepared does you credit. So many fools step in here believing that a ring is all they need."

    Zartok raps his knuckles against his own body armour. The Illustres likes heavy armour, but Zartok was more comfortable with light armour. Something that would block shrapnel and mundane attacks if his ring ran out of power. Officially, the Illustres said to attempt a retreat when a power ring couldn't get the job done, and that backup weapons were there to enable that retreat. But few Lanterns who acquired other weapons without being told to would fail to use them offensively.

    "But-"

    Zartok interrupts himself with another shot, striking Allyn in the chest and pinning him to the wall. Allyn forms a shield off to his side and then tentatively brings it in to block, and it falls apart like the first.

    "-perhaps you would be better served by not wearing armour? Perhaps it would be best if you were really in danger? I will not kill you here, but if I decide that it's necessary for your training then I will push this beam directly through your internal organs."

    Another shield appears, this one larger and thicker. He doesn't hesitate to bring it to bear, but it shatters like the second.

    "A Scarab Warrior would have killed you by now."

    The orange in Allyn's armour wavers as the plates start to give way.

    "It seems that I will see your blood-"
    Shield of Duty and Reason
    A new shield forms directly in front of Allyn, this one possessing the same sort of glowing line design as his armour. His armour brightens too, as his armour holds against Zartok's beam and he steps away from the wall. It's clearly taking effort, but he's managing it, and Zartok doesn't pull his punches by much when he teaches.
    Holy Armour
    Allyn's aura glows brighter and expands beyond his body, solidifying into armour.

    "-after all."

    Zartok stops firing the beam and nods, satisfied.

    "Better."

    "I think I-."

    Zartok takes his feet out from under him with a subterranean attack and then strikes him over the head with a glowing orange mace!
     
    Last edited:
  • Threadmarks
    • While this is interesting and I definitely want to see more of the OLC without Paul are we gonna get back to Earth soon? Brunoseid is still Anti-Lifing the planet and has been for 2 weeks I wanna see that get resolved.
     
    Good stuff. Good stuff. I preferred Allyn's POV because he's new and he's learning, which is always a pleasure to read, while Dursa is pretty much just observing a fighter with exotic abilities while struggling with her same old problems, but I still love that we're following along and seeing the Orange Lantern Corps and how it has developed.
     
    Mr Zoat said:
    14th January 2013
    06:15 GMT

    I watch as Zartok waits for his new student in the arena. That's new. When we were first recruited, he wouldn't have been so patient. He would have dragged the new Lantern to the arena, or picked a new sparring partner to kill time until they arrived. Instead, he's actually meditating.

    And when I make an effort, I can feel the change in the way in which it makes the orange light flows through him.
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    As others have spotted, this is Lantern Drusa. Previously seen here in the field with OL, I believe. I wonder if that little excursion gave her any new insights into the Orange Light...

    When we met, I joined up with him for two main reasons. One, he was the most powerful Lantern in our group despite the lack of training. Two, he clearly had no sexual interest in me at all. Distant third was probably his honesty. Or how easy to manipulate he was.

    But what irritates me now is how he's been able to learn what the Illustres was trying to teach him, while I haven't. And what irritates me more is that he's done it without really changing his aims. I pride myself on my ability to think things through logically and dispassionately. I judged him to be a simpleminded brute, and it turned out that I was half-wrong.
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    Ah. I guess she hasn't improved much. And 'Logical and dispassionate'? Well, there's your problem, I bet.

    I want what he has, but I don't want what he wants.

    For a moment I'm glowing, orange light building without any direction. Grood looks up from the bone he's gnawing on for a moment, then loses interest as it fades.
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    Too much control over your emotions isn't going to make you a stronger Orange Lantern, honestly. As one of the outlying colours of the Spectrum, Avarice requires passion to be effective.

    One step above an animal and he understands-. No, he doesn't understand. He intuits the orange light better than I do. When he and Zartok train against one another, they're roughly as strong as each other. Zartok wins because he can think-. And I hate being the weak link.

    But being the strongest makes you a target, and I don't want that either.
    Click to expand...
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    She really does seem trapped by her own wants, doesn't she. Not being willing to reach for what you want isn't good.

    And there's… 'Allyn'.

    Isn't that name of the Illustres' mentor? No, Alan. Allyn.
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    To be fair, phonemes are weird sometimes. Just looking at the sheer variety in Earth languages is dizzying. Imagine what phonemes other mouth structures can produce.

    Standard humanoid. Solid musculature, but beyond that there's nothing physically special about him. His armour has orange-glowing decoration, so perhaps he's using his ring to fortify it in some way? He posture shows that he's relaxed in this environment, but uncertain. He's new, but doesn't have any problem seeing the people around him as allies.

    I still can't.
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    And there's another part of why you're not improving. You need to be willing to open up, to make an in-group you're willing to work with and fight for.

    And it's holding me back.

    I pull a face. Ring, tell me about 'Allyn'.
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    :confused: ...And watch her recognise the Illustres' particularly descriptive report-writing style...

    This is something that I can do. My ring feeds the information directly into my brain, bypassing my senses and increasing throughput. Before I joined the Orange Lantern Corps I considered getting implants to let be access computers like this, but who could I possibly trust to do the work?

    Okay, I get it, I get it. I'm my own worst enemy, as far as getting stronger goes.
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    And yet you seem reluctant to change.

    And what does the Illustres recommend for dealing with that?

    ...
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    Getting laid, getting drunk or getting high might work. Loosen up those tight mental bindings.

    What's a psilocybin mushroom?

    Huh.
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    Sometimes, you just need a little pharmacological push to recognise your faults.

    No. Why would he suggest that? Would that work on my species?

    Because it gets people out of cognitive loops, and 'yes'.
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    Sadly, I get the feeling her need to be in control is just ahead of her desire to improve...

    "…train without a weapon." Zartox makes a staff construct. "Since you're a 'god', it may be that your people have weapons that can compare to power rings, but I suggest that you do as I do to increase your ability to shift flexibly between one approach and another in combat."

    Allyn nods. I look closer, and he has a sword which glows in the same way as his armour. Not all that long ago I've have tried acquiring that sword. But in an organisational structure like this acquiring a new ally is far more useful. While Zartox is distracted, take a look.
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    Yes, having a backup is a good idea, especially if you're not used to maintaining the mental state needed to operate the Ring. Same reason a good environmental suit with extra-atmospheric manoeuvring systems helps.

    Ah. He thinks that there's something about teaching others that he needs to learn to match the Illustres' power. He thinks that it's something that he'll need to do when he kills the Illustres and takes over.

    Most gang lieutenants I knew would try and be a little bit subtle about that desire. The Illustres took it well enough. When Zartok showed me his recording of the conversation, it sounded like he liked the possibility.
    Click to expand...
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    Honestly, OL seems to be of the opinion that if Zartok can beat him, then he'll deserve the title of Illustres. The trick will be managing it.

    Sounded like. I've carefully crafted an argument for a particular set of ears enough to read below the surface. No one who accepted their death like he claimed to would have been able to bring themselves back from total atomisation with their ring. He said what he said to encourage a man who wants to kill him.

    In the sparring arena, Allyn has made a simple shield and Zartok is firing a pistol at it. While that looks like he's giving him time to get used to actually defending himself, it's clear to anyone who knows him that Zartok is doing it either as an insult, or-.
    Click to expand...
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    Because making even one Lantern stronger makes the whole stronger as they compete with that one. Especially if it's someone like Zartok, who gives me the feeling that others would happily improve to get a chance to deflate his ego.

    A beam of orange energy blasts out from Zartok's chest, smashes apart Allyn's shield and sends him flying into the arena wall.

    Zartok watches him as he regains his footing, nodding with mild satisfaction as Allyn takes a stance. Usually, new Lanterns who get hit like that get injured. At their level of power environmental shields aren't enough to keep them completely protected. Ragnar hits recruits like this to teach them to heal themselves. I didn't see Allyn heal himself.
    Click to expand...
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    ...Because you don't have the senses necessary to perceive what Allyn is doing.

    "Did you protect yourself, or are you unharmed because of your armour?"

    "My armour is fortified by my soul. My ring makes it stronger. I can claim no credit for being uninjured."

    "Being prepared does you credit. So many fools step in here believing that a ring is all they need."
    Click to expand...
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    And if Zartok is shaping up to be one of the Corps' combat instructors, he's quite happy to disabuse them of the feeling of invincibility. :p

    Zartok raps his knuckles against his own body armour. The Illustres likes heavy armour, but Zartok was more comfortable with light armour. Something that would block shrapnel and mundane attacks if his ring ran out of power. Officially, the Illustres said to attempt a retreat when a power ring couldn't get the job done, and that backup weapons were there to enable that retreat. But few Lanterns who acquired other weapons without being told to would fail to use them offensively.
    Click to expand...
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    And that is probably why Lanterns get killed. The instinct to believe 'I can take them' runs deep when you have a Ring...

    "But-"

    Zartok interrupts himself with another shot, striking Allyn in the chest and pinning him to the wall. Allyn forms a shield off to his side and then tentatively brings it in to block, and it falls apart like the first.
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    Stop being hesitant, Allyn. Be certain of what you want, and make it happen.

    "-perhaps you would be better served by not wearing armour? Perhaps it would be best if you were really in danger? I will not kill you here, but if I decide that it's necessary for your training then I will push this beam directly through your internal organs."

    Another shield appears, this one larger and thicker. He doesn't hesitate to bring it to bear, but it shatters like the second.
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    ...And then he'll lecture you while he forces you to put yourself together. Yes, he is definitely going to find a place as an instructor.

    "A Scarab Warrior would have killed you by now."

    The orange in Allyn's armour wavers as the plates start to give way.
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    Oof, low blow. But honesty is important on the training floor. Sugar-coating things and playing nice won't help him survive out there...

    "It seems that I will see your blood-"
    Shield of Duty and Reason
    A new shield forms directly in front of Allyn, this one possessing the same sort of glowing line design as his armour. His armour brightens too, as his armour holds against Zartok's beam and he steps away from the wall. It's clearly taking effort, but he's managing it, and Zartok doesn't pull his punches by much when he teaches.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    And I wonder if any of them sensed that Godspeech. It seems Allyn's found something he wants...

    Holy Armour
    Allyn's armour glows brighter and expands beyond his body, solidifying into armour.

    "-after all."
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    ...And that's showing Zartok he has what it takes.

    Zartok stops firing the beam and nods, satisfied.

    "Better."
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    Because now he can defend himself with the Ring...
    "I think I-."

    Zartok takes his feet out from under him with a subterranean attack and then strikes him over the head with a glowing orange mace!
    Click to expand...
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    ...The lesson can being in earnest.

    I suppose sometimes, you do need to get tossed around a bit before you get into the swing of combat. That was an interesting look into Drusa's head, too, and gives some useful insight into why she's not improving like others OL has worked with. Sometimes, you can overthink things too much, and you lose sight of what you want...
     
    Chojin Patriarch said:
    Because making even one Lantern stronger makes the whole stronger as they compete with that one. Especially if it's someone like Zartok, who gives me the feeling that others would happily improve to get a chance to deflate his ego.
    Click to expand...
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    Nothing drives people quite like spite.

    Chojin Patriarch said:
    And that is probably why Lanterns get killed. The instinct to believe 'I can take them' runs deep when you have a Ring...
    Click to expand...
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    And it may be worse for the OLC since many of them may have massive egos.
     
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