Prince Charon
Just zis guy, you know?
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Well, OL is not making himself less terrifying, but he's not making himself any less interesting to her handlers, either.
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How still? Like, just impressively still, or uncanny valley-triggering still? Because human bodies are never truly still.11th April 2013
07:13 GMT +1
Bleez looks impressed as Kara demolishes her seventh pancake. She isn't eating it at full-on super speed, but her cuts and jabs and scoops are far faster and more precise than any a human or thanagarian could make.
Then she stops completely still.
Eating it dry? Eww. At least give her something to moisten it with. Or turn it into an oatmeal-like broth thingy?"Do you like it?"
Bleez looks down at the small pile of 'muesli' on her plate. "Ah, the seeds are a little chewy. Maybe they'd be better toasted?"
Heh. casual displays of superpowers for mundane utility. Got to love it.Kara's irises unfocus for a moment and I ready a construct shield as two planes of red light burn from her eyes and hit the seeds with a quiet sizzling sound. They brown, and Kara blinks as her eyes refocus. It's actually a little tricky to use heat vision on 'wide beam', but that showed an impressive degree of control.
First time you've seen an empowered kryptonian in action?
Heh. I suppose she might have seen video of Superman in action from the Hawks' reports. But there's nothing like seeing the real thing.
Better than using it to shave. Clark's bathroom must stink of burnt hair..."Heat vision!" Kara smiles brilliantly. "When kryptonians get exposed to main phase stars we get all kinds of neat powers! I mostly use it instead of brushing my teeth!"
"How hot was that?"
Dolemite, muddafudder! ...Oh, right, the stone.Kara raises her right forefinger to her mouth. "Mm, I'm not sure? I've melted dolomite before, but that amount of heat is kiiiinda super dangerous to all the humans nearby."
"Dolomite?"
It's more a matter of what a kryptonian can't do once dosed up on solar radiation.Kara nods happily. "There was this TV show where the professor kept calling dolomite a 'wonder mineral'." She folds her arms across her chest. "Well it might be a wonder mineral, but it's not a super mineral!"
"And what.. else can you do?"
Good to see OL's been able to get people to break that 'I am invincible' way of thinking. Mostly. At this point, though, I suspect Bleez is jsut going 'Really? Really?"Kara starts counter on her fingers. "Ah, move super-fast, hit things real hard, I'm completely-." She stops still and then points her finger at me. "Almost completely invulnerable, I-" I nod approvingly. "-can fly, freeze things by breathing on them-. Oh, and hold my breath for a real long time! And then there's heat vision, and x-ray vision, which doesn't fire x-rays but does let me see through stuff. And super hearing, and super smell, and telescopic vision and microscopic vision…" She trails off, frowning. "And there might be some more I've forgotten. I've got a lot of powers."
Just don't get near Red kryptonite. Things get a lot weirder."Don't forget ventriloquism."
Kara smiles and rolls her eyes, flapping her right hand dismissively. "Oh, that doesn't count. Oh! I can't put on weight! That's pretty useful."
Goes nicely with stuff like super-disguise, super-forgery and super hypnotism."What do you mean by 'ventriloquism'?"
"I can make my voice sound different-" Kara's mouth is moving, but the sound is coming from Bleez's lips in Bleez's voice, much to Bleez's surprise. "-and make it come from different places. But that's not really a superpower, is it? That's just silly."
Let's not get too crazy here, OL. Then again, if she is Earth-1 Kara... It's entirely possible she could manage that with the right stimuli or training.I'm just glad that she can't make a smaller, more powerful version of herself.
"Say, would you be interested in a job as my bodyguard? Even my mother couldn't complain about that."
Eh... As nice as your singing might be, I don't think that's what Earth needs right now."No, not really." Kara shakes her head. "Earth just had its whole everything stop working, and while you seem really nice, I don't think you're as important as a whole species."
"How about if I stayed here? I've done concerts on Thanagarian protectorates before. I could do some on Earth."
Pity. Earth could use experts in that. Nothing any local has ever envisioned could match up to this."I don't mind, but… I move pretty quick? I usually fix up a whole area before there's time for a concert. Buuuuut, maybe you could join in?"
"I don't know.. much about civil disaster management."
Though I doubt a single ship would have much impact overall."It's not complicated! You just find something that needs to get done, do it, and then move on!" Kara nods confidently. "I let Batman and Mister Atom do 'managing'."
"Actually, if your ship can carry any sort of weight, you could be a big help with transportation. Otherwise, just being visible in places where there was violent conflict can really help to calm things down and give everyone the confidence they need to go about their days."
The spaceship equivalent of tow hooks, huh? I assume it can carry things slung across its belly."My ship isn't really designed to move cargo containers."
"But it's got standard parasite attachment points, right?"
And to be fair, a lot of those near-Thanagarian weapons are the products of malign hypercognitives."Ah, I think so? I haven't taken them off."
"I can build a cargo pod that can mate with those. Earth can build weapons as good as anything the Thanagarian Empire has, but it mostly operates at a far lower level of technology. Certainly, we don't use anything like Nth metal. If you're willing to do that you'd mostly be moving people volunteering for agricultural work from cities to rural areas, and maybe farming tools and equipment."
Off-world aid would draw unwanted attention to Earth. Bad enough places like Thanagar are looking its way.She frowns. "That doesn't sound anything like what I'd expected. Doesn't this sort of thing usually involve transporting food, and… Fundraising?"
"Usually, a natural disaster affects a limited area, so bringing in resources from places that aren't affected is the most sensible thing to do. The problem that we have is that the whole Earth was affected, and we don't have an interstellar empire to draw resources from."
"What about your Lantern Corps?"
Cultural inertia is a bitch to overcome. Especially in places that do it so badly they're practically ruining the land in the name of immediate short-term profit... Not a problem on Earth Sixteen, at least."Can't take the risk of Anti-Life exposure. Or risk picking a fight with Apokolips." I nod my head to the side. "Yet, anyway. We'll have to fight them eventually." I shrug. "I could probably convince them to send me a few ships that they don't urgently need, but there are only a handful of people on Earth who would have the slightest idea how to operate them. The nearest inhabited world to Earth is Mars, and they don't produce a food surplus, and they're going through a political upheaval of their own. Then there's Ungara, and they have to use solar reflectors to have any farmland at all. And then there's Earth's own farming policy-. It's something that we need to correct for ourselves. We've got all the stuff we need in order to do it, people just need… Jollying along. Guidance. Organisation. Once the first year's harvest is done we can probably just leave it, but until then…"
I have to wonder if she has any change of clothes. It's probably really obvious as to whether she's wearing any underwear in that thing, too."Okay." She nods. "I have wanted to see more of Earth."
"I'll try and point out the interesting bits. So, the space suit?"
Oh, she's definitely thirsty for something Orange-flavoured."Oh, it's a costume, you know? I had it on during the last song. I was just too freaked out to get changed."
"It's just, ah… I've noticed you… How can I put this..? Displaying yourself.. when we speak? My ring says that you want me to admire your physique, but that can be taken in a couple of different ways and I know that Thanagarian intelligence wants you to keep tabs on me, so..?"
He's certainly looking. He's not dead, after all. But that doesn't mean he has to pay attention.She looks surprised. "I thought you didn't notice?"
"No, I just didn't want to get you in trouble with your handlers. Or me in trouble with Jade."
So it's more a bit of casual teasing for her than anything? Now, anyway."Well…" She fluffs and straightens her wings awkwardly. "To begin with? I was trying to make you interested. I know enough about human culture to know that it was more… Overtly sexual for a human than it would have been for a thanagarian, I just… It was kind of a game? After a while? To see if I could actually get you to notice? And yeah, I could point to it when my handlers asked, but once Lantern Dul reported in that wasn't such a big deal for them."
Joy of being high-level Avarice Shaman.I nod as I return my attention to my actually pretty good pancake. "Perhaps it would be worth suggesting to your intelligence contacts that using that sort of technique on an empath isn't likely to work."
Her pupils narrow, the thanagarian equivalent of eyes widening. "That works over long range comms?"
"It can do. It does for me." I turn to Kara. "Perhaps we could work in India today?"
Now you went and made me wonder if sex dolls come with heartbeat simulation and breathing.Because human bodies are never truly still.Breathing, slight tremors from heartbeats and muscle tremors... It's one of the reason those ultra-detailed animatronics are so creepy.
A thing does whatever Paul says it does, even when it doesn't.It works over long range comms? Even on the planet she's from that doesn't have a magic tradition? Wtf, is he looking at her through the Honden or something?
A person doesn't 'habitually' comm someone just after they get out of the shower.Didn't Bleeze already explain that her displaying herself was in built habit that she did without thinking about?
Yes, but it hasn't been confirmed that it actually worked. No where has ever gotten rid of the anti-life like that before, and Dox wants to be very sure.Edit: Also, are they still worried about Anti-Life infection for other Orange Lanterns? On one hand that seems a bit paranoid, especially after all the effort they had for the White Light to purge the planet.
A thing does whatever Paul says it does, even when it doesn't.![]()
"That works over long range comms?"
"It can do. It does for me."
Possibly British slang. I think I've heard British people say things like 'it can do' before.Two possible alternatives for this:
- "
It can do.It does for me."- "It does, at least for me."
But not wrong.
Really, it looks more like a prettified version of a child's playset.10th April 2013
23:31 GMT -7
"Just a minute!"
I lower my hoof from where I knocked at the door of the Castle of Friendship, my gaze remaining fixedly forwards. Because that way I don't have to look upwards at the abomination unto civic planning, architecture and military fortifications that is the main habitation area of the so-called 'castle'.
And as he notes, most of those issues can be addressed by magic. I imagine it was an extended project by a very determined Earth Pony. Determined and possibly a little unhinged.So Twilight's old home was a library built into a tree. Fine. Bark is a vital organ but it's perfectly possible to hollow out part of a trunk without killing the whole tree, especially if you've got magic assistance. Put a window in the side of the trunk? Fine. It would normally stop the flow of water and nutrients upwards and downwards, but a capable enough bio-engineer could get around that. A balcony? Sure, if you've got a branch big enough.
Naturally, a wizard did it. Or rather, a magical entity formed by the collective emotions of the population. I mean, just the centre of balance alone must be way off-centre...The current… Thing is a crystal… Tree-like object, with a thick 'trunk' at the base and 'branches' spreading outwards about half way up. These for a platform upon which sits a miniature castle and a colossal balcony. The crystal isn't all that thick so it must be incredibly strong to support that weight, but I can't help but think that any decent attack would just collapse the whole edifice. And the right sonic attack-.
...Maybe it couldn't create a coherent form because it's affected by every talent at once? Too many different concepts, conflicting ideas, all roiling around together at the same time.Sunset's horn winks out. "I don't believe it."
"Yes, you'd think that a magical energy field with access to every currently extant special talent go do a bit better than this when it comes to-."
...Hey, magical crystal. Maybe the structure is rendered indestructible by Harmony?"What?" She glances at me with a frown. "No. There aren't any protective spells."
"None?"
Could well be what's holding it in place, after all. Or the map of friendship..."There's a harmony field-effect which probably does something, but there's nothing stopping someone teleporting up to the balcony and then walking inside."
I mean…
I get a definite 'oh no, not again...' vibe from that. He's probably wondering what mainstay you're here to upset this time."It's a red herring, then. Civil administration is handled by the town hall, and there's no guard unit. They'd rather this building was attacked, rather-" The door opens, Spike staring at our ankles. "-anywhere that's actually important."
Spike looks up, and gulps.
After all, in some cultures, visitors bring gifts for the homeowners...
Ooh, looks like it'll be grape-flavoured.I drop the taaffeite crystal on him, and he catches it with both hands. "Uh, thanks." He sniffs it curiously, then shrugs. "What is it?"
"Taaffeite. It occurred to me that you might not have ever encountered it, and I'm curious to see what it tastes like to you."
Wilsonian Dragons: The Ultimate Omnivore.He looks a little wary. "Is it bad?"
"As bad as a crystal lattice of magnesium, beryllium, aluminium and oxygen can be, I suppose. I don't know of any other dragon ever eating it, so I can't really give you more information. Should be harmless, compared to things you've already eaten."
Now, does she want to risk talking to you? Given the number of taken-for-granted theories of magic she's already seen you flip the table on..."I… Think I'll save that for later."
Sunset takes a half-step closer. "Is Twilight in? I'd like to speak to her."
Joy of moving house. Or in this case, the house moving on you."Ah…" He glances back into the alleged castle. "Probably? I'll-." He sighs.
I nod sympathetically. "Not like the old days where you could just shout up to her, is it?"
Bet he'll be real glad when he develops enough to be able to fly."Yeah. And these stairs aren't easy when your legs are as short as mine."
That prompts a frown from me. "Can't you send scrolls to people with your fire?"
Which is great, for as long as the ink lasts. Perhaps you can get him a box of them later."That…" He rubs his chin with his right hand. "Huh. That could work." He looks left and right. "Except I don't keep a quill or scroll down here."
Subspace to the rescue.
"Here you go. That's a ballpoint pen and a notepad."
For which a world was very glad, as the old method had its drawbacks. Like leaking if the release was triggered in a pocket..."Huh." He puts down the crystal as he takes hold of the pen and pad, looking at the tip of the pen. "Is that like a fountain pen?"
"Yes, but it uses a ball wedged in the tip rather than a lever. Much easier to control."
...Good question. I assume when Celestia would send messages to him, and vice-versa, there were usually open windows handy..."Okay. Grayven plus Sunset at front door to see you." He then tears off the first page of the pad and exhales green flame over it. It disintegrates into ash and then flies off up the stairs.
Sunset frowns at it. "What happens if there's a door in the way?"
Sounds like the place is a bit draughty. Can't be entirely pleasant when winter rolls around, unless Harmony handles that with magical air-conditioning.Spike shrugs. "It flies around. And the doors aren't air tight; it doesn't need a lot of space."
"Huh. Would you mind if I did some tests on you later? I'd-" Spike's eyes widen and he cringes back. "-love to-."
Phrasing!
I doubt it's anything pleasant.I nod at Spike, my eyes fixing hers.
"Oh. Right." Her head jerks back to Spike. "Non-invasive tests mostly involving passive monitoring when you send messages. Not… Whatever you were imagining."
An amusing fan-nickname for the basement lab in which she tried to do things like analyse Pinkie Pie's Pinkieness."Oh." He exhales in relief. "I was worried because I've seen Twilight's Science Dungeon-"
Sunset blinks. "What?"
"-and that didn't look like it would be much fun."
"Ah-. I don't have a science dungeon? I do most of my work in a first floor laboratory with lots of natural sunlight, and an ethics guidance committee."
...To be fair, don't know if Twilight would be quite so... Gentle? In her analyses.Spike considers that for a moment. "That sounds like an improvement. Maybe-."
Poof!
Admittedly, Grayven, that's not as reassuring as you make that position sound. You are a large fellow, and tend to loom a little.Her Royal Highness Princess Twilight Sparkle of Equestria appears in the foyer just behind Spike, smiling at us as she spots us. "Hey guys! Come in! What's up?"
Spike moves back inside, putting the notepad and pen on a side table and scooping up the crystal. I courteously let Sunset take the lead, then follow on behind her.
Not directly, or even consciously, anyway. Mostly dissembling self-deprecation about whether she's up to whatever Celestia wants her to do...Sunset addresses her successor first. "We came to warn you that Princess Celestia's planning something stupid." Twilight's face takes on a mulish cast at the slight against her idol. "So we tried talking her out of it, but… You know how that goes."
"No I don't." She sounds slightly panicked as she says it, as if Sunset just said 'oh, come on: everyone pisses in the baptismal font once'. "I've never tried talking Princess Celestia out of anything."
...Better call rarity, have her get her fainting couch ready. I think Twilight's gonna need it in a second.I nod. "Yes, that's… Part of the problem." Ah, where to start. "Okay, so you remember that when the Plunder Vines kidnapped Celestia and Luna, you ended up in charge of the country?"
"Oh, yes." Twilight grins, rolling her eyes. "I'm sure they've updated the contingency protocols to make sure that never happens again." She giggles. "Can you imagine me running the country?"
And the nervous worry begins to creep in..."Yeeeeeeeeaaaaaaah…" I wince. "It's... More like the opposite."
She looks puzzled, though not yet worried. "Ah… The opposite?"
Not mentioned, the slight twang of individual hairs flicking out of her mane at random angles..."You've been made Crown Princess. Which means that if anything happens to Celestia or Luna it's your official job, rather than just the result of idiots panicking and looking for someone else to fix things."
Twilight grins, unnaturally. "Okay, but what's the chance of that happening, right?"
Congratulations for saying that without hesitating or any tremble in your voice."Celestia's… Kind of planning on stepping down. Luna's not sure how she feels, but she's not really integrated into peoples' minds in the way that Celestia is, and there's a good chance that she'd step down too when Celestia does."
Twilight blinks. "I'm sorry, but it sounds like you're saying that I'm about to become the ruler of Equestria."
Never mind. Honestly, Grayven, you could have had a fainting couch ready for her..."That's.. because-" I nod. "-that's what I just said."
"Oh."
Twilight's eyes roll back in their sockets as she collapses to the floor.
"can do a"
I thought this was QQ's SFW section, not FimFic."Oh." He exhales in relief. "I was worried because I've seen Twilight's Science Dungeon-"
Sunset blinks. "What?"
"-and that didn't look like it would be much fun."
I wonder if this is true - he's met "Main yellow", guy, chaselon and priest, which accounts for the total, but Malvolio is enlightened too, isn't he? He certainly seems to have the emotion disruption interaction of an enlightened lantern. He's probably also done some bonus work on top of that, but not sure about the details there. I guess theoretically there was probably an enlightened gold lantern he could have met in the wind down around the multiversal crossover krona plot line - It would hardly shock me if 'human guardian' John Stewart was enlightened, or something in the general shape of that."I've met four enlightened Green Lanterns. Two were human, but the other two weren't. If you managed that mental transformation yourself you would be substantially more powerful. I suspect that Lantern Priest of Sector One Six Three Four would be happy to advise you. He should certainly be able to spare the time."
Blackcurrant, actually.Ooh, looks like it'll be grape-flavoured.Hopefully it doesn't give him gas or something worse.
No, ethics guidance committees are pretty common....Should we be worried that you need an ethics guidance committee? Or does it mostly consist of asking Grayven 'if this is too mad-sciency?'
Thank you, corrected.
she'd -> she'll (to match the tense)
Grayven demanding architectural expertise from a tree. And old and magical tree, but still a tree."Yes, you'd think that a magical energy field with access to every currently extant special talent could do a bit better than this when it comes to-."
Thnak you, corrected.
A tree which has been sitting under a perfectly good castle for a thousand years.Grayven demanding architectural expertise from a tree. And old and magical tree, but still a tree.
extend -> extent
Thank you, corrected.