Old Knife
I trust you know where the happy button is?
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Great. The almighty wizard is an dumbass politician.
Gutting the fire budget in a tinderbox state.
AFTER THE FIRE.
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With This Ring (Young Justice SI) (Thread Fourteen)
- Thread starter Mr Zoat
- Start date
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- self insert young justice
Gutting the fire budget in a tinderbox state.
AFTER THE FIRE.
Old Knife
I trust you know where the happy button is?
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Didn't that send the Anti-life into the dreaming?
Darko
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It's probably not Anti-Life, but I guess Ahri'ahn could have been inspired by it and created a similar method of control.
RichardWhereat
Aia airëa Fëanáro.
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That's a Roman myth rather than a Hellenic one.
ToadUnderBridge
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Pretty sure it's an 'Ovid pulled this out his ass' myth, actually - Medusa and her sisters, Stheno and Eurayle were children of Typhon and Echidna, and Medusa was the only mortal one of the three.
Darko
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I think he wrote it after he was exiled and had a beef with authority figures, so he wrote the gods, the ultimate authority figures, in a bad light.
RichardWhereat
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Agreed to both of those, but it's still a myth that he wrote into public consciousness, as a Roman.
Supnautica (part 17)
New
Mr Zoat
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7th May 2013
03:23 GMT -1
Miss Lemaris waves her hands, and-
"Heh."
-the… I'm assuming that he's a master blood mage, wheeze-chuckles as the spell fades before reaching him. She frowns.
"Who's that?"
"I studied at the Conservatory for political reasons. He was my teacher before I left here. We need to leave now."
The blood mage reaches out and grabs a floating piece of ice. He examines it casually for a moment, then gently deposits it in his mouth.
"Mmm."
A moment later every other piece of ice in the area melts back into water.
"Any idea where we could go? The surface?"
I start to rise, because while the soldiers came in through the main entrance we're surrounded by water and it would be strange if there weren't soldiers around the rim as well.
Sha'ark… Doesn't answer. His attention is entirely focused on his former teacher.
"Anyone?"
"Er." Steven emerges from behind a piece of exercise equipment. "I know places we could go."
Robert frowns at me. "Don't you have some kind of anti-telepath machine?"
"Yes, and if the telepath was here that would work splendidly. Disrupting long range telepathy when you've just got access to the victim is a good deal trickier. Steven, where are we heading?"
"Er. I've kind of gotten turned around-."
"Compass points."
Miss Lamaris summons some sort of minor water sprite and sends it towards the blood mage. The water in front of him thickens, and he stops to look at him, nodding to himself.
"Up?"
"Up as in north, or up as in towards the surface?"
The blood mage moves, swimming around Miss Lemaris's ersatz barrier in an instant and biting through her conjured elemental! I can see… Parts of its body sticking out… As the runes on his teeth get to work and the body parts fade with its terrified face being the last thing to go.
The barrier fades a moment later.
"Mm."
So: fast, can eat magic -and probably constructs- and given his job should be assumed to be archmage equivalent-.
Miss Lemaris jerks, then her eyes flicker and her muscles relax as she loses consciousness.
"Mm."
"Cornwall, take Miss Lemaris. Everyone except me, follow Steven." Robert grabs her with a flipper. "Go." For a moment I consider construct armour, then realise that it wouldn't help. Instead I supercharge my own brands in the hope that they're strong enough to counter his magic if he manages to bite me. "Go now."
Sha'ark's the first to go, swimming upwards with all his might. Steven right on his heels. Robert hesitates, probably because I haven't been participating in team activities enough and he's not used to taking orders from me. I-.
"Celtic."
Accelerate.
The blood mage undulates, shooting up through the water towards Robert and Miss Lemaris, his mouth partially open and his teeth gleaming.
Methane spray.
The water under the blood mage bubbles, and the water fails to support him. His eyes open slightly wider as his lunge misses, but he realises that he isn't going to be able to bite down on Robert and doesn't bother opening his mouth further. Fortunately, Robert takes the hint and accelerates, water churning and flukes flipping as he catches up with Sha'ark and Steven.
The blood mage drops to the ground, turning to face me.
"Manta."
"Shark."
Teeth!
A lasso construct holds him back for a moment before a pneumatic ram slams into his chest, pushing him back-. A little. He twists his head to try and bite it, but I dismiss it just in time to prevent him from getting his teeth into it. I try hitting him with a sonic stunner while he recovers his position, but while it hits it doesn't seem to actually do anything.
He grins at me.
And the light around us vanishes and I dodge down, flat against the floor as water above me is displaced by his slipstream. Scans-.
Nothing, and there's a weaker wash as displaced-.
I push right, scrabbling across the stones, and I feel the vibration as something thumps down where I was.
A band of clear water moves across my visual field, the blood mage's grin-
Move!
-showing-
SNAP!
-clearly-
SNAP!
-and I keep-.
CRUNCH!
AGH!
Electrify!
Teeth are biting into my right shoulder, left side and left calf, worrying at my flesh! Three attackers-? Electricity isn't working, and I'm having to use my environmental shield to prevent lumps of my body getting torn off!
Energy drain detected.
Transmute any flesh that actually gets torn off into pork.
Compliance. One hundred and sixty three percent power-. One hundred fifty five percent-.
Block this.
I
can't see him directly but I can watch where the orange light he's draining from me is going. And I format it into a strong desire to stop biting me and start biting his own right arm.
And then the water froths as he flashes back and forth from three-. One place, and I heal the other two. I can see that he wants to bite himself-. He can't let go. His jaws are locked on my left calf and no matter how much he wants to, basic biology is preventing him releasing. And having a blood magic specialists actually eat part of me would be a bad idea, so I can't just cut it loose.
Have to decide quick as he can probably get out of this-.
Disintegrate my own leg and power upwards through the magical darkness he called up! As far as I can tell he isn't pursuing, and the other guards don't seem to be able to see through the murk any better than I can.
Just as I reach the edge I reformat my body into that of a sharkman, and once I'm out I slow down and start heading for a major thoroughfare. I can't see a hue and cry being raised for the others so I'm going to assume that I was able to hold their attention.
I'll catch up with them once I'm sure that I'm not being pursued.
03:23 GMT -1
Miss Lemaris waves her hands, and-
"Heh."
-the… I'm assuming that he's a master blood mage, wheeze-chuckles as the spell fades before reaching him. She frowns.
"Who's that?"
"I studied at the Conservatory for political reasons. He was my teacher before I left here. We need to leave now."
The blood mage reaches out and grabs a floating piece of ice. He examines it casually for a moment, then gently deposits it in his mouth.
"Mmm."
A moment later every other piece of ice in the area melts back into water.
"Any idea where we could go? The surface?"
I start to rise, because while the soldiers came in through the main entrance we're surrounded by water and it would be strange if there weren't soldiers around the rim as well.
Sha'ark… Doesn't answer. His attention is entirely focused on his former teacher.
"Anyone?"
"Er." Steven emerges from behind a piece of exercise equipment. "I know places we could go."
Robert frowns at me. "Don't you have some kind of anti-telepath machine?"
"Yes, and if the telepath was here that would work splendidly. Disrupting long range telepathy when you've just got access to the victim is a good deal trickier. Steven, where are we heading?"
"Er. I've kind of gotten turned around-."
"Compass points."
Miss Lamaris summons some sort of minor water sprite and sends it towards the blood mage. The water in front of him thickens, and he stops to look at him, nodding to himself.
"Up?"
"Up as in north, or up as in towards the surface?"
The blood mage moves, swimming around Miss Lemaris's ersatz barrier in an instant and biting through her conjured elemental! I can see… Parts of its body sticking out… As the runes on his teeth get to work and the body parts fade with its terrified face being the last thing to go.
The barrier fades a moment later.
"Mm."
So: fast, can eat magic -and probably constructs- and given his job should be assumed to be archmage equivalent-.
Miss Lemaris jerks, then her eyes flicker and her muscles relax as she loses consciousness.
"Mm."
"Cornwall, take Miss Lemaris. Everyone except me, follow Steven." Robert grabs her with a flipper. "Go." For a moment I consider construct armour, then realise that it wouldn't help. Instead I supercharge my own brands in the hope that they're strong enough to counter his magic if he manages to bite me. "Go now."
Sha'ark's the first to go, swimming upwards with all his might. Steven right on his heels. Robert hesitates, probably because I haven't been participating in team activities enough and he's not used to taking orders from me. I-.
"Celtic."
Accelerate.
The blood mage undulates, shooting up through the water towards Robert and Miss Lemaris, his mouth partially open and his teeth gleaming.
Methane spray.
The water under the blood mage bubbles, and the water fails to support him. His eyes open slightly wider as his lunge misses, but he realises that he isn't going to be able to bite down on Robert and doesn't bother opening his mouth further. Fortunately, Robert takes the hint and accelerates, water churning and flukes flipping as he catches up with Sha'ark and Steven.
The blood mage drops to the ground, turning to face me.
"Manta."
"Shark."
Teeth!
A lasso construct holds him back for a moment before a pneumatic ram slams into his chest, pushing him back-. A little. He twists his head to try and bite it, but I dismiss it just in time to prevent him from getting his teeth into it. I try hitting him with a sonic stunner while he recovers his position, but while it hits it doesn't seem to actually do anything.
He grins at me.
And the light around us vanishes and I dodge down, flat against the floor as water above me is displaced by his slipstream. Scans-.
Nothing, and there's a weaker wash as displaced-.
I push right, scrabbling across the stones, and I feel the vibration as something thumps down where I was.
A band of clear water moves across my visual field, the blood mage's grin-
Move!
-showing-
SNAP!
-clearly-
SNAP!
-and I keep-.
CRUNCH!
AGH!
Electrify!
Teeth are biting into my right shoulder, left side and left calf, worrying at my flesh! Three attackers-? Electricity isn't working, and I'm having to use my environmental shield to prevent lumps of my body getting torn off!
Energy drain detected.
Transmute any flesh that actually gets torn off into pork.
Compliance. One hundred and sixty three percent power-. One hundred fifty five percent-.
Block this.
I
can't see him directly but I can watch where the orange light he's draining from me is going. And I format it into a strong desire to stop biting me and start biting his own right arm.
And then the water froths as he flashes back and forth from three-. One place, and I heal the other two. I can see that he wants to bite himself-. He can't let go. His jaws are locked on my left calf and no matter how much he wants to, basic biology is preventing him releasing. And having a blood magic specialists actually eat part of me would be a bad idea, so I can't just cut it loose.
Have to decide quick as he can probably get out of this-.
Disintegrate my own leg and power upwards through the magical darkness he called up! As far as I can tell he isn't pursuing, and the other guards don't seem to be able to see through the murk any better than I can.
Just as I reach the edge I reformat my body into that of a sharkman, and once I'm out I slow down and start heading for a major thoroughfare. I can't see a hue and cry being raised for the others so I'm going to assume that I was able to hold their attention.
I'll catch up with them once I'm sure that I'm not being pursued.
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Darko
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Now we know why Sha'ark was scared.
I'm reminded of Bleach Abridged where Gin would Mmm people into submission.
"entrance, we're"
"with its"
"Steven right"
"and I"
I'm reminded of Bleach Abridged where Gin would Mmm people into submission.
"entrance, we're"
"with its"
"Steven right"
"and I"
Maybe also change back, since if they see you coming looking like that they may try to kill you.
WereDragon
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Paul has many times derided collogues for their inability to expand or improve their arsenals. Yet he himself has never thought to copy their basic technique of just escalating brute force to overcome durability rather than trying to finesse every problem.
Chojin Patriarch
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Oh, boy. A major mini-boss, with a lot of potential for danger and bodily harm. And from the looks of it, he not only knows what he's doing, he enjoys his work. This does not bode well for a bloodless retreat...
And as said before, in Nanaue is this worried, then a fight is the worst thing they can give the guy.
Literally eating the spellwork. That's absolutely the worst ability this guy could have against two and a half mages and a Lantern...
I'd be starting up railguns with hydrodynamic mage-slayers right now, but that would blow any cover identity he might still have.
If it were anyone else, I'd be wondering if the water around him was getting warmer.
Let's hope Stevie's boltholes are safe, then. And that they can get there without being tracked.
Only natural. I doubt he know the local landmarks here, even with his extended stay...
Little hard if you can't pick north out of the lineup. I doubt they have any kind of internal compass.
Anywhere but here is a good start either way.
Yipes. I'm guessing he has runes carved into his teeth to accomplish that sort of spell-breaking bite.Danger rating: Extreme. High chance of loss of life and limb. That would be very bad.
And his 'counterspell' disrupts the caster too? Or that was simply feedback from an ongoing effect hitting her, since Rob wasn't affected that way from his fire-and-forget ice being dispelled.
And he's certainly strong enough to bite through powered armour, even if OL had time to reconfigure himself or it for his current shape.
Oh, dear, he recognises bloodlines. At least loosely, since I expect the Marrack line would be unlikely to cross this guy's path.
Won't lie, I had a flashback to 'One Piece's Shark-type fishmen villains reading that. Like torpedoes with teeth in the water.
Disrupting him by messing with the water density, eh? And I doubt the methane gas is much fun to smell either, via his sharky senses.
Not quite accurate, but I doubt OL has bled yet for him to taste.
Positively explosive acceleration. This will not be easy.
No doubt armouring enchantments built into all those scars.
Bloody hell... The shark part is bad enough, but aggressive magic too? This guy is nasty.
On the upside, OL probably have the edge in perception here, even if he isn't solely using his eyes to track OL.
That's absolutely terrifying. Imagine seeing just a flash of teeth in front of your vision for a moment...
I'll give him this, he's got some impressive manoeuvrability, to be able to stop, turn and launch so quickly.
Whoops. Zagged when he should have zigged.
Right through the teeth. That can't be pleasant. On the other hand, it's probably going to make him bite harder because of muscle contractions.
Either he bit in multiple places and can leave lingering pressure, or there's a couple of grunts helping out.
Definitely a good idea, avoiding any trace material for the goddamn blood mage to make use of.
Somehow, I doubt this is going to work how he expects it to. Sharks in a frenzy aren't known for rational decisions.
Ah, he somehow duplicated himself momentarily to make multiple bite attacks at once.
Should have converted it to plasma, give him a mouth burn worse than any spicy meal.
Just remember to identify yourself to the Team. They last saw you in Manta form...
Well, that was terrifyingly vicious. I shudder to imagine how effective a sharkman blood mage could be in regular combat, especially if he's so fast he can take a bite out of most foes before they even realise he's moved. Anyone other than a Lantern or nigh-indestructible person would be a bloody, limbless corpse by now...
Neruz
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The problem with doing that is that is collateral damage.
Paul absolutely has construct weapons that would ruin this guy's day, like singularity cannons, but they would also ruin everyone else's day as well and he doesn't want to punch a hole through the entire city.
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monochromaticPrism
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I think it's a narrative thing. If Paul gains access to plain superhuman brute force it will indirectly start cutting down on variety in future combat settings, which isn't as much of a problem in the comic medium but can be very problematic in purely written storytelling.
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Darko
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This guy apparently taught Sha'ark, so he may have already had some of his blood in him to do that.
Rob can also eat magic, so maybe he digested the spell.
I'm picturing him sampling different types of blood from different parts of the world until he can recognize people ethnicity.
I was thinking of that shark Separatist from the Clone Wars.
BartlettMagic
peekaboo, you fucks you!
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i just had a wild fantasy that is probably not based in established universe's facts.
i just imagined OL, in the end, doing a last-ditch-effort Assimilate on Ahrian. obviously it's hard to do, so OL ends up having to channel the Ophidian and goes all Snake-eyed to consume him. Ahrian, being functionally ageless, has a ton of memories, and so like (i think, it's been a while) Grayven with Vandal Savage and Rhas alGhul, can't integrate that large of a memory packet. so, to purge the info, OL walks into the OLCorps' headquarters and slams down a huge book of advanced magic knowledge, and says to the remaining magic users, "here, get to work."
the unfortunate side effect of all of this is that the unprecedented forceful use of Avarice finally draws Desire of the Endless's full and undivided attention.
i just imagined OL, in the end, doing a last-ditch-effort Assimilate on Ahrian. obviously it's hard to do, so OL ends up having to channel the Ophidian and goes all Snake-eyed to consume him. Ahrian, being functionally ageless, has a ton of memories, and so like (i think, it's been a while) Grayven with Vandal Savage and Rhas alGhul, can't integrate that large of a memory packet. so, to purge the info, OL walks into the OLCorps' headquarters and slams down a huge book of advanced magic knowledge, and says to the remaining magic users, "here, get to work."
the unfortunate side effect of all of this is that the unprecedented forceful use of Avarice finally draws Desire of the Endless's full and undivided attention.
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Ngamer11
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Paul's met Desire of the Endless, twice. Though he was only lucid for one of those meetings.
Mr Zoat
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FuzzyZergling
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Should probably be 'undulates'.
Darko
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Having an episode with Desire could be interesting, but Paul may not have that problem if he Assimilated Ahri'ahn.
Ahri'ahn may not be that old.
Yeah, he's from thousands of years in the past, but I think it was mentioned that he basically jumped forward in time, so he honestly may only be a few decades old.
Mr Zoat
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His father was very very drunk.
Supnautica (supplementary, Renegade option)
New
Mr Zoat
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7th May 2013
04:47 GMT
Huh.
Three thousand years of putting up and tearing down primitive buildings results in a people being good at it.
Who knew?
Diana's bodyguards regard me warily as I approach. I keep walking until their hands actually start to tighten around their spears and then stop and bow.
"Queen Diana. I thank you for granting me an audience."
Kon and Mitchell are back on Earth, though they're spending at least some time on the world the Citizenry were forced to settle on by their new Queen. Scott had to spend some considerable time setting up boom tubes for them as Diana brought in members of the Herakla to serve as her enforcers, as well as architects, builders, farmers… All sorts of people that she needed to bring in to cover the Citizenry's vast skill gaps.
It's not true that they have no skills not related to fighting. Quite a few have the sort of maintenance and engineering skills needed to keep their fleet running. I think there were even a few black market chefs around the place, spicing up the blood porridge. But those weren't respected professions. Diana's having to drag their entire civilisation around to face a new direction and then shove it forwards. I take my metaphorical hat off to her. It's a worthy challenge.
The only drawback is that she's had to step down as Wonder Woman. She's actually wearing clothes that I think she 'won' from her aunt. Just… Let out a little at the top. When I spoke to her Orana seemed to be happy enough with her promotion.
Themyscira seems pretty empty these days. Not before time.
"Grayven. Rise, and be welcome to New Hellene."
I straighten up, a polite smile on my face.
"What brings you here?"
The portion of your population who are getting off their island for the first time in three thousand years and are capable of operating New God technology, basically, but it's probably unwise to just come out with it like that.
"I was talking about the defence of Earth with Lex, and I realised that you have the largest human-controlled fleet in existence." I shrug in mock helplessness. "Can you believe that we actually forgot about that?"
"Only a small portion of my people are human."
"Yes, but you and the other Themysciran 'human-plusses' have a dominant social position."
A couple of the guards are very obviously suspicious that they're being insulted. I think I recognise them from my one visit to Themyscira.
"And many of the rest have some human blood in them."
Diana shifts slightly. "Grayven, if you wish to discuss a defence treaty, then I will refuse. My people are not ready to interact with others. It may be a generation before they are."
"Generation, right…" I make a show of looking thoughtful. "Where is that generation going to come from?" I wave my right hand at the other inhabitants of the room. "While I'm aware that the Citizenry had a small number of breeding slaves when they were brought down, I would be surprised if they were ready to take the sort of measures which would actually result in a sustainable population. And of course those Themysciran citizens who come here are no longer benefiting from the Island's blessings. They will age, and in the fullness of time they will die."
No great reaction from the Herakla, but as demigoddesses they're not under much of a time crunch.
Diana raises her eyebrows. "I thought that when you mentioned a 'harem of warrior goddesses' that you were joking."
I blink-.
"No, your majesty, I'm not offering to sire an entire generation myself. Just that I have contacts on a number of worlds which could afford to lose a portion of their male population if you were prepared to make emigration a suitably appealing prospect. And they can be vetted in whatever fashion you like."
The Citizenry are a pretty unpleasant bunch, but I'll say this for them: they're not fussy about the species of a prospective partner. As for where I'll get them from, well… China's One Child Policy and certain other countries getting access to sex-selective abortion has resulted in a skewed demographic in a number of places on Earth. Have to do a thorough cultural screening, because I doubt a lot of them would mix well with a recovering militant matriarchy.
Tamaran is slightly skewed due to males being taken as slaves having a lower survival rate than the females, which is turn is due to the different nature of the work they were doing. Some might be willing to come here, but there isn't really any benefit to Tamaran in that happening. As for other places… Maybe I could ease the rules for surviving Branx? Those who meet the skills threshold would probably jump a the chance. They prevented a nuclear holocaust through a series of uprisings and then careful coordination in environmental repairs, but anyone involved in shipping can't really use their primary skill set. And of course with the Vega Systems at peace there are bound to be people who can't adjust to peace time.
No idea what's happening on Colu, but there are bound to be a few of Dox's people who want to actually interact with the rest of the universe.
"I don't think that bringing a significant population of males here would be a good idea. Most of the former Citizens are…" Diana tries to come up with a polite term, and fails. "Barely civilised. They obey only because of my strength, not because I have managed to convert them."
"Well… Okay, I could just get giant tanks of sperm and a couple of I.V.F. specialists… But if you think a small portion of the population might be ready to mix with men in a social situation… I could talk to Lex about setting up joint exercises? So that they could see men in combat, and perhaps learn to appreciate their warrior virtues that way?"
Her face hardens slightly. "Who are you fighting?"
I shrug. The fact is that we don't have a concerted enemy at the moment. A few Spider Guilders, a few surviving pirates, and the Controllers are throwing their half of the Corps at the Reach…
But when you're starting out with a new fleet, it's probably best not to pick a fight with the strongest empire in the galaxy as your first opponent. We can work our way up to that.
"Anyone who needs to be fought. Sector Two Eight One Four has plenty of unclaimed habitable planets, and even more unclaimed space that isn't readily habitable, so there's no need to fight over territory. Our enemies are more the targets for policing actions than major conflicts. Obviously, I can't guarantee their safety… Not in combat, but the officer in command will judge risk-reward carefully."
She nods carefully. "I understand the idea, but I don't think that encouraging former citizens to return to warfare would be helpful in reforming them."
"How about..? Just a few, serving on E.D.F. ships?"
"They would treat it as a reward, and compete for it violently."
Read the Room
I nod. "What if you made it a reward, for demonstrating the sort of behaviour you actually want them to show?"
"In what way?"
"Pick a skill set you need… Say, farming… And say that those working the most productive farm in a year can apply to spend a year in combat. And that any who raid others will replace everything they destroyed before their own total will be counted. Or only offer positions to engineers or navigation officers." Hm. "Actually, you could apply a similar system to motherhood. 'Pass these tests or your line ends with you'. I… Seem to remember that Themyscira had a test like that before all your men died."
"Yes, but the expectation on Themyscira was that everyone would eventually pass. Many of the Citizens… Will not. They are…" She shakes her head wearily. "Savages."
I shrug languidly. "Then it's even more of a prize and acts as a rather splendid way of culling the irredeemable. Make the requirements common knowledge and then if they still can't adapt, then… They can't. No loss."
"That is harsh, but I cannot find fault in your reasoning. At the rate I am going, the alternative would be to spend each day in the arena beating the loudest complainer into obedience."
I shrug. "I believe that it's allowed for you to nominate a champion. Donna could take a gap year, and then Conner or Mitchell…"
"I would rather avoid that entirely."
"What can I say? Welcome to being queen. If it was fun and easy and simple to get it right, anyone could do it."
04:47 GMT
Huh.
Three thousand years of putting up and tearing down primitive buildings results in a people being good at it.
Who knew?
Diana's bodyguards regard me warily as I approach. I keep walking until their hands actually start to tighten around their spears and then stop and bow.
"Queen Diana. I thank you for granting me an audience."
Kon and Mitchell are back on Earth, though they're spending at least some time on the world the Citizenry were forced to settle on by their new Queen. Scott had to spend some considerable time setting up boom tubes for them as Diana brought in members of the Herakla to serve as her enforcers, as well as architects, builders, farmers… All sorts of people that she needed to bring in to cover the Citizenry's vast skill gaps.
It's not true that they have no skills not related to fighting. Quite a few have the sort of maintenance and engineering skills needed to keep their fleet running. I think there were even a few black market chefs around the place, spicing up the blood porridge. But those weren't respected professions. Diana's having to drag their entire civilisation around to face a new direction and then shove it forwards. I take my metaphorical hat off to her. It's a worthy challenge.
The only drawback is that she's had to step down as Wonder Woman. She's actually wearing clothes that I think she 'won' from her aunt. Just… Let out a little at the top. When I spoke to her Orana seemed to be happy enough with her promotion.
Themyscira seems pretty empty these days. Not before time.
"Grayven. Rise, and be welcome to New Hellene."
I straighten up, a polite smile on my face.
"What brings you here?"
The portion of your population who are getting off their island for the first time in three thousand years and are capable of operating New God technology, basically, but it's probably unwise to just come out with it like that.
"I was talking about the defence of Earth with Lex, and I realised that you have the largest human-controlled fleet in existence." I shrug in mock helplessness. "Can you believe that we actually forgot about that?"
"Only a small portion of my people are human."
"Yes, but you and the other Themysciran 'human-plusses' have a dominant social position."
A couple of the guards are very obviously suspicious that they're being insulted. I think I recognise them from my one visit to Themyscira.
"And many of the rest have some human blood in them."
Diana shifts slightly. "Grayven, if you wish to discuss a defence treaty, then I will refuse. My people are not ready to interact with others. It may be a generation before they are."
"Generation, right…" I make a show of looking thoughtful. "Where is that generation going to come from?" I wave my right hand at the other inhabitants of the room. "While I'm aware that the Citizenry had a small number of breeding slaves when they were brought down, I would be surprised if they were ready to take the sort of measures which would actually result in a sustainable population. And of course those Themysciran citizens who come here are no longer benefiting from the Island's blessings. They will age, and in the fullness of time they will die."
No great reaction from the Herakla, but as demigoddesses they're not under much of a time crunch.
Diana raises her eyebrows. "I thought that when you mentioned a 'harem of warrior goddesses' that you were joking."
I blink-.
"No, your majesty, I'm not offering to sire an entire generation myself. Just that I have contacts on a number of worlds which could afford to lose a portion of their male population if you were prepared to make emigration a suitably appealing prospect. And they can be vetted in whatever fashion you like."
The Citizenry are a pretty unpleasant bunch, but I'll say this for them: they're not fussy about the species of a prospective partner. As for where I'll get them from, well… China's One Child Policy and certain other countries getting access to sex-selective abortion has resulted in a skewed demographic in a number of places on Earth. Have to do a thorough cultural screening, because I doubt a lot of them would mix well with a recovering militant matriarchy.
Tamaran is slightly skewed due to males being taken as slaves having a lower survival rate than the females, which is turn is due to the different nature of the work they were doing. Some might be willing to come here, but there isn't really any benefit to Tamaran in that happening. As for other places… Maybe I could ease the rules for surviving Branx? Those who meet the skills threshold would probably jump a the chance. They prevented a nuclear holocaust through a series of uprisings and then careful coordination in environmental repairs, but anyone involved in shipping can't really use their primary skill set. And of course with the Vega Systems at peace there are bound to be people who can't adjust to peace time.
No idea what's happening on Colu, but there are bound to be a few of Dox's people who want to actually interact with the rest of the universe.
"I don't think that bringing a significant population of males here would be a good idea. Most of the former Citizens are…" Diana tries to come up with a polite term, and fails. "Barely civilised. They obey only because of my strength, not because I have managed to convert them."
"Well… Okay, I could just get giant tanks of sperm and a couple of I.V.F. specialists… But if you think a small portion of the population might be ready to mix with men in a social situation… I could talk to Lex about setting up joint exercises? So that they could see men in combat, and perhaps learn to appreciate their warrior virtues that way?"
Her face hardens slightly. "Who are you fighting?"
I shrug. The fact is that we don't have a concerted enemy at the moment. A few Spider Guilders, a few surviving pirates, and the Controllers are throwing their half of the Corps at the Reach…
But when you're starting out with a new fleet, it's probably best not to pick a fight with the strongest empire in the galaxy as your first opponent. We can work our way up to that.
"Anyone who needs to be fought. Sector Two Eight One Four has plenty of unclaimed habitable planets, and even more unclaimed space that isn't readily habitable, so there's no need to fight over territory. Our enemies are more the targets for policing actions than major conflicts. Obviously, I can't guarantee their safety… Not in combat, but the officer in command will judge risk-reward carefully."
She nods carefully. "I understand the idea, but I don't think that encouraging former citizens to return to warfare would be helpful in reforming them."
"How about..? Just a few, serving on E.D.F. ships?"
"They would treat it as a reward, and compete for it violently."
Read the Room
I nod. "What if you made it a reward, for demonstrating the sort of behaviour you actually want them to show?"
"In what way?"
"Pick a skill set you need… Say, farming… And say that those working the most productive farm in a year can apply to spend a year in combat. And that any who raid others will replace everything they destroyed before their own total will be counted. Or only offer positions to engineers or navigation officers." Hm. "Actually, you could apply a similar system to motherhood. 'Pass these tests or your line ends with you'. I… Seem to remember that Themyscira had a test like that before all your men died."
"Yes, but the expectation on Themyscira was that everyone would eventually pass. Many of the Citizens… Will not. They are…" She shakes her head wearily. "Savages."
I shrug languidly. "Then it's even more of a prize and acts as a rather splendid way of culling the irredeemable. Make the requirements common knowledge and then if they still can't adapt, then… They can't. No loss."
"That is harsh, but I cannot find fault in your reasoning. At the rate I am going, the alternative would be to spend each day in the arena beating the loudest complainer into obedience."
I shrug. "I believe that it's allowed for you to nominate a champion. Donna could take a gap year, and then Conner or Mitchell…"
"I would rather avoid that entirely."
"What can I say? Welcome to being queen. If it was fun and easy and simple to get it right, anyone could do it."
Darko
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Probably to get both of them used at overseeing a nation and to remind the Citizenry that males now have power too.
Yeah, I'm guessing most of the people that did the technical work were slaves and Diana may have given them freedom.
Well with the changes you've made they may not need her as much.
The Amazon you Dannered and Awakened.
Yeah, anyone that knows about them probably hates and fears them.
Plus the Citizenry are not likely to be diplomatic.
They do have access to advanced tech, so that's one possible avenue.
And if Diana can convince the gods to do some divine blessing in exchange for a whole planet of new worshippers then that's another possibility.
"in turn"
Oddly appropriate song.
Though when I clicked it I was expecting to see that scene from American Dad.
Some might.
When Paragon fought them there was a Jade interlude that had her talk to a technician of the Citizenry, and she seemed to dislike it.
It's possible that like Astarte several of them joined the Citizenry to spare their own worlds.
Yeah, there might be those that can potentially take them down.
Also the fact that Kon and Mitchell are males would be a sore spot and can lead to them facing even more strife.
They might be okay with Diana defeating them since she's a woman and in their eyes that's the natural order of things, but the same won't apply to a man.
Vaermina
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Isn't this Diana a god herself at this point? I'd think she'd be able to do it herself.
Chojin Patriarch
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admittedly, I expect most any demolition and construction on Themyscira tends to be more in the way of repairs after natural disasters or hard weather. Smaller building collapsed by earthquakes or high winds... Then again, Themyscira may not get that sort of thing. I guess their buildings do wear out eventually anyway.
Always pushing the boundaries, eh, Renegade? I suppose it's a natural consequence of Conquest, testing neighbouring territories' willingness to protect their border. Or in this case, the propriety of their Queen.
Ah, yes. That was a thing that happened. It's been a while since we saw it, and I assume that's mostly because of the early stages of settling being rather dull logistical matters.
Drawback of a culture being monofocused on their specialisation. Even the Klingons had scientists, cooks, and other less illustrious tasks, and they rarely looked down on those who performed them... Much.
Heh. That's an interesting shift in the League roster. I wonder how they've been coping with working with the new Wonder Woman.
...so she basically just named it after the people of the old lands. Better than nothing, I guess.
To be fair, Lex would probably rather it just be 'biggest Human fleet', no aliens involved. But it is what it is, and he can't exactly do much to Diana out here.
Effectively turning all others into... What would the best term be? Citizen soldiery under the Themysciran oligarchs? Probably more complicated than that...
Maybe longer, since the mothers of that generation will probably still tell tales of the 'old ways'.
Ah, right. The ladies of the Citizenry probably barely know how to interact with any male that isn't a slave. Assuming they even got that privilege back then.
Yeah, demigoddesses probably can expect to maintain fertility for a century or more, and live to two or three hundred years or longer, depending on just how strong their divine blood is.
I think Luna would have words on that matter too. As for importing males, might need to make sure of biological compatibility.
Don't want unhelpful ideologies or behavioural memes spreading, huh? Talk about a minefield of cultural and political matters (And makes it hard to discuss it in the thread, too...)
Heck, the warlike types might be useful for directing the ladies impulses in helpful directions. Such as wooing.
Not happily beating their sword into plowshares, then. Unavoidable, yes, given how much simpler the 'old way' was..
Though they'll probably deride their physiques at first.
ah, she worried that he's getting carried away without oversight, is she?
And no doubt weigh up the chances of any cultural backsliding into their old rules of engagement...
have to wonder how they're handling the stress of being debarked right now. No feuds or miniature territorial conflicts?
Heh. Really flexing her bad mood, making it clear that would be a bad idea.
Yeah, punishments will have to be severe to prevent cheating like that.
If they can't change to manage a pass, they're probably not the type you want looking after children.
That'll only go so far. There'll inevitably be ones only Diana could feasibly beat, and the last thing they need is ones like that getting any traction by winning.
As he's been seeing on Equestria, with Celestia's efforts to get it right.
Talk about a trip down memory lane. How long has it been in real time since last we saw the Citizenry of Earth Sixteen-R? Months? A couple of years? Good to see Diana seeing just how much she still has to learn about ruling, even if it is a bit stressful. I bet the next time she sees her mother, she'll be a lot more appreciative of her.
Ngamer11
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Did Orana take Wonder Woman's place in the Justice League the way John Quinn did in the Paragon timeline? This makes me want to know the members of the Team, Justice League, and the New Light in the Renegade timeline, as your most recent list of members only showed Team, JL, and Light members in the Paragon timeline.
Can the Renegade free the Coluans the way Paul was able to get help to do so? Because I remember it was only done thanks to Captain Comet's immense telepathic abilities, abilities which his Renegade counterpart doesn't quite have anymore due to brain damage.