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

[Odysseus2099]

The only lead I can think of-."

"Diablo Island[url]'s binding tattoos are far too fragile for me to consider it."

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[/url]

 

[Chojin Patriarch]

11th July 2013
08:00 GMT

The door opens on the hour on the dot, and I walk… Through.

They've… Done some remodelling.

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Presumably to optimise Mister Atom's command and control capabilities. It's almost guaranteed that he can bottleneck any communication system designed for humans in seconds. Effectively overrunning any input buffer, basically.

Spoiler: Commentary spoilered for length

The array of monitors and computers which Mr. Atom was using to monitor things has been expanded and improved. Some screens do the same things that they used to in displaying points of interest. Others show complex patterns which-

Translation available.

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I suspect trying to translate that would just give you a pounding headache.

-my rings don't translate because the human brain wasn't meant for that level of information processing but which I'm sure suits him just fine. Mr. Atom himself is pressing buttons on his customised keyboard and making noises like a dialup modem at three different pitches that I can hear simultaneously.

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And I'm picturing a 'chorded keyboard' that's more like bars either side of his fingers that allow him to type any character with minimal movement of his digits, based on combinations of pressed switches... And since he could move his fingers super-quick...
(Side note, this led me to this. Cool, if unrelated...)

Maybe I should introduce him to Dox at some point? Or maybe that would remind Dox of his father too much.

Mr. Atom doesn't look around.

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Yeah, I think Dox would rather distance himself from any hypercognitive synthetic minds.

"Orange Lantern. You have been scheduled twenty minutes plus minus five minutes. Will that be sufficient?"

"I hope so. Sorry, I assumed that I would be talking to Batman."

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Twenty minutes of discussion doesn't rule that out. Batman might have been busy at first.

"You have been scheduled thirty seconds plus minus fifteen seconds for this explanation."

"Understood. I'll be concise."

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Ah, just Atom making it clear, no time-wasting on his watch.

"Good."

There's no noise, but Batman just sort of appears. He wasn't invisible… Not unless he's found a way to defy literally every sensor type I have, which I suppose is just about possible. Instead, I think he just used some sort of novel teleportation with no residue that I can immediately detect. He's still wearing his power ring, but I didn't.. detect him using it just then.

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To be fair, there's only a few methods like that, and we're quite familiar with one thanks to the Renegade...

"Orange Lantern. You have concerns."

"Yes, sir. I outlined them in my original message. I hoped that-."

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And a concerned OL is a troublesome OL. Which Batman is well aware of.

He turns around. "Come with me."

He steps forwards and vanishes. Some soft of invisible Dolmen Gate? I wave a rune stone at it but only detect background levels of magic.

Shrugging, I send the stone back to subspace and follow him.

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Ah, OL in a rare moment of surprise.

And… It's dark. Scans aren't showing me anything… At all. From what little I can see it the reflected light of our environmental shields there are… Monoliths of some kind planted along some sort of upwards-sloping pathway, but that's about all that I'm getting. Atmosphere… Slightly increased levels of oxygen relative to Earth normal. Mildly invigorating, with a slightly increased fire risk. In the case of somewhere Batman built it's almost certainly intentional.

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Presumably needed for thermal regulation purposes, I guess?

I stride after him, trying to learn something from the back of his head.

"Sir?"

"I read your book."

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Aw, no 'You magnificent bastard!' Ah, well, can't always meme.

I.. wasn't sure, but it seemed likely that he would. Particularly since getting a ring of his own, but I can see how having additional information on how I think would be invaluable to him.

"Unfortunately, it seems that in my case enlightenment will have to wait."

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Admittedly, Fear Enlightenment might be a bit trickier than Desire.

"I'm not sure that the world would survive you bonding with Parallax."

"I wouldn't bond with Parallax unless I was sure that I could control it."

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Oh, dear. That's not a good turn of phrase when Batman is involved...

Which wouldn't happen. My merging with the Ophidian was a best case scenario…

"The only lead I can think of-."

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Some way to contain the Embodiment to a specific location? Not easy given how powerful 1/7th of the universe's emotions can be.

"Diablo Island's binding tattoos are far too fragile for me to consider it."

I nod. He's right, as far as long-term bindings go. I looked into it before I got my own tattoos. But if he just wanted a temporary glimpse of how Parallax views fear and it's place in the universe, then the same standards don't apply.

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Please, let's not give him suggestions for further mind-altering methodology?

"I agree, but-."

"Zatara has the design. If it can be improved upon, he'll let me know."

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At least he's trusting Zatara to study it. So he's not all paranoid yet.

I nod, my gaze lingering on where my feet tell me that the floor is. I just… I was going to suggest to Batman something that would mess up his mind even more.

Don't do that.

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Depressingly, I suspect you're the only League-affiliated person who can really attest to the mind-altering qualities of a Power Ring, though. The Greenies aren't adversely affected by theirs, other than grater stubbornness. Just in case you have to persuade them to separate the Ring from Batman.

"Sir? Where are we?"

"Currently, the L Five Lagrange point. The facility has limited manoeuvring capacities, but it isn't a spaceship."

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In space? Oh, no, don't tell me...

"That's a.. long way from anywhere."

"Not when you have a power ring. Or a galactic-range teleportation device."

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Definitely a Hush Tube, then. Logical, given his access to New God contacts.

I frown. "The only form of teleportation device I know with that range and precision is a boom tube generator, and that wasn't a boom tube."

"A hush tube generator. Apokolips uses them for covert insertions." I vaguely see him reach… Something ahead of us. He turns and sits, and I just stop as his eyes glow. "Canis and Angelica were able to secure one for me."

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Well, that's not worrying at all either.

"Universal covert point to point portals will be a significant improvement on zeta tubes."

He leans forwards slightly. "I agree. But this will be a supplemental system. Zeta tubes are a mature technology, where as getting another hush tube generator would be difficult, and making more is currently beyond us."

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Good, not relying solely on the new toy. Still somewhat sensible.

Lights… Start coming up, a faint yellow shining from the… Rectangular blocks around us. They put me in mind of old-style mainframe computers… Or at least the representation of mainframes that were in Goldeneye. The light is.. running in lines, but I can't tell if it's lines of runes, of circuitry, or… Something else. Otherwise they're matte dark grey… I don't think they're stone as the texture isn't right, but they don't look like metal either.

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So a blending of new god technology and human super-science? He's built Brother Eye, hasn't he?

"You are concerned about the League taking on too much responsibility in the wake of civilization's collapse."

"Basically… Yes sir."

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And not without good reason. As he's pointed out several times.

"I have reached the conclusion that we can't afford not to. Human countries have become too interdependent to isolate shocks in one region."

"Is..? That why you were concerned with… Me saying that the League was taking over the planet? Because we..? Are?"

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Welp, Batman's going totally Justice Lord. Time to look for ways of stripping his Power Ring, and breaking this station.

"We're being given more power. We're not taking over. I wanted to be able to put things in their proper context before you put them in the wrong one."

"Okay? So… What form does that take?"

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Because so far, it's not looking good. Especially if OL remembers the OMACs from Infinite Crisis.

"You've seen Big Barda working with the Congregation?" I nod. "That. League members will be provided with squads of enhanced soldiers, transported by boom tube or hush tube, to impose order in places where civilization is in danger of breaking down."

"Soldiers? I know.. the laws that.. you're putting through allows League members to call upon police assets, but-."

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Or in this case, some form of deputised vigilantes? Something of a legal loophole, but...

"No. I know that you've been aware of the potential for using the Danner formula to create a super powered army. Hugo Danner demonstrated that it's perfectly viable to use in that way. I spent some time identifying, recruiting and training individuals to form a standing military force for the Justice League."

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...And do these individuals know they've been recruited?

"Enhanced?"

"Yes, substantially. I believe that you have already met Mister Blank."

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At this point, there should be so many alarm bells ringing in OL's head, he'd be sweating despite himself.

Welp, looks like the excrement is travelling at high-speed towards the fan. So unless Batman can explain real clearly about how this is beneficial to Humanity, I suspect we're about to see OL commence planning for 'Operation Nabu II: Electric Boogaloo'. This is not going to end well, I just know it.

 

[Duke Long]

He steps forwards and vanishes. Some soft of invisible Dolmen Gate? I wave a rune stone at it but only detect background levels of magic.

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'sort'
A hush tube? That's the only thing that comes to mind, but I can't remember if even the portal is invisible.

And… It's dark. Scans aren't showing me anything… At all. From what little I can see it the reflected light of our environmental shields there are… Monoliths of some kind planted along some sort of upwards-sloping pathway, but that's about all that I'm getting. Atmosphere… Slightly increased levels of oxygen relative to Earth normal. Mildly invigorating, with a slightly increased fire risk. In the case of somewhere Batman built it's almost certainly intentional.

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'in'
Spooky shit. I suppose this might be Brother Eye?

"The only lead I can think of-."

"Diablo Island[url]'s binding tattoos are far too fragile for me to consider it."
I nod. He's right, as far as long-term bindings go. I looked into it before I got my own tattoos. But if he just wanted a temporary glimpse of how Parallax views fear and it's place in the universe, then the same standards don't apply.

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'its'
I don't see anything else wrong here.

"A hush tube generator. Apokolips uses them for covert insertions." I vaguely see him reach… Something ahead of us. He turns and sits, and I just stop as his eyes glow. "Canis and Angelica were able to secure one for me."

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So it is a hush tube. Neat.

He leans forwards slightly. "I agree. But this will be a supplemental system. Zeta tubes are a mature technology, where as getting another hush tube generator would be difficult, and making more is currently beyond us."

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'whereas'

"You've seen Big Barda working with the Congregation?" I nod. "That. League members will be provided with squads of enhanced soldiers, transported by boom tube or hush tube, to impose order in places where civilization is in danger of breaking down."

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Uh… Sounds cool, but…

"No. I know that you've been aware of the potential for using the Danner formula to create a super powered army. Hugo Danner demonstrated that it's perfectly viable to use in that way. I spent some time identifying, recruiting and training individuals to form a standing military force for the Justice League."

"Enhanced?"

"Yes, substantially. I believe that you have already met Mister Blank."

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Okay, shit. I don't see a way that this ends well. Buddy Blank was trying to fit Oh El with an illegal explosive collar when they met, which is not exactly a great look. And that was before the enabling legislation was even in effect!

Plus, Buddy Blank lost his memories. Maybe that happened because Oh El broke his connection, and he actually was a willing participant despite appearances? But I doubt it.

It's pretty cool that Batman is taking advantage of all the stuff Oh El has told the League about over the years. It didn't seem like the Danner formula was being used in Buddy Blank, but maybe the microbots formed into the alchemical patterns when powered? And we already saw that he did use the record-destroying magic. I wonder if other crazy shit is jammed in there. Buddy didn't seem that impressive, though.

I wonder if Oh El is even going to be able to escape this station. I'd say he should feign acquiescence, but Batman will probably see through it, and I don't get the impression that he is feeling very trusting right now.

 

[Signaller]

The Danner thing is a risk because it doesn't have an off switch, and recruitment can't be perfect. Other upgrade options like pacts woth various gods at least in theory aren't permanent. The other concern is how one defines "in danger of breaking down".

Is Batman in contact with Sinestro? And do we know if his brain chemistry is still repaired, or did he decide to reapply those changes?

 

[ForeverShogo]

Neat. I'm looking forward to seeing more of the world Batman aims to build.

 

[PepeTheFrog]

So Batman really is going the Brother Eye/OMAC route. That or pulling an Injustice but with him as the ruler instead of Superman.

 

[Lord Ernest]

So this actually is an OMAC situation with Batman then? But instead of doing it all himself as a safeguard against other metahumans, he's doing to support the Justice League not!taking over the world?

I admit that it sounds bad but at the same time I can kinda see the good intentions. If the OMAC empowerment isn't permanent like the Danner Formula, you can cut any rogue element that might have unfortunately passed the assessments. The units are pretty powerful from what we saw and if they're lead and/or supervised by League Members plus Mr. Atom's monitoring then, nominally, they can be trusted. So the troops sound like a good idea if nothing untoward has been done to the volunteers.

The bad vibe comes from Batman now having a stealth space station and deciding that the League needs to have all of these liberties and reinforcements. But the other League members, as far as we know, seem to be onboard as well; so besides Batman, is the Justice League trustworthy with this authority? Are they aware of all that is going on? At this point I'm hoping this is all a red herring and it turns out there's no issue and this is good for the world.

I mean, if the Illustres can trust a literal Demon Lord, what's wrong with letting the Justice League rule the planet while it's reconstructing?

 

[Mr Zoat]

@ShadowScion626
You know what you did. @rthomas2, you're off the naughty list.

You forgot to close the url tag @Mr Zoat

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'sort'
'in'
'its'
'whereas'

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Thank you, corrected.

I mean, if the Illustres can trust a literal Demon Lord, what's wrong with letting the Justice League rule the planet while it's reconstructing?

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Demon Lords are extremely trustworthy. They can't break their word. They're just malicious and selfish.

 

[AmericanNumbers]

So effectively Paul messing with Batman's brain triggered the same the Omac response. Oh but Batman has a yellow power ring.

That seems like a problem.

 

[WereDragon]

snip

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Now Paul needs to decide if he is going to allow Batman to become a dictatorial Justice Lord. Because at this point his options are to let it happen or to directly and massively intervene.

 

[Z000]

Paul, this is all your fault

see how being human+ get you, the shit you did is coming back to chomp your butt

 

[Oglymogly]

So, Bats, quick question. At what point do we start calling unenchanced people "Lowlies"? Cause you're two quick steps and a few lava pits away from confusing Canis Minor on which 'home' he's at.

faint yellow shining

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Should this be in yellow text?

 

[Jirachi]

I don't think this is nesscarily a problem? I feel like transhumanism = bad unless it's the PCs doing it is sort of off brand. That being said this definitely deserves more then 20 minutes of time.
Mr Blank seems 100,000% the product of mad science, though. Only a small upgrade to the danner proccess with a bunch of compromises seems a little unforunate, though I can see why it'd be good to have a suite of enhancements like his available somewhere. I'm not sure it wouldn't make more sense to just make a bunch of garrick enhanciles or people with element robot power armor or a few other things like that, though it's certainly possible batman diversified.
- Was that the same "Don't do that" as Quinn John's ward or just an internal thought? If he's in on this...
Hope we find out who John ended up empowering soon.

 

[Mr Zoat]

Should this be in yellow text?

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Thank you, corrected.

 

[LazySloth13]

I kind of like this plan since it's been a constant point of fact that the League is hampered by their lack of numbers in order to cover large areas or deal with vast threats at multiple angles, not to mention the post battle clean up, so creating a sort of militia or deputy group of empowered locals/mundane people makes sense especially if they're locals to more rural areas that don't get as much attention. It would be like the support crew seen in JLU composed of none costume wearing civilians, only this time if things get really bad their empowered to help, after a rigorous background check and having to make a magic bound oath not to committ anything evil.

 

[TheOneTrueDemonLord]

Question: how did they work out how to use Danner Formula on adults? I thought it had to be injected in the womb?

I probably forgot, but i would really appreciate some clarification

 

[dw7thdoctor]

Question: how did they work out how to use Danner Formula on adults? I thought it had to be injected in the womb?

I probably forgot, but i would really appreciate some clarification

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The only things I can think of is that OL can do it with his power ring, so maybe Batman can too, or maybe nanites allow it to spread to every body tissue and that's how its done.

 

[NightmareWarden]

- Was that the same "Don't do that" as Quinn John's ward or just an internal thought? If he's in on this...

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OL would have pointed it out if it was like John's. It is possible the bolded text here was a mental effect, but I don't believe so. This is just Paul's self-awareness.

Sooo when do you think Batman last removed his ring? It was designed by a qwardian, I doubt it is as user-friendly as Alan's, which gave him some freedom to change the defaults. We just don't know the whole story of what Batman has been through.


As for the soldiers thing… The ideal step here, is asking "are you using enhanced soldiers instead of robot drones because the soldiers can be manipulated by fear?" We need to find the armor-piercing question which makes Batman fear the consequences of this path.
Listen, does Bruce Wayne have superhuman bodyguards? Lex does. Bruce's public persona is allowed to mature as an effect of the Anti-Life.

 

[Stsword]

Question: how did they work out how to use Danner Formula on adults? I thought it had to be injected in the womb?

I probably forgot, but i would really appreciate some clarification

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It needs a sufficient delivery system. Orange Lantern uses his ring, whether Batman is using his ring or worked out another delivery system is unknown at this point.

 

[CrazyNoVa]

So Batman really is going the Brother Eye/OMAC route. That or pulling an Injustice but with him as the ruler instead of Superman.

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Right? It's like I said earlier: It's like Injustice, but Batman and Superman swap roles. I wonder who's going to side with who?

I kind of like this plan since it's been a constant point of fact that the League is hampered by their lack of numbers in order to cover large areas or deal with vast threats at multiple angles, not to mention the post battle clean up, so creating a sort of militia or deputy group of empowered locals/mundane people makes sense especially if they're locals to more rural areas that don't get as much attention. It would be like the support crew seen in JLU composed of none costume wearing civilians, only this time if things get really bad their empowered to help, after a rigorous background check and having to make a magic bound oath not to committ anything evil.

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I agree, but the problem here is that the guy who's running the operation isn't what you'd call a shining paragon of sanity and rational thought.

 

[Steelplaza]

Hey about Mr. Atom. Wasn't he actually rebuilt by Dr. Sivana? Supposedly to exactly the original specs, but it's not like anyone would have any way of verifying that. That was way back in the story too, back when Sivana wasn't even as minimally """reformed""" as he is now. I could say more, but the questions that raises when Atom is apparently going to be a permanent key component in running the world sort of speak for themselves.

Though it would be pretty funny if Sivana was like, "Oh are you worried my boy? Here's Atom's controller. Just input what you want him to do, and he'll rationalize to himself why he's doing it. He's also programmed to never be able to notice it or deduce its existence, even if you wave it in front of his sensors. Now you can stop your 'Bat-man', isn't that nice?"

 

[Neruz]

Well this does indeed look like a Brother Eye sort of situation, though on the other hand Batman does have a point.

 

[Mr Zoat]

Hey about Mr. Atom. Wasn't he actually rebuilt by Dr. Sivana? Supposedly to exactly the original specs, but it's not like anyone would have any way of verifying that. That was way back in the story too, back when Sivana wasn't even as minimally """reformed""" as he is now. I could say more, but the questions that raises when Atom is apparently going to be a permanent key component in running the world sort of speak for themselves.

Though it would be pretty funny if Sivana was like, "Oh are you worried my boy? Here's Atom's controller. Just input what you want him to do, and he'll rationalize to himself why he's doing it. He's also programmed to never be able to notice it or deduce its existence, even if you wave it in front of his sensors. Now you can stop your 'Bat-man', isn't that nice?"

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No. Thaddeus Sivana built Mr. Atom II who was destroyed by the Huntsman, but this Mr. Atom was built by Thaddeus Junior and Georgia while the SI watched.

 

[RoninSword]

Remember, they rebuilt him to spec but they upgraded his components so he's stronger then he was originally (and of his 'cousins').

 

[Vaermina]

Lights… Start coming up, a faint yellow shining from the… Rectangular blocks around us. They put me in mind of old-style mainframe computers… Or at least the representation of mainframes that were in Goldeneye. The light is.. running in lines, but I can't tell if it's lines of runes, of circuitry, or… Something else. Otherwise they're matte dark grey… I don't think they're stone as the texture isn't right, but they don't look like metal either.

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New god tron lines, Orange Lantern really should be able to recognize them on sight.

 

[boo600]

Honesty, the Mr Blank part is the real concern.

But I don't think Batman can hold Paul; ignoring bullshit like what Felix Faust pulled, Paul can Greediport. I doubt that this is a 'secret that I'll shoot you to protect it from the league.' This is something he has some level of approval for… or that he just thinks that Paul will approve of.

Paul.

The guy who conquered the final enemy: himself.

Paul loved Righteous Face Puncher.

Mm-hm. Yep, Bats. Paul will approve of this. That Paul. Yep.

I mean, Grayven…

 

[Vaermina]

But I don't think Batman can hold Paul; ignoring bullshit like what Felix Faust pulled, Paul can Greediport. I doubt that this is a 'secret that I'll shoot you to protect it from the league.' This is something he has some level of approval for… or that he just thinks that Paul will approve of.

Click to shrink...

Batman knows Orange Lantern can greedport, so he wouldn't even try to hold him unless he had a way to either block that or completely shut down all of Orange Lantern's rings.

 

[Noctus]

So I stopped reading this around the Hephaestaeon arc. The MC was becoming too much of a Gary Stu for me and it just felt like there wasn't really any development. His viewpoint was just becoming too inhuman and the world was treating him like his words were gospel.

For those of you who kept reading, has the quality improved since that arc? I'm pretty much out of YJ/DC self inserts to read and this one is still getting updated daily so I was curious.

I'm only interested in Paragon Paul since Grayven went and became a pony fucker. And there's no coming back from that tbh. I was enjoying his arc until he became a pony fucker and the My Little Pony universe became more than just a side-story gag.

Cuz... you know... can't really come back from becoming a pony fucker.

 

[Vaermina]

So I stopped reading this around the Hephaestaeon arc. The MC was becoming too much of a Gary Stu for me and it just felt like there wasn't really any development. His viewpoint was just becoming too inhuman and the world was treating him like his words were gospel.

For those of you who kept reading, has the quality improved since that arc? I'm pretty much out of YJ/DC self inserts to read and this one is still getting updated daily so I was curious.

Click to shrink...

It's kind of gotten worse in that front.

 

[Mr Zoat]

11th July 2013
08:04 GMT

There's a slight… Shimmer, to his left, and… That's the Mohican that I remember. He's back in his juiced up mode, but his clothing has had a substantial upgrade. The orange brown trousers and blue torso parts are now clearly armoured, and there's a thick belt unit with what looks suspiciously like a piece of Apokoliptian… New God technology on it. The gold boots, gauntlets and neck piece also look like there's more to them than you initially see. On his chest is a sort of stylised eye symbol, a gold outline with a small red pupil.

Mr. Blank takes a confident pose, chin forwards and hands on hips. "Orange Lantern."

"Mister Blank. Or… If you're in costume, should I use your nom de heroique?"

He grins, and-. For a moment I'm reminded of something, but I can't-. Superman. His face is obviously different, but if I adjust… It's modelled on Superman's public confident-and-reassuring smile.

"That's quite alright. You hadn't been read into the Global Peace Agency initiative, and I treated you like a regular intruder." He steps forwards and holds out his right hand. "How about we let bygones be bygones?"

"Certainly." I take his hand, and his grip is… Firm, but in a reassuring and confident sort of way. "But I've… I've got to ask… What..? Was that?" I glance at Batman before returning my attention to him. "With the robot fake parents, and… Shrinking down when I destroyed the transmitter?"

He glances at Batman for permission, and receives a nod. "I take it that you analysed the samples you took?"

I nod. "Yes. They empowered you using some sort of radiated power?"

"Which cut out when you destroyed the transmitter. Batman didn't have enough Apokoliptian equipment to make-" He taps the belt-mounted unit. "-enough of these to make one for all of us. And since all I was doing was guarding a disused augmentation facility, I wasn't exactly high priority."

"And the synthetic parents?"

"I think that's something-" He takes a step back and glances at Batman. "-that Batman should tell you about."

Batman inclines his head slightly. "The drawback to the 'big League' model that you outlined in your report is that it simply isn't possible to be as confident in the quality of members as we can with a smaller group of people. I may disagree with Green Arrow or Doctor Mist on some subjects, but I can be sure that they're working towards the same thing that I am. With a hundred people, having that level of confidence is difficult, to say nothing of the number we'd actually have to bring on board to make a global impact."

I nod. It is, but that's true of any large organisation. And the Justice League… Doesn't have rivals in the same way that a company or a nation does. If there was another similar organisation, everyone here would be more concerned about how to most effectively coordinate, not how to get more press coverage or 'rescue points'. Corporate espionage isn't a problem. Intelligence sharing isn't a problem when we already share nearly everything with everyone. The only real concern is criminal infiltration, and between telepathy and magic we should be able to eliminate that.

The only time I remember that happening in the comics was with raffle winner Retro, who was assassinated and replaced by Prometheus. And Retro was background checked.

But in terms of background, Buddy Blank said that he…

"You wiped his.. mind."

"Not completely. What he lost were specific memories. He doesn't remember what his name was, where he was from, what his employment was or similar matters. The same link that provides him with power can also provide him with information, but as that link can be disrupted I thought it best to leave the volunteers with the basic skills to navigate the world."

"Volunteers? People… Volunteered for this?"

"You originally told Blue Lantern that you wanted training so that you could protect yourself. You have far surpassed that point, and yet you're still here."

"Yes? I… Made friends, developed values that went beyond my own safety."

"In the wake of the Anti-Life, I haven't been short of volunteers. Sometimes people stepped forwards for the greater good. Other felt that they had nothing to lose. Regardless, the process doesn't remove the basic human need for social interaction."

"So they get housed with robots?"

"They are also assigned an A.I. partner. The aim is to provide the emotional stimulation necessary to enable optimal psychological health while not giving them any reason to deviate from their responsibilities."

"Huh-oh… Kay? That doesn't sound… Healthy."

"Don't worry, Orange Lantern!" Mr. Blank grins, this time with a little more passion in it. "It's okay to be productively insane!"

"I mean… Yes, in principle, and you're a… Volunteer."

He nods. "I even watched the video I made for myself to confirm that was true."

"I just can't imagine being willing to forget my entire life like that."

"Old-me regarded it as a fresh start, and an opportunity to help the world in a way that he couldn't before. He didn't have any regrets, and neither do I!"

I nod slowly. "And the aim is to have… People like Mister Blank all around the world, able to respond immediately to any disaster?"

"Or to do the work of emergency services, or to lead rebuilding efforts, or whatever might be required."

"And it's… Not legal yet, but will become legal very shortly?"

"It will be specifically authorised very shortly. It isn't illegal in most countries now, though that may be because they don't know that it's possible."

I exhale a little sharply through my nose. "I.. see. I suppose this.. deals with the manpower and coordination problem. I'm.. not really comfortable with altering people's minds like that. Wouldn't it-?"

"Aren't you?"

His eyes glow faintly as he glowers at me.

"No. I deeply regret what I did to you, and I'll undo it the moment you ask."

"You know perfectly well that isn't what the world needs."

I nod. "Yeah. Yes, I.. do. But I would anyway." I shrug, shaking my head. "This seems like something that could work. I hope it does. I don't-. I don't know." I look around. "Was this all built with recovered Apokoliptian technology?"

"Most of it. But I've secured a supplier not tied to Apokolips, and every piece on Earth was affected by the white light burst. We don't have to worry about reinfection."

"But the network could be hijacked."

"So could any other method we use for restoring human civilization. But the nanotech contains New God safety precautions and is being constantly monitored by the A.I.. It's as safe as it can be."

"Okay. Ah. Well, this is going to be strange, but… Good. What do you want me doing to help?"