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

[boo600]

Given that she's a controller, meaning she can multitask at least as well as any 5-10 lanterns, meaning people who can also multitask while thinking partially with tiny supercomputers… yeah, it really looks like she just tried to get him killed. Given the paragon timeline has her reveal that her personality is a matrix for easy communication, because she's effectively a superintelligence…

Well. She may have sent him here to win, but I doubt it. She could have just told him about the pilgrims and the strange visions. And… I thought that she might have figured out the truth about the Renegade. But between Darkseid genuinely having a bunch of Gravyen clones, and Dox noting that New Gods and their connection to the Source tend to skew personality calculations… she may really think he's an Apokalyptian, conquering the universe and waiting to reveal his true colors as Yuga Khan Mk. II. So… let's see how this goes, I suppose.

Edit:

That doesn't go like you hope it would.

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…also. Seriously? Is that nonsensical 'Darkseid cannot die' bit canonical to WTR? He was killed in the Justice Lords timeline; are you saying they all just went evil because his spirit possessed them or broke them, à la Batman who Fucking Laughs? That's Nu52 bullshit, Zoat! That's basically Nu52 bullshit!

I originally thought you were just saying the Spectre wouldn't be allowed to kill Darkseid, or he'd take his place. But rereading all this… really? Please tell me you aren't endorsing this link, that WTR does not stan Invincible Darkseid. The renegade already knows the Sword isn't enough, against the tech and the intelligence and the armor and the omega effect and the anti life and the armies and everything else Darkseid has going for him! I could have sworn you didn't put in the Avatars bit from Final Crisis, with Darkseid reeeeally being a Bigger-Than-The-Multiverse super OP kool OC Do-Not-Steal monster beyond Yugu Khan, the true God of All Evil to whom even the Anti-Monitor is but a speck-

Sorry, I just saw the link again, clicked it, and immediately had the metaphorical 'nam flashbacks. I need this answered, in my soul.

 

[_The_Bomb]

"Yeah. You know, trying to make something of myself." Holly takes a pose, and… While she doesn't have Jade's definition, she definitely looks like she's in better shape than he was when I first met her. "Healthy eating and clean living."

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Should say "she" @Mr Zoat

 

[Attention Counting]

Thank you for the chapter.

then I can go and give Hinon a piece of my FUCKING mind.

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It's quite the oversight, isn't it? I didn't think that was the case but my previous statement

Also, it's not impossible that Hinon managed to not notice an Angel who would presumably been there since the Big Bang (or a similar early time as they would have not known what Demons are in your hypothesis) but I do find it similarly unlikely.

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seems to be wrong then. Now to see if this was on accident or purposeful.

 

[Mr Zoat]

Should say "she" @Mr Zoat

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Thank you, corrected.

Edit:
…also. Seriously? Is that nonsensical 'Darkseid cannot die' bit canonical to WTR? He was killed in the Justice Lords timeline; are you saying they all just went evil because his spirit possessed them or broke them, à la Batman who Fucking Laughs? That's Nu52 bullshit, Zoat! That's basically Nu52 bullshit!

I originally thought you were just saying the Spectre wouldn't be allowed to kill Darkseid, or he'd take his place. But rereading all this… really? Please tell me you aren't endorsing this link, that WTR does not stan Invincible Darkseid. The renegade already knows the Sword isn't enough, against the tech and the intelligence and the armor and the omega effect and the anti life and the armies and everything else Darkseid has going for him! I could have sworn you didn't put in the Avatars bit from Final Crisis, with Darkseid reeeeally being a Bigger-Than-The-Multiverse super OP kool OC Do-Not-Steal monster beyond Yugu Khan, the true God of All Evil to whom even the Anti-Monitor is but a speck-

Sorry, I just saw the link again, clicked it, and immediately had the metaphorical 'nam flashbacks. I need this answered, in my soul.

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I'm pointing out, specifically, that the Spectre wasn't allowed to kill Darkseid in the comics. That's all.

 

[BartlettMagic]

Right, good impression made with the neighbours, planet made safe. Just have to have a quick chat with Izaya, and then I can go and give Hinon a piece of my FUCKING mind.

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i like where this is going, keep up that momentum. both of those encounters have the potential to be personality clashes or insightful banter, but either way, this is the Gravy i was missing when he was dickin' around in pony land.

 

[Mr Zoat]

this is the Gravy i was missing when he was dickin' around in pony land.

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Grayven does not dick around. His dick only goes in one mare.

 

[boo600]

I'm pointing out, specifically, that the Spectre wasn't allowed to kill Darkseid in the comics. That's all.

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OhthanktheSource.

*Whew*

Sorry, I just needed to hear that. I have demonstrated a lack of faith, I know, but in my defense, there's lead in the water and a bunch of morons just attacked Iran and insisted that they didn't realize the Strait would be shut off, cutting off 20% of the world's oil supply, when that has been a talking point for over 50 goddamn years.

Thank you for… well, not reaffirming my faith in humanity, exactly, because there's too fucking many of us, but giving me permission/a sample case so as to assume, in select cases, that the stupidest possible explanation is not the correct one. You are not the only data point supporting this view, but every single one counts, these days.


Also, I don't think anyone was suggesting Grayven has been anything less than faithful. He has his flaws, but reliability has never been one of them.

…I'm still laughing to myself about how badly he flubbed his initial social roll with Diana, honestly. It's glorious. A thing of beauty. "Friendship is mutilation! I shall be friendly, because with niceness I build my world-spanning cult of doom, brick by brick! Mwahahahaha!"

It is the absolute best way to talk about enlightened self interest. With a supervillain. Specifically.

And he picked fucking Wonder Woman. Gorgeous. Perfect. Divine.

Well, that or an idiot sandwich. I'm never sure which…

 

[Zig]

Given that she's a controller, meaning she can multitask at least as well as any 5-10 lanterns, meaning people who can also multitask while thinking partially with tiny supercomputers… yeah, it really looks like she just tried to get him killed. Given the paragon timeline has her reveal that her personality is a matrix for easy communication, because she's effectively a superintelligence…

Well. She may have sent him here to win, but I doubt it. She could have just told him about the pilgrims and the strange visions. And… I thought that she might have figured out the truth about the Renegade. But between Darkseid genuinely having a bunch of Gravyen clones, and Dox noting that New Gods and their connection to the Source tend to skew personality calculations… she may really think he's an Apokalyptian, conquering the universe and waiting to reveal his true colors as Yuga Khan Mk. II. So… let's see how this goes, I suppose.

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She gave him a planet that met his requirements and even told him there seemed to be something wrong with it and was trying to get him to choose another option. Granted she likely knew tat the way she did it would be more likely than not to encourage Grayven to choose this one, but she defniteley has plausible deniability.

 

[NightmareWarden]

13th May 2007

21:54 GMT -5:00

"Okay, I think that's about enough for this evening."

It's… Hard. Hard to take it off.

She obediently floats back down to ground level, the green flames that accompany the use of her-. Of Alan's ring, guttering as she does so.

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If you'll tolerate a question Mr Zoat, is this universe simply "A universe with Jade Scott as a protagonist," or "A universe where Paul's copy has not arrived yet"?

Regardless of which ring color Paul winds up with, if he spawns and begins hero work in a universe that post-Crisis Green Lantern Jade is active in? That's an interesting premise. She could show patience, and wait a loooong time before sharing a peep about Paul's situation.

Plus she could have gained all sorts of interesting information relevant to her own hero work in the conclusion to the Crisis of Pauls. Do you have any other elements worked out for that Jade's Earth? Teen Titans, Alan Scott with surviving children, Superman's death actually sticks...?

 

[Mr Zoat]

10th December 2022
16:39 GMT

We all look down upon Hell.

"Hm." Taggart picks up a stone and tosses it, trying to keep his eyes on it as it plummets into the hellscape below. "'s pretty big. Is that a bad sign?"

Endymion regards him curiously. "If they can't send demons to Earth then I doubt that it matters how big their army is."

"No, I mean… If that's where the souls of bad people go, then… Does it get bigger the more bad people there are?"

Endymion turns back to the hellscape, thinking it over. "Oh."

"If it makes you feel better, I'm not convinced that they're actually demons."

Taggart frowns, looking mildly offended. "Then what the fuck were they?"

"Some sort of living creature that naturally used Hell magic."

"What's the difference?"

I half-turn, pointing to the giant cybercorpse with the skull-shaped hole through its chest. "See how it's left a physical body, and bled actual blood?"

"And… What, proper demons don't do that?"

"Bingo. If they possess someone, it turns back into normal blood once they get banished. If they manifest, it… Basically evaporates. You can keep it corporeal with the right equipment or magic, but otherwise it decays back into raw magic without something anchoring it in place."

"We're in Hell. Where are they gunna go?"

"Even in Hell, they should decay into raw energy if they get smashed up enough. And… That thing's got internal organs."

Taggart nods thoughtfully. "Something that huge has got huge guts. I'd hate t' be the guy who's gotta unclog its toilet."

I shake my head. "I've been monitoring the surface of Hell. Plenty more demons of the types we've seen… And there's some sort of miniature 'New One', and a grey flying ball like the red flying balls, but I haven't seen any kind of animal or living plant."

"So..?"

"So I'm not sure they eat. I mean, it was walking around naked. Did you see an anus or urethra?"

"Is this the kinda thing officers talk about?"

"Thinking of going mustang?"

"I was just thinking… Once you all go back to super-Earth, I'm gunna be the leading expert on demons. Forget a Court Martial; I could turn that into an all expenses paid trip to Quantico."

"Is there a military prison in Quantico?"

"No, it's the Marine Corps O.C.S.."

"Right, it's just… Who in the government was backing the space program and the teleporter research, and how much are they going to want to cover this up?"

"Oh. Huh." He thinks for a moment. "Can we take the big guy back with us?"

"Don't see any reason why not. Why?"

"'cause… Yeah, I get what you mean, they could just black bag me. But I think it'd be the temporary kinda black bag, where I get a secure debrief away from the press. And…" He looks around. "Everyone responsible's gotta be dead by now. And the people in charge have gotta be smart enough to realise that this problem ain't goin' away."

"You're putting a lot of faith in the rationality of senior spooks and government officials, there."

He smiles. "That's why you're gunna drop me and the big guy off in Time Square."

"I see. Yes, that could work. Still a risk, though."

"What's your plan?"

I manifest an orange power ring, and hold it up.

He shakes his head. "Aw, Hell no."

"No?"

"That might be a thing you can do on Super Earth, but 'round here, if I had something like that, I'd go to sleep one day and wake up dead, and the ring would spent the rest of time in a DARPA lab being studied by 'top men'. My plan works 'cause I don't have anything except experience, but if I got something they actually want, it wouldn't work."

"You may have a point."

The air next to us glows, and then Sandro appears.

Taggart nods. "Hey man. You alright?"

"It was… Restful. But I am eager to return to my studies."

"Do you want us to drop you off somewhere? Not.. Ashan, presumably, but, somewhere else? Endymion could probably use a new magic adviser."

"Thank you, but I think that I should like to remain here."

Taggart blinks. "Ah…"

"On this moon, floating over Hell. I wish to study how it connects with other realms. Nothing about those creatures suggested great magical ability, and yet they were able to maintain portals to another plane of existence. I had assumed that was easier away from Ashan, but that easy? I think there's something about this place that makes it easier."

I nod. "Alright then." I hold out my right hand while Taggart fishes around in his combat webbing. "Since we probably won't see each other again."

Sandro takes it, shaking it bonily. "Travelling with you has been a fascinating experience."

"Here." Taggart passes him a radio. "Just in case I ever come back here and need to get in touch."

"A sensible measure. It wouldn't do for your colleagues to mistake me for one of the possessed."

I look up at the sound of flapping, and Mazikeen and Angelica come in to land, my alter ego floating along with them.

"Learn anything?"

Angelica nods. "That I sorely underestimated Zor, and shall not do so again. The magic these creatures use is crude but powerful, and requires the strongest of their number to sustain it for ritualistic reasons."

Mazikeen shrugs. "We can take us home, but we're no closer to finding out why we went where we went. And frankly, I don't care enough to want to delay our return."

"And, ah…" I point to the skull which is now flying around Taggart. "Him?"

Mazikeen shakes her head. "We can't turn him back. I'm not sure how much of him was still there when you did… What you did. I suspect that it was more an instinct than an intelligent decision. Perhaps he will recover and perhaps he won't."

I nod sadly. "Alright. I suppose that's the best we can do. Everyone ready?"

Everyone nods, and I press the detonator, and a thousand blinding lights erupt across the surface of Hell.

 

[Darko]

Bingo. If they possess someone, it turns back into normal blood once they get banished. If they manifest, it… Basically evaporates. You can keep it corporeal with the right equipment or magic, but otherwise it decays back into raw magic without something anchoring it in place."

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In your world, but not necessarily here.

And the people in charge have gotta be smart enough to realise that this problem ain't goin' away."

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Taggart, these are government people.

Never underestimate how much they'd be willing to bury their heads in the sand if they think they can get away with it for even a nanosecond, no matter how flimsy the reason is.

 

[Mr Zoat]

If you'll tolerate a question Mr Zoat, is this universe simply "A universe with Jade Scott as a protagonist," or "A universe where Paul's copy has not arrived yet"?

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The first one. Krona was specifically using her to differentiate between the Paul/not!Paul universes.

Regardless of which ring color Paul winds up with, if he spawns and begins hero work in a universe that post-Crisis Green Lantern Jade is active in? That's an interesting premise. She could show patience, and wait a loooong time before sharing a peep about Paul's situation.

Click to shrink...

If something like that happened now, she'd be very suspicious of him.

Plus she could have gained all sorts of interesting information relevant to her own hero work in the conclusion to the Crisis of Pauls. Do you have any other elements worked out for that Jade's Earth? Teen Titans, Alan Scott with surviving children, Superman's death actually sticks...?

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Rose Canton was shot dead by the police, so they never had children. Other than that, no.

OhthanktheSource.

*Whew*

Sorry, I just needed to hear that. I have demonstrated a lack of faith, I know, but in my defense, there's lead in the water and a bunch of morons just attacked Iran and insisted that they didn't realize the Strait would be shut off, cutting off 20% of the world's oil supply, when that has been a talking point for over 50 goddamn years.

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Oi! Rule 8!

 

[Vaermina]

I half-turn, pointing to the giant cybercorpse with the skull-shaped hole through its chest. "See how it's left a physical body, and bled actual blood?"

"And… What, proper demons don't do that?"

"Bingo. If they possess someone, it turns back into normal blood once they get banished. If they manifest, it… Basically evaporates. You can keep it corporeal with the right equipment or magic, but otherwise it decays back into raw magic without something anchoring it in place."

Click to shrink...

I feel like with all the generally savvy people around some one should call Orange Lantern on this bit of bullshit.

Because he's basically saying here "the only proper demons are ones that work the way they do in my small little corner of reality".

 

[GigaVanguard]

Everyone nods, and I press the detonator, and a thousand blinding lights erupt across the surface of Hell.

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I'm picturing a Baron of Hell spawning in, falling to its knees, and gargling out the "You maniacs, you blew it up" speech.

Would a demon damn people to hell, Heaven, or super-hell?

 

[BR549]

Would a demon damn people to hell, Heaven, or super-hell?

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None of the above - they'd darn people to HFIL.

 

[Chojin Patriarch]

10th December 2022
16:39 GMT

We all look down upon Hell.

"Hm." Taggart picks up a stone and tosses it, trying to keep his eyes on it as it plummets into the hellscape below. "'s pretty big. Is that a bad sign?"

Click to shrink...

Which makes it all the more impressive that the Doomguy somehow rappelled all the way down to the surface by the beginning of Episode III. And then proceeded to repeat his one-directional tear through it until he met the Spider Mastermind...

Spoiler: Commentary spoilered for length

Endymion regards him curiously. "If they can't send demons to Earth then I doubt that it matters how big their army is."

"No, I mean… If that's where the souls of bad people go, then… Does it get bigger the more bad people there are?"

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Let's hope that part of their canon plan got side-tracked by Team OL's presence, otherwise Earth is in for a rough time.

Endymion turns back to the hellscape, thinking it over. "Oh."

"If it makes you feel better, I'm not convinced that they're actually demons."

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Really, OL? I mean, sure, they're basically fleshy aliens here, but still...

Taggart frowns, looking mildly offended. "Then what the fuck were they?"

"Some sort of living creature that naturally used Hell magic."

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As opposed to what? Something like Mazikeen? A mystical creature embodied in simulated organic matter?

"What's the difference?"

I half-turn, pointing to the giant cybercorpse with the skull-shaped hole through its chest. "See how it's left a physical body, and bled actual blood?"

"And… What, proper demons don't do that?"

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Different universe, OL, different rules.

"Bingo. If they possess someone, it turns back into normal blood once they get banished. If they manifest, it… Basically evaporates. You can keep it corporeal with the right equipment or magic, but otherwise it decays back into raw magic without something anchoring it in place."

Click to shrink...

Different rules. This Earth seems comparatively less magical overall than DC Earth, so of course things are more mundane here.

"We're in Hell. Where are they gunna go?"

"Even in Hell, they should decay into raw energy if they get smashed up enough. And… That thing's got internal organs."

Taggart nods thoughtfully. "Something that huge has got huge guts. I'd hate t' be the guy who's gotta unclog its toilet."

Click to shrink...

...You actually got him to say the line... I suppose it had to turn up somewhere.

I shake my head. "I've been monitoring the surface of Hell. Plenty more demons of the types we've seen… And there's some sort of miniature 'New One', and a grey flying ball like the red flying balls, but I haven't seen any kind of animal or living plant."

"So..?"

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Aw, not even bothering to mention Mancubi or the Revenants? Or are you counting them amongst the 'ones you've seen'... They are kind of mutated variants of demons or humans, I suppose.

"So I'm not sure they eat. I mean, it was walking around naked. Did you see an anus or urethra?"

"Is this the kinda thing officers talk about?"

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Well, they generally have to do the heavy thinking. I figure details like that were deliberately ignored on the original designs, since at the low blocky-pixel resolution of the original games... It'd have to be enormous to be visible.

"Thinking of going mustang?"

"I was just thinking… Once you all go back to super-Earth, I'm gunna be the leading expert on demons. Forget a Court Martial; I could turn that into an all expenses paid trip to Quantico."

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Well, there's two possibilities: You become a paid consultant... Or you get black-holed somewhere, interrogated to death and then executed for the original offence.

"Is there a military prison in Quantico?"

"No, it's the Marine Corps O.C.S.."

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From context... The High Command and Military Intelligence think-tank?

"Right, it's just… Who in the government was backing the space program and the teleporter research, and how much are they going to want to cover this up?"

"Oh. Huh." He thinks for a moment. "Can we take the big guy back with us?"

"Don't see any reason why not. Why?"

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You might have to content yourself with its skull as a trophy.

"'cause… Yeah, I get what you mean, they could just black bag me. But I think it'd be the temporary kinda black bag, where I get a secure debrief away from the press. And…" He looks around. "Everyone responsible's gotta be dead by now. And the people in charge have gotta be smart enough to realise that this problem ain't goin' away."

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...Or the demons are invading Earth as you speak, and no-one's going to be in any position to care until you've killed their leaders.

"You're putting a lot of faith in the rationality of senior spooks and government officials, there."

He smiles. "That's why you're gunna drop me and the big guy off in Time Square."

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Ah, a nice visible, heroic appearance. That's going to get way more attention than the top brass can easily cover up...

"I see. Yes, that could work. Still a risk, though."

"What's your plan?"

I manifest an orange power ring, and hold it up.

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I assume a lantern would be a given too. Otherwise he'd run out of charge real fast.

He shakes his head. "Aw, Hell no."

"No?"

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Good, he's good enough sense not to take the magic space ring. Red would fit his canon version better anyway...

"That might be a thing you can do on Super Earth, but 'round here, if I had something like that, I'd go to sleep one day and wake up dead, and the ring would spent the rest of time in a DARPA lab being studied by 'top men'. My plan works 'cause I don't have anything except experience, but if I got something they actually want, it wouldn't work."

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No, Super-Earth is a whole different thing. But Supers-Earth, that makes more sense. Also, I'm surprised Taggart hasn't mentioned the whole 'Green Lantern' thing at any point, unless the entire DC superheroic franchise was dead by his childhood...

"You may have a point."

The air next to us glows, and then Sandro appears.

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Ah, good, he is up and about. At least they'll be able to get back to Earth Sixteen. And Mamoru won't be stuck on a whole different world to his own.

Taggart nods. "Hey man. You alright?"

"It was… Restful. But I am eager to return to my studies."

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I suppose being undead has advantages for the academically inclined. No need to rest so you can study and experiment for as long as you like...

"Do you want us to drop you off somewhere? Not.. Ashan, presumably, but, somewhere else? Endymion could probably use a new magic adviser."

"Thank you, but I think that I should like to remain here."

Taggart blinks. "Ah…"

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He may want to remake that humanoid illusion if he's going to hang around Earth....

"On this moon, floating over Hell. I wish to study how it connects with other realms. Nothing about those creatures suggested great magical ability, and yet they were able to maintain portals to another plane of existence. I had assumed that was easier away from Ashan, but that easy? I think there's something about this place that makes is easier."

Click to shrink...

And to some degree, he'll also serve as a sentinel to prevent other demonic attempts to get out, via Deimos at least.

I nod. "Alright then." I hold out my right hand while Taggart fishes around in his combat webbing. "Since we probably won't see each other again."

Sandro takes it, shaking it bonily. "Travelling with you has been a fascinating experience."

Click to shrink...

After one last tricky trip through interdimensional non-space...

"Here." Taggart passes him a radio. "Just in case I ever come back here and need to get in touch."

"A sensible measure. It wouldn't do for your colleagues to mistake me for one of the possessed."

Click to shrink...

A skeleton wearing wizard's robes might stand out a bit, yes.

I look up at the sound of flapping, and Mazikeen and Angelica come in to land, my alter ego floating along with them.

"Learn anything?"

Click to shrink...

No luck getting him back in his own skin, then...

Angelica nods. "That I sorely underestimated Zor, and shall not do so again. The magic these creatures use is crude but powerful, and requires the strongest of their number to sustain it for ritualistic reasons."

Mazikeen shrugs. "We can take us home, but we're no closer to finding out why we went where we went. And frankly, I don't care enough to want to delay our return."

Click to shrink...

I'm guessing anytime they want to poke one of Zor's hideyholes, they'll do it from a safe distance.

"And, ah…" I point to the skull which is now flying around Taggart. "Him?"

Mazikeen shakes her head. "We can't turn him back. I'm not sure how much of him was still there when you did… What you did. I suspect that it was more an instinct than an intelligent decision. Perhaps he will recover and perhaps he won't."

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I suppose Taggart gets his own little flying skull buddy after all, then.

I nod sadly. "Alright. I suppose that's the best we can do. Everyone ready?"

Everyone nods, and I press the detonator, and a thousand blinding lights erupt across the surface of Hell.

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Aw, a fireworks display to end the adventure...

Somehow, I don't think this is going to discourage the Earth military's experimentation with the teleportation methods that set this all off. If anything, it'd make it easier for them to repurpose Hell for their own use. And if later Doom plots are canon to this particular timeline, they might be in a spot of trouble without a properly developed Doomguy of their own...

 

[KharnTheBrotrayer]

So did OL just super nuke Hell?

 

[Darko]

I feel like with all the generally savvy people around some one should call Orange Lantern on this bit of bullshit.

Because he's basically saying here "the only proper demons are ones that work the way they do in my small little corner of reality".

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The only other people around when he gave that explanation were Mazikeen and Angelica, and they'd agree with him because that's how demons work on Earth 16.

 

[Duke Long]

"I was just thinking… Once you all go back to super-Earth, I'm gunna be the leading expert on demons. Forget a Court Martial; I could turn that into an all expenses paid trip to Quantico."

Click to shrink...

"That might be a thing you can do on Super Earth, but 'round here, if I had something like that, I'd go to sleep one day and wake up dead, and the ring would spent the rest of time in a DARPA lab being studied by 'top men'. My plan works 'cause I don't have anything except experience, but if I got something they actually want, it wouldn't work."

Click to shrink...

Taggart is inconsistent in how he refers to super-Earth. Is this deliberate?

Also, should Court Martial be capitalised like that? I didn't think it was a proper noun.

"On this moon, floating over Hell. I wish to study how it connects with other realms. Nothing about those creatures suggested great magical ability, and yet they were able to maintain portals to another plane of existence. I had assumed that was easier away from Ashan, but that easy? I think there's something about this place that makes is easier."

Click to shrink...

'it'

Shame that Sandro isn't coming with, but I'm not too surprised. It would've been a tad queer if he did.

 

[Mr Zoat]

So did OL just super nuke Hell?

Click to shrink...

A sizeable chunk of it. Good for making a landing zone. He probably killed the second spider mastermind without aiming.

Taggart is inconsistent in how he refers to super-Earth. Is this deliberate?

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Yes. The first one is 'Earth but with supers on it', while the second one is a proper noun because he liked how it sounded the first time.

Also, should Court Martial be capitalised like that? I didn't think it was a proper noun.

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A quick Google search suggests that it can be.

'it'

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Thank you, corrected.

 

[Prince Charon]

From context... The High Command and Military Intelligence think-tank?

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Pretty sure O.C.S. stands for something like 'Officer Candidate School.'

 

[BR549]

From context... The High Command and Military Intelligence think-tank?

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Pretty sure O.C.S. stands for something like 'Officer Candidate School.'

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Correct!

Also, should Court Martial be capitalised like that? I didn't think it was a proper noun.

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A quick Google search suggests that it can be.

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And remember that the correct plural is 'courts-martial', as the adjective 'martial' in this case is postpostive.

 

[Neruz]

I feel like with all the generally savvy people around some one should call Orange Lantern on this bit of bullshit.

Because he's basically saying here "the only proper demons are ones that work the way they do in my small little corner of reality".

Click to shrink...

Ironically in this case he's kind of correctish.


While we get no real info regarding the origins of the demons in OG Doom, in NuDoom we're told that there are basically two origins for demons:

First, Davoth created all the realms including the one that would come to be known as Hell, Jekkad. It's unclear if Jekkad was always hellish, or if it was twisted into being like that by Davoth's anger at being betrayed, but regardless the realm has native lifeforms and those native lifeforms either were or became many forms of demon.

Second, humans that are physically taken to Jekkad have their souls and life force slowly drain away, evaporating into the ambient energies of the realm to form pools of Hell essence that the demons use as both food and fuel source for their magic and machinery. As the human's soul drains away, their body absorbs ambient Hell energies to replace it. Once the last bit of soul and life force is gone, the body of the human, filled will Hell energy in place of life and soul, becomes a demon.

Second and a bit, after the deal with the Maykrs and Argenta, a more advanced process was developed whereby humans would be placed in Evulsors and tortured to the point of complete despair, at which point the Evulsor would extract their soul and send it to the refineries to be mixed with energy extracted from the Wraiths and turned into Argent energy. The soulless body is then dumped into the plains outside Nekravol, where it immediately absorbs ambient Hell energies and transforms into a demon, a much faster and more efficient process than the natural method.


In either case the demons are not actually damned souls like OL is used to, but rather are real material flesh that is animated by Hell energy. So if OL is defining "demon" to mean "immaterial soul entities, typically made out of the damned souls of the dead" then he is right that Doom demons are not actually demons by that definition: Jekkad is not an immaterial realm where dead souls go, it is a material realm that people are physically abducted to by the native inhabitants where their souls are consumed as food and their flesh is repurposed into more inhabitants.

Doom demons are technically interdimensional aliens that feed on souls, rather than the usual biblical idea of demons.

 

[Old Knife]

Does OL actually have a pet skull? and when has that ever stopped an orange ring user from getting what he WANTS.

 

[WereDragon]

"On this moon, floating over Hell. I wish to study how it connects with other realms. Nothing about those creatures suggested great magical ability, and yet they were able to maintain portals to another plane of existence. I had assumed that was easier away from Ashan, but that easy? I think there's something about this place that makes it easier."

Click to shrink...

A shame. He provided an interesting perspective and I would have enjoyed seeing more of it.

Everyone nods, and I press the detonator, and a thousand blinding lights erupt across the surface of Hell.

Click to shrink...

How big is this particular hell? I was given to understand that the Doom hell is… extensive. Even nuking everything visible from an orbiting moon probably isn't taking out that much of it.

 

[Neruz]

How big is this particular hell? I was given to understand that the Doom hell is… extensive. Even nuking everything visible from an orbiting moon probably isn't taking out that much of it.

Click to shrink...

We dunno, but it is mentioned that Hell is unbound by time, space and dimension, and it appears to stretch across multiple different realities, so it is probably infinite, or so large as to be functionally so.

OL likely blew up all the parts of Hell nearest to Taggert's reality, which would include the Hell citadels of Dis, Limbo, and Pandemonium, along with the Unholy Cathedral, Mt Erebus, the House of Pain, the Slough of Despair, the Hell Keep and the Warrens. But probably has had no impact on more 'distant' parts of hell, such as Nekravol and the other parts we visit in NuDoom

It'll probably keep the demons away from Taggert's reality for awhile, but they'll be back eventually.


e: And of course with Sandro hanging out on Deimos he may well interfere with Hell's attempts to reclaim the area, if only to keep the pests out of his experiments.

 

[CrazyNoVa]

Good on OL for blowing up hell, but as long as Davoth exists, the demons will one day return. Still, at least they'll be delayed, and with undeniable proof of their existence brought to the people of earth, humanity might have more time to prepare, so they might get a better fighting chance than they did in Doom 2.

 

[NightmareWarden]

Mazikeen shakes her head. "We can't turn him back. I'm not sure how much of him was still there when you did… What you did. I suspect that it was more an instinct than an intelligent decision. Perhaps he will recover and perhaps he won't."

I nod sadly. "Alright. I suppose that's the best we can do.

Click to shrink...

I don't know if Doom!Paul met any ladies on Mars before they lost to the demon invasion, but there's a familiar sliver of hope written in here. It's not an amazing game, but the plot of the game Metal: Hellsinger could be used to play around with the remaining portions of this Doom universe. With or without a Doom sequel following Taggart. It could even work with some of the heavenly lore of other Doom properties. Neat. Good luck. Skull-Paul!
Maybe Sandro will give you a hand, when your mind and soul start piecing together memories.