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

[ForeverShogo]

Show lore is stupid. The Zetan implications are also stupid.

The most sensible conclusion one can draw is that China launched first because it was losing the war.

China was getting its teeth kicked in once the United States started deploying power armor in significant numbers. After defeating the Chinese invasion of Alaska, the United States counter-invaded China itself and we know of at least two campaigns. The Gobi Desert Campaign, which saw fighting in and around the Gobi Desert, and the Yangtze River Campaign that at the very least saw the capture of Shanghai and Nanjing. And judging by some of the details given, namely the months spent fighting in Nanjing and Shanghai, they were advancing from west to east since they took Nanjing before they took Shanghai.

They also took Shantou, a coastal city further south that's pretty near to Taiwan. From what I recall, all of the above was actually before T-51 power armor went into mass production which was the model that really put the hurt to China.

Bethesda trying to clumsily insert these stupid conspiracy theories for who launched first is just dumb when the easiest conclusion to draw is that China was losing and decided to make it everyone else's problem.

https://imgur.com/6DROhhK

 

[Mr Zoat]

I deeply appreciate seeing these little moments of rage from you. It's humanizing.

Click to shrink...

Yes. I am human. Continue to enjoy my internet writings, fellow human. How are you humaning today?

But really, if they're just going to ignore the entire established body of lore, couldn't they have used the Borderlands licence instead? After the film flopped it can't be that expensive. The only remotely good thing about it is finally getting definitive confirmation that Todd Howard hates Fallout: Vegas.

 

[Mr Zoat]

7th September 2013
22:46 GMT

"That's weird." Bleez looks around the bare rocky hillside we're standing on, clearly not seeing something she expected.

Jade and I are paying more attention to the airbase in the valley on the far side of the hills from Thanaldar for obvious reasons. If Thanagar is expecting an attack, combat air patrols would increase in frequency, or at the very least everyone would get recalled to active duty. On the other hand, if the navy was heading off to attack someone it should be business as usual amongst the self-defence force.

"What?"

"At this time of day? There should be some other people around." She spreads her wings out slightly, feeling the wind. "There's good thermal updrafts coming from these rocks."

"Is that an assumption, or have you seen people using them in the past?"

"I can feel the thermals myself."

"Is it an assumption that people here use them like that? City people don't necessarily have the same interests that you do."

"Yah, I've seen people flying up here before."

"What sort of people?"

"Huh?"

"If we know what demographic would normally be here and now isn't, that might tell us something about what's going on."

"Ah… Everyone?"

Jade and I regard her sceptically.

"What?"

"I remember how much space the flying slopes on your world give the people using them-."

"That's because our thanagarian population is pretty low, and the natives can't fly! That's not how things normally are! It's like… Not the military so much, because they've got actual gymnasiums with weight-rigs and stuff. But undersiders and topsiders both come out here." She makes an 'I'm thinking' wing-jiggle. "You know… The total population of thanagarians… Probably isn't much bigger than the total population of humans. I mean, we build up rather than out like you do, but it's… Just the cities, and a couple of other places where we even live."

Jade frowns as she takes that in. "What about the colonies?"

"Same deal. Havania's got, like… Fifty million thanagarians? And half of that's in our one actual city. And most of the others have about the same? Apart from Conrall, but they've got no native population so then had to have a totally different culture. The New Colonies are different, but they're new, so they only have a few hundred thousand thanagarians. I don't know what the exact total number of thanagarians there are is, but it's… I think it's about six billion thanagarians total?"

"Does that include Queen Hyathis's followers?"

She moues in distaste. "Unless they've been doing nothing but breeding? That's maybe fifty thousand. At most."

"Oh? I thought the divide-."

"Yeah, yeah, the counter-c-. I mean, y'know, the putsch?"

"I don't mind what you call it."

"Right, well… Most people weren't exactly in love with Hyathis? And she took a lot of the ones who did with her. So when the… You know, took over, well… They killed most people who could have created problems for them. Except the ones who ran for it, but… Like, culturally? We're not good at that."

Jade nods. "And after decades of indoctrination, people who were neutral aren't."

"And their kids aren't, either."

"So at this point the thanagarians who are pro-Hyathis are a tiny minority."

"I mean… I haven't checked, but, probably?"

"Is Thandalar under martial law?"

"Yeah? For, like, longer than I've been alive?"

"I mean, was there some sort of 'don't leave the city' warning that I didn't notice."

"If there was, I didn't notice it either."

Jade looks around more carefully. "Are there any cameras?"

"I doubt it. Important people would bring bodyguards or drones with them, if they wanted. But outside of underside, Thanagar's crime rate is pretty low."

"So… Outside of the violent crime-ridden hellhole with almost no police presence… Crime's pretty low."

"Yes!"

Jade thinks for a moment. "If we don't know when people stopped using the slopes… We can't tie it to anything. And I doubt that the Thanagarian government will let us take detailed scans of the area."

"I mean…" I raise my left fist.

She shakes her head. "We don't know what you're looking for, and their government is already concerned about you being here."

"Alright, so… Just sight-seeing?"

Her eyes drift away for a moment, before returning to my face.

"We need to talk-." I cringe. "Don't do that."

"Jade, you're saying the line that every man-."

"I want to talk about where we're going to live on Earth."

"You see, you can just say that. I'm perfectly comfortable with clearly defined conversations-. Wait. Do you mean… Soon-?"

She… Sort of tenses slightly, looking away from me. "No. No, I mean in three years. Unless the Reach collapses before that."

"Dox was trying to convince me to use the sun eaters…"

"Bir Tawil is fine as a superhero base-."

"'High-tech flop house', as Green Arrow would say. I agree; it's not really a home."

"Do you have a preference for where we live?"

"I feel like I should suggest Hub City, but no, not really. Ah… You?"

"I think Ripon makes the most sense. Most of my family lives there, and we know that the high school is good."

"Y-es..?"

She meets my eyes for a moment. "For when we have children."

"Oh! Yes, yes, I just thought-"

"Do you not want children?"

"-that would be a separate conversation. Ah. Yes? I mean, I don't.. not want children? Given how… Committed you are to your work, I wasn't sure how you'd feel about taking the time out…"

"I can do a desk job for a few years. Honestly, I could do most of what I do now from a desk."

"I'll-. We can… Take a look at what's on the market when we get back?"

"I doubt it will still be on the market in three y-." Her eyes widen! "SHIELD!"

Huh?

BOOMwooosh!

 

[ScoobyDoo-one-two]

I see work has found them again.