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This arc is kind of amazing.
Does anyone remember when the leagues review was? Because this fic is too long and the episodes thing has shit formatting.
Literal cases of Blessed With Suck, eh? Hopefully OL can take steps to lessen that down the line."Good afternoon, Mister Waddill."
"Ah…"
The elderly parapsychic looks up from his park bench a little nervously. Honestly, I'm a little surprised that he's still alive. Parapsychics in a society with little to no magic knowledge generally get overwhelmed with their own visions and… Either go insane or kill themselves to stop the visions. Even the better psychiatric hospitals, the ones whose staff know the techniques telepaths can use to control their contact with other peoples' minds, can't help. Parapsychic readings aren't blocked by mnemonics or mental discipline, either from the user or the target. Parapsychics can't help each other; if anything, having other parapsychics around makes things worse.
Focus, OL. Plans first, research later.And yet, Mr Waddill is in his eighties, and apparently in rude health. I only know about him because Alan mentioned him in relation to my own work at Belle Reve; a supervillain who actually went straight and stayed there. Possibly that had something to do with him not having had anything to do with any sort of supervillain fraternity or with him not having gone to prison. Hardly anyone knew who he was, and so he could still get legitimate employment.
He'd be a fascinating case study if-.
Imagine how awkward even broaching the subject would be... "Honey, you remember that.. 'business trip' a while back?"His wife orientates her head in my approximate direction. "Who is it, Johnny?"
Nervousness blossoms into a pantomime of panic as he gestures to her. She's blind so can't immediately identify me, but she probably doesn't know about his brief fling with supervillainy many decades ago and I doubt that he's told her.
Nice cover. He's no dummy."Ah, sorry. My name is-"
"Paul."
"-and I'm the.. former apprentice of an old business colleague of your husband's."
"I didn't realise that.. Mister Green still talked about me."
Ah, dancing round a touchy subject at least one party listening doesn't know about... I see that a lot in Puella Magi Adfligo Systema..."It came up in conversation. I've developed.. business relationships with a few people similar to the one he had with you. And on that subject, I was wondering if you'd be willing to help me-?"
"I'm not.. involved in that…" He shakes his head emphatically. "Sort of work any more. I've been retired a very long time. I'm really not sure I can help."
Whatever helps to justify something to your sense of Avarice. Indigo would do it so much easier... And I hope whoever did the deed got theirs...I shrug. "It's my money to waste, right?"
I glance at his wife. The scars across her face where the belt which destroyed her eyes are faded but visible. I seem to have been running into my caring cap rather a lot lately as far as healing goes. On the other hand, Mr Waddill is very good at his abandoned occupation and I.. do.. want to persuade him.
Ooh, wonder how he'd even explain that. That would take some fast talking...I extend a filament to his ears. "I can also restore your wife's eyes as a signing-on bonus."
His eyes widen a fraction. I can see the conflicting impulses inside him, his love for his wife and boundless compassion for her condition warring with his fear of discovery and of alienating her. I'm fairly confident which way it's going to go-.
Now to make sure he doesn't..."I suppose it is. I'm kind of busy now, but if you give me your number we can set something up later."
"Thank you, Mister Waddill. I assure you, you won't regret it."
Calculating probable outcomes? I wouldn't be surprised to find he's got a quite good predictive engine in there.25th February
17:01 GMT -6
Abra's eyes flickers as he considers my proposal. Literally flicker, his implant uses his optic nerve rather than plugging directly into his visual cortex. Given his array of implants and his burgeoning use of subtle sorcery, I can't be completely sure what he's using them for.
More a mix of wanting to be important, and getting away from his old life...He blinks and gives his head a small shake, the flickering fading. "Why are you asking me?"
"Supervillainy never made much sense to me. The way I see-."
"'If you have the power to do it, you have the power to make more money legally', yes. Leonard mentioned it. In my own case it was never about financial reward."
No lingering desire to mess with the Flash?"Right! See, I'm having to come up with a 'villain', and they can't have financial motivations because that would be stupid, so you're exactly the sort of person who can help me."
"I… See." He glances in the direction of the room's concealed camera. "You understand that I have no desire to fight the Justice League in reality."
There we go... Can't hide your feelings from an empath.I flare my eyes for a moment.
"Now, we both know that's not exactly true."
"On balance, I stand to lose too much to… Indulge myself."
Big drawback to his talent. I suppose Alan was kind enough to help him get an insanity plea..."Better. But planning something out and hearing about the results in a way that doesn't risk your parole and won't hurt anyone?"
"I.. suppose."
"One of the other guys I've got working on it one broke into the headquarters of the Justice Society and looted their trophy room. If his mental condition didn't require him to precisely follow the steps of the last man to try that, he'd have got out before Green Lantern could have caught him."
Heh. His fellow inmates not appreciating his intellect?Abra manages a disinterested frown. "How did he do that?"
"He's a parapsychic. He has a particular affinity for the thoughts and abilities of criminals. Meaning that if you work together face to face he'll be able to think exactly like you."
Abra gives the idea a small smile. "I suppose it's one way to get intelligent conversation."
Oh, this will be fun..."Or anyone else in here, which we'll have to be a bit careful about."
He nods. "This could be an interesting challenge. Who else is involved in the planning?"
And Hilarity is guaranteed.26th February
02:37 GMT +8
"Yes." / "Yes."
I regard Thaddeus and Georgia a little nervously.
Evidently it doesn't stick for long, given the repetition."You do both understand that this is a wargame, yes? We're trying to upskill the League in preparation for the fight with the sheeda. You can't do anything permanently disabling."
Thaddeus rolls his eyes. "Yes, we know. We have this conversation with Tia and Mom every week."
That psychology training kicking nicely. 'Soft Science' indeed!Georgia smiles as she considers the idea in more detail.
"Along with contributing our villainous insight, we could also create status trackers to virtualise their injuries. And since the conflict should ideally be double-blind, we could design it to record the results of their investigations and pass along information they uncover."
Let's hope the League doesn't figure out who his consultants are, I doubt some of them would understand."Or incorrect information, if they mess something up."
"Or to you, if they outsmart you. I assume that you're taking the roll of primary antagonist?"
"With everything else that I've done, I think it would be a bit unfair if they didn't get a chance to take a swing at me. Thank you both for agreeing to join in."
"WOOOO!"Thaddeus shrugs. "Dad never let us have a go at Marvel on our own. This way, we get to go after Marvel and all his friends without even doing anything wrong!"
I wince, and he thinks for a moment.
"Too much?"
"Little bit."
25th February
15:21 GMT -5
I seem to have been running into my caring cap rather a lot lately as far as healing goes.
Ahaha, I'm getting a real heist movie vibe from this. You know, gathering the team and all. Are we going to see the wargame in action complete with flashbacks as they lay out their planning?
This arc is kind of amazing.
Does anyone remember when the leagues review was? Because this fic is too long and the episodes thing has shit formatting.
And on that topic, does anyone remember when the leagues review of Paul was?Its in the episode Triumph of the Will and it begins in part 3 of the paragon parts of the episode.
I'd rather never see pull power comic book supes. He's just a ridiculous pile of made up powers pulled out of the current writer's ass.I would like to see the Protag vs full power Comic book supes.
Thank you, corrected.Correction: Mismatch of quantity. Perhaps 'eyes flicker'?
Correction: 'it once broke'
Correction: 'the role of'
Is the SI fully powered too? Because...You know I am would like to be expecting the League to tap YJ to get into Paul's head. And I that he might be a bit surprised.
But I'm 90% certain this is just going to end up with the protag curb stomping the league again. Sigh. I would like to see the Protag vs full power Comic book supes. Cause he aint winning that.
Hmm.
And on that topic, does anyone remember when the leagues review of Paul was?
Bulletproofidea said:25th November
15:49 GMT
The Watchtower
Diana looked around the table with a smile. Some might consider her out of place behind a table, or more suited to a battlefield. True, she did love to fight, but she only fought for worthy causes. She fought for the future, and as Batman said, this was the future in the making.
Superman pressed a couple of buttons, and two figures were holographically imposed behind him. "Given the information we have on Darkseid, I think the League could use a little more muscle. I propose Mr. Miracle and Big Barda."
Wonder Woman sighed. "As delightful as it would be to have another woman on the League, Barda has no interest in joining us at this time. Circumstances may change, but they don't want to draw any unnecessary attention."
She rather enjoyed the time she spent with the Frees. On top of being the only woman Diana could spar with to the fullest, Barda had some surprising ideas regarding female equality. After all, every gender suffered equally on Apokolips. The three of them had worked out a system for abused children that Diana intended to implement soon in the Themysciran homes for abused women that currently dotted America.
"If we're talking about muscle…" Jon Stewart spoke up. "We could always add another Lantern." The image of Guy Gardner lit up behind him.
"I thought you said he wasn't hero material." Hawkman raised an eye at Hal.
The first Corpsman shrugged. "I guess he just rubbed me the wrong way." He said. "He still does, really. But he's done good work."
"Uh, hello?" The Flash spread his arms. "Aren't we forgetting the obvious Lantern?"
Diana smiled warmly as her young charge's image was brought forth.
Paul was a.. very different sort of hero. His mind seemed to leap to conclusions that Diana barely considered, and instead of waiting for a supervillain to attack like most members of the League, he went out and found problems to solve before they became major issues.
When she first met him, she'd considered him supervillain material. After all, that was the far more probable reason for not giving his name. And who else would try to buy a lantern? But then he'd offered to swear an oath to Gaia and made a Ferris Wheel to broker good will relations between the harpies and the people of Greece.
Paul was unpredictable, in the very best sense of the word. The only constant in his behavior was his eagerness to help improve and build up his team mates. Wonder Woman was proud she could say that she knew him before he became affiliated with the Justice League, and to play a part in his growth.
And the changes he'd wrought in her life, and the lives of everybody around him were wonderful things to witness. She hadn't seen Alan so happy in decades... And, she was ashamed to admit, she hadn't taken the time to see him herself in years. Her relationship with Kon-El was... It was difficult to put into words, what Kon-El meant to her. Less than a son, but more than a mere student.
She saw Paul's interactions weave a legacy behind him, and only hoped that he was as aware of the effects of his actions as she was. He could be a little dense that way sometimes.
She took in the reactions of the rest of the room. Batman and Dr. Fate were as inscrutable as ever. Superman seemed to approve. J'onn was.. looking anywhere but at Paul's image, which was probably to be expected given his encounters with him. The Hawks and Aquaman were deep in thought. Captain Marvel and the Flash looked positively giddy. Captain Atom was frowning... He hadn't even met Paul yet, had he? And the Lanterns…
"I don't think he's League material." Hal said firmly.
"I agree." Nabu put in.
"He's good in front of the camera." Green Arrow said. "People will probably expect us to at least offer him a seat."
"Good in front of a camera?" Flash scoffed. "The first time I met him he'd stolen a Lazarus Pit just because he felt sad! How is he not League material?"
"He rocks the boat." Hal said. "And I don't just mean when he was possessed. I won't deny he's done good work, but he's also unpredictable. Do we want more naked statues popping up?"
"Naked.. statues..?" Aquaman raised an eyebrow. Diana noticed her fellow female Leaguers trying desperately not to blush.
"I have been assured that there will be no more statues, naked or otherwise." Batman said, deadly serious as always.
"His unpredictability is an asset." Wonder Woman said, trying to hold back her laughter. "His unique perspective could be a great service in the League. The attack on the ice fortresses could have gone very differently if he hadn't been there."
"He does have a.. 'unique' way of solving problems." Superman put in.
"Yeah! Does bringing Teth Adam back to life count as rocking the boat?" Captain Marvel asked smugly.
"No, but what would you call catching the attention of an unknown omega level entity without any failsafe in the event that it turned against him or his team, just to strip Poison Ivy of her powers?" Stewart asked.
"He does have good PR though." Captain Atom piped in.
"There is much chaos on him." Nabu said, darkly. "He allies himself with Constantine. He has allowed the Ophidian to mark him. Lords of Chaos were not always Lords of Chaos, they became so by becoming so chaotic in life that they bound themselves to the raw chaos-force. Given what Zatara knew of him, now that he has a soul –a soul filled with orange light no less– I would not put it past the boy to work out how the process works, and find a way to replace Klarion as this world's biggest threat. Or to assist Constantine in becoming such, which might be better or worse."
Wonder Woman has to speak up now. "Paul is hardly the greatest threat this world has seen." She said. "Even when he was possessed by the Ophidian, the worst he did was create.. lots of eyes."
Nabu's expression didn't change, but he seemed to glower regardless. "He made cake, and he danced. Such is the way of Chaos. I believe he is marked by the forces of Chaos, and must not be underestimated."
The League took a moment of silence to appreciate the threat cakes posed to world order. Some members had to hold in their laughter, such was their appreciation.
"Sooo anyway…" Lantern Stewart began. "Guy wanted me to bring up a superhero calling herself Ice…"
I know Me Zoat doesn't throw out foreshadowing ham-fistedly, but this detail could return in some odd circumstances later. I'm specifically stating "odd" over important or emotionally gratifying. For example! Paul seems to be immortal. His ability to restore strangers to health could sputter out decades from now and we'd learn about it in a flash-forward April Fool's update.
Another possibility is that Paul will waste a surprising amount of ring-charge healing people during a hectic event. Remember that the strength of his desire acts as a catalyst that makes his powers more efficient.
Yes, I remember that episode. But even as a kid it just didn't wash. Clark is not that fragile. He isn't one little life away from killing or enslaving us all.Actually, it is Superman 12. It came up a couple of times that if that version gets pushed hard enough and something bad happens to the people he cares about, he can end up doing some unSupermanly things. In one episode of Superman: the Animated Series Lois' death leads to him setting up a police state by allying with Lex Luthor. In the scenario described above, he set up what he regarded as a perfect government in the US with the rest of the Justice Lords. No supervillains, little crime, everything... Working. And it fell apart -in his mind- because Batman backstabbed the rest of the team. And he might just have taken that out on Batman, but Hawkgirl and Green Lantern turns their backs on him too. At that point his circle of friends was down to Diana and he felt betrayed by his friends and by the people he was helping.
Hey, leave Batman out of this.He's just a ridiculous pile of made up powers pulled out of the current writer's ass.
Hm, that reminds me. Did Paul ever contact Odin about technology transfer, or at least getting him in touch with Hephaestus and Kord?Its in the episode Triumph of the Will and it begins in part 3 of the paragon parts of the episode.
Odin the god? No. The undead vikings on Earth are currently out of contact.Hm, that reminds me. Did Paul ever contact Odin about technology transfer, or at least getting him in touch with Hephaestus and Kord?
Such a chapter doesn't exist as far as I recall, the closest would be Robin and Batwoman implying that Batman has such a plan, with the SI making sure they know why the obvious weaknesses wont work on him, maybe you mean when the DCAU Justice League review their fight against him at the end of the Episode Doppelgängered, hereNo, I mean the one that zoat wrote where the league discuss how they would fight him if he went rogue.
Here.Such a chapter doesn't exist as far as I recall, the closest would be Robin and Batwoman implying that Batman has such a plan, with the SI making sure they know why the obvious weaknesses wont work on him, maybe you mean when the DCAU Justice League review their fight against him at the end of the Episode Doppelgängered, here
To be fair, they have exactly the same Threadmark.
No, i'm pretty sure it did happen, it was just in one of the episodes on spacebattles(I think it may have been around the time the Ophidian first showed up but I could be wrong, it was a long time ago, it was definitely before Paul's first year with the team was over though), they were discussing his various bits of equipment and tactics, as well as how difficult actually taking him down would be.Such a chapter doesn't exist as far as I recall, the closest would be Robin and Batwoman implying that Batman has such a plan, with the SI making sure they know why the obvious weaknesses wont work on him, maybe you mean when the DCAU Justice League review their fight against him at the end of the Episode Doppelgängered, here
Odin the god? No. The undead vikings on Earth are currently out of contact.
Yes. Doing all kinds of things that will never be the focus of the story.The last I remembered of them, they were fighting Oceanus, though I'm not sure how helpful they ultimately were. Are they just back in Scandinavia or somewhere now?
That assumes that Odin wants to talk to him. Someone.. might have mentioned what the SI said about Tyr.Surely there are other ways of contacting Odin- Doctor Fate seems like a likely option. But Paragon's a busy man and Odin doesn't seem absolutely essential to the uplift project, nor is he someone you should lightly reach out to, though as far as I can see their big-picture goals align quite well. If you did introduce him into the fic, would it be the one from Sandman/Vertigo? (I'm unaware of any other DC comics-related version)
Law abiding things, then, or crimes so removed from civilization that nobody will pursue charges.Yes. Doing all kinds of things that will never be the focus of the story.
Singing about how much they like spam.Law abiding things, then, or crimes so removed from civilization that nobody will pursue charges.
Odd. Which email provider are they using to get it?
That assumes that Odin wants to talk to him. Someone.. might have mentioned what the SI said about Tyr.
HOI4 fallout mod?The NCR disappointed me again, dying to the Western Brotherhood-Steel Rangers alliance before I could join in and leaving me to deal with the entire Northern League. Which I'm doing, achieving a ten to one kill ratio. I'd be doing better, but the Cyclops Tribe overran Vault City and messed up my war focus, forcing me to justify manually. And then they bunkered their army down in Vault City so I couldn't dislodge them. I had to fall back so they spread out and then sneak a unit behind their lines.