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

Duplication (part 9)
16th May 2011
14:10 GMT -5


A cloud of smoke and tentacles undulates from inside the magic circle.

"I am summoned and so I'm here,
Mind so sharp and magics so queer,
Pay me in pain,
Or I'll drive you insane,
And-"


"Leef noissapmoc."

"Heart ready for harvesting."

"-shit it's Constantine again!"

Black breaches the summoning circle, shoves his right arm into the mass and pulls out a still-beating… Thing. The tentacular mass collapses to the floor and then begins to fade.

"Feed."

John Constantine grins as the heart is absorbed into Black's ring.

"Any chance you could come back after you've sorted this whole mess out?" He leafs through his copy of the Grimoire Verum. "Got whole chapters we could clear out."

Zatanna doesn't look at him, but nonetheless gives her head a small shake.

"Do you need any more?"

I'll admit, it's an interesting take on 'acceptable targets'. Call up a demon that is known to be a blight upon the Earth, force it to feel an emotion and then have Black consume its heart. They're not human, not conventionally alive and can probably recover eventually. The only real surprise is that they're alive enough for it to work, but Black already knew that would work as the very first thing his ring ate was a demon. I suppose that Nekron's concept of 'life' isn't so limited as to refer exclusively to organic life.

"Ring, state charge."

"Power level twenty six percent."

"I have sufficient." He hesitates, then smiles in the most natural expression I've seen him make so far. "Thank you."

Zatanna frowns curiously. "That.. sounded different."

"This.. is the closest I get to being alive. With a mixture of all parts of the emotional spectrum, I'm more… Myself… Now, than at any time since I died." He smiles at her. "Thank you."

"Is there any way to.. fix..? You?"

"The problem with any sort of 'fixing' is that I lose this power ring. And probably the benefits of vampirism. My condition is 'chronic', not 'terminal'." He grins, bowing his head. "Hah! It's terminus, not terminal!"

It's a curious point. What happens if you do something which is supposed to return the target to life on a vampire? When that sort of spell was cast with Darla as the target she resurrected as a human, but she'd already been destroyed in her vampire-form at that point. Actually, now that I think about it, why did that work? If she was resurrected then she should have had her human personality, rather than her demon personality. And when she was turned back into a vampire she should have been a 'new' vampire. Except she wasn't. I suppose I'd have to know more about the exact mechanics in order to know how the magics involved would affect Black.

John smiles, but he's also sure to keep Zatanna and myself between him and the grinning vampire-Lantern. Zatanna on the other hand gestures to the work bench where what's left of the Red Queen replica Manhunter was placed after the tech-savvy members of the Justice League finished making it safe.

"Can you bring her back?"

"Certainly!"

Black skips over to the remains, gives them a once-over and then sticks his right forefinger in a patch of mixed blood and cerebrospinal fluid before pulling it out and tasting it.

"Ring, analysis."

"Subject is deceased."

He turns to me, grinning.

"What a truly remarkable machine. And it knows all-."

"All that from just seeing a dismembered corpse. Absolutely-" / "All that from just seeing a dead body. Absolutely-"

Red and I glance at one another. Apparently, we all listened to Red Dwarf: The Last Human.

"-incredible." / "-incredible."

Black grins wider.

"We really are all the same man, aren't we? I didn't really appreciate it before-."

Zatanna looks puzzled. "What do you mean by that?"

"Why do you think Krona wants us rather than literally anyone else? We're not parallel universe versions of the same man. We used to be one man, and then we were many men in different parallels."

I raise my right hand. "We haven't… Conclusively confirmed that yet. I wouldn't want the League or the Gold Lantern Corps to plan with that in mind without having it confirmed by an expert."

Black slides his ring off his right ring finger and lays it on his palm. He then opens his mouth… And closes it again.

"Do we know what her name was?"

I.. shrug, and look at Red.

"Uh. Pass? They might have told Orange, but all he told me was that the other person we were looking for was Jade Nguyen."

"Cheshire?" Zatanna frowns. "Why did you want her?"

"We wanted her because Krona wanted her. But that doesn't mean that Red Queen is Jade Nguyen any more than Time Trapper is one of us."

Black gives an amused snort. "Be funny if he was, though. Anyway, I might as well try Jade Win."

Zatanna looks at the remains. "We have Jade Nguyen's genetic code on file. It will only take about half an hour to confirm whether it's her or not. Assuming Batman hasn't done that already."

"No, no point. If I guess wrong nothing happens. Ring?"

"Ready for command."

"Jade Win of Earth. Rise."

Black.. lightning flickers across the remains, the Manhunter chassis flickering out of existence almost at once and the organic remains.. levitating into position over the bench. Then the lightning focuses on the pieces of meat, striking them again and again. A few seconds pass with little happening, and then they.. slowly begin to grow. Yes, it looks like they kept the brain, a little blood to keep it fed and some of the nerves. The growth is slow at first, the brain matter turning from goo to an actual cerebral structure. Then a spinal cord extends out from the base, flickering strands of unlight painting in the skull, spine and ribs, then organs. The heart is unbeating and the colours are.. duller. There's no blood, not even the pooled and dried blood I've seen in older corpses. Muscle comes next, curiously.. grey in colour, veins and arteries, arms and legs. The strobing is constant, flickering all over her as the skin and hair are added in. Lastly, thicker bolts of lightning strike the right forefinger, coalescing into a.. new black power ring.

I take a robe out of subspace and drape it over her.

"Jade Nguyen of Earth. Rise."

Her eyes jerk open, tiny black sigils visible in her irises for a second before she blinks them away.

Black smiles down at her as she feels her face with her left hand while clasping the robe with her right. "Welcome back. Ready to get Krona?"

She snarls.

"Yes."
 
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It's a curious point. What happens if you do something which is supposed to return the target to life on a vampire? When that sort of spell was cast with Darla as the target she resurrected as a human, but she'd already been destroyed in her vampire-form at that point. Actually, now that I think about it, why did that work? If she was resurrected then she should have had her human personality, rather than her demon personality. And when she was turned back into a vampire she should have been a 'new' vampire. Except she wasn't. I suppose I'd have to know more about the exact mechanics in order to know how the magics involved would affect Black.
Or maybe it's because the whole "demon inhabiting corpse" thing is pure fanon.

"Jade Nguyen of Earth. Rise."
On the 1 to 10 scale of bad idea's, this officially rates a 13.
 
16th May 2011
14:10 GMT -5


A cloud of some and tentacles undulates from inside the magic circle.
Huh, they've been busy, I see. Fuelling up Zaul?

"I am summoned and so I'm here,
Mind so sharp and magics so queer,
Pay me in pain,
Or I'll drive you insane,
And-"
Oooh, a Rhymer. That's some pull. And it sound like it was aiming for a limerick.

"Leef noissapmoc."

"Heart ready for harvesting."

"-shit it's Constantine again!"
I'll bet they've heard that a lot in the last couple of hours...

Black breaches the summoning circle, shoves his right arm into the mass and pulls out a still-beating… Thing. The tentacular mass collapses to the floor and then begins to fade.

"Feed."

John Constantine grins as the heart is absorbed into Black's ring.
Oh, that's handy. I bet he's wiping quite a few debts owed off his ledger by eliminating the creditor...

"Any chance you could come back after you've sorted this whole mess out?" He leafs through his copy of the Grimoire Verum. "Got whole chapters we could clear out."

Zatanna doesn't look at him, but nonetheless gives her head a small shake.
And this is the fine older Zatanna, isn't it? Fishnets and tuxedo? At least the time goes easy with that view. Heck, even if it's her eighties' supersuit with the big flappy sleeves...

"Do you need any more?"

I'll admit, it's an interesting take on 'acceptable targets'. Call up a demon that is known to be a blight upon the Earth, force it to feel an emotion and then have Black consume its heart. They're not human, not conventionally alive and can probably recover eventually. The only real surprise is that they're alive enough for it to work, but Black already knew that would work as the very first thing his ring ate was a demon. I suppose that Nekron's concept of 'life' isn't so limited as to refer exclusively to organic life.
Well, they technically count as life, after all. Merely life supported more heavily by arcane structures than mere flesh and blood.

"Ring, state charge."

"Power level twenty six percent."
Yeah, much more and Nekron's gonna start noticing the data coming in...

"I have sufficient." He hesitates, then smiles in the most natural expression I've seen him make so far. "Thank you."

Zatanna frowns curiously. "That.. sounded different."

"This.. is the closest I get to being alive. With a mixture of all parts of the emotional spectrum, I'm more… Myself… Now, that at any time since I died." He smiles at her. "Thank you."
Oh, my. That must feel remarkable...

"Is there any way to.. fix..? You?"

"The problem with any sort of 'fixing' is that I lose this power ring. And probably the benefits of vampirism. My condition is 'chronic', not 'terminal'." He grins, bowing his head. "Hah! It's terminus, not terminal!"
I'm guessing that's a joke about his own fear of death?

It's a curious point. What happens if you do something which is supposed to return the target to life on a vampire? When that sort of spell was cast with Darla as the target she resurrected as a human, but she'd already been destroyed in her vampire-form at that point. Actually, now that I think about it, why did that work? If she was resurrected then she should have had her human personality, rather than her demon personality. And when she was turned back into a vampire she should have been a 'new' vampire. Except she wasn't. I suppose I'd have to know more about the exact mechanics in order to know how the magics involved would affect Black.
And to be honest, it's going to be awkward if he puts the effort in only to find there's no way to make it work as desired in the Buffyverse...

John smiles, but he's also sure to keep Zatanna and myself between him and the grinning vampire-Lantern. Zatanna on the other hand gestures to the work bench where what's left of the Red Queen replica Manhunter was placed after the tech-savvy members of the Justice League finished making it safe.
I'm guessing mostly the torso. There wouldn't be much left otherwise...

"Can you bring her back?"

"Certainly!"

Black skips over to the remains, gives them a once-over and then sticks his right forefinger in a patch of mixed blood and cerebrospinal fluid before pulling it out and tasting it.
...Ew. Then again, sort-of Vampire.

"Ring, analysis."

"Subject is deceased."
Cue mass facepalms.

He turns to me, grinning.

"What a truly remarkable machine. And it knows all-."
The setup...

"All that from just seeing a dismembered corpse. Absolutely-" / "All that from just seeing dead body. Absolutely-"

Red and I glance at one another. Apparently, we all listened to Red Dwarf: The Last Human.

"-incredible." / "-incredible."
... And the punchline. But they lose points for not giving the exact same line in stereo.

Black grins wider.

"We really are all the same man, aren't we? I didn't really appreciate it before-."
Heh, that is an interesting distinction, isn't it?

Zatanna looks puzzled. "What do you mean by that?"

"Why do you think Krona wants us rather than literally anyone else? We're not parallel universe versions of the same man. We used to be one man, and then we were many men in different parallels."
And someday, we'll all find out just how that actually happened...

I raise my right hand. "We haven't… Conclusively confirmed that yet. I wouldn't want the League or the Gold Lantern Corps to plan with that in mind without having it confirmed by an expert."

Black slides his ring off his right ring finger and lays it on his palm. He then opens his mouth… And closes it again.

"Do we know what her name was?"
Huh. I suppose Necromancy and Necrourgy do need more than an alias to work from...

I.. shrug, and look at Red.

"Uh. Pass? They might have told Orange, but all he told me was that the other person we were looking for was Jade Nguyen."

"Cheshire?" Zatanna frowns. "Why did you want her?"
Hmm... Have they bothered to check on this universe's local Jade yet? Or would she not be distinct enough from the original 'default' canon timeline?

"We wanted her because Krona wanted her. But that doesn't mean that Red Queen is Jade Nguyen any more than Time Trapper is one of us."

Black gives an amused snort. "Be funny of he was, though. Anyway, I might as well try Jade Win."
Ah, unknowing truths are the funniest kinds, especially when they realise how accurate they were...

Zatanna looks at the remains. "We have Jade Nguyen's genetic code on file. It will only take about half an hour to confirm whether it's her or not. Assuming Batman hasn't done that already."

"No, no point. If I guess wrong nothing happens. Ring?"

"Ready for command."

"Jade Win of Earth. Rise."
And here... We... Go.

Black.. lightning flickers across the remains, the Manhunter chassis flickering out of existence almost at once and the organic remains.. levitating into position over the bench Then the lightning focuses on the pieces of meat, striking them again and again. A few seconds pass with little happening, and then they.. slowly begin to grow. Yes, it looks like they kept the brain, a little blood to keep it fed and some of the nerves. The growth is slow at first, the brain matter turning from goo to an actual cerebral structure. Then a spinal cord extends out from the base, flickering strands of unlight painting in the skull, spine and ribs, then organs. The heart is unbeating and the colours are.. duller. There's no blood, not even the pooled and dried blood I've seen in older corpses. Muscle comes next, curiously.. grey in colour, veins and arteries, arms and legs. The strobing is constant, flickering all over her as the skin and hair are added in. Lastly, thicker bolts of lightning strike the right forefinger, coalescing into a.. new black power ring.
Quite the anatomy lesson... And amusingly, these three Pauls are the most likely to be able to appreciate it.

I take a robe out of subspace and drape it over her.

"Jade Nguyen of Earth. Rise."
Yeah, I doubt the view is that great...

Her eyes jerk open, tiny black sigils visible in her irises for a second before she blinks them away.

Black smiles down at her as she feels her face with her left hand while clasping the robe with her right. "Welcome back. Ready to get Krona?"

She snarls.

"Yes."
And she can honestly be forgiven for not having any red in that statement this time...

This will be quite the rescue party. Two Black Lanterns, a Red Lantern and an Indigo Lantern... Plus however many locals come along for the ride... Assuming they can find a way to get there...

Be funny of he was, though.
Be funny if he was, though.
 
Or maybe it's because the whole "demon inhabiting corpse" thing is pure fanon.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Season 2 Ep 7.
Ford: "... I'm in. I will become immortal."

Buffy: "I've got a news flash for you brain trust. That's not how it works. You die and a demon sets up shop in your old house. And it walks and it talks and remembers your old life, but it's not you."

Ford: "It's better than nothing."
That's not fanon and is established multiple times through the series. And in Angel too.
 
"You know what would help us take out Krona? Blackest Night!

...Of *course* Constantine approves of this plan...
Of course he does, he figures he will abuse them to get rid of his demon problems then hide out in the Silver City till everything blows over.


Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Season 2 Ep 7.

That's not fanon and is established multiple times through the series. And in Angel too.
You are making the mistake of treating an uninformed characters statement as fact.

Hint, if what is seen doesn't match up with what characters claim, it's the characters that are wrong.
 
You are making the mistake of treating an uninformed characters statement as fact.
No, I'm not. It's established multiple times, that's just the best example I can think of with a character explicitly stating it in so many words.

You're trying to shoe horn in your own unsupported fanon.
 
Buffy could have been informed about the whole demon inhabiting corpse thing by Giles, who is an expert in many things supernatural, and we just never saw.

Also this just may be the first time that Constantine's plan on summoning demons to 'help' can work out, instead of it exploding in everyone's faces, literally.
 
Buffy could have been informed about the whole demon inhabiting corpse thing by Giles, who is an expert in many things supernatural, and we just never saw.
More likely by her first Watcher, before she met the rest of the cast. Giles does tell Xander and Willow in the pilot, IIRC. (Including a summary: "You're not looking at your friend, you're looking at the thing that killed him.")
 
Also this just may be the first time that Constantine's plan on summoning demons to 'help' can work out, instead of it exploding in everyone's faces, literally.
Let's not get ahead of ourselves. The situation is still ongoing and there's still plenty to time for Constantine to Constantine.

I mean, it would be nice if that didn't happen for once, but I'm not lowering my guard until we're sure its over. And probably not even then, because consequences coming along weeks/months/years later is entirely possible too.
 
Let's not get ahead of ourselves. The situation is still ongoing and there's still plenty to time for Constantine to Constantine.

I mean, it would be nice if that didn't happen for once, but I'm not lowering my guard until we're sure its over. And probably not even then, because consequences coming along weeks/months/years later is entirely possible too.

I know, but there is a first time for everything.

Still surprised that the paragons relationship with his Constantine was as smooth as it was, though it would not surprise me if they come to blows in the future and OL finds out that he really shouldn't have allowed Constantine to give him those tattoos, seeing as he probably left some sort of self destruct in them.
 
Yeah, Angel and his human soul is a matter of strife in BTVS. Especially if you think that the soul they put in Angel the first or second times he was ensouled may not have been Liam (Angels name when he was human). After all, the only soul to actually get pulled back out of the afterlife was Buffy, and that caused a while lot of bad karma.
 
No, I'm not. It's established multiple times, that's just the best example I can think of with a character explicitly stating it in so many words.

You're trying to shoe horn in your own unsupported fanon.

It wouldn't be the first time.

On the one hand, he's just Vaermina-posting, and engaging is a waste of time and effort. But on the other, I do have to somewhat admire the level of dedication he devotes to be consistently, provably, reliably wrong.
 
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Be funny if he was, though.
Thank you, corrected.
If that Ring gets to 100% it will likely attempt to summon Nekron. Best to keep it useable but nowhere near full.
Actually, since Inviolate was written before Darkest Night, there's a good chance that even bringing it to 26% will result in Nekron going 'Power rings that work for me? What a good idea!'
Thank you, corrected.
No, I'm not. It's established multiple times, that's just the best example I can think of with a character explicitly stating it in so many words.

You're trying to shoe horn in your own unsupported fanon.
And then there's the occasion where Giles and Ethan get hunted by a pleasure demon, and they solve the situation by having it try to possess Angel. The thing possessing him fights it and wins.
 
Even better, Black can keep using this method to feed when he goes back to the Buffyverse.
making the demon feel the right emotion with out a mage like Zatanna would make it more difficult

ZL is gonna have to deal with more negative emotion from that sort of method cause i doubt there are demon of compassion/hope
 

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