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

Should Have Posted This Sooner
Early spring, 2279
Evening


I smile awkwardly as a huge hand grabs me around the neck.

"Mesmeralda, is this any way to greet an old friend?"

The woman glaring imperiously… Up at me is a fascinating contrast in sartorial styles. Metal armour is combined with.. pre-war dark glasses, a crown made of teeth, wood and coral with an elegant purple dress. A mesmetron on her right hip and a wooden staff with deathclaw claws and feathers tied to it in her right hand. And if the general styling wasn't a big enough giveaway, I can feel the bizarre **flash** as her thoughts go from 'surprised' to 'threatened raider' and onto 'Total conviction that everything is fine for the Gorgon Queen!' without passing through the usual intervening stages.

She smiles cruelly as she 'recognises' me.

"Krono. In my power at last." She reaches down towards her mesmetron, resting her left hand on the grip. "Explain to me why I shouldn't simply have the First tear your head from your shoulders."

"All that blood would make an awful mess of your boudoir."

She tilts her head slightly to the left.

"I suppose that it would. Set him down, minion, but keep your hands on his shoulders."

The First obeys, though given how big his hands are that effectively means that they're wrapped around my entire torso. What happened to him was a bit of a surprise, and tangentially resulted in my presence here.

The First was the head of the Troll Warrens, the only big super mutant settlement in north west America. The NCR had been aware of their existence for a while, but they weren't considered to be much of a concern because they were surrounded by other violent tribes and mostly appeared to want to keep themselves to themselves. Then… Something happened. They assaulted a raider tribe to the north of them and tossed the survivors into FEV barrels. Flush with success, they then went after their neighbours further north and to the east.

And they ran into this woman.

"This really isn't necessary, Mesmeralda. I came here of my own free will. I wanted to talk to you."

"I seem-"

A brief moment of uncertainty. I probably wouldn't have noticed if I wasn't watching for it. Or looking at her surface thoughts.

"-to remember that talking to you has seldom worked out well for me."

I'm here because… Not only should I not have asked a child to pick a new name for me, but I shouldn't have neglected to ask where they got such an unusual name from. It turns out that 'Krono' is the name of a villain from the Grognak the Barbarian comic book series, a cunning wheeler-dealer with a taste for magic. 'Mesmeralda' comes from the same series, the difference being that while Krono was all about subtlety and misdirection, she was the campiest ham ever written. A female Ming the Merciless, with a touch of Dr Doom thrown in for good measure. And unlike me where the choice of nom de guerre was entirely accidental… Whoever this woman was genuinely believes herself to be her namesake.

"But that was only when betraying you directly profited me! And I have a proposal that will profit us both!"

She hasn't met me. But the Grognak the Barbarian comic series is the Marrow Drinker tribe's holy text. And I'm dressed… More or less as Krono did. I've read as many of the comics as NCR intelligence have been able to find, but I'm more relying on her being too crazy to realise that I'm not comic-Krono once she's got the idea that I am him into her head than on my own acting ability in order to pull this off.

One reasonably well-received performance as Nana during a primary school production of Peter Pan does not a thespian make.

"Explain."

"I've made some… 'Friends', in the New California Republic, and-."

She rolls not merely her eyes but her entire head. "You mean that you have encountered gullible fools who were not sufficiently forewarned."

I smile. "They have a certain appeal. You have.. heard of the New California Republic, I take it?"

"A nation of 'civilised' people to the south."

"That's them. They want to make a deal with you."

She smiles with a cold arrogance. "And they could not find a better ambassador than you?"

"They were short on people willing to risk your magic powers."

"Have you grown a spine since our last encounter?"

I wish I knew which issue that was. As with any character written by different writers over the years, Krono's characterisation changed a lot over time. Unlike Mesmeralda whose powers and resources remain more or less stable, his vary greatly depending on how successful his recent exploits had been. Sometimes he was more or less a regular conman, feigning magic with psychology. At other times he managed to get hold of an object of power and become the title's premier magician, something which Mesmeralda canonically hated.

Obviously, my psychic abilities are far stronger than the held-together-with-wonderglue technology whatever-this-woman's-real-name-is is using.

"I've gained magic of my own since then. It's amazing what it does for your confidence…" I raise my eyebrows. "Isn't it?"

"I am more than my wand and alchemy. Were they stripped from me I would simply fight my way to supremacy without them while you would be left scrabbling in the dirt."

"There are things to be learned from the dirt."

That seems to bring her up short.

"I suppose that there are." She gestures to me with her chin. "Go on then. Repeat your master's proposal."

"Firstly, that you and they agree to a non-aggression pact. They will focus their armies on their enemies to the south, and you can go anywhere but south."

"What of the tribes between my land and that of the NCR?"

"You may complete your conquest of the Apostles, but the NCR would prefer you to leave Klamath and the Antelope Reservation as a buffer. Whatever else you do, you must leave Arroyo be."

"The Gorgon Queen 'must' do nothing!"

"Their leader is so well-respected that it would arouse the hatred of all the of people of the region against you. Also, the NCR plans to annex it after she dies."

"The Bone Dancers?"

"All yours."

"Heaven's Gate? The Washington Brotherhood?"

"If you're feeling brave."

"They aren't asking me to do anything that I wasn't inclined to do anyway. What else?"

"You will return any NCR citizens you are holding as slaves."

Shouldn't be any, given the distances between their respective territories, but New Reno has a way of getting its mouldy fingers into all sorts of pies.

"And what do I get in return?"

"Guns. Munitions. Raider scum they don't want, but whom you can probably find a use for. And.. I'll.. throw in a couple of my own acolytes."

"You have acolytes? Doesn't the wasteland have enough shysters already?"

I raise my fists slightly, then **open them**, the First's grip on my torso vanishing as I hijack his nerves.

Her mesmetron is pointing at my face immediately.

"Magic acolytes. I've come up in the world since last we spoke. Would you like a demonstration?"

A shallow nod, and I grip myself telekinetically and rise a short way into the air.

"I would be more interested in acquiring this magic for myself than I would in any number of guns."

"I'm happy to share, but would you really trust anything I would give you?"

"Perhaps not." She lowers her mesmetron. "But perhaps if I study your acolytes, I might learn it for myself."

She probably thinks it's a pre-war 'magic' artefact. But it's not as if I'm sending zetan technology up here.

"You can watch them all you like. Do we have a deal?"

This is tricky. The NCR essentially want her to act as a deniable proxy, someone who can unify the north under her reign while still being friendly-ish to NCR concerns. She's intelligent enough to realise that. She might say no. But Krono's thing in the comics was that he could persuade people who should have known better to trust him. And if she's playing her role-

"Yes. For now."

-to the hilt… Then she'll say 'yes' anyway.

"I'm so glad to hear it."
 
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Double post!

DOUBLE POST, PEOPLE!

I feel as if Fallout-Paul (hence dubbed Faul) is low-balling it.

Psychic powers, yes, I approve.

But with a charged ring I probably would have taken over an AI system somewhere with production capabilities to foster research, manufacturing and logistics on.

New Vegas, the Institute or Big M.
 
"We sent him to a parallel where the laws of physics are different enough that his advantages will be nullified. Far safer than keeping him immaterial or killing him when one of his known allies is a death god."

She frowns. "He's still a Guardian. How can you be sure he won't find a way back?"
Logic error.

If the laws of physics were different enough that light doesn't work there you wouldn't have been able to send him there via light.
 
Logic error.

If the laws of physics were different enough that light doesn't work there you wouldn't have been able to send him there via light.

I imagine it's like shooting a gun at someone inside a magic zone that makes gunpowder not work. It doesn't matter that gunpowder doesn't work once the bullet enters the zone because physics has taken the wheel by that point, but it's a whole lot harder for someone inside the zone to shoot back. (Or in this case, return.)
 
Logic error:

If the laws of physics were different enough that light doesn't work there you wouldn't have been able to send him there via light.
FTFY. By that logic, since you can't push against the ground while airborn, you can't get into the air by pushing against the ground.
 
I'm not sure where in the timeline this episode is supposed to take place, but it's probably before this Paul (Fallout Paul = Faul?) got snatched for the Cosmic Tuning Fork. Hopefully he gets a battery to match whatever his ring color is, since the Pauls seemed to be creating / sharing rings among themselves and we can expect at least a few of them to have the raw power and know-how to be able to make rings and lanterns. His psychic powers are neat, but nothing in Fallout can rival the power of a Ring.

Wrapping up the Krona fight, all those extra Pauls getting to have at least a couple days together before they need to start going home to communicate among each other, share Ring tips, training, information files, Rings themselves with hopefully paired Lanterns...

Seriously, our Main Character / Paragon Paul should be coming home with at least one additional Orange Ring, the loaned Violet he was using when he got snatched, and hopefully at least a Green Ring and Battery he could gift to Scott to match the Blue. Maybe a Yellow + Battery, though that seems like the end of it, since the other colors seemed either rarer or not Enlightened. And it's sort of unlikely that Paragon would be a high priority for getting Yellow as a second color anyways, due to his Orange Enlightenment, in comparison to helping out lesser Pauls multi-spec. I'm unsure where the Ring surplus was coming from in the battle, I guess Krona must have just been making them en mass in different colors or something. Or there's a LOT of dead or still trapped Pauls that didn't get off that Tuning Fork.

The big player Pauls seemed to be our MC Orange and the Yellow Paul, we saw only one Black (Vampire / Demon Host Paul from Buffyverse) thankfully, one Red (Teen Titan Paul), one Indigo (The Boys Paul), one Blue (Time Trapper Paul, who knows where he comes from or where he's going), and there was thankfully only one Anti-Green Paul.

But there seemed to be multitudes of lesser Greens and Orange Pauls, who seemed to be the most common. (Which makes sense, because Will and Avarice are the easiest colors to get into.) There might have been at least a couple Reds, due to our MC Orange Paul taking a second to identify Teen Titan Red, but it could also have simply been that he was unsure initially if it was a second Red or if it was the one he knew and he had to double check. Anyways, of those colors, we know our Paragon Paul can make Orange Lanterns and Rings. Yellow can probably make his own color, and I expect that Anti-Green-no-longer could probably make Green Lantern / Ring pairs with instruction from the Enlightened Pauls. Nobody wants more Black, and since there only seem to be one of Red, Indigo, and Blue they're not a high priority on the sharing list even if they might be able to make extra's.

I didn't see any reference to there being a Violet Paul. Since when the WHITE flash occurs Paragon points out that it's not a perfect harmonization because the only source of Violet is being provided by Starfire it seems there just Isn't a Violet Paul present. I dunno what to think about there not being any Violet Pauls. Maybe Krona just couldn't find any? I could have sworn one showed up in a chapter before, but maybe not.
 
Early spring, 2279
Evening


I smile awkwardly as a huge hand grabs me around the neck.
Well, that's one way to open a chapter. Also: WTFBBQ! Two chapters in one day? You spoil us, Mr Zoat.

"Mesmeralda, is this any way to greet an old friend?"
What a fascinating leader. I particularly like the round sunglasses...

The woman glaring imperiously… Up at me is a fascinating contrast in sartorial styles. Metal armour is combined with.. pre-war dark glasses, a crown made of teeth, wood and coral with an elegant purple dress. A mesmetron on her right hip and a wooden staff with deathclaw claws and feathers tied to it in her right hand. And if the general styling wasn't a big enough giveaway, I can feel the bizarre **flash** as her thought go from 'surprised' to 'threatened raider' and onto 'Total conviction that everything is fine for the Gorgon Queen!' without passing through the usual intervening stages.
That's more than a little worrying. Sounds like something stronger than a mere psychosis...

She smiles cruelly as she 'recognises' me.

"Krono. In my power at last." She reaches down towards her mesmetron, resting her left hand on the grip. "Explain to me why I shouldn't simply have the First tear your head from your shoulders."
"You want to see a magic trick?" Seriously, first thing that came to mind.

"All that blood would make an awful mess of your boudoir."

She tilts her head slightly to the left.

"I suppose that it would. Set him down, minion, but keep your hands on his shoulders."
In other words, let him know his continued survival depends entirely on her willingness to ruin her decor.

The First obeys, though given how big his hands are that effectively means that they're wrapped around my entire torso. What happened to him was a bit of a surprise, and tangentially resulted in my presence here.

The First was the head of the Troll Warrens, the only big super mutant settlement in north west America. The NCR had been aware of their existence for a while, but they weren't considered to be much of a concern because they were surrounded by other violent tribes and mostly appeared to want to keep themselves to themselves. Then… Something happened. They assaulted a raider tribe to the north of them and tossed the survivors into FEV barrels. Flush with success, they then went after their neighbours further north and to the east.
And so on and so on, until they piss off someone with better guns. An age-old tale of the Wastelands.

And they ran into this woman.

"This really isn't necessary, Mesmeralda. I came here of my own free will. I wanted to talk to you."
And knowing this Paul, with his mental powers, that should be setting off warning bells.

"I seem-"

A brief moment of uncertainty. I probably wouldn't have noticed if I wasn't watching for it. Or looking at her surface thoughts.

"-to remember that talking to you has seldom worked out well for me."
Ah, they have a history, or at least she thinks they do. How amusing. What's the bet they end up dating at some point?:p

I'm here because… Not only should I not have asked a child to pick a new name for me, but I shouldn't have neglected to ask where they got such an unusual name from. It turns out that 'Krono' is the name of a villain from the Grognak the Barbarian comic book series, a cunning wheeler-dealer with a taste for magic. 'Mesmeralda' comes from the same series, the difference being that while Krono was all about subtly and misdirection, she was the campiest ham ever written. A female Ming the Merciless, with a touch of Dr Doom thrown in for good measure. And unlike me where the choice of nom de guerre was entirely accidental… Whoever this woman was genuinely believes herself to be her namesake.
Well, people find entertainment where they can these days. If that means living the life of a fictional character, who's going to argue?

"But that was only when betraying you directly profited me! And I have a proposal that will profit us both!"

She hasn't met me. But the Grognak the Barbarian comic series is the Marrow Drinker tribe's holy text. And I'm dressed… More or less as Krono did. I've read as many of the comics as NCR intelligence have been able to find, but I'm more relying on her being too crazy to realise that I'm not comic-Krono once she's got the idea that I am him into her head than on my own acting ability in order to pull this off.
Ah, so no history between them personally. She just thinks there is, because Brainwashed and Crazy...

One reasonably well-received performance as Nana during a primary school production of Peter Pan does not a thespian make.

"Explain."

"I'm made some… 'Friends', in the New California Republic, and-."
Given the previous chapters of Old World Blues, It's more that they have a hard-on for your Zetan technology...

She rolls not merely her eyes but her entire head. "You mean that you have encountered gullible fools who were not sufficiently forewarned."

I smile. "They have a certain appeal. You have.. heard of the New California Republic, I take it?"
Sounds silly, but this is an era where travelling more than twenty miles from home is likely to get you eaten by a Deathclaw. Or a Mutant band. Or robbed and killed by Bandits. Generally, people don't travel.

"A nation of 'civilised' people to the south."

"That's them. They want to make a deal with you."

She smiles with a cold arrogance. "And they could not find a better ambassador than you?"
Ah, the joy of dealing with an idiot...

"They were short on people willing to risk your magic powers."

"Have you grown a spine since our last encounter?"
Let's hope it didn't go too badly for either of them...

I wish I knew which issue that was. As with any character written by different writers over the years, Krono's characterisation changed a lot over time. Unlike Mesmeralda whose powers and resources remain more or less stable, his vary greatly depending on how successful his recent exploits had been. Sometimes he was more or less a regular conman, feigning magic with psychology. At other times he managed to get hold of an object of power and become the title's premier magician, something which Mesmeralda canonically hated.
And then inevitably lose said technology in time for his next appearance, because continuity.

Obviously, my psychic abilities are far stronger than the held-together-with-wonder glue technology whatever-this-woman's-real-name-is is using.

"I've gained magic of my own since then. It's amazing what it does for your confidence…" I raise my eyebrows. "Isn't it?"
Good thing he can read her mind and know exactly what to say to play her like a fiddle.

"I am more than my wand and alchemy. Were they stripped from me I would simply fight my way to supremacy without them while you would be left scrabbling in the dirt."

"There are things to be learned from the dirt."
And that's his philosophy in a nutshell. Reminds me of people taking flying abilities in MMOs and ignoring everything between their questgiver and the destination... It's why I never give my Champions Online characters a flying travel power at creation. The Journey is more than just the destination and all that... Even if it means beating dozens of foolhardy crooks into submission on the way.:V

That seems to bring her up short.

"I suppose that there are." She gestures to me with her chin. "Go on then. Repeat your master's proposal."

"Firstly, that you and they agree a non-aggression pact. They will focus their armies on their enemies to the south, and you can go anywhere but south."
And handily lets them build forces before they eventually come north.

"What of the tribes between my land and that of the NCR?"

"You may complete your conquest of the Apostles, but the NCR would prefer you to leave Klamath and the Antelope Reservation as a buffer. Whatever else you do, you must leave Arroyo be."
Neutral territory, eh? Or a demilitarised zone, depending.

"The Gorgon Queen 'must' do nothing!"

"Their leader is so well-respected that it would arouse the hatred of all the of people of the region against you. Also, the NCR plans to annex it after she dies."
And that goes right over her head... Seriously, she is an idiot...

Big dreams, eh? An Empire! ...That will collapse as soon as she's dead...

"If you're feeling brave."

"They aren't asking me to do anything that I wasn't inclined to do anyway. What else?"

"You will return any NCR citizens you are holding as slaves."
Wouldn't be too many, would there?

Shouldn't be any, given the distances between their respective territories, but New Reno has a way of getting its mouldy fingers into all sorts of pies.
Heh. Just making the demand just in case, eh?

"And what do I get in return?"

"Guns. Munitions. Raider scum they don't want, but whom you can probably find a use for. And.. I'll.. throw in a couple of my own acolytes."
Volunteers only, I presume. I don't doubt he guards his loyal followers well.

"You have acolytes? Doesn't the wasteland have enough shysters already?"

I raise my fists slightly, then **open them**, the First's grip on my torso vanishing as I hijack his nerves.
The joy of telepathy. I doubt the First's mental defences are up to snuff after exposure to the lady's brainwashing tech as it is...

Her mesmetron is pointing at my face immediately.

"Magic acolytes. I've come up in the world since last we spoke. Would you like a demonstration?"
And she's not enough of an idiot to miss the implied threat, of course.

A shallow nod, and I grip myself telekinetically and rise a short way into the air.

"I would be more interested in acquiring this magic for myself than I would in any number of guns."
Ha! Hook, line and sinker.

"I'm happy to share, but would you really trust anything I would give you?"

"Perhaps not." She lowers her mesmetron. "But perhaps if I study your acolytes, I might learn it for myself."
Good luck with that... But they should be able to string her along.

She probably thinks it's a pre-war 'magic' artefact. But it's not as if I'm sending zetan technology up here.

"You can watch them all you like. Do we have a deal?"
Now, is she convinced? Lots of benefits for no real drawbacks...

This is tricky. The NCR essentially want her to act as a deniable proxy, someone who can unify the north under her reign while still being friendly-ish to NCR concerns. She's intelligent enough to realise that. She might say no. But Krono's thing in the comics was that he could persuade people who should have known better to trust him. And if she's playing her role-
Ah, genre-savviness. Another of the Pauls' great powers.

"Yes. For now."

-to the hilt… Then she'll say 'yes' anyway.

"I'm so glad to hear it."
Because it doesn't mean he has to indulge in some regime change, eh?

Well, glad I stayed online. Bet there's going to be a few surprised readers soon. Like thebishop8 said, this was meant to come earlier, before the Crisis of Infinite Pauls? I suppose it fits here as well as anywhere, since there's no obvious ties to the overarching narrative of stolen alternates.

Some errors and suggestions:
...as her thought go from...
...as her thoughts go from...
"I've made some…
...the held-together-with-wonder glue technology...
Should probably have a dash in there for consistency?
...you and they agree a non-aggression...
...you and they agree to a non-aggression... (Flows better?)
 
Huh. I really enjoyed the Fallout setting you painted last time, so it is weird I didn't bring up this Paul during this arc. Oh well, at least he has a bearable living situation.
 
Bad analogy, moving to another universe isn't like moving through the air.
[Citation needed]
My claim is that it is possible that it can be initiated in one location with the options available there and can continue to/conclude in another location, bridging the gap between the two by way of some force or mechanism shared between the two which is not readily accessible in the latter due to the differing circumstances.
You have asserted that it definitely isn't possible. How do you come by your certainty?
 
Me Zoat, is the SI aware that his soul is made of the Ophidian's heart?

Why doesn't he take a Golden or Green ring for his Jade? They have no side effects other than obliquely making the user more stubborn. TheGolden rings have no Bobblehead malware either.
 
The green rings probably belong to one of the Paul's or Jades so taking one may not be possible, but yeah a gold ring should work, Anti Green got one.
 
He shakes his head. "Too conservative. We bet that African countries would go along with whatever we wanted as long as we produced results, since we could outspend the competition and replace foreign companies. And we were right. No having to persuade paid-for legislators and vested interests."

I nod slowly. "That… Might have been a better idea.
Isn't it nice to get advice that will be INCREDIBLY useful to make use of in the future?
 
The Return of the Faul!

I liked this one. I just wish you used him in the crisis somehow. Maybe he could've played the Martian Manhunter/Miss Martian role as psionic team coordinator. Maybe with him there he could've streamlined the whole rainbow beam of banishing thing Council of Pauls did in the end quicker.
 
Huh. I really enjoyed the Fallout setting you painted last time, so it is weird I didn't bring up this Paul during this arc. Oh well, at least he has a bearable living situation.
That's the reason for the title. He is about to become relevant to the story and I wanted to use that segment to remind people who he is. But by the time I decided that was what I wanted to do with it, the final confrontation with Krona had started and I didn't want to try slipping it in.
Some errors and suggestions:
...as her thoughts go from...
"I've made some…
...you and they agree to a non-aggression... (Flows better?)
Thank you, corrected.
Should probably have a dash in there for consistency?
No, but having checked it seems that 'wonderglue' should be one word.
Me Zoat, is the SI aware that his soul is made of the Ophidian's heart?
That's really more of a metaphor...
Why doesn't he take a Golden or Green ring for his Jade? They have no side effects other than obliquely making the user more stubborn. TheGolden rings have no Bobblehead malware either.
You'll find out in a few days.
 
I leant my Jade my power ring last year
Should be 'lent', or, 'loaned'? (Yes, it's one of those really tricky words...)


Nice wrap-up start, good to see the characters interacting... I hope someone, like Big Yellow, is keeping a really close watch on Time Trapper and Red Queen... If the Gold Lanterns will part with them, 'uncoloured' Lanterns which could later be configured for a specific colour would be nice... Seeing as Lantern issues have messed up a lot of our SI aspects...

I'm hoping that we find out who the other non-SI aspect was, along with Clayface. I could have misread things, but I thought it was implied there was 'Clayling', Clayface, and at least one other.

I'm a little surprised Big Orange hasn't used the time to make himself at least a temporary Orange Ring, but, I'm unsure how much effort this might require. I'm guessing serious use has been made of the ring recharging facilities that I'm pretty sure Krona was using. Of course, if our hero's smart, he's got an Orange Ring in his pocket, which he's not let anyone else know he has.

Very minor detail, but, I think it'd be fun if someone bumps into 'Inviolate' Luthor, and his two SO, on their long journey home through the Bleed and visiting flavours of DC Universe...
 
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The two non SI and non Jade aspects are probably Clayface and the copy he made of himself.

If you're asking why OL didn't make a spare ring and give it to Clayface to give to Peter well that would be because he doesn't know how to make one, or is at least very bad at it.

At least that's what I think you're saying.

On the other hand all the other orange rings were probably given back to the other Paul's so he can't take one with him.
 
Not much time left for Time Trapper's sudden yet inevitable screw-up.

He shakes his head. "Too conservative. We bet that African countries would go along with whatever we wanted as long as we produced results, since we could outspend the competition and replace foreign companies. And we were right. No having to persuade paid-for legislators and vested interests."
Short term vs long term.
Starting with developed nations mean that everyone else is even more eager for an uplift.
Starting with underdogs makes places like NA resentful.

OL can spread the good will across the world with a few nudges.
Sybarite will need to batter through entrenched opposition.

"I…" She takes a deep breath. "I think that I should like to come with you. I will send a message to Karl, but… I do not wish to be a… 'Nazi', but I do not yet.. know how to not be a Nazi. If I go home, I am… I am worried that I might… Fall back into my familiar behaviours."

I nod, then open my arms. "Here."

She looks slightly surprised for a moment, then bows her head with a quiet chuckle before flying down and hugging me.
Adorable.
Also: new minion Get!

She frowns. "He's still a Guardian. How can you be sure he won't find a way back?"
What part of 'better than killing him' did she not get? He will be back. The only question is how long it will take.


Early spring, 2279
Evening
While he lacks a power ring the absence of super powered opposition does leave 'Krono' on semi-easy mode by default.
 
That's really more of a metaphor...
How are the other prominent (i.e. those that had multiple chapters to their name) doing for a soul? I mean, Illustress Paragon needed extra special tattoos to build himself a soul, and said soul is mostly shaped by his environment which, other than the initial bits of variable Earth environmental magic, is now mostly Ophidian stuff, right? And before that he was super vulnerable to magic.
But Red and Yellow are both actually magic-capable. Indigo comes from a world that doesn't have magic (or at least not independently of Compound V). The Time Trapper is from a world that functions like Paragon's, but never got those tattoos, though he now is the Time Trapper, so who knows. Ex-Anti-Green has been using the Lazarus Pit daily without issue.
So how are all of these doing for a soul? And how did those who have one actually obtain it?

Another question I guess I have is wether the Warhammer Fantasy and the Warhammer 40k Pauls were abducted and are here as well, and, if yes, why they would ever want to return to their own world instead of going pretty much anywhere else.
 
Double update. Mr Zoat thanks for the extra.

I hope OL is being called BIG ORANGE MOJO because he was making lanterns to give to those that don't have any and are playing on hard mode. Bonus points if Lord Paul manages to do the same with yellow after watching OL.

I also hope all the Paul's got to share meta knowledge between their settings and are given some small pieces of relevant information before they get to return... In many cases the information isn't going to be that useful as the plot has probably already been derailed hard, but OL being told that one of the big focus of the "Final season" of young justice involved a blue scarab that wasn't loyal to the Reach would FINALLY justify Paul looking into it hard enough to overcome the theorized blue scarab low power stealth mode and also will justify Paul not flat out destroying the scarab that is a fan favorite semi beloved character of the young justice series.

Then again that doesn't necessarily mean Jaime would still get the blue beetle, but I am mostly a fan of the scarab AI and he would be just as fun teamed up with most other characters.
 
How are the other prominent (i.e. those that had multiple chapters to their name) doing for a soul? I mean, Illustress Paragon needed extra special tattoos to build himself a soul, and said soul is mostly shaped by his environment which, other than the initial bits of variable Earth environmental magic, is now mostly Ophidian stuff, right? And before that he was super vulnerable to magic.
But Red and Yellow are both actually magic-capable. Indigo comes from a world that doesn't have magic (or at least not independently of Compound V). The Time Trapper is from a world that functions like Paragon's, but never got those tattoos, though he now is the Time Trapper, so who knows. Ex-Anti-Green has been using the Lazarus Pit daily without issue.
So how are all of these doing for a soul? And how did those who have one actually obtain it?

Another question I guess I have is wether the Warhammer Fantasy and the Warhammer 40k Pauls were abducted and are here as well, and, if yes, why they would ever want to return to their own world instead of going pretty much anywhere else.

Red Paul got his soul from Atrocitus, probably when he went into that blood pool to get some control over his rage, like a Lazarus Pit I think.

Yellow either gradually built up a soul after absorbing the magic of his environment, or got one from the Spirits of Evil because they may view him as being superior to Mumm-Ra.

Indigo's comic universe either doesn't have magic, or is really low on it, to the point there are no magical traditions so he doesn't really need one to defend himself from magic users who don't exist, but if his world does have magic then he may develop a soul gradually by absorbing magic.

Time Trapper came from the Mandate universe so maybe he got help from Dr Fate or one of his acolytes. In that universe Nabu had an entire order dedicated to wearing the Helm of Fate on rotation and the Chinese government there also hat other magic users employed, like the Hat, who is a Lord of Chaos. All paragon had was Constantine and some of the members of the Tate Club, while Mandated Paul probably had an entire government agency trained in magic by one of the most powerful and knowledgeable sorcerers in the universe to help him with his lack of a soul.

Blue Lantern had help from Constantine -14, who is a genius thaumaturgist.

Common sense either gradually built up a soul, or got help from Dr Fate.
In a fan omake he kills Teekle, banishing Klarion, and recommends to Nabu to seek help from Atlantis to find a host, and in another by the same author he makes a deal with Nabu that he will seek a host for him after the Roanoke incident, before telling the League to contact Atlantis and get a name for some potential hosts.
These two acts could see him earn some cred with Nabu who may be willing to help him with the soul thing, because I think Common Sense Paul would stay the hell away from DC England and Constantine. The fact he wasn't hit by Klarion's magic in the first omake would also make it so he isn't in a rush to get a soul.

Krona either missed the Warhammer and Warhammer 40k versions either because he already had enough Paul's, or he saw the Chaos Gods and decided it would be more trouble than it is worth to deal with them.
 
Red Paul got his soul from Atrocitus, probably when he went into that blood pool to get some control over his rage, like a Lazarus Pit I think.

Yellow either gradually built up a soul after absorbing the magic of his environment, or got one from the Spirits of Evil because they may view him as being superior to Mumm-Ra.

Indigo's comic universe either doesn't have magic, or is really low on it, to the point there are no magical traditions so he doesn't really need one to defend himself from magic users who don't exist, but if his world does have magic then he may develop a soul gradually by absorbing magic.

Time Trapper came from the Mandate universe so maybe he got help from Dr Fate or one of his acolytes. In that universe Nabu had an entire order dedicated to wearing the Helm of Fate on rotation and the Chinese government there also hat other magic users employed, like the Hat, who is a Lord of Chaos. All paragon had was Constantine and some of the members of the Tate Club, while Mandated Paul probably had an entire government agency trained in magic by one of the most powerful and knowledgeable sorcerers in the universe to help him with his lack of a soul.

Blue Lantern had help from Constantine -14, who is a genius thaumaturgist.

Common sense either gradually built up a soul, or got help from Dr Fate.
In a fan omake he kills Teekle, banishing Klarion, and recommends to Nabu to seek help from Atlantis to find a host, and in another by the same author he makes a deal with Nabu that he will seek a host for him after the Roanoke incident, before telling the League to contact Atlantis and get a name for some potential hosts.
These two acts could see him earn some cred with Nabu who may be willing to help him with the soul thing, because I think Common Sense Paul would stay the hell away from DC England and Constantine. The fact he wasn't hit by Klarion's magic in the first omake would also make it so he isn't in a rush to get a soul.

Krona either missed the Warhammer and Warhammer 40k versions either because he already had enough Paul's, or he saw the Chaos Gods and decided it would be more trouble than it is worth to deal with them.
It's not likely that any of the Pauls could develop a soul on their own. The only reason Paragon was able to do so was because of Constantine's tattoos. I can't speak to the validity of other methods, however.
 
It's not likely that any of the Pauls could develop a soul on their own. The only reason Paragon was able to do so was because of Constantine's tattoos. I can't speak to the validity of other methods, however.

Pretty sure Zoat said they gradually could develop one.

It may not be as fast as the tattoos or the Pit, but it is possible, though the souls probably won't be all that powerful.
 
While he lacks a power ring the absence of super powered opposition does leave 'Krono' on semi-easy mode by default.
I'd need to check, but I suspect that the Super Mutants who made The Father are still around somewhere. That thing was a mini-Flood. Plus there are super-advanced aliens and magic.
 

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