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

[Idkusername]

And most critically, someone who emphatically doesn't want the job.

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Yeah, the trope of give power to someone who doesn't want it is utter hogwash.

 

[Darko]

Yeah, the trope of give power to someone who doesn't want it is utter hogwash.

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Someone who wants power would at least try to gain the skills to wield said power.

Someone who doesn't probably won't.

 

[Idkusername]

Someone who wants power would at least try to gain the skills to wield said power.

Someone who doesn't probably won't.

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Overly Sarcastic Productions had a video that touched on that, but I can't find it. So...

 

[Darko]

Overly Sarcastic Productions had a video that touched on that, but I can't find it. So...

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If you find it please leave a link.

 

[Twilight666]

I just did a search for Greek first names. If you tell me what it should be then I'll change it.

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Philippos
like here
Although Filippos seems to be a correct pronunciation too

 

[Pinklestia]

Was that demon Satanus?

Seem to remember Supes mention that he was a media mogul during the Angelic episode.

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Yes, people honesty preferred Superman facing his usual foes to a Demon trying to corrupt him.

 

[Mr Zoat]

Philippos
like here
Although Filippos seems to be a correct pronunciation too

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Okay, I'll change it to that.

 

[Ace Dreamer]

Someone who wants power would at least try to gain the skills to wield said power.

Someone who doesn't probably won't.

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Maybe... Evidence, to date, suggests they'd try and acquire the skills needed to gain power. Wielding it? That's a totally different ballgame.

Someone interested in understanding power and its use might learn a lot about it, theoretically, while not actually wanting it. (Power can really mess you up.) But, put in a position where they need to turn that theory into practice...

 

[Handlewithcare]

Well, Ploutos comes from a pantheon that is a monarchy. His view on centralised power may be skewered.

Also, guys, I think we are skirting the "modern politics" rule dangerously here.

 

[Darko]

Well, Ploutos comes from a pantheon that is a monarchy. His view on centralised power may be skewered.

Also, guys, I think we are skirting the "modern politics" rule dangerously here.

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Debates on whether democracy is good or bad have been going on for centuries.

 

[Idkusername]

Well, Ploutos comes from a pantheon that is a monarchy. His view on centralised power may be skewered.

Also, guys, I think we are skirting the "modern politics" rule dangerously here.

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You, on the other hand, most likely live in a democracy and your view on modern democracies may be skewed.

In all seriousness, for all that we say the Greeks were the first ir governing systems were nothing like ours. The vote was restricted by wealth, and women didn't get one at all.

In actuality, democracy is not the best form of governance, it's just the least worst right now and the one that aligns with the values of this era. Further, democracy needs informed citizens to work well, which isn't the case. Leaving aside the 'style over substance' form of modern electoral promotion, a cynical worry is that all democracies will eventually devolve into flashy advertisements, which I mostly disagree with. But really, people aren't informed about politics at all. Take a look at what's going on in the United States or India right now. People have elected their leaders on their religious and sectarian views, and for their images, and on a reactionary basis, not in the basis of what their country actually needs.

 

[Gantradies]

While an Orange Power Ring with sufficient want could almost certainly open an interdimensional portal, the sad fact of the matter is that both Havelock Vetinari and Klaus von Wulfenbach already have pressing engagements.

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Yeah, I hear Klaus is currently out of time- *coughs* for his usual methods, and had a lot of his important assets frozen,temporally-completely put a stop to things.
something about him pissing off another female spark....

 

[oct9010]

I'll admit I'd hoped this would be resolved, a little more. I didn't expect any face-punching, or explosions, but some ideas turned into at least the start of mechanisms to handle the issue would've been nice...

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I still can't believe it's been four days and Paul still hasn't bothered to call Dox and actually ask why he sent someone who doesn't even have the military force to fulfill the defense agreement and has zero compunctions about destabilizing his superior's homeworld without so much as a 'by your leave'.

Regardless of whether the apparent insanity/stupidity is an act or not, there's no way Comic King or Dox could have predicted that Paul would be so blasé about how he's behaving, so it really reads like Dox is intentionally screwing with Paul here.

 

[Darko]

I still can't believe it's been four days and Paul still hasn't bothered to call Dox and actually ask why he sent someone who doesn't even have the military force to fulfill the defense agreement and has zero compunctions about destabilizing his superior's homeworld without so much as a 'by your leave'.

Regardless of whether the apparent insanity/stupidity is an act or not, there's no way Comic King or Dox could have predicted that Paul would be so blasé about how he's behaving, so it really reads like Dox is intentionally screwing with Paul here.

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Dox already told him that he was experimenting to see what makes a good lantern. Zoat said that he called Dox offscreen. He wasn't literary asking what Dox was doing giving this guy a ring he was just bemoaning his situation.

Khan has a power ring and the ClusterCorp ship that most likely has powerful weapons on board that can steamroll anything the Earth can throw at it.

 

[Bramble Thorn]

"Yes. How are you..? Managing." I raise my eyebrows. "I watched the broadcast of your meeting with the Security Council. Where you… Beat your head against your table."

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Oh my!

It appears the God of Wealth has caught OL's William Shatner Disease.

...Is Paul even wearing a mask out of consideration to others?

Do you know what High Frequency Trading is?"

"Broadly."

"You know, I… Used to be able to predict share movements… Gains, losses, rebalancings… Even in the short term, even irrational changes, I could predict them fairly well. And then some clever and probably quite rich person plugged a computer into my economy." He shakes his head. "Some men would kill for the blind faith machines which think for people receive. Now… Now I have no idea."

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Ok, seriously now, you need to get that looked at.

Also, you seem to have forgotten that you introduced this guy as the reason Earth-16's economy was in better shape compared to here, and one of the examples you gave was pre empting High Frequency Trading legislatively. I assume by only allowing x trades per second/minute/hour per account on all the major stock markets.

So why is he acting like HFT is a thing that has him beat?

"Okay, so investment in.. developing existing forms of power fell off a cliff. People haven't stopped building generators because it's going to be a while before coverage of the new generators is wide enough."

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Seriously, everyone having the same nonstandard verbal tics is bad writing.

 

[Mr Zoat]

Oh my!

It appears the God of Wealth has caught OL's William Shatner Disease.

...Is Paul even wearing a mask out of consideration to others?

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He has an environmental shield.

Ok, seriously now, you need to get that looked at.

Also, you seem to have forgotten that you introduced this guy as the reason Earth-16's economy was in better shape compared to here, and one of the examples you gave was pre empting High Frequency Trading legislatively. I assume by only allowing x trades per second/minute/hour per account on all the major stock markets.

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Against stupidity the gods themselves contend in vain.

His greatest influence was in preventing certain types of debt-selling by making sure that regulators required market participants publish certain types of information about what they're doing. The problem is that while he's certainly acted against electronic trading, it's... Essentially just a faster for of normal trading, with a slightly different set of criteria. It's very hard to legislate out indirectly.

So why is he acting like HFT is a thing that has him beat?

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Economics is a constant struggle, not a contest which is won or lost. All he said is that it makes certain types of short term prediction harder by magnifying minor market corrections.

Seriously, everyone having the same nonstandard verbal tics is bad writing.

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Ploutos has three dots, trailing off to a stop when he has to think about how to explain himself more clearly. The SI has two dot pauses, where is brain tries to catch up with his mouth.

Everyone has pauses in their speech.

 

[Siskulous]

'Republic' just means that rulership isn't royal. It doesn't say anything else about the character of the state. North Korea is a republic, even though it appears to be a hereditary dictatorship.

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That's....rather difficult to comment on further without straying closer to rule 8 than I want to actually. But meh, I think he probably meant 'representative democracies'. That is, after all, what quite a lot of people mean when they say 'republics'.

 

[Mr Zoat]

That's....rather difficult to comment on further without straying closer to rule 8 than I want to actually. But meh, I think he probably meant 'representative democracies'. That is, after all, what quite a lot of people mean when they say 'republics'.

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I suspect what you actually mean is constitutional states. A mob can elect representatives perfectly well, while in theory a constitution restricts a majority's ability to act against a minority by refusing to allot certain types of power to elected bodies.

 

[Gilhelmi]

Why doesn't Ploutos just "come out of the closet" as it were and admit that he is the Greek god of finances?

There was that one Priestess who went out evangelizing. (the Amazon who guided Paul to Lord Hades the first time, later joined Paul on one of his many trips to Hell and then decided to spread the good news of the Greek Pantheon to the world.) She should have a few thousand converts by now, maybe even a hundred-thousand considering how badly the Silver City fricked things up when they invaded Earth over a petty dispute. Of course, certain other "deities" make things more difficult for the Pantheon.

(I still want Thangar to 'steal' Ares and Zeus. 'oh nooo's, what ever shall we do. You stole the greatest pricks of our Pantheon from us. Lord Hades, please assume the throne to keep order while we pretend to weep. Yes, so sad, nothing we can do now though. Thangar is a long ways away. ALL HAIL LORD HADES. What? Ares called, he is happier being the god of War for people who are actually at war. HEY EVERYBODY, WE CAN STOP PRETENDING TO CARE NOW.)

 

[Mr Zoat]

Why doesn't Ploutos just "come out of the closet" as it were and admit that he is the Greek god of finances?

There was that one Priestess who went out evangelizing. (the Amazon who guided Paul to Lord Hades the first time, later joined Paul on one of his many trips to Hell and then decided to spread the good news of the Greek Pantheon to the world.) She should have a few thousand converts by now, maybe even a hundred-thousand considering how badly the Silver City fricked things up when they invaded Earth over a petty dispute. Of course, certain other "deities" make things more difficult for the Pantheon.

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Him coming out would create a good deal more heat than light.

(I still want Thangar to 'steal' Ares and Zeus. 'oh nooo's, what ever shall we do. You stole the greatest pricks of our Pantheon from us. Lord Hades, please assume the throne to keep order while we pretend to weep. Yes, so sad, nothing we can do now though. Thangar is a long ways away. ALL HAIL LORD HADES. What? Ares called, he is happier being the god of War for people who are actually at war. HEY EVERYBODY, WE CAN STOP PRETENDING TO CARE NOW.)

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That won't happen. Thanagar isn't keen on religiosity, and they really just want Nth metal. Neither Ares nor Zeus have the slightest idea how to make it.

 

[Darko]

Him coming out would create a good deal more heat than light.

That won't happen. Thanagar isn't keen on religiosity, and they really just want Nth metal. Neither Ares nor Zeus have the slightest idea how to make it.

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Hephaestus and Vulcan on the other hand can, or at least figure out how to make it fairly quickly.

 

[Mr Zoat]

3rd May 2018
10:23 GMT -5

I have to admit, after that business with the Get Out of Hell Free card I rather assumed that I wouldn't be working with Task Force X any longer. But…

I don't think that Krona meant for my angelic abilities to interact with his tuning fork quite as they did, but I… Saw things. The structure of the cluster of parallel universes huddled together for warmth in the sea of raw chaos that is the Bleed. Patterns of action and identity which… Changed the way I think about things.

"…any here present know of any reason why these two should not be joined in holy matrimony, speak now or forever hold your peace."

And… People.

Scandal doesn't look around, but Knockout can't quite prevent herself from turning her head aside to glare at the witnesses.

Mr Lawton shrugs, the gun strapped to his right forearm not moving even a centimetre from its position against the right side of the registrar's head.

"Hey, no problem here. Hope you're happy together."

He taps his barrel against the poor man's ear, who frantically nods. I did say this was completely unnecessary, but calling him out on his behaviour right this instant would be rude to the happy couple.

"Then by the power vested in me by the State of Nebraska and by the Source I now pronounce you wife and wife. You may-"

Oh, they've already started.

"-now kiss one another."

So even though I have the ring and personal lantern which Dr Waller promised me, I've stuck around. I've been out with Task Force X a couple of times since, and I'm confident that my presence has reduced the fatalities all around.

Mr Lawton taps the registrar again.

"Don't you have a book to sign?"

"Yes-. I'll-. Just go and get it?"

Mr Lawton smiles. "Sure." He stops smiling. "Slowly. No sudden movements."

The two of them walk slowly towards the offices attached to the ceremonial chamber.

And they're still going.

"Ladies, while I'm glad that the two of you are happy, we do still have a mission to complete if you want that pardon."

Crimson folds her arms across her chest and rolls her eyes at Knockout's behaviour.

"Has living on Earth reduced you to the level of an animal in musth, mother? I should have stayed on Apokolips."

I managed to acquire a Mother Box from Intergang last month. Strangely, the Apokoliptian forces that invaded Earth a few years ago were using them as simple explosives rather than using any of their more sophisticated functions. As far as I have been able to determine, they were taken in combat from New Genesis and making them explode was just about all they could do with them. Since I now possess a link to the Source, the one I recovered was far more agreeable. With DeSaad dead and Darkseid maimed, locating Knockout's daughter in Granny Goodness's orphanage while Apokolips was in anarchy was relatively easy.

Knockout wasn't all that bothered about her daughter's whereabouts, but she appeared to appreciate that I was trying to do something nice for her.

Knockout comes up for air, her gaze still fixed on her wife's face.

"Someday, sour fruit of my womb, you will know what it is to love someone. Until then, please your squad leader by completing your objective. Without talking to her."

Crimson rolls her eyes and stomps off, drawing her sword as she does so. She shoves the door open as she walks out so that it slams back once she's left.

Knockout stares after her.

"When I was her age, Granny had already beaten that attitude out of me."

Scandal puts her right hand on her wife's left cheek and guides her face back to her.

"That's not a good thing, Kay. You're not on Apokolips any more. You don't need to live like you're still there."

Knockout smiles at her. "I would not dare permit myself this weakness if I were still on Apokolips."

I politely bow my head. "If you will excuse me, I will keep an eye on the young lady."

Knockout glances my way. "She can look after herself."

Scandal nods at me while her wife's eyes are elsewhere.

I smile and open a boom tube to the… Somewhat damaged street outside. The dismembered body of Equus is still where we left it, at the bottom of a furrow in the formerly well-tended garden outside. The severed ends of his cybernetics spark and crackle as his power plant continues to try and power the now-missing components, and even with-.

Crimson shoves her sword through his forehead. That… Causes the sparking to stop and his eyes to dim.

"You didn't need to do that."

"He was my enemy."

"Oh, come now; we both know that there are plenty of reasons for leaving an enemy alive."

In the distance, the emergency services are finally being allowed past the cordon. I have already put out the fires and healed those amongst the wounded who survived, but the initial evacuation was necessarily haphazard.

"In his case, we could have learned-."

"What is love?"

I regard her levelly as she extracts her sword and wipes it clean on his skin before striding back in the direction he came from. I spread my wings and fly after her.

"Love is a type of intense emotional bond-."

"Why does it let that small human control my mother?"

"It… Doesn't, but it does encourage people to aid one another."

"Control one another."

I look ar-. Ah. I dart through the smashed in frontage of a nearby newsagent, pick up a chocolate bar, deposit payment next to the till and then fly back outside and hold it out to Crimson.

"Do you want this?"

She glances suspiciously at both me and it.

"Yes?"

"Why?"

"Because it tastes good."

"And why does it taste good?" She shrugs. "Because those amongst our ancestors who ate foods rich in sugar and fat generally survived periods of shortage, bestowing on their descendants a positive association with eating those foods. The fact that objectively there are far better things you could eat doesn't factor into it. In the same way, certain types of emotional response generally promote group survivability. As such, those people who are part of communities who feel them tend to survive, as do their members."

I toss her the bar and she slashes it with her sword, neatly avoiding my 'mind control attempt'.

"Their brains are lying to them."

"If you're willing to expand the definition of 'lie' to encompass every type of sensation… Yes. Your mother and Scandal love one another, and as such have as strong a motivation as they possibly can to ensure one another's wellbeing in a way that mere self-interest could never hope to match. I hope that I will be able to teach this to you now that you are no longer living in Granny Goodness' orphanage."

That earns me a slight frown, then she shakes her head.

"Find the man we're looking for."

I hum, the wondrous harmony of the universe playing around me, and a single off-key note…

I point in its direction.

"Mister Orr is in that direction. Let's not keep him waiting."

 

[Darko]

'earns me' not 'earns he'

'and as such' not 'and such'

Maybe it can be 'have as strong' instead of 'have a strong'

He saved Knockouts life?

Is Savage permanently dead here?

 

[Handlewithcare]

So the exhiliration of the fight caused them to want to elope?

Well, it is as they say: The couple that slays together stays together.

 

[Idkusername]

they were taking in combat from New Genesis

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taken

 

[Vaermina]

"And why does it taste good?" She shrugs. "Because those amongst our ancestors who ate foods rich in sugar and fat generally survived periods of shortage, bestowing on their descendants a positive association with eating those foods. The fact that objectively there are far better things you could eat doesn't factor into it. In the same way, certain types of emotional response generally promote group survivability. As such, those people who are part of communities who feel them tend to survive, as do their members."

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WRONG!

It tastes good because the goddess Xochiquetzal designed it to.

 

[Cuchulin]

WRONG!

It tastes good because the goddess Xochiquetzal designed it to.

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Actually since the Aztecs and Maya added peppers to their chocolate drinks rather than honey or sugar...

 

[Mr Zoat]

'earns me' not 'earns he'
'and as such' not 'and such'
Maybe it can be 'have as strong' instead of 'have a strong'

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Thank you, corrected.

He saved Knockouts life?

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Yes.

Is Savage permanently dead here?

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The faux-angel doesn't know.

taken

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Thank you, corrected.

 

[Ganurath]

I didn't realize that anything important in comic books happened in Nebraska.

 

[Chojin Patriarch]

3rd May 2018
10:23 GMT -5

I have to admit, after that business with the Get Out of Hell Free card I rather assumed that I wouldn't be working with Task Force X any longer. But…

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Ah, Angel-winged Paul. Last seen showing the Suicide Squad what he could do, on a mission he would receive Alan Scott's lantern for.

Spoiler: Commentary spoilered for length

I don't think that Krona meant for my angelic abilities to interact with his tuning fork quite as they did, but I… Saw things. The structure of the cluster of parallel universes huddled together for warmth in the sea of raw chaos that is the Bleed. Patterns of action and identity which… Changed the way I think about things.

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The Bleed is a beautiful thing, but totally inimical to all forms of corporeal life outside of a very small spectrum. That applies even to their minds. I bet people think he went a little lovecrafty after his little trip,...

"…any here present know of any reason why these two should not be joined in holy matrimony, speak now or forever hold your peace."

And… People.

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Wait, he's getting married?

Scandal doesn't look around, but Knockout can't quite prevent herself from turning her head aside to glare at the witnesses.

Mr Lawton shrugs, the gun strapped to his right forearm not moving even a centimetre from its position against the right side of the registrar's head.

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Ah. Scandal and Knockout. Taking a bit of time off during a mission to tie the knot, huh? I assume... uh... Let's go with Pauliel? Yeah. I assume Pauliel is officiating.

"Hey, no problem here. Hope you're happy together."

He taps his barrel against the poor man's ear, who frantically nods. I did say this was completely unnecessary, but calling him out on his behaviour right this instant would be rude to the happy couple.

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Not quite the textbook definition of a shotgun wedding... For one thing, I doubt Deadshot would use anything as crass and inaccurate as a pellet shell. Solid Slugs all the way.

"Then by the power vested in me by the State of Nebraska and by the Source I now pronounce you wife and wife. You may-"

Oh, they've already started.

"-now kiss one another."

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I do hope they remember to keep their clothes on. Save that for after the mission...

So even though I have the ring and personal lantern which Dr Waller promised me, I've stuck around. I've been out with Task Force X a couple of times since, and I'm confident that my presence has reduced the fatalities all around.

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For the team, or for bystanders? Because either or both would probably be welcomed by Waller.

Mr Lawton taps the registrar again.

"Don't you have a book to sign?"

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Boy, he's playing it for laughs, isn't he?

"Yes-. I'll-. Just go and get it?"

Mr Lawton smiles. "Sure." He stops smiling. "Slowly. No sudden movements."

The two of them walk slowly towards the offices attached to the ceremonial chamber.

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And giving the ladies a little privacy, too. Just in case clothes start coming off.

And they're still going.

"Ladies, while I'm glad that the two of you are happy, we do still have a mission to complete if you want that pardon."

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Ah, Pauliel, that dry wit survived the theurgic infusion from the wings, huh?

Crimson folds her arms across her chest and rolls her eyes at Knockout's behaviour.

"Has living on Earth reduced you to the level of an animal in musk, mother? I should have stayed on Apokolips."

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Oh, hush. Just because you've drunk the Apokalyptian Kool-aid (Which is probably a cheap knock-off brand,) don't ruin it for your mom.

I managed to acquire a Mother Box from Intergang last month. Strangely, the Apokoliptian forces that invaded Earth a few years ago were using them as simple explosives rather than using any of their more sophisticated functions. As far as I have been able to determine, they were taking in combat from New Genesis and making them explode was just about all they could do with them. Since I now possess a link to the Source, the one I recovered was far more agreeable. With DeSaad dead and Darkseid maimed, locating Knockout's daughter in Granny Goodness's orphanage while Apokolips was in anarchy was relatively easy.

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Ooof, those're some big butterflies.

Knockout wasn't all that bothered about her daughter's whereabouts, but she appeared to appreciate that I was trying to do something nice for her.

Knockout comes up for air, her gaze still fixed on her wife's face.

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Ah, Twue Wuv. She's just a big ol' softy under the steely shell, huh?

"Someday, sour fruit of my womb, you will know what it is to love someone. Until then, please your squad leader by completing your objective. Without talking to her."

Crimson rolls her eyes and stomps off, drawing her sword as she does so. She shoves the door open as she walks out so that it slams back once she's left.

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Teenagers.

Knockout stares after her.

"When I was her age, Granny had already beaten that attitude out of me."

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I would not be surprised if Granny didn't cultivate that attitude for just this reason... Or just for laughs. She is the New God of Child Abuse, after all...

Scandal puts her right hand on her wife's left cheek and guides her face back to her.

"That's not a good thing, Kay. You're not on Apokolips any more. You don't need to live like you're still there."

Knockout smiles at her. "I would not dare permit myself this weakness if I were still on Apokolips."

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Awww... They're such a cute couple.

I politely bow my head. "If you will excuse me, I will keep an eye on the young lady."

Knockout glances my way. "She can look after herself."

Scandal nods at me while her wife's eyes are elsewhere.

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Just keep the clothes on, ladies. Still got a mission, remember.

I smile and open a boom tube to the… Somewhat damaged street outside. The dismembered body of Equus is still where we left it, at the bottom of a furrow in the formally well-tended garden outside. The severed ends of his cybernetics spark and crackle as his power plant continues to try and power the now-missing components, and even with-.

Crimson shoves her sword through his forehead. That… Causes the sparking to stop and his eyes to dim.

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Huh. Well, I suppose he wasn't a nice guy.

"You didn't need to do that."

"He was my enemy."

"Oh, come now; we both know that there are plenty of reasons for leaving an enemy alive."

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Though I doubt there'd be any kind of romance involving the Weapon X knock-off there...

In the distance, the emergency services are finally being allowed past the cordon. I have already put out the fires and healed those amongst the wounded who survived, but the initial evacuation was necessarily haphazard.

"In his case, we could have learned-."

"What is love?"

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Baby, don't hurt me, don't hurt me no more... <headbangs>

I regard her levelly as she extracts her sword and wipes it clean on his skin before striding back in the direction he came from. I spread my wings and fly after her.

"Love is a type of intense emotional bond-."

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Well, if you're going to be all clinical about it...

"Why does it let that small human control my mother?"

"It… Doesn't, but it does encourage people to aid one another."

"Control one another."

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She's very focused on that aspect, isn't she? I suppose she's never seen the softer side of things...

I look ar-. Ah. I dart through the smashed in frontage of a nearby newsagent, pick up a chocolate bar, deposit payment next to the till and then fly back outside and hold it out to Crimson.

"Do you want this?"

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Chocolate: works wonders for the soul.

She glances suspiciously at both me and it.

"Yes?"

"Why?"

"Because it tastes good."

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Ah, she is still a teenage girl under the prickly Apokalyptian exterior...

"And why does it taste good?" She shrugs. "Because those amongst our ancestors who ate foods rich in sugar and fat generally survived periods of shortage, bestowing on their descendants a positive association with eating those foods. The fact that objectively there are far better things you could eat doesn't factor into it. In the same way, certain types of emotional response generally promote group survivability. As such, those people who are part of communities who feel them tend to survive, as do their members."

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Interesting way of explaining it. I suppose she appreciates the logical concept of it...

I toss her the bar and she slashes it with her sword, neatly avoiding my 'mind control attempt'.

"Their brains are lying to them."

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...But she clearly disagrees with the principle, evidently...

"If you're willing to expand the definition of 'lie' to encompass every type of sensation… Yes. Your mother and Scandal love one another, and such have a strong a motivation as they possibly can to ensure one another's wellbeing in a way that mere self-interest could never hope to match. I hope that I will be able to teach this to you now that you are no longer living in Granny Goodness' orphanage."

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Upfront about it, isn't he? Hopefully she's not so indoctrinated by her life on Apokalyps that she rejects anything else out of hand... Just need to find the right chink in her metaphorical armour, I guess.

That earns he a slight frown, then she shakes her head.

"Find the man we're looking for."

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Oh, you'll come around... They always do...

I hum, the wondrous harmony of the universe playing around me, and a single off-key note…

I point in its direction.

"Mister Orr is in that direction. Let's not keep him waiting."

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I'm guessing he's not using the ring out of habit, being more accustomed to the Wings' magic instead.

Well, that was a surprise. I didn't think we'd ever see Pauliel again. It looks like he's had an interesting effect on the people he's working with. Wonder what they thought of his little side-trip. And looking at Crimson's story, it seems he's found a project to keep himself busy...

...a furrow in the formally well-tended garden outside.

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...a furrow in the formerly well-tended garden outside. (Based on context, it's gotten torn up?