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

[Darko]

But it smell/tasted

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"smelled"

 

[mastermenthe]

How do you picture that going?

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Horribly.
Even so, it's that specific kind of horrible I like to see.

I can't imagine the kind of self-reinforcing loop that would form from an Orange Madness Mantra of "I Want To Be Left Alone."

 

[Lord Ernest]

Horribly.
Even so, it's that specific kind of horrible I like to see.

I can't imagine the kind of self-reinforcing loop that would form from an Orange Madness Mantra of "I Want To Be Left Alone."

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Wouldn't that just be another version of Larfleeze, essentially?

 

[Zig]

I'm kinda curious to see what a Paul in Misfits would be like... though it might be a bit hard to justify him interacting with the main cast. Maybe he crashes into something his first time flying with the ring and can't buy his way out for some reason? Maybe Zoat would enjoy writing about a British show / something in Britain for once?

 

[Cuchulin]

Personally I wonder what a version of OL/Paul who woke in the universe of the Harley Quinn cartoon would be like? I think he'd be very disillusioned/disappointed in Batman once he got to know him some, maybe even try to force Bruce to grow up and do things like apologize to Jim Gordon.

 

[Darko]

Personally I wonder what a version of OL/Paul who woke in the universe of the Harley Quinn cartoon would be like? I think he'd be very disillusioned/disappointed in Batman once he got to know him some, maybe even try to force Bruce to grow up and do things like apologize to Jim Gordon.

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Don't forget trying to help Jim with...everything.

Maybe even try to keep Joker on his mayor phase.

 

[Cuchulin]

Don't forget trying to help Jim with...everything.

Maybe even try to keep Joker on his mayor phase.

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Not to mention helping Harley fully break with the Joker, help Ivy win over Harley and eventually help her reform as well as help members of her crew reform.

 

[Mr Zoat]

"smelled"

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I see what you're saying, but I like the way it sounds now. I'll just say it makes sense if you're a shark.

I'm kinda curious to see what a Paul in Misfits would be like... though it might be a bit hard to justify him interacting with the main cast. Maybe he crashes into something his first time flying with the ring and can't buy his way out for some reason? Maybe Zoat would enjoy writing about a British show / something in Britain for once?

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Have you seen Misfits? I don't see any version of me wanting to spend time with any of them.

I could see him recruiting Kelly because her power is actually really useful... Ah, depending on how it works on people who don't speak English.

Personally I wonder what a version of OL/Paul who woke in the universe of the Harley Quinn cartoon would be like? I think he'd be very disillusioned/disappointed in Batman once he got to know him some, maybe even try to force Bruce to grow up and do things like apologize to Jim Gordon.

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My interpretation of that series is that it's from Harley's point of view and that most of it isn't actually happening as she perceives it.

Not to mention helping Harley fully break with the Joker, help Ivy win over Harley and eventually help her reform as well as help members of her crew reform.

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You DO remember that they both murder a LOT of people, right? He might arrest them or he might shoot them but he certainly wouldn't be joining them.

 

[Mr Zoat]

19th July 2013
09:34 GMT -5

"Mad Hatter..?" Kai frowns. "I mean… I'm glad you got him-."

"In point of fact, he's still at large."

"But you-. Stopped him, right?"

"No, not really. We've removed his seven victims from the G.P.A. network so he shouldn't be able to control them again, but you were never a member so presumably he's working on how to control former Justifiers even without that assistance. We've taken the precaution of halting the recruitment of former Justifiers to prevent them being controlled, and the Justice League are considering shutting the whole system down temporarily until Doctor Tetch is brought in."

"Huh. Did you find anyone other than those seven?"

"No, not yet. Nothing Doctor Tetch said suggested to me that he'd have killed them deliberately, but he's killed people accidentally before."

He nods. "Okay. I'll keep an eye out."

"Thank you. I don't imagine that he'll return to Gotham, but it can't hurt."

"I was.. thinking… Joining the G.P.A.. Is that..? Something we're supposed to do?"

"Speaking personally, I'd much rather that no one did. I consider that sort of mind wipe to be suicide with extra steps."

He blinks. "Huh?"

"I realise that our news broadcasts suggest that the Justice League and its affiliates are singing from the same hymn sheet on all matters, but this particular... Thing, is causing a good deal of debate. This country was built without super powers and it can be rebuilt without super powers. Just a bit… Slower."

"Super powers would be nice."

"But if you had your mind wiped, it wouldn't exactly be you who got them. If you really want super powers, there are dozens of ways to get them that people trip over every year. Heck, I can give you an introductory guide to magic right now if you want it."

"I can.. become a wizard? Like..?"

He makes a swirling gesture with both hands, an incredulous smile on his lips.

"Sort of like that. It usually takes several years of dedicated effort to conjure observable phenomena, but you should experience certain fringe benefits before that. Are you interested?"

"Hell yeah!"

I generate a copy of what I've taken to calling 'A Knowlessman's Introduction to Arcana' and hold it out to him. He takes it, and then noticeably hesitates.

I huff quietly. "The book itself is not inherently magical and is entirely physically safe."

"Is it safe around kids? Because my sister's kids-."

"Unless they're reading well ahead of their class, the language would almost certainly be too advanced for them. And as I said, years of dedicated effort, even in places like Atlantis. Learning magic isn't a matter of muttering a few words in Latin."

"Okay." He nods. "Cool. I'll take a look."

"And I'll get back-." Oh. "Ah, one other thing. Are you single?"

"Yeah, but…" He looks slightly awkward. "I'm.. not into guys… Sorry?"

"No, no, I'm quite happy with my current girlfriend." He looks puzzled. "I'm trying to help Catwoman get over Batman, and my suggestions to date have all been rejected."

"Over Bat-? She's-." He shakes his head. "She sounds like she's out of my league, dude."

I nod slowly. "Very well. Is there anyone you would like to recommend?"

He just stares at me for a moment.

"No?"

"Very well. Then I bid you good day."

I fly upwards and then take a moment to just look down at the world.

I suppose that was a long shot. Who else do I know-?

Leonard? Eh. I'm not sure that he's… In the right mental place for a relationship, and I'm still a little worried about his backslide-potential. Crane? No. Zagreus? Probably not. Jonathan Crock?

Oh, don't be ridiculous. He's roughly the right age but I've never even met him. And I doubt that he'd date a supervillainess.

I should probably say hello to him at some point.

Ugh, how many men my own real age do I know who are single? I-.

My ring shimmers.

"Orange Lantern?"

It's the ffff-. It's the Peace Agent again.

"Is this about the Question again?"

"Unless you've found him?"

"You have a critical flaw in your security which allows the Mad Hatter and possibly others to mind control your Operatives and possibly Agents as well, and you decided that the best thing you could do with your time is bother me about The Question."

"The Question was subject to direct Anti-Life exposure. We are concerned that he might be particularly susceptible. Particularly in light of what Mad Hatter appears to be trying to do."

How..? Would..?

"Because… You think that he could take Doctor Tetch's place inside the sphere, which would… Grant Doctor Tetch access to the soul of whatever city he.. felt like?"

"Amongst other things."

"That's actually a reasonable concern. But that doesn't explain why-? Did you know that sphere existed? Is that why you were badgering me about The Question?"

"I am happy to confirm that I didn't know about it."

"Did Batman?"

"He… May have? I'm afraid that I don't know everything that he knows."

"Would you please find out everything he knows about the sphere and then get back to me? It seems likely that it's going to have a strong impact on my ability to do my job in the immediate future."

"Certainly, Orange Lantern."

"And now that there's an actual mission-based need, I'll prioritise locating The Question."

"I'm glad to hear it. Have a productive day."

 

[Cuchulin]

My interpretation of that series is that it's from Harley's point of view and that most of it isn't actually happening as she perceives it.

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Makes sense, though I doubt her perception of things would be radically different from what actually happened.

 

[Neruz]

Makes sense, though I doubt her perception of things would be radically different from what actually happened.

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Its Harley: Its completely possible that entire scenes are literally only happening in her imagination and she's actually just dancing around an empty warehouse singing to herself.

 

[Cuchulin]

Its Harley: Its completely possible that entire scenes are literally only happening in her imagination and she's actually just dancing around an empty warehouse singing to herself.

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Maybe, but I prefer to think that things mostly happened the way she thought they were.

 

[Lord Ernest]

Now there is a reasonable motive to make finding Question a priority, but... I noticed the "Peace Agent" never explained why they were insisting on asking the Illustres to search for the Question before.

There's definitely something still afoot.

 

[Darko]

Now there is a reasonable motive to make finding Question a priority, but... I noticed the "Peace Agent" never explained why they were insisting on asking the Illustres to search for the Question before.

There's definitely something still afoot.

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Paul is one of the most skilled ring users on the planet, and he lacks a lot of the restrictions that other rings may have.

 

[Chojin Patriarch]

19th July 2013
09:34 GMT -5

"Mad Hatter..?" Kai frowns. "I mean… I'm glad you got him-."

"In point of fact, he's still at large."

"But you-. Stopped him, right?"

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Ah, the depressing realisation that maybe the superheroes don't always win. Fortunately, Tetch isn't really dangerous outside of his access to New God technology and the Peace Agents' control interfaces. As far as we know, anyway.

Spoiler: Commentary spoilered for length

"No, not really. We've removed his seven victims from the G.P.A. network so he shouldn't be able to control them again, but you were never a member so presumably he's working on how to control former Justifiers even without that assistance. We've taken the precaution of halting the recruitment of former Justifiers to prevent them being controlled, and the Justice League are considering shutting the whole system down temporarily until Doctor Tetch is brought in."

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Well, at least they got the people he affected isolated. On the other hand, being able to get at people who wore a helmet, willingly or not, is concerning.

"Huh. Did you find anyone other than those seven?"

"No, not yet. Nothing Doctor Tetch said suggested to me that he'd have killed them deliberately, but he's killed people accidentally before."

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Tetch has never been malicious, merely neglectful in his care. And most of the time he gets caught too quickly for any risk of harm, usually.

He nods. "Okay. I'll keep an eye out."

"Thank you. I don't imagine that he'll return to Gotham, but it can't hurt."

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The worry is that America is a big country, and there's no reason to assume he stayed there, either. He could have gone anywhere on Earth, or beyond, depending on the settings of the Hush Tube he deployed. I assume the Agency's systems are limited to Earth and nearby satellites...

"I was.. thinking… Joining the G.P.A.. Is that..? Something we're supposed to do?"

"Speaking personally, I'd much rather that no one did. I consider that sort of mind wipe to be suicide with extra steps."

He blinks. "Huh?"

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If you can change things about yourself like that, are you still you? It's one of those questions that will play a part in the eventual Singularity, I bet...

"I realise that our news broadcasts suggest that the Justice League and its affiliates are singing from the same hymn sheet on all matters, but this particular... Thing, is causing a good deal of debate. This country was built without super powers and it can be rebuilt without super powers. Just a bit… Slower."

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They do make things a bit easier, certainly.

"Super powers would be nice."

"But if you had your mind wiped, it wouldn't exactly be you who got them. If you really want super powers, there are dozens of ways to get them that people trip over every year. Heck, I can give you an introductory guide to magic right now if you want it."

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The trick is surviving those accidental empowerments. Not every person who gets a whiff of, say, 'Heavy Water Fumes' will gain super speed. More likely, they just die from radiation poisoning.

"I can.. become a wizard? Like..?"

He makes a swirling gesture with both hands, an incredulous smile on his lips.

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...You can just say Harry Potter, you know. Or Harry Dresden. Or Doctor Strange. Or whatever wizard he was thinking of.

"Sort of like that. It usually takes several years of dedicated effort to conjure observable phenomena, but you should experience certain fringe benefits before that. Are you interested?"

"Hell yeah!"

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There's a reason the traditional imagery of a 'Wizard' is an old bearded man in a lonely tower.

I generate a copy of what I've taken to calling 'A Knowlessman's Introduction to Arcana' and hold it out to him. He takes it, and then noticeably hesitates.

I huff quietly. "The book itself is not inherently magical and is entirely physically safe."

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And presumably any actual spell-casting capabilities it may awaken are limited to things like telekinesis, making light or magical cleaning... Simple things like that?

"Is it safe around kids? Because my sister's kids-."

"Unless they're reading well ahead of their class, the language would almost certainly be too advanced for them. And as I said, years of dedicated effort, even in places like Atlantis. Learning magic isn't a matter of muttering a few words in Latin."

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Or even bad latin. Looking at a certain Boy Who Lived's world...

"Okay." He nods. "Cool. I'll take a look."

"And I'll get back-." Oh. "Ah, one other thing. Are you single?"

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...Really, OL? You want to throw him at a certain single lady of your acquaintance?

"Yeah, but…" He looks slightly awkward. "I'm.. not into guys… Sorry?"

"No, no, I'm quite happy with my current girlfriend." He looks puzzled. "I'm trying to help Catwoman get over Batman, and my suggestions to date have all been rejected."

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I really don't think she'd be interested in some random guy, though.

"Over Bat-? She's-." He shakes his head. "She sounds like she's out of my league, dude."

I nod slowly. "Very well. Is there anyone you would like to recommend?"

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If nothing else, he'd need the skills to survive being a cape partner. Among them avoiding or surviving kidnapping attempts, two-fisted brawling during rescues, that sort of deal.

He just stares at me for a moment.

"No?"

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Smart man. That's not a lady to disappoint. Especially when she'll be holding you up against Batman.

"Very well. Then I bid you good day."

I fly upwards and then take a moment to just look down at the world.

I suppose that was a long shot. Who else do I know-?

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Maybe stop poking around in her love life, OL? This isn't a problem you can solve for her.

Leonard? Eh. I'm not sure that he's… In the right mental place for a relationship, and I'm still a little worried about his backslide-potential. Crane? No. Zagreus? Probably not. Jonathan Crock?

Oh, don't be ridiculous. He's roughly the right age but I've never even met him. And I doubt that he'd date a supervillainess.

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I don't even remember who that is, but I would bet it'd be a 'no' for sure.

I should probably say hello to him at some point.

Ugh, how many men my own real age do I know who are single? I-.

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Preferably ones who can compete with the standards of Batman as a romantic partner...

My ring shimmers.

"Orange Lantern?"

It the ffff-. It's the Peace Agent again.

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He's really about had enough of their badgering, hasn't he?

"Is this about the Question again?"

"Unless you've found him?"

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Unless he's literally hidden in OL's shadow, not at this moment, no.

"You have a critical flaw in your security which allows the Mad Hatter and possibly others to mind control your Operatives and possibly Agents as well, and you decided that the best thing you could do with your time is bother me about The Question."

"The Question was subject to direct Anti-Life exposure. We are concerned that he might be particularly susceptible. Particularly in light of what Mad Hatter appears to be trying to do."

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...Okay, that is a legitimate concern, I suppose.

How..? Would..?

"Because… You think that he could take Doctor Tetch's place inside the sphere, which would… Grant Doctor Tetch access to the soul of whatever city he.. felt like?"

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Not necessarily the sphere, I suspect. There are probably other methods that could be used...

"Amongst other things."

"That's actually a reasonable concern. But that doesn't explain why-? Did you know that sphere existed? Is that why you were badgering me about The Question?"

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Would have helped if he'd known about it beforehand.

"I am happy to confirm that I didn't know about it."

"Did Batman?"

"He… May have? I'm afraid that I don't know everything that he knows."

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Ah, so it's not just OL getting the mushroom treatment. Probably levels of 'privileged information' abounding.

"Would you please find out everything he knows about the sphere and then get back to me? It seems likely that it's going to have a strong impact on my ability to do my job in the immediate future."

"Certainly, Orange Lantern."

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Likelihood of that happening before the next time he needs critical information... Probably low.

"And now that there's an actual mission-based need, I'll prioritise locating The Question."

"I'm glad to hear it. Have a productive day."

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Well, let the hunt begin for a man who knows how to hide very well.

I have the feeling the Tetch/Question.. question will continue to be the focus of this episode. Hopefully amongst OL looking in on other minor matters as he goes around checking in. The problem is how to find a man who's made it a life goal to be very hard to find? It's not like he can post on, say, a conspiracy website and get an answer.

 

[Duke Long]

It the ffff-. It's the Peace Agent again.

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'It's'

 

[Mr Zoat]

'It's'

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Thank you, corrected.

I don't even remember who that is, but I would bet it'd be a 'no' for sure.

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Artemis's older cousin.

 

[Wivk]

Now there is a reasonable motive to make finding Question a priority, but... I noticed the "Peace Agent" never explained why they were insisting on asking the Illustres to search for the Question before.

There's definitely something still afoot.

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The question is almost certainly against mind wiping people into an army of super slaves to conquer the world. They want to find him and imprison him "for his own good" before he can meaningfully unravel all their bs.