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

Reader mode
Agumentic said:
You know, considering cats once ruled the world and are angling to restore their power, maybe nekomimi are actually a bigger problem than you would think.
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I for one welcome our Feline over lords as long as the don't go past 45-50% cat.
Edit: Besides ceiling cat would certainly approve of this!
 
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Dear John (part 11)
  • Threadmarks
    • 7th November 2012
    10:03 GMT -5

    "Hey!"

    I turn and look at the Statue of Liberty's tiara window as a… Complete stereotype of an American tourist waves to get my attention. Male, overweight, collar of a Hawaiian shirt sticking up past the neck of his jumper and coat, an actual camera rather than a camera phone and an 'I ♥ NYC' baseball cap.

    I suppose that stereotypes have to come from-.

    I frown and look at the eagle.

    "That's an actual tourist, right? Not some sort of Platonic manifestation of the touristic ideal?"

    "What?" The eagle blinks, then leans forward to peer at the window. "No. That's just a guy."

    "Okay."

    I drift closer to the window, seeing a wallette of raised phones recording me as I do so.

    Maybe cleaning the outside of the statue in a blaze of orange light wasn't the best idea.

    "What can I do for you, sir?"

    "You mind posing for a picture? With your eagle too?"

    "Oh, he's not my eagle. He's an eagle-shaped manifestation of the American yearning for freedom."

    "… Oh." … "Does he pose?"

    "Ah." I look at the eagle. "Does he?"

    "Do I-?" He twists his head to a ninety degree angle. "Bring the perch closer to the window."

    I do so, then drop down slightly so that I'll be out of shot and he starts prancing. Wings out, head thrown back and neck undulating as he… Squeak-cries, before lowering his head and making a prey-mantling gesture with his wings. Then he raises his right leg and waves at the watchers, much to their delight.

    "Is that magic, or are people just really easy to entertain?"

    "Sideshow entertainments will never go out of fashion."

    I lower my eyes to meet those of the statue, now filled with life.

    "People love to be distracted from their troubles and shown something new and interesting."

    I glance up, but no one is reacting to the talking statue.

    "I assume that they can't hear you?"

    "If there were any truly dedicated to the cause of liberty, they would be able to. Unfortunately, that sort of selflessness is-"

    "Ma'am."

    "-rare."

    "Good morning, Blue Lantern."

    Alan nods. "How worried should I be that the Statue of Liberty is talking?"

    "Do you believe in the value of personal liberty?"

    "Undoubtably."

    "Then not at all. Rather, you should be concerned that you alone can hear me."

    "It's about Uncle Sam. You're almost certainly right; the eagle says that the new fellow smells terrible and that he hasn't seen Uncle Sam since the seventies."

    "Sam takes it hard when the country he represents lets him down. After President Andrew Johnson reversed Special Field Order Fifteen he spent the rest of the Reconstruction era doing farm work for freedmen."

    "I take back half of the rude thoughts I've had about him."

    Alan nods. "I didn't really believe him when he said what he was when we met back in the forties, but it sounds like he was a better man than I thought he was."

    "Can you give us any idea where he is now? Or who it is that's trying to replace him?"

    "You know who it is. You've spoken to them directly, something few others have."

    "I.. talk to a lot of people."

    "Who would take a beautiful dream and turn it into something tawdry?"

    "Most people? One thing I have in common with-. You haven't seen John Constantine, have you?"

    "No, not him. Though if you see him, punch him in the crotch for me."

    "No queue jumping. But seriously, I've got no idea who you're talking about. I meet a lot of people who'd like to infiltrate a government. If you're implying that he's some sort of Reach infiltrator, then I'll fly over and kill him right now-"

    "Paul?"

    "-because that would be the best thing to do, Blue Lantern, and I'll show you the intelligence files later if you want proof."

    "I don't know what a 'Reach Infiltrator' is, but that isn't it."

    "Then why are you hesitating to say his na-? You think he'll hear you. But my tattoos mean that he can't hear me. Which implies global-. America-wide arcane reach, and an interest in political corruption and manipulation. Now that the First is out of the way, those are two groups with a one-name overlap, if we're talking about a single individual."

    "We are."

    Alan frowns. "Who's she talking about, then?"

    "Blue Lantern, have you had magic-defying runes cut into your soul when I wasn't looking?"

    "Well, no, but I'm wearing one of your wards."

    "I'd rather not risk it." I look up at the eagle, who is currently shaking his tail feathers at his fans. "Eagle, we know who's doing it."

    "About time!"

    He salutes his crowd, then drops down to land on a perch Alan's generating.

    "Who is it?"

    "Allegedly, the Prince of the World. That git arranged for my first death, so I-."

    "My God!"

    What's Alan-?

    Oh.

    The giant yellow face now affixed to the Statue of Liberty regards me impassively for a moment.

    "I see what you were trying, but any of my chosen appellations work as a notarikon of my true name. Which means that I can hear them. Goodbye, Lanterns and turkey."
     
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  • Threadmarks
    • Mr Zoat said:
    I lower my eyes to meet those of the statue, now filled with life.

    "People love to be distracted from their troubles and shown something new and interesting."

    I glance up, but no one is reacting to the talking statue.

    "I assume that they can't hear you?"

    "If there were any truly dedicated to the cause of liberty, they would be able to. Unfortunately, that sort of selflessness is-"

    "Ma'am."

    "-rare."

    "Good morning, Blue Lantern."
    Click to expand...
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    I like how Alan is introduced into the conversation this way.

    Mr Zoat said:
    The giant yellow face now affixed to the Statue of Liberty regards me impassively for a moment.

    "I see what you were trying, but any of my chosen appellations work as a notarikon of my true name. Which means that I can hear them. Goodbye, Lanterns and turkey."
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    I really wish this will all end up with Boss Smiley being assimilated. I don't know what that would do, but I think a being who can appear whenever his name is said would be an excellent minion for Paul.
     
    Coda said:
    The shortened version of his name is "Susano-o" with the - representing a letter that isn't used in modern Japanese.
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    His name is in Japanese; there's no correct English spelling because it isn't an English word. There are no letters in the sense you're thinking of them, either; The word Susanowo became Susanoo, just like the word caught became the word caught in some regions... well, before and after the relevant vowel merger. Unfortunately English doesn't have phonetic orthography, so that's less clear when written. The point is that the actual orthography of the word in Japanese doesn't contain any representation of the old version because the old version is no longer what the word is representing, and the English version of the word should generally be imitating the word itself and not the orthography to begin with, so there's no reason to insert a dash to represent a "w" sound that no longer exists. The most typical transcriptions would be Susanoo, or use a macron for the o, but technically since English doesn't have vowel length distinctions Susano is fine for the purposes of most speakers.
     
    Well, not a surprise this fucker showed up again.

    Ngamer11 said:
    I really wish this will all end up with Boss Smiley being assimilated. I don't know what that would do, but I think a being who can appear whenever his name is said would be an excellent minion for Paul.
    Click to expand...
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    Pretty sure it would be a bad idea to link the guy able to corrupt Heaven with pure Avarice.


    Paual and Allen will have to fight the Statue of Liberty, won't they? An Englishman blowing up the american symbol of liberty...which was a gift from the french...
     
    Mr Zoat said:
    7th November 2012
    10:03 GMT -5

    "Hey!"

    I turn and look at the Statue of Liberty's tiara window as a… Complete stereotype of an American tourist waves to get my attention. Male, overweight, collar of a Hawaiian shirt sticking up past the neck of his jumper and coat, an actual camera rather than a camera phone and an 'I ♥ NYC' baseball cap.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    ...He doesn't have a similarly overweight missus in a polo shirt, big sunglasses and a sun-visor standing nearby, does he? Because that is suspiciously stereotypical. I half expect him to be another embodiment, though of what, I wouldn't dare imagine...

    I suppose that stereotypes have to come from-.

    I frown and look at the eagle.
    Click to expand...
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    Yeah, good idea to actually check.

    "That's an actual tourist, right? Not some sort of Platonic manifestation of the touristic ideal?"

    "What?" The eagle blinks, then leans forward to peer at the window. "No. That's just a guy."
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    ...Wow, some people like that really do exist?

    "Okay."

    I drift closer to the window, seeing a wallette of raised phones recording me as I do so.
    Click to expand...
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    And probably quietly hoping that this will displace 'Cake-Man' in the public's eye... ;)

    Maybe cleaning the outside of the statue in a blaze of orange light wasn't the best idea.

    "What can I do for you, sir?"
    Click to expand...
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    Yeah, kind of blatant. I suppose the lady's looking better than she has in years, at least. Fun fact, her greenish colour is not paint - it's verdigris, a patina of corroded copper that she picked up in the first twenty years of her existence...

    "You mind posing for a picture? With your eagle too?"

    "Oh, he's not my eagle. He's an eagle-shaped manifestation of the American yearning for freedom."
    Click to expand...
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    And yes, that does sound as crazy as you think it does. Super-hero stuff!

    "… Oh." … "Does he pose?"

    "Ah." I look at the eagle. "Does he?"
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    Well, if the adoring public want some photos, then why not?

    "Do I-?" He twists his head to a ninety degree angle. "Bring the perch closer to the window."

    I do so, then drop down slightly so that I'll be out of shot and he starts prancing. Wings out, head thrown back and neck undulating as he… Squeak-cries, before lowering his head and making a prey-mantling gesture with his wings. Then he raises his right leg and waves at the watchers, much to their delight.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    And half of them will probably assume Roger's just a very well-trained bird that OL's lugging around for some reason. The other half will probably call him a new sidekick. :p

    "Is that magic, or are people just really easy to entertain?"

    "Sideshow entertainments will never go out of fashion."
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Damn straight, especially in the modern era...

    I lower my eyes to meet those of the statue, now filled with life.

    "People love to be distracted from their troubles and shown something new and interesting."
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    ...And very insightful, your ladyship. :confused: Well. this might be second only to 'Ghostbusters 2' for 'most interesting use of the Statue of Liberty'.

    I glance up, but no one is reacting to the talking statue.

    "I assume that they can't hear you?"
    Click to expand...
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    Because Magic.

    "If there were any truly dedicated to the cause of liberty, they would be able to. Unfortunately, that sort of selflessness is-"

    "Ma'am."
    Click to expand...
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    Oh look, a prime example of selflessness!

    "-rare."

    "Good morning, Blue Lantern."
    Click to expand...
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    I suppose he would feel the need to come find out what OL's up to. Especially after the Orange Light polish.

    Alan nods. "How worried should I be that the Statue of Liberty is talking?"

    "Do you believe in the value of personal liberty?"
    Click to expand...
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    He wouldn't be flying around in a cape and pirate shirt if he wasn't. Though I would hope he's updated that much of his look by now.

    "Undoubtably."

    "Then not at all. Rather, you should be concerned that you alone can hear me."
    Click to expand...
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    ...Makes you wonder if people watching the videos can hear Roger or the Lady. Might nudge a few folks into more heroic lifestyles.

    "It's about Uncle Sam. You're almost certainly right; the eagle says that the new fellow smells terrible and that he hasn't seen Uncle Sam since the seventies."

    "Sam takes it hard when the country he represents lets him down. After President Andrew Johnson reversed Special Field Order Fifteen he spent the rest of the Reconstruction era doing farm work for freedmen."
    Click to expand...
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    If anyone wonders what that bit is: Special Field Order no. 15. Civil War-era political stuff.

    "I take back half of the rude thoughts I've had about him."

    Alan nods. "I didn't really believe him when he said what he was when we met back in the forties, but it sounds like he was a better man than I though he was."
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Kind of hard to take someone wearing red and white striped trousers and top hat seriously?

    "Can you give us any idea where he is now? Or who it is that's trying to replace him?"

    "You know who it is. You've spoken to them directly; something few others have."
    Click to expand...
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    Well, shit. It's him, isn't it?

    "I.. talk to a lot of people."

    "Who would take a beautiful dream and turn it into something tawdry?"
    Click to expand...
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    Yeah, definitely the crusader of Status Quo.

    "Most people? One thing I have in common with-. You haven't seen John Constantine, have you?"

    "No, not him. Though if you see him, punch him in the crotch for me."
    Click to expand...
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    Oh, so you do know him, then? Natural reaction, I know.

    "No queue jumping. But seriously, I've got no idea who you're talking about. I meet a lot of people who'd like to infiltrate a government. If you're implying that he's some sort of Reach infiltrator, then I'll fly over and kill him right now-"

    "Paul?"
    Click to expand...
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    Ah, yes, the old 'He whose name should not be spoken' problem, eh? 'Speak of the Devil, and he shall appear.'

    "-because that would be the best things to do, Blue Lantern, and I'll show you the intelligence files later if you want proof."

    "I don't know what a 'Reach Infiltrator' is, but that isn't it."
    Click to expand...
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    You'd hate them. Complete opposite of liberty and freedom.

    "Then why are you hesitating to say his na-? You think he'll hear you. But my tattoos mean that he can't hear me. Which implies global-. America-wide arcane reach, and an interest in political corruption and manipulation. Now that the First is out of the way, those are two groups with a one-name overlap, if we're talking about a single individual."

    "We are."
    Click to expand...
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    Good to see OL's quick on the uptake on this, at least.

    Alan frowns. "Who's she talking about, then?"

    "Blue Lantern, have you had magic-defying runes cut into your soul when I wasn't looking?"
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    I'm not sure even that would completely block him, especially if those you're talking to haven't that level of protection.

    "Well, no, but I'm wearing one of your wards."

    "I'd rather not risk it." I look up at the eagle, who is currently shaking his tail feathers at his fans. "Eagle, we know who's doing it."
    Click to expand...
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    Roger, do pay attention, huh? This is important.

    "About time!"

    He salutes his crowd, then drops down to land on a perch Alan's generating.
    Click to expand...
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    And I bet that image is going to be blowing up on social media instantly.

    "Who is it?"

    "Allegedly, the Prince of the World. That git arranged for my first death, so I-."
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    A title taken from this Sandman storyline: Sandman: 'The Golden Boy'. In which travellers trapped in a mystical pub outside reality by the wake of a cosmic event tell each other tales. In this case, the story of 'Prez' Rickard.

    "My God!"

    What's Alan-?

    Oh.
    Click to expand...
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    Because of course the bastard has a spell to alert him to uses of his 'name'.

    The giant yellow face now affixed to the Statue of Liberty regards me impassively for a moment.

    "I see what you were trying, but any of my chosen appellations work as a notarikon of my true name. Which means that I can hear them. Goodbye, Lanterns and turkey."
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Oh, that's bad. Very bad.

    Well, if there were any better time for John Constantine, Lord of Chaos, to make an appearance, this would be it. Because it sounds like the yellow-faced asshole is about to pull something nasty on OL and Alan. The question is, what? :confused: An attack by supernatural entities? :eek: Reputation alteration so they're treated as villains? o_O Erasure from history, period? So many horrible options...
     
    Zig said:
    I'm having a really hard time tracking who's talking and at what point Paul figured out it was Smiley doing it...
    Alan said the statue of liberty is talking but is she saying any of the lines?
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    "Is that magic, or are people just really easy to entertain?"

    "Sideshow entertainments will never go out of fashion."

    I lower my eyes to meet those of the statue, now filled with life.

    "People love to be distracted from their troubles and shown something new and interesting."

    I glance up, but no one is reacting to the talking statue.

    "I assume that they can't hear you?"

    "If there were any truly dedicated to the cause of liberty, they would be able to. Unfortunately, that sort of selflessness is-"

    "Ma'am."

    "-rare."

    "Good morning, Blue Lantern."

    Alan nods. "How worried should I be that the Statue of Liberty is talking?"

    "Do you believe in the value of personal liberty?"

    "Undoubtably."

    "Then not at all. Rather, you should be concerned that you alone can hear me."

    "It's about Uncle Sam. You're almost certainly right; the eagle says that the new fellow smells terrible and that he hasn't seen Uncle Sam since the seventies."

    "Sam takes it hard when the country he represents lets him down. After President Andrew Johnson reversed Special Field Order Fifteen he spent the rest of the Reconstruction era doing farm work for freedmen."

    "I take back half of the rude thoughts I've had about him."

    Alan nods. "I didn't really believe him when he said what he was when we met back in the forties, but it sounds like he was a better man than I though he was."

    "Can you give us any idea where he is now? Or who it is that's trying to replace him?"

    "You know who it is. You've spoken to them directly; something few others have."

    "I.. talk to a lot of people."

    "Who would take a beautiful dream and turn it into something tawdry?"

    "Most people? One thing I have in common with-. You haven't seen John Constantine, have you?"

    "No, not him. Though if you see him, punch him in the crotch for me."

    "No queue jumping. But seriously, I've got no idea who you're talking about. I meet a lot of people who'd like to infiltrate a government. If you're implying that he's some sort of Reach infiltrator, then I'll fly over and kill him right now-"

    "Paul?"

    "-because that would be the best things to do, Blue Lantern, and I'll show you the intelligence files later if you want proof."

    "I don't know what a 'Reach Infiltrator' is, but that isn't it."

    "Then why are you hesitating to say his na-? You think he'll hear you. But my tattoos mean that he can't hear me. Which implies global-. America-wide arcane reach, and an interest in political corruption and manipulation. Now that the First is out of the way, those are two groups with a one-name overlap, if we're talking about a single individual."

    "We are."
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Statue lines underlined.
     
    I'll be honest, I did not think Smiley would turn up again. I thought he was a fictional entity designed by the Heaven-Sim tube. I thought that the whole happy-face-rune bit would be connected to how Paul altered time travel rather than an actual demon thingy.

    So. What sort of ordinance is this jackoff going to throw at Paul and those tourists?
     
    Mr Zoat said:
    "I see what you were trying, but any of my chosen appellations work as a notarikon of my true name. Which means that I can hear them. Goodbye, Lanterns and turkey."
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    I like to imagine Paul managing to squeeze in a question about Constantine and Boss Smiley immediately postponing the incoming smiting to join the "Constantine must not be unaccounted for. Also, kick him in the balls" club
     
    NightmareWarden said:
    I'll be honest, I did not think Smiley would turn up again. I thought he was a fictional entity designed by the Heaven-Sim tube. I thought that the whole happy-face-rune bit would be connected to how Paul altered time travel rather than an actual demon thingy.

    So. What sort of ordinance is this jackoff going to throw at Paul and those tourists?
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    It may be that I have read the entire fic 3x, but I definitely saw this guy coming back as a recurring villian. Upon re-reading all the bits about how he was "not real" or "just a jumped up daemon" stood out as very "wink wink nudge nudge".
     
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