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

Vaermina · Jan 24, 2024

Ngamer11 said:
Considering all the mad scientists who exist on their world who do exactly that, I disagree.

Mad scientists don't test things out on themselves, they test things out on other people.

jasonh23761 · Jan 24, 2024

I'd be curious to see what makes this Paul different from the others save for a questionable series of decisions and presumably a degree of blindness about this particular setting within DC?

Is it similar where the Renegade had a bad day at work before being transited over? Has the methodology changed in general? Or are there other things that make "this" Paul different besides his decisions since arriving in DC?

Chojin Patriarch · Jan 24, 2024

Mr Zoat said:
22nd October 2010
20:27 GMT -5

"Ah, yeah." Robin nods. Was.. he looking into this already? "Oh El asked me about him."

"Really?" Because talking about someone he doesn't want to talk to me about doesn't sound like something-.

Ah, good, not wasting any time looking into Tang's odder behaviour.Though being a junior affiliate of the League might make it trickier to actually find anything out without setting off any alarm bells with either the League or Tang himself...

"Okay, he asked Batman about him. And Batman knows a guy who used to work in British Intelligence."

"I thought he could just scan for intel with his power ring."

Ultimate hacking device, and all that. But if it isn't written into a computer database, it gets much harder for him to find information.

Robin wiggles his right hand. "Kinda. Green Lantern finds stuff like that hard. He usually uses an actual computer from a world with really advanced technology when he wants to hack something. Oh El can do it easier, but it still only really works with computer databases. We tested it a while after he got here, and going through paperwork takes him way longer. He thought Batman might be able to help him find stuff."

"Huh. So… Who is he?"

After all, even he can get bored filtering through thousands of records, especially if he hasn't gotten the hang of letting the AI handle the reading.

"Dennis Wilson. Used to be a superhero called 'Vitaman'." He presses a button on his arm computer and it brings up a hologram of some buff guy in combat pants, a skin-tight… Leotard? And a green beret. "Fought in World War Two, then he.. kinda vanished."

"Vanished?"

Ah, the fifties. Because when you want to show off your super-muscvles, of course you wear a skin-tight shirt.

"Nineteen forties record-keeping was a lot more basic than what we have today. I know he stayed in the army after the war, but it's hard to find what he actually did. Except…"

"Okay?"

After all, when someone has to manually write or type of after-action reports and collate them into operational logs...

"Does the name 'Malayan Emergency mean anything to you?"

"No?"

Ah, yet another land war in Asia that people should have known not to get involved in. But of course 'colonial interests' and 'communist expansion'...

"It's basically British Vietnam, except they won. Batman couldn't find any paperwork about Vitaman being there, but Superman… Ah, found some old photographs a reporter took when they went there for a story, and he was in a couple of them."

"Vietnam, like..?"

Jungle warfare, guerilla tactics and messy relationships with the native population caught in the middle, yes.

"China-backed communist paramilitary picking a fight with the Europeans running the country, concentration camps, Agent Orange… And mass murders. That kind of thing."

"And Vitaman was there?"

Sadly, the American's experiences in South-East Asia tend to be all many history books focus on, because America.

Robin nods. "He wasn't super strong, but-."

"Yeah, Paul already told me about Vitamin X. He.. wanted me to take it."

So, closer to 'peak human' in a world where 'peak human' mean the ability to crack concrete with your bare hands and not shatter your bones.

Robin looks at me curiously. I just.. shrug. Then he presses another button and the hologram changes-.

"Is that a.. real head?"

Ah, right... Atrocities.

"Yeah. That was kind of a thing for the Malay soldiers who mostly fought on the British side. Officially, it was for 'identification purposes'."

"And the British soldiers joined in?"

Well, after so long in the jungle... Conventional morality tends to take a back seat...

"Officially? No."

"Annnd unofficially?"

Take a guess...

"They weren't exactly shy about posing for pictures with the severed heads." He shuts down the hologram. "He got a bunch of commendations, and it's… Basically impossible to tell if he was personally involved in any of the massacres."

"But you think he was."

I mean, you don't want to insult the local fellows by refusing... Especially when they might be watching your back tomorrow.

Robin hesitates. "I think I'm judging him harshly because he was a superhero. For a soldier… War's… Messy and violent, especially guerrilla wars. And if he was involved, he sure wasn't the only one."

"Is there anyone we could talk to about it?" Uh. "Should we?"

Sadly, that's the mistake. I doubt he was ever properly a superhero. Soldier super-types tend to straddle the divide, really.

"It happened during the fifties, so basically everyone who could have seen anything is dead. And honestly, memory isn't that reliable after that long anyway. Does it matter?"

"Paul said that no one had a bad reaction to Vitamin X except him, and that was only because he took some other stuff. But if he was only doing stuff that other soldiers were doing… What was he talking about?"

Something that was never in the official records, perhaps. Like, say, the Evil formula.

"I'm not sure. Paul doesn't really like talking about his research, and after I watched him pull apart a lab rat with his ring I.. kinda stopped asking."

"He's never had a problem talking about it with me."

'Pull apart' as in a simple hands-off dissection, or as in 'drawn and quartered'?

He grins. "You've… Got an advantage over me, there."

I roll my eyes.

Never underestimate the appeal of a hot teenage girl.

"Why'd you want to know, anyway?"

"Is there a problem with Vitamin X?"

Ah, there's the rub, isn't it? Has anyone other than Tang bothered to investigate it properly, rather than get a dose and down it?

"Not that I know of. Are you actually planning on taking it?"

"Not until I know what went wrong with Dennis Wilson. 'cause…" Ugh. "Does Paul seem, like… Off, to you?"

Finally, someone who can maybe do something about Tang hears about it.

"Yeah? He… Did tell you he comes from a parallel universe, right?"

What? "No?"

I mean, when would that ever come up in a conversation? Unless he mentions Terry Pratchett or something else that doesn't exist in DC-verse.

"He-?" Robin sounds puzzled, and I'm feeling puzzled. "Huh. I didn't-. It's not like it's a secret."

Did he say anything about-? I mean, I think he said something wasn't how they did things where he was from, but I thought he just meant England.

...Kinda wonder if Games Workshop ever made a superhero-themed game, now. Feels like the sort of thing they'd do in a universe with superheroes.

"No. So..? What's it.. like? Where he's from?"

"No superpowers or mad scientists. Or… Not superscientists. One time he told me that some crazy British inventor built an engine with only three moving parts, but apart from that it was just a regular car engine." He shrugs. "It's not really supposed to be all that different from here."

All the way back in 1952, apparently. And it does seem kind of mad-sciencey. Edit: Okay, not that one. Maybe a Stirling Engine? Seems closer to the details...

"What do you mean, 'supposed to be'?"

"We can't check. He said he didn't know how he got here and the Justice League hasn't found a way to send him back. And… I saw how he reacted to stuff right after he got here, and it all fit."

"Like what?"

Oh, so many things...

"He'd never seen a hologram before, and he thought he needed special gloves to use a holographic keyboard. They don't have holograms, so it was like a science fiction show for him." Gotham High doesn't have holographic keyboards, either. "And a couple of times he called someone by their real name in costume." That's.. bad. "I mean, it was in private so it wasn't a big deal, but I still don't think I've ever heard him call Wonder Woman 'Wonder Woman'. Diana, mostly, and 'sir' or 'your Highness' a few times. They don't have superheroes, so if he knows someone's name, that's what he called them."

And no-one ever questioned him calling Diana 'sir', did they? It's one of these Paul things, isn't it...

"Y.. eah, he… Told me Green Arrow's got a kid?" Robin winces slightly, then nods. "Okay, but, apart from that."

"Ah, maybe? I only see him for team stuff. You should ask… Huh."

See? Maybe the team should hang out more. I suppose that's one drawback of having less people without civilian lives on the team...

"What?"

"Mia's memories are still messed up from Brainiac, Miss Martian and Green Lantern are aliens and Kaldur comes from Atlantis. I don't think he really knows anyone else. I don't know if anyone would have noticed."

...And now we know how he got away with it for so damn long...

"Wonder Woman?"

"Maybe. What exactly are you worried about?"

And now the sense of foreboding creeps in. Just how well do they know Tang? Is he really a bad guy who can play nice, or...

"I dunno, exactly. I-. He's really serious about.. me, and I wanna be sure that that's just how he is and he didn't… Dose himself with something by accident or something."

"Huh. We've got medical reports from when he showed up. Batman would probably be okay with us checking them." He stops talking for a moment. "This 'thing' you're worried he dosed himself with. Are you talking about the other thing Vitaman got?"

The joy of not knowing just what Tang has rattling around in his labs.

"I dunno. Maybe?"

"I'll talk to Batman. Even if it's nothing, it's still a good training exercise."

As what? 'How to identify if an ally is operating in a altered state of mind'?

He turns to go-.

"Hey, ah. Robin?" He turns back. "Thanks."

He smiles. "No problem. What are team mates for?"

Hopefully not getting them killed or mind-whammied, for a start...

And now the suspicions begin. The investigation will have to be very careful not to alert Tang to their concerns. It might encourage him to start his experiments with desire rewriting that leads to, well... Tangseid as we first saw him. This whole plotline really does feel like one of those 'how did they get here' stories that opens with the epilogue... And watching the downfall will be painful.

ForeverShogo · Jan 24, 2024

He was just . . . really kind of stupid about it in general because he knew taking the serum was a terrible idea and did it anyways.

What he dosed himself with is literally called Dr. Hyde's Evil Serum.

It's been awhile, but I seem to recall him basically going, "I doubt it actually turns you evil."

This despite being in a comic book universe where comic book logic should absolutely be a thing you take seriously. With his safeguard basically being a scan of himself before he took the serum, under the idea that if it actually messed with his head he'd just go back to the way he was. But he completely failed to account for the idea that the evil version of himself wouldn't want to go back to the way he was.

The Unaligned Player · Jan 24, 2024

Vaermina said:
Mad scientists don't test things out on themselves, they test things out on other people.

Dr. Jekyll.

Prince Charon · Jan 24, 2024

Mr Zoat said:
[Looks at modern Disney]

No.

That's why I said it varies. The entertainment industry is currently either the least profit-focused we have, or has the largest number of complete idiots in charge, or both. I lean toward 'both.'

Mr Zoat · Jan 24, 2024

Chojin Patriarch said:
All the way back in 1952, apparently. And it does seem kind of mad-sciencey.

No, it was an actual engine. I read about it in a magazine article about 18 years ago, but I can't remember any of the details.

NightmareWarden · Jan 24, 2024

…I know this Paul doesn't have a real bond with this Robin, regardless of the missions they go on together. They are coworkers. But if Paul gets shaken up, I could see him giving Robin some sort of boost, like we saw in canon. Maybe even something as mutating venombuster, if it saves Robin's life. Artemis would be upset, but I can see her taking Paul's side in a lot of situations now, even if she wouldn't make the same choices as him.

Hmm. Could his ring produce Queen Bee's meta pheromones, after he vacuums up a sample on a mission? Giving into the temptation to test it on Artemis… Paul legitimately wants a partner rather than a sex slave, but this Paul could interpret the hierarchy of needs very differently. It is pretty likely he didn't manipulate his hormones like canon Paul did, for instance. There are so many ways his rapid moral decline could get kicked off.

BR549 · Jan 24, 2024

ForeverShogo said:
It's been awhile, but I seem to recall him basically going, "I doubt it actually turns you evil."

This despite being in a comic book universe where comic book logic should absolutely be a thing you take seriously.

The way I see it, he was consiously operating on 'I'm on a super-death-world, I need something NOW' and, found, well, the Evil Serium, while subconsiously still operating on 'normal world rules'.

In the normal world, a serum won't actually turn you evil...

With his safeguard basically being a scan of himself before he took the serum, under the idea that if it actually messed with his head he'd just go back to the way he was. But he completely failed to account for the idea that the evil version of himself wouldn't want to go back to the way he was.

...and that was the tragedy of the thing, really: he was Properly Paranoid (making the backup), but not Properly Paranoid Enough (setting it to automatically run).

Darko · Jan 24, 2024

SyfyMovieFan said:
Given Paul's encyclopedic knowledge of comic books he should have known not to dose himself with strange chemical concoctions that nobody understands.

Especially when you consider that in comic books most "super serums" usually cause physical deformities and/ or some form of insanity in the majority of people that take them.

There are many, many different super serums in the DC universe, so it's understandable that he'd not know about it.

However, that's no excuse for not actually doing more research on the thing.

BR549 said:
In the normal world, a serum won't actually turn you evil

No, but there are drugs that can alter your brain chemistry and make you more violent.

CTrees · Jan 24, 2024

Given all of this discussion, I went back and looked through the old chapters and discussion for the reason Tang took the Evil Formula. After the first Tang chapter:

Mr Zoat said:
Something resulted in this version to decide that mind control was the best way to fix the Earth. I'm torn on why. The explanation I'm leaning towards is that he got a copy of the evil serum, didn't hear the name and couldn't detect evil in his tests and used it on himself.

And:

Mr Zoat said:
He was looking for augmentative formulae and came across one in Britain. It was purely chemical and didn't have obvious side effects, so he reasoned that if he didn't like the results he could just undo it with his ring.

Then, from Tang's first origins chapter:

Mr Zoat said:
I hold up the pale green vial.

This looks like it works. The animals I've tested it on get stronger, tougher and heal faster. And otherwise, neither their behaviour or appearance change. Well, not beyond the more dominant position they take in their social group as a result of being a whole lot stronger. It doesn't have an adverse reaction to my blood, ring simulations predict no negative effects… And if it does have some, it's all mundane so it's nothing that I can't reverse.

The ring points out deviations in his behavior when he starts hitting on Artemis (including that she's half his age, which will be "fun" if she finds out), and then he interviews Vitaman and seems to decide that it's not too bad, and he can still always reverse it if needed. What happens between here and Tang altering the minds of thousands of people? Dunno, but it should be interesting (and horrifying).

RoninSword · Jan 24, 2024

I mean, a DNA analysis between his original blood and what he has now, and then Batman ordering him to purge himself.

So clearly something goes wrong.

LazySloth13 · Jan 24, 2024

I can totally see TangPaul get ordered to go under house arrest until he or someone else figures out how to fix the situation, with that time spent trying to use the orange light through more esoteric means, and once he does get his ring back he's figured out how to alter a person's desires. Maybe some villain or catastrophe happens that incapacitate the only people who can order him around or stop him for that matter, it doesn't help that they're unlikely to have defenses against mind control given the event in canon YJ with starrotech.

CTrees · Jan 24, 2024

LazySloth13 said:
once he does get his ring back he's figured out how to alter a person's desires

At some point he does end up with both eyes of Zoltec. Tang uses the Left Eye of Zoltec (the mind controlling one) on Anita Fite at the end of his introductory chapter, and apparently also gets the Right Eye as well (the immortality granting one):

Mr Zoat said:
It's not like he left the Right Eye of Zoltec behind.

We don't when he ends up with the Eyes, but if his ring were taken, that would have been excellent motivation to seek alternate power-ups. And a combination of techniques for mental alteration, including use of the orange light, does seem likely, given that he apparently tied Wonder Woman to the orange central power battery on the process of breaking her down (how he came to have access to that? No idea)

Mr Zoat · Jan 24, 2024

BR549 said:
...and that was the tragedy of the thing, really: he was Properly Paranoid (making the backup), but not Properly Paranoid Enough (setting it to automatically run).

How would he do that with an orange power ring? Changed-him would have to want to change back.

Silverias · Jan 24, 2024

Mr Zoat said:
How would he do that with an orange power ring? Changed-him would have to want to change back.

I mean, you could probably have a pretty decent desire for proper testing rigor, but since Renegade didn't have that with regards to Blockbuster, it'd be dumb to expect this SI to have it.

RoninSword · Jan 24, 2024

Mr Zoat said:
How would he do that with an orange power ring? Changed-him would have to want to change back.

My assumption would have been put in a delayed order that forces the revert regardless of his want.
Then I realized there's no reason the ring would follow that order once he put it on after dosing himself.

Vaermina · Jan 24, 2024

RoninSword said:
My assumption would have been put in a delayed order that forces the revert regardless of his want.
Then I realized there's no reason the ring would follow that order once he put it on after dosing himself.

It would if he wanted to be revered back to normal more then he wanted to stay as he was when he put it in place.

Mr Zoat · Jan 25, 2024

Day 23
29th March 2013
11:58 GMT -7

Sunset checks the binding circle again, hands on her hips. "Aren't you supposed to summon demons in the middle of the night?"

I shake my head as I watch the lecture theatre through a… A 'magic mirror' of all things. "If you're the sort of person who only hunts vampires once the sun's gone down and only hunts werewolves during a full moon… And only eats fish underwater, sure."

One of the observing FBI agents raises his right hand.

Sunset nods. "Mm?"

"Does that actually make a difference?"

Sunset shakes her head. "Ah, not usually. Some demons are drama queens who refuse to turn up if you don't summon them at the right time, and some cultists are just as bad. And then there's the practical side: if you're summoning a demon -which is universally recognised as a bad thing to do- most people would rather do it when it's less likely someone will notice. As far as times of day summoning restrictions go, it's really only fae who need to be summoned at particular times of day, and… There's really no point unless you want to do something stupid like erase your name from your own mind or something."

"Ah, thanks."

"Anyone else?"

She looks around the class, because she makes a point of answering questions fully. Because unlike Celestia, she has basic pattern recognition. I pick up the most recent addition to the First's skull collection in my right hand and sigh. I don't like to keep bringing up Celestia with her and… She's still seeing her and she hasn't had a breakdown that I've seen recently…

"Grayven, are things ready on your end?"

"Just finishing up. I'll be with you in a minute."

I pick up the magic mirror in my left hand and put it in the lower left desk drawer. I'm in the library where I met the First nearly a month ago, sitting at the desk decorated with bones. I didn't want to draw attention to it at the time because I wasn't sure what he was playing at. But that doesn't mean that I didn't recognise her.

"Queen Triskele, are you in there?"

The skull doesn't respond.

"You royally cheesed him off, didn't you? What, did you try joining in the New Triumvirate? Tell him that his mannequin-women couldn't hold a candle to real succubae? Drew my attention? I'm still not really sure what was going on there. It can't have just been about the Sword, can it?"

The skull remains silent.

"I'm never sure how it works with demons. Can you talk like this, or do you need actual flesh to make that work?"

The skull remains silent.

"Bit of a… Trick, John Constantine taught me. You know how breaching a summoning circle lets the demon kill the summoner and take their soul immediately?"

This time I just move the skull up and down like it's nodding.

"Did you know that it works the other way too? If the summoner breaks the circle they can go inside, and the demon can't flee while they live. Funny that. Don't know if you knew." I frown. "The Fuckpig was one of yours, wasn't he? Or maybe not. He was less about corruption through satisfying indulgence and more about… Encouraging vice?" Hm. "I suppose it might still come under your domain. Point is, in a few moments you're going to get summoned. And you're going to be offered a deal."

I bring the skull closer to my face so that I can stare directly into its eye sockets.

"Feel free to decline."

I then toss the skull away, standing up from the desk's chair as it bounces across the floor.

"Mother Box!"

"Ping."

BOOM!

I stroll out of the succustudy and into the lecture theatre.

Sunset's staring at the tube aperture, looking unimpressed. I nod to her. "Alright, all done. Carry on."

"Did you have to use the boom tube?"

"Yes, yes I did."

She rolls her eyes, then turns back to the audience.

"Alright. Everyone, today we will be summoning Triskele, Queen of the Succubae. Do not do this ever. While she's extremely powerful, every pact she willingly makes gives her the ability to use you as a puppet and pull you into Hell whenever she gets bored of playing with you. There's basically no upside and only a total idiot or a total ignoramus would ever summon her. If you encounter anyone who has made a pact with her in the field, my advice is that you don't try and help them because you can't. The only thing you can do is keep them away from other people so that she can't use them to hurt others."

An FBI agent with a prominent crucifix raises a hand and gets a nod.

"The pact can't be broken? By… Anything?"

"She offers extensions if you sacrifice the innocent to her. Babies work. But other than that, no. Demons are e-vil, not rational. A lot of the time they can't be bought off with anything a decent person would want to give them, and even then it's a maybe."

She wraps her hand around her crucifix. "I-."

One of her neighbours elbows her, and she cuts herself off.

Sunset sighs. "Since you're probably about to ask about divine intervention, I don't know. My world doesn't have a monotheistic religion so it's not something I've studied, and so far no angels have picked up my calls. So, maybe, it… Could be a 'you are damned, Faust' situation, but I haven't ever seen it happen. Anyone else?"

No one else.

"Okay, now, normally this would involve chanting and animal sacrifices, but we've prepared the field and I'm really good at magic. So. Triskele." Purple fire blooms along the edge of the summoning circle. "Get up here."

Bits and pieces of bone fly up through the magically-induced hole in the ground. I'm a little curious what that looks like from the other side, but I don't suppose that it matters. They gradually fill in her snake-shape, clicking together until the whole skeleton is in place.

Oh, and Sunset isn't 'just that good' at magic. We're using Ayelle's amulet as an attractor, but we don't really want any of these agents learning how to summon Triskele and it's better for them to assume that they can't.

The audience looks a little disappointed. Sunset smiles. "Expecting a demoness with big titties and a huge ass?" There are a couple of nods and a wave of awkward laughter. "She's more of a pimp than a streetwalker, and demons can easily change their shapes to look pleasing to their clients. If you ever do get into it with a succubus… Or an incubus, don't assume that you're seeing the 'real' them." She turns to the floating but unmoving skeleton. "And since it doesn't look like she's in any condition to talk-"

I bow, and Sunset raises her right hand.

"-I'll feed her just enough power to speak to us."

"Uh." Muscle tissue grows around her throat and mouth. "What do you want?"

I step up to the circle.

"You have the siblings of my children in your domain. You will aid in restoring their memories. You will exempt them from all service. You will guard and protect them. You will not seek retribution for this agreement. You will not ask for anything in return because I've got you over a barrel right now and the only way you're not being impaled on the Sword of the Fallen is if the next words out of your mouth are 'I agree to all of your terms'."

I draw the Sword and scuff the edge of the circle with my right foot.

"So how about it?"

Darko · Jan 25, 2024

Mr Zoat said:
vampires one the sun's gone down

"once the"

Mr Zoat said:
and only hunts werewolves during a full moon…

Well if they don't know who the werewolf is during the day then the full moon is a good time to catch one.

Mr Zoat said:
you're summoning a demons

"demon"

Mr Zoat said:
There's really no point unless you want to do something stupid like erase your name from your own mind or something."

Hmm, maybe that can be used to help the various Pauls remember and say their name.

Mr Zoat said:
magic mirror in my free with my left hand and put it

"in my free hand and put"

Mr Zoat said:
the lower left desk draw

"drawer"

Mr Zoat said:
? Tell him that his mannequin-women couldn't hold a candle to real succubae

If that's the case then at least he cares about them.

Mr Zoat said:
It can't have just been about the Sword, can it?"

Don't underestimate how petty the First can be.

Triskelle was technically working against you and you had the Sword, so the First may have gotten pissed that she pissed off the guy that can kill him.

Mr Zoat said:
The skull remains silent.

"I'm never sure how it works with demons. Can you talk like this, or do you need actual flesh to make that work

She may be dead.

The First could certainly do it.

Mr Zoat said:
"She offers extensions if you sacrifice the innocent to her

And that may damn you more.

If it's just a contract spell then it may be broken with another spell, but by killing someone it may take actual work to make amends.

And I'm guessing a person that makes deals with Triskelle isn't usually willing to put that much effort into redemption.

Mr Zoat said:
Sunset sighs. "Since you're probably about to ask about divine intervention, I don't know

Angels may honestly consider the person a lost cause by then.

Vaermina · Jan 25, 2024

Mr Zoat said:
There's really no point unless you want to do something stupid like erase your name from your own mind or something."

Or you know... If you want to sex a Fae...

Mr Zoat said:
"You have the siblings of my children in your domain. You will aid in restoring their memories. You will exempt them from all service. You will guard and protect them. You will not seek retribution for this agreement. You will not ask for anything in return because I've got you over a barrel right now and the only way you're not being impaled on the Sword of the Fallen is if the next words out of your mouth are 'I agree to all of your terms'."

Actually she's got you over a barrel.

Because you stabbing her with the sword wouldn't make things any worse for her then being skull on desk.

Chojin Patriarch · Jan 25, 2024

Mr Zoat said:
Day 23
29th March 2013
11:58 GMT -7

Sunset checks the binding circle again, hands on her hips. "Aren't you supposed to summon demons in the middle of the night?"

I shake my head as I watch the lecture theatre through a… A 'magic mirror' of all things. "If you're the sort of person who only hunts vampires one the sun's gone down and only hunts werewolves during a full moon… And only eats fish underwater, sure."

Sadly, those who do are either just that stupid, and deserving of Darwin awards, or they're so experienced that doing it safely 'affects the challenge'. So, best not to use that sort as role models, no.

One of the observing FBI agents raises his right hand.

Sunset nods. "Mm?"

"Does that actually make a difference?"

Well, let's see: Some Vampires don't give a flying fuck about sunlight (barring a slight reduction in their unholy powers

Werewolves generally aren't exactly wolfy any other time, so good luck picking them out of a line-up; And finally, the need to breathe kind of gets in the way there unless you're Atlantean...

Sunset shakes her head. "Ah, not usually. Some demons are drama queens who refuse to turn up if you don't summon them at the right time, and some cultists are just as bad. And then there's the practical side: if you're summoning a demons -which is universally recognised as a bad thing to do- most people would rather do it when it's less likely someone will notice. As far as times of day summoning restrictions go, it's really only fae who need to be summoned at particular times of day, and… There's really no point unless you want to do something stupid like erase your name from your own mind or something."

Yes, they do mean the phrase 'Would you give me your name?' literally.

And likely laugh about the idiot later once they're out of earshot.

"Ah, thanks."

"Anyone else?"

What sort of class is this, anyway? Or is it more of an impromptu seminar on common aspects of demonic summonings?

She looks around the class, because she makes a point of answering questions fully. Because unlike Celestia, she has basic pattern recognition. I pick up the most recent addition to the First's skull collection in my right hand and sigh. I don't like to keep bringing up Celestia with her and… She's still seeing her and she hasn't had a breakdown that I've seen recently…

"Grayven, are things ready on your end?"

Alas, poor Triskele. Not that this is likely to be permanent, given time and power...

"Just finishing up. I'll be with you in a minute."

I pick up the magic mirror in my free with my left hand and put it in the lower left desk draw. I'm in the library where I met the First nearly a month ago, sitting at the desk decorated with bones. I didn't want to draw attention to it at the time because I wasn't sure what he was playing at. But that doesn't mean that I didn't recognise her.

No sign of the desired book, of course. That would have been too easy, naturally.

"Queen Triskelle, are you in there?"

The skull doesn't respond.

No lungs, no voicebox and presumably no jaw. Unless she's telepathic, I doubt she could comment.

"You royally cheesed him off, didn't you? What, did you try joining in the New Triumvirate? Tell him that his mannequin-women couldn't hold a candle to real succubae? Drew my attention? I'm still not really sure what was going on there. It can't have just been about the Sword, can it?"

The skull remains silent.

...Or she's just feeling snippy about the whole affair. Not one of her brighter moments, really.

"I'm never sure how it works with demons. Can you talk like this, or do you need actual flesh to make that work?"

The skull remains silent.

Worth asking, given the nature of demonic thaumobiology. More than a few are lacking in the fleshy department already.

"Bit of a… Trick, John Constantine taught me. You know how breaching a summoning circle lets the demon kill the summoner and take their soul immediately?"

This time I just move the skull up and down like it's nodding.

"Stop that, mortal. Do you know how much that makes my bones ache?"

"Did you know that it works the other way to? If the summoner breaks the circle they can go inside, and the demon can't flee while they live. Funny that. Don't know if you knew." I frown. "The Fuckpig was one of yours, wasn't he? Or maybe not. He was less about corruption through satisfying indulgence and more about… Encouraging vice?" Hm. "I suppose it might still come under your domain. Point is, in a few moments you're going to get summoned. And you're going to be offered a deal."

Ah, an offer she can't refuse?

I bring the skull closer to my face so that I can stare directly into its eye sockets.

"Feel free to decline."

If she's conscious, she'd probably have been sweating a little, figuratively speaking.

I then toss the skull away, standing up from the desk's chair as it bounces across the floor.

"Mother Box!"

"Ping."

"You know, that's not going to improve her mood any. Then again, do we care?"

BOOM!

I stroll out of the succustudy and into the lecture theatre.

Man knows how to make an entrance, at least.

Sunset's staring at the tube aperture, looking unimpressed. I nod to her. "Alright, all done. Carry on."

"Did you have to use the boom tube?"

I take it you didn't see his side of the discussion. Yes, yes it was. All a matter of style.

"Yes, yes I did."

She rolls her eyes, then turns back to the audience.

Probably annoyed by the 'petty theatrics'.

"Alright. Everyone, today we will be summoning Triskelle, Queen of the Succubae. Do not do this ever. While she's extremely powerful, every pact she willingly makes gives her the ability to use you as a puppet and pull you into Hell whenever she gets bored of playing with you. There's basically no upside and only a total idiot or a total ignoramus would ever summon her. If you encounter anyone who has made a pact with her in the field, my advice is that you don't try and help them because you can't. The only thing you can do is keep them away from other people so that she can't use them to hurt others."

It helps that you won't exactly be teaching them the process of doing so anyway. Makes it that much harder to 'not do the cool but technically evil thing'.

An FBI agent with a prominent crucifix raises a hand and gets a nod.

"The pact can't be broken? By… Anything?"

Nope. Your boy upstairs isn't into saving people from their own stupidity.

"She offers extensions if you sacrifice the innocent to her. Babies work. But other than that, no. Demons are e-vil, not rational. A lot of the time they can't be bought off with anything a decent person would want to give them, and even then it's a maybe."

She wraps her hand around her crucifix. "I-."

Think of it as paying the interest. Those who are already that deep don't want her sending a couple of legbreakers around, or worse, having you dragged in to discuss the matter personally.

One of her neighbours elbows her, and she cuts herself off.

Sunset sighs. "Since you're probably about to ask about divine intervention, I don't know. My world doesn't have a monotheistic religion so it's not something I've studied, and so far no angels have picked up my calls. So, maybe, it… Could be a 'you are damned, Faust' situation, but I haven't ever seen it happen. Anyone else?"

And I can honestly see her sending a few messages in the general direction of the Silver city, addressed to 'whom it may concern'...

No one else.

"Okay, now, normally this would involve chanting and animal sacrifices, but we've prepared the field and I'm really good at magic. So. Triskelle." Purple fire blooms along the edge of the summoning circle. "Get up here."

Joy of being the Alicorn of Applied Magical Knowledge. Before long, she'll be weaving temporary runic circles in the air with nothing but her own power.

Bits and pieces of bone fly up through the magically-induced hole in the ground. I'm a little curious what that looks like from the other side, but I don't suppose that it matters. They gradually fill in her snake-shape, clicking together until the whole skeleton is in place.

Oh, and Sunset isn't 'just that good' at magic. We're using Ayelle's amulet as an attractor, but we don't really want any of these agents learning how to summon Triskelle and it's better for them to assume that they can't.

Just in case they figure 'eh, these warnings can't be that serious, right?' At which point, let them earn their Darwin Award in peace...

The audience looks a little disappointed. Sunset smiles. "Expecting a demoness with big titties and a huge ass?" There are a couple of nods and a wave of awkward laughter. "She's more of a pimp than a streetwalker, and demons can easily change their shapes to look pleasing to their clients. If you ever do get into it with a succubus… Or an incubus, don't assume that you're seeing the 'real' them." She turns to the floating but unmoving skeleton. "And since it doesn't look like she's in any condition to talk-"

...Or any mood, perhaps. What with the embarrassment of being flayed and restrained as she was, and the talking-to from the Renegade...

I bow, and Sunset raises her right hand.

"-I'll feed her just enough power to speak to us."

And I would not doubt that she's got bindings in the circle-work to compel a response anyway.

"Uh." Muscle tissue grows around her throat and mouth. "What do you want?"

I step up to the circle.

Now, now,my dear. No need to be grumpy. Look at it this way, you've got a headstart on putting yourself back together now.

"You have the siblings of my children in your domain. You will aid in restoring their memories. You will exempt them from all service. You will guard and protect them. You will not seek retribution for this agreement. You will not ask for anything in return because I've got you over a barrel right now and the only way you're not being impaled on the Sword of the Fallen is if the next words out of your mouth are 'I agree to all of your terms'."

Pretty clear terms, but I have no doubt at all that she's already working out ways to get around them.

I draw the Sword and scuff the edge of the circle with my right foot.

"So how about it?"

Ah, the metaphysical equivalent of tying her to a chair and pointing a gun at her.

So, then. Looks like all this is nicely sorted out. Safe to say this episode is done, bar a joking denouement from the Renegade. So, we'll probably be back to OL soon, and we can see just how many changes have been wrought off-screen in the time-skips while he was out of the spotlight. I'm not expecting flying cars or anything - far too much trouble - but there should be some improvement worldwide...

Ngamer11 · Jan 25, 2024

Mr Zoat said:
Oh, and Sunset isn't 'just that good' at magic. We're using Ayelle's amulet as an attractor, but we don't really want any of these agents learning how to summon Triskelle and it's better for them to assume that they can't.

Can someone please explain who Ayelle is?

Darko · Jan 25, 2024

Chojin Patriarch said:
Nope. Your boy upstairs isn't into saving people from their own stupidity.

Especially when they just sold themselves for sex.

If it was for something like saving the life of a loved one then that at least shows that the person is good.

Chojin Patriarch said:
episode is done, bar a joking denouement from the Renegade. So, we'll probably be back to OL soon

There's at least one more Tangseid chapter.

Vaermina · Jan 25, 2024

Chojin Patriarch said:
Nope. Your boy upstairs isn't into saving people from their own stupidity.

Because he doesn't need to.

Remember the secret of Hell, you can leave at any time.

Mr Zoat · Jan 25, 2024

Darko said:
"once the"
"demon"
"in my free hand and put"
"drawer"

Did you know that it works the other way to?

Thank you, corrected.

Ngamer11 said:
Can someone please explain who Ayelle is?

The mother of the children.

Darko said:
Especially when they just sold themselves for sex.

If it was for something like saving the life of a loved one then that at least shows that the person is good.

While it's not obvious why someone would sell themselves to Triskelle for something else, her power goes further than that. In Hellblazer a man sold his soul to her for financial success.

Vaermina · Jan 25, 2024

Mr Zoat said:
While it's not obvious why someone would sell themselves to Triskelle for something else, her power goes father than that. In Hellblazer a man sold his soul to her for financial success.

I mean... There's a lot of ways for sex to get someone financial success...

Blue1ao · Jan 26, 2024

God bruh so many people banned on sufficient velocity I'm listening to this audiobook style at work and just wanted to see how people reacted to graven learning how to cry again meeting his ex jade in the mountain spot T.T idk which is sadder the amount of banned accounts or jade causally acting like what she did wasn't a big deal

Mr Zoat · Jan 26, 2024

31st October 2010
15:24 GMT -5

"The Evil Formula?!"

Artemis marches towards the bioship's entrance, waving a folder at me as I stop walking down the steps and consider what I should do.

Admit everything and start undoing the changes it made to your brain. You could do it gradually. You've got enough information now, and it wouldn't be 'erasing' yourself.

No. If it wasn't something I wanted to do before Artemis… And Robin from the looks of it, found out, then them finding out hasn't made me want to revert myself more.

Kaldur is standing at the bottom of the steps, and frowns at Artemis. "What do you mean?"

"Paul tried something on himself! It's called 'The Evil Formula'."

"That was-." Eh. That was weak, and I don't like looking weak, and I haven't gotten better at coming up with answers on the spot.

Just tell the truth, sport. It's for the best.

Don't be ridiculous.

"That's not its technical name. That's an informal description some of the researchers gave it because some of the people who received it became more violent afterwards."

Kaldur frowns and turns towards me. "You assured me that you were not testing the results of your work upon yourself."

I shrug. "I'd already used it by the time you said that. Combinations are unpredictable, so I obviously wasn't going to use any more."

Not that any of the other formulae I've been able to get hold of would work on me. I thought that B'wana Beast's elixir would be a superior substitute but for some reason it doesn't do anything.

M'gann comes out of the ship behind me and takes in the scene. "What's going on?"

Robin smirks. "Oh El's been sampling his own work."

"Oh. Is that bad?" His smirk fades a little. "I mean, you wouldn't trust a cook who wouldn't eat their own food, would you?"

"It's not quite that simple, M'gann."

I finish walking down the bioship's steps and put a very small smile on my lips. I've been practicing, and I think those are my most natural-looking.

"Look, I ran models with my computer and the power ring, tested it on animals and read all of the original research I could find. And it worked: it made me stronger, just like it was supposed to. I've been monitoring my own behaviour and I haven't noticed any problems, if I do then all the changes are purely physical and I can revert back to my pre-change self. It would be a blow, but if it was really a problem I could do it."

I look pointedly at Robin and Artemis.

"You know you could have just asked me this. I do keep research logs."

Artemis… Stands there.

Guilty. She's looking guilty, because her boyfriend was 'nice' about her going behind his back. Do you see the problem? You can't tell emotions from facial expression or body language any more, sport. That's a big deal.

I'm managing. No one is getting hurt, and you can't deny that it's made me more effective at my job.

There's more to life than efficiency. You're trying to date Artemis. What if you've changed your brain so that you can't love her?

I'm still attached to her. The fact that my attachment manifests differently to most people doesn't matter.

You gave me this personality so I could look out for you. This is me looking out for you. What's happening now is only going to get worse if you-.

I'm not going to lie to them.

But you're not going to trust them with the full truth, are you?

"Orange Lantern?"

Kaldur is.. looking at me. That's… Concern. Isn't it?

Yes, sport. That's concern.

"Sorry, just talking to the ring's AI. Did you.. say something?"

Robin holds up his arm computer with a.. recording of my original induction interview playing on it.

"Yes?"

"You're kind of acting different, Oh El. See how your expressions are different?"

I watch the image for a moment, then shake my head. "No, not… Really. Seems like fairly typical submissive behaviour to me."

"Ah..? What do you mean?"

"Smiling like that when surrounded by people who are far stronger than you. It's an instinctive way to show that you're not a threat. I don't specifically remember doing it, so it was probably automatic." I shrug. "I'm not sure what you think this means?"

Artemis passes the file to Kaldur, who looks at her instead of the paperwork.

"I am not well versed in surface world science. What do you want me to do with this?"

"Read the report on how everyone who took it started acting. How it turned regular guys into violent psychos."

Kaldur looks at me. I shrug.

"They were looking at how to make physical and psychological changes to soldiers in order to make them better soldiers and reduce instances of shell shock. That included altering behaviour. I'm not saying that I haven't changed, I'm saying that it's not a problem. Which is something that I genuinely believe."

"Believe what?"

Mia drifts down from the kitchen area, looking for an explanation.

"I used a thoroughly tested augmentative formula on myself two months ago and.. my.. friends are concerned for me."

She frowns. "Two months…" She clicks her fingers. "August nineteenth, right?"

"Ah, yes."

Artemis frowns. "Wait, you knew?"

"He started acting a bit different. And smelling different. I thought it was because he started dating you."

I shrug. "I'm.. not saying that I.. don't act differently. You.. saw how hesitant I was in our first couple of missions."

Kaldur nods. "And now you are not hesitant."

"I'm not sure how good the selection of candidates was on the original study, but I haven't just.. decided to attack people for daring to look at me, or anything like that. The fact is, in our line of work, being somewhat at ease with violence is a job skill."

"I would have preferred it had you mentioned this before now."

"You just told me that you're not a biochemist. I'm literally the leading world authority on most of these formulae and this is the only one I've actually used. If you want to.. get a second opinion, be my guest, but… You haven't complained about my conduct so far. What's the issue now?"

Artemis stomps a step closer. "Because I'm worried about you… Ass!"

They're not accusing me of anything, they're not accusing me of anything…

Artemis is worried about me. And that's… Good? Good.

"Well, thank you, but you really don't need to be. I'm.. in a good place. I'm fine. There's no need to worry."

RoninSword · Jan 26, 2024

That seems like a good time for say, Robin to ask Batman to order Paul to revert the change.

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