1. Due to issues with external spam filters, QQ is currently unable to send any mail to Microsoft E-mail addresses. This includes any account at live.com, hotmail.com or msn.com. Signing up to the forum with one of these addresses will result in your verification E-mail never arriving. For best results, please use a different E-mail provider for your QQ address.
    Dismiss Notice
  2. For prospective new members, a word of warning: don't use common names like Dennis, Simon, or Kenny if you decide to create an account. Spammers have used them all before you and gotten those names flagged in the anti-spam databases. Your account registration will be rejected because of it.
    Dismiss Notice
  3. Since it has happened MULTIPLE times now, I want to be very clear about this. You do not get to abandon an account and create a new one. You do not get to pass an account to someone else and create a new one. If you do so anyway, you will be banned for creating sockpuppets.
    Dismiss Notice
  4. If you wish to change your username, please ask via conversation to tehelgee instead of asking via my profile. I'd like to not clutter it up with such requests.
    Dismiss Notice
  5. Due to the actions of particularly persistent spammers and trolls, we will be banning disposable email addresses from today onward.
    Dismiss Notice
  6. A note about the current Ukraine situation: Discussion of it is still prohibited as per Rule 8
    Dismiss Notice
  7. The rules regarding NSFW links have been updated. See here for details.
    Dismiss Notice
  8. The testbed for the QQ XF2 transition is now publicly available. Please see more information here.
    Dismiss Notice

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

Discussion in 'Creative Writing' started by Mr Zoat, Jan 27, 2019.

Loading...
  1. Chojin Patriarch

    Chojin Patriarch Veteran Lurker

    Joined:
    Jan 27, 2019
    Messages:
    2,149
    Likes Received:
    33,423
    I see Grayven's been busy. I'm guessing he had to clear house to find someone who had a lick of sense, enough to understand that resisting him was fatal.

    So, more or less where Antarctica used to be. I assume he started his trip somewhere near what was the eastern United States?

    But this arrangement is as temporary as his was, of course. No doubt he would have ditched the Gordanians the second they became a liability.

    I bet that took a little experimentation. And it'll give him early warning of any treachery, if I understand the mechanics right....

    Heh. So, a little like that Human Resources game, but focused entirely on the organic. I wonder what this one specialises in? ...Hmm... Sheeda Earth mod for HoI4 when?

    Kind of hard to have an alliance where no-one wants to turn their back, for fear of getting a knife in it. No doubt all of the delegates will be watching for the slightest opening...

    Pomp and protocol. Reinforcing the thought of him as a leader. Conquest by culture. How very Renegade of you.

    I expect the only reason they weren't eyeing each other up then was fear of the Queen's displeasure. Surely there are stories of the last person to earn that displeasure, and how long it took them to die screaming in pain...

    The fact he can pull them apart with his bare hands helps to emphasise that call for obedience, eh?

    Lots of space for the Kudzu coral, lots of space to farm materials... No doubt things are extremely spread out.

    Better to trust Artemis can survive on her own, while you deal with the larger picture.

    "Strategic overview engaged. Calculating force dispositions..." This really does feel like the introduction of an RTS or 4X game's campaign.

    Easily settled by aggressive expansion. Up until you run into something surprising. Then things get exciting.

    Banding together to avoid being eaten alive by stronger enemies. Yet always watching for the opportunity to get yours... What a fuster-cluck.

    Heh, this really is a strategy game campaign. Like playing Civilisation with a map hack...

    That would be a waste of useful things. And we all know how much Grayven hates wastefulness.

    Vicious. But the example is necessary. Without overwhelming force, they'll be looking at your back with knives in their eyes. And likely their hands...

    On the upside, the reward will encourage cooperation. But even as you show them the carrot, you keep the stick in sight...

    Heh. It's a given that there will be someone stupid enough to try. It's only a matter of how long it'll take for their stabbing hand to start itching.

    And it had better not be 'Because.' That's stupid, and just goes to show why they need a brutal leader...

    She can already feel the shit tickling her chin, can't she? Because that's how deep they are in it.

    To be fair, I doubt many of them gave much thought to anything beyond 'Got mine, want yours.' What matter is it what lays beyond the sky, when you're scrabbling just to stay alive? There was no way to get out there and consume whatever lay beyond.

    Big promises. And one that many of us would likely not bother to see fulfilled...

    And once he is, things will become much more efficient.

    This has a very montage feel to it, this whole episode. So many small timeskips, but most of what gets skipped is boring stuff. I mean, would any of us have wanted to actually see Grayven feeding those seventeen slow learners to the pits? With any luck, and more than a little skill on Grayven's part, he might well successfully force the Sheeda onto task.


    Godspeech:
     
  2. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

    Joined:
    Nov 20, 2019
    Messages:
    22,134
    Likes Received:
    320,285
    Probably fairly soon if renegade didn't have them under his influence.

    Given how some of the people on this site react to certain disgusting things I'd say a lot of them would like to see that brutality.
     
  3. Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

    Joined:
    Dec 1, 2016
    Messages:
    14,693
    Likes Received:
    728,835
    Thank you, corrected.
    No, those are correct.
    Link

    Receiving this much pure adoration was perhaps one of the few times that Grogar ever felt anything like appreciation for another group of beings in his life. He'd secretly planned on dicking the Trogs over at the first opportunity after getting what he'd needed from them, but this display of overwhelming love and loyalty made him adjust his plans in such a way that the Trogs would continue to be a part of his schemes from now until the end of time. Part of that, I think, was because Grogar was alone, being the last of his kind. But a bigger part was, even amongst his own kind, he had never received anything even approaching love or appreciation: The Evils were a cruel and selfish lot, and Grogar's first encounter with another of his own kind had nearly been a fatal one, as the only way the Evils knew to react to one another was through the time-honored medium of ultra-violent murder attempts. The fact that an entire race of beings not only accepted him, but loved him to the point of worship, warmed the cockles of his black and twisted heart.
     
  4. Assblaster5000

    Assblaster5000 I trust you know where the happy button is?

    Joined:
    Jun 7, 2020
    Messages:
    738
    Likes Received:
    4,308
    I'd say that even HoI4 can't be pushed that far, but we all know that's a lie, if it's macro real-time strategy then somebody can bend that game enough to do it.

    Reminds of Dark Crusade, but considering Renegade is here it'll probably end up more like Ultimate Apocalypse. Fun times all 'round I'm sure.
     
  5. Sockmonkey

    Sockmonkey I trust you know where the happy button is?

    Joined:
    Dec 2, 2016
    Messages:
    579
    Likes Received:
    3,032
    Damn straight. Bucking Nonsense rules.
     
    Cuchulin likes this.
  6. Agent Orange

    Agent Orange Experienced.

    Joined:
    Dec 2, 2016
    Messages:
    3,608
    Likes Received:
    29,693
    Lol wut?! :V

    Before Melmoth's motive rant I might've believed it. Now however I see nothing but hedonism/sadism as their driving force. Their only taboo seems to be 'common sense' or possibly 'long term planning'.

    I am really hoping that by the time Grayven conquers all of south hemisphere he'll find out that Queen Artemis had the same idea and that they will have to keep the war of global conquest going regardless of their intentions because of all the momentum they build up.

    Culture like this, at the end of time, should end in one huge Ragnarok worthy battle!
     
    Last edited: Oct 11, 2020
  7. Ngamer11

    Ngamer11 Experienced.

    Joined:
    Jan 28, 2019
    Messages:
    2,860
    Likes Received:
    17,208
    I think it only applies when fighting other Sheeda. They can be as wasteful as they want with people in the past, so long as they keep a large amount to use in/bring back to their time.
     
  8. Handlewithcare

    Handlewithcare Versed in the lewd.

    Joined:
    Feb 6, 2019
    Messages:
    1,289
    Likes Received:
    12,971
    Billions of years from now humanity's descendants are even dumber than we are.

    How depressing.
     
  9. Agent Orange

    Agent Orange Experienced.

    Joined:
    Dec 2, 2016
    Messages:
    3,608
    Likes Received:
    29,693
    Uh-huh.

    I have to wonder what exactly is the loot they bring back? Considering that the fucking Sun is hell bent on disintegrating everything 'not living' to the point that drinking water needs blood (at least I really hope it's blood) in it not to be disintegrated!
    Does getting all the cows or whatever really warrant destroying a past culture?
     
    Otto von Saurion likes this.
  10. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

    Joined:
    Nov 20, 2019
    Messages:
    22,134
    Likes Received:
    320,285
    Double standard much.

    Don't forget all the people they most likely kidnap.

    Also I'm pretty sure that they just want the smallest excuse to do their evil shit.

    Hell they may not even want an excuse and would just go on killing sprees even if they have resources.
     
    Otto von Saurion, Fellow and Ngamer11 like this.
  11. DrThoth

    DrThoth I trust you know where the happy button is?

    Joined:
    Dec 3, 2016
    Messages:
    697
    Likes Received:
    2,975
    Random question, but any plans to write a segment where Warhammer Fantasy Paul first meets a Slann? I imagine that would be a course of action he'd consider to help achieve his ultimate goal.
     
    IsActuallyBatman and DAT_NOOB like this.
  12. Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

    Joined:
    Dec 1, 2016
    Messages:
    14,693
    Likes Received:
    728,835
    What did you think the Harvest Dreadnoughts did with their time? They don't just take material in, they have to process it as well. That's why the Harrowings take so long.
    I smile at the large reptile. I remember slann from the game looking more like giant frogs, but this... Individual? Is clearly reptilian.

    "Hello!"

    ...

    ...

    ...

    ...

    I turn to the skink priest standing next to me.

    "Roughly how long-?"

    "As long as it takes, human. As long as it takes."
     
  13. Vaermina

    Vaermina Well worn.

    Joined:
    Oct 16, 2015
    Messages:
    5,514
    Likes Received:
    20,545
    And what will you do if neither of those options are possible?
     
  14. Ganurath

    Ganurath Apologizes For Nothing

    Joined:
    Aug 18, 2014
    Messages:
    2,532
    Likes Received:
    20,670
    ...The Winslow?
     
  15. Stsword

    Stsword Versed in the lewd.

    Joined:
    Aug 7, 2017
    Messages:
    1,714
    Likes Received:
    9,865
    You know, it's somewhat ironic that humankind has been reduced to the Sheeda from the DC 1 Million timeline.

    Cities and homes in the 853rd century existed in tesseracts.

    So humanity existed in potentially infinitely large cities while leaving the Earth an untouched wilderness.

    Well, except for the Green Arrows and the other back to nature types.

    Yes, pointy stick launchers lasted at least 823 centuries after the GLC was dust in the wind. lol
     
  16. Threadmarks: Summer's End (part 14)
    Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

    Joined:
    Dec 1, 2016
    Messages:
    14,693
    Likes Received:
    728,835
    Bull's
    Stop


    Shield-beetle on my left arm I leap from the latest generation rocket-beetle and dive towards our soon-to-be latest conquest.

    At this point, I should probably be able to say that I've lost count of how many Sheeda cities I've conquered. But I haven't. I know exactly how many. I can recall each with perfect clarity. Every fight. Every wall taken. Every keep fallen. Every skirmish. Every battle. And every one has made me feel more complete. I've.. never wanted to give full rein to this part of my character back in the past, but here? Every Sheeda I kill brings me closer to my objective. Every nation I overrun. Every oath of submission I gain-.
    Indefatigable!
    The lightning towers shielding the city against fly fliers give vent to their electrical charges, brilliant white flashing across the sky as the rocket beetle mark 2 begins its uncontrolled descent into the city suburbs. But my escort are Highborn, their armour warded against attack by their magic and by the strength of my soul. And I've been getting stronger.
    Unstoppable!
    No one reports injuries as we pass through their effective range, and… Ah! They're using acid golems to counter our attack! Figures shaped like a poorly-coordinated child's first effort to sculpt a person in clay, vacant eyes glowing faintly with the magic their controllers are using to direct them and the green gel making up their bodies bubbling and churning as they prepare to assail us.
    Incomparable!
    No actual Huntsman, but those are ridiculously energy-intensive and even my growing alliance can't really spare it. The biliferous creatures are moving to defend their inner keep's walls because their masters have heard from those who fled before my advance how I usually deploy my forces. Decapitate the leader of the defence or capture their production facilities and the battle is over. They can't let that happen.
    In Your Face!
    My Highborn activate their wing bugs, living hang gliders clamped to their armour and turning their downward movement into lateral movement almost immediately. They rocket away from the keep towards the spinward walls, ready to seize the defences for my army. I on the other hand keep falling, tossing my shield beetle away and hitting the upper level of the keep-
    Onslaught!
    -and smashing right through the coral that makes up the roof and sending grey fragments exploding outwards in all directions! The second surface my feet hit fails as well, though this time the collapse is much less explosive.
    Heeeeeeere's Conquest!
    Dust rains down on me, and a chunk of coral finishes cracking off and falls to the ground just behind me.

    I give myself an eight. Maybe an eight point five.

    Their controllers will send the acid golems down after me once they've overcome their surprise. I need to get going. Daiklave in hand I charge further into the structure the feeling on the edge of my soul allowing me to feel it as my soldiers engage the enemy.

    I hear the hiss behind me as the first of the acid golems splashes down and begins eating through the broken coral as it tries to reassemble itself into a shape that will allow it to follow me. The drawback of psychometric control: the controller can only direct it when it and they are roughly the same shape. But when they are they can fight with surprising agility and speed and, frankly, I'd rather not.

    A wrath spider scurries around the corner on the ceiling, a shot of venom squirted at me a second before it leaps at my face. The venom I sidestep, blade raised to bisect it as I turn to avoid both halves of its body as they fly past me. Wrath spiders have become a pretty common form of first responder because they're awkward to fight and biomass-cheap. What they're not good at is stopping rampaging New Gods.

    Another spider on the wall to the left, three more on the ground. I jump, slashing left as I do so. My daiklave slices through the spider and the wall it's standing on while the spiders beneath me miss their shots, too slow to traverse to keep up with me. Large doorway coming up, and the two Highborn on guard duty are releasing their defensive spells. Ghostly strands anchored in the strength of this edifice grasp at my armour, trying to bind my body and tear apart my soul.
    Tear Through Their Lines!
    I'm slowed slightly, and then I'm upon them, daiklave slicing through the space the Highborn on the right was occupying before she forward-flipped out of the way. I use my left gauntlet to parry the flat of her spear, sending the point scratching across the floor as she completes her dive and forward-rolls into a defensive crouch. Turning to keep her in sight I spot the acid golem coming up behind us, parrying a sword thrust from her partner and head butting the owner in the helmet as I do so. Small stagger, both our swords out of position as the spear-wielder darts left and stabs at me, hoping to use my larger size against me.
    KNEEL
    I catch the shaft in my left hand just below the head and pull, the Highborn shaking slightly as her anti-disarming wards cook off and she has a split-second to choose between losing her weapon and being pulled into grappling range of someone monstrously stronger than her. She chooses to let go, and I twist my wrist and narrowly fail to impale the sword fighter as he hurriedly shuffles back.
    KNEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEL!
    I shift my grip, letting the spear slide through my hand and gripping the shaft near to the butt while lunging forward to slash with my daiklave. He blocks with his shield, my swing being slowed as the ridiculously oversized sword overpowers its defensive spells. He sidesteps and cuts at my extended forearm only to be smacked across the cuirass by his partner's spear.

    And then cut from shoulder to sternum by a heavy downward swing from my daiklave. He staggers back… Into the first acid golem, his flesh steaming away inside his armour as the acid gets to work. I swing my new spear back to ward off its former owner, then thrust my daiklave's tip into the golem's forehead.
    You Are Dismissed
    Its eyes flicker as its controller's binding is disrupted, then I jump and trigger my aero-discs as it collapses in a wave of acid slime. Sword-fighter has dropped his weapon and collapsed on the floor, his wounds and exposed flesh smoking from the acid. A downward stab trepans his skull and then I swing back towards the surviving Highborn.

    "Kneel."

    Her hands are in a guard position and her left holds a long knife shimmering with runes. Some of her armour flickers, but between my goggles and the fact that I own most of this planet Highborn invisibility doesn't really work on me. She lunges, and I drop her spear to half-hand my daiklave and smash the broad side into her knife hand. She keeps the knife but her hand twitches, clearly injured.

    "Kneel."

    I swing the blade back, striking her in the chest and slamming her back into the doors, then charging forward, stabbing my daiklave into the ground and grabbing her head in both hands.

    "Kneel." Accept Your Defeat

    The wards on her armour burn out, then she drops from my hands and falls into a kneeling position. I glance back at the corridor and see two more acid golems stumbling after me.

    "Pick up your spear and follow."

    I grab my daiklave out of the floor and savagely kick the doors in. They explode across the room and-.

    Arrows pincushion my cuirass, biting into my armour! No penetrations, but that's more power than I'm comfortable being hit with. I charge-.

    "Artemis?"

    The figure with the bow straightens slightly, not completely relaxing their hold on their bowstring. It took me a moment; the bow is familiar but the arrows and armour are different and her hair is white, but…

    "Wait… Gray… Ven?"

    I lower my sword. She lowers her bow.

    "Hi."

    "I… Thought you were-. Wait, it's you?"

    "Ah…"

    "The guy who's been rampaging around and conquering every-."

    I take a few steps closer, shrugging as I do so.

    "Well… Yeah, that's what I do." Hang on. "Are you the one who's been organising the resistance against my campaign? I thought they'd been more unified lately."

    She walks slowly towards me, bow hanging from one hand as she pulls off her Sheeda-issue facemask. Aside from the hair she looks the same.

    "I thought you died."

    "No. Landed on the wrong side of the planet and had to fight my way back. Thought I'd end the war by force on my way."

    "So… We can just tell them to stop?"

    "Yes. Prob.. ably. Assuming your side are sufficiently unified." Um. "How have you-?"

    She jumps up, hands bracing on my shoulders, and kisses me.
     
    Last edited: Nov 6, 2020
  17. RichardWhereat

    RichardWhereat Aia airëa Fëanáro.

    Joined:
    Oct 1, 2016
    Messages:
    2,842
    Likes Received:
    15,026
    Three ships now? Three ships. Luna, Artemis, Melinoe.
     
  18. BlueMangoAdea

    BlueMangoAdea Alive. For now.

    Joined:
    Dec 30, 2019
    Messages:
    4,734
    Likes Received:
    17,221
    I don't remember Grayven meeting her, but my memory is pretty unreliable.
     
  19. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

    Joined:
    Nov 20, 2019
    Messages:
    22,134
    Likes Received:
    320,285
    'by'

    maybe 'on the other hand'

    maybe 'as he hurriedly'

    On the cheek, right?
     
  20. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

    Joined:
    Nov 20, 2019
    Messages:
    22,134
    Likes Received:
    320,285
    Renegade never met Melinoe.

    Hell I don't think he met any other god aside from New Gods, and technically the Alicorns.

    The only encounter he had with an Old God was when Zeus struck him with lightning after renegade insulted him.
     
  21. RichardWhereat

    RichardWhereat Aia airëa Fëanáro.

    Joined:
    Oct 1, 2016
    Messages:
    2,842
    Likes Received:
    15,026
    It wasn't Grayven I was talking about, but the MC in general.
     
    Ardy and DAT_NOOB like this.
  22. RichardWhereat

    RichardWhereat Aia airëa Fëanáro.

    Joined:
    Oct 1, 2016
    Messages:
    2,842
    Likes Received:
    15,026
    Still wasn't Grayven I was talking about.
     
    Wheenesss and DAT_NOOB like this.
  23. moralrelativity

    moralrelativity Recovering pendant.

    Joined:
    Dec 2, 2016
    Messages:
    873
    Likes Received:
    3,601
    its -> his
    I was NOT expecting that.
     
  24. BlueMangoAdea

    BlueMangoAdea Alive. For now.

    Joined:
    Dec 30, 2019
    Messages:
    4,734
    Likes Received:
    17,221
    Am I paranoid for wondering if this is an impostor? Maybe the kiss is a poison delivery mechanism?
     
  25. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

    Joined:
    Nov 20, 2019
    Messages:
    22,134
    Likes Received:
    320,285
    Okay, but if it was the MC you were talking about then that would technically be paragon, seeing as we mostly see him, and he's unlikely to get together with Artemis due to the whole age difference.

    Melinoe also doesn't exactly like him.

    Luna is a possibility if he recruits her in the future.

    Renegade will most likely stay with Luna, but Artemis is unlikely, due to the age thing and him already being in a relationship, and Melinoe is also unlikely since they may never meet. Renegade considers the Olympians to be not worth much so the chances of them meeting are very, very small.
     
  26. BlueMangoAdea

    BlueMangoAdea Alive. For now.

    Joined:
    Dec 30, 2019
    Messages:
    4,734
    Likes Received:
    17,221
    Speaking of the age thing, how long have Grayven and Artemis spent conquering the Sheeda?
     
  27. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

    Joined:
    Nov 20, 2019
    Messages:
    22,134
    Likes Received:
    320,285
    Given the hair thing it could have been years.

    Or it may have just been a few months and the hair was just a change she experienced due to her godhood growing and changing like renegades.
     
  28. Handlewithcare

    Handlewithcare Versed in the lewd.

    Joined:
    Feb 6, 2019
    Messages:
    1,289
    Likes Received:
    12,971
    If this really is Artemis amd not some impostor she might just be overwhelmed to see someone friendly.

    Who knows how many years or decades they've been stuck there?
     
  29. NightmareWarden

    NightmareWarden Versed in the lewd.

    Joined:
    Oct 14, 2015
    Messages:
    1,093
    Likes Received:
    5,095
    I’m going to guess Grayven touched back down on the wrong side of Earth six months ago.
    As for how much time passed due to the Source Wall’s time dilation? My gut says at least 10 years.
    Actually since Artemis’ hair is white... 40 years time dilation, 2 years of conquering.
     
  30. Zig

    Zig Not too sore, are you?

    Joined:
    Feb 26, 2016
    Messages:
    280
    Likes Received:
    1,187
    The Renegade doesn't know.
     
Loading...