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

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

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  1. PDV

    PDV Revelation That Uncertainty Is Itself An Answer

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    With a power ring. But if I was actually going to approximate it with a human mouth I'd probably try "Kilg-osho-rr".
     
  2. Greckle

    Greckle Making the rounds.

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    Wooo finally caught up. Glad I did too, some fun stuff happened in the past two years of updates. Grayven and Artemis in the Land of Summers End was fascinating stuff, and probably my favorite.
     
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  3. Prognostic Hannya

    Prognostic Hannya Knight of the Yuri Crusade

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    It is the nascent Machine God! All Hail! Praise the Omnissiah!!!!
     
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  4. Stsword

    Stsword Versed in the lewd.

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    Huh.

    Just thought of something.

    Wildstorm's the Great Machine was given the power over machines by extradimensional invaders.

    One of the alternate Great Machines was very clearly a Superman expy.

    A Superman with power over machines = Cyborg Superman.

    So one could see the Great Machine as a Cyborg Superman equivalent.

    Not that I think Zoat is doing an Ex Machina crossover here, although he certainly could.
     
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  5. Someguy Somewhere

    Someguy Somewhere The Critical Fumbler

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    Maybe it's some version of lead in to 'The Technis Imperative' story ? It's one of the definitive teen titan story lines out there, and we're a bit early for Beast Boy and Cyborg, looking at the ages OL has quoted.
     
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  6. Stsword

    Stsword Versed in the lewd.

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    While it's too early for them to show up on the titans side, this would be after Swamp Thing got raped by Technis so Swampy's alien robot son Zavior
    should exist.

    Unless Zoat went "lalalala I can't see you" to that particular storyline. Cause you know, creepy.

    They aren't normally supernatural, just very freaking advanced, unless Zoat merged them with the concept of the Metal and made them technology elementals from outer space.

    Although the Technis was capable of claiming Cyborg's soul, so that's a New God level feat there and they defeated Swamp Thing using time manipulation technology which is impressive, since Swampy plays with the big boys.
     
  7. Hotcoco

    Hotcoco Making the rounds.

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    For some reason the whole machines running them selves has me tinkled in a weird way also this video. Want to give a budding elemental or what ever a way to test his / her power over a world but don't want it to kill you, have it do a test run in a small scaled world .
     
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  8. Vaermina

    Vaermina Well worn.

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    You know... It would be hilarious if this was all Mr Nobody...
     
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  9. Bramble Thorn

    Bramble Thorn Verified Silhouette

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    "This is my hill-to-die-on. There may be many other hills-to-die-on out there, some larger or smaller, some flatter or steeper, and and I'm sure they are very nice hills-to-die-on. But this particular hill is mine, and that is just fine."
     
  10. Threadmarks: Maladaptive (part 8)
    Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

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    22nd July 2012
    17:52 GMT


    I stroll into the garage, the owner just giving me a glance and then ignoring me.

    "Good evening, Seth."

    "Paul." The car has had its wheels removed, and parts of the panelling have been removed to grant easier access to the mechanisms I think of as the 'worky bits'. Vulcan's legs are sticking out of the door, while his head and shoulders remain firmly within. "Not sure I've got much for you yet."

    I nod.

    "Do you think it's worth bringing your brother in?"

    "He might have something useful to say, but I've got to be honest here: something like this… Hm."

    I look around, and while Mr. Zencha isn't paying us a lot of attention, he isn't deaf. I take a noise cancelling field generator out of subspace and activate it.

    "Good idea." Vulcan shuffles himself out a little, coming upright with his feet hanging out of the car door. "I'm not an expert on this sort of primal…" He spots Earl Dukeston and regards him curiously. "Magic."

    "Not a natural event?"

    "Not natural and I'm almost certain that it wasn't directed. Not by a magician, anyway. Who is this?"

    "Oh, I'm.. sorry. Vulcan, this is Earl Dukeston the Second. He's an AI with a highly adaptive robotic body whose mind is based on the mind of his predecessor, Earl Dukeston the First."

    Earl raises his right hand in greeting.

    "Howdy, Vulcan."

    "Welcome kindly, Mister Dukeston."

    "But it could be a god?"

    "A god, a titan, or something… Different. I read something a while ago about the possibility of human technology developing its own intelligence-."

    I shake my head. "If you're talking about some sort of emergent noosphere entity, that only applies to electromagnetic energy. We might make our own Kilg%re, but this car still wouldn't be vulnerable to it. And neither would isolated robots with no external control system. And… And frankly, I'm sceptical as to whether it's possible at all, other than in the normal ways an artificial intelligence could be created."

    "One ah you fellahs wanna fill a guy in?"

    "The term 'noosphere' refers to the sum total of telecommunications in a given area. Since the contents of communications impact one another, in… Very theoretically, a conscious mind could emerge from one once a civilisation reaches a certain point."

    "The internet could start thinking?"

    "One unusually intelligent indexing program is all it would take. In theory."

    "Boy howdy! Glad I said 'no' to that upgrade. I don't even wanna imagine what kinda twisted mind would crawl outta that place."

    "It probably wouldn't be that bad. It wouldn't have any reason to assign the same value to the information that we do. But-. As I said, it's unlikely that's what we're looking for. If it's a god, is it..? New?"

    "I looked through the list you sent me. It feels random, but that's just a feeling and not a god-given domain-related intuition. If someone was getting a feeling for their new powers, I can't see why they'd do it like this. And given how powerful the god would have become, there'd be wizards with blood pouring out of their eyes all over the place from the power backlash."

    "A new god? How would that work?"

    "If Heph got Athena pregnant, their domains are close enough that their offspring could become the God of Technology. Maybe." He smiles saucily. "But if something like that was happening, I'm pretty sure we'd have heard about it."

    "Are there any other gods in a position to try something like that? I imagine that there are a few chief gods who'd be prepared to lose their seats if it meant their pantheon coming to that level of prominence."

    "The only gods who actually plan things like that are the Shinto gods. But they've been working from the bottom up. A god of all technology?" He shakes his head. "Where would they find one?"

    "Don't they have gods of related concepts they could persuade to have a child together?"

    "It isn't impossible, but that hasn't been the direction they've been moving in." He shakes his head. "You'd have to ask one of them. I'm not close with any of them."

    "I'll add it to the slate. What are the other alternatives?"

    "A new god born directly from the Dream. Perhaps an entire pantheon. I'm too young to have ever seen it happening before, so I can't describe what it looked like last time."

    "Did any of the older members of your pantheon ever talk about it?"

    "Of their own births? Their first awkward, foundering steps into the magic realms of the Earth?" He looks amused by the idea. "No, never. You could try asking Hades if you want to compare the two, but Earth was a very different place back then."

    "What would a god want?"

    "Worshippers, a cult, recognition, and a reasonable reassurance that it's going to keep getting those things in the future. Assuming that it's a single god. With a whole pantheon it could be anything." He makes an amused exhalation. "Though I don't imagine they're going to want someone like me sticking around."

    Hm. If I remember my Warhammer 40,000 correctly…

    "What happens in the run up to a god being born? Or… However it works?"

    "If they're born as the child of an existing god, not a lot. If they emerge directly from the Dream…" He shakes his head. "I don't know. I've never seen it, and I don't understand the magic involved well enough to work it out. What we're seeing might fit, but I can't swear to it."

    "And if it was a titan?"

    His gaze grows a little distant. "Once, when he was really drunk, Jupiter talked about what that was like. Mortals and gods alike being driven insane by the ideas forced into their sleeping minds. The whole of the world's magic being thrown off balance until it finds a new equilibrium." His attention returns to me. "That's one of the reasons why they didn't kill the titans who survived the war; they're literally propping up what's left. I'd… Guess, that if a new titan was emerging from the depth of the Dream -a Titan of Technology- it would be similar to how it would be for a god, only far more severe. The nature of magic on Earth would change."

    I nod.

    "That's easier to check. I'll just need to ask magicians if their abilities have been off recently."

    He nods back. "I'd like to think that we'd notice in advance. But maybe this is us noticing."

    Okay, so talk to Hades, talk to… The Tower of Fate has a window onto the Dream. So John's probably the best person to ask about that aspect of things.

    "On an unrelated note, Mister Dukeston has a problem."

    He nods. "Apparently, ah'm a soulless bag of bolts and you're the fellah who can fix that."

    Vulcan shrugs. "I could build something…" He frowns. "If a god's awakening..." His frown deepens as he studies Mr. Dukeston. "I could build something that would draw magic from the world around you. I've studied Paul enough that I could create something like the network he has. But if a God of Machines is waking up… I might be able to use that magic to create something… More you."

    "I gotta decide right away?"

    "No. This business is more important, perhaps for the whole world." He shakes his head. "I can't even be certain what your choice would mean for you."

    "Then this seems like something ah should really sleep on."

    "As you will."

    "Thank you, Vulcan. You've been very helpful. I'll keep you up to date on what I discover."

    "And I, you. Thank you for bringing this to me. It's been a while since I've… Engaged with the world like this."
     
    Last edited: Apr 14, 2021
  11. Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

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    It's not really dying on a hill if no one dies.
     
  12. FreeGod

    FreeGod If you see a God on the road fuck it!

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    That is because no one is attacking his position to the bitter end. Now that end might be old age. Too soon to tell.
     
    Last edited: Apr 15, 2021
  13. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

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    'the head'

    He makes an excellent point.

    Society of Virtue kinda showed what could happen.




    'there'd'

    I think there was an issue in Marvel where a bunch of new gods were born, one of them was named Manchester, and tried to replace the old gods, or something like that.

    Also, seriously getting American Gods vibes again.

    And sad the show was canceled.

    Worried about something like with what happened when Slaanesh was born, eh.

    So they're worried about something like what happened in God of War, when Kratos kills the gods.

    I think that in Scion the gods killed Ymir and brought an end to the Ice Age, but caused a global flood.

    'into'

    'Dreaming'
     
    Last edited: Apr 14, 2021
  14. Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

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    Thank you, corrected.
    No, that's right.
     
  15. Stsword

    Stsword Versed in the lewd.

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    You seem to be equating two different pantheons of "Modern Gods" from Marvel according to my wiki walking.

    The Manchester Gods goal was to make the Otherworld as modern as Great Britain. So no more frolicking in fey woods but cars and roads et al. Whether the Otherworlders wanted to modernize or not.

    The Uprising Storm however wanted to do the whole cyclical kill the old gods to become the new bosses thing.
     
  16. Chojin Patriarch

    Chojin Patriarch Veteran Lurker

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    Yes, better not to think too hard about the details. Mister Zencha is a wise man, it seems. After all, Goose, Golden Egg, all that jazz.

    Ah, yes. The age old issue of automobiles old and new: Awkward-to-access wiring clusters. If you've ever had to have a mechanic or auto-electrician work on something like the dash panel system, I hope you tipped well. That shit's a pain to get at...

    Hephaestus is more old-school, no matter what he's been learning. I doubt he'd put the effort in to make, say, an automata using modern electronics, for example. No, clockwork is good enough.

    Probably wondering if OL wants him to do a little work on the android. In which case, he may want to charge extra.

    So something is definitely making burps and bumps in the Earth's thaumic sphere, then.

    Ah, Superhero comics, in which an artificial human can chat with a God and not have anything seem unlikely about it.

    Not quite the Singularity, but kind of close. Probably more likely in DC Earth than ours, of course...

    Ah, the joy of having someone 'stupid' ignorant to exposit to. OL really does need some manner of long-term sidekick, doesn't he, so we can have that all the time. Oh, sure, we get brief times with this character or that one hanging around, but not always...

    To be fair, that's probably how at least one DC AI came to be...

    Hell, LExcorp's software development subsidiaries probably have something like that in their black projects ledger...

    If anything, it would probably start out coming across as a bit of a pervert, because why else would humans devote so much of their information production to one subject like that? :p Imagine an AI that thought real life worked like porn-movie logic...

    Well, when humans get an idea into their heads...

    And neither of them seem the sort to carry on that sort of silliness.

    ...Ah, the 90's, coming out of a decade when Japan conquering the world through corporate methods was a lingering fear borne of the 80's. On the upside, it gave us things like Cyberpunk RPGs, comics and movies... Remember the Machine Man Limited series set in 2020? Or Marvel 2099?

    "Too much bowing and humble 'This one believes...' for my tastes, for a start..."

    That's quite a shakeup... But, given the Sheeda invasion, I could believe something like that coming out of an unsettled zeitgeist... Wonder if he can check in with Dream?

    No doubt the Greek gods would remember the rise of their 'siblings'. Though I doubt it was quite as faltering as it is here.

    The inevitable urge of the young and unsure deity to overturn their predecessors...

    Concerned about something like a warp storm, OL? Thankfully the Earth's thaumic sphere is a lot more stable than the Immaterium. No need to worry about a group causing a Negative Space Wedgie through, uh... Let's go with 'enthusiastic recreational activities'?

    ...OH, there's a scary though. A literal God-Machine... ;) Because, you know, that's what some Imperial humans call the giant walking weapons platforms known as Titans...

    Oooh, boy. Good thing this isn't one of those, then...

    Boy, now that's an interesting conversation to have with someone like Zatarra.

    Yet more things for the to-do list. At least these are immediate, high-priority jobs.

    Though I'd understand if they were willing to put things off for a bit... What with not-even-gods-know-what is going on...

    He's a God, not a miracle-worker, Earl. He'd have to take some time to think about it, after all...

    "...Figuratively speakin', ah course." Heh, that should make for some interesting dreams...

    Nothing like a good puzzle to get the old thinking muscle working, eh? Hephaestus is going to be a little sore he's missing out... But then, he's probably busy with the 'new worshippers' thing involved in making meta-materials.

    Well... That was a fascinating little discussion.There's definitely some implications involved all round, both good and bad, in the possible causes they thought of... On the other hand, with a little luck, they're relatively easy to check. Just a matter of Dream being in a good mood (and if it's not Morpheus, that's a lot more likely...)
     
    Last edited: Apr 14, 2021
  17. Handlewithcare

    Handlewithcare Versed in the lewd.

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    So we agree it's most likely the parliament of metal than?

    Both "spontaneous sentient internet" and "new god"?
     
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  18. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

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    I know he probably won't use it, but this really feels like the Metal.

    Stupid is a harsh word.

    Ignorant is better.

    Thank you for that image Chojin.

    Just, thanks.

    We haven't seen that much of Athena.

    Maybe she is that silly.

    Hmm, after the invasion ended, Paul complained and warned people what would happen if they don't adopt more advanced technology.

    Maybe that got people thinking and it followed with a new god being born.

    Plus the other things, like Roanoke, Oceanus, Time Trapper, the trauma the Sheeda caused to the world etc.

    All these things could have affected the magic of the world and lead to some new god being made.

    The Greeks and Roman's may be the same gods here.

    If I remember correctly, in the comics Darkseid somehow split them into two pantheons to lower their power since he was worried they could challenge him.

    He may have done something similar here.

    Murphy Chojin, you're calling Murphy.

    Chojin, just stop, just stop calling Murphy.

    Or Dr Mist.

    The guy is very old and skilled.

    Hell, he may have honestly seen, or felt, a god emerge from the Dreaming, given his age.

    Fairly understandable why he'd consider him a miracle worker.

    It's still Morpheus.

    Daniel, the guy that replaced him in the comics, is still human and a young adult.
     
  19. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

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    I think it's the new god thing.

    Zoat really doesn't use the n52 all that much, so new god sounds like something he'd use.

    Though he may have chosen to write something featuring the Metal.

    He does like to subvert tropes and expectations, so maybe he's subverting our expectations of him hating everything about the n52.
     
  20. ForeverShogo

    ForeverShogo Not too sore, are you?

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    Well, there was one thing in there that confused me. That link when the Shinto gods got mentioned. How the hell would the Shinto gods claim Marylin Monroe, King Kong, and Lady Liberty as part of their pantheon?
     
  21. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

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    I'm betting that due to their fame they somehow became divine and the Shinto had them join their pantheon.
     
  22. Vaermina

    Vaermina Well worn.

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    Thing they didn't consider....

    What if mortal magicians are trying to create a God?
     
  23. Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

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    By asking and having them say 'yes'.
     
  24. GhostKing 666

    GhostKing 666 Know what you're doing yet?

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    I'm still stuck on the idea that they aren't worshipped. I mean shinto is the largest followed religion in Japan, with Buddhism being number 2(not that that really means anything considering how japanese culture doesn't see an issue with keeping the beliefs and practices of different religions exclusive with each other).

    There's also the bit "My mother is Queen of our own underworld; it is a most efficient place"? Like, are they talking about Yomi and Izanami(looking it up, that is apparently supposed to be Susanoo so maybe)? Because while I get that the comic this page was from was from the nineties(and thus Japan takes over the World was in full swing), that's both really racist and probably highly inaccurate to how Yomi is supposed to be in Shinto.
     
  25. Handlewithcare

    Handlewithcare Versed in the lewd.

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    Zoat, random question: is there going to be a Paul in the Half-Live verse(s)?
     
  26. Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

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    No.

    Ah, I mean, it's not impossible that a varient won't run into the Combine, because they're a interplanar empire, but I can't think of a reason why they'd encounter a random parallel Earth of little value.
     
  27. Steelplaza

    Steelplaza Custom Title

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    I'm not really interested in dying on the hill either, but out of curiosity I'll ask- What would DC comics actually have to do to get themselves out of the naughty box with you? Is it even possible? Obviously I don't mean doing something for you personally, but is there some version of their universe they could morph to where you draw a line and say, "Okay, DC comics is dead to me from 2011 to 20XX, but after 20XX I am willing to give them time/attention again."? They dropped the nu52 branding and a lot of the ideas, but is there some specifically offensive part you need to see directly repudiated?
     
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  28. Doccer

    Doccer I trust you know where the happy button is?

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    I'm still betting on this being the rise of the Silver and the Parliament of Technology.
     
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  29. Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

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    ...

    Hm.

    Probably... A reboot which puts the main timeline back to or near to pre-Flashpoint? Or something else that was really awesome?
     
  30. Pinklestia

    Pinklestia Well worn.

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    What if this is a supervillain plan to godhood?
     
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