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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. Joelseph14

    Joelseph14 Know what you're doing yet?

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    Damn god works hard but that attention shifting spell works harder
     
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  2. Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

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    Thank you, corrected.
     
  3. Duke Long

    Duke Long Glomerulus

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    ‘thet’
    ‘thet’

    Why the hell did he stop for figs? Why does he want figs?
     
  4. DAT_NOOB

    DAT_NOOB Accused of writing in a far away land

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    Yeah I'm curious as to why OL stopped for Figs aswell.
     
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  5. Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

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    Thank you, corrected.
     
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  6. BR549

    BR549 This is filth! FILTH!!

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    The answer is at the end of his conversation with the shopkeep: he didn't especially want the figs, specifically; what he wanted was directions to the magic section of the marketplace.

    Buying the figs was just a means to an end, as without some kind of purchase the shopkeep wouldn't have been willing to offer the directions.
     
  7. Duke Long

    Duke Long Glomerulus

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    But Balewa seemed to roughly know where to go anyway. You might be right, though. The only other thing I can think of is that Paul might’ve wanted some to see if he could grow them outside or something, if they have any magical properties.
     
  8. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

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    True, but Paul may have wanted to get intel from a local who'd have an intimate knowledge of the place.

    Also he may be interested in getting more magic from the Dreaming for his whole experiment in making magic available offworld.
     
  9. Windona

    Windona Beetle Queen of Crackshipping

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    I do wonder how the 'no magic' stuff squares with Khalid, but that's a story for another time.

    Gotta bet that the figs really are the finest. I mean, they're Dreaming figs, gotta have ultimate figniness.

    Though OL certainly will be getting himself into something...
     
  10. Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

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    Who?
     
  11. LazySloth13

    LazySloth13 Versed in the lewd.

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    Khalid Nassour is the newest Doctor Fate and a recent addition to the Young Justice cast, who helped Zatanna save her father by offering himself and others to serve as Nabu's host.

    Here's the link.
     
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  12. Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

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    Maybe he's Zoroastrian?
     
  13. Bramble Thorn

    Bramble Thorn Verified Silhouette

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    He's happy because I guessing this is a bargaining culture, and OL paid the initially quoted price without haggling the price down first.
    So OL got probably paid 2-3 times the actual market rate for the jar of dates.

    But I bet he could still make a profit if he resold the dates to a magician.
    I mean these are dates sourced from the dreaming, by someone who physically went there, and brought them back. They probably count as premium++ spell components. It's up there with someone bringing back pomegranates from the underworld.

    When you go to a foreign country, you are supposed to bring back souvenirs. Everyone knows this. And something really popular to bring back, is foodstuffs they have over there, that you can't get back home.

    You never have someone visit the shuttle launch site and bring back packets of Tang and astronaut ice cream? Or go on a cruise and come back with a tortuga mini rum cake sampler pack? Or some packages of those wacky kit-kat flavors they have in Japan and no where else?
     
  14. FreeGod

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

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    It wouldn't even need to be that great of a copy. After all they were just going for the idea of the city.

    They likely count as people, but they might be very different people then the ones that they were based on.
     
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  15. Bud-E

    Bud-E Stand up so I can push you down!

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    YJ Khalid is confirmed to be a practicing Muslim his faith is even a plot point in the arc he's in reconciling with his beliefs on magic
     
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  16. Soul Shocker

    Soul Shocker Not too sore, are you?

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    Wasn't the Apple of Knowledge from heaven actually a fig?
    Maybe he wanted to do something related to that?
     
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  17. Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

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    It was from the Garden of Eden, and it was a pomegranate.
     
  18. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

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    Maybe the guy can just believe in his faith while still doing things that his faith may not be so okay with.

    Lots of people do things that their religion may not approve of, but they still practice those religions.
     
  19. Bud-E

    Bud-E Stand up so I can push you down!

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    I'm pretty sure that's what Khalid said he would do almost word for word
     
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  20. Windona

    Windona Beetle Queen of Crackshipping

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    True. I had a Jewish friend who didn't keep Kosher, and there are plenty of Christians who don't follow the teachings precisely.
     
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  21. Vaermina

    Vaermina Well worn.

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    It squares because unlike Mr Zoat, those writers actually did their research.

    Because it's not "no magic".
     
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  22. Windona

    Windona Beetle Queen of Crackshipping

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    Ah, right. (Now I feel foolish- I learned about how the Islamic world had geomancy as a divination practice before but forgot apparently)
     
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  23. Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

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    In Christianity it's expected that practitioners are going to fail to live up to Jesus's example. They're just supposed to do their best and feel bad about their failures. Once a Christian stops trying, then they stop being a Christian.
     
  24. Windona

    Windona Beetle Queen of Crackshipping

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    Well, i was thinking about stuff like the Fighting Quakers or the ones that have pastors. But fair point.
     
  25. Threadmarks: False Dawn (part 11)
    Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

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    November 8th, 2012
    About Half Past Nine, EST


    I follow Doctor Mist into the alleyway, then hesitate to make sure that Sandy and the demon doppelgänger follow on behind me. The demon rolls his eyes while Sandy is too busy trying to take everything in to pay much attention to me. Can't say I blame him. When I was his age I wouldn't have been able to tear my eyes away from this stuff.

    I frown.

    Unless I'm supposed to count his age as his chronological age, in which case he's not all that much younger than me. Paul's had some effect on me if I'm considering that, but I don't think I'm ready to-.

    I look left and right, but Paul isn't there.

    I stick my head out of the alleyway, but I can't see him anywhere. And-. Have the market stalls moved? I don't recognize any of them, but I can't say I was paying particular attention.

    Ah, darn it.

    "Doctor Mist?" I turn back to the rest of the group. "We've lost-."

    They're not there. There's no one else here, and the alley isn't that big. I take a moment to look up, and, yeah, there's more city up there, but I can't see Doctor Mist or the others.

    Great.

    I take a moment to focus on my faith in the fact that we'll pull through and meet up again, and… And I can't fly.

    Ah, next best thing. I jog to the other end of the alley and I come out on a promenade, with a canal of some kind running through and well-dressed locals walking along the pavements on either side. There's patches of earth with palm trees growing out of 'em, and patches of other hot weather plants growing out around their bases. I guess this is a park, then.

    "Blue Lantern!"

    I look up and to my left, and see Wesley Sandy standing in the middle of a path running along what from my point of view is a wall. It doesn't look like there's any way down, whatever 'down' means someplace like this.

    I raise my right arm to wave at him. "Carry on with the mission! We'll meet up later!"

    He nods in an exaggerated fashion before hurrying along the road. I lose sight of him as he ducks under an awning and doesn't reappear.

    I'm a little worried about him, but the others can look after themselves. Even in somewhere like this. I suppose that the worst thing that could happen is that the demon doesn't come back to face the rest of his sentence, but from the sound of it that 'John Constantine' fellow can deal with that himself.

    A few years ago, I'd have said that I was too old for this. Amazing where life can take you.

    I take a moment to change my armour into something that… Fits in a little better. I think I still look like… Like one of those British guys I met in Palestine in the late forties. But I want to make it clear to these people that I'm not here to fight them, and… I think this does the job.

    Alright, there's probably some sort of concession stand somewhere in this park. If I find that, I can get directions-.

    "Excuse me, sir?"

    I turn, and it's a local guy in a purple dress robe. "What can I do for you?"

    "What can I do for you? You are clearly a visitor to our great city, and it would be inhospitable for me not to offer aid to someone looking so lost."

    "Ah, yeah. I just got separated from the rest of my group in an alleyway that couldn't have been more than twenty feet long."

    He nods. "This is not a normal city, sir, as I am sure you have noticed."

    "A dream city. I sort of thought it would be real enough that I could walk down a street without anything like that happening."

    "Were you all thinking about the same thing?"

    I shake my head. That sounds like something that's distinctly possible. "No, I suppose that we weren't. Is that something locals do, or is it just for people from outside the Dream?"

    He shrugs. "We are used to it. This is our natural environment. But you, you must be here for a reason."

    "I'm trying to get into a locked tower. Our magician thinks it's easier to get in through the Dream than through the physical world, but it still won't exactly be easy."

    "Well… If you are looking for thieves, we have those. You can trust them with your life, as long as you are honest with them. Just not with your coin purse."

    "You got anything that would let us get through a dream storm?"

    "I know of a man who sells ropes that are enchanted to survive even the strangest dreams. You could use that to tie your group together so that they are not separated."

    "Does he sell anything else?"

    "He sells other enchanted ropes, though I am not sure how useful you would find them."

    "I won't be, either, until I see them." And maybe not even then. Paul's the equipment guy. Is a rope useful for a Lantern? I never used to use it, but here? Who knows. "Can you give me directions?"

    "If you are not used to navigating the city, directions would be of limited usefulness. But I can take you there, if you like?"

    We couldn't even make it out of an alley without being split up. Getting a guide sounds like a very good idea.

    "Thanks." I nod. "I'd appreciate that."

    He does this sort of half-bow thing, then leads the way down the street. I keep level with him as I try and work out his motives. Helping a visitor out is one thing, but he's being a whole lot more obsequious than he needs to be. Is he a professional guide? I don't mind paying for the help, but it would be nice if he were more up-front about it.

    "People call me Blue Lantern."

    "This humble servant is named Uns Al-Wujud." He frowns. "Your name sounds strange to my ears. Is it a common name in yours lands?"

    "Lantern… Kind of is. Blue, not so much. If you don't mind me asking, what line of business are you in?"

    "I am a trader in dreams. Our Caliph -may Allah bless and keep him!- has expressed a concern that the material world might come to overtake his great city in glory. So he commands us to seek out the greatest mortal dreams, that our city will not calcify or decay."

    "So you collect dreams? Isn't that pretty dangerous work?"

    "Oh, no, no. That is work for young men far braver than me. I purchase what they collect, assess it and sell it onwards. Much of what they collect is of little use to the Caliph, but there is always a market for that sort of thing."

    "That doesn't do anything to the people having the dreams, does it?"

    "No, no, no. The mind of the sleeper forms the raw dream-stuff into whatever their fantasy is, but the dream lingers for a while after they leave it. It would be even more dangerous to enter while the dream was in motion. They would risk being caught up in it! It is far safer and easier to just gather it up once the dreamer has woken up."

    He opens the door into a shop just off the main boulevard, motioning for me to come inside. I do, and it… Brings back a slightly uncomfortable memory of an upmarket whorehouse I saw in post-War France one time. This is clearly a space meant for entertaining clients while the actual work happens behind the curtains.

    "Please sir, take a seat. I will send a runner to make sure that my rope merchant friend is available."

    "Thank you." I take a seat… This isn't helping with the mission, but I need this guy's help. "Do you-?"

    "Would you be interested in viewing my wares while you are here?"

    I'm not sure how a recording of a dream would help us, but maybe we could use it to reform part of the storm so we can cross?

    "I… Guess it wouldn't hurt. What do you have?"
     
    Last edited: Jun 27, 2022
  26. Handlewithcare

    Handlewithcare Versed in the lewd.

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    Uh oh.

    And here we see the dangers of an incomplete DnD/RPG education. If Mr Allen here had completed his basement-studies, he would know to be on his toes right now, kids!

    Remember, random story trope cliches may one day save your life!
     
  27. Sockmonkey

    Sockmonkey I trust you know where the happy button is?

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    Yep. If anywhere is gonna conform to story tropes, it's the Dream.
     
  28. Chojin Patriarch

    Chojin Patriarch Veteran Lurker

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    And a surprise change of perspective! Alan gets a day in the spotlight, and it's one long overdue. I wonder how long it'll take each of them to notice that they've lost track of each other, though? In these shifting streets, a moment's hesitation may put you at opposite ends of the city....

    Yeah, things get complicated when you have to consider the differences between apparent age and actual chronological age. Doctor Balewa's a good example. Older than most human civilisation, but he barely looks in his forties.

    Let's hope that after all this, OL gives him the 'Never split the party' advice he gave the Team.

    Like I said, pause for one second...

    To be fair, would you want to be airborne in a place that could easily see buildings moving about?

    Ah, good, some manner of landmark. A pity it's useless for navigation, given the labyrinthine nature of this place.

    At least he's dealing with the alien geometries of the place well enough.

    ...Assuming John doesn't quietly sweep it under a rug. Possibly literally, if he decides to vaporise the Demon...

    ...So, Pith helmet and safari suit? Complete with shorts, woollen socks and boots? :p

    Oh, here we go with the classic 'blundering tourist' gag. :D

    No doubt Alan will get where he's going, but not without being persuaded to spend a fortune first in trinkets and trash...

    <Nicholas Cage Face.jpg> Gee, you don't say? :rolleyes:

    Good luck getting that kind of coordination.

    I can only imagine the sort of directions they might give someone... "Head that way for fifty paces, close your eyes, turn widdershins thrice, then step forwards. From there, follow the path up the wall and along the roof..."

    Just be careful around magic lamps. And bottles. And rings... Heck, anything overly shiny in general. But be careful of the dull and rusty things too...

    ...Do you have to be careful to untie yourself before you leave the Dreaming, for fear of permanent proximity bindings, hmm? :p

    Like a rope that stands upright, and leads into an otherworldly room at the top? Or one that will sneakily bind someone you wish it to without them noticing? All manner of things are possible.

    Seriously, if you can afford the space, carry everything. Whether the materials to make what you can, or the strange and rare items you can't fabricate.

    ...Alan's not one for adventure stories, is he? Especially these sort of 'Arabian Adventures' type stories?

    Not giving your real name, at least. That's one sensible decision. Even if it's accidental.

    Just in case you need to convince some burly fellows you aren't worth the trouble of kidnapping, you know.

    Honestly, that's a pretty clever idea. The City that the original Caliph gave up was a marvel of its era (sometime in the tenth century or so?) But it probably looks a little less impressive these days.

    I'm sure some enjoy spending their time in these dreams, living out other's fantasies. Sounds positively addictive, really... :sneaky:

    Ah, the perfect place for those burly fellows I mentioned to be hiding.

    And there we go. There's the sneaky sales pitch. Just like those 'free weekend resort trips! If you attend our eight-hour-long seminar on time-share condos...' scams.

    Argh, Alan. You poor, trusting fool...

    I'm amazed Alan wasn't more on his guard, but he kind of operates on a spectrum of 'It'll all work out somehow' these days anyway... And OL is usually cynical enough for both of them. I mean, it's not like Alan spends plenty of time each day browsing sites like TVTropes... :oops: We can but hope the others aren't getting as side-tracked as these two did...
     
  29. AR760

    AR760 Experienced.

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    It's a little surprising that Dr. Mist didn't give them a warning about how this exact kind of thing could happen. If something as simple as thinking about different things while walking down a road could separate a group, you'd have thought that he would have told them and prepared them against such a fate.
     
  30. Breadnaught

    Breadnaught Experienced.

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    This guy trades in dreams that have no use to the Caliph or the city as a whole, but there is always a market for such a thing.

    The place reminds you of an up-scale whore house you visited one time.

    Come on Alan, the 'clueless tourist out of his depth' things gets you a lot of slack, but only so much. Figure it out.
     
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