Ardy
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I mean, he has a job to do and has been authorized to offer pretty much anything to get their cooperation.
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With This Ring (Young Justice SI) (Thread Fourteen)
- Thread starter Mr Zoat
- Start date
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- self insert young justice
I mean, he has a job to do and has been authorized to offer pretty much anything to get their cooperation.
Zig
Not too sore, are you?
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Is she going to be annoyed that he is bringing her a Blue Lantern instead of an Orange one?
Supnautica (part 12)
Mr Zoat
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7th May 2013
02:52 GMT -1
I look round, staring through the film of the bubble of air Robert has surrounded us with and into the ocean water beyond. Negotiations went well, and Queen Artemis is going to ask for volunteers for a team to travel to Maltus to assess the situation, leading to a full mission being dispatched once a) she's confirmed that we're telling the truth and b) she knows what sort of expertise we actually need.
"…did it even come up?"
Fortunately for me, Alan is more bewildered than annoyed. From what I've been able to tell, he met Rose when he was relatively young and focusing on his career. As such, he didn't really do a lot of dating even when he was younger-. At least, not casual dating with a variety of women. Given how much of a sore point it is, I haven't asked anyone if he dated after their marriage was annulled, but I'm guessing not.
Commander Scott was married to someone called Molly Mayne, but our version of her died years ago.
"Okay, so we didn't really get into her dating history-"
"Then clearly you're not taking this matchmaker thing seriously."
Bewildered and slightly amused.
"-but as I understand it, she's thousands of years old and she's never dated."
"Ah… Do you mean, she's never married..?"
"Not according to her. She wants to marry someone suitably heroic, but her world's been at peace for pretty much her whole life, and while she's interested in magic research… It doesn't… Ah. Attract her."
"Her world's been at peace for thousands of years?"
"Ah, all their history is recorded in warded books, so I haven't been able to study it in detail, but that's what she said. I don't know exactly how peaceful 'peaceful' is, but I'm going to assume that it means no major wars. And she's an archmage in her own right, so impressing her isn't just a matter of winning a few duels."
"Huh. Do you think she'd let us in on the secret?"
"What secret?"
"How to stay at peace for thousands of years. It feels like we can't even manage a year."
"After everything that's happened, I think it'll take at least a year and a half before we have another one. So..? You up for it? It's just one getting-to-know-you date."
I hear him sigh. "Why..? Me?"
"Because I consider you to be the model of heroism."
The construct of his face sort of… Looks at me a little blankly.
"Oh. Ah... Thank you. But there's other guys on the Justice League. What about… Hal? Or J'onn or Nate? J'onn's been active about as long as I have."
"What about them?"
"They're single heroic guys."
"I suppose that they might have made the long list. It's not-. It wasn't a condition, she just asked and yours was the name that came to me."
"Alright, but you don't usually have just one answer for things like that. Is there a prob-?" He blinks, something occurring to him. "Is this about Giovanni?"
"Forgiving and forgetting are different things. I have to take into account the fact that they're people who made those decisions. Which disqualifies them from the category of 'ideal hero'."
"Huh."
"I-." Peering through the murk, I see someone approaching. "As I said, you're free to say no."
"Yeah, I could… …" He looks away for a moment. "Where does she wanna meet up?"
"Her palace? Data packet en route."
"Okay. That's… A bit of a commute, but I guess it's good practice for me."
"You're actually.. going to..?"
"I guess there's no harm in meeting the woman. That's… All."
Data packet sent.
"And then we can-. What's this?"
"An indexed account of your entire heroic career, including the handful of times you saw combat in the US Army and didn't use your ring. I thought it might help jog your memory. You know, when she asks."
"Heh. Okay. Indexed?"
"Depending on which heroic virtue she values the most. Um. Ah, look, I've got an informant on the.. Atlantis situation I need to talk to-."
"And apparently I've got to check that my good suit still fits. I'll catch you later."
The projection vanishes, and I lower my left hand.
"Well. That was awkward."
"I thought it went alright."
Robert looks at me like I've said something stupid. "No. I mean, for me."
"If that's the worst thing that happens today-."
One of the Fish-Eaters comes up alongside the bubble and sticks his head in. He's in shark mode, only… More so than he used to be, and I'm not sure which one this is.
"This the right place?"
"Yes, Stevie. It is."
He nods, as much as his neck lets him. "Robbie. Orange."
"Where are the other two?"
"Covering for me. Things are fucked up in Nanauve. They got-. Fuckin-. Refugees."
"From where?"
"Other cities where they're getting rid of the ones who look like fish. And they're just taking it."
"King Orin is still king, so they might-."
"No one's seen him. Just that 'arry Ahn fucker. It's a palace coup, mate."
Mildly impressed that he knows the term.
"Are any of Ahri'ahn's people in Nanauve now?"
"Not swimming around in uniform, but they've got magic, haven't they?"
I shake my head. "So do I. Cornwall, can you match your magic profile to what Steven uses? I could use backup."
"Yeah. I can do that."
"Thank you. Steven, show me the problem."
02:52 GMT -1
I look round, staring through the film of the bubble of air Robert has surrounded us with and into the ocean water beyond. Negotiations went well, and Queen Artemis is going to ask for volunteers for a team to travel to Maltus to assess the situation, leading to a full mission being dispatched once a) she's confirmed that we're telling the truth and b) she knows what sort of expertise we actually need.
"…did it even come up?"
Fortunately for me, Alan is more bewildered than annoyed. From what I've been able to tell, he met Rose when he was relatively young and focusing on his career. As such, he didn't really do a lot of dating even when he was younger-. At least, not casual dating with a variety of women. Given how much of a sore point it is, I haven't asked anyone if he dated after their marriage was annulled, but I'm guessing not.
Commander Scott was married to someone called Molly Mayne, but our version of her died years ago.
"Okay, so we didn't really get into her dating history-"
"Then clearly you're not taking this matchmaker thing seriously."
Bewildered and slightly amused.
"-but as I understand it, she's thousands of years old and she's never dated."
"Ah… Do you mean, she's never married..?"
"Not according to her. She wants to marry someone suitably heroic, but her world's been at peace for pretty much her whole life, and while she's interested in magic research… It doesn't… Ah. Attract her."
"Her world's been at peace for thousands of years?"
"Ah, all their history is recorded in warded books, so I haven't been able to study it in detail, but that's what she said. I don't know exactly how peaceful 'peaceful' is, but I'm going to assume that it means no major wars. And she's an archmage in her own right, so impressing her isn't just a matter of winning a few duels."
"Huh. Do you think she'd let us in on the secret?"
"What secret?"
"How to stay at peace for thousands of years. It feels like we can't even manage a year."
"After everything that's happened, I think it'll take at least a year and a half before we have another one. So..? You up for it? It's just one getting-to-know-you date."
I hear him sigh. "Why..? Me?"
"Because I consider you to be the model of heroism."
The construct of his face sort of… Looks at me a little blankly.
"Oh. Ah... Thank you. But there's other guys on the Justice League. What about… Hal? Or J'onn or Nate? J'onn's been active about as long as I have."
"What about them?"
"They're single heroic guys."
"I suppose that they might have made the long list. It's not-. It wasn't a condition, she just asked and yours was the name that came to me."
"Alright, but you don't usually have just one answer for things like that. Is there a prob-?" He blinks, something occurring to him. "Is this about Giovanni?"
"Forgiving and forgetting are different things. I have to take into account the fact that they're people who made those decisions. Which disqualifies them from the category of 'ideal hero'."
"Huh."
"I-." Peering through the murk, I see someone approaching. "As I said, you're free to say no."
"Yeah, I could… …" He looks away for a moment. "Where does she wanna meet up?"
"Her palace? Data packet en route."
"Okay. That's… A bit of a commute, but I guess it's good practice for me."
"You're actually.. going to..?"
"I guess there's no harm in meeting the woman. That's… All."
Data packet sent.
"And then we can-. What's this?"
"An indexed account of your entire heroic career, including the handful of times you saw combat in the US Army and didn't use your ring. I thought it might help jog your memory. You know, when she asks."
"Heh. Okay. Indexed?"
"Depending on which heroic virtue she values the most. Um. Ah, look, I've got an informant on the.. Atlantis situation I need to talk to-."
"And apparently I've got to check that my good suit still fits. I'll catch you later."
The projection vanishes, and I lower my left hand.
"Well. That was awkward."
"I thought it went alright."
Robert looks at me like I've said something stupid. "No. I mean, for me."
"If that's the worst thing that happens today-."
One of the Fish-Eaters comes up alongside the bubble and sticks his head in. He's in shark mode, only… More so than he used to be, and I'm not sure which one this is.
"This the right place?"
"Yes, Stevie. It is."
He nods, as much as his neck lets him. "Robbie. Orange."
"Where are the other two?"
"Covering for me. Things are fucked up in Nanauve. They got-. Fuckin-. Refugees."
"From where?"
"Other cities where they're getting rid of the ones who look like fish. And they're just taking it."
"King Orin is still king, so they might-."
"No one's seen him. Just that 'arry Ahn fucker. It's a palace coup, mate."
Mildly impressed that he knows the term.
"Are any of Ahri'ahn's people in Nanauve now?"
"Not swimming around in uniform, but they've got magic, haven't they?"
I shake my head. "So do I. Cornwall, can you match your magic profile to what Steven uses? I could use backup."
"Yeah. I can do that."
"Thank you. Steven, show me the problem."
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Darko
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Well if they've had magic for a long time they could have potentially solved a lot of the issues that can lead to war.
If they can control vegetation then wars over scarcity could be avoided.
Plus if they have some magic that can allow them to view the minds and souls of others then they can see that they're not that different, or see the evil of some people so they don't get tricked or manipulated by a despot.
"feels"
Add a " at the beginning of Alan's sentence.
You could make it fit.
A lot of people do that.
Usually because you say something stupid.
WereDragon
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About as expected. At least their 'getting rid of' is only at the deportation stage.
Pretty sure the problem is Ahri'ahn. Although I suppose the League will want more than the word of one former(?) hooligan before busting down the gates of Atlantis.
Old Knife
I trust you know where the happy button is?
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What's the "love stick"?
B00ki5h
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The focus they made for Zatanna using a chunk of Star Sapphire
Chojin Patriarch
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Nicely summed up, OL. I suppose those sorts of conversations never look the most entertaining 'onscreen', so sparing us a dull chapter is probably worthwhile. So, Ol and Rob waiting to pickup the Fish-Eaters, eh? Wonder what they learned?
That sort of romantic history definitely seems a solid reason why a lot of more modern variants are pegged as homosexual or bisexual. Man has not had much luck with romance in nearly any universe, Molly Mayne notwithstanding.
Unlucky for the Harlequin. Heck, Post-Crisis Alan Scott fought his way into Hell to save her soul in one plotline...
Of course. It's the mentor's privilege to be amused by his student's flailing about. Admittedly, in msot cases, it's usually in their normal field of work, not...
Setting him up on dates....Talk about a dry spell.
Maybe the lady needs to lower her standards a little?
Not that it wouldn't get her engine purring, if you know what I mean?
Blame Narrative Causality. Humans are conflict-driven beings. Fighting to survive, fighting to dominate, fighting over race, creed or colour... Nearly everything in Human history ties back to conflict in some way. and lots of Science Fiction tends to lean on that. I remember many a HFY tale where we seem like super-soldiers to most aliens of the galaxy.
Don't jinx it, OL. You know Events tend to come along on an annual schedule...
Yeah, i don't think he's quite following you here.
Yeah, but they have their dark sides. Alan is fairly clean all the way down.
Which says a lot about how much he respects Alan. So different to many alternates.
Ah, there's a big sticking point, yes.
But given the weighty matters behind it... Can you see him refusing to meet?
Heh. Getting him to come a'courting. She really is into the fairy-tale princess fantasy, isn't she?
Yeah, he hasn't done much long-range travel solo, has he? Better remind him to wear a space suit just in case of focus loss.
Ah, so much easier information sharing Power Rings have. While I can't even get two Windows 10 systems to talk to each other... Dang removal of ad hoc networks.
Okay, OL? I know you want this to go well, but there is such a thing as over-preparing. "Lies!"
And not all of those heroic virtues may align with modern 'heroism'. Remember Greek heroes, who had a much more casual approach to murder when the situation demanded it?
As if that matters? One bit of hoping for a better fit and bam, he's a sharp-dressed man.
Read the room, OL? He just had to listen to all of that conversation. Do you know how embarrassing that sort of thing is for guys?
It's be a good day, yes... Still, the day is young.
Evidently an improvement in their metamorphic skills.
To be fair, there's a few different styles of sharkman. Street Sharks, King Shark, Champions Online's Shark heads (Picture a shark head attached more like a human head atop the spinal column, facing forwards. Takes a lot of tailoring adjustment in the costume editor to get a decent look out of them...)
Yeah, that was expected. Can't have the ugly fish people stinking up Ahri'ahn's above-water paradise, after all.
As in, no-one's objecting, or as in they don't like it but have no recourse to refuse? Big difference there.
Looking more and more likely, yes.
Don't want to get caught poking around, after all.
So, Cornwall Sharkman? That'll be a nice trick.
Discreetly, I hope.
Well, this is the drawback of OL having so many irons in the fire, so to speak. He switches back and forth like a facebook fiend doomscrolling... No sooner do we get introduced to one interesting situation than he's off to another hotspot. I'm amazed any of his friends get to see him at all sometimes. and some don't, if Rob is anything to go by.
Mr Zoat
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Thank you, corrected.
Already fixed.
He hasn't done any sewing for decades.
Neruz
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Alas, I was hoping that Ahri'an was going to turn out to be somewhat behind the times and seemingly sinister but not actually bad, would have been a neat subversion of expectations, but it seems not if he's disappeared Orin.
CTrees
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casual dating
Mr Zoat
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Thank you, corrected.
WereDragon
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…dude has a Blue Power Ring. He just has to put it on and hope it fits.
Mr Zoat
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Most men do that.
lancelot
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I had hoped that this series would amount to more then a 'reason you suck' speech.
Darko
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In the sentence you quoted he was explaining why the Imperium sucked and why he chose the Tau.
There's honestly no good way to justify working for the Imperium when you have a better option.
lancelot
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That wasn't what I was talking about.
I meant I had hoped that this would be a storyline, instead it comes across as a two parter only made to talk shit about the imperium. Yeah sure it's fucked we've been over that MANY times. It's the best version of the Tau against the everything sucks imperium, beat that dead horse some more. I assumed this would lead to a storyline and was disappointed it didn't.
Darko
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It's not exactly the first time Zoat's written something just to mock something.
Plus, I doubt that there would have been a lot happening after his speech.
Mocking the Imperium is not something Imperium citizens, especially Inquisitors, like to hear about, so he probably wore out his welcome.
Mr Zoat
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Like what?
The Imperium is basically incapable of the sort of internal reform that would fix its problems. But that doesn't actually matter, because neither the Inquisitor or the tech-priest are even considering taking his criticism on board and doing small-scale reform, or trying to convince him that it is. Vail is only asking so that she can better predict a strategic level threat, not because she wants to reason with him. Him giving her the music is both 'can they be at least this flexible' and an indication of a genuine desire to share historical records. Her choice is to destroy it, keep it to herself, or share it. If she does the latter, he might consider sharing other things but the Imperium's long-term plan for the tau is extermination, so... He'd be sharing things that would make it easier to break human worlds away from the Imperium, and she'd expect that.
There's no meeting of minds here, and there never was going to be.
If the choice is the Imperium or crazy chaos worshippers, you obviously pick the Imperium. But humans can live well under the Tau Empire, whereas tau can't live under the Imperium. If you're indoctrinated into the Imperial Cult, that's a good thing. If you're from M2 that's obviously evil, unless you think that the tyranids are going to eat the tau anyway so it's better that the Imperial Navy not have them as a distraction.
lancelot
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I'm not arguing who the assholes are.
I'm saying I'm disappointed that you added to the 40k crossover only for it to just a set up for Paul once again telling the Imperium how much it sucks. There doesn't seem to be a larger story or plot, it was just 'I'm going to pull up, talk mad shit, and there is nothing you can do about it'. I was disappointed in how shallow it was, because it added little to the overall plot. Felt more like you just had to deal with a shitty 40k imperium fan so you wrote this as a 'fuck you'.
I mean are those two posts all you had in mind, or am I wrong and you have a larger story arc and that was just the first part?
Bud-E
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I'm kinda more curious how Alan's date with the Queen would go than the Ahri'ahn plotline. Don't get me wrong I wanna see both but if I got to pick I'd watch this geriatric widower whose suddenly young again try to find love again with an Alien Queen of a magic planet.
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WereDragon
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Interacting with more unusual characters, such as a Kroot or Squat.
Continuing the plot-line of Krona's ship.
Exploring the culture of humans who have embraced the Greater Good.
Trying to introduce Warhammer 40,000 2nd Edition to the Tau's entertainment industry.
Trying to introduce Warhammer 40,000 2nd Edition to the Inquisition, then watching them nitpick it.
There is plenty of potential in the 40K AU for interesting stories and I can see why someone would be disappointed at yet another thwack aimed at the dead horse of the Imperium.
Mr Zoat
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The larger arc would be 'how to we integrate humans', because the tau don't really know. They've tried leaving them more or less as they are and they've tried proselytising them and neither work reliably and that's a problem because while a single hive world doesn't have more humans than the Tau Empire has tau, two or three together probably do.
So he can hand the Spirit of Eternity a world and say 'teach these people to be Federation humans', and give the Fulgrim clone a world and say 'rebuild it as best you can' and maybe suggest other modus operandi, other cultures or religions that could be built to see if they handle the reality of the universe better. But there's a fairly big tyranid hive fleet in the area at the moment and he's in constant demand ferrying fleets around and finding time to perfect the uplift process isn't something the Lar'shi ar'tol is willing to budget time for.
lancelot
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Well the nids are going to be hitting the smurf home world around this time. Taking out the Hive Fleet instead of letting it fracture and spread across the the area would be a good idea.
I'm not saying I hate it, or that it was badly done. Having Paul spit venom at an indoctrinated wall that is an inquisitor, even one of the better ones like Veil, again, just felt kind of pointless.
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Jus4532
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Is this hypothetical or did he actually saves those humans from being lynched and rescued Fulgrim clone from Trazyn museum?
Mr Zoat
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No, the ship's crew are dead. The idea would be handing a world over to the AI.
He'd be recovering the clone before Trazyn took possession.
Darko
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Heck, humans barely live under the Imperium.
You could kinda look at it as Zoat giving a reason as to why this version didn't and won't go to the side of the Imperium.
PDV
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Feudal societies, and the others where social status or wealth is linked tightly to war like the Romans, typically have a war per generation whether there's a good reason or not. Every other generation if they're particularly peaceful. A foreign enemy if they have one, a crusade if someone's calling one, and a civil war over succession or, less commonly, secession, if nothing better comes up. Usually not for shortages of material resources; surviving to win a war is fairly lucrative, but unprofitable in the short term for most nobility. For shortages of prestige, which magical abundance cannot fix.
Darko
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There's still the possibility of them having the ability to see the minds and souls of others and finding common ground through that.
Plus, while they do have a queen that doesn't mean that their society is feudal, and even if it was that doesn't mean that it would be like Earth or that they'd have similar values and needs.
lancelot
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He already did that more then once.