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

AverusBlack · 2025-12-26T06:06:32+0000

Vaermina said:
Orange Lantern has killed more innocents then Jax-ur.

I never said he didn't. It's a utility calculation. Jax-Ur is indiscriminate; the Illustres is all about being discriminate. A straight body count isn't what makes him unworthy, it's the callousness of his actions. Paul would feel bad if he killed somebody he didn't intend to kill. Jax-Ur would just shrug and go about his day. It's not the same.

Also please don't waste my time with useless whataboutism. I know you have a hate-on for the story and I really don't care. You seem to be one of those people who is contrarian just for the sake of it and I find those people tiresome. You are the only person here I do not want to engage with, so put me on ignore and leave me alone please.

Vaermina · 2025-12-26T07:34:27+0000

AverusBlack said:
I never said he didn't. It's a utility calculation. Jax-Ur is indiscriminate; the Illustres is all about being discriminate. A straight body count isn't what makes him unworthy, it's the callousness of his actions. Paul would feel bad if he killed somebody he didn't intend to kill. Jax-Ur would just shrug and go about his day. It's not the same.

Also please don't waste my time with useless whataboutism. I know you have a hate-on for the story and I really don't care. You seem to be one of those people who is contrarian just for the sake of it and I find those people tiresome. You are the only person here I do not want to engage with, so put me on ignore and leave me alone please.

Orange Lantern didn't really feel bad about all the innocent slaves he killed when he colony dropped that Citadel world.

Mr Zoat · 2025-12-26T08:13:25+0000

12th August 2013
16:10 EST

I stare down at the planet while Arisia finishes her scans. I can see places where people live, I can see roads, and I can see what I think are water reservoirs, but I'm… Not seeing a whole lot of industry. That could just be… This part? I dunno. I don't wanna decide the planet's primitive and then find out that I was looking at a nature reserve or just somewhere backwards.

"Huh."

I look around. "Find something?"

"I'm not used to planets this primitive."

Oh. "How primitive are we talking?"

"No radio. No semaphore. No roads in a lot of places."

"Is it because they haven't got there yet, or is it because they're stuck behind that Wall thing?"

"Ah. I'm not so good at xenosociology or geophysics." She goes back to looking at the planet. "Looks like… Some coal and oil? I don't know what the normal amount is. And that's not really why we're here."

"If they don't even have radio yet, I guess they couldn't have sent Lyla to Krypton."

"Not by themselves. But she could easily have gotten to Krypton during the Kryptonian Empire."

"I don't actually know much about that part of Krypton's history."

I glance at her ring. Must be nice to have all that knowledge available whenever you want it.

"You don't?"

"I was created on Earth, remember? I've never even spoken to anyone who was actually on Krypton, certainly not hundreds of years ago."

"You didn't speak to the Sub-Commander?"

I shrug. "She was busy, and honestly? It's not really my history."

"Except literally?"

"All I got from Krypton is my strength. Culturally, I'm American and Themysciran. It just doesn't mean as much to me as it does to Superman." I look down at the planet again. "Are we going down, or does that violate the prime directive?"

"The Green Lantern Corps doesn't have a prime directive. Going to primitive places and making sure nothing bad is happening is part of our job."

I nod. "I guess the same's true about the Justice League. It's not just the advanced parts of Earth we go to. So where do we start?"

"We don't have any idea where she came from or where their centre of government is… But I do have a record of where the old Kryptonian Empire way station used to be. If she got off planet on one of their ships, she'd probably have done it there."

I guess that's as good a place to start as anywhere. "Makes sense."

We don't go anywhere.

"So..?"

"Oh. I just-. I'm used to getting orders from Hal or my team leader for team missions. I-." We glow as she focuses, and then we get moving, slipping us inside the atmosphere and around the planet. "I haven't gotten into the habit of just… Doing stuff."

"Aren't Green Lanterns picked for being strong willed?"

"Yes, but that doesn't mean 'pig-headed'. I won't give up when there's a job to do… But I haven't gotten used to deciding what the job is, yet."

"How long do Green Lanterns usually get mentored for?"

"Usually, less than a year."

"Uh…"

"I know. But-. You know that film we watched, with the soldiers?"

"Can you narrow it down?"

"Something about someone called Ryan?"

"Oh." That makes sense. "Right. You mean, because so many members of your family died for the Green Lantern Corps, they've put you with the best Lantern they've got, in a Sector with three other Green Lanterns, plus everyone else?"

"Hal's… Great, and I know I'm learning a lot that I wouldn't be able to if I was just flying around my Sector on my own. But I'm not sure I'm really… Pulling my weight?"

"I don't think your home Sector ever got Anti-Lifed."

"No, that-. That never happened. But that only lasted a month and I wasn't even involved in attacking Washington."

"If you wanna try planning a mission, you can just ask Kaldur. The whole reason the team exists is to help us learn stuff in a controlled environment." Uh… "But, maybe… Maybe don't talk to Paul about it."

"Why not? Won't he help?"

"He will…" I exhale, trying to work out how to explain it when she hasn't actually spent all that much time with him. "But his ideas about what makes someone effective aren't… Always things you'll be comfortable doing."

She looks at me. "Ah… Did he..? Do something..?"

"Not to me. But I was made in a tank. My ideas about 'normal'… Kinda weren't. He… Turned Themysciran society on its head to get me a home and a better suit of armor. And I appreciate it, and I know Wally likes not having to eat his own bodyweight in food every day. But sometimes it doesn't go so well."

"But if I'm trying to push myself…"

"Maybe try asking Kaldur or Green Lantern first."

"Okay."

We slow down as we approach the ground. It looks like there's a town here, built around a lake…

That's not a natural lake. That's a crater that filled with water.

People down below are looking up at us and pointing. Doesn't look like anyone's panicking, but a few people are heading towards a building… With guys in armor in it. Some of the crystals on the armor look like something that would have come from Krypton, so that confirms the connection.

I pull away from Arisia's flight aura and head towards the largest concentration of soldiers. No need to scare people, and they should be able to help us or tell us to get-

"El?" / "El." / "Yal kryptonian?"

-to someone who can.

Maybe… Maybe I should get some armour that doesn't have the 'S' on it.

Arisia flies after me. "Do you speak their language?"

"No, but I kinda speak kryptonian." We come in for a landing as someone in fancy armour comes out of a fortified building. And I do kinda speak kryptonian -the only problem's my accent, really- but I didn't study Kryptonian Empire body language or gestures and I get the impression that the Science Council era was kinda weird.

"I'll just translate for you."

"Thanks."

The soldiers -and the crowd- look wary but not scared as the… Officer? Comes forwards.

"Kryptonian. There is nothing left here for you to take. The other aliens have already left with it."

I blink. "What other aliens?"

Darko · 2025-12-26T08:21:43+0000

Mr Zoat said:
places and make sure nothing

"making"

Mr Zoat said:
"Kryptonian. There is nothing left here for you to take. The other aliens have already left with it."

I blink. "What other aliens

Guessing it was that alternate Jordan and Supergirl.

Vaermina · 2025-12-26T08:29:11+0000

Mr Zoat said:
I blink. "What other aliens?"

I'm guessing Vandal Savage or Sinestro.

Thundersmight94 · 2025-12-26T08:38:30+0000

I'd love some alternate Paul stuff, like going back to Third Earth Paul or Eternia Paul!

GigaVanguard · 2025-12-26T08:57:05+0000

Thundersmight94 said:
I'd love some alternate Paul stuff, like going back to Third Earth Paul or Eternia Paul!

I think the only major Elsepauls we've seen in 2025 have been… T'au Paul, Invincipaul, X-Paul, Pauliel (Creature Commandos), Gate Jietai Paul, Common Sense Paul, Roswell Paul, and Southern Victory Paul - but that last one is the only one we've seen since early September, so the latter third of the year has definitely been more focused on the Paragon and Renegade.

Chojin Patriarch · 2025-12-26T09:01:58+0000

Mr Zoat said:
12th August 2013
16:10 EST

I stare down at the planet while Arisia finishes her scans. I can see places where people live, I can see roads, and I can see what I think are water reservoirs, but I'm… Not seeing a whole lot of industry. That could just be… This part? I dunno. I don't wanna decide the planet's primitive and then find out that I was looking at a nature reserve or just somewhere backwards.

Oh-ho, a rare treat of a non-OL perspective. And it's Conner? This promises to be interesting. If I remember right, they were detailed to investigate the Empireth homeworld concerning Lyla. It'll be interesting to see how it goes.

"Huh."

I look around. "Find something?"

Looking at it from space probably isn't that useful compared to Ring scans. There's only so much you can determine from a thousand or more kilometres away, after all. At best, you might see cities at night or especially titanic urban developments like New York...

"I'm not used to planets this primitive."

Oh. "How primitive are we talking?"

Yeah, you mean 'they live in mud houses and hit things with sticks' or 'limited spaceflight, information age culture'?

"No radio. No semaphore. No roads in a lot of places."

"Is it because they haven't got there yet, or is it because they're stuck behind that Wall thing?"

'Wall'? Did I miss something? Is it involved with their innate telepathic powers, or..?

"Ah. I'm not so good at xenosociology or geophysics." She goes back to looking at the planet. "Looks like… Some coal and oil? I don't know what the normal amount is. And that's not really why we're here."

"If they don't even have radio yet, I guess they couldn't have sent Lyla to Krypton."

So barely Industrial Revolution-era. I doubt Arisia would miss an enclave of advanced overlords or something.

"Not by themselves. But she could easily have gotten to Krypton during the Kryptonian Empire."

"I don't actually know much about that part of Krypton's history."

Possibly as a slave or scientific sample, perhaps. The latter is definitely more likely.

I glance at her ring. Must be nice to have all that knowledge available whenever you want it.

"You don't?"

Joy of a mundane organic mind. Especially when he's limited to kryptonian-hybrid biology, not a full-kryptonian's tailored genetics.

"I was created on Earth, remember? I've never even spoken to anyone who was actually on Krypton, certainly not hundreds of years ago."

"You didn't speak to the Sub-Commander?"

Scary old Kryptonian lady? I can see him wanting to keep his distance. Especially if she has any bias against clones like so many did.

I shrug. "She was busy, and honestly? It's not really my history."

"Except literally?"

At this point, Conner is more Themysciran-American than Kryptonian.

"All I got from Krypton is my strength. Culturally, I'm American and Themysciran. It just doesn't mean as much to me as it does to Superman." I look down at the planet again. "Are we going down, or does that violate the prime directive?"

"The Green Lantern Corps doesn't have a prime directive. Going to primitive places and make sure nothing bad is happening is part of our job."

And they'd usually be mistaken as angels, demons or gods if they needed to expose themselves before sufficiently primitive peoples. Especially the less conventionally anthropoid members.

I nod. "I guess the same's true about the Justice League. It's not just the advanced parts of Earth we go to. So where do we start?"

"We don't have any idea where she came from or where their centre of government is… But I do have a record of where the old Kryptonian Empire way station used to be. If she got off planet on one of their ships, she'd probably have done it there."

The question is how did such a ship get overlooked when the Kryptonians pulled out? If it did.

I guess that's as good a place to start as anywhere. "Makes sense."

We don't go anywhere.

Too used to OL's immediate decision-to-action pipeline.

"So..?"

"Oh. I just-. I'm used to getting orders from Hal or my team leader for team missions. I-." We glow as she focuses, and then we get moving, slipping us inside the atmosphere and around the planet. "I haven't gotten into the habit of just… Doing stuff."

You'll get used to it once you stop feeling like 'the new girl'. Just a matter of experience, really, and you'll get that hanging around Earth.

"Aren't Green Lanterns picked for being strong willed?"

"Yes, but that doesn't mean 'pig-headed'. I won't give up when there's a job to do… But I haven't gotten used to deciding what the job is, yet."

Nor does it necessarily mean 'independently-minded.' Some Greenies are very much by-the-book followers of The Rules. Others are loose cannons or outright anti-heroes.

"How long do Green Lanterns usually get mentored for?"

"Usually, less than a year."

Kind of depressingly, I wonder how often that is because the rookie gets killed.

"Uh…"

"I know. But-. You know that film we watched, with the soldiers?"

Gee, not a lot of options there.

Then again, Team movie nights must be fun with so many non-humans picking holes in plots.

"Can you narrow it down?"

"Something about someone called Ryan?"

Ah, 'Saving Private Ryan'? I suppose she does feel a kinship with the drafted soldiers who get comparatively short training periods due to the needs of wartime. And possibly the Ryan family themselves, given her own family history.

"Oh." That makes sense. "Right. You mean, because so many members of your family died for the Green Lantern Corps, they've put you with the best Lantern they've got, in a Sector with three other Green Lanterns, plus everyone else?"

"Hal's… Great, and I know I'm learning a lot that I wouldn't be able to if I was just flying around my Sector on my own. But I'm not sure I'm really… Pulling my weight?"

Earth Bullshit™ is great for power-levelling, yes, but it can create a somewhat skewed view of regular duties.

"I don't think your home Sector ever got Anti-Lifed."

"No, that-. That never happened. But that only lasted a month and I wasn't even involved in attacking Washington."

Though it would have felt a bit strange, attacking the capital of your nominal host country. And at least she's had a taste of one of the Corps' ultimate enemies methods.

"If you wanna try planning a mission, you can just ask Kaldur. The whole reason the team exists is to help us learn stuff in a controlled environment." Uh… "But, maybe… Maybe don't talk to Paul about it."

"Why not? Won't he help?"

No, he will help. That's the problem. OL sometimes doesn't know when to stop helping. What Worm memes call 'Halping'.

"He will…" I exhale, trying to work out how to explain it when she hasn't actually spent all that much time with him. "But his ideas about what makes someone effective aren't… Always things you'll be comfortable doing."

She looks at me. "Ah… Did he..? Do something..?"

Not necessarily things you won't do outright, of course. He's smart enough to understand that. But there's a big difference between optimal and comfortable.

"Not to me. But I was made in a tank. My ideas about 'normal'… Kinda weren't. He… Turned Themysciran society on its head to get me a home and a better suit of armor. And I appreciate it, and I know Wally likes not having to eat his own bodyweight in food every day. But sometimes it doesn't go so well."

To be fair, they kind of needed a kick in the (lovely!) backsides. As for Wally, that was properly helpful, and Wally has benefitted in other ways with the additional options his alchemy skills have given him.

"But if I'm trying to push myself…"

"Maybe try asking Kaldur or Green Lantern first."

"Okay."

It's amusing to think that asking OL for advice is the 'only if you're really sure about it' option.

We slow down as we approach the ground. It looks like there's a town here, built around a lake…

That's not a natural lake. That's a crater that filled with water.

...Oh, dear. The much-too-round kind of lake. And of a size that suggests it was done with extreme prejudice.

People down below are looking up at us and pointing. Doesn't look like anyone's panicking, but a few people are heading towards a building… With guys in armor in it. Some of the crystals on the armor look like something that would have come from Krypton, so that confirms the connection.

Looted tech left behind, I presume. Relics of a more troublesome time, but too useful to set aside.

I pull away from Arisia's flight aura and head towards the largest concentration of soldiers. No need to scare people, and they should be able to help us or tell us to get-

"El?" / "El." / "Yal kryptonian?"

...Oh, right, his armour is laden with Superman symbols. That is, the mark of the house of El.

-to someone who can.

Maybe… Maybe I should get some armour that doesn't have the 'S' on it.

Perhaps change it up for the signature 'WW' that marks you as aligned with Wonder Woman and Themyscira? As long as you don't mind people starting to call you 'Wonder Boy'.

Arisia flies after me. "Do you speak their language?"

"No, but I kinda speak kryptonian." We come in for a landing as someone in fancy armour comes out of a fortified building. And I do kinda speak kryptonian -the only problem's my accent, really- but I didn't study Kryptonian Empire body language or gestures and I get the impression that the Science Council era was kinda weird.

Which may help you here, since you won't show the 'superiority'-minded haughtiness of old Krypton...

"I'll just translate for you."

"Thanks."

Yeah, that's probably a better option. And makes you look like you're aligned with the Lanterns rather than Krypton.

The soldiers -and the crowd- look wary but not scared as the… Officer? Comes forwards.

"Kryptonian. There is nothing left here for you to take. The other aliens have already left with it."

I blink. "What other aliens?"

...Oh, boy. So many possibilities.

All right, at least they aren't shooting at them right out of the gate. Hopefully they know of the Lanterns so that Arisia's presence acts a calming counter to Conner's El insignias. And depending on how recent these 'aliens' visit was, they might have a clue as to how Lyla got off-world in the first place.

Or it could have been a recent occurrence from the culprits others have already mentioned...

Ngamer11 · 2025-12-26T09:22:34+0000

Chojin Patriarch said:
'Wall'? Did I miss something? Is it involved with their innate telepathic powers, or..?

Avleb's Wall. Mentioned here in Episode 129: Uncomplicated Good Works. It's when a planet doesn't have enough accessible fuel for industrial civilisation to develop. It was mentioned before then, but I think Episode 129 is when its name was given.

Mr Zoat · 2025-12-26T09:26:45+0000

Darko said:
"making"

Thank you, corrected.

Guessing it was that alternate Jordan and Supergirl.

No, that was Kon-El and Arisia.

Chojin Patriarch said:
'Wall'? Did I miss something? Is it involved with their innate telepathic powers, or..?

Avleb's Wall, a title I invented for the state of not having enough fossil fuels on your planet to develop industrial society.

Though the Sector General series made the point that species with certain physical abilities would have no reason to develop tool using, and so would get stuck that way.

WereDragon · 2025-12-26T10:37:07+0000

Mr Zoat said:
12th August 2013
16:10 EST

Paul gets this data from his Ring. Where is the narrator, unnamed in the chapter, getting up to the minute updates on the time?

"Why not? Won't he help?"

Oh he will help aggressively and enthusiastic. And likely at right angles to your expectations and comfort zones.

You need to know when to tell him to stop. You also need to know to tell him to stop, not vaguely imply it or some such.

Maybe… Maybe I should get some armour that doesn't have the 'S' on it.

Probably easier to get a tabard than to replace the armour.

Mr Zoat · 2025-12-26T11:20:58+0000

WereDragon said:
Paul gets this data from his Ring. Where is the narrator, unnamed in the chapter, getting up to the minute updates on the time?

His watch. Or possibly his mobile phone.

Z000 · 2025-12-26T12:10:51+0000

GigaVanguard said:
I think the only major Elsepauls we've seen in 2025 have been… T'au Paul, Invincipaul, X-Paul, Pauliel (Creature Commandos), Gate Jietai Paul, Common Sense Paul, Roswell Paul, and Southern Victory Paul - but that last one is the only one we've seen since early September, so the latter third of the year has definitely been more focused on the Paragon and Renegade.

kinda wish Zoat put in which universe the Else-Paul is in so that i can google the setting when i get horrible confuse about what going on

Ngamer11 · 2025-12-26T12:17:46+0000

Z000 said:
kinda wish Zoat put in which universe the Else-Paul is in so that i can google the setting when i get horrible confuse about what going on

There is a list in the character pages of this story's TV Tropes page.

Mr Zoat · 2025-12-26T12:41:57+0000

Z000 said:
kinda wish Zoat put in which universe the Else-Paul is in so that i can google the setting when i get horrible confuse about what going on

They usually have a different coloured title or date/time format. Is there a particular one which confused you?

Z000 · 2025-12-26T13:31:17+0000

Mr Zoat said:
They usually have a different coloured title or date/time format. Is there a particular one which confused you?

i actually look at the date more then anything

if it still the same then it still the normal story line but the second it change year or date then i know you are doing some other Paul

Shotiegun11 · 2025-12-26T16:55:13+0000

Mr Zoat said:
I glance at her ring. Must be nice to have all that knowledge available whenever you want it.

"You want one? It'll be Orange, but that's always an option."

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

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