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. SotF

    SotF And Away We Go!

    Joined:
    Sep 11, 2015
    Messages:
    2,977
    Likes Received:
    20,992
    Darkseid wasn't fused with Braniac in that one, he masqueraded as him to trick Lex into bringing him back.
     
  2. Nervaqus987

    Nervaqus987 Well worn.

    Joined:
    Jan 18, 2014
    Messages:
    5,376
    Likes Received:
    45,147
    He was.

    Basically what happened was that Lex went nuts after Brainiac and ran the Legion of Doom around trying to revive him. Tala eventually got sick of his shit and freed Grodd. After that failed, Lex had her stuck in a device to use her magic to revive Brainiac at the expense of her life. Tala threw a last monkey wrench into Lex's plans by retargeting the spell to get Darkseid instead.

    Darkseid ended up with some Brainiac bits in him which is why he looked like this instead of this and said that "I'm more powerful than ever."
     
  3. Stsword

    Stsword Versed in the lewd.

    Joined:
    Aug 7, 2017
    Messages:
    1,714
    Likes Received:
    9,865
    I should have been more specific, since Kirby, who invented the New Gods completely intended to kill him off in Hunger Dogs.

    So being denied the chance to kill him off for good by DC, Kirby went to Pacific Comics, where he wrote the stealth sequel Captain Victory and the Galactic Rangers. About a space cop who inherited an artifact from his father that just so happens to look like the astro-harness, and who gets visited by the ghost of his grandfather.

    [​IMG]

    Really Darkseid should get the anti-death equation, the equation that turns one into a caricature of oneself that is incapable of dying.
     
  4. Ardy

    Ardy I trust you know where the happy button is?

    Joined:
    Dec 30, 2017
    Messages:
    640
    Likes Received:
    3,461
    What the fuck is that meta bullshit I can't even
     
  5. Threadmarks: Doppelgängered (part 23)
    Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

    Joined:
    Dec 1, 2016
    Messages:
    14,693
    Likes Received:
    728,832
    5th February
    21:16 GMT -5


    My armour is tough, but if Q-Ranger's powers work like Major Force's then he can keep hitting me indefinitely and he's… Yes, impeding my ability to repair it by ring. Constructs are out, and… Ugh. Problem. Like Captain Atom, Major Force 16 can switch back and forth between human and metallic at will. But I've just run into Justice League 12, and Captain Atom 12 is a containment suit wrapped around a nuclear explosion. That's the sort of mistake I'd only make for the people around me once.

    Can I touch his desires..? No, something blocking me. I'd guess Medea, but since I can't identify a local source it doesn't really matter. Close combat, then. I continuously try to send out filaments in order to keep his attention focused on his work and lumber towards him, arms outstretched. A barrier interposes itself-

    "Thanks, Star!"

    -and I trigger my right gauntlet's crumbler field to smash through it, grabbing Q-Ranger with my left. My gauntlet begins heating up at once, but now that he's touching my environmental shield directly

    Desire Nullification.

    He blinks, the glow of his eyes dimming.. and.. I have constructs again. Quick flick through the equipment catalogue… Quantum stabiliser, that'll do. I generate construct shields to block Dame Carol's shots, stab out with x-ionised knives to destroy Vice President Luthor's arm-mounted plasma repeaters and clamp the quantum stabiliser to Q-Ranger's neck before shoving him out of the line of fire. Dame Carol flies towards me, the glowing crystal sword which appears in her hands slashing through my barrier. I interpose my left arm, twisting it so that the sword bites into what's left of my bracer and.. mostly passes through but is at least turned away from my body. Carol drops the sword and it decays into crystal dust as she replaces it with violet crystal fists which I immediately destroy with crumbler constructs before striking her in the head with a pile driver construct.

    "Ugh!"

    Soldiers around the room open fire, but their guns are a mixture of low power plasma and chemical projectile guns. Not a massive concern except in utterly overwhelming numbers. I shoot out filaments, punching through their armour and shock crowning them to the ground.

    "It will take a little more than losing a leg to-."

    I fire mage slayers at Sir Solomon's elbow and then step away, his hand keeping its grip even as it parts company with his upper arm and the last of the soldiers drop.

    Ring, access the schematics for the planeshift jammer my blue alter ego gave me and jam an area of 100 metres.

    Compliance.

    I then turn to Vice President Luthor, my armour glowing as I begin to undo Q-Ranger's damage.

    "Please stop. Every time I fight to support Syndicate efforts I feel a little more stupid, a little more like I'm making myself culpable for their prior actions."

    "That's usually how it works when you-"

    Lady Sonar takes out a backup weapon so I fire a blast of electromagnetic energy at her. Her weapon and some of her cybernetics spark and shut down, allowing me to connect a filament to her head and render her unconscious.

    "-help someone."

    "No, I know I'm now partly responsible for their future actions. I accept that. It's the idea that the Syndicate is some monolithic-." I sigh. "This isn't going to work, is it? Even if I could have talked you around-."

    I reach out and properly render each of the baseline human soldiers unconscious and point a railgun at Dame Carol as she pulls herself out of the crater she made on impact.

    "Dame Carol, I'm afraid that I'm going to have to ask you to surrender."

    The sapphire on her chest is still glowing, but she doesn't immediately generate a new construct.

    "I will not surrender to the Syndicate."

    "I'm not a member of the Syndicate. Can you surrender to me as an officer of the Orange Lantern Corps? We haven't had to actually deal with any prisoners yet, so you'd make an interesting test case."

    "No."

    "Literally the only reason why everyone here isn't dead is that I don't want to kill you. I don't want to kill you because it won't help the people of this country. It appears that.. I'm in a minority in caring about that, but-."

    Luthor's face hardens. "That's why we're doing this-."

    "Enigma literally told me to my face that he'd happily repeat Wisconsin in every state if that was what it took to destroy the Syndicate."

    "Enigma has lost a great deal fighting the Syndicate. It doesn't surprise me that when faced with someone in their employ he used immoderate language."

    "Alright, fine: would you?"

    I hear a sliding sound, and half turn as one of the… The unconscious and paralysed soldiers pushes herself off the ground. What? She reaches up to pull off her gas mask and.. a.. swirl of gas momentarily obscures her face.

    "I would be very interested-"

    The gas vanishes, revealing a blank face, her armour bleached white with the American flag replaced by the Eye of Providence.

    "-to know the Answer myself."

    Luthor narrows his eyes slightly. "I've never met a living conspiracy theory before."

    The Answer shakes her head. "Mister Vice President. I am a living conspiracy fact. An Answer you're unwilling to provide." She walks closer, her posture relaxed. "You've seen the same assessments that Orange Lantern has. The same assessments that my operatives have. You know the outcome of this conflict even as you set it in motion. And you're not Slade Wilson. Even with all of the friends you've lost you still haven't lost your objectivity, your.. devotion to your ideals. You would not let America burn as the President would. You talked him into waiting this long because this was the only approach which you believed could work in a way that you would both find acceptable."

    The Answer stops just out of arm's reach as Luthor shakes his head.

    "Whatever policy disagreements I may have with President Wilson, I would never air them to this country's enemies."

    The Answer pointedly looks at me.

    "Given that Orange Lantern is here and Batman is not, you may reasonably suppose that your attempt to overwhelm the majority of Made Men has failed. I have already been notified that Sureshot's attempt on the Director's life has similarly met with failure, though in his case fatally. Though Talon has been successful in neutralising most of Owlman's retaliatory plans, that leaves at least three sources over which you do not have control, in addition to the… Manual efforts of the Made Men."

    Luthor's eyes dip, his head turning slightly away for a moment as… I assume that he's trying to come up with another solution.

    "There is no more data to be gained, no more questions to be asked. Your path and that of the President are now irreconcilable. So you have a simple choice: mutually destructive escalation or a cautious disengagement. I already know the Answer… But I think it may be best if you say it."

    Luthor shakes his head, a very subtle motion as he tries to deny the reality.

    "I know how you work. I know what you'll do."

    "I'm a well known criminal. Your administration's reputation will survive my actions. And Slade Wilson's legacy will remain intact."

    "I…" Luthor closes his eyes and bows his head. "I agree."

    The Answer nods. "Correct Answer. I will make the arrangements."

    "The Syndicate loses." Luthor shakes his head as the Answer turns and starts to walk away. "Then why does it feel like we do?"

    "You didn't get what you convinced yourself that you deserved. That's always the Answer. Anything else is window dressing. Orange Lantern, I will speak with you before you leave."

    Another swirl of mist and the woman the Answer… Possessed? Collapses to the ground.

    Dame Carol frowns for a moment, then relaxes. "The war is over."

    Luthor shakes his head. "No. It's never over. But the campaign is." He looks at me. "Have you killed anyone?"

    "To the best of my knowledge, not on this Earth."

    "I would appreciate it if you could arrange for the Justice League to be released."

    "I'll need one of your teleporters, but… I should be able to do that. What exactly happens next?"

    "We're enacting your plan, apparently. You should be happy. You've probably saved millions of lives."

    "We've saved millions of lives. And to be honest? I suspect that I'm about as happy about it as you are."
     
    Last edited: Jul 15, 2019
  6. Ngamer11

    Ngamer11 Experienced.

    Joined:
    Jan 28, 2019
    Messages:
    2,860
    Likes Received:
    17,208
    I did not see that coming. Nice reference to Question's iconic speech to Luthor from JLU. Wonder how the JL 12 will handle it. They should tell them what happened, if only so that their Question would hear it. I would love to see an omake of the JL 12 talking about OL and how the war concluded, and Question's observations of it.
     
  7. Old Knife

    Old Knife Not too sore, are you?

    Joined:
    Feb 12, 2016
    Messages:
    430
    Likes Received:
    1,694
    Knowing Paul's luck. A giant orange snake eats this world after one last betrayal. Or a giant blue bird comes and makes everyone chill.

    Yeah. I like happy endings and Deus ex machina.
     
    Gladiusone, Pinklestia, RGFJ and 3 others like this.
  8. Ngamer11

    Ngamer11 Experienced.

    Joined:
    Jan 28, 2019
    Messages:
    2,860
    Likes Received:
    17,208
    Did Luthor think he deserved to burn or something? Also, wonder what Answer wants with OL.
     
  9. RichardWhereat

    RichardWhereat Aia airëa Fëanáro.

    Joined:
    Oct 1, 2016
    Messages:
    2,842
    Likes Received:
    15,026
    Nice callback to my favourite episode.
     
  10. moralrelativity

    moralrelativity Recovering pendant.

    Joined:
    Dec 2, 2016
    Messages:
    873
    Likes Received:
    3,601
    Should that be 'so' or something else? The sentence wasn't completed but 'so' seems wrong.

    he'd

    Could someone please give me a run down on who The Answer is and what their powers are? Once again, my lack of familiarity with DC is a problem. Thanks.
     
  11. Stsword

    Stsword Versed in the lewd.

    Joined:
    Aug 7, 2017
    Messages:
    1,714
    Likes Received:
    9,865
    DC has been meta for decades.

    Cary Bates discovered that he had author powers in the DC universe in 1974.

    Multiversity was an especially meta storyline in that the Empty Hand is from Earth Prime. An empty hand is what you have when you put down your last comic book.

    The Empty Hand is the readers when they decide the story is over. The Empty Hand is the declining sales that leads to dead comic books.

    Zoat made up the Answer here, but they are based on the Question. Who in DC is often portrayed as a conspiracy theorist, like in the JL cartoon, and had a run in which he was an urban shaman.

    Well, it looks like Zoat reversed the polarity so instead of a conspiracy theorist shaman, the Answer is a conspiracy fact possessing spirit.
     
    Kuro-chan, sagemo, Drode and 30 others like this.
  12. Lord Ernest

    Lord Ernest At the End...

    Joined:
    Jan 27, 2019
    Messages:
    852
    Likes Received:
    5,926
    Not exactly what I expected but one of the solutions I thought reachable, for Luthor to accept some kind of truce and reign the leashes on his side. I just thought he and the Illustres would have been able to talk it out, instead of someone else just showing up out of nowhere to convince him. Nonetheless, this Answer fellow was interesting, is it like a Boss Smiley type thing but for conspiracies and with the attitude of the Question? Or maybe just the evil version of Question that knows a lot more about magic than just some street shamanism?

    It's a pity that the episode only has one more segment left and that apparently there won't be any reunion with Power Ring Blue and Zorina, that especially is going to leave me really disappointed but oh well. Maybe there's a reunion in Crisis of Infinite Pauls?
     
  13. BR549

    BR549 This is filth! FILTH!!

    Joined:
    Apr 24, 2017
    Messages:
    637
    Likes Received:
    4,552
    There is a canon character with the name.
     
  14. Chojin Patriarch

    Chojin Patriarch Veteran Lurker

    Joined:
    Jan 27, 2019
    Messages:
    2,149
    Likes Received:
    33,423
    In most cases, it's a mistake anyone would make once. They wouldn't be making any more.

    Can't fight back if he can't want to.

    ...mostly passes through but is at least turned away from my body.

    Bet she's never had to face Crumbler tech before.

    No time for Monty Python References today, buddy. Even unintentional ones.

    Don't want Luthor bringing through more Leaguers, after all.

    He's really getting sick of this all, isn't he?

    ...so you'd make an interesting test case."

    'Immoderate'. That's an understatement.

    Oh, boy. Don't mention Aglets :D

    In other words, I was right. Luthor isn't into the 'no mercy' party line, he's just stuck following it.

    This is not a war, Luthor...

    As I suggested when all this started to come together: "Your boss is insane, and no longer deserving of your loyalty." A very strong argument.

    Even if he won't?

    Because the whole situation could have no winners at all. Merely different levels of loss.

    OL will be wanting that Star Sapphire back, thanks.

    And no-one goes home happy, but at least they're alive.

    Huh, literal Deus ex Machina. That's one way to settle this whole fiasco.
     
    Last edited: Sep 19, 2019
  15. Rebu

    Rebu hey, little Anna, you're the one

    Joined:
    Jun 5, 2017
    Messages:
    182
    Likes Received:
    1,268
    I like how Answer only makes statements, and never asks a single question.

    It's also a cool concept. Like something Morrison would come up with.

    Interesting how Veep Luthor is just as trapped by his allies mistakes as Paul's regular Lex was.
     
  16. Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

    Joined:
    Dec 1, 2016
    Messages:
    14,693
    Likes Received:
    728,832
    Thank you, corrected.
     
  17. TheEyes

    TheEyes Well worn.

    Joined:
    Jul 2, 2018
    Messages:
    5,043
    Likes Received:
    49,792
    "I do not work for the Syndicate. I, in fact, am doing what is supposed to be your job: defending the United States of America from all enemies, foreign and domestic. It just so happens that, in this case, one of those enemies happens to be a rogue agency within the country's government who are so intent on their campaign of ethnic cleansing that they simply don't care that their actions are creating an existential threat to the country."
     
    Lotor, Old Knife, Xjalnoir and 20 others like this.
  18. Mquz

    Mquz Versed in the lewd.

    Joined:
    Apr 5, 2018
    Messages:
    2,117
    Likes Received:
    8,237
    The Question was already in this fic, back when OL discovered Darkseid’s based on Earth and he IS human, though with some minor magical powers of some sort.
     
    Cuchulin likes this.
  19. DAT_NOOB

    DAT_NOOB Accused of writing in a far away land

    Joined:
    Jan 27, 2019
    Messages:
    821
    Likes Received:
    3,144
    Grayven would like a word about that
     
    BR549, Ardy and w34v3r like this.
  20. Ganurath

    Ganurath Apologizes For Nothing

    Joined:
    Aug 18, 2014
    Messages:
    2,532
    Likes Received:
    20,670
    That word is "Ow."
     
  21. Vaermina

    Vaermina Well worn.

    Joined:
    Oct 16, 2015
    Messages:
    5,514
    Likes Received:
    20,545
    Congratulations Paul, you are now responsible for every bit of pain, suffering, and death the syndicate causes.
     
    drasteed likes this.
  22. Enochi

    Enochi Having way to much fun with AI.

    Joined:
    Jan 1, 2016
    Messages:
    639
    Likes Received:
    3,495
    Damn I fucking hate Paul with a passion. Seriously this guy is like the embodiment of every smug liberal trope but is going to be right and win no matter what due to author fiat. How fucking disgusting.
     
  23. Cuchulin

    Cuchulin Versed in the lewd.

    Joined:
    Jan 25, 2019
    Messages:
    1,976
    Likes Received:
    7,717
    Then don't read the fic Jaggoff!!
     
  24. Buggy123

    Buggy123 I trust you know where the happy button is?

    Joined:
    Jan 27, 2019
    Messages:
    504
    Likes Received:
    3,746
    Really? You were just vouching for Luthor as a ">12th level intellect". And he was just convinced, by a 5 minute conversation, that he really had to do this to avoid the deaths of basically the entire country, and now you're convinced Paul is at fault?

    Wouldn't a >12th level intellect consider things like "Hey, with this new superhero who just demonstrated his capabilities in front of me, we could take down the syndicate without killing everyone!"

    Wouldn't a >12th level intellect realize if he was being swayed by false arguments, as opposed to reaching a unfortunate conclusion based firmly in known data?

    No.

    You. Are. Wrong.

    By your own words, you are wrong. You just said that Luthor was smart enough to make this decision, and congratulations, he just made it. The only thing that OL did that the Answer would not have done, was cause the attack on the grouped Made Men to fail. But that was hardly a tipping point; the assassination attempt failed as well, and OL had no involvement there. And the Answer seems to think that it would have been a long shot even if both had succeeded.
     
  25. Mquz

    Mquz Versed in the lewd.

    Joined:
    Apr 5, 2018
    Messages:
    2,117
    Likes Received:
    8,237
    So, what conspiracy theory are they talking about? Is she the embodiment of the Illuminati?
     
  26. RichardWhereat

    RichardWhereat Aia airëa Fëanáro.

    Joined:
    Oct 1, 2016
    Messages:
    2,842
    Likes Received:
    15,026
    Being right doesn't always mean you're going to get the dickheads who are wrong, to work with you. Especially if you call the dickheads out. And when you want to foist the entire thing off onto a group of the dickheads to do the job properly, so you can just go on home, then you don't call them out for being dickheads. Or call them dickheads.

    Some people could take offense to that, and stop being sensible.
     
    Prince Charon and TheEyes like this.
  27. Handlewithcare

    Handlewithcare Versed in the lewd.

    Joined:
    Feb 6, 2019
    Messages:
    1,289
    Likes Received:
    12,971
    I realy like the Answer.

    Another excellently written character, Zoat.
     
  28. Stsword

    Stsword Versed in the lewd.

    Joined:
    Aug 7, 2017
    Messages:
    1,714
    Likes Received:
    9,865
    The Light is the illuminati, actually, or the YJ equivalent.

    In the comics Vandal formed the Illuminati with Arion of Atlantis' brother before Atlantis fell beneath the waves. They replaced George Washington with Adam Weishaupt.

    Anyway, to answer your question, I think the Answer is the answer to every conspiracy theory, the Truth That is Out There.
     
  29. Vaermina

    Vaermina Well worn.

    Joined:
    Oct 16, 2015
    Messages:
    5,514
    Likes Received:
    20,545
    Do we really have to go back over how stupid Paul's plan is?

    Because numerous people have explained it already.

    On a side note, it's really amusing that you believe the criminal psychopath mind controller named "Answer".
     
  30. Prince Charon

    Prince Charon Just zis guy, you know?

    Joined:
    Feb 20, 2014
    Messages:
    9,737
    Likes Received:
    38,230
    So would I, really. I'm not likely to try to write it, but I hope someone else will.
     
Loading...