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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. Threadmarks: Plutonian (part 18)
    Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

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    12th April
    12:00 GMT


    I'm.. seriously wondering if I should call Lantern Mother of Mercy in to deal with this, if only so I can stop worrying about it. I vaguely remember that Pluto actually was destroyed in the comics, and…

    Not like I have any real attachment to the place.

    "Should we..? Stop it?"

    "Do you want to?"

    "I am disquieted at the idea of a world being destroyed. Does this not matter to your people?"

    "We don’t even class this as a planet anymore." I frown thoughtfully. "Remind me to introduce you to a species that dismantles planets at some point."

    "Why would they do that?"

    "It makes it a lot easier to get at the useful materials. You remember you mentioned that some advanced species don't leave their homeworlds?" She nods. "For the really advanced ones, breaking up one of their home system's gas giants can provide them all the material they ever need. Even places like the Reach-"

    Again I see a flicker of light. Something so simple as an awareness of its own existence.

    "-use…"

    Koriand'r directs an interrogative look my way. Knowing that she can't see my face through my helmet, I exhale with confusion and frustration.

    "I got another glimmer of orange. I don’t know why. My scans aren't showing anything special; certainly nothing intelligent. Something could be concealed with magic, but the Star Hunters all collapsed at the same time. If one of them was down there then it should have collapsed as well…"

    "Could they be down there and unable to escape?"

    "If we're lucky."

    "I am… Surprised to hear you say that."

    "These creatures provoked the Green Lantern Corps into taking the gloves off, and Earth made them even more dangerous. As psychic parasites, they can't see other species as anything other than a host waiting for a Star Conqueror to be put on their face. And maybe I could fiddle around with their desires and change that… But then again, I could have done that with the Citadelians. Or the psions. And I've thought about that a fair bit, and I'm still happy with the choice I made."

    Okay. Still can't reliably see anything, but if that dense patch is an old spaceship or something… I generate a construct-.

    "I am.. not."

    "I suspected. Would you care to narrow it down?"

    The shape is… Somewhat like a stereotypical diamond; a large flat block which tapers to a point beneath it. The build up of other materials around it is uneven… But its centre of mass appears to be roughly in the centre of the planet. It could be a generation ship, I suppose…

    "The young Citadelian clones who had not completed the implantation process. You could have moved them from their world before you destroyed their cloning factories."

    "Yes, I could. To what end?"

    "They were children. That had not shared in the crimes of their elders."

    "They were modified clones of the First. Every part of their conditioning and training was designed to make them-"

    The mass is.. shifting slightly. Lighter material being pushed aside due to pressure or heat?

    "-better killers. You yourself were held at the facility where they created the 'better' version; you know what they were trying to do, and how well they were succeeding. They were as instinctively sociopathic as they could be made. There have never been any Citadelians who rebelled against their intended purpose. Not. One. I could have mind controlled them; made them my thralls. I don't want thralls. Or Citadelian children."

    "I… Want to be a person who tried."

    I nod.

    "When I was first training you and your sister, I thought to myself that if there were any justice in the universe I would be offering you a blue ring. Time permitting, I'd like you to try working with Alan's ring while you're here."

    "Any… You did not want me to have an orange ring?"

    "Most people can learn to use any power ring to at least some degree. Ideally, people would be matched to those they suit best. I'm a good match for orange, and so is your sister. You… Clearly you can use it… But I've never been entirely convinced that it's… You. And I want to give you the opportunity to be the most you you can be."

    "Do you have more blue rings?"

    "No. I had to talk Kalmin into making one, and Alan needed it to live, not merely to thrive. If it is a good fit, we can try talking him into making another one."

    "Kalmin, the monstrous weapon-maker who kills entire worlds."

    "If you know someone else, feel free to commission one from them instead. The only possibles I know of are the Guardians Ganthet and Sayd."

    Something's happening with the top of the 'diamond', a large crater opening as material is pushed back by mechanisms I… Don’t know. I'm increasingly thinking 'ship', because if that's some sort of launch…

    Bay.

    "Lantern Koriand'r, how resistant to telepathy are you?"

    "I have performed mental strengthening exercises taught to me by the Warlords of Okaara. The Star Hunters did not trouble me."

    I generate a construct of Pluto, with the denser mass as a more solid orange inside it.

    "This is what's down there. And while I'm not sure what that is… If it were a Mother Star…"

    I add definition and it fits… Horribly well.

    "Orange Lantern Illustres to everyone, I think that Pluto is a Mother Star containment unit. Strongly suggest advising the Green Lantern Corps."

    **I…**

    A new eruption of rock and ice clears an area the size of India, hurling the material which previously covered it past the ClusterShip.

    **Aaaaaaahhhh…**

    A planet blinks at me.

    **Awaken.**

    The opposite side of Pluto bursts as its tentacles flex, cracks along the dwarf planet's surface becoming canyons of unfathomable depth before-. Its telekinesis is working again. It's lifting the covering off itself and throwing the discarded wrapping away as it works itself free.

    **Hunger.**
     
    Last edited: Jul 2, 2020
  2. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

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    It's possible for OL to try and get some non Controller Maltusian to make him a Blue Ring.

    There are probably some that know how to make Power Rings and have a grasp of the Blue Light, but just weren't all that interested in doing it.

    As for Kalmin he could get the necessary hope he needs from Tamaran.

    They've been freed from slavery and are rebuilding their civilization so they are probably still feeling very hopeful.
     
  3. Huttj509

    Huttj509 Getting sticky.

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  4. Razorfloss

    Razorfloss I trust you know where the happy button is?

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    I feel like this needs more fire don't you
     
  5. thebishop8

    thebishop8 Umm, ackchyually...

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    Maybe "The only other possibilities" instead?

    Remove "is" I think.
     
  6. Promenius

    Promenius Not too sore, are you?

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    To quote Joker:

    "And here... we... go!"

    Time to beat down some more Star Conquerors.
     
  7. Ganurath

    Ganurath Apologizes For Nothing

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    I feel as though Paul's conversation preceeding the reveal is foreshadowing a profoundly harmful solution to the Star Conqueror problem.
     
  8. Ace Dreamer

    Ace Dreamer Questioning The Nature of our Realities

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    'as a more'?


    So, the star of the show has arrived? :)

    Makes me wonder just how big a shock crown OL can make...

    Somehow I doubt wearing starfish cos-play will be enough...
     
    Last edited: Jul 2, 2020
  9. SpaceJelly

    SpaceJelly What was I doing again...?

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    Starro Lives, Starro Lives....

    (Yes, I know it’s the wrong show)
     
  10. Z3r0Sama

    Z3r0Sama Not too sore, are you?

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    Hopefully his faffing about has consequences, perhaps a few billion deaths, so he learns to get his head in the game.
     
    Cuchulin likes this.
  11. Tavarokk

    Tavarokk Pursuer of perversion

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    OL feels very derpy in the last few updates. Isn't Star Conquerors emergence an all hands on deck situation? He's treating it way more laxly than the previous one when it's arguably more concerning. In particular, last time the scenario "little stars leave Earth and go to awaken big ones" was the worst case scenario that they kept in mind from the get go and tried to prevent more than anything else, yet here he's perfectly content to watch them excavate something ancient (!) that might be sufficiently alive to have desires (!) and waste time on idle chatter. I feel it's too dumb, unless we're dealing with another mental interference case like back with Mammon essence contamination, but more subtle.
     
  12. Alasnuyo

    Alasnuyo I am always here

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    I think this is one of those situations that merits mashing the big red 'Summon Ophidian' button.
     
  13. Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

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    Have you finished the episode? It becomes obvious, and then is directly explained.
    Thank you, corrected.
    I'm sorry, I can't work out what you're correcting here.
    Thank you, corrected.
    No, because speedsters don't his at F=MA, or at least not apparent A.
    No, because that's where I starting 'making this up'.
    No, it's correct, but don't ask me to explain the difference in meaning.
    Thank you, corrected.
    No, it's a few lines down.
     
  14. Z000

    Z000 If this is trash, then find me in the dumpster

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    i hope he Assimilate the thing, been a long time since he have the ring nom some one
     
  15. Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

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    No, I'm pretty sure that's correct.
    Thank you, corrected.
     
  16. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

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    Wow, that went dark.

    He hasn't been faffing around, he has been engaging in activities that he enjoys when he wasn't needed, bonding with his teammates through said activities etc.

    It's also unlikely that a few billion deaths are going to make him reconsider abandoning all his other activities because he somehow considers those activities to be responsible for said deaths. While other superheroes have done such things in the comics OL isn't exactly one prone to becoming an emotional wreck that blames himself for every little thing, no matter how litte sense it makes to do so.

    It would be kinda difficult to say that he is responsible for all those deaths when the Green Lanterns have themselves not scanned Pluto to see if there was anything there, the Guardian that came to Earth and had a road trip with Queen and Jordan can also be blamed for not doing any scanning of Sol and its planets.

    Also the scans may not have worked as Star Conquerors have developed some resistance to Power Rings and can hide from them.

    Their telepathy can also help them hide their desires from his eyes.

    The thing with him being influenced is a possibility.

    It would also be kinda a big jump to assume that there is a gigantic Star Conqueror hiding inside Pluto. He may summon several members of his own Corps and the Green Lantern Corps to help now that they know that there's a giant Star Conqueror there, but summoning them previously could have been overkill since they didn't know that there were Star Conquerors until several minutes ago and they didn't know there was a gigantic one until a minute ago, all they know was that there were some small Stars there that they could handle.
     
    Last edited: Jul 2, 2020
  17. Ganurath

    Ganurath Apologizes For Nothing

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    Too slow, thanks to their distributed consciousness. The more elegant solution, in my mind, is for Paul to pull the same trick he pulled on the Martian customs officer.
     
  18. Lothlo

    Lothlo Not too sore, are you?

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    So... At least isn't a 'Dead Space' Mother Moon... That could have been even worse
     
  19. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

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    He may find it more difficult to Assimilate this one, as Star Conquerors tend to have some resistance to Lantern Rings, but it is a possibility since this one probably doesn't have all that much, or any, knowledge or experience of dealing with Orange Rings.

    That trick with the Martian may not work on something so powerful.
     
  20. topin89

    topin89 Virgin Centrist

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  21. Ace Dreamer

    Ace Dreamer Questioning The Nature of our Realities

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    I still think you could argue that hitting the area with your biggest Cold Ray would've been a good just-in-case. The enemy were pumping energy into that part of Pluto, you can be pretty sure their objective is something you're not going to be happy with. Removing energy from there seems reasonable, and, you can do the forensics later.

    BTW, I'm guessing Cold Rays use a dimensional trick - so, they work like the cooling system in a 'fridge, by pumping heat from one place to another (a really cold/empty other-dimensional space).
     
    Last edited: Jul 2, 2020
  22. Flux Casey

    Flux Casey The Colonel

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    He really was just kind of... Sitting there. Letting whatever was going to happen happen. It's like he was watching an anime transformation sequence, just letting the bad guy get more powerful. Didn't Paul used to be more genre savvy than that?
     
  23. Chojin Patriarch

    Chojin Patriarch Veteran Lurker

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    Not so much destroyed as converted into a Warworld... Could be worse, DC 1,000,000 turned it into the Solar System's biggest prison, guarded by a Batman.

    Methinks the question is more: "Can we stop it?"

    Eh, you should see how much Sci-fi features planets being rendered uninhabitable, much less destroyed outright. Never mind the ones that weaponised them. Three words: Lensman Arms Race.

    Resources, usually. Or because it blocks a great view... Marvin...

    Oh, boy... Big mama's waking up...

    Scans can be fooled, OL. You should know that well by this point... Maybe you need to widen the area you're scanning.

    Star Conquerors are not nice, Kori. They are most definitely not nice.

    But would the payoff be worth the effort involved? That's the calculus an Orange Lantern lives by, isn't it?

    Unsurprising, really. Her career as an Orange Lantern has not been entirely pleasant. Yes, her homeworld is free and rebuilding fast. Yes, she's done some good in Vega. But look at her failures, like the Psion homeworld...

    For a given value of generation ship, I suppose... But not the kind you're thinking of...

    Be honest, Kori, is this because they were descended from your goddess?

    And I doubt the First's attitudes were entirely borne from his upbringing. Some people are just born bad...

    And that's before you get into the neural link to their forefather that they got rewarded with as they advanced...

    And that is why she's just not a good Orange Lantern. That sort of thing... For all that she feels she wants it, she doesn't want it enough.

    God no. To be blunt, Kori, you would be an amazing Blue Lantern.

    That's just a matter of convincing Kalmin, or an unaligned Controller. No easy task, but it can be done.

    Well, if you're going to dwell on his talents...

    Think more organic, OL. Pluto just blinked.

    And he finally realises what's happening. Let's hope it's not too late.

    Star hunters are one thing. Their brains aren't much bigger than yours. This thing? At a minimum, it's brains are the size of England. That's why OL's having trouble seeing its emotions correctly. They're too big.

    I can just feel that creeping horror he's likely starting to feel, and promptly dampening down.

    ...Okay, panic is not likely to happen with his enlightened state. But seriously, he sounds like he's describing the weather. As soon as the Greenies hear about this, bricks will be shat. This is going to require Guardians.

    :eek:Craaaaaaaaaap...

    And that is something most people would never think they would ever say in their life.

    And there goes Pluto. Hopefully the bits coalesce back into spherical form eventually.

    OL, this is not the time to be so calm, reserved or British. Three Orange Lanterns are not going to be able to handle this. Get the Controllers on the horn, call the Ophidian, call everybody and brace for a fight! o_O The only good thing about this is that it's so far from Earth and Mars...

    Still can't reliably see anything...
    It could be a generation ship, I suppose…
     
  24. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

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    In fairness to him this isn't exactly as simple as shooting the guy while he is transforming, it's a whole lot more complicated as he didn't know what was happening. Just shooting Pluto when he didn't know what was happening could have caused more harm than good.

    He did say to call the GLC, the guys that dealt with these things previously.

    Him panicking would also not really serve anyone.

    Panic tends to be on the yellow side of the spectrum, so if he panics too much then he may not be able to use his ring to its maximum capabilities.
     
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  25. Tavarokk

    Tavarokk Pursuer of perversion

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    Assume - no, but asking himself the question of "what's the worst that could be down there and what to do if it's that" was a must, under the circumstances.
     
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  26. Ace Dreamer

    Ace Dreamer Questioning The Nature of our Realities

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    Go out into the Oort Cloud, scrape together the mass for a replacement Pluto?
     
  27. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

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    It would still be a big jump to think that Pluto is really a continent sized Star Conqueror.
     
  28. B00ki5h

    B00ki5h Verified: Oddball, Lurker, and Dabbler

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    Someone answer that phone because I fucking called it!
     
  29. lancelot

    lancelot Grand High Poobah

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    Agreed he is just standing by with the thumb up his ass being the complete opposite of proactive. He knows things are about to go wrong and he does nothing to stop it and instead behave as the next best thing to a bystander. It's like he doesn't give a fuck about anything anymore and if that is how your going to continue to write him you might as well fucking kill him. Because it's so out of character he might as well be dead anyways.

    I'm honestly disappointed in your Zoat, if your burned out take a few days off. Don't force yourself to to write trash like this.
     
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  30. SaltyWaffles

    SaltyWaffles I trust you know where the happy button is?

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    Should be "Its".

    And couldn't Paul just blast it with a stupidly large amount of gamma radiation? He already showed that he could easily blast something with enough gamma radiation to render half of the Earth uninhabitable. Something the size of Pluto probably wouldn't be too far beyond that, especially with Ophidian available to help him.

    Also, this is yet another example of why Sector 2814 CLEARLY does not have enough Lanterns.
     
    Last edited: Jul 2, 2020
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