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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. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

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    Scarabs are capable of fighting Lanterns so them having ways to counteract ring scans makes sense.

    And Paul may have also not told Ted all that much about the Reach since he didn't think it was that important.

    Ted also probably didn't show Paul the scarab since Paul has been bringing him all sorts of tech and he could have forgotten about the scarab. Ted does come off as a bit scatterbrained.

    Paul may also not remember much about Blue Beetle from the comics, and he'd certainly not remember anything from the show or tie in comics.
     
  2. rkyeun

    rkyeun Cabbitus Maximus

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    Nonono, you're Vaermina. You're supposed to be complaining how boring and predictable it is that everything will go right and have no lasting repercussions at all and thereby be a pointless waste of time by your least favorite author who you religiously come to visit every day and read their story like an addiction and make dumb comments about.
     
  3. Clell65619

    Clell65619 Making the rounds.

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    So... Two cakes this time.
     
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  4. Rafin

    Rafin Not too sore, are you?

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    It's really not hard to understand what's happening. Paul's soul was dispersed by the Qwa explosion. Some relatively small part found the perfectly designed replica if his body and possessed it. Said part, with the support of the Orange Lantern Corps, incorporated more soul fragments and could translate known information from the database into actual memories using the memory fragments within the soul fragments and the perfectly replicated brain he got. Then he absorbed most of the orange light soul fragments still laying around at his place of death, along with some minimal amounts of ambient magic. And now he found another soul fragment that hid in the Honden and was large enough to mantain some kind of identity and voice. Now two sentient soul fragments, one of them embodied and the other attached to a large amount of Leentniar desires, have to (choose to) align themselves enough to fuse back into one.
     
  5. Ardy

    Ardy I trust you know where the happy button is?

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    Dear Team & Batman,

    War is going pretty good. Died again. Ophidi-Chan was pissed but got double enlightenment so nbd. Jade sends her love fond tolerance and please watch out for ships filled with qwa-matter.

    xoxo
    Paul
     
  6. Chaoswind

    Chaoswind Lord of nonsense

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    It was established that the cult of the eyes was based on her home country/continent and that other nations in her planet disliked her nation even though they didn't have the resources to go to war over it and just limited themselves to take refugees that fled religious prosecution IE women that had enough help to flee the nation.

    This was explained when her daughter was talking to Paul about it, and the first time we saw the tentacle serial hugger and her interact for the first time.
     
  7. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

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    P.S.

    I made some more cake and I'll be sending over some of it.

    Enjoy.

    Love,

    Pavlos.
     
  8. Someguy Somewhere

    Someguy Somewhere The Critical Fumbler

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    Sounds a bit like what happened to Magnus the Red in 40k 30k.

    Primarch of the Thousand Sons, and Top Level Psychic Wizard on top of that. Had to stretch himself to his limits to teleport his legion from their burning homeworld to a planet in the Eye of Terror. Fragmented his soul across time and space. The fragments ended up being discrete parts of his personality, and went about hunting each other down to Voltron themselves back into something close to the original. Didn't get all of them, but filled in the gaps with demonic powers and went full Demon Prince.

    The above of course somewhat mirrors a theory that the Primarchs themselves are all fragmented parts of the Emperor's Personality when they were created.
     
  9. Sorrow

    Sorrow Getting sticky.

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    I think Paul is about to meet his own personal Lantern, with himself inside. One who has been watching himself trying to re-achieve a enlightenment that he already had, but is going about it the wrong way. One does not reach enlightenment by traveling the same well worn path travelled before, because one is not the same as when one first travelled that path. So, Paul has changed, grown and lost parts of himself. To, in this case literally, find himself, he needs to NOT think like the old him did, but like the new him does. If that makes ANY sense.
     
  10. Agent Orange

    Agent Orange Experienced.

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    Once Paul finds himself they'll have to fight it out. There can be only one after all. We saw how this story goes with Clayface and his fork. There will be cake flying everywhere, mark my words.
     
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  11. DeathlessProficiency

    DeathlessProficiency Know what you're doing yet?

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    The what? Is this from a story I should read?
     
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  12. Gilhelmi

    Gilhelmi Know what you're doing yet?

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    I remember the Changelings from Star Trek: DS9. They were one, and they were many.

    Maybe their Souls will flow together like two glasses of water poured into a pitcher.

    OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORR, Now I just had a fun thought.
    We get 2 Pauls from now on. Enlightened Paul will be action-packed fighting the Reach, while New Paul will go back to Earth and reconnect with his friends and work on the Uplift Project which I have been wishing to see more of.

    BEST OF BOTH WORLDS! YAY!

    Still, I will most likely enjoy the story no matter what happens next.
     
  13. Dur'id the Druid

    Dur'id the Druid Know what you're doing yet?

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    Heheh, it's not like we get to see several 'Pauls' already in this story. I remember some Hulk authors who wanted to make several different colored Hulks, then figure out what it means. Please don't do that.
     
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  14. Maxx Crowley

    Maxx Crowley I trust you know where the happy button is?

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    Red Hulk was one of those things that no one ever asked for, and never should have been.
     
  15. Cuchulin

    Cuchulin Versed in the lewd.

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    I'd agree with you but Red Hulk gave us Red She Hulk.
     
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  16. Maxx Crowley

    Maxx Crowley I trust you know where the happy button is?

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    Yeah, and before that, Betty was Harpy.

    Being a Gamma mutate is one thing. But being another Hulk, a creature born of Banner's unique psyche, only...you know....RED, is astoundingly lazy.

    I could have also done without all the sudden She-Hulk/Red She-Hulk porn.
     
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  17. Cuchulin

    Cuchulin Versed in the lewd.

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    Rick Jones was once a Hulk and Bruce's cousin is She Hulk. Red Hulk was a Hulk partly because he was made to be one by a group a super genius villains and party because he has a hate boner or Hulk the size of Galactus.
     
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  18. Maxx Crowley

    Maxx Crowley I trust you know where the happy button is?

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    Technically he fell into the "bath" that held the Real Hulk who has been split apart from Banner. Which lead to the return of an even further Mutated Leader, and the Return of the First Hulk, the Gray Hulk, AKA Joe Fixit.

    So, much like Rick and Mar-vell, Rich technically just merged with the actual thing.

    Red Hulk is a lazy palette swap. Plus, Ross was already Zzzax that one time.

    AND we already had a "Dark reflection" of the Hulk in the Abomination. Though I'm not going to get into the whole Devil Hulk thing and all that.
     
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  19. jonasquinn

    jonasquinn I trust you know where the happy button is?

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    That’s not the bit I have a problem with
    Paul literally tells almost anyone that will listen about the Reach, all it would take is Paul loosely describing them as “An insectoid race that send machines that look like beetles called Scarabs to primitive worlds” which would immediately make Ted go “Hey, that sounds a lot like the weird alien technology my mentor gave me years ago”
    Considering all the projects they’ve done together one of the first things Ted would say to Paul is “I‘ve got this extremely advanced piece of technology that my mentor used for years and I was suspicious of not to use myself can you take a look at it?”
    Considering Paul’s extensive knowledge of the DC Universe it would be extraordinarily convenient if he somehow had absolutely no idea about the existence of the arguably more famous iteration of the Blue Beetle, especially with him being the character with the largest connection to The Reach

    Basically any explanation for why Paul doesn’t know that Ted had a Scarab depends entirely on them both being idiots and acting out of character, the only feasible one that could work is Mr Zoat retconning it so that the Scarab either hasn’t landed or hasn’t been discovered yet and the previous Blue Beetle just used regular technology like Ted
     
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  20. Ngamer11

    Ngamer11 Experienced.

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    Actually, Paul's knowledge isn't that extensive. He's only read the things he's interested in. Plus there're the things he forgot or never took the time to commit to memory.
     
  21. Stsword

    Stsword Versed in the lewd.

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    Zoat was so much not a Blue Beetle fan that Paul thinks BB 3's name is Jamie.

    And the connection to the Reach is very much a Jaime thing, the scarab was a magic artifact before that.

    DC literally showed Nabu making the scarab in Rip Hunter's Time Masters out of Rip's temporal communicator.

    And this is what Garett looked like in YJ
    [​IMG]

    Does that look like a Reach Scarab Warrior to you?

    The outfit isn't even close.
     
  22. Chojin Patriarch

    Chojin Patriarch Veteran Lurker

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    From 'It's an Unliving' over on SB, an SI-Lantern with a Black Ring. I won't spoil anything for you, but it's a good read. One thing it takes advantage of on SB? The 'Glow' BBCode, which SV and QQ regrettably lack...

    Belated edit: Oh, and it's not dead-dead, just.. napping while the author does real-life stuff...
     
    Last edited: Feb 21, 2021
  23. jonasquinn

    jonasquinn I trust you know where the happy button is?

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    Even if his knowledge isn’t perfect it’s still pretty damn extensive and covers far more fringe characters than Jaime, who is again arguably the most famous Blue Beetle
    But he still knows that he exists and of all the characters that Paul knows about to be so specifically ignorant of this one character so as to not even know the most important aspect of them that’s relevant to him is extremely convenient
    Even if Paul somehow has absolutely no idea that the Scarab has any connection to The Reach other than sharing a name, which if he had even the tiniest inkling of he would investigate, he’s friends with Ted and the two of them have done extensive work on combining science and magic

    Surely at some point Paul would have asked “Hey Ted, why don’t you use your predecessors magic suit” or “Why don’t we look at that and see if it has anything interesting we can learn from it?” To which Ted would respond “Oh yeah, I realised that it’s actually a weird alien exosuit in the shape of a beetle” which would set off every alarm bell in Paul’s head

    And even if that didn’t happen, which it would, it still doesn’t explain why Ted, who knows about the Reach, never thought to mention the strange piece of alien technology his mentor used that almost perfectly matched the description of The Reach’s preferred method of conquest down to its name
     
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  24. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

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    Can you give a link to where Paul explained the Reach to Ted?

    Because it's possible that he just didn't tell Ted about them, or he didn't elaborate much, or Ted wasn't listening all that much.

    Ted is also scatterbrained and with Paul bringing him new pieces of tech and magic he may just forget to do that due to being excited.

    Paul doesn't know everything about the DC universe.

    He may have just not found the Jaime character interesting and eventually forgot about him.

    The scarab is on this Earth, and no the only explanation is not them being idiots, but rather that they're both very busy and may not know how important certain pieces of info are.

    Really hope this fic is not dead.

    Looks like Jaime is just one he doesn't know about.

    It was probably done for the sake of the plot so that we can get a storyline from it.

    An SI that knows everything would just be a boring thing.

    There actually was some thing in a previous episodes which pointed to Paul not knowing that much about Jaime.

    When Raul traveled to another universe he mentioned a guy in blue armor, which is probably Jaime, but didn't seem to know anything else.

    Unless he doesn't know it's a magic suit or advanced alien tech and just thought it was human ingenuity.

    He also wants Ted to work on making advanced tech rather than fighting crime.

    Again, give a link where Paul explains the Reach to Ted and how they go about with their conquests and the scarabs.
     
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  25. Vaermina

    Vaermina Well worn.

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    Also he gets a lot of fanon mixed up with canon, which only works out for him because the author decides to run with the fanon instead.
     
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  26. Cuchulin

    Cuchulin Versed in the lewd.

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    Wouldn't you if it was your SI fic?
     
  27. Vaermina

    Vaermina Well worn.

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    Nope, expand on what's already there, but never rewrite or subtract from canon is my rule when writing SI fics.
     
  28. BlueMangoAdea

    BlueMangoAdea Alive. For now.

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    Mr. Zoat's "fanon" seems a bit more accurate than V's "canon", at least to me.
     
  29. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

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    It's not just you.
     
  30. Threadmarks: Anti-Thesis (part 7)
    Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

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    11th July 2012
    Hopefully


    Ugh.

    I blink as my eyes focus on… A Leentniar deck plate. And my personal lantern. Excellent.

    Generations of my people have laboured to build this space, and I want to add to it in order to ensure that it is preserved for generations more.

    Ugh again. Not one of my desires. But I definitely remember something happening. I rise to my feet, picking up the lantern and… Wave at the other members of the crew, who-.

    Ah. No. Right.

    Ring, am I whole again? Judge using the metric of the person for whom Hinon created you.

    Match imperfect. All indicated parts present, in addition to surplus material.

    Sounds promising. I

    step out, seeing the desires of the Leentniar all around me and enshrouding me. With a feeling of gratitude I unshroud myself, the desires I borrowed flowing back into their proper place. I'd sigh in relief if breathing was a thing here. Then I fly, following the patterns I remember and the beacon planted by Lantern Coutara. No, not her. This… Place is a beacon in the orange light of the conflicting desires 'do it' and 'make this not happen'. And… It's a little clearer why they had those desires. I think… It's easier for me to intuit the connections… I can study that later. I

    step back into the centre of my ritual space.

    I take a moment to make sure that there's no residual energy flares, then spread my arms wide and look up at my audience.

    "Let joy be unbound, for I am returned."

    I float upwards, erasing my markings on the stone as I do so. This area is nominally under the control of L.E.G.I.O.N., but it's a ruin of no strategic importance. It wouldn't do for someone to try their hand at amateur spell casting with my help.

    "And as far as I can tell, at full mission fitness. Ladies and gentlemen?"

    The wizards raise their hands, their use of magic no longer restricted to their personal reserves. Lantern Gozzi looks slightly relieved, while Ragnar-.

    "Do you want your first rematch right now, or are you prepared to wait?"

    "I… It would be better to wait until your health is confirmed. I would sully my challenge by acting prematurely."

    "Alright. I respect your growing wisdom." I float over the rim and land amidst the party. "And if you want guidance on your next step..?"

    "Of course, Illustres."

    "You've developed a good self-awareness. My enlightenment comes from perfect self-awareness, not just from understanding the origin of my strongest desires but from also understanding and accepting my weaker ones. If that is the path you want to take, you'll have to try to do the same."

    "I'm… Not sure that I can, Illustres. I've wanted what I want now for a very long time."

    "Perhaps you could start by trying to understand your brother's desires and motives. Learn to imagine yourself in his position."

    "That.. is not easier." He smiles. "But such is the path of the warrior. I struck at my swordmaster a thousand times before I hit him even once. And I hit him a thousand times before I bested him even once." He frowns. "I am… Better at hitting things than I am at wisdom."

    "But you weren't always. And once you beat me, you won't have beating me to look forward to."

    He nods, mollified, as I turn to the wizards.

    "So?"

    Dr. Damon shrugs. "Your soul structure appears to be more whole than it was before the ritual, though it's not quite the same as our records."

    "That which does not kill us makes us stranger."

    "But it did kill you. Your behaviour is.. different to every shade I've studied." He throws up his hands. "How do you feel?"

    I blink, empathic vision showing-

    I need this to pay off. I need.. some recognition. I need something that tells me that I haven't wasted my career, because it's getting harder to convince myself.

    -more than it used to.

    "My empathic abilities feel a little more intense. I think I'm empathising with the desires I see more than I did before. They feel like mine rather than someone else's that I'm just looking at. Otherwise, I feel much as I did before."

    I look down at my left hand.

    "Ring? How am I doing now?"

    "Orange light abilities within expected parameters."

    "How does this..?" Dr. Wilsone considers-

    I can learn things that no one else can and someone else is taking the risks.

    Heh.

    -me carefully. "How does this compare to how you died last time?"

    "Far less painful, didn't involved a giant would-be god with a smiley face for a head and escaping didn't involve my brain slowly suffocating while stuck in a robot body. Of the two, I definitely preferred this one. I definitely preferred the Honden to the Source."

    "You don't feel any lasting negative effects from not being alive?"

    "No. Not that I'm noticing. I don't know why my empathic vision has changed, so I suppose that… Could be a negative effect."

    "I've read about techniques for coming back from the dead repeatedly. The cumulative effects are supposed to be horrifying."

    "But I'm not using any of them. And even if I lost part of my soul, these tattoos will regenerate it as long as I spend time on a thaumically active world. Right?"

    "In theory, yes. In practice, you are the only one to ever have this arrangement. I'm… Worried."

    I nod. "Light duties, and check in with Hades. Got it. Lantern Gozzi, Lantern Ragnar, I'll see you back on Maltus."

    I raise my right hand to my forehead

    step out and

    reappear in front of the Central Power Battery.

    What a relief.

    "Ophidian, c-."

    "Illustres!" I turn as Kalmin stomps in wearing full.. armour. Ah-. "Are you prepared to depart?"

    "I only just got my power back after dying again."

    "But you do have your power back?"

    "Yes. But-."

    He raises his hammer.

    "Anti-matter conversion now!"
     
    Last edited: Feb 21, 2021
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