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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. Pinklestia

    Pinklestia Well worn.

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    Actually I think his problem was that he keep doing the same thing and expecting a different result.

    Go into a rodeo, ruin it for being there, rinse and repeat. Is not until he changed things that he actually realized his talent and stopped causing trouble.
     
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  2. Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

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    He went to a rodeo and did something innocuous like watching it, his cutie mark causes him to knock something over which messes up everyone else's act. He stays home, his cutie mark causes him to knock down his own shelves. It's not that he's good at clowning, it's that he is compelled to clown with no option not to.
     
  3. Threadmarks: Onslaught (supplementary, Renegade Option)
    Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

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    23rd August 2012
    20:08 GMT -7


    A completely calm purple pegasus mare with a raven cutie mark glares at me as the majority of attendees stampede for the exit. Those who aren't rolling around the floor hoofing at their haunches in a frantic attempt to remove their haunch parasite.

    "We hope that you are pleased with yourself."

    "Ah, it's fine." I raise my right forehoof and make a dismissive gesture. "I knew this could happen and so I put a load of drones near the exit. They'll dart everyone with ketamine and then drag them off to a spare room. No one will get more than mildly trampled."

    An orange-pelted stallion with a magnifying glass cutie mark jerks his head up.

    "DART ME NOW! DART ME NOW! I DON'T WANT-!"

    Three darts appear in his flesh.

    "Ahhhrrrrr…"

    He collapses, twitching slightly, tongue hanging out of his mouth.

    "Okay, I didn't think it would be… Quite this bad."

    I glance over to where Sunset is.. holding a feed bag over Twilight's-. That's not a feed bag.

    Um.

    "None of these weak-hearts are supposed to be soldiers, right?"

    The mare glows for a moment, then Luna regains her normal form. "We shall find out on the morn, when they fail their blood tests and are pilloried for it."

    "Heh. Sunset, is Twilight still functioning?"



    "Sun-?"

    "I'm not talking to you right now."

    "I liked it."

    Huh? Oh. One of the audience members near the back didn't flee. That's refreshing. Purple with blue stripe mane and tail, lilac pelt and… Equals symbol cutie mark.

    "I mean, you're obviously right about cutie marks being evil."

    "I didn't say evil. Evil requires moral awareness and intent. I have no evidence that it isn't a purely automatic process. A tapeworm doesn't infect someone because it wants to cause them gastrointestinal discomfort, that's just a side effect of it living."

    She smiles, hopping out of her seat and walking-. Stepping over the ennuing ponies in the walkway and walking towards the stage.

    "So what do you suggest that we do about them?"

    "Research. Ponydom needs to properly understand the process by which it occurs before we can make firm decisions. Sunset's-"

    "Still not talking to you."

    "-innovations, combined with the superior artifice from our side of the mirror should make it easier, though naturally getting informed consent from appropriate foals and their primary caregivers could be tricky." I shake my mane. "Ah, I'm sorry. If the audience has…"

    The last mobile pony desperately crawls over the lintel and is picked up by a drone.

    "Absented itself, I suppose that we can do a more intimate talk. I'm Grayven, obviously. Who are you?"

    "I'm Starlight Glimmer and I've never met anyone else who felt this way about cutie marks before. Wait." She frowns. "What was that about a mirror?"

    "A mirror to a parallel universe where the sophont species don't have a cutie mark equivalent. They also use far less magic and have instead developed a far greater understanding of science and technology. It's useful, because it lets you experience a completely different set of social assumptions."

    She stops walking and blinks as she takes on board the new information.

    "Oh. You mean like how griffons and diamond dogs don't have anything like a cutie mark."

    "Yes. Only a lot more successful than them. It's understandable that a pony would look at Griffonstone or one of the diamond dogs' caves and not feel that there's a lot to learn from them. A people who have supersonic flying machines and non-magical teleportation are a little more notable."

    She nods, then continues to the front-.

    "Oh. Princess Luna."

    "Greetings, Our subject. It pleases Us that thou art able to stomach Our beau's dilberry-flavoured waffle-whaffle better than most of Our subjects."

    "I think he made his point perfectly well. And I think that he's right that learning about how cutie marks appear is the first step in learning how to stop them!"

    Luna looks at Miss Glimmer for a moment, then swings her head back in my direction.

    "Corruptor of youth. We should make you drink hemlock."

    "Excuse me." Miss Glimmer.. actually walks into Luna's personal space. I haven't seen a pony do that to one of the senior princesses before. "I'm perfectly capable of reaching that conclusion for myself. I'm just surprised to meet someone else who has. Don't dismiss me."

    Luna winds her neck in, blinking in surprise. But she recovers a moment later.

    "We are curious, Our subject. What hast inspired thou to this belief?"

    "Cutie marks make ponies fundamentally unequal. The moment you get one, the whole course of your life is laid out and whatever plans you had suddenly don't matter. They divide pony society into groups who literally can't understand each other when they talk about their jobs, and… For most of them, it wouldn't even occur to them that it was a problem."

    "We do not think it is that simple. Our cutie mark is the moon, yet We are a princess regnant."

    Miss Glimmer grimaces. "Oh, don't get me started on that."

    Luna raises her eyebrows. "Wouldst thou care to explain?"

    "You went crazy, vanished for a thousand years after trying to kill everything on the planet, then Princess Celestia decides to make you co-ruler because that's how it was a thousand years ago despite your complete lack of relevant skills and manifest psychological instability."

    Twilight stops lowering her breathing bag and puts it back up over her muzzle again.

    "Alicorns are the most unequal of all ponies. You get the abilities of all three races when everyone else doesn't and everyone bows and scrapes to you whether you're actually doing a good job or not. I want a society where everypony is equal: no cutie marks, no alicorns and no princesses."

    "Okay." I jump-. Yes! Stuck the landing! Down off the stage and lay a restraining left forehoof on Luna's shoulder. "Let's just unpack that a little. Firstly, you seem to be equivalencing special talents and cutie marks. Now, I thought that we'd agreed that the two weren't the same?"

    "Ponies stop trying other things once they get their marks. But-. Yes, okay, I suppose that I'm complaining about a symptom. No special talents, then."

    I nod. "Okay. Plenty of species manage to maintain complex societies without them, though you do understand that it will take years -possibly decades- more to train ponies to perform complex jobs if they no longer have any intuition into the field? The society on the other side of the mirror trains doctors for about three times as long, and they start later."

    "It's worth it to give everypony the same opportunity."

    "And you realise that the pony you just ranted at has a job not related to her cutie mark, just like her elder sister?"

    "Celestia changed the entire way Equestria's government worked on a whim to give her sister a job ahead of ponies with knowledge or experience. That's blatant nepotism."

    "Okay." Ooooh, and from the look I just got from Luna I know I'm going to be paying for that later. "But as I understand it, your preferred solution is what we might call 'levelling down'. Removing all talents from everypony to level the playing field. Or not having alicorns at all."

    "Yes. It's the only way to create an equal society."

    "No it's not. Cutie Pox demonstrates that the cutie mark system can give a pony new marks, several at a time. Why not focus on manipulating that?"

    She blinks. "How?"

    "Give every talent to everypony. Or if that's not possible, network them all and let everypony share in everypony else's special talent. And if there being different tribes is a problem, just make everypony an alicorn and remove that difference. Level everyone up to the best position, rather than just take things away. Wouldn't that be better?"
     
    Last edited: May 30, 2021
  4. Idkusername

    Idkusername Versed in the lewd.

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    How many people actually saw Sunset’s apotheosis? I don’t remember. Did the event have a public audience?
     
  5. Vice Xarno

    Vice Xarno Versed in the lewd.

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    Honestly what Grayven suggests is what I had a problem with Starlights plan, she was making everyone else worse, when she could have instead tried to make everyone BETTER, let's be honest the Town was cruddy as a town, if anything broke no one would be a good enough architect to fix anything, and the food was awful.
     
  6. w34v3r

    w34v3r Versed in the lewd.

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    Yeah, you go in expecting ponies and get a Harrison Bergeron reference. Gave me the shivers.

    Always level the playing field upwards.
     
  7. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

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    maybe 'on the floor'

    Your ability to think of the consequence of your actions is not well developed at all.

    Even if they were I think they can be excused after having their world view shattered.

    There's some of that intelligence we've been told she has.

    Well unless you count New Gods and their Domains.

    Most of them have, but a few prefer a magic touch.

    Few people can stomach his dilberry-flavoured waffle-whaffle.

    ...

    I can't believe I just used those words...

    This is not your day Twilight.
     
  8. theaceoffire

    theaceoffire Versed in the lewd.

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    Oh my God you're going to turn them into NASCAR ponies, covered in cutie marks as if they're advertisements.
     
  9. Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

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    No, I think that's fine.
     
  10. Sockmonkey

    Sockmonkey I trust you know where the happy button is?

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    If physically damaging the mark doesn't remove the talent, then it's not a point of vulnerability.
    Cutie pox does not prove that the physical mark creates a talent as the results are equally consistent with cutie pox granting a talent, and the mark acting as an indicator by adjusting it's display accordingly.
     
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  11. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

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    Magically harming the Mark probably will lead to a loss of the talent.

    If you try to cut the mark with an ordinary knife then maybe the talent won't be gone, but if you harm it with a magic knife then it can be removed.

    So the marks are still a point of vulnerability, just of the magical kind.
     
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  12. Queshire

    Queshire Not too sore, are you?

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    There was a shory lived manga series I read once where people could slap stickers on themselves to instantly download new skills. One example there was a granny slapping on a skateboarding sticker and instantly shredding.

    ALL THE CUTIEMARKS sounds like just asking for trouble, but swapping as needed sounds like it has potential. I just wonder if there's a risk from say, giving yourself a weightlifting mark when you're a couch potato that's never exercised a day in your life.

    I mean, they're cartoon horses so I don't expect an actual risk, but in theory.
     
  13. Chojin Patriarch

    Chojin Patriarch Veteran Lurker

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    I suspect he rather is, the giant troll that he is. Though I must say, that latter reaction seems to be a bit extreme. But then, people that scared aren't known for rationality...

    For the laymen: Ketamine. In this context, it's seen as much safer for small animals (such as dogs, cats.. and Ponies) than stronger chemicals.

    Well, you asked for it, you got it.

    "So many pretty colours..." Because in small doses, Ketamine is also a Narcotic, producing a disassociative state. Or, to put it simply, he's gonna be tripping balls before naptime.

    Because of course she's panicking. After all... What if she was wrong about something? :p

    Heh. :rolleyes: Hey, can't blame them for being curious.

    ...Oh, that's a loud silence.

    Yep, she is not happy about this. Guess he didn't run it past her first... Or maybe he did and she didn't approve then either.

    Awwww, shit. Speak of the devil (in my comments yesterday) and she appears! Well, not a Devil-devil, but she goes on to do some bad stuff. Heck, going by the cutie mark, she's already started.

    And those still conscious in the background begin trying even harder to remove their marks...

    Oh, dear. Grayven doesn't actually know about her, does he, not having watched that far into the show?

    "Love you too, sweetie."

    That's going to be a lot of sore heads in the morning. Worse than the 'Baked Bads' incident...

    ...And now I find myself wondering what she'd look like Earth-side. :eek: Oh, hey! Her Wiki page there even has a pic...

    Hmm... Wonder if she'd be interested in a trip...

    Yes, bit of a bias there, culturally. Not uncommon, really.

    Oh, geez. You can hear the veiled venom in her voice.

    ...Yeah, that's probably not the best tack to take, even with Grayven's lecture.

    He'd probably find it kind of minty. New God regeneration and Venom-buster toughness would probably overcome the toxicity of it, after all.

    Yes, that should be a warning sign Starlight.. ain't quite right in the head, by Pony standards.

    Oof, there's some anger there. Couldn't find anything about it in a quick read, but I'm guessing she didn't get her own mark for some time...

    I'm sure she will, at length... Let's try to keep it short, though?

    That's... Quite the understatement. And pretty damn rude to say it to her face, as hardy as her ego is...

    Progress! Grayven didn't fall flat on his barrel this time! Now, let's watch him work on putting his hoof in his mouth.

    And while Equestrians do live for a decent time, I don't think they want to spend that much time studying... Well, except Twilight and her bookish ilk.

    :confused: ...Okay, yes, she's not wrong... But still, rude.

    Sort of the inverse of "If everyone's super, then no-one will be." But Grayven has other options, does he not?

    Heh. She never thought of anything like this, did she? Her disharmonious jealousy gives her the desire to drag everyone down...

    ...While Grayven would always prefer to drag them up to a better standard. Twilight, hope you're paying attention!

    And that idea... Might defuse more than a few problems Starlight causes down the line... :p Grayven, unknowingly playing the part of Fixfic protagonist as usual. Still, I have to wonder about the impact of that plan. Can the planet's thaumic sphere cope with an entire race of Alicorns? Can Equestrian culture deal with the massive shift in power dynamics? Will the transformation breed true, or will the next generation need to undergo the same treatment? So. Many. Questions...


    Missing Quotation Mark.
     
    Last edited: May 30, 2021
  14. Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

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    She's hardly the only one.
    Flurry Heart suggests 'yes'. What's more of a concern is how long alicorn mares remain fertile.
    Thank you, corrected.
     
    Last edited: May 30, 2021
  15. l---erddad---l

    l---erddad---l Wait, google can see this?

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    Oersonally I would assume that's more being a point of vulnerability in that in order to strengthen a talent you need to make a connection to it that if improperly handled could damage that talent rather than the intent being to damage it in the first place.

    Kind of like adding a prosthetic exoskeletal arm that is connected to your arm through threading it in to basically act like a second layer of skin: it might make you stronger, but if you rip it out without care than you will damage your arm.
     
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  16. Queshire

    Queshire Not too sore, are you?

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    Starlight Glimmer here makes me think of this video;


    I'm glad Gravy's offering a potential solution instead of just righteous face punching.
     
  17. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

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    Give her a break, will you.

    She just found out that a piece of their society may be extremely dangerous and even lethal.

    Now if only he'd learn to not put his hoof in his mouth.
     
  18. doug89

    doug89 Versed in the lewd.

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    "And with everyone super, no one will be."
     
  19. Stsword

    Stsword Versed in the lewd.

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    I'm more concerned with the fact that alicorns are one bad day from their emotive magic literally demonizing them.

    It's like a scientist so excited about inventing spatial warping technology...in Doom.
     
  20. Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

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    That's not just the alicorns.
     
  21. Wheenesss

    Wheenesss Versed in the lewd.

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    Oh hey, it’s Worst Pony Starlight Glimmer. Kinda hope she gets dunked on at some point.
     
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  22. Stsword

    Stsword Versed in the lewd.

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    King Sombra probably went full Darth Vader too what with the becoming a living cloud of darkness bit.
     
  23. Handlewithcare

    Handlewithcare Versed in the lewd.

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    And here we have arguments for Transhumanism and designer babies neatly wrapped in a bow.

    Level everyone up to remove inequality.

    I do hope we will see Grayven argue for this on his world too. Alchemical and other superpowers for everyone!
     
  24. Ngamer11

    Ngamer11 Experienced.

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    I found a broken picture. Also, I was unaware that the Question had a base at all. I assumed he worked out of an apartment, or multiple apartments, like in the DCAU.
     
  25. Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

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    Updated.
    Starlight Glimmer is the most impressive villain in the series. Not only could she fight alicorn Twilight on an even level while levitating, she was able to rip off her cutie mark and time travel using her table. She had to work out how to do both things herself. And she mind controlled everyone into letting her get away with destroying the world six times in a row, even when she went back to openly mind controlling ponies!
     
  26. AngelicKnight.

    AngelicKnight. Lewd demon of negotiable affection

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    If she was so successful why did she keep having to destroy the world? It sounds like she didn't do a good enough job the first time if it took an five attempts.
     
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  27. Wheenesss

    Wheenesss Versed in the lewd.

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    Arguably the most impressive villain is Discord. While his initial outing left much to be desired as did his backsliding with Tirek, the way he got everyone to conveniently ignore the fact that he was the reason that Chrysalis, Tirek and Cozy Glow got as far as they did in the last season was masterful!

    Plus the subtle corruption aspect in how through his machinations he convinced the main cast that turning a small child to stone for eternity was a good idea! Not to mention his befriending of Fluttershy essentially makes it impossible for him to be turned to stone again since she refuses to use the Elements on him. All he had to do now is wait for all the main cast except Twilight to die of old age and he can basically do whatever he wants without repercussions again!
     
  28. Pinklestia

    Pinklestia Well worn.

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    That's how you get the Pony Borg.

    Ponies are NOT the kind of species you want to give a Hive mind.
     
  29. AngelicKnight.

    AngelicKnight. Lewd demon of negotiable affection

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    But they are so happy and kind and friendly?
     
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  30. Pinklestia

    Pinklestia Well worn.

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    Unless you are not a PONY then they EXTERMINATE you. If you are a PONY then your KNOWLEDGE and TALENT will be added to the COLLECTIVE.
     
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