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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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    Ah they were a distraction.
     
  2. Radix

    Radix Not too sore, are you?

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    Lynn is at Vega. Renegade took her with him.
     
  3. Ryumancer

    Ryumancer Dragons Are Romance

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    Out of curiosity, is there a list of all Paul!Grayven/Renegade chapters anywhere? I kinda skipped over them on my first readthrough, because they interrupted the flow of the main story, but since i've been caught up for awhile, and Paul!Grayven arcs have gotten more common as the story progressed, I'm starting to think a Renegade focused reread is in order, but I really don't want to have the Paragon chapters interrupting it.

    Found one on TVTropes.

    Scratch that, it's just a recap, not a chapter list. If someone has a chapter list, it'd still be appreciated.
     
    Last edited: Aug 2, 2021
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  4. DAT_NOOB

    DAT_NOOB Accused of writing in a far away land

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    It's okay I know the one you're talking about.
     
  5. Dappershire

    Dappershire Getting out there.

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    So, I know its my fault for only reading Paragon Paul, but why do people think he's Grayven? I stopped watching after he first pretended to the name to mess with some wandering new gods and Robin, (and doubled down on not watching when I peaked in and saw him in ponyland). So, I get why the new gods would just assume he was serious, but why would the likes of the Justice League, which I only assume means Batman, along with apparently half the universe, fall for his bluff? Especially given all the evidence to the contrary the JL has prior to the Sportmaster split.What big thing did I miss?
     
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  6. Chaoswind

    Chaoswind Lord of nonsense

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    Someone made one and updated it for a couple of years, but I haven't seen them around in a while (I think) even more so now that I mostly lurk.


    The story only thread episode labels are a decent way to know if an episode is going to be focused on Renegade or Paragon.

    Honestly the earlier Renegade episodes are a waste of time, it's after Star Crossed when he goes to earth 50 that it gets good enough.
     
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  7. Michael Vonica

    Michael Vonica Know what you're doing yet?

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    This perfectly describes my reading experience.
     
  8. Assblaster5000

    Assblaster5000 I trust you know where the happy button is?

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    I'm probably going to this wrong, but as far as I understand it the reason is that The League/Team haven't really been given a reason to not believe the story he told about his origin, and no one else either knows who Grayven even is, or know that Darkseid is saying that Renegade is Grayven and aren't questioning it (at least openly) because of that.
     
  9. Dappershire

    Dappershire Getting out there.

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    Ok, but Paul still got the Ok from Gaia. His whole "Trust me with the lantern" bit was based on "Hi, can't say my own name, but this is who I am. I have a power ring. Im mostly goodish. Nice to meet you" Then suddenly he's saying his name aloud (which right there should prove its fake to the JL) and that he's the son of the God of Evil, and fully getting into the persona of the heir of darkseid. Was there ever a moment when Batman said "wtf you doing, Paul?" and Paul just said "Going deep under-cover sir" and batman left it at that? Because its the only thing that makes sense to me,
     
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  10. Ryumancer

    Ryumancer Dragons Are Romance

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    Do you remember what their username was? If i can dig through their old posts, might be able to find one of their old lists, which is better than nothing.
     
  11. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

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    So far everyone that would have knowledge of New Gods and Grayven has not shown all that much suspicion concerning renegade and his claim of being Grayven, so they may feel there's nothing to question.
     
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  12. Radix

    Radix Not too sore, are you?

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    Basically Renegade made up a story where Grayven left and went to another universe, the process severing his soul and trapping him in a human life until he somehow escaped, got an Orange Ring, and arrived in what may or may not be his "original" universe. This is actually kind of plausible given Final Crisis.

    Some Apokalyptans showed up, and Grayven claimed the Earth as his suzerainty, which basically leaves it as self-governing but places him in control for external affairs. This means other New Gods wont show up to mess with Earth and is theoretically the only thing standing between it and Darkseid conquering.

    It is unclear what the League thinks. Some may take his story at face value. I suspect that Batman realizes the truth that this is a con. But if Darkseid finds out this is a lie, Renegade thinks he may conquer Earth. So Renegade refuses to confirm whether it is a bluff.

    At this point he is so deep that even his memories and self-perception are warped.

    And Darkseid may even know anyways and tolerates him because he is competent, can lead to anti-live, or just out of amusement.

    The moment Darkseid appeared was a massive moment full of tension and was one of the few times Renegade fully freaked out.
     
  13. Chaoswind

    Chaoswind Lord of nonsense

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    Yes, Grayven told Batman that is better for him to BE Darkseid son because if he isn't then that is bad for the earth with a debrief on New God's followed with wink and nods.

    Everyone that matters knows something is up, but Darkseid is playing along with it and that is the elephant everyone is paying attention to.
     
  14. Lone Courier 6

    Lone Courier 6 Wanderer of threads

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    Basically where Paragon made his Soul out of damn pure Orange Light after Fusion, Renegade used a Father Box to build himself a soul, becoming a spiritual Copy of Grayven, he is a New God now, there's nothing fake about that, whether he's Grayven, well that's likely to be settled in this chapter when the two face off as a Highlander situation seems rapidly approaching.
     
  15. Threadmarks: Peacehammer (part 4)
    Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

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    17th Vorhexen 2512
    Late Morning


    I look as the ship's crew open another crate of scrolls, scan it and then nod as the data enters my consciousness. Ugh. I can deal with the feeling of disconnection between my normal thoughts and the records, but I can't quite get used to how bad the data is.

    The crewelves glance at their employer and only then close the chest and take it away.

    "I'm not sure this is going to work."

    The other male archmage inhales, but Teclis gives him a look and he holds his peace.

    "What do you mean by that?"

    I wave my left hand, conjuring two construct line graphs. One shows recorded births per year and the other the citizens recorded by the census. I've got data from before the time of Aenarion, mostly from places in Saphery and it's all…

    "Look."

    There are so many holes in it. Which is perfectly understandable. Ulthuan isn't like modern Britain, where the closest thing we get to invasions is undocumented immigrants. It's not even early modern Britain, where our rivals would at least be cautious. It's more like early medieval Britain, raided and invaded repeatedly by everyone with a fleet. Between Dark Elves, the Norse, Grom the Paunch and -with frustrating frequency- other High Elves setting fire to things, there are huge pieces missing. And that's despite the mists and mobile islands that actively defend the place.

    "And this is one of the better ones."

    I generate a graph for each set of records I've scanned so far, offsetting each new set slightly to create a three dimensional display.

    "I mean, you can see the population drops after Malekith's rebellion and The Great War Against Chaos, but there's nothing here on how much of that was displacement and how much was death. Then there's the gaps where… I'm assuming that records were destroyed?"

    Teclis nods.

    "Few places in Ulthuan have known no conflict."

    "You see my problem. While I can try and work out what was going on during these years… Having seen this, I just don't think that the data I need exists." I sigh. "Do you have records of their diets?"

    "None I would consider reliable. I doubt that I could tell you how my own diet has changed since the Great War, much less tell you how the diet of an entire kingdom might have altered."

    "And I can hardly grab Malekith's dietician and ask them."

    "Do you think diet is likely to be the cause?"

    "I wouldn't have thought so, given that your people maintained a population in the Old World without any problem prior to the War of the Beard, but I don't want to rule anything out."

    A new chest, another scan, another incomplete graph which… Yes, it mirrors the pattern seen in the others, but that doesn't really help.

    "Tell you what: how much of a pain would it be to redo all the wards on this ship?"

    "We rework them after every significant engagement. Why?"

    "Because I can do this faster if I'm not considerate to your wards. Would you mind?"

    "No. In fact, I am more interested to see what else your ring can do."

    "Right then."

    I close my eyes and take a deep breath. Fixing what is broken. Helping my allies. Sorting out problems myself.

    I don't think I'm quite getting this. Some of the versions of myself that I met when Krona abducted us could handle the orange light far easier than I can, and I… Didn't really have time to get into a detailed discussion with them.

    Progress.

    "Scan."

    Symbols on the clasps of the chest glow for a moment and then decay in a burst of glitter. Then on the masts and sails, and the three archmages are making warding gestures as the scanned area expands. And there's the data I want and it's…

    No.

    I shake my head.

    "Is there anywhere where I could get better data?"

    "Lothern may have more intact records, but I doubt that they will be adequate for your purposes. But I am puzzled: three women in our embassy to Altdorf became pregnant in your care."

    "Right, but I couldn't study what could be preventing elf women bringing children to term on women who were already pregnant, could I?"

    "Statistically, three pregnancies amongst such a small population is still unusual. What did you do to aid their chances?"

    "Nothing. I was just trying to establish a baseline for a healthy elf woman. The only difference between them and other women in the embassy is… The.. fact.. I.. was scanning them."

    "Ah?"

    "The ring fuels itself by converting power from the winds of magic to orange light. I can recharge it quickly by going somewhere that's soaked in magic, but it recharges constantly from ambient magic energy. There would have been a slight magic drain from their bodies."

    "There should have been records on the strength of the winds over most of the span of our history. That is something Saphery has always recorded assiduously."

    I nod. "I've got them. Ah." I add a third line to each of the graphs. "There appears to be a correlation, though… This doesn't prove anything, and it doesn't explain what's causing it. What the mechanism is. Do elves who use High Magic have more success in reproducing?"

    "No. Nor elves who don't use magic, either. And it can't be that simple. We have tried purifying or filtering the flows of magic on several occasions, to no avail."

    "Well, why don't you and your retinue come over to the village and examine some of the locals? I'm afraid that we can't accommodate you in the style to which you are accustomed, but-."

    "We have tents and a folding fortress. They will suffice."

    "Rightoh." I hold up my left hand and generate a platform with guard rails. "Step aboard and I'll fly us over there."

    One of the Swordmasters gets on first and checks the strength of the construct before giving her superiors a nod. They and four more Swordmasters get on board and I lift us off the deck.

    "Why were you getting on a boat anyway? You all know Coruscation of Finreir, don't you?"

    "Hah!" Teclis glances at his male colleague, clearly amused. "Do we?"

    Hm? "I'm… Sorry?"

    The man draws himself up slightly. "I am Finreir of Tor Hoeth. I created the spell, but I prefer not to ascend into the heavens on a pillar of white fire when I am on a boat, or near ignorant human-. Peasants."

    Oh. Yes. "Ah. I'm sorry, I didn't recognise you. I meant no offence; I only recognised Loremaster Teclis because of his hat." I turn to their female companion. "And before I put my foot in it again my lady, might I ask your name?"

    "I am Loremaster Kaleina of the White Tower."

    "That's also a lovely name. Where does everyone want to start?"
     
    Last edited: Aug 3, 2021
  16. NightmareWarden

    NightmareWarden Versed in the lewd.

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    Teclis: My headwear? Truly? Not my staff, my physical conditioning, nor the way the Winds settle around me? Curious.
     
  17. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

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    'of an entire' or 'kingdoms'

    Not surprising seeing as Saphery is basically magic central.

    An affliction many Paul’s share.
     
  18. Handlewithcare

    Handlewithcare Versed in the lewd.

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    You tried purifying and filtering the flows of magic, but did you try blocking them?

    My guess is that the elf women who are pregnant have started aging again.

    Their magical near immortality probably freezes their bodies reproductive cycles as well.
     
  19. Tzeentch

    Tzeentch I trust you know where the happy button is?

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    As Teclis is a centuries old Archmage who is likely well versed in matters of Divination, (he taught the first Celestial Wizards after all), I'm a little skeptical that he's been so ignorant of Paul's exploits and capabilities, given how strong an obsession he has for learning anything he can.

    Having read several portrayals of him, (works by William King and Graham McNeill, for example), I should think it would be far more likely that Teclis might be putting the trademarked "elven political maneuvering" to work, pretending to be unaware of what Paul has done and is capable of, to make the Orange Lantern underestimate the Mage.

    Paul's intentions are benign, but he is very, VERY dangerous, and someone like Teclis isn't likely to just take him at his word until he's DAMN sure the power-ring wielding human isn't a threat to Ulthuan and the world entire.

    On a side note, the High Loremaster is probably looking forward to the faster-than-light flight experience that Paul constantly enjoys some day!
     
    Last edited: Aug 3, 2021
  20. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

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    It may be possible that Teclis is playing Paul here, but it could also be possible that due to Paul's weird nature, like lacking a soul, and even if he has one now it may not be like your standard soul, may be interfering with his divination.
     
  21. Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

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    Thank you, corrected.
     
  22. Tzeentch

    Tzeentch I trust you know where the happy button is?

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    Well, he's not exactly your average "blank" as he's capable of gaining/growing a soul, but I could certainly see some interference there....
     
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  23. Drinniol

    Drinniol Your first time is always over so quickly, isn't it?

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    I see what you did there.

     
  24. Chojin Patriarch

    Chojin Patriarch Veteran Lurker

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    Something we've seen the Paragon and Renegade get quite used to, in their technologically advanced eras. I can't help but wonder what it'd be like to be able to access the entire Internet that casually from anywhere, right there in your brain... Bet it'd be a heady feeling...

    Ah, looks like someone was preparing a 'jump to conclusions' spell, eh? :p Someone's ego is rammed straight up his ass.

    Thank you, Elves and your paperwork. Though I suspect it's not actually paper, parchment or anything so fragile. Can you imagine how long scribes would spend each year copying old, fading documents if it were?

    Not the strangest geography involved in the Warhammer World. Like Tzeentchian Silver Towers, for example. Or the Great Maw of the Ogre homeland, where a strange meteorite (called a comet, but still...)

    And likely a slowly declining slope of trends, I bet.

    Whether big civil wars or little ones set off by feuds or political dick-swinging, or outside invasions... And I doubt those involved in the aftermath were overly concerned with future statisticians being able to discern the causes of this trend or that.

    Indeed, I'm sure many couldn't even tell you what they ate a week ago, much less over the course of centuries...

    "Because if it is, there's going to be a lot of red faces around Ulthuan, I will tell you now..."

    After all, the only thing that tells you is births are lower than deaths... You knew that much already.

    Good to hear. I expect they'd take something of a beating one way or the other. Better to redo them than rely on a slightly-weakened protection.

    Well, you're about to get that. Possibly a little more than you expected, I bet.

    Heh, the same very Paul-ish desires, deep down, as any of the SIs.

    I do hope the Paragon at least shared something with his alternates during their little conferences. Or was it a case of not enough bandwidth for full ring-to-ring transfers of databases?

    Om Nom Nom. Well, Teclis? As impressive as you'd hoped for?

    Tzeentch: "Perhaps we can come to an arrangement? Or maybe not?"

    Huh. Maybe there's something about the Orange Light that was responsible? I mean, the Warhammer World probably doesn't have its' universe's Life Entity inside it (if it has one at all,) so I could see the Spectrum being a little unbalanced around it...

    ...Really? That's peculiar.

    Wait... Is the Elven birth-rate declining... Because they don't have enough soul?

    Hmm... That would also explain why Dark Elves have less difficulty, given their use of blood-sacrifice to provide a measure of life-force.

    Ah, roughing it in true Elven style, eh? And I rather suspect the name 'folding fortress' is not hyperbole, given magic...

    A proper amount of caution, given the unknowns involved. And five Swordmasters can do a lot of damage by themselves, never mind their bosses' magic.

    Good to see its maker had the good sense to add a fail-safe option in there (the 'falls slowly to the ground' bit.) But it's a bit flashy, isn't it?

    ...The joy of them being near-immortal, I suppose. It's not like Dungeons and Dragons, where spells named after a particular wizard might live on in general circulation long after their maker's death...

    Well, it is a large and suitably impressive hat. About the only thing missing is an occasional burst of flame... His current Age of Sigmar model is just taking the piss, though, with a crescent wider than he is.

    An odd moment to cut away, but informative. Hopefully they can narrow down what precisely his scans changed about the ladies involved, and how to replicate it for others. Though for all anyone knows, maybe it was a tweak put in place by the Slaan way back when to enforce the old 'Immortal Procreation Clause' trope... At any rate, I expect we'll be back to the Renegade tomorrow, having gotten a no-doubt-considerable amount of swearing out of his system...
     
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  25. Tzeentch

    Tzeentch I trust you know where the happy button is?

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    An additional reason for his laughter could also be that they have plenty of methods and means for flying under their own power that DON'T require the manifestation of white-hot fire.

    After all, Teclis himself is quite capable of such a feat.

    The problem of using any of them would probably be the expenditure of energy, if Aranei's comment on Paul's "Unthinking Power" when they flew together in a previous update is any indication.
     
  26. transhumansage

    transhumansage Versed in the lewd.

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    well fuck you too. you know i cant wait until they come to the realization that zoat basically sees them the way they see those peasants. backward and in need of help.

    teclis is also underestimating paul.
     
    Last edited: Aug 3, 2021
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  27. Old Knife

    Old Knife Not too sore, are you?

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    It is a rather distinct hat.- Paul. Probably.
     
  28. transhumansage

    transhumansage Versed in the lewd.

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    how is that scene related to this situation exactly? in that god was talking about how each successive generation being less and less horrible. what does that have to with planetary genocide.
     
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  29. AmericanNumbers

    AmericanNumbers Not too sore, are you?

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    So this Paul exposes Elves who really want to have babies to the Orange light which which works directly on want and need but he's not sure what could possibly be causing these highly gifted in the manipulation of the world with magic to change their bodies to achieve a Goal.

    Quite the mystery where I would start to check.
     
  30. Vanbers

    Vanbers Well worn.

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    When did she get there? :V
     
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