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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. Doccer

    Doccer I trust you know where the happy button is?

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    Not even a mention Grayven's current form? Maybe he has been to Equestria...


    ???!
    I thought spell work was involved. I suppose believe could have come later but then a awful lot of ponies might still think Nightmare Moon wouldn't they?
    He said brought about. Not consist of. So what's going on with her godhood?

    Wouldn't Mister Tawney work just as well?
     
  2. Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

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    ...

    Is he a pony?
     
  3. Bramble Thorn

    Bramble Thorn Verified Silhouette

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    He's an anthropomorphic formerly-animal new god, you pony elitist.
     
  4. transhumansage

    transhumansage Versed in the lewd.

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    would drax have made a worse darksied than darksied?
     
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  5. Old Knife

    Old Knife Not too sore, are you?

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    .... You do realize that Metron doesn't care?
     
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  6. Doccer

    Doccer I trust you know where the happy button is?

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    He's a New God Tiger. Shouldn't that work in the same vein as Grayven being a New God Pony?

    More importantly.
    Doesn't his remarks on Luna Ascension based on belief draws some questions? She and Luna became Pony goddesses because of Star Swirl and his magic yes? I am certain that's canon at least.

    I did find it interesting he neither remarked on Grayven's form or cared.
     
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  7. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

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    Apparently in this fic Alicorns can be formed by six ponies, two from the unicorn, earth pony and pegasus tribes, magically connecting to each other and giving power to at least one iof them thus allowing them to ascend.

    Luna probably ascended through the friendship of her friends so her ascending due to beliefs makes sense
     
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  8. Coda

    Coda Versed in the lewd.

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    Either "If I squinted really hard and waited a few million years" or "If I squinted really hard, waiting a few million years," (with the comma at the end)
     
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  9. Threadmarks: A Waltz in Orange and Green (part 17)
    Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

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    11th September 2012
    00:12 GMT


    Hinon looks contemplative.

    "I'm not sure which part should concern me the most."

    "You could look at it as an opportunity."

    "An opportunity to do what, precisely? Broome Bon Baris may be content to study interesting phenomena as a good in itself, but Controller philosophy is rather different."

    "Is now a good time to ask what it is?"

    "You don't kn-." She looks away, closing her eyes as she makes a show of mastering herself. Of course, it… Is just a show. She's showing me that she wants me to react as if I had just irritated her. "How do you possibly not know?"

    "You were fighting the Reach and understood power ring technology. Oh, and you split with the Guardians over the Manhunter thing." I shrug. "Your religious and economic preferences didn't seem that important compared to getting everything running."

    "We're post-scarcity; we don’t have economics. Every maltusian is as liberated individually as it is possible for them to be, forming and dissolving associations voluntarily on an individual basis. No maltusian has practised religion in the sense that you're used to it since we realised that there wasn't anything greater than us in the universe."

    "What about gods or the Source?"

    "What about them?"

    "The Source is generally considered to be fairly powerful-."

    "There are trees larger than me, that doesn't make them greater. And neither are giant walls, even if they are sticky."

    "And you're so modest, too."

    "I am not modest. I am personally billions of years old. I know precisely what my limitations are. If I say that I have a characteristic then you may reliably deduce that I do in fact have it."

    "Alright." I raise my hands in mock surrender. "So what does your voluntary association called the Controllers do? Because you don't seem to be in control of very much."

    "I have just told you that I am more powerful than the beings your species regard as being worthy of veneration merely for existing, and you say that I don't control very much? Do you hear the words coming out of your mouth?"

    I frown-.

    "You control yourself."

    "And rather well. We control what we need to control. When some fool starts poking holes in the universe, we stop them. If someone like the Anti-Monitor tries to destroy it, we will stop them."

    "The Reach… Aren't doing that. They're just killing people."

    "If they were 'just' killing people, the Controllers would have even fewer recruits than we do now. They are entirely exterminating species. Worse, they're such a monoculture and have such genetic and cultural control that they are unlikely to ever be other than as they are now. They won't make anything to replace what they're removing."

    "So the difference between you and the Guardians is..?"

    "The Guardians want to maintain a constant presence. Shepherding civilisations and ensuring that they are always seen as benevolent deities. We Controllers do not. Our preference is to maintain absolute control of certain situations and ignore everything else."

    "Not to be in control of everything."

    "Ideally, we would be in control; we simply wouldn't have to exercise it most of the time. Androids sounded like they would be ideal for that purpose. But they were not."

    "How would..? I mean, how is what you want your Corps to be different from what the Guardians want?"

    "For us, the most important thing is to have the ability to intervene with overwhelming power in particular instances. Assigning Lanterns to Sectors would be a sort of… Training, for when we need them to do something that's actually significant. For the Guardians, Sector Lanterns are the point: constantly nudging things back into order."

    "The Guardians would rather let the Reach do their thing than strip Sectors that are mostly peaceful of their Lanterns, because their legitimacy rests on them being omnipresent, if diffuse."

    "I imagine that they would say that there is more to it than that."

    "And the unaligned maltusians?"

    "They have their own projects. Presumably they're doing something with their time."

    "Would..? Any of them be interested in working with Lord Malvolio?"

    "Some might. For Controllers, he's even less appealing than you are, but there may be some amongst the unaligned who would relish the opportunity to operate on a smaller scale. Or to study a human who has been changed by the green light in the way that he has."

    "What about Controllers who aren't bound to the orange light? I mean, presumably they were fine with the way the Guardians operated up until the majority decided to spare the Manhunters. Malvolio has ideas, but he hasn't codified anything yet. If they got in early and made themselves useful, they might…"

    I hesitate, frowning.

    "What..? Would you have done if the other Guardians had voted to destroy the Manhunters?"

    "Something along the lines of what did happen, I imagine. Personally, I would have wanted to maintain the Halla as a large scale military force while using Green Lanterns as elite operatives, but I can understand why they did not. Having more Guardians would have eased their organisation difficulty, though they only have themselves to blame for not involving younger races in the command structure at this point."

    "Mm." I nod. "Thank you. So what do you think of my personal lantern?"

    "It's much better. Though I can see exactly where you went wrong. Were you looking at Lord Malvolio's new Central Power Battery when you made it?"

    "Yes?"

    "Personal lanterns work best when connected to the Central Power Battery. You-."

    "I didn't do that. Yeah-. Of course."

    "I suspect that if you made one here, now, it would be reasonably functional. You appear to have recovered Larfleeze's ring."

    "Yes. I-."

    "I am aware of the process." She considers for a moment, or at least gives the appearance of doing so. "I believe that I will lead our mission to Sector One Six Three Four personally. It may prove useful for the task to be undertaken by someone with a personal connection to you."

    I nod.

    "Makes sense. Any new orders for me?"

    "Not immediately. Return to your students. I will contact you once I have something requiring your particular skill set. Off you go."
     
    Last edited: Sep 28, 2021
  10. Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

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    House sitting.
    Thank you, corrected.
     
  11. gustyeagle

    gustyeagle Know what you're doing yet?

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    So how do they feel about evil?
     
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  12. Ardy

    Ardy I trust you know where the happy button is?

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    “About what?”
     
  13. Bud-E

    Bud-E Stand up so I can push you down!

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    Ah, the return of Paul's ornery old grandma. I love seeing these these two interact
     
  14. Michael Vonica

    Michael Vonica Know what you're doing yet?

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    Does Hinon use this personality on everyone she interacts with?
     
  15. FreeGod

    FreeGod If you see a God on the road fuck it!

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    Exactly. You need to give an actual definition. Like how do they feel about anti-life.
     
  16. The Unaligned Player

    The Unaligned Player Agony that desires to meet Extinction

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    Or for the less cosmically knowledgeable, how they feel about Malice as Ends, Means, and Both.
     
  17. Bud-E

    Bud-E Stand up so I can push you down!

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    I think she does? she told Paul she choose this personality specifically to interact with younger species, which to her is basically everyone who's not a Maltusian.
     
  18. Chojin Patriarch

    Chojin Patriarch Veteran Lurker

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    Yes, there's always so much of that going around with OL, isn't there? Everywhere he goes, something comes up to make people's lives interesting in every sense of the word. At least Hinon has a good idea of why, what with him being an anomalous extra-universal entity. He literally has the Protagonist power. :V

    In other words, they're more focused on goals other than mere curiosity. If they're doing something, it has to be for a reason? At least it keeps them busy.

    Because no story involving the Controllers that he'd read ever showed it? Come on, you know he's transfictional, don't you? Wouldn't that be obvious?

    To be fair, when you can warp reality through a conscious act of Rage, Desire, Fear, Will, Hope, Compassion or Love, real deities tend to look just a little mild by comparison...

    The former being jumped-up elementals with delusions of grandeur and all. As for the latter...

    ...Well, those who poke the Source tend to meet a rocky fate, after all.

    But be honest, you're enjoying playing this role, aren't you, Hinon?

    Ironically, Grayven said it best last chapter: Control Begins With The Self.

    Something you might want to learn and exercise a little better yourself, Mister Flighty.

    In general, most things trundle on quite happily without any outside interference. It's when something gums up the gears of the universe that Controllers get snippy.

    The Reach is basically making the universe a less interesting place? That's how it sounds to me. And I can get behind that.

    To quote 'Planetary's motto: "It's a strange world. Let's keep it that way." Ironically, the Guardians seem to want Control more than the Controllers do...

    Besides doing what they're asked without being stupid about it? Or having 'realisations' that end up killing whole Sectors?

    Neatly summarised, OL. Looks like you have some ability to think like a maltusian after all...

    Which thankfully keep to themselves, mostly. Last thing you need is another Krona.

    A bit worried about someone poaching him, OL? Or swaying him to a potentially contentious cause?

    I mean, there's still a couple of Colours still up for grabs. I'm sure some enterprising maltusian might have had thoughts about uses for the Red Light, for example.

    A very good question. Would they have split or not?

    Though there's no wiki entry on it handy, the Guardian's main article does list the Halla as 'an intergalactic police corps wielding power guns channeling the emerald energy ... a short-lived successor of the Manhunters and a precursor to the successful Green Lantern Corps.' Though I suspect they chose not to stick with that because a gun is less adaptable and more easily taken than a Ring...

    Ah, I thought it might have had a flaw. Clearly not a fatal one. Still probably good no-one tried to use it...

    So it would have been like Alan's old Lantern back before he connected to the Orange Light Fountain and channeled the Ophidian: limited daily charge and noticeably less stable than a fully-connected unit.

    Useful as a little extra charge, if nothing else.

    If only so someone else doesn't screw up? Does she think so little of the younger Controllers? Though, to be fair, they are young.

    Though since Malvolio had planned to visit Karax before his little bit of domestic upset, I expect she'll be seeing him again sooner rather than later.

    Always good to have Granny Orange deflate OL's ego a bit. And these little talks with her provide so much insight to Controllers, Maltusian psychology and all things Spectrum-related... So, that situation's been resolved. On to the next episode, eh? Glad I looked in on a whim so early.
     
  19. Coda

    Coda Versed in the lewd.

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    Semicolon should be a colon or a comma.
     
  20. NightmareWarden

    NightmareWarden Versed in the lewd.

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    Hmm. I wonder if Hinon will actually help during this mission to Malvolio’s turf or if she will sit back, cracking open a cold one, like she did for the Larfleeze/Fount mission.
     
  21. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

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    I'm imagining that their philosophy requires the object they're studying to have some practical value that can help them in their goals of control.

    Maybe because you didn't tell him.

    And we're reminded of Hinon faking her personality.

    There is the Source, New Gods and other things that can equal or surpass you.

    Though they are taller.

    And since we found out you're Guardian size, a lot of things are taller than you.

    Just like you, Paul.

    Maybe 'regards'

    And the Presence, Michael and Lucifer may disagree that she's more powerful than them.

    He generally doesn't.

    No, they really weren't.

    They would probably say that there's more to it, like how you said that you're philosophy isn't just controlling people.

    The guy doesn't like to be commanded.

    Paul ar least was willing to allow someone to have some power over him.
     
    Last edited: Sep 7, 2021
  22. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

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    Though some can still have incredible power, like Titans.

    Oceanus had the potential to drown the entire world, and a blessing of Helios could damage a planet.

    Call them what you want, they're still powerhouses.
     
  23. Dur'id the Druid

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

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    Wow, I really like that take on Controller philosophy. As a near-Libertarian I love it. Narrowly defined parameters of intervention, but nigh-supreme within those parameters.
     
  24. RichardWhereat

    RichardWhereat Aia airëa Fëanáro.

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    That is, frankly, the best line she has had so far.
     
  25. Lord Ernest

    Lord Ernest At the End...

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    I'm curious how she defines the Maltusians as "Greater" when there's actual individuals, entities and phenomena more powerful then her and her species.

    Like, seriously, just using the Orange Light I'm fairly certain the Illustres could give them a run for their money; she couldn't break out of his constructs that one time. She may consider the Source Wall just a wall, but I don't think Maltusians can escape it and if the Source ever intervened, not that it would happen obviously, I'm fairly certain it would just smack them and call them whippersnappers or something. And they can't contain or manage the horror that is Apokolips or the arrogance that is New Genesis. I'm also convinced that a Titan could kick their can if they were on his turf.

    So Greater how, exactly? I guess they have a greater number of powerful individuals in their species, since every Maltusian is a fairly powerful reality-warper, and nobody is denying that they're old, but she even mentioned the Anti-Monitor and is aware of the Endless guys, and those guys are totally greater overall; so her statement sounds as arrogant as the Illustres thought.
     
  26. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

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    It looks like arrogance isn't just a Guardian trait.

    Though she did use to be a Guardian.
     
  27. Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

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    Thank you, corrected.
     
  28. Bud-E

    Bud-E Stand up so I can push you down!

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    Does anyone know the chapter where Paul showed Hinon around Earth? I can't find it.
     
  29. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

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    Here.

     
  30. Handlewithcare

    Handlewithcare Versed in the lewd.

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    Two things:

    Compared to any other example Maltusians are fairly free. Even the Source is bound by rules, afaik.

    Second, they may just have realised that judging things by "greater" doesn't make much sense. A god is powerful but can be an asshole: is s/he now greater than a nice mortal? That sort of thing.

    Also to be fair, a rando wall isn't all that impressive by itself.
     
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