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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. Vaermina

    Vaermina Well worn.

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    It's specifically Tsukumogami that get stronger with age.

    Animistic, Ancestral, and Human Kami, at least to my knowledge, do not.

    And that's a close analogy, but it's more like he flooded the area with poison.

    As a point, even just LePaul's regular, confirmed by Hinon, leakage of unchecked raw desire, should have been enough to contaminate the shrine's purity to the point the priests would have needed to pull an emergency Sengu.

    Also you might want to go back and look at who showed up, check his history with killing giant unkillable snakes, and then take a look at how he refereed to himself when talking to LePaul. Because there's some telling stuff there if you have even a rough understanding of actual Japanese. (Though I will be fair here and say that may have just been Mr Zoat not knowing the proper way to do things and hitting snake eyes by accident.)
     
    Last edited: Apr 23, 2022
    kerleth likes this.
  2. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

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    Also Zoat is obviously using a version similar to the ones from the comic books, and that Susanoo was still a member of the pantheon.

    Something terrible.

    You may want to see a doctor.
     
  3. Rebu

    Rebu hey, little Anna, you're the one

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    I know you'd have a preference, but maybe it's time to leave them all behind.
     
  4. Lokpik

    Lokpik Know what you're doing yet?

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    If the Olympians are willing to jumpstart someone into apotheosis then it might be worth considering Prince Kon, that might be nepotism but he and the team have been in some pretty impressive fights, his avatar body would be what he is now, his conception is conceptually appropriate with war (born weapon) and the legend would be impressive
     
  5. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

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    It's possible that he still hasn't done enough for them to do that.

    He also may not want it.

    And it's also possible that they just can't do it even if they wanted to.
     
    ChestBurster likes this.
  6. Threadmarks: Regnancy (part 7)
    Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

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    28th October 2012
    16:12 GMT


    "Jogging in the mornings, go man go
    Work outs in the health spa, muscles glow
    !"

    I wonder. Is that double-irony, or are they just playing it 'straight'?

    A large hairy man doing curls behind a reception desk looks up from his forearm, mildly affronted that I'm interrupting him. Hairy not in the sense that the hair on the top of his head is long, but rather in the sense that he appears to have short hair coming from everywhere. "Yeah?"

    "I'm looking for Kratos?"

    He glances at the sign on the other side of the room, a stylised image of a muscular man lifting a massive barbell with the legend 'Kratos Gym' below it.

    A couple of men lifting weights in the 'gym' part of the room glance my way, then dismiss me as a weedy manlet unworthy of their time.

    "Who wants to see him?"

    "My name's-"

    "Paul."

    "-and his nephew sent me."

    He shrugs. "Prove it."

    I take Hephaestaean's cup out of subspace and put it on the desk, melted circuitry still encrusted on the surface. "Good enough?"

    He short-grunts, completes his curl and then carefully lays his dumbbell down on the small rack. The weights are equal to what a normal person might put on a barbell. Kratos Gym is no place for weeds. Or steroid users, according to the poster behind the desk.

    "This way."

    He leads me through the exercise space where men beefier than most cattle lift, clean, jerk and curl, bulging muscles smoothly exerting themselves. Ring scan shows that they're completely serious about the steroid thing, but the same restriction doesn't apply to magic.

    My guide pushes through the doors at the back of the weight room, the sounds of excited cheers reaching my ears even as the sight of burly naked men grappling with one another reaches my eyes.

    "Ugh!" / "Grgh!"

    And between the wrestling circles strides the man I'm here to see. He's not actually much bigger than the others, but there's a certain presence to him that I feel from the other Olympians. Much like Ploutos, he's carved out a space for himself in the modern world where he's comfortable. Unlike Ploutos, it's an area filled with bodybuilders, power lifters and mixed martial artists.

    Though they can get stuffed if they don’t use pankration.

    Kratos looks at me, and I can feel force in his stare. Oh. No, these aren't just meatheads. These are actual worshippers, men who've knelt at the shrine to the Ancient Greek God of Strength. And he's showing the benefits of that. Kratos grabs a stout staff from the wall and tosses it to my escort and nods his head towards the back office before heading towards it himself. My escort turns away from me towards one of the rings, where one of the contestants has the other in a chokehold and is weathering the increasingly weak elbow strikes trying to dislodge him. A finger comes up-

    "End!"

    -and there's a pause before the end of the staff strikes the winner in the middle of the forehead. The strikes seems to wake him up, causing him to release his opponent from the hold, blood flow to his brain fully restored. The contestants take a moment to gasp and recover themselves, then they hold out their right hands and clasp one another's wrists.

    I follow Kratos into the office. He doesn't take the seat, preferring to loom at me across the desk from a standing position.

    "What?"

    "Zeus fell."

    This doesn't appear to faze him. "Who?"

    "Hephaestus, who became Hephaestaean."

    "What does he want?"

    "Your service."

    "I don't break legs for the King of Olympus any longer."

    "He doesn't need you to break legs. He needs you to inspire people to build strength. He wants to offer you-."

    "He's drea-ming. I know you, Orange Lantern. I know what you do. I even respect it. You see those men out there?"

    I nod.

    "Lots of people want to come here. I test them and they fail. Those are the only ones who understand strength. You want everyone to wake up and seize power as if it was their birthright?" He looks at me, looking slightly amused. "It won't happen. Most people are helots, and they're happy like that."

    "And you don't want the job of changing that?"

    "I don't want the job of changing that."

    "How about the job of God of War?"

    "What happened to Ares?"

    "Hammer to the groin."

    "Heh. Hephaestus had cause. But I don't want the job. War is slaughter. Any weak idiot can pull a trigger. That's not me. Doing what you're told is not strength."

    "Then change it yourself. Hephaestaean would be-."

    "Change it yourself if you think it's so great. What do you think is going to happen?"

    "I think that after the Sheeda attacks and angel invasion people are less inclined towards monotheism than they used to be. A dynamic pantheon with something to offer could make inroads in human civilisation."

    "But what would they have to offer me?"

    "A chance to test your philosophy on a wider canvas, and reach people who wouldn't have heard of you otherwise."

    "These men understand strength. If I have to teach people strength, then they aren't worth teaching. I don't care about philosophy. I don't need to prove that I'm right to other people; it's enough that I know that I am."

    "And if everyone became strong?"

    "Then even I could not teach all of them how to use that strength."

    "Nothing I or Hephaestaean could do to change your mind?"

    "Nothing."

    "Alright." I take a card with my contact details on out of subspace and lay it on his desk. "If you think of anything you want to talk about, get in touch."

    "You have shown respect by making this offer." He shakes his head. "But I will not ever accept it. Hephaestaean should just form his own cult without any other Olympians. After all this time, we are all used to working apart."

    "It might come to that. But I'd like to try talking to people first."

    He smiles. It's not a friendly expression.

    "That's not what I have heard."
     
    Last edited: Jan 6, 2023
  7. Noctus

    Noctus I trust you know where the happy button is?

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    "Heh. Hephaestus had cause. But I don't want the job. War is slaughter. Any weak idiot can pull a trigger. That's not me. Doing what you're told is not strength."

    "Then change it yourself. Hephaestaean would be-."

    "Change it yourself if you think it's so great..."

    10/10 response
     
  8. Massgamer

    Massgamer Not too sore, are you?

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    Well gotta respect Krator direct nature at least.
     
  9. Ngamer11

    Ngamer11 Experienced.

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    I think this is one of Paul's thoughts, so the quotation mark should be removed.
     
  10. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

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    'Is that'

    'looks up'

    Seeing as you're fairly muscular, I can only imagine how muscular these guys are.

    I guess the god if strength doesn't like cheating.

    So he basically thinks that people are sheep.

    'the job'

    He may be an asshole but at least he's self confident.

    He's got you there.
     
  11. Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

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    Thank you, corrected.
     
  12. Coltsguy

    Coltsguy Colts fan. Anime fan. Breast and back fan.

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  13. Yog

    Yog Know what you're doing yet?

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    Honestly, if she didn't blow herself up over the course of a Sandman plotline, offering Ishtar the position of the war goddess might not be a bad idea. She might even make a good dynastic match to tie pantheons together. If looking exclusively within the Grecian mythos, ascending Odysseus is probably one's best bet. "All warfare is based on deception" and all that, and Odysseus, as the author of the trojan horse idea, is the mythological epitome of the deceptive warfare, small unit tactics and essentially modern "spec ops" combat. And he's about limited warfare, so that's good too. And he's on good terms with Athena.
     
  14. Vaermina

    Vaermina Well worn.

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    And now LePaul's two for two in Olympians shooting down Hephaestus's New World Order.

    Shouldn't be surprised. But given the way LePaul had just been striding through success the past few years I am.
     
  15. Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

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    Thank you, corrected.
     
  16. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

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    They already have a war god connected to the strategic side of war, Athena.

    They need a god that's more about brute force.
     
  17. hance1986

    hance1986 A pitiful excuse for a man.

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    burly
     
  18. Handlewithcare

    Handlewithcare Versed in the lewd.

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    That was easily the gayest this fic has ever gotten.

    Not tempted to spent a little time "wrestling" yourself, Paul? :D

    Jade would probably enjoy watching...

    Kratos idea of strength seems to be total self-sufficiency, pretty shortsighted. Paul is all about being-greater-than-the-sum-of-it's-parts so I'm surpried he even tried to convince Kratos. I don't think he would make a good war god.
     
  19. Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

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    Thank you, corrected.
    No. Muscular is good, but not to the point where they're literally square.
     
  20. Chojin Patriarch

    Chojin Patriarch Veteran Lurker

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    I mean, they could follow some of the old practices, like the mentor-student relationships... But honestly, I bet it's played straight but entirely non-sexual. :p They just have a hell of an appreciation for the male form, given who they follow.

    ...Huh, an actual bear. :p

    No doubt recognising that he cheats for his muscles. Which he basically does, as the Ring does all the work.

    Heh. Honestly, you could probably have used Pavlos and not seemed at all unusual in this place.

    Now how's he meant to do...

    :confused: ...Okay, that works. Also, good to see they're dedicated to natural improvement.

    Oh? Interesting. Spells to amplify the benefits of working out, or to heal up the bad kind of physical damage?

    ...I suppose they're not your type, but for some, this might well be a candy-shop. x3

    A place of sheer manliness, eh? Just imagine the smell.

    ...And now i can't help but picture him as the memetic Gigachad. And it is glorious.

    ...And then tense their biceps. It's customary!

    And no-one's about to go pick him up this time. On the other hands, he still has all his tendons...

    Nice that he doesn't dispute the idea of Zeus being overthrown, merely a matter of which son did it.

    I don't know, Kratos really doesn't seem the joining type, from the looks of all this.

    ...Dear god, imagine him as god of War. Every soldier would look like they walked straight out of 80's action movies!

    I suppose he would. OL seeks to make people better themselves, even if most can't be bothered.

    Sadly, he's probably right. Being a badass takes effort most people won't stick with.

    Blades of Chaos optional, I hope (because those suckers were welded into game!Kratos' forearm bones.)

    And it couldn't have happened to a more suitable target.

    Okay, this is gold. Kratos knows what he wants, what he is, and there's no amount of cajoling or sweet-talking OL can do to alter that.

    Well... I suppose he is out in the world and active, as Hephaestaean decreed, even if it's only on a small scale.

    ...Yep, he is a giga-Chad.

    His style definitely suggests a more one-on-one methodology.

    ...Well, there goes the idea of seduction. :p

    Can't blame the fella for wanting to help out his family even after all they'd dobe to him...

    Well, he usually does. If they don't want to talk, or he knows that they won't, then he busts out the firepower.

    Funnily, I had images of this scene running through my head this whole chapter. A pity OL didn't have his own Armstrong to speak Kratos' true language. At any rate, the offer was made, the answer given. And now the question has to be asked: who else can OL ask to be the new God of War? Ah, well. On to the next cameo flying visit.



    Mr Zoat, some corrections:
    Should the 'Paul' be in Quotation marks, if the Ring is speaking aloud?
    ...and put it on the desk...
    ...Not sure what that means, but is it correct?
    "A chance to test your philosophy on a wider canvas...
     
  21. Idkusername

    Idkusername Versed in the lewd.

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    I… didn’t get that impression. To me, it seemed more about the drive to improve oneself in general, given the respect he seems to have for Paul even if he focuses on physical improvement, and sheer willpower.

    Though it’s too early to tell either way given how little we’ve seen of him without him spelling his philosophy out for us.
     
    Last edited: Apr 23, 2022
  22. Vaermina

    Vaermina Well worn.

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    No.

    Kratos's idea of strength is the Strength of Self.

    Which is why he was so disdainful of LePaul. Because LePaul has no personal strength. Take away his rings, take away his power armor, and he's pretty much nothing.

    And what probably makes it worse to Kratos? LePaul is nothing by choice. Because LePaul could easily learn to fight without all his crutches. He just refuses to.
     
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  23. Ngamer11

    Ngamer11 Experienced.

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    I saw it more as the strength to want to improve. Paul does this, but most people are fine with the status quo and not doing anything to make things better for themselves.
     
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  24. NightmareWarden

    NightmareWarden Versed in the lewd.

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    I realize calling this Kratos a giga-Chad or a gym bro is convenient shorthand, but I’d like to think about his attitude for a moment. I reckon folks like both Armstrongs in FMA and a lot of hunters could find common ground with Kratos’ core traits. Who else? Real or fictional.
    I like this guy, I’d like to hear about more characters like him. His dismissiveness towards organized warfare in particular I can only compare to warrior-philosophers who become monks.
     
  25. Lokpik

    Lokpik Know what you're doing yet?

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    Don't tell me Paul is going to become a substitute war god. With the conflict with the reach, possible future human or metahuman converts Paul could put them through training subcontract some trainers/ Artemis's paternal familial ties as well as the amazons. Offer them an enhancement and an opportunity to fight for humanity either on earth or in the stars.
     
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  26. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

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    So that time Paul and Kon were naked in the showers and Paul was trying not to look at Kon doesn't count?

    He probably didn't know a lot about Kratos' character before this and Heph asked him to.

    He did basically call most people sheep, so it makes sense.
     
  27. NightmareWarden

    NightmareWarden Versed in the lewd.

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    Of course not… My vote is for Pan. A war god who is a shepherd of men, primarily interest in defense? Perhaps utilizing on automated (drone) defenses against interlopers? Yes please.
     
  28. Vaermina

    Vaermina Well worn.

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    But LePaul, back when he actually worked to improve himself, did it by cheating.

    And Kratos didn't like cheaters.
     
  29. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

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    Maybe to quickly deal with fatigue so that they can get back to working out.

    It would be like Satan and parks.

    Maybe he can start up an exercise app like the demonic rulers in Hazbin Hotel/ Helluva Boss do.

    Satan has a workout app there.

    Or maybe he can make an exercise show like those from the 80s.

    Though hopefully nothing too dark happens.

    Hey, Paul still hasn't tried it.

    And I'm imagining this as being a way that they worship Kratos.

    Nothing shows their devotion better than manipulating their bodies in disgusting ways.
     
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  30. Bud-E

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

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    Kratos is against steroids but is ok using magic to make his worshippers stronger? How does that fit into his philosophy one guy was even strong enough to one-hand curl weight most people normally bench-press?
     
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