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With This Ring (Young Justice SI) (Thread Fourteen)
- Thread starter Mr Zoat
- Start date
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- Tags
- self insert young justice
DrThoth
I trust you know where the happy button is?
Is there a New God of therapy around? Sadly Renegade is the one with the New God Awakening, while Paragon is the one with the close relationship with Harleen Quinzell and stuff (maybe this chapter is foreshadowing for the two primary Pauls merging together in some kind of (second) cosmic timeline/reality-bending crossover event). I suppose a sufficiently powerful and compassionate Martian Sorcerer Priest could work (would be fun to see a non-Red being trained as one), though that might take some time as they learn about human psychology.
I kind of want to see the new/old fully merged John get a red power ring and try to master self-loathing (kinda related to a plot bunny I had about What If the DCAU Justice League core members all got power rings, and Hawkgirl would get red and use anger at herself due to the invasion stuff to create a flock of red construct duplicates). More interaction between magic and emotional spectrum manipulation is always fun to see, and maybe Paragon will get to clue Dr Mist in to White Light stuff after this episode wraps up.
I hope the protagonists get a jumpstart on working with New Genesis or other means to more effectively find and neutralize Anti-Life, given how it's popping up a fair amount and we still haven't gotten to the bottom of the Religion of Crime Anti-Lifing. Though maybe that's going to play into the events of this chapter, along with Anita Fite being captured by John Quinn or something.
BartlettMagic
peekaboo, you fucks you!
of course he is. he's led you to it.
the fact that a demon is willing to do anything is setting off my Spidey senses.
Windona
Beetle Queen of Crackshipping
Honestly I could see a therapist wanting to treat Constantine just because he's so messed up, ala why Harley wanted to give the Joker therapy.
If Paul paid someone to be John's therapist then said therapist will be set for life, both because Paul is rich and because with the amount of emotional and mental damage Constantine has, his therapy will last for years and possibly decades.
The therapist just got the best job of their life.
Assuming they don't get beaten, assaulted, raped, possessed by evil spirits, eaten, tortured, mutilated, killed, damned or any combination of these thing, as they usually tend to happen to those close to John.
Mr Zoat
Dedicated ragequitter
Dr. Quinzel has a full time job at Belle Reve. She's not taking private patients at the moment.
Any therapist John got would be eaten by demons within a week tops anyway.
And that's one of the nicer fates that they may have.
fappingtoyourpost
Know what you're doing yet?
The plan is literally to feed golden boy to Demon Constantine, and the idea of super synchronicity demon Constantine isn't setting off any alarm bells for OL? This is gonna be bad.
Windona
Beetle Queen of Crackshipping
...I'm just imagining a therapist who got sent to hell being assigned the task of helping Constantine with his issues, with the promise that they can leave hell if Constantine ends up having a healthy mental state.
It is a cruel torture indeed.
It is a cruel torture indeed.
Mr Zoat
Dedicated ragequitter
Does anyone know what a 3D square is called? Like a cube, but with the top and bottom missing so it's just a line with four right angles when viewed from above.
Xelloss
Know what you're doing yet?
AFAIK, a cubic lattice.
Someguy Somewhere
The Critical Fumbler
If we're talking a more physics warping cube then there is the Tesseract aka 'Hypercube'
PDV
Revelation That Uncertainty Is Itself An Answer
I'm more optimistic. There will be at least one John Constantine who doesn't get fucked over. Since there are currently four Johns Constantine, this leaves a lot of room to minimize the number of non-Constantines who get fucked over.
Not saying it's actually going to get minimized, but the best case is pretty good.
Semicolon instead of comma.
Missing closing quote. Also not sure if you want to capitalize the C or not.
A cylinder with the top and bottom removed is called an open cylinder. "Open cube" sounds like it would be confusing. "Open square prism" might have a better chance of getting the idea across.
"Square tube" is what it's called outside of mathematics.
No, a cubic lattice is just the edges, with no faces at all.
DrThoth
I trust you know where the happy button is?
I think the line "it all started before I was born" already exists and is for something else, but since Paragon referred to Constantine as 'a man who committed his first murder before being born' then I think it's still very appropriate for him.
If we're talking a more physics warping cube then there is the Tesseract aka 'Hypercube'
I dunno looks more like an Empirical Crescent to me.
Tower Offence (part 20)
Mr Zoat
Dedicated ragequitter
8th November 2012
12:37 GMT -5
I carefully disconnect the booth from the glass tubes, using constructs to maintain the connections with the intakes along with a little desire to force the Dream-stuff into compliance.
Sanderson doesn't look happy.
"Are you sure about this, Mister..? Ah. Constantine?"
"Given that I know what Lords of Chaos and Lords of Order are, and what the Anti-Life is, I consider it my solemn duty. And if we are truly successful, I hate to imagine what the resulting being would be without my input."
"Yeah, that's…"
"Are you a Christian, Mister Sandman?"
"Yes. I.. go to Saint Patrick's every Sunday."
"Do you understand the nature of Heaven?"
"Ah, yes but… No. I mean, vaguely."
The Golden Man smiles. "Well, that rather undermines the metaphor I wished to use. You understand at least that it isn't like your mortal life?"
"Yes."
"I never truly lived. In this world I am a product of the strange magic which surrounds John Constantine. I remember having a long and fruitful life and now, rather than being asked to die, I am merely asked to adopt a new form. To be myself, and something a little different. To fulfil a purpose that I never really had. Do not mourn. Rather, rejoice that I had this opportunity."
"What.. do you mean, you're a product of Mister Constantine's magic?"
The Golden Man looks at me. "How well do you know the story?"
"Ah, short version? Their mother was pregnant with twins. In our timeline, John lived and he died. In his, John died and he lived."
"Made all the more confusing by the fact that my name is 'John' as well. Though I note that you didn't mention that my death was due to a botched amateur abortion carried out by my father, which also caused my mother's death."
"What?"
"That's.. because I didn't know that."
Damn. Did John know-? No, the two of them were merged, he certainly knows. And that might go some way to explaining his extremely strained relationship with his father.
I set the booth down on this side of the central walkway, Alan carrying The Demon down to the other side where Dr. Balewa is working on interfacing with the machine without destroying himself.
What's the line from Hogfather? If it's kill or cure and the subject is immortal, I think we're on to a winner.
"Oi, Golden Boy!"
"Yes, Sickly Boy?"
The Demon ambles over to the part of the platform closest to us, crouching down and peering at the booth.
"I don't hate you personally. John never gave me any of his memories of you." He shrugs. "I just hate you on principle."
"But you're prepared to do this anyway?"
"I hate him more."
"That seems like a poor reason. Are you certain-?"
"Might be poor, but it's mine." He stands, and looks over to Dr. Balewa. "You planning on taking all day?"
"I believe thet I am ready. Everyone?"
I take a moment to draw upon what I remember of John Constantine's desires from the Honden of Avarice.
"Yes. Ready to purge the Anti-Life. Or as ready as I'll get."
Alan nods. "Same here. You sure you can keep him from powering himself up with this machinery?"
"No. Sandman?"
"I'll start throwing Dream dust as soon as he shows up. Or they show up, I guess."
"Then we are ready. Demon."
"Right."
He lowers himself over the edge of the platform, getting his legs around the underside before levering himself around and upright on our side.
"Crossing over the threshold has appreciably increas-ah. " There's a faint crackly of red energy around him, but it doesn't appear to directly harm him. "Increased the strain."
The Golden Man is standing pressed up against the glass as The Demon stares at him.
"Second thoughts? Or do you want to do this tantrically? If so, I'm afraid that I'll need a little blue pill, and half an hour to warm up."
"Hah!" The Demon walks right up to the outside of the booth, inclining his head so that if the glass wasn't in the way their foreheads would nearly be touching. "Nah. How about Blood Brothers style?"
He pulls back his right fist and punches through the glass, bringing his hand up and clasping The Golden Man's right in an arm wrestling gesture.
Faint flickers of red and gold energy crackle around the crystals running throughout the machinery.
"Hope being… Unmade hurts… Less than being created."
"Why? Are you planning..? On complaining..? To someone?"
Alan and I float away, trying to keep the whole area in our sights. I take a half second to glance at Dr. Balewa and I see that his forearms are wreathed in gold and red lightning, and that his eyes are glowing the same. That doesn't look too good, but he didn't reach his current age by taking on challenges that would kill him permanently.
Dream stuff is seeping out of the hole in the glass, but The Golden Man is going to be a memory in a little while anyway, so it's not a big-.
Gold lightning explodes from the central shaft, enveloping the entire chamber! Under my reinforced environmental shield and steadily heating spell eater I brace myself as I see lines of crystals explode and add to the conflagration.
I can't see our Constantines any more.
"Be ready!"
Railguns.
The room's moving-. No, the circular platform around the central shaft. Other parts of the machinery in the upper portion of the room have come to life as well, even as the crystals binding the spells together come apart. I-.
The booth explodes, Dream stuff wooshing around the lower portion of the room before I abandon my pipe-constructs.
And-.
"Oofaugh-duh."
A Constantine stripped to his underwear and with a Seal of Solomon on his forehead appears in the upper gantries, hits a platform and slide off the edge, plummeting-
-into Alan's catching mitt construct. Okay, that's ours back, where did-?
"Oh, it's you." Quinn rises out of the Dream mists, Helmet on head and… Some sort of sceptre in hand and his body covered in something that looks suspiciously like blue and gold New God armour . "How dis-"
12:37 GMT -5
I carefully disconnect the booth from the glass tubes, using constructs to maintain the connections with the intakes along with a little desire to force the Dream-stuff into compliance.
Sanderson doesn't look happy.
"Are you sure about this, Mister..? Ah. Constantine?"
"Given that I know what Lords of Chaos and Lords of Order are, and what the Anti-Life is, I consider it my solemn duty. And if we are truly successful, I hate to imagine what the resulting being would be without my input."
"Yeah, that's…"
"Are you a Christian, Mister Sandman?"
"Yes. I.. go to Saint Patrick's every Sunday."
"Do you understand the nature of Heaven?"
"Ah, yes but… No. I mean, vaguely."
The Golden Man smiles. "Well, that rather undermines the metaphor I wished to use. You understand at least that it isn't like your mortal life?"
"Yes."
"I never truly lived. In this world I am a product of the strange magic which surrounds John Constantine. I remember having a long and fruitful life and now, rather than being asked to die, I am merely asked to adopt a new form. To be myself, and something a little different. To fulfil a purpose that I never really had. Do not mourn. Rather, rejoice that I had this opportunity."
"What.. do you mean, you're a product of Mister Constantine's magic?"
The Golden Man looks at me. "How well do you know the story?"
"Ah, short version? Their mother was pregnant with twins. In our timeline, John lived and he died. In his, John died and he lived."
"Made all the more confusing by the fact that my name is 'John' as well. Though I note that you didn't mention that my death was due to a botched amateur abortion carried out by my father, which also caused my mother's death."
"What?"
"That's.. because I didn't know that."
Damn. Did John know-? No, the two of them were merged, he certainly knows. And that might go some way to explaining his extremely strained relationship with his father.
I set the booth down on this side of the central walkway, Alan carrying The Demon down to the other side where Dr. Balewa is working on interfacing with the machine without destroying himself.
What's the line from Hogfather? If it's kill or cure and the subject is immortal, I think we're on to a winner.
"Oi, Golden Boy!"
"Yes, Sickly Boy?"
The Demon ambles over to the part of the platform closest to us, crouching down and peering at the booth.
"I don't hate you personally. John never gave me any of his memories of you." He shrugs. "I just hate you on principle."
"But you're prepared to do this anyway?"
"I hate him more."
"That seems like a poor reason. Are you certain-?"
"Might be poor, but it's mine." He stands, and looks over to Dr. Balewa. "You planning on taking all day?"
"I believe thet I am ready. Everyone?"
I take a moment to draw upon what I remember of John Constantine's desires from the Honden of Avarice.
"Yes. Ready to purge the Anti-Life. Or as ready as I'll get."
Alan nods. "Same here. You sure you can keep him from powering himself up with this machinery?"
"No. Sandman?"
"I'll start throwing Dream dust as soon as he shows up. Or they show up, I guess."
"Then we are ready. Demon."
"Right."
He lowers himself over the edge of the platform, getting his legs around the underside before levering himself around and upright on our side.
"Crossing over the threshold has appreciably increas-ah. " There's a faint crackly of red energy around him, but it doesn't appear to directly harm him. "Increased the strain."
The Golden Man is standing pressed up against the glass as The Demon stares at him.
"Second thoughts? Or do you want to do this tantrically? If so, I'm afraid that I'll need a little blue pill, and half an hour to warm up."
"Hah!" The Demon walks right up to the outside of the booth, inclining his head so that if the glass wasn't in the way their foreheads would nearly be touching. "Nah. How about Blood Brothers style?"
He pulls back his right fist and punches through the glass, bringing his hand up and clasping The Golden Man's right in an arm wrestling gesture.
Faint flickers of red and gold energy crackle around the crystals running throughout the machinery.
"Hope being… Unmade hurts… Less than being created."
"Why? Are you planning..? On complaining..? To someone?"
Alan and I float away, trying to keep the whole area in our sights. I take a half second to glance at Dr. Balewa and I see that his forearms are wreathed in gold and red lightning, and that his eyes are glowing the same. That doesn't look too good, but he didn't reach his current age by taking on challenges that would kill him permanently.
Dream stuff is seeping out of the hole in the glass, but The Golden Man is going to be a memory in a little while anyway, so it's not a big-.
Gold lightning explodes from the central shaft, enveloping the entire chamber! Under my reinforced environmental shield and steadily heating spell eater I brace myself as I see lines of crystals explode and add to the conflagration.
I can't see our Constantines any more.
"Be ready!"
Railguns.
The room's moving-. No, the circular platform around the central shaft. Other parts of the machinery in the upper portion of the room have come to life as well, even as the crystals binding the spells together come apart. I-.
The booth explodes, Dream stuff wooshing around the lower portion of the room before I abandon my pipe-constructs.
And-.
"Oofaugh-duh."
A Constantine stripped to his underwear and with a Seal of Solomon on his forehead appears in the upper gantries, hits a platform and slide off the edge, plummeting-
-into Alan's catching mitt construct. Okay, that's ours back, where did-?
"Oh, it's you." Quinn rises out of the Dream mists, Helmet on head and… Some sort of sceptre in hand and his body covered in something that looks suspiciously like blue and gold New God armour . "How dis-"
Last edited:
Mr Zoat
Dedicated ragequitter
Thank you, corrected.
Prince Charon
Just zis guy, you know?
It's a high-level Hellblazer plot, so the question is how many are getting fucked over, and how badly, not just 'who.'
Citizen
Well worn.
'John', unless you're drawing out the name for some reason?
Mr Zoat
Dedicated ragequitter
Thank you, corrected.
Handlewithcare
Versed in the lewd.
Are we down to two or three Johns now? And the big question still is, did Quinn do this voluntarily or got infected?
Can't wait for the next updade. I'm shivering with antici-
Can't wait for the next updade. I'm shivering with antici-
Chojin Patriarch
Veteran Lurker
Given that not all of the Constantines involved in this are going to survive it? I doubt he would be. He's the old-fashioned kind of Hero, where you don't kill anyone if you can help it.
'Course, the Vigilante rulebook's a little fuzzier on the subject of kneecaps, among other less-than-vital parts...Gotta wonder how this sort of stuff went down in his alternate reality. I'm guessing his world was a lot more Silver-age.
Pretty safe bet. Let's not quibble over denominations, though.
I mean, what mortal mind can? Where's this going, Golden Boy?
And depending on the author, it can actually be pretty laid-back. Remember Quiver, which saw the soul of Oliver Queen living in a super-hero's version of a heavenly pasture?
...I almost hope some of this niceness remains in John if he recombines. Original John always seemed kinda light on this kind of attitude.
Since OL seems unnaturally well-informed to everyone who knows him...
...Well, that darkened the mood considerably.Joy of working from half-remembered readings of a story from years earlier. Honestly, I'm surprised that kind of misremembering or not knowing details hasn't bitten him in the arse worse than he's gotten so far.
Just like matter and anti-matter. Let them get too close without proper precautions and boom, there goes the planet.
Doesn't mean it won't hurt like hell, though. And not the fun kind of hell.
Well, got something to say, worm-food?
Nothing like giving John a big middle finger as he ceases to exist.
It's John Constantine, Golden Boy. Hating him is easy, especially if you know him.
Anyone want to take a moment to practice bending over and kissing your ass goodbye, just in case things go poorly?
Here's hoping there's something left of John when this is all over.
But what better option do you have, in the time you've got?
Might might stop the Demon, at least. Quinn will probably have defences against it...
Hooray for weird and variable gravity.
Man, I am starting to get a real 'Flynn versus CLU' vibe at this point. Let's hope it doesn't end quite as explosively.
Nice to see they both share the Constantine sense of humour, at least.
Manly cooperation! Though probably a little less impressive without the Schwarzenegger physique...
Hey, whatever John Constantine results from all this might well remember all of your deaths. So bonus!
Lots of moving parts in this plan, and lots of places for the excrement to go rotary cooling device-wards...
Looks like someone's unhappy about their interference. Good.
Ah, the readied action to attack anything that comes through the door... Or the wall... Or out of a magic portal... A classic adventuring schtick.
Betting some of those other bits were backups or safety containment systems. Just in case one of the captives managed to get loose.
...Well, at least he has his pants on. No-one needs to see John's undercarriage.
Looks like he's been making some upgrades to the Fate gear. Let's see how well they stand up to all the railgun ammo.
Well, New God armour, eh? So, he's definitely been in contact with someone in the Apokalips/New Genesis sphere of influence. Wonder if we'll see some Godspeech in tomorrow's chapter. Let's hope this doesn't turn into a Rocket Tag kind of fight (where one hit means you're dead,) because it looks like Quinn's loaded for Lanterns. Someone's going to get their arse kicked...
Feels like there's a word or two missing here.
Dur'id the Druid
Know what you're doing yet?
So. Where is the totem Constantine has and empowered when he became a Lord or Order and Chaos?
Nice touch stopping in the middle of a word at the end there. Quinn getting sucker-punched?
Nice touch stopping in the middle of a word at the end there. Quinn getting sucker-punched?
It's a plot concerning John Constantine, so of course it was going to go into dark places.
True.
Familiarity breeds contempt.
Or there's nothing left.
I mean, would it be so bad?
ForeverShogo
Not too sore, are you?
I don't think there's a specific word for what you're asking about, but a tube is an open ended hollow cylinder. So I guess if you wanted to be wordy about it you could call it an open ended hollow cuboid.
Or I guess maybe you could call it a cubic tube?
Or I guess maybe you could call it a cubic tube?
Mr Zoat
Dedicated ragequitter
Thank you, corrected.
BlackCoat13
I trust you know where the happy button is?
mourn.
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