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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. Old Knife

    Old Knife Not too sore, are you?

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    There's a life equation? I thought the source was the inverse of Anti-life
     
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  2. Enochi

    Enochi Having way to much fun with AI.

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    I'm confused. The DC universe is bigger then our own... by a lot. How the hell does it have only seven galaxies when ours has trillions.
     
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  3. crazygrox

    crazygrox Versed in the lewd.

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    Is this just doctor Munroe being extremely high-functioning because he's used to depression?
     
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  4. Doccer

    Doccer I trust you know where the happy button is?

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    Given this is the Universe 16 it'd be more thematic for it to be 16.
     
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  5. Windona

    Windona Beetle Queen of Crackshipping

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    Canon even changed the age of the universe to 16 billion years for the number
     
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  6. mastermenthe

    mastermenthe Mint Thistle

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    Because in this fanfiction AU, Krona galaxybrained the infant universe OL lives in.

    Renegade Paul's universe is fine.
     
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  7. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

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    I don't think it isbigger since Krona did his time travel experiment a long time ago in universe, so renegades universe is also that small.
     
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  8. Vaermina

    Vaermina Well worn.

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    You know it's funny.

    I think we're past the point where LePaul has made things objectively worse for Earth.
     
  9. Stsword

    Stsword Versed in the lewd.

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    Well since physicists don't actually agree on that, you should present your proof to peer review for that noble prize nomination.
     
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  10. FeepingCreature

    FeepingCreature Not too sore, are you?

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    Even if we presume that big-bang cosmology is wrong, which already puts you way out of the mainstream, you'd have to either stipulate a deflationary universe or FTL to bypass the cosmological horizon. Beyond a certain distance, space is expanding faster than even light can travel, which means we can never reach beyond that limit no matter how much we accelerate.

    To be clear, "observable universe" doesn't mean by telescopes, it means interactable by any means, period.
     
  11. Sockmonkey

    Sockmonkey I trust you know where the happy button is?

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    Euanthe should be functional if not happy due to incorporating heavenly magics into herself from Eden.
     
  12. BR549

    BR549 This is filth! FILTH!!

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    Alan wouldn't say this. Despite Hollywood using it all the time, this isn't actual radio code - because it's contradictory.

    "Over" is what you say when you're pausing in a radio conversation to give the other party a chance to respond to what you've said. 'I have more to say, but it is your turn to speak right now, I will continue after you speak'.

    "Out" is what you say when you are ending the conversation entirely. 'I have finished what I have to say; this conversation is completed. Do not respond as I am no longer monitoring the frequency at this time'.

    Since this is the conversation coming to an end and the connection breaking, Alan should just be saying "Out" here. Or to use completely proper radio terminology, he would say "Blue Lantern, out."
     
  13. moralrelativity

    moralrelativity Recovering pendant.

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    Make that hundreds of millions of stars. Wikipedia puts it at 100-400 million.
     
  14. Threadmarks: Jet Fighter (part 14)
    Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

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    31st December 2012
    19:12 GMT -3


    The Accala in… Ah, this village, are subdued, but it looks like they're still functional. Just the occasional hesitation or shudder to indicate what they're going through. Huh. Maybe I was wrong about the people in North Africa not being so badly affected because they're used to it. Maybe a more simple way of life and good social networks just makes people better able to resist the Anti-Life than the complex and socially isolated lives of city-dwellers? Don't know. A few people look up as I fly overhead, but for the most part they just focus on whatever they were doing before.

    Hugo himself is sitting cross-legged on the top of a ancient flat-topped pyramid. Tourism has become a lot more difficult since the Accala and Euanthe destroyed the interior's road networks. A few brave souls still make the journey, but otherwise they're mostly used as meeting points. The Accala aren't Aztecs after all, and their culture has diverged quite a lot from the Mayans. He's just sort of staring out into space, and I don't think he's aware that I'm here.

    "Mister Danner?"

    He blinks, rousing himself from his stupor.

    "Anti-Life. That's what this is?"

    "Yes. May I ask what you're feeling?"

    "Desolation and despair. It's as if I never left prison, never saw that the Accala survived, never found a new purpose. Does it go away?"

    "Uh, it's being broadcast and we're working on stopping that."

    "I mean, does it stop affecting a person?"

    "Probably, but it requires a degree of profound spiritual awakening that is highly unusual. I'm not affected at all by the broadcast and Lantern Gardner can easily ignore it. Everyone else gets what you get; Superman, Batman… The only other way it wears off is if you internalise it and accept it. But don't do that."

    "I wasn't planning to. Once was enough. Is there anything we can do to help the Justice League?"

    I create a binder with a summary of everything we've learned and pass it over.

    "I don't know how good your communication links are, and I think that the person behind this is using the Green as a transmission medium, but if you can relay this to the whole of Accalacan that would let everyone know what's going on."

    "The Green? That explains-. You're here to check on Isley and Euanthe, aren't you?"

    "Something wrong?"

    "Our tribe's druids said something about her wanting us to stay away from Brasília. I sent some runners, and it looks like they've fortified the place. They didn't want to get too close, because when a goddess tells you to keep away it's a good idea to keep away, but from what I've heard you're not the type to listen."

    "Doing things sensible people wouldn't is what being a superhero's all about. Did she say anything other than 'stay away'?"

    "The druids aren't saying anything coherent. I thought they were just getting a stronger version of whatever's affecting everyone, but there could be more to it."

    "I assume that Accala druids are Dannered-up too?"

    "Yes."

    "Keep an eye on them. When a person accepts the Anti-Life, they fall under the control of the person causing this."

    He nods. "I'll give the orders."

    "Doctor Mist thinks that he might be able to use the Green to push the Anti-Life out. We can't promise anything, but do we have your permission to try?"

    "God, yes."

    I nod, floating upwards. "I'll get back to you when I know what's happening in Brasília."

    I turn north and accelerate, shooting over the revitalised greenery towards the former capital. Scans show… Something like the Sleeping Beauty's castle, thorns everywhere. And not just thorns. I recognise those hairs. Passive defences might be manageable with patience but that doesn't mean that they can't kill you. Or make you wish they could. Interesting that she hasn't put a dome over the city, but I suppose that she doesn't want to cut off the sunlight.

    Or perhaps it's meant to serve as a lure.

    There is an exterior wall, a giant wall of brambles solid enough to stop someone walking through it but not solid enough to climb. And… Something about it…

    I hold up a rune stone, which glows as it nears the wood.

    Active magic. A step up from what Dr. Isley could use last time I visited her. Depending on how advanced it is, those things could be projecting an aura of conceptual agony and poison for about a metre or so. And constant exposure will overwhelm my defences.

    If I fly over and they've got any defences on automatic, I could get in serious trouble. They don't have a radio or any other kind of modern communications infrastructure. How do I signal that I'm friendly?

    I release Lantern Thornton from my ring and send him forward over the wall. He narrowly makes it over the top before vines shoot out and pierce him, sending him back to my ring. I release him again and send him higher. A mile up he easily passes over the wall before drifting down into the spike-infested former street-.

    And he's back in the ring, without seeing what destroyed him.

    Alright, that's not working. The only alternative involves doing something that Euanthe specifically asked me not to do, but she should recognise that I'm the one doing it.

    I point my hands at the wall and focus on the mandala which Lantern Medphyll uses for manipulating plant life. True to Euanthe's request I haven't practised with this at all, so there's little chance that it will be less annoying to her than last time.

    Ah well.

    I form a connection to the Green via local plant life, and add a tiny amount of unformatted orange light in the direction of growth, which should be uncontroversial, r-?

    Thorn vines erupt towards me, spines spinning around each other like a rock crusher! I fly backwards, away from-. Towards the other trees shit disintegrate and fly up and deploy physical shields!

    The trees outside the barrier died in response to my energy pulse, but the wall of vines didn't and it's still coming-.

    Thorn darts slam into my metal shield. It's not an exotic material but it should be tough enough to deal with anything a plant can throw and it's not. Hardened… Spines? Have bent the metal with every impact, tearing through the metal in several places. I'm honestly impressed, though I'd rather it wasn't shooting at me.

    Okay, mandala, focus on the spine, see if I can trigger-.

    That's not a spine-.

    Vines lash out as I back up but they're already around me, grabbing onto my armour and pulling me towards the seed! Disintegrate, full reverse, cut the vines off-.

    Ah…

    This is… New.
     
    Last edited: Nov 8, 2022
  15. Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

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    Thank you, corrected.
     
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  16. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

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    "her wanting"
     
  17. NightmareWarden

    NightmareWarden Versed in the lewd.

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    Probably not a flowery maw then, Poison Ivy made plenty of those. Perhaps our dryad has cooked something up with that branch from Eden?
     
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  18. Chojin Patriarch

    Chojin Patriarch Veteran Lurker

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    Social connections acting as a balm against the depressive qualities of Anti-Life? Interesting theory. Or maybe something about the Danner formula makes their minds as durable as their flesh. Or it could be something else. Too many variables to guess, and this isn't something worth the risk of experimenting with...

    God only knows what he's seeing. All the failures of his life, all the way back to his messed-up childhood?

    At least he has the determination to resist it. I shudder at what the Dark Side could do with him and his people as foot soldiers...

    I suppose naming a thing helps define it, so that you can fight it...

    The joy of a life like his: Your failings are just as larger-than-life as your successes...

    Yeah, that's basically raising the white flag and bending knee until the folks with the helmets to show up...

    ...To be fair, an additional army of superhumans will come in handy. One not needing to be controlled by threats...

    He's a sharp one. And that's something the Danner formula couldn't give him...

    How astute. Yeah, OL doesn't usually take 'No' for an answer when he wants something. ...Or rather, when one person tells him 'No', he goes and finds someone who'll say 'Yes'.

    Well, they are more spiritually open, so this would be as pleasant as a brick to the 'nads.

    Heh. Not quite muscle wizards... But still fairly beefy, huh?

    Even if they don't have any effective magical powers usable in combat, they're still super-strong and tough...

    To be fair, it's not like he's got much way to prevent them... But his word'll carry weight with the tribes...

    Yeah, you don't fuck with Australian anything. You thought the animals are bad? Try trees that explode during bushfires. :D

    No doubt Ivy's given it some interesting properties...

    A lot more effective than any simple 'Keep Out' sign...

    Ah, from a Demon Lord to a canary. How the mighty have fallen. :p

    That's hoping for a lot given the current situation.

    At worst, you merely get shot with a few thousand enchanted cactus needles or something.

    Yeah, this should be a good example of why you don't poke the unknown plant things.

    Yep, Euanthe and Ivy have been getting clever.

    As in, the central shaft of a climbing vine? Oh, dear...

    Let me guess, plants resistant to cutting? Or are things about to get trippy?

    Welp, of course OL had to poke the 'Keep Out' sign. Kind of risky given he's got no backup right now. Still, OL gonna OL, and if Eaunthe or Ivy aren't dealing with this well, then better to find out now than later. On the upside, unlike 'Sleeping Beauty', he isn't going to have to deal with an elder Fey polymorphed into a dragon... :confused: Hopefully...
     
  19. moralrelativity

    moralrelativity Recovering pendant.

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    broadcasted -> broadcast
     
  20. Vaermina

    Vaermina Well worn.

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    Watching LePaul over think this whole thing to death is super amusing.

    Especially given the actual easy answer is the one thing he will never actually think to do.
     
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  21. NightmareWarden

    NightmareWarden Versed in the lewd.

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    Excuse me. I was going to ask where folks think Mannheim is holed up with Paul’s clone bodies, but I had a realization.

    I bet Mannheim is in or under Gotham. Hidden from detection, of course. It will be extra absurd since Batman has not submitted to Anti-Life and is not helping to cover their tracks. It’ll just be a rare case of “a villain of Superman comes to visit Batman,” instead of the common “Superman meets one of Batman’s villains. It doesn’t end well for them.” Mannheim is a foe of Superman traditionally.


    1. Gotham has that evil swamp and curses to help with the magics mingling with Anti-Life.

    2. We received an interlude in Gotham when the broadcast started, showing how hard it is to fight from the perspective of a civilian.
    3. Batman rescuing Lois Lane (or perhaps the reverse, based on the setup so far) is a staple plot line when she gets involved in Bruce Wayne’s life.
    4. And most importantly we keep hearing that Gotham is hellish. Could the anti-life be more active there? Could Mannheim wandering around there give some people a more concentrated dose?


    Unfortunately this doesn’t make use of any of the Alliance of the Just superheroes. One of them must have an obscure contribution to this arc which is contributing to the villainous plot, but who can say how?
     
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  22. B.B. Rain

    B.B. Rain I trust you know where the happy button is?

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    ....seriously? He starts with sending in a disposable construct-Lantern, and then escalates straight to magical harassment?

    Props for not just flying straight in, but couldn't he have tried, I don't know, using a megaphone to ask for a meeting, if he's not trying to sneak in?
     
  23. PDV

    PDV Revelation That Uncertainty Is Itself An Answer

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    Oh, don't worry, those aren't specific to Australia. We Californians imported them.
     
  24. Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

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    Thank you, corrected.
    [​IMG]
     
  25. Stsword

    Stsword Versed in the lewd.

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    Oh that's nothing, there's the sandbox tree.

    It's sap is poisonous- skin rashes, if it gets in your eyes temporary blindness

    And it's fruit is explosive.

    It's other name is the dynamite tree.
     
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  26. Windona

    Windona Beetle Queen of Crackshipping

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    Well, I think OL just said "Huh, Ivy told the Accala to stay away, that does not apply to me." (I kid, I kid.) Though if Ivy and Euthane have fallen to Anti-Life, well, this is going to be a hell of a boss fight.

    Gotta have that wonderful Eucalyptus oil, huh?
     
  27. Prince Charon

    Prince Charon Just zis guy, you know?

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    ... the state with lots of wildfires imported the plant that explodes when burnt. It's sad that I can't be surprised by this.
     
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  28. Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

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    I was thinking this, but thought it might be a bit Rule 8.
     
  29. GhostKing 666

    GhostKing 666 Know what you're doing yet?

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    Just... how? I thought the Accala were in Brazil. How the hell are they descended from the Mayans(a people who lived 3000+ miles further north in southern mexico) much less built a Mayan pyramid in the middle of the Amazon Rainforest.
     
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  30. PDV

    PDV Revelation That Uncertainty Is Itself An Answer

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    No, this was earlier, pre-1900. They wanted to turn scrubland into forests quickly to beautify the views out their windows. Good news: Eucalyptus grows quickly, so this worked. Bad news: It produced large forests of Eucalyptus.

    We have successfully cleared it away from the residential areas in most cases. The worst cases for wildfires, exurbs unwisely built in the middle of the forests that periodically burn, are okay on this front. They didn't have a eucalyptus problem even to start, because it was only planted near the 1800s boomtowns. But yeah, it doesn't help; the Oakland Hills still have a lot and managing them is a difficult job.
     
    Last edited: Nov 8, 2022
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