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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. Vanbers

    Vanbers Well worn.

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    Mannheim: "Fools, I have subsumed you all with the formula of Anti-Life, existence is suffering, you will all-"

    Average Gothamite: "Ehhh, fuck off, ya goon, it's 2 A.M.!"

    Mannheim: "Wha- How do you still retain your sanity?! Life = Pain-"

    Average Gothamite: "Yeah, yeah, and it's also tuesday, any other stunning observations you wanna tell us about, wise guy? Fuck you, we're tryin' to sleep here!"

    Gothamite 2: *Pops head out window* "Yeah, fuck off! The Scarecrow pulled this kinda shit last week, get some new material! You ain't even bombed an orphanage yet, and you're already pullin' out the evil monologue? Lookit this galoot!"

    *More Gothamites pop their heads out and keep heckling him*

    Gothamites are just built different, man.
     
  2. Duke Long

    Duke Long Glomerulus

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    ‘only thing’?
    Should these have speech marks, or is Karon a mindreader, or is this a representation of Robin blurting out what he thinks because he’s high?
    ’It’s’
     
  3. Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

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    Thank you, corrected.
     
    Last edited: May 13, 2023
  4. Bud-E

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

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    I was not expecting Karon to be the Mistress nice going Zoat!;)
     
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  5. Coltsguy

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

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    I feel like I might be the only one who didn't realize that it was Holly and Karon, the two girls Paul was helping out in Gotham, that were the people controlling Anti-Life in Gotham.
     
  6. Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

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    Holly's not even controlling Holly right now.
     
  7. mastermenthe

    mastermenthe Mint Thistle

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    I forget if it was OL or Renegade that was experimenting with Awakening Earthlings into New Gods, but Karon is absolutely about to Awaken, by Mannheim incidentally showing her The Source, or by OL's White Light Brigade.
     
  8. Khornelius

    Khornelius Overlord of the Underworld

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    Wow! She sounds like a Anti-nihilist who is channeling the Anti-life.

    if that’s the case, I can’t express how awesome I think this concept is!

    “If nothing in life has meaning, then just give it meaning.”

    "There can't possibly be any meaning in this world. But isn't that wonderful in its own right? Because if there isn't any, we can find our own."

    https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TheAntiNihilist
     
  9. Ngamer11

    Ngamer11 Experienced.

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    This reminds me of the fight against the Key. Paul, in response to Barda telling him what Purpose=Failure is supposed to mean, argues that everything is inherently meaningless until someone gives it meaning. This makes me hope that he'll be looking out for Karon and Holly after this, as I'm betting a few people will remember/recognize Karon as Mistress after Mannheim is defeated.
     
  10. Khornelius

    Khornelius Overlord of the Underworld

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    A part of me wonders if her Gothamite mindset is a nod to the entity Barbatos. I don’t know much other than he’s very evil, he’s a recycler of the dark multiverse and he has a connection to every Gotham in existence.

    That last one might be canon though. Anyway if they’re both still alive after this, I’d be surprised if they could return to normal life afterwards. This kinda things sounds like a superhero origin.
     
  11. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

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    Barbatos most likely doesn't exist here since he's a n52 character and Zoat generally doesn't use those.

    Granted, if there was a pre n52 Barbatos, then he may exist.

    Her mindset is probably the result of just growing up in a very shitty city.
     
  12. crazygrox

    crazygrox Versed in the lewd.

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    I feel like putting a normal human soul up against an artificial new god in a soul clash is an unfair contest.
    They need to be prepared to cheat, hard.

    Whether that means getting the Greek gods involved, or playing heavily into Karin's own themes and having her just stab Mannheim. I don't know.
     
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  13. Stsword

    Stsword Versed in the lewd.

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    Yes and no.

    Barbatos was retconned to be connected to the Hyper-adapter which was a pre-flashpoint thing.
     
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  14. Assblaster5000

    Assblaster5000 I trust you know where the happy button is?

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    'The fact'

    Spooky, but try not to cut yourself on all that edge.
     
  15. Prince Charon

    Prince Charon Just zis guy, you know?

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    Huh. Maybe just Karon, but either way, I could see that happening.

    I have to wonder how aware she is right now, of anything that isn't Karon (counting the Anti-Life in Gotham as part of Karon, conceptually).
     
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  16. Threadmarks: Lantern Conspiracies (part 12)
    Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

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    4th November 1999
    11:36 GMT


    "And who or what is the Conduit?"

    It's fitting that the thing keeping the vampire trapped isn't bars or ropes, but the sunlight coming in through the windows around it. There's nowhere at all it can escape, and it knows it well. It lost its glamour machine when Nick and I broke into its apartment, so I don't know how it thinks it's going to get away.

    "I won't tell y-. AGH!"

    Its tail twitched into a beam of light, and its flesh blackened. I think seeing a vampire like this is bringing out my vicious side.

    "Look… Sharmiane, was it?" The vampire just glares at him. "It's at least six hours until dark, and the way the light angles through those windows… I don't think you'll last that long."

    The vampire hisses impotently at him.

    "Now, if you're a good little snake and cooperate, I can make a call and get you a place in a nice dark Alliance prison cell. Otherwise…"

    Nick shrugs.

    "It doesn't look good for you."

    "They're-. Worthless thieves."

    "So they stole that shipment."

    "They boarded the ship, reprogrammed the computer and stole our weapons before we could take them back!"

    "So they didn't take them to where you were originally going to take them?"

    "Of course not."

    That's an odd thing. If Rinaker got a tip off about the shipment from monitoring the vampires, then Ling should have gone to the original destination. Or he could have attacked the ship while it was out at sea. But if it went somewhere else, he must have known that something happened to it.

    "Interesting. I assume that messages proving that are on your computer?"

    The vampires hisses in irritation. "Of course not. You think I leave things like that written down? Do you think I'm stupid?"

    Nick looks over at me, smiling.

    "Well…"

    "If I'm the stupid one, why did the Alliance need me to tell them about the shipment!"

    Nick raises his eyebrows, slowly turning his head back towards the vampire. The vampire looks unsure of itself for a moment. But pride wins out.

    "I knew that we couldn't recapture them, so I thought laterally. You Alliance people and the Conduit dealing with each other was the best result we could get! And blowing up a British airbase! I don't think they're going to be very happy with you!"

    No, though I'm not sure that Rinaker cares all that much. Shouldn't be surprised that using a vampire as a source didn't work out too well.

    "Happy? Probably not. But British Intelligence have been a big help. They don't like guns in their country."

    Not voluntarily helpful. But they've been running around like headless chickens the last two days, and Nick's been learning things from Fitz.

    "But let's get back to the Conduit. I think the Alliance is probably going to want to take a closer look at them. Anything you feel willing to share… It might make us deal with your problem for you."

    "Waifs and strays. Worthless species who cling together for support."

    That's a curious thing, so it is. I always thought that different species on Earth kept to their own kind.

    "Other aliens?"

    "Food. They're too weak to make their own way, so they steal the products of our work."

    Or rather, the work of the humans they enslave with their bites.

    "Did you tell the Alliance that they had the shipment?"

    "No." The vampire smiles, and I'm this close to blasting it in its stupid face. "They still thought it was us."

    "Where would I find these 'Conduit' people?"

    "Around. Out of the way, poor places. They're too weak to hold territory. Whenever we find a nest of them, they abandon it almost immediately. They'll never be more than a nuisance, but they can be a very annoying nuisance."

    "Who's in charge?"

    "I have no idea. I think they use a cell structure, but I don't know if that's something they actually planned, or just a result of them being badly organised."

    "And what about the Green Knight?"

    "The..? Green Knight?" The vampire looks confused. "That's… Ancient history."

    "You'd be surprised."

    "Queen Mab's champion." He glares at me for a moment. "Hasn't been seen for hundreds of years. Maybe thousands; I'd have to check."

    I roll my eyes. "Queen Mab doesn't have a champion."

    "Not any more. But the records I saw are clear that they fought besides one another. And the banshees have never been keen on other species."

    I snort. "And the vampires are?"

    "I love humans. Some of my best dinners have been human-. AGH!"

    Nick lowers his wrist. He used the metal of his watch to reflect the sun onto the vampire.

    "You vampires haven't done anything that would have brought him out of retirement, have you?"

    "No?" It blinks. "You mean he's active?"

    Nick nods. "And working with the Conduit. Apparently, he still doesn't like vampires very much."

    The vampire looks at me. "Is Mab really planning to start a war? Against the resources that the Vampire Families have in this day and age? You'd be annihilated!"

    Does Queen Mab want a war? We haven't done much against the vampires for as long as I've been alive. And I don't remember Mab ever talking to a Green Knight. A glowing green man walking around the caverns would be something that would stick in my mind.

    "Six billion humans and a few hundred vampires, Sharmiane. If a war ever went public, let's not kid ourselves about who'd get annihilated."

    "Because the Alliance is so eager to step into the…" The vampire glares at the beam of sunlight. "Light."

    "Maybe not. But from the sounds of things, the Conduit are more of a problem for you than for us."

    Nick turns away from the vampire and nods towards the door. I-.

    The wall explodes and I'm thrown to the floor as plasma bolts fly over my head. Nick's further away and so stays standing up, making him an-

    "Five seconds!"

    -ideal target.

    Nick grabs me and dives out of the room as the wall explodes, the vampire dashing through the sunlight into the back of a waiting van.

    "AAAAGH!"

    Nick lets go and I raise my arms at the same time he raises his pistol, but the driver is already getting away. Nick holds fire, so I do too. Nick doesn't chase them, so neither do I. I hope he's got a good explanation.

    "Is there a reason we be letting them get away?"

    Nick nods and smiles, so I think he's got some kind of plan. "London's got the best CCTV network in the world, and thanks to Kraker we've got full access. I want to see where they go."
     
    Last edited: May 14, 2023
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  17. Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

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    Thank you, corrected.
     
  18. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

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    "want to see"
     
  19. Chojin Patriarch

    Chojin Patriarch Veteran Lurker

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    It still makes me wonder how a species could have such an aversion to sunlight. And how badly they react to it at all. But I get the feeling this little hidey-hole isn't as good a cage as you think it might be, Sh'lainn.

    Hey, they're apparently universally assholes. No bad karma in treating them rough.

    Do keep in mind, snake-face: one tug of those curtains and you're toast. Dark, crunchy, crumbly toast. :confused: ...Dangit, now I'm hungry.

    To be fair, it sounds better than becoming briquettes.

    Ah, admitting someone outsmarted you? That's got to sting.

    Gee, too bad. Couldn't have happened to nicer folks.

    Which is itself suspicious. Not on the Conduit folks' part, though...

    ...Heh. I wonder what butterflies would result if Rinaker got outed early by something this simple.

    Well, if the face fits...

    ...That's a good question. Care to walk us through it, smart guy?

    Maybe, maybe not. There's going to be people asking questions about it, after all...

    I wonder if a certain fellow will be getting put on the case? ;)

    Admittedly, I doubt the Vampire has the nicest view of the unaligned species.

    Sometimes, a group might be too small to manage that, though. The goblins and fauns, for example, might not be that populous.

    Ah, right. His species is carnivourous. With a taste for sapience, of course.

    I wonder how long the effects last. Does it wear off, or is it one nibble and you're a lifelong slave...

    Ah, imagine if he and the Emerald Knight tried to make contact with the same group at the same time... :D I'm sure hilarity would ensue.

    Until now, vamp. Not with a certain fellow running around...

    Heh. Naturally they'd ask about him. After that little close encounter earlier.

    And evidently Roswaul caught the vampires off guard too. Then again, he hasn't encountered vamps directly yet.

    Not these days, no. Though now I bet Sh'lainn has suspicions...

    ...Well, maybe for lunch.

    Heh. Getting real nice 'Blade' vibes here. The interrogation of Pearl, from the first movie...

    Well, there goes its smug superiority. It appears Percival left an impression on them.

    Ah, overconfidence. Makes you say things you might not have said otherwise.

    Though it would be messy.

    Thinking of offering an alliance with the Alliance, Nick?

    Well, shit. Looks like vampire guy had a panic button or something handy.

    He is a pretty big guy... Even before you factor in the artstyle.

    Hope he enjoys his tan. :p

    Oh, sneaky. And not only will you get that destination, you got some interesting info out of the snake-face...

    Clever fellow, Nick is. Though I get the feeling it's more of an Indy ploy than a Batman gambit. I suppose he's good at making it up as he goes. Surprised the Alliance doesn't have some kind of tracking device for occasions like this, though. At any rate, the plot thickens, and knowing the protagonists' luck, they'll find a Conduit cell at the same time Roswaul does...
     
  20. Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

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    Thank you, corrected.
     
  21. BR549

    BR549 This is filth! FILTH!!

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    If Wiki is to be believed, it's basically snake venom, and temporary.
     
  22. BlackCoat13

    BlackCoat13 I trust you know where the happy button is?

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    into the back of a waiting van.
     
  23. Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

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    Thank you, corrected.
     
  24. Pinklestia

    Pinklestia Well worn.

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    Simply put their original planet had much weaker sunlight. Take a person from a nordic country and move them to the equator line, they aren't gonna have a good time with the sunlight. Now this is of course more extreme but their biology is just not adapted to Earth's sun.

    Also in real life we have albinos.
     
  25. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

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    Or they may have evolved underground.
     
  26. Pinklestia

    Pinklestia Well worn.

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    They don't exactly live underground on Earth.
     
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  27. dw7thdoctor

    dw7thdoctor Getting sticky.

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    They trying to control society on Earth. Earth society isn't underground.
     
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  28. Ardy

    Ardy I trust you know where the happy button is?

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    Wow, yet another person trying to cover up the mole people. Wake up sheeple!
     
  29. dw7thdoctor

    dw7thdoctor Getting sticky.

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    Shh! Why are you trying to reawaken the ancient Sheep People? They will lay waste to the world if they ever awakened from their eternal slumber!
     
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  30. Doccer

    Doccer I trust you know where the happy button is?

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    In regards to Percival's mention that Paul might be in charge now or that the Conduit has Emerald Guardsman to help them?
    And what's up with what Percival said? Did Paul accidentally himself into leadership? Such a teasing cliffhanger. I could see him becoming a leader via being the only one anyone trusts explicitly.
    Lol. Though now that I recall that...why aren't UV grow lights standard issue on Alliance lights?!
    Doubtful. Though it be certainly a left turn for a little war to crop up before the invasion proper. Not-Rinaker would love that I am sure.
     
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