With This Ring (Young Justice SI) (Thread Fourteen)

I don't think we ever got an explanation for that, but it's possible.

I'm not going to go back to his previous chapters to check becauseif I do then I'll have to read more about him, so sorry.

His ring doesn't seem to be trying to kill him.

 

...Oh, dear. Is this Tangseid again? The Alt!Paul that took the morality-relaxing Evil Formula, and goes on to basically rule the world from the shadows? It has been a while since we've seen him, I think. Though in his early days here, yes?

Spoiler: Commentary spoielred for length

I see the Ring is doing some work, keeping him on track and aware of certain legalities...

Man... Imagine having to make an alien VI do the work of playing conscience because you erased yours...

Well, Artemis does take her work seriously, for the most part. Initial belly-baring costume aside...

This Mia? Speedy the second? I wonder where she is in the Paragon Timeline, actually. Edit: Ah, okay, Cir-El, eh?

...Because maybe you should take note that your Ring is being more moral than you are at this point? And possibly smarter.

The Evil Formula giving him enhanced physical ability at the cost of, well, being evil. And we all know how early Alt!Pauls go looking for enhancements.

Oh, is light dawning over marblehead? Finally starting to realise this is a bad thing?

<snaps figners> Dangit!

...Is it weird to feel sympathetic for this Ring VI? Because it is clearly being overworked.

Oh, that's worrying...

...Oh, they've had this conversation before, haven't they?

And it's a little hard to stay on the good side of the League if you start getting a reputation for lethality.

And this is why you do not mess around with mind-altering formulas, no matter how useful they seem.

Oh, that 'Hey' has so many ways it could be taken...

Yes, that's a quite reasonable excuse for missing a date. Especially for teenage vigilantes.

After all, a night out chasing criminals is easily as good as a nice meal in.

...Okay, for all his lack of morality, that is a good detail to point out. Lone heroes tend to get themselves killed, after all. All it takes is one guy you didn't spot.

And really, there's no backup like a Lantern for easy takedowns.

I mean, Kid Flash could easily have gotten there quick. And he'd happily let you take the lead.

Ah, yes, her 'cover story' of being Green Arrow's 'niece'...

I mean, assholish as he is, he does care for you, in his own twisted way...

Though they still have to manage the task of hauling whatever they're shipping overland. Truck rental cuts into the profits, after all.

...Honestly, I'm surprised the Guardians haven't given Hal or John The local Lanterns orders to that effect. What with the 'Orange Ring out in the wild' angle.

...That he knows about. Or at least openly admits to knowing about. (Since he did know he had a son at some point.)

Two words: Power. Ring.

Gee, you think, Hagrid?

Well, overworked or not, this Ring VI is damn snarky about it. I like it.

Well, at least he recognises the creep factor. Not that it would stop him.

Volume! Just because the crooks there are bubbled up, doesn't mean the neighbourhood is.

And now you know something even Kaldur doesn't necessarily know.

...Okay, 'Mia' is not Speedy II, then. I'm guessing said villain AI is Brainiac, though.

To be fair, the way you said it, it was easy to assume the more criminal alternative.

As if he'd let someone else prepare his food, huh?

At least he's still able to keep himself in check a little at this stage... Even if he is still calculating how best to seduce her.

Yeah, kind of not a romantic spot, no matter how you dress it up.

Getting a little possessive there, Tang. Easy.

Man, this timeline really is just the painful kind, isn't it. We know where he ends up. But seeing him get there is uncomfortable to watch, yet you feel the need to watch it anyway. Just seeing so many chances for him to undo the original mistake and he just keeps refusing... I think that's why we like to hate this guy. The same reason you want to shout at the dumb-asses in slasher movies to stop being idiots... They could win, if they'd stop doing it wrong.

 

At no time has this character consumed faecal matter.
...
Except possibly while being born, but just about everyone does that.

Thank you, corrected.

No, the ring was going to say 'what I think you should say is...' but got interrupted.

Ah. I think so?

 

He shows up in:

Episode 99 Plutonian, When You're Evil
https://forum.questionablequesting.com/posts/3453640

Episode 106 Back Seat, Sauntering Downwards (part 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5)
https://forum.questionablequesting.com/posts/3939547
https://forum.questionablequesting.com/posts/3942431
https://forum.questionablequesting.com/posts/3960136
https://forum.questionablequesting.com/posts/3966212
https://forum.questionablequesting.com/posts/4013258

I seem to recall he was also involved in the big crisis event (Episode 97 Duplication) but I can’t find where and it may have just been a cameo.

The ring wants to reformat his brain to think differently, functionally killing the person he currently is and replacing him with a new person. Specifically a copy of the person he was before taking the evil formula.
Identity death is still death, even if the process also creates someone new.

 

Yes.

He'd argue both 'rules' and 'shadows', and this is well before that happened.

No. This Mia.

She's about five years old, so she's probably just starting junior school.

Neither of those two are Green Lanterns in this timeline. Abin Sur is still around, having been a regular visitor to Earth since he chased Mister Mind here in 1943 and teamed up with Alan Scott and Theodore Knight.

 

It is quite the absurd situation.

No, it's a female version of Superboy.

See my post above.

This is one of the few times we're rooting for a ring made out of greed to take over.

And this one did it in a very, very dumb manner.

At least renegade saw an example of what would happen to a human before he took the strength formula.

No.

Depends on how fast he is.

They may be keeping an eye on him, but know being around him 24/7 isn't practical.

Don't you dare compare the loveable giant to this rapist shit.

It's not necessarily paranoia.

He may just like cooking, or thought she'd consider it more romantic.

 

’belief’

The ring seems to have a lot of personality. Is it a copy of his pre-Evil consciousness like with that alternate universe Sinestro ring? The speech patterns don’t seem quite right, though.

 

Thank you, corrected.

 

You forgot?

Paul knew the super soldier crap he was going to use could have mental side effects, so he copied his consciousness template into the ring as a backup to reverse the changes if they went too far off the baseline. Sadly Tangseid didn't want the ring to overwrite the new him, so he is currently working within certain parameters.

We do know how this ends, so it's fairly likely Tangseid eventually manages to overcome the template saved in the ring.

 

Yeah, the first time we saw this guy there wasn't a snarky ring talking, so I guess the personality isn't gonna be permanent.

 

Which one is this again?

I know there was one that juiced himself up with demon-energy and became an inccubus.
And there was the one who brainwashed wonderwoman. (and everyone else)

I don't think this guy is him though, since Artemis still has free will.
This guy has a voice in his head (from where?) and apparently used some kind of 'evil formula' to enhance his body?

Edit:
Ah, this is the brainwashing one... but back before he started doing that?

 

Yeah.

he first time we saw him it was after he'd brainwashed people.

All subsequent appearances of him were before he did it.

The second time we saw hm was when he took his formula.

 

Disturbing as this one is, he does make for a VERY interesting read.

 

I thought Tangseid was a different Paul then the one who modified himself and started hitting on Artemis?

 

They're the same guy. Hitting on Artemis is relatively early in his timeline.

 

Same.

 

check back seat, I believe, his backstory and early evil are intertwined there

 

Thank you.

 

Now, is it a simple quirk of the environment, arcane as it is, or has it been made that way as a subtle display of power, a flex upon her visitors? I suppose it adds to the bleak, eerie atmosphere of the region, if nothing else. Like those classic horror comics of DC's...

Spoiler: Commentary spoilered for length

I bet even though he's making a show of handling the reins, the road is as stable and easy to navigate as an empty four-lane highway...

An understatement on all parts there. I'd be amazed if Neron wasn't basically a eunuch given his grandiose displays of compensation.

Ah, this guy enjoys being the gentleman's gentleman, eh? Or at least playing the part.

And more easily defensible in the case of trouble, no doubt.

On the other hand... You did see the result of his little tantrum, right?

See, there's a more reasonable explanation.

Ha! He probably would take that kind of durability as an affront.

Atmosphere. Like any good villain, it's all about presentation.

Heh. Pressing the point just feels like pettiness, eh?

Or she honestly is busy and can't get away, or she simply wants more time to take your measure.

I bet it's like Wizarding houses. If you see a servant, either you called for one, or they've fouled up somehow.

I suppose it runs smoothly. And it makes sense that she doesn't want to see the lowest castes, disgusting as some of them can be.

No doubt running the full breadth of human art, I bet. People can be very imaginative about the supernatural, especially monstrous things.

Woven, grown or assembled, I wonder? Though all three would make you shudder at the logistics of it.

No doubt designed to intimidate visitors into submissive attitudes... Pity the Renegade laughs at that sort of thing.

All about presentation. There's just a certain style about these things...

Still, the offer is a good show of character.

Well, let's not keep the lady waiting.

Well, word is spreading, I see. At least some are paying attention.

Everything, of course. Both the visible things and the intangible.

That father would be the demon Nergal, of course. I suppose she takes more after her mother's looks.

It's still the principle of the thing. Like a criminal organisation. "They put one of ours in the hospital, we put one of theirs in the morgue!"

Ah, she's a master of at least one talent: Delegation.

Of course it is. But the First has something the Renegade wants, and, well...

The wanna-be demon lord Stecorax, before anyone asks. A bit player in the grand history of Hell...

After all, the Renegade does have something very good at separating powerful things from their power. And without that power... They're very vulnerable things indeed.

This promises to be interesting, dealing with this lady of Hell. She's no delicate flower, after all, and her vendettas are slow and deliberate. But she's smart, in ways other nobles aren't. So no doubt she'll play along with the Renegade, until she can suss out what the First's plan is. Whether she ends up surviving that plan, whatever it is, remains to be seen, of course.

 

Amen.

 

‘prey’?

’turns, bowing’?

 

Thank you, corrected.

 

I wonder whether Uncle Stecorax is himself at the moment.

 

If Gravyen breaks out the Sword of the Fallen, In Hell of all places, that might have actually been part of the First's Plan....after all, it's HIS sword, make of His 'brothers' the second and third, and Grayven's been fairly liberal with it's use since getting his mitts on it.

 

Yeah, that's the most likely possibility.

Or he's keeping the Renegade here while he searches for it on Earth.

 

Doesn't Grayven still have those soul energy tattoos?

Cause this might be a play similar to the one that was pulled on OL where the actual ploy is for Hell's ambient Hellness to corrupt him.

 

I'm almost positive he didn't need to get those designed because he had Father Box install aethric grafts way back when he first got it.

 

"them all" is referring to "a load of information" so I think
them -> it

 

Thank you, corrected.