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

Ooh, was just wondering. Usually when something doesn't get posted it's because something big, bad or both happened. Zoat's a million times more consistent than I am lmao

 

I'm posting in the evenings at the moment because I'm at my parent's house and don't have time to post in the morning.

 

Ah, I don't mean to grill you or anything. I was just curious.

 

Grill? Not at all. I appreciate your concern for my well-being.

 

Subsuming psychological stress into raw physical effort? A logical enough way for him to work it out, I guess. Not the healthiest method, but good for keeping in shape...

Spoiler: Commentary spoilered for length

That sounds rather more rude than I think you intended, OL. But I expect he takes your meaning. Hard to make someone powered by want do something they don't want to.

The only time you need to worry about control, Xor, is when you're channelling immense amounts of Avarice. No-0one blames you for needing a moment.

Because knowing yourself lets you push harder and faster. That's hardly a bad thing. Not everybody is ready for that kind of self-reflection, though...

To be fair, I'm not surprised that Xor would think of relaxing as exercising and sparring. I suspect it was common amongst the Warhound teams.

After all, learning to manipulate those desires is half the point of this trip. Whether lessening distractions or improving focus.

Another reason for the trip. This isn't just about making these three stronger, after all. It's about developing a process to train others.

You really think they'll be trading punches or waving shock-sticks around? Compare them, friend. Does it look like OL can throw down with Xor?

And that's without crumbler gauntlet constructs, too. The measure of a Lantern is the mind, not the flesh.

Besides, if they break something, they can fix it easily enough.

I'm guessing they do get some alien visitors with above-average strength, then, if the place is this toughened...

I'm betting Warhound training rooms are very solidly reinforced, and have multiple layers of kinetic barriers? Since having two fighters, each weighing more than a metric ton, throw each other around might be a little hard on the flooring. And the walls. And anyone unlucky enough to get in their way...

Very sensible. Not that there's much risk of things exploding. As OL said, if that were likely, they'd have headed off-planet.

Sounds sufficient for most species in the galaxy at large. Not everyone's as powerful as a Kryptonian, after all.

Heh. The joy of beings with above-average levels of physical resilience.

Sounds shocking. Or not, as the case appears. I doubt making stronger tools would be worth it if they're not frequent visitors.

Even force-fields can be overpowered. Better to have both physical and energised protections, than rely solely on one or the other...

I see he's getting used to doing that. Bet it still feels strange, though...

Of course, Enlightenment self-corrects for that in most cases anyway. Still worth training for.

Like, say, the abbot's unusual psychological makeup? Not suspicious at all?

Feels like some manner of duel. But with the weapons placed in neutral ground between the fighters, so they have to battle just to gain them...

This is going to be interesting...

And OL's resting state is ludicrously strong, thanks to Enlightenment. Good to see some Lanterns understanding that it's not about the horsepower at full throttle, but the idle.

So, the Orange Light equivalent of the simple shoulder lock-up grapplers tend to partake in at the start of a match.

Well, then. Time to see how much his little breakthrough earlier has improved Xor's control or weakened it. And I find myself wondering how Dul or Onik would do in the same match-up. Now, to see if OL if pleasantly surprised by a shift in Xor's skills..

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Some corrections within this spoiler:

Spoiler: Quite a few typos

"I'm not expecting that learning how to turn your ring off has made you stronger."

The walls are covered in an armoured material...

Force fields shimmer into being around the walls...

Perhaps if a Lantern realised that they were having control difficulties?

I respond by increasing my focus,...

 

'a couple of'

'enters'

 

Everyone has their ways of taking a break.

She may not know all that much about humans and assumed Paul and Xor were of similar levels of strength.

Superman looks like a muscular human yet he can probably take on Xor, who looks like the Hulk in terms of musculature, in a fight.

Appearances can be deceiving and all that.

While I will agree that the abbot seems suspicious I also have to point out that his mental state may not seem all that suspicious to someone that isn't suspicious.

He has a lot of willpower and self mastery, which wouldn't be that suspicious for a monk focused on the Green Light.

 

I'm a little confused how does calling their rings toward them show improved skill when he and every other Orange Lantern has already gained if not mastered this ability?

 

It's one users desires VS another. The better the person is in tune with their desires, the more easily they can overpower the other persons desires, stopping their ring while calling their own to them. It's a test of introspection. How well do you understand your desires and how they mesh into your psyche? Does that understanding give you enough raw power through self-mastery to stop the other ring user while empowering yourself?

Find out next time on Dragon Ball Z

 

Found an old error. Since this should be Paul talking, the quotation should be in Orange.

 

So... They still haven't added a biometric user lock to the rings?

 

"We are here in this heavily fortified, forcefield protected arena. The die is cast, only one victor may emerge, you may now begin...with FLOATING RINGS BACK AND FORTH!"

blood thirsty crowd noises

 

Truly a horrifying battle, the savages.

 

Thank you, corrected.

Thank you, corrected.

No, I think that's Mother of Mercy.

 

maybe change 'she' to 'the monk' or some equivalent. as it stands, the pronoun is a bit ambiguous, especially after just talking about Dul.

 

I think you're right. I'll change it.

 

By way of analogy, moving my arm is easy. Arm wrestling someone is hard. If they're really good and sensitive to their muscles, they can gauge if my arm strength has improved, as I arm wrestle them on multiple occasions, even if I lose each time.

 

Regular psychology bores me. But for some reason spiritual/magical psychology never ceases to be captivating.

 

This is vague enough that i can't be sure if you are talking about drugs or not.

 

The monks are probably watching.

And finding this to be fascinating.

 

'lead when'

This is the Dominators government or domain?

The Dominators do seem to be something like a miniature version of the Reach in some ways, so some of those members may be interested in stopping them.

 

After all, there's no point in simply crushing him. Such a victory would rarely encourage improvement in all but the oddest of people. If you're crushed so easily after trying your hardest, then what point is there in trying to improve?

Spoiler: Commentary spoilered for length

Heh. Distraction to weaken his focus, casual poking to test his ability to maintain it, or genuine nudges to see if he can push through whatever wall he seems to be struggling with? Why can't it be all three?

In anyone else, I suspect there'd be a hint of revenge in there. But for Xor, there's no honour in punishing those who just followed their orders. Those who showed genuine sadistic tendencies would probably not have lasted long, either noticed by allies or struck down by one of their prospects in a fit of rage.

How very Spartan of them. Then again, they likely suffer from overpopulation, don't they? If you aren't going to be useful to society, then why keep you around?

More a convenience than a compassionate act. I'm sure some told themselves giving the orphans a chance to be useful was a good thing, but people are always capable of self-delusion when it's necessary.

I can't imagine any culture that would choose execution, if the culprit was given the choice. I'm sure one with a known chance of reincarnation while retaining memories might, but I can't imagine how such a society would function.

Hard to focus on want when you're not sure of what it is you do want... At least he remained centered enough to make it a minor flutter.

Surprisingly reasonable of him. Are the other Warhounds following his lead in this, or do others have their own preferences, though? What if the tribunals don't rule how he'd prefer them to? Will he accept it, or...

Hopefully with less rubbing the Guardian's noses in it. OL might get away with it as Agent Orange, but you are not so significant... Though I'm sure Xor is experienced at dealing with haughty 'superiors'...

Really, OL? Bit of a low blow there. This is a contest of Wants, after all. To further the arm-wrestling comparison: That was like yelling "What's that?!' and shoving your opponent's arm while they glance sideways.

On the other hand, seeing if he can hold focus is worthwhile. Still cheap, OL.

Bit of an unfair advantage you have there, OL. Maybe if or when he achieves Enlightenment, you can try that again.

And we'll be looking forwards to that day. But for now, OL, leave off.

Heh. On that, we're all agreed.

So you think he's holding back as not to offend you? Hell, of course you do, you can see it.

Well, you're not acting like it, Xor. You're sandbagging, aren't you?

To be fair, the gratitude is many-fold. Freeing him from imprisonment on Earth. Giving him service in the Corps. Letting him work to free his people from oppression. Any one of those would be a life-long debt to someone as honourable as him.

To be fair, losing would give you a reason to continue improving. At this point, you don't really have a great push to develop your skills beyond curiosity, given that the Reach hold few surprises anymore. A friendly rivalry with a student? That's a worthwhile, and safe, impetus.

And some still call it a weapon... Goes to show you how smart the average Green lantern is, much less the rest of the galaxy.

Good, he's stopped playing around, eh?

Maybe as a palate cleanser or a cooldown.

When have politicians ever not been short-sighted after wartime ends?

Oh, Xor... He just got done telling you he doesn't want you to follow blindly like that...

Still not close to Enlightened, of course. Every moment of love or rage he feels would shake that web, or tear holes in it...

You haven't got all day, after all. Things to do, people to assist.

Oh, he was sandbagging, though not as much as I thought he might have been. That little... Clever, boy, very clever.

A nice bit of manly bonding. And a good look at how far Xor's come since we first met him. Thus far, he really does look like the most likely candidate to gain Enlightenment, barring some surprise from Dul or Onik. Still, there's always a chance of failure... It's all a matter of finding the right levers to set the ball rolling.

 

Indiana Jones has words to say about that analogy

 

Thank you, corrected.

Yes.

No, they're far less evil. While they do routinely carry out horrifying experiments on members of alien species, they do the same to other dominators and they seldom wipe species out.

 

chose -> choose

 

Thank you, corrected.

 

I think an argument for going after the Dominion or other 'bad' polities before Apokalips can be made just on practical grounds, since attacking Darkseid would be a vast escalation in a lot of ways, at least if I understand things properly (I'd say Apokalips has better tech and capabilities but the Reach just take up a vaster amount of space). Better to spend your time recuperating and going after small targets while building up or rebuilding your power base.
Would Maltusians consider actively intervening/going into combat themselves against Apokaliptians? I know the GLC lost when they fought, but don't know if the Guardians directly took to the field or anything. Surely none of the Maltusian factions we've seen wants Darkseid to get the Anti-Life Equation, and while I don't have the knowledge to directly compare them, if they're willing to collaborate and possibly mobilize against the potential threat of the Anti-Monitor, they might do the same to prevent Darkseid from getting what he wants. I don't know a lot of general Maltusian history or attitudes regarding the New Gods in the comics though (besides the Quintessence I guess, but I know Zoat isn't doing that).

If someone did attack Apokalips though, would the nominal peace treaty between it and New Genesis mean that the latter would be obligated to help or anything? I don't know if the treaty was ever fully articulated in any comic or something.

Is there a Paul in the Justice League: Gods and Monsters universe? I remember this being discussed before but not what the answer was, sorry. Darkseid went out like a punk there but it was Highfather killing him, so it's easier to stomach even if it didn't look particularly impressive.

Paragon mentions people can theoretically use more than one emotion/color at the same time, though I don't think he's exactly dual-wielded different colors of ring himself. Renegade uses more than one color, but I think he just switches his emotional focus from moment to moment. I know Paragon justified not trying for white light manipulation or something along those lines when he was trying to get his enlightenment back, but it really is a good idea for him to practice simultaneous power ring usage- maybe not now, but at some point in the near future.
In a similar vein, can Maltusians who've bonded themselves to one light make a new bond to a different one? A Guardian said there are ways to work around their bond to the green light, but that's probably less intense than what I'm proposing. If someone wants to aim for white light manipulation or bonding, which we know/assume is possible, I assume that requires harmonizing all the colors, so to me it makes sense for a being to (theoretically) bond to multiple lights, even if it's quite difficult in practice.

Do we know how many people besides Doctor Mist have white enlightenment? I think Paragon's looked at his soul and I've probably discussed Mist as a power ring candidate at some point, but working on tapping into the emotional spectrum via magic might be possible. There are multiple colors on Earth right now that he could maybe work with. I don't know if Ghi'ata would be knowledgeable enough to recognize white light enlightenment if she met him, though if Weaponer Lysis's sensors can pick up the Inspector's red-enlightenment, I don't think it's out of the question.