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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. Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

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    He was mentally emphasising the two parts separately.
     
  2. Signaller

    Signaller Know what you're doing yet?

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    Zoat, I've been meaning to ask for a while - are each of the Common Sense sections in a single continuity, or are they separate branches from the main Paragon timeline?
     
  3. moralrelativity

    moralrelativity Recovering pendant.

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    runes -> runs ?
    up -> us ?
     
  4. Chojin Patriarch

    Chojin Patriarch Veteran Lurker

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    It's probably a very good thing she's unlikely to say the trigger phrase by accident. Otherwise she'd be very, very confused. And I would not be surprised if Castle Grayskull had some measure of self-repair facility about it. After all, it's the grand repository of all magical knowledge, or at least what King Grayskull had gathered.

    Heh, the almighty Jan-i-tor. :p Blessed with the power to clean messes with inhuman speed, no matter how large or disgusting!

    Thank goodness for the ally on the inside. Can you imagine the mayhem if she'd met the Sorceress first?

    Well, at least she recognises the name. It would be damn embarrassing if she'd never heard of Skeletor.

    Ah, a half-truth. Classic 'lying without lying' trick. because she probably has a geas of truthfulness on her...

    No doubt. Logical enough that there'd be a link between sword and castle, capable of working across realms.

    Oooh-kay. Also logical, since she's in unknown territory with people claiming to be friendly.

    Because of course he renamed her after kidnapping her. What better revenge on Grayskull's line than to subvert it? Better than having her running around as 'Adorable-' ...Sorry, 'Adora'.

    Yeah, best to play dumb, bow and scrape, until you can get a message out to the Sorceress. She probably won't enjoy having her nookie time interrupted, though...

    That's... Concerning. But at least he isn't free. No doubt working through cyborg-clone avatars.

    The joy of having to rely on spotty memories of the eighties series. Especially if you weren't a fan of the 'girl He-Man show'...

    Oh, that's not the reaction of someone fanatically loyal. No, that's someone doing some interesting math and finding something she believed doesn't add up.

    I see someone's been wondering where she came from.

    Heh. Not quite the same as the original series' reveal, but I doubt Prince Adam could be here for this, what with the partying going on.

    Oh, yes, she recognises that name. What's the bet she's been eavesdropping on Shadow Weaver chatting with Hordak about something.

    Damn, she's stuck on the 'I'm not who I thought I was' thing. Pity percussive maintenance isn't an option.

    Uh, well, about that... Hordak isn't the best recruiter of local talent...

    Sometimes, you got to call an idiot an idiot.

    Ah, dumb muscle. Or so she'd appear, I guess.

    Oh, thank goodness for happy accidents.

    So for all she knows, the shockwave of transit levelled the room. We can but hope.

    ...Also, she doesn't know how to return? :p Not that she'd admit that to strangers.

    Ah, good, a chance to call for backup. Boy, the Sorceress is going to be pissed. She was so set on ruining Duncan's bedsheets. And maybe the bedframe, too. x3

    I'm sure your innate sneakiness can help you sort this put, Lantern. (And damn, I keep wanting to hyphenate it as Lan-Tern...)

    Well, off to call for help. Let's hope they don't come in all guns blazing. Maybe they can play 'flunky' long enough for Adam to meet her and use that familial connection to, I don't know, shake off the Horde conditioning? On the other hand, no matter how this turns out, I don't think the Sorceress is ever going to trust Lantern with the Castle again anytime soon... Even if this wasn't his fault.


    "Your armour appears…" Evelyn runs her eyes over Despara's armour.
    "Then what are your intentions?
     
    Last edited: Feb 28, 2022
  5. BR549

    BR549 This is filth! FILTH!!

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    "Castle Greyskull was on fire, and it wasn't my fault..."
     
  6. Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

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    A single continuety.
    Thank you, corrected.
    You aren't familiar with the expression 'meet up'?
    Thank you, corrected.
     
  7. BrotherofaStudio

    BrotherofaStudio Know what you're doing yet?

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    So it is Adora, well this will be interesting. Paul and Evelyn figured out a plan and got into character pretty quickly, I hope it works and that Adora will wind up working with them. Any other alternates you're planning on and are willing to reveal?
     
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  8. Pinklestia

    Pinklestia Well worn.

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    Hace you seen the new series? You know were Keldor gets offered either the Sword Of Power the cursed staff of Havok without being told the staff was cursed? The Sorceress is not beyond using trickeryif it suits her.

    After all Keldor was a sorcerer, even if he wasn't evil already he would have picked the magic staff.
     
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  9. Doccer

    Doccer I trust you know where the happy button is?

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    I am very glad we aren't getting time skips about this.

    Are you trying to do a star trek thing?
    You have got to tease her relentlessly later. At the first opportunity.. It's required.
     
  10. BrotherofaStudio

    BrotherofaStudio Know what you're doing yet?

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    I am glad for not skipping as well and yes, Paul needs to tease her about this at a later date.
     
  11. Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

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    No, I'm trying to keep my modern writing good.
     
  12. Coda

    Coda Versed in the lewd.

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    she hit last time
     
  13. moralrelativity

    moralrelativity Recovering pendant.

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    Of course I am. I just thought there was a possiblity that there was another typo and you meant 'us'. Hence my use of the question mark indicating that it could go either way.
     
  14. Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

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    Thank you, corrected.
     
  15. Cuchulin

    Cuchulin Versed in the lewd.

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    A Dresden Files He Man crossover? Ok, I can roll with it.
     
  16. Doccer

    Doccer I trust you know where the happy button is?

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    I've gotta start waiting till I'm fully awake. I thought for sure I typed star wars!
     
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  17. Threadmarks: Versus the Rake Men (part 5)
    Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

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    21st year of the reign of King Randor I
    Season of Chill
    307th day, 16th bell


    The Basophil amulet glows as it sustains the simple levitation spell I've cast to carry my load.

    One staff, temporarily bequeathed to me by Sorceress Teela Na.

    Another staff, this one topped with a crystal ball which allows her to call upon 'blue crystal magic', a title which makes me long for some sort of guide to pre-invasion magic use. Is the colour coding significant? Is it a matter of authorisation to use part of a planet's magic system? Does the colour indicate that they're better at certain tasks but the energy field itself is undifferentiated? Are there racks of crystals sitting somewhere, ready for use?

    One plate of pastries and another of fresh fruit. I have no idea where Teela Na gets them from. The forest outside of Castle Grayskull does contain some fruiting trees, but nothing like enough to sustain the larder I visited. She hasn't shown me any sort of hydroponics system, so maybe there's a matter re-sequencer of some sort? If she was just conjuring it she wouldn't bother building up a store…

    And the device Teela Na attached to Evelyn's staff to neutralise it, which I'm going to drop off there, just outside of the library, because I might want to grab it again really quickly.

    I knock, though I know perfectly well what they're doing and what they've been talking about. Evelyn's plan appears to involve me -as the total unknown- staying in the background as a subservient character while she takes point.

    "Come!"

    I gesture with my right hand and the door opens, allowing me to walk in, calling Evelyn's staff into my left hand. The two of them are sitting at the table I was occupying, Despara's helmet laying next to her right elbow and her face. Blonde, short-cropped hair and brilliant blue eyes are accentuated by dark eyebrows and a black curve painted along the bottom of her eye orbits. I think the Ancient Egyptians did that to reduce the effect of the sun's glare. Perhaps the part of Etheria where she was stationed was equatorial?

    "Polished up nicely, Evil-Lyn."

    And just in case, I did actually polish it.

    She glances at me from the corner of her eye, then raises her right hand and summons it to her in a flicker of purple light. She catches it without looking, briefly makes the head glow and then lowers it to lean against the table, her left hand resting against the shaft.

    I take the opportunity to sit down next to her, though I note that she put the staff on the opposite side from me. A wave of my right forefinger and the plates deposit themselves on the table between them.

    Despara regards the pastry selection blankly. Alright, her armour probably has all kinds of protective enchantments on it, but now that her helmet is just sitting on the table the seal to the interior has been broken. The air of this room should now contain just enough dead skin cells and hairs for me to be able to read her genetic code

    Match found.

    So unless she's a clone or Hordak's genetic engineering technology is a lot more advanced than anything I've seen -and given that Sir Duncan didn't know what a gene was until I told him I rather doubt that- then this is indeed Princess Adora of Eternos. And her armour didn't appear to detect my scan, which is nice to know.

    Evelyn picks up the bread roll that had Adora's attention. "It's not poisoned, if that's what you're worried about."

    "What is it?"

    "Bread. Ground grains mixed with yeast and water and then baked in an oven."

    "And you eat it?"

    Evelyn raises her eyebrows slightly, then tears off part of the soft roll and puts it into her mouth.

    I nod. "Yes, Force Captain. Bread is a very common foodstuff in this part of Eternia. Most farmers bake their own, and any settlement of any size will have at least one baker. Hordak's horde does not?"

    "We eat ration bars, made in the Vittles Factory."

    I shake my head. "Eternia lacks the technology to produce nutritious ration bars. It's usually easier for armies to carry flour, jam, sausage… Easily portable preserved food, and feed on that. Or to provision themselves through forage. Though with an army of any size, that can rapidly starve a region."

    "The logistics must be complicated."

    I nod. "Hordak's horde did a number on the place. Even paved roads are something of a rarity. Much of what was once farmland has returned to nature."

    Her eyes narrow. "You speak treason!"

    I shrug. "Hardly. I'm sure that Hordak had a plan for the place, and starving an enemy is usually more efficient than meeting them with equal force in the field. I merely observe that moving an army is easier in a place with good infrastructure. Or with a way to supply by air."

    I gesture to the pile of books still on the table.

    "I was attempting to study Hordak's invasion, to learn from his example. Sadly, few quality records survived. Does the horde have better records?"

    Adora appears to have calmed slightly. "Not that I have seen."

    "That's a shame. It's usually worth knowing what hasn't gone according to plan in the past in order to avoid repeating those mistakes. Well!" I reach over and pick up a fruit that looks like a cross between an apple and a passion fruit. "Perhaps -time permitting- I could ask Hordak himself for his recollections at some point in the future. I'm sure that future generations would benefit from his wisdom."

    I bite down and… Yes, pleasant taste, kind of messy. Puts me a little in mind of a peach in that regard, except that rather than dribbling juice it dribbles seed-rich slime.

    Evelyn finishes her roll and reaches out to push the plate a little closer to Adora.

    "Are you sure that you're not hungry?"

    I nod, lowering the dripping fruit from my mouth and swallowing. "If this is a trust issue, I'll gladly eat a bit of whatever you're worried I might have poisoned."

    Adora stares at me for a moment, then grabs a roll apparently at random and tears it in half, hard crust cracking and depositing fragments onto the surface of the table. She looks at the soft interior for a moment and then awkwardly bites at it as if the crust was an inedible fruit skin and only the interior was for eating. Her chewing motion is a little awkward, which… Would make sense if she's really been subsisting on ration bars for her entire life.

    Though from the way she's chomping it down as if she's afraid that someone will take it away from her, I would guess that the experience is a pleasant one.

    I take another bite of fruit as Evelyn leans forward. "Have you been to Eternia before, Force Captain?"

    Adora needs a moment to swallow, and I notice Evelyn looking my way out of the corner of her eye again. I nod, apparently to myself, and Evelyn returns her full attention to Adora.

    "No. I was born in the Whelping Chambers in Hordak's domain on Etheria. I have spent my entire life until this day on Etheria."

    "Are you certain?"

    Adora's eyes narrow for a moment, before putting the crust down and grabbing a fruit a little like a small pineapple.

    "Yes. Shadow Weaver told me, and so it is true."

    "Could not she be mistaken? Forgive me if I'm wrong, but a place called a 'Whelping Chamber' hardly sounds like a position of high honour. Would they really bother keeping track of every whelp?"

    "Yes. How else would they judge which bloodlines were worth cultivating, and for what purpose? Though… I suppose that the tracking only starts once they arrive." She looks mystified at the fruit, so I take a small knife out of subspace and offer it to her, grip first. She takes it and cuts into the flesh of the fruit. "What do you think that you know?"

    "You have a certain physical similarity to a local notable. Tell me, Force Captain. Have you heard of He-Man?"
     
    Last edited: Mar 1, 2022
  18. Idkusername

    Idkusername Versed in the lewd.

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    Hilariously broken link.
     
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  19. RichardWhereat

    RichardWhereat Aia airëa Fëanáro.

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    Hey, so, does M'gann actually wear clothes?
     
  20. Citizen

    Citizen Well worn.

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    shown
     
  21. Cuchulin

    Cuchulin Versed in the lewd.

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    I like to think she doesn't. ;)
     
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  22. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

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    'topped with'

    Gotta be careful in case she tries to betray you.

    'Force Captain'

    I'm guessing some if her training involved being starved.

    'Could she not be'

    She wears that red x thing.
     
  23. Stsword

    Stsword Versed in the lewd.

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    Yes, she even hooked up Beast Boy so his clothes shapeshift into a collar when he transforms.

    But as was made evident from Zoat's rendition of that conversation, I wasn't the only one who thought that Megan seemed unconvincing when the boys asked her if she was wearing clothes.

    But it turns out she was indeed telling the truth.
     
  24. SirKaid

    SirKaid Know what you're doing yet?

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    Depending on the activity.
     
  25. Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

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    Thank you, corrected.
    No, that's correct.
     
  26. Doccer

    Doccer I trust you know where the happy button is?

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    And little else mayhaps.
    That's the million dollar question.
     
  27. Chojin Patriarch

    Chojin Patriarch Veteran Lurker

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    And not likely to be shared again anytime soon, if things go poorly. Please tell me you took at least a moment to send a message to certain ears. Because this can still go entirely ploin-shaped. All it takes is one wrong word...

    Easy there, magpie. ...Heh, there's another amusing name that would fit into Eternia or Etheria...

    I'm guessing it's a little too big, or conspicous, to tuck into a sleeve or pants pocket. As for the larder... Who's to say there isn't some spell of endless replenishment on it, that replaces anything taken with an equivalent item within a day.

    So of course you've had a construct ear listening in to every word... Well, I would. Got to be properly paranoid in such a situation.

    Or to look mean and badass. At least it isn't blood-red. Amusingly, she's got shorter hair than her brother.

    ...And here I thought this Paul might be straight. x3 Polishing a wizard's staff and all? Do we need to break out the naughty Discworld shanty?

    Though I have no doubt she's fully aware of the magical leash you're still holding over her.

    Matches that are currently partying in the Eternian royal palace, of course.

    Ah, the old, hokey Filmation animation. That takes me back. I was more of a Transformers fan (still am) but He-man had its charms.

    Let me guess, she's used to bowls of nutrient-laden gruel? If something that pleasant.

    Not always by itself, of course. But best to start the girl out simple before you drop something like jam on her palate.

    Ah. Not nearly as pleasant as gruel, indeed. I bet they quickly developed the consistency of shoe leather, and some of its taste too...

    Oh, you have no idea, honey. Ever heard the saying 'An army marches on its stomach'?

    ...Girl, Hordak left this place. Not willingly, either. Sometimes you lose. Not that Hordak or his chief flunkies would admit to it, I bet.

    True, more than one great tactician noted that the field of battle is the last place you want to be. After all, then the enemy knows where you are.

    But she is a lowly Force Captain. Hardly part of the strategic elite.

    Oh, imagine that reaction.
    :mad: "Hordak makes no mistakes!"
    :p "Then how'd you end up where you are, Big-ears?"

    I'm sure the armour would prevent them hearing the rumbling of her stomach. But the look in her eyes would be unmistakable.

    To be fair, not everybody enjoys eating the crust. Especially young children.

    Hmm... If she's only ever eaten ration bars... I foresee a little bit of gastric discomfort in her future...

    Suuuure you were. Boy, is she in for a surprise.

    :rolleyes: Oh, I'm sure she's always truthful about everything...

    And here we go...

    I rather suspect not, given her probably low rank. Though I wonder how much information Skeletor passed about him back to Hordak... But I'm sure we'll see soon.

    Well, this is the critical moment of the affair. Will she know that name? How will she react if she does? :p Will she be too distracted by the taste of the fruit to answer? I'm sure we'll see soon enough. Let's just hope the fellow in question doesn't barge in the door, sword drawn and expecting the worst. I don't think Adora will take too kindly to that.
     
  28. moralrelativity

    moralrelativity Recovering pendant.

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    be -> me
    their -> there
     
  29. Pinklestia

    Pinklestia Well worn.

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    I think she may have organic clothes that shapechange with her, probably inferior in quality to a Manhunter uniform that do shapechange with the wearer.
     
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  30. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

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    Yeah, it's that red x thing she wears.
     
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