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

The fact that we're exploring American conceptual metaphysics and Memorial Day is in a couple days?

Chef's kiss.

 

And this is why Alan is awesome.

Hehe, even the Vulture of Freedom, who's whole thing is happily stripping the bodies of others, has to admit Paul's threat was good.

Oh boy, those will be both scary and annoying.

I imagine conceptional being of disinformation or something is in there somewhere.

Will be neat to see Paul and Alan try to out dirty the literal embodiments of dirty.

Listen to Alan here Paul, unless you want to get motivation to mass mind control a whole country.

I bet if Rocket were here she would happily search out and beat up the embodiment of racism or something, consequences be damned.

 

I'm starting to worry about Alan being susceptible to being influenced while he's stuck here. He's a classic icon of American super culture, and part elemental to boot. Is it possible for Smiley to corrupt him given sufficient time and exposure?

 

Is that misquote intentional because Alan doesn't memorize it?

It's nice to see a reminder that, although Paul can go a bit too far sometimes, he's the pragmatic one who realizes when something might be more complicated than at first glance. In order words, he's not some single-minded "Righteous Face Puncher".

I also like seeing Paul's ruthless side, especially when the people he's going against realize that he's complete serious and will go through with whatever he threatened to do.

 

I see that OL has encountered a true Vulture Capitalist. Now if only he wasn't lying about only eating things that were already dead or dying.

 

A soul made of hope will probably make him resistant to corruption, and his will certainly isn't any weaker than it was before.

 

And this is why Alan should follow LePaul around everywhere he goes...

 

I say go wild with the fixing.

Paul is all about managed risk to improve after all.

Summon Eris. Call upon Plutos and Hermes to deal with the literal embodiment of economy corrupted.

Go full ham!

RIGHTEOUSLY PUNCH CORRUPTION ITSELF IN THE FACE!

ANY RESULTING ISSUES ARE FUTURE PAUL'S PROBLEM!

MUAHAHAHA!!! > : )

 

Start fixing things and cleaning house until they kick him and Alan out for causing a disturbance.

 

I have a plan. First, we get a female eagle and introduce her to Freedom Eagle. Then we take:

1. some of their fresh eggs,
2. the world’s most Pro-Freedom incubator ever designed (down to the smallest part),
3. a time-distortion chamber for rapid aging,
4. and a lifetime supply of pro-science propaganda movies for the developing chicks.
5. We release the aged eagles in Anti-Heartland with some drone bodyguards.

Repeat until the Anti-Heartland has been converted to new, wiser, bird overlords. Repeat for each of these USA-derived pocket realms the Yankees spawn through their holiday rituals.

 

Why even have that laying around anyway? Aesthetics? Or is it just the Smiling Bastard flexing his power over things? At any rate, looks like Roger's in no shape to be leading them anywhere, no matter how free of this place he might want to be...

Spoiler: Commentary spoilered for length

Sadly more accurate, I bet. Such is the Grinning Fucker's way.

Just in case it's the blood of people who ask questions like that?

After all, if the blood's fresh, whatever killed the corpse is probably still there, eating its fill. And not interested in company.

Okay, gender is irrelevant, I'm gonna call you Gordon.

Roger, please, keep the frenzied ranting to a minimum, this is no time to be irrational. Save that for later, when you're celebrating your escape with pi.

That's impossible, methinks. More important is whether the longer you stay here, the more muck will get stuck to you. Especially with OL's soul-feeding tattoos.

Two sides to every coin, Alan. Can't have light without dark. Hope may shine bright, but it also casts long shadows...

If it does, do you want to be the one to find out?

Yeah, you of all people know how dark things can get.

Improvements made in the name of self-defence, if anything.

Ah, not so eager to hang around now you know they're on the Yellow-faced Asshole's shit list, huh?

...Unless someone else with more metaphysical oomph can kick the door in...

To be fair, he has good reason to worry. What's his being here doing to the Heartlands, I wonder? Will a new Eagle have appeared, or will things slowly be getting less 'free' out there?

Because Alan is one of the few you'd expect to be able to keep up on that stuff. And not just because of his ring.

Like he'd allow that, ever. Can't maintain the status quo if someone's dropping safe flying cars or magic cell phones on the country.

Or even... What if the real Sam is in here somewhere, laying asleep in an alley while street punks carrying gasoline and a lighter eye him up? (And yes, that happens in the 'U.S.' mini-series.)

Ah, one word with so many subtle shadings.

Yeah, if you wanna compete in a dick-waving contest of Gods, OL has you beat on that front.

No need to mention that he's a God. Let that be a surprise for the Round-faced Prince if he ever tries anything.

Heck, she's deeply Orange anyway, given her nature smacks of avaricious greed.

God only knows how that looks in this place. Fake Sam sitting on a throne of TVs playing news reports and mind-numbing pap? (Also a thing from the 'U.S.' series. Seriously, read it if you cam.)

What's more disturbing is that he felt the need to disguise himself.

Well, sounds like a place to start holding people up by the feet and shaking them until they agree to help...

Ah, the literal embodiments of 'Screw The Rules, I Have Money!'

Or by playing a game they can't even comprehend, perhaps? Though that would take some doing.

Well, we know OL can be vicious in the name of expediency.

...Seriously? OL, focus.

See, this is what you need, OL. someone who can keep you on task when your curiosity gets out of hand.

Well, this promises to be a wild ride. The Lanterns, working their way out of a dark reflection of a nation's psyche. Complete with beleaguered escortee to protect (the American Eagle, who's going to need some therapy once they get out, I think.) A dour, sarcastic local providing running commentary. And watching them, the dark Prince ruling the demiplane, laughing his ass off as he places down obstacle after obstacle in their path...

 

Oh yeah there's definitely something messing with Paul's priorities

 

I wonder if going into the avarice subspace thingie could spill over and damage the entire thingie ? Because that sounds like massive problems.

 

Minorities, I bet its minorities

 

Or maybe the Badlands automatically changes to reflect the worst parts of America.

Naming the scumbag bird after a scumbag corporate bastard.

Yeah, if he's killed then who knows what that'll do to the concept of Freedom in America.

He might have done it for matephysical reasons or because he finds it funny to dress up as a guy responsible for freeing slaves while he would enslave everyone.

 

It's going to be hard to out-greed an avarice elemental...

 

If something that happened in 1938-1945 can be a "Ban Without Warning" Rule 8 violation because it still being talked about makes it current politics, then something that happened in 1619 is also a Rule 8 violation if a 2019 media/education project makes it current politics.

1640 would be a more suitable date because that is when Virginia first changed from 'Indentured Servitude' to 'Slavery For Life', or 1662 when they made slave status inherited.

 

Funnily enough the bald eagle is also a scavenger.

"He is a bird of bad moral character; like those among men who live by sharping and robbing, he is generally poor, and often very lousy." - some dude named Franklin in 1784

 

Thank you, corrected.

Well done. Glad to have you back.

 

I have no idea what that is. On an unrelated and far more important note, in four days Britain and the rest of the Commonwealth celebrate having the same Head of State for 70 years.

I use to think that the thing about her being undead was a joke, then I found out that she rides a fell pony.

Yes.

The way I see it, I'll follow the rules. If the moderators choose not to, well... There's always Frozen in Carbonite.

 

Mr Zoat is Barry still on leave from the JL and does he have any plans to return soon or is he solely focusing on getting better?

 

Wow, even in another realm, Paul is still affected by the OCD spell.

 

I haven't really thought about it.

 

"If it was weak enough to be eaten, then it was dying, even if it didn't know it yet. Actually it's better if no one else knew it yet, because then you don't have to deal with competition."

 

I'm both interested in the implications and a tad nervous at the implementation. We shall see how this goes!

 

...Vulture Capitalist. Excellent punning.

Paul does have limits and forethought! Though aww, Alan wanting to make things better. That would be especially interesting since Alan's been alive through all the events that happened from World War 2 to the modern day- Alan probably is old enough to remember American fascists marching in Madison Square Garden.

Oh yeah, happy Platinum Jubilee.

 

Shorting assets is good for an economy though? It provides an economic incentive to reduce the price of an asset, which helps prevent bubbles. Part of the reason why the housing market is basically always in a bubble is that houses can't be shorted.

 

Reminder that Paul was severely impacted by the 2008 financial crisis to the point he couldn't hold physical money.

 

I totally meant to do that.

Did you know that, because of the British Union of Fascists, it is still illegal to protest in uniforms in Britain?

 

The technical term is "Bureau-Rectifying Method"