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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. Windona

    Windona Beetle Queen of Crackshipping

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    Yeah, I've seen arguments that labor saving technology also helped with Women's Liberation too. If a year's worth of spinning can be done in a day, then that frees up a year's worth of labor. If cooking doesn't take all day, that frees up a day's worth of labor.

    On the other hand as others pointed out about the cotton gin, well...

    And we're getting off track. Anyone else curious about the long term effects this will have on poor Uncle Sam?
     
  2. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

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    Well seeing as he's now free, I'm betting that he may get back into action and potentially change a lot about American politics and culture.

    Though I am worried about what potential changes the kaahuite could potentially bring.
     
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  3. Mquz

    Mquz Versed in the lewd.

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    Sorry to ask, but a few months ago MrZoat posted a link to a skit on YouTube about Sisyphus in one of his chapters? Any idea where I could find that?
     
  4. Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

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    This one?
     
  5. Windona

    Windona Beetle Queen of Crackshipping

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    Yeah, the Kaahuite is a wild card. That's what concerns me.
     
  6. Mquz

    Mquz Versed in the lewd.

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    Thank you
     
  7. Coda

    Coda Versed in the lewd.

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    Perhaps so, but the other part of the correction was still valid -- "you" instead of "your".

    American, so "defense"

    "struck"



    Getting an accurate read on the motivations behind the Civil War in the 21st century is difficult because of the political implications on current issues. But in truth, humans were no different then than they are now. Yes, it was about slavery, but it wasn't about slavery. Yes, it was about states' rights, but it wasn't about states' rights.

    It was about "us" versus "them."

    It was, at the core, all about power. It was about the people of one region resenting the way the people of another region wanted to control them. The South was a threat to the North not because of slavery but because they had both the population and the wealth to exercise a TON of political power in the federal government. The North was a threat to the South because they could levy taxes against the massive wealth of the South and use it for their own benefit. The North used slavery as a way to claim the moral high ground. The South used states' rights as a way to claim the moral high ground. But if you look at history, how often are nations actually honest about their casus belli instead of coming up with an acceptable justification for their existing desire to wage war?

    Yeah, it's true that there were a lot of blatant racists in the South, but as had already been mentioned in the thread, the North wasn't attacking the South just because slavery was some unforgivably immoral act. The North made a big deal about slavery in their propaganda, because that kept foreign powers from wanting to be seen supporting the South. But slavery wasn't even illegal in the North, and it wasn't even all that unusual for Northerners to own slaves. It just wasn't economically relevant in the North like it was in the South. The South's entire economy was built on slave labor, while in the North slaves were more likely to be house servants.

    The proof that slavery was a propaganda issue more than the true reason for the American Civil War can be seen in the Emancipation Proclamation itself. The Emancipation Proclamation in practice didn't free very many slaves at all! It only applied to states or parts of states who were "in rebellion". It was economic pressure, commanding the Southern states to fall in line with the North's demands or else they would have their economic base ripped out from underneath them. But of course, everyone at the time understood that the South would never accept Lincoln's authority to issue such a proclamation and would therefore not free their slaves. Meanwhile, the rich people in the North were never under any threat of losing their slaves as a result of the proclamation, because they weren't in rebellion.

    But I will reiterate: This isn't to say that the South wasn't full of racist bigots. It certainly was. But the North didn't go to war over racism. They went to war over who would control the government -- the same as the South.
     
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  8. woweed

    woweed Know what you're doing yet?

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    Eh. The North went to war over power, and The South did too. But, for the South, that was a specific power: the power of the White man. Not just maintaining slavery, but maintaining the social hierarchy slavery represented, of the Black Man as inferior to the White man, naturally destined for subordination. While it wasn’t about slavery for the north, it certainly was for the South, in my book.
     
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  9. Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

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    Thank you, corrected.
     
  10. Dur'id the Druid

    Dur'id the Druid Know what you're doing yet?

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    Just to add my 2 cents about full motivations of the Civil War, Harry Turtledove wrote a sci-fi book about a group of time travelers who tried to help the union win. It presented a very realistic version of the South without preaching about good and evil. A great read, and not just because of the subversive presentation of the war, but the story is told by the people who meet the time travelers instead of by them.
     
    kerleth, Xmaster3000 and Cuchulin like this.
  11. Stsword

    Stsword Versed in the lewd.

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    The Corwin Amendment passed congress which stated "No amendment shall be made to the Constitution which will authorize or give to Congress the power to abolish or interfere, within any State, with the domestic institutions thereof, including that of persons held to labor or service by the laws of said State."

    The only reason the 13th amendment doesn't basically proclaim "Slavery now! Slavery forever!" is because that wasn't good enough for the South, they decided to start the American Civil War instead of ratifying iit.

    And yes, they started it. In the so called "War of Northern Aggression," the South fired first.

    But I guess admitting it was really the War of Southern Aggression would have been too honest.

    Personally, I think assuming the leadership of the South cared their fellow whites pretty damn unlikely, considering they started a war that got hundreds of thousands of them killed.

    And if that war hadn't happened, as I've already mentioned, they already had plans to wage wars of conquest to spread slavery.

    The Confederacy instituted the draft. Slave owners were exempt.

    Even southerners knew that the Civil War was a rich man's war, but a poor man's fight.

    Governor Brown of Georgia "I have heard it remarked that this is a rich man's quarrel and the poor man's fight, and that the abolition of slavery would not injure the poor, who are not slaveholders."
     
  12. Cuchulin

    Cuchulin Versed in the lewd.

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    England never had that many slaves on it's shores, but the Empire sure made a lot money off the slave trade and slavery in it's colonies.

    John C. Calhoun of South Carolina, champion of the "states' rights" and one third of the Great Triumvirate/Immortal Trio along with Henry Clay as well as Daniel Webster, asserted that slavery, was not a "necessary evil" but instead was a "positive good" that benefited both slaves and owner. He was also a champion minority rights against majority rule as well as Nullification (which is basically the idea that any one state can overrule/ignore the federal government).
    Basically, he was the grandfather of the confederacy and of Confederate ideology.
     
    Last edited: Jun 9, 2022
  13. Threadmarks: Dear John (part 23)
    Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

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    7th November 2012
    11:20 GMT -5


    Uncle Sam looks awkwardly at Zauriel.

    "I shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, sir."

    "Neither does the Most High. It is possible for an omnipotent being to remove the human capacity for moral failure, and yet the Most High would not countenance it. However, you have recently had considerable exposure to a substance Orange Lantern had called 'ground evil'."

    Uncle Sam pats the left side of his chest with his right hand. "That what it was. Stung a little."

    "I should be able to remove any lingering influence. This is something I offer freely, without requiring that you follow any particular religion or to encourage others to do so."

    "You can?" I smile curiously. "How does that work? I thought that kaahuite accumulated around the one place in creation where God had no presence. That's why it works against angels."

    Zauriel nods solemnly. "Yes, but the rest of Uncle Sam's body does fall within the auspices of Creation. It is simply a matter of excluding everything that I cannot touch."

    I look around at the crowd gathered around the real Washington Monument, being politely encouraged not to approach closer by the local police. I awkwardly wave my right hand, and am greeted by a volley of clicks as tourists from all over make sure to get a picture.

    "Go ahead, then. And make it snappy; I need to haul my ugly brother to jail where he belongs."

    Zauriel nods and screeches a note
    Zauriel nods and screeches a note​
    And it's like the universe skips sideways for a moment. Sam jerks in apparent alarm as a cloud of dust drops out of him, but as far as I can tell he isn't harmed in any way.

    "Allow me."

    A vacuum cleaner construct sucks it all up, and I get to replenish my reserves of kaahuite ammunition.

    Sam nods. "Now, just one thing-"

    The eagle flies out of the still-fuzzy Memorial, hat still in his claws. He slows as he approaches Uncle Sam, backwinging in order to deliver the hat into his outstretched right hand.

    Sam looks at it, frowning.

    "Now, why would anyone want to do a thing like that?" He raps his left knuckles against the stovepipe, causing it to invert once more. He smiles. "Much better. Now."

    He carefully restores the hat to its place upon his head.

    "Is there something I can do for you gentlemen by way of thanks?"

    "Undo whatever Johnny was up to and give Boss Smiley a black eye."

    "I was planning on doing that anyway."

    "The only other thing it… You haven't seen John Constantine, have you?"

    "I can't say I know who that is."

    Drat.

    I sigh. Still, Sam's back and hopefully Boss Smiley is… Whatever he's up to is set back a little.

    Dr. Balewa considers the portal at the Memorial. "Should we not do something about that foul realm, or the beings who live within?"

    Sam shakes his head. "Impossible. Every civilization has its failings. Pretending they're not there doesn't help. No, it's confronting them that reminds you why they have to be fought, and lets you build the will to fight them."

    He scoffs.

    "Hn. Do you really think that killing a bunch of worms would prevent dishonest politicians taking bribes? If it were that simple I'd have done it right at the start."

    "Thet, I understand. But I could seal the doors with stronger bindings than occur naturally. It would prevent a great deal of the leakage thet has been occurring."

    Sam nods. "That doesn't sound-. Do you fellows need to ask Johnny any questions?"

    "Mister Reb, do you know where John Constantine is?"

    He just glowers at me. The gag probably isn't helping, but I doubt that he'd want to share either way.

    And… He's a magical being whose reaction to the orange light I can't reasonably predict, especially given that those chains of his could drain it right out of whatever touched it. And there isn't an urgent need in the way there was with Uncle Sam.

    "His aid will not be necessary. The Demon Constantine became somewhat helpful after you left."

    "You know where John Constantine is?"

    "I believe that I know how to find him."

    "And I doubt that he'll tell us anything about Boss Smiley. I don't have anything. Zauriel?"

    Zauriel walks closer to Johnny Reb. "Would you like me to hear your confession?"

    "'o."

    "Alan?"

    "I just wanna go home and take a shower."

    He flashes blue for a moment, sweat and grime vanishing from his body.

    "Oh. In that case, let's go."

    Sam makes eye contact with Mr. Reb. "I've been out of the loop for half a century, but since we're locking the door anyway, is there a reason we can't just throw him through and forget about him?"

    "It would violate the fifth amendment. We do have a prison for holding magic users, now. Though I admit it would be really convenient."

    Sam smiles. "Time was, folks were a bit more rough and ready about that kind of thing. I approve. If we don't treat everyone equally before the law then we're not better than him." He thinks for a moment. "Though you're right about-."

    A huge talon reaches through the portal, grabbing Johnny Reb and pulling him through!

    "Mwu-?"

    Alan's quickest off the mark but I'm right on his tail as we fly through the portal-.

    Just in time to watch the gigantised vulture peck Mr. Reb's head off.

    She tosses her head back to swallow it, then looks down at us.

    "What? He was defenseless, and I was hungry. And you weren't going to die."

    "That wasn't the point."

    "I'm a scavenger. It's an important part of the ecosystem. I clean things up. And I've got a lot of worms to eat."

    Alan and I look at each other, but I'm not exactly sad that he's finally dead, and I don't want to stay here a moment longer than I have to.

    We walk back through the soon-to-be-locked portal as the vulture throws her head back to swallow the rest of him.
     
    Last edited: Jun 8, 2022
  14. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

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    Welp...that's one way to solve that problem.

    Is this intentional?
     
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  15. Assblaster5000

    Assblaster5000 I trust you know where the happy button is?

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    I... don't entirely know if this is intentional.

    That's
     
  16. BlueMangoAdea

    BlueMangoAdea Alive. For now.

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    *Loads Chekhov's gun.*
     
  17. Handlewithcare

    Handlewithcare Versed in the lewd.

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    Aww, no beatdown :(

    But wait, the Vulture was...what, opportunism? Predatory market practices?

    Why would she kill the worms and Reb?
     
  18. Ngamer11

    Ngamer11 Experienced.

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    I believe it is. Something similar happened when Time Trapper recruited Paul.
     
  19. Z000

    Z000 If this is trash, then find me in the dumpster

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    why not

    every thing is fair game for such practice

    even thing that should be on the same side as you

    cause at the end of the day

    food is food and money is money, who the fuck care where it come from
     
  20. Darth.Bill

    Darth.Bill Versed in the lewd.

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    Everyone: *was just talking about the moral righteousness of due process and taking prisoners*

    Vulture: *summarily executes a prisoner*

    Everyone: "Ehn. Fuck it."
     
  21. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

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    Yeah, I don't think a lot of the things from the Badlands have much loyalty to each other.
     
  22. FeepingCreature

    FeepingCreature Not too sore, are you?

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    I mean, we can interpret the metaphor as capitalists don't exactly have much love for politicians that can't offer them anything. But I think at the end of the day, the vulture was just hungry.
     
  23. Blackshard

    Blackshard ~

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    They're locking the door to the Badlands, so there'll be less crossover between it and the real world. They're doing it for the good effects on the real world, but that goes both ways; less corruption in the real world, less energy flowing to the Badlands, less for the worms to eat, and that means a lot of dead worms. Bad times for the Badlands, but good times for a certain scavenging vulture.

    As for Reb... he was helpless, and his captors didn't really want him, and they weren't about to pick a fight over his corpse after the sneak attack.
     
  24. The Froggy Ninja

    The Froggy Ninja The Blade Will Never Die

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    He moved the universe a foot to the left, thus appearing to dislodge the Kaahuite, as it remained stationary due to its resistance to Theurgy.
     
  25. ForeverShogo

    ForeverShogo Not too sore, are you?

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    If that severely curtailed all that lost causer neo-confederate bullshit, then I don't mind the vulture doing what it just did one bit.
     
  26. oct9010

    oct9010 .

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    What happened to Kennedy, anyway? He kind of disappeared from the narrative after the nuclear football thing.

    Also, why does Paul seemingly know it's suddenly okay to say Boss Smiley's name? The last time Paul did that Smiley showed up in the real world and teleported him into another dimension, no save, no SR. What changed?
     
  27. Darth.Bill

    Darth.Bill Versed in the lewd.

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    Probably the fact that Smiley was already watching and aware of what was happening. There was no point in trying to avoid gaining his attention.
     
  28. Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

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    Yes.
    Ow.
    No, that's correct.
     
  29. Bud-E

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

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    I'm glad the Vulture finally got something to eat. She's been saying she was hungry for a while now.
     
  30. Cherico

    Cherico Connoisseur.

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    and this ends on 1776.

    Brillent
     
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