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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. Sceptic

    Sceptic Critical Irrationalist

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    Arguably they're doing a decent job, though. Nobody's stolen the Universe yet. :p
     
  2. Zig

    Zig Not too sore, are you?

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    Where's the line where it becomes a transaction? For example, "have sex with me or I'll kill you, your choice" is a transaction of your life for sex. Is that not rape? Over on this side of the pond, "have sex with me or I'll fire you" isn't that different.
     
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  3. Stsword

    Stsword Versed in the lewd.

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    I feel the need to reduce points for how many times the universe has been destroyed under their watch though.
     
  4. Sceptic

    Sceptic Critical Irrationalist

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    They're Guardians of the Universe, not Protectors of the Universe.
     
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  5. Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

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    Thank you, corrected.
    [​IMG]
     
  6. Maxx Crowley

    Maxx Crowley I trust you know where the happy button is?

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    And he casually ripped the heart out of someone who tanked everything Red-Paul threw at her, including the ultra destructive blood beam.

    I mean, I get that is how battles can go. It just makes the last few updates feel pointless. Like wow Black lantern! Imagine the interac-annnnd he's dead.
     
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  7. Sceptic

    Sceptic Critical Irrationalist

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    Robots are probably his worst match-up. No heart to be ready for harvesting. And he started off dead, I doubt he's actually gotten more dead - probably just out of ring charge.

    That said, yes, it would have been nice to have him around a bit longer. Maybe next time.
     
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  8. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

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    Remember that he may not have overpowered her, but just that the black light is capable of harming her while the red light can't, at least not to the level that it can kill her.
    Plus he surprised her.

    The First of the Fallen killed his two former counterparts in the Triumvirate not by overpowering them, but by using their weaknesses as demons against them.
     
    Last edited: Apr 17, 2020
  9. Zig

    Zig Not too sore, are you?

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    Yeah the show definitely made it worse, especially since it was just The Deep involved, and she had already gotten the job, and The Deep is shown to be lying about his ability to get her fired if she doesn't blow him.
     
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  10. Mquz

    Mquz Versed in the lewd.

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    I mean, it’s better for the organization as a whole
     
  11. Ngamer11

    Ngamer11 Experienced.

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    I don't remember where it was, but when I asked before, you said Saul was able to prevent Silver Kincaid's suicide and lead an attack against the G-men. This lead to Saul taking care of the preschoolers there. So Saul should live with the Super Duper, Pre-Wiz, maybe Silver Kincaid if she didn't quit the costume, maybe that Iron Man Expy with a brain tumor, and is friends with Starlight.

    I want to see them interact with Red and the realization that there are real superheroes in the multiverse.
     
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  12. Ace Dreamer

    Ace Dreamer Questioning The Nature of our Realities

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    If you want to know where Butcher and The Boys are coming from, looking at what Garth Ennis has published is worth it - Preacher, Hellblazer, Judge Dredd, definitely all sweetness-and-light stuff.

    Supers are well up there in the 'personal power', 'can you use it responsibly?' stakes. A definite weakness of humans is a tendency towards abuse-of-power, power which is only valid in a different context being used in the wrong one - some might get philosophical and claim this comes from 'inappropriate generalising', or 'poor meta logic'.

    So, 'power relationships'; hope your supers have paid attention in the intro 'Supers Morals & Ethics 101' course. Ennis has written Punisher, though crime rather than broken supers is his area, even if you equipped him with a Red ring on one hand, and a Green ring on the other; Punisher coming calling... And, if he fails, there's always another 'tidy-up' character, Fury...
     
    Last edited: Apr 17, 2020
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  13. jonasquinn

    jonasquinn I trust you know where the happy button is?

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    In my opinion the The Boys show is infinitely better than the comics

    The show managed to convey the fact that superpowered people are still people and just as liable to be corrupt as anyone else, be that through perversion, addiction, sociopathy or just being ground down by exposure to said corruption and that fighting said corruption would be hard, painful and bloody and that those fighting it are just as likely to become corrupt in their own way

    The comics just had almost everyone with superpowers be either an idiot, a monster or a combination of the two, went for sheer shock value and made its protagonists completely unlikeable for the most part
     
  14. Maxx Crowley

    Maxx Crowley I trust you know where the happy button is?

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    Its Garth Ennis. A man so grim with derp that you just have to wonder how his interviews go.

    Marvel/DC: "So...what do you bring to the table that would work in our land of Super-powered fiction?"

    Ennis: "I FOOKING HATE SUPERHEROS!"

    Marvel/DC: "......Hire this man!"
     
  15. Bramble Thorn

    Bramble Thorn Verified Silhouette

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    Well, the first time you could just assume he interviews well. Like a prospective babysitter/nanny that loathes children, but is able to keep their mouth frothing hate in check until they have been hired and the parents have left the room.

    But after he started accumulating a published body of work... yeah.
    Either the people hiring him to write comics didn't read comics themselves, or had themselves come to hate the industry themselves...

    Or maybe it was outside factors unrelated to competency as whatever they official role of his job was.
    Or to use a quote 3rd Rock from the Sun, "Everyone knows he got to be the Big Giant Head by kissing the big giant butt."

    Which is always a possible explination for why someone who shouldn't have gotten their job, did.
     
  16. Cuchulin

    Cuchulin Versed in the lewd.

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    I haven't seen either, but I do know that a lot of characters in the boys were MIND NUMBINGLY STOOOOPID!! Like much of Vought-American and especially who ever thought Vic the Veep was a good idea.
     
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  17. jonasquinn

    jonasquinn I trust you know where the happy button is?

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    I would absolutely recommend the show, it's pretty great

    If you do watch it you don't really need to read the comics, just imagine if they took everything in the show way too far and half the characters were mentally retarded and you basically get the gist of them
     
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  18. Xelloss

    Xelloss Know what you're doing yet?

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    Didn't read nor watched the Boys.
    But from what you people describe, it looks like Quid Pro Quo Sexual Harassment rather than Rape.
    Which is still wrong, and very illegal.
     
  19. Threadmarks: Repetition (part 19)
    Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

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    22nd April 2011
    23:03 GMT -5


    The lead fire fighter looks at me with… Not fear exactly, but he's certainly… Nervous. I smile warmly, and there's a look of recognition in his eye as he spots my ring.

    "Indigo Lantern. Didn't recognise you without the tassels."

    "That's… Something I wear for photographs."

    Though the urban camouflage which Thomas Koche from Red River suggested would have been nearly as bad, just from the opposite direction.

    "Are your..? Team…"

    I glance upward as Sarah -who abandoned the name 'Ladyfold' as soon as she could complete the paperwork- ushers residents out through an upper window, heading down a ladder which until a few minutes ago was her team mate Klanker. He's come on in leaps and bounds since we've been working together.

    "Will be getting out of your way, saving that you think we can be useful."

    I could deal with this myself. And it's… Hard, not to. People are afraid and in danger, but… Not only do the children need to prove themselves like this, other people need to know that there are superhumans other than me who are capable of acting to serve the greater good. Not just normal humans; people didn't stop getting super powers just because Vought-American American Consolidated became the most hated company on the planet. And… Scary though it is to be inside a burning building, I'm tracking everyone inside and there's no reason to believe that everyone won't get out.

    Shadow phases through a wall, two small children clasped to her side. Altering the nerves she uses to trigger her ability was a little awkward, but all it needs now is that she presses her right thumb to her right palm, rather than… What it was before. I spot her open her hand and then push the children away from her in Charlotte and Bobby's direction before closing her hand again and darting back inside.

    "You got an idea where there's still people inside?"

    I create a three dimensional model with small dots marking their locations. Black Hole and Kid Camo -having at long last learned that they don't need to use their powers where there isn't an immediate need- are doing door to door and herding people towards the front door. They should be coming out-.

    There's a small cheer from the crowd as the front doors open again and the residents begin pouring out. My two young colleagues are dressed similarly to myself; there's a clear visual link to their superhero costume but it isn't a costume. It's stab resistant, insulated and contains a gas mask.

    "Looks like it's clear-." He turns away as the fire engine's ladder and hose are brought to bear. "Fifth floor, Steve! Fifth floor!"

    Steve the Hose Operator nods and waves as the ladder extends.

    "You need to warn Stool Shadow?"

    "No, she's trained in how to deal with this sort of situation."

    Actually, once we built up her confidence in her own abilities a little-. A lot, and after I repaired the effects of her mother's substance abuse upon her brain, she was a natural. I worried that I might need to make some sort of clothing out of her cloned skin or something, but it turns out that she can actually phase with a significant amount of additional mass.

    "Always wondered about that name…"

    "The… Original idea from the marketing department was that she would conceal herself and listen in to criminal conversations… In the sense of being a stool pigeon." He nods. "But it turns out that doing that wasn't really practical and people… Misunderstood the name-. You should have heard some of the ridiculous things people came up with." He nods again, then awkwardly looks away. "And with the previous Shadow being executed, after… What happened in Washington-" Another nod. "-there wasn't any reason not to change it to something which made more sense."

    It wasn't that. When I became de facto team manager I was given access to the full files. The document -the single page- which contained the entire discussion on her nom de héroïque made it clear that their attitude was 'she's a shit hero who activates her power by shitting, let's not waste time with someone nobody cares about'.

    I had a word about their attitude with the new head of Superhuman Development. I've been reassured that in future members of that department will put a little more effort into things. And I will be checking that.

    The water blasts out of the hose, punching through the window and beginning the process of soaking the building's interior. Sarah takes the ladder down as soon as the last evacuee has reached the ground. The building is… Mostly evacuated, and Shadow is heading towards the last few inhabitants. Might be safer for them to stay where they are, actually. This isn't a huge fire, and the building is reasonably up to code.

    Once Sarah reaches the ground, she raps her knuckles against Klanker's third rung in the pre-arranged 'tap tap, tap tap' pattern which he's learned means that he should change back. That was an essential lesson, as he can only turn into iron objects and he'd be both rather heavy and conducts heat dangerously well. He switches back to human form, staggering for a moment before righting himself with a smile.

    "Is there anything else you need us for?"

    The lead fire fighter takes a quick look around, then looks at my construct. Looks like the last few residents have made their way out.

    "This here the bit that's on fire?" I nod. "Then… No, I think we've.. got it covered. Ah. Thank you."

    I give him a small bow as I dismiss my construct. "I'll leave you to it, then. You know where to find us when you need an official statement."

    He nods, then returns his attention to the building as I head over to Charlotte.

    "I think that went well."

    She looks up from the small boy she's reassuring. "Did everyone get out?"

    "We're just waiting for Shadow."

    Her attention immediately turns to the building, even as hot water vapour begins emerging from the middle floors. "Are you tracking her?"

    I smile reassuringly. "Now now, Aunty. You have to let the ducklings swim on their own eventually."

    A minor point of contention between the two of us. Having known that her job was to effectively be a live-in carer, she's… Having trouble adjusting to the fact that they can handle a lot of things for themselves these days. I on the other hand am… Occasionally too enthusiastic about the children's newfound skills. And their psychological ability to handle the stress involved. It.. sort of works when we're.. covering for each other's oversights, and the children themselves accept that we can disagree and still be good friends. But sometimes-.

    Shadow steps out through a second storey wall, drifting to the ground before phasing back in. She's carrying a small bundle-. There weren't any babies-.

    "Doggy!"

    The small dog Shadow was carrying perks up at hearing its master, jumps off Shadow and dashes across the tarmac to jump at him and bark excitedly. Shadow pulls off her mask, smiling as she heads over to us at a more sedate pace.

    "Shadow." Charlotte puts her hands on her hips. "It was very nice of you to rescue that dog, but you're not supposed to put yourself at risk when you do this."

    "We weren't near the fire. He just got shut in and couldn't find his way out."

    Charlotte can't quite maintain her stern expression in the face of Shadow's earnest desire to help. She exhales, bowing her head. "Alright then." Shadow beams. "Team!? We're leaving, now."

    Black Hole and Kid Camo turn away from the people they were talking to. I smile. It's not all that long ago that people wouldn't have dared speak to a superhero, but patience, hard work and a moderate media presence have gradually won people-.

    On the other side of the crowd I catch sight of a limousine containing our American Consolidated contact. She nods approvingly at me, then turns away and winds the passenger window up.



    I turn around, smiling at the team.

    "Yes, let's be off."
     
    Last edited: Apr 22, 2020
  20. RichardWhereat

    RichardWhereat Aia airëa Fëanáro.

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    I liked this Iaul. He had the best anti-suicide speech. Straight out of sexy losers.

    Wonder how sick OhEl will be when he shows up.
     
  21. doug89

    doug89 Versed in the lewd.

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    Oh damn, did this Paul end up in "The Boys"?
     
  22. RichardWhereat

    RichardWhereat Aia airëa Fëanáro.

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    Yeah, hes the guy who, last time, said he'd rape the corpse of the vought official after she kills herself, and then prettify it up for her family.
     
  23. Ganurath

    Ganurath Apologizes For Nothing

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    Yeah, he's the one who talked some corporate lady out of killing herself after her company's misconduct was exposed... by promising to have sex with her corpse after she was dead.
     
  24. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

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    She was a cynical corporate woman, all the other ways of convincing her not to commit suicide would not have worked on her, so a new method was needed.

    Like in that Key and Peele skit with the telemarketer, sometimes a unusual method is required to get results.
     
  25. Queshire

    Queshire Not too sore, are you?

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    Mhmm. Yep. While Indigo addressed the in universe marketing here, don't forget that there was someone in real life who had to come up with those characters first. =_=
     
  26. doug89

    doug89 Versed in the lewd.

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    Last edited: Apr 18, 2020
  27. Handlewithcare

    Handlewithcare Versed in the lewd.

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    Yay for making things better!

    Which, given the fucked up-ness of the Boys Universe, unfortunately doesn't say much...
     
  28. Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

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  29. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

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    'has reached' not 'has reach'

    Hey Zoat aside from the Lanterns we saw in the April Fools episodes has paragon seen the other versions, like Sybarite and Common Sense?
     
  30. Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

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    Thank you, corrected.
    Yes.
     
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