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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. BR549

    BR549 This is filth! FILTH!!

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    I'm pretty sure there's one set of Endless period. No duplicates, and no avatars.

    Even more so than Darkseid, the Endless are.
     
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  2. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

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    He didn't merge with the Entity, or took any charge with him.

    All he apparently did was alter his soul after watching how the Entity worked.

     
  3. Chaoswind

    Chaoswind Lord of nonsense

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    In with case Time Trapper Paul changes to temporal mechanics have increased their work load exponentially as time line divergences produce new universes... Yeah the endless may not be that happy with Paul, even more so because the energy needed to create these new multiverses comes from the Dreaming... Or at least that was my understanding of the whole situation.
     
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  4. Baladar

    Baladar Know what you're doing yet?

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    The second appearance of one of the Endless. Neat.
     
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  5. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

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    Let's hope that Kori doesn't somehow end up dating Dream.

    She doesn't deserve to deal with the shit he tends to bring to a relationship, or deal with his family.

    She is already related to Kom, she doesn't need anymore crazy relatives.

    Well Death may be a nice friend.
     
    Last edited: Jul 22, 2020
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  6. Agent Orange

    Agent Orange Experienced.

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    What exactly is the relationship between various dream deities and Morpheus? Are they all subordinate to him or are they competition or what? For all we know he might've summoned Melinoe to talk about those TPS reports she failed to file properly or sent her for coffee and doughnuts or something equally innocuous...
     
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  7. Stsword

    Stsword Versed in the lewd.

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    Destruction- "The Endless are merely patterns. The Endless are ideas. The Endless are wave functions. The Endless are repeating motifs. The Endless are echoes of darkness, and nothing more... And even our existences are brief and bounded. None of us will last longer than this version of the Universe." Sandman 48

    Shown in Books of Magic, in which Mr E and Tim Hunter go to the end of the universe, and witness Death claiming the last living being, her brother Destiny.

    [​IMG]

    Now post flashpoint, in the comics that don't exist, Endless reside in the Sphere of the Gods which is multiversal....
     
  8. rkyeun

    rkyeun Cabbitus Maximus

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    Morpheus appears, glances around, and begins, "State your business."
    "We lost a goddess of nightmares in a giant telepathic dream-eating starfish related incident. We were hoping you might know--"
    "That thing's here?! Why would you--"
    Morpheus suddenly fuzzes out, and looks down at his hand in a panic, then disappears.
    "Well, shit. Two for two."
     
  9. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

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    In the comics he was shown as being those dream gods.

    Here they may have a closer relationship with him compared to a god whose domain isn't sleeping or dreaming.
     
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  10. Siskulous

    Siskulous Know what you're doing yet?

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    Is it just me, or shouldn't this always be the first, and obvious, resort when you need a favor from a non-hostile god or god-like entity?
     
  11. Agent Orange

    Agent Orange Experienced.

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    I believe it's called 'common sense'. It's rare IRL but is practically a myth in comicbook verses. Not even SI characters retain it for very long (case in point).
     
  12. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

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    Well except Common Sense Paul.

    I still stand by my idea of him becoming the New God of Common Sense.

    Darkseid will not be able to stand against him.
     
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  13. DrThoth

    DrThoth I trust you know where the happy button is?

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    Something to keep in mind with the original spell that John Dee used to imprison Dream; it's implied that it really wasn't anything special (I think Dream calls it a half-penny spell or hedge magic), it's just that, as Sandman: Overture showed, Dream had just finished rebuilding the universe or something close to it, so he was just super weak at that exact moment (or since time is/was a bit convoluted, the spell may have targeted him at the only possible time he would be susceptible, I'm not sure). A fully restored Dream post-Preludes and Nocturnes probably wouldn't be caught like that, even if Paragon did remember the exact spell-circle.

    Of course, Overture might have been a bit of a retcon (not including the in-universe retcon that Dream performed) since he does seem to find it somewhat credible that Dee's cult could have captured Death, since he tries discussing that with her when she first shows up in the series.
     
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  14. Pez

    Pez Spaceman

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    Even if the Endless are, Darkseid is.
     
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  15. Nervaqus987

    Nervaqus987 Well worn.

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    It's especially important with Dream because he was just bound for something like seventy odd years and is probably one of the most wrathful of the Endless.

    Kinda a toss up between him and Desire.

    So yeah, kinda want to walk on eggshells when summoning Dream.
     
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  16. Vaermina

    Vaermina Well worn.

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    Sandman 1989 Issue 1.

    The summoning spell has ingredients and text, the actual binding circle on the other hand is incomplete due to boxing and what squiggles are shown are almost completely unreadable.

    So while he might remember what was done to Dream, it's literally impossible that he remembers how to recreate the binding circle, since that was never actually shown.
     
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  17. Idkusername

    Idkusername Versed in the lewd.

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    Did he not have Hinon take a look at it? A Controller? You’re telling me they got nothing out of that? Really?
     
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  18. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

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    There's also Constantine, who Paul worked with for several months.

    You can bet your ass that he went to that place and figured out how the spell works, and most likely told Paul.
     
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  19. Stsword

    Stsword Versed in the lewd.

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    Gaining magic power from the pillar of life was the point of Dr Mist, he was a muggle before he entered it.

    He's based on the story of She, about adventurers discovering "She Who Must Be Obeyed," who gained immortality and magical beauty from bathing in the Pillar of Life in the lost African Empire of Kor. She was played by Ursala Andress in the '65 movie and co-starring Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee.

    Revealed to be a priestess of Isis who fell in love with a Greek mercenary, and was tutored by an Egyptian priest who was the guardian of the Pillar of Life (so read probably Dr Mist in a past identity) in one of the book sequels.

    A Dr Mist who had to study like everyone else is kind of a like an alt Superman who doesn't have any superpowers so built an Iron Man-esque supersuit out of his lifepod. I mean, sure it works, but it's weird.
     
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  20. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

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    Ok, that's interesting to know, but if you were trying to say that the Dr Mist in this story got all his power from the Pillar, then that's not true.

    When he examined that cultist with the Anti Life like abilities he told Batman and Paul that he was a magician even before he became immortal.

    In the comics he may have gotten all his power from the Pillar, but here all he did was alter his soul to become immortal.

    Still it would be interesting if this book exists in Earth 16, or the mainline DC universe, and Mist was an inspiration for it.
     
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  21. Threadmarks: A Week in the Life of (part 12)
    Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

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    15th April
    06:28 GMT -5


    "That was a bit quick?"

    John shrugs. "With demons you have to take your time, because if you make a mess of the binding then at best they kill you. But since we're not trying to bind Morpheus -just get his attention- it doesn't really matter."

    I look the diagram over, applying my apprentice-level comprehension of magic ritual to what he's doing. Looks.. like a.. bound evocation without the focus circle this sort of ritual usually has.

    "You haven't filled the spaces for active or passive links. Do you need me to get something?"

    "A piece of the Mother Star should do."

    "Any piece in particular?"

    "If she touched a piece, that piece. Otherwise, no."

    I nod and

    step out,

    reappearing in the physical universe on the skin of the Mother Star. The perspective of the starfish landscape and non-horizon throws me off for a moment, but then I look down and ignore it, cutting through the covering of rock and ice with an x-ionised knife to get at the flesh beneath. The size of it means that it's not practical for me to cut any singular part off, but a lump of meat should do it. Yeah, that looks fine.

    I

    reappear in the tower and hold it out to him.

    "Anything else?"

    He waves his right hand and a faint red.. disk forms under the meat and then floats it over to its position in the diagram.

    "Do you have anything she owns?"

    "Yes."

    Zagreus pulls a.. photograph out of one of his pockets, steps forward and lays it face down in the diagram.

    "Right then. That'll do for Melinoë, now for the dream."

    He carefully opens the box containing… Not a lot of dream powder, and taps the tiniest portion into a pestle in which he's crushed some flowers and seeds. He then carries it into the centre of the ritual space.

    "Any of you know anything about lucid dreaming?"

    "I know I've never really done it."

    Koriand'r shakes her head while Zagreus shrugs. "Gods don't dream in quite the same way that mortals do. My experience isn't relevant."

    "Alright, well, make yourselves comfortable anyway."

    I sit down, crossing my legs. Koriand'r copies me, while Zagreus stands at parade rest. John shrugs, then clicks his right middle finger against his right thumb, using sympathetic resonance to ignite the bowl. There's a puff of relatively normal smoke, then it… Becomes decidedly abnormal. It's.. twinkling, and there's a… Depth to the cloud that it clearly shouldn't have. It flows outward, almost reaching for John, Zagreus-. And Koriand'r. But apparently ignoring me.

    Ah.

    I don't want to mess this up because this ritual doesn't interact with my wards very well. I drop down my environmental shield and lean into the miasma as it flows past me. A… Slightly woody smell

    which… Oh, I… See. I

    blink and I'm almost completely back into the room. It's… Like I'm looking at their full emotional association network and… It takes me a moment to recognise what's happening now and what's past or imagined. Ordinarily I'd try to pull back, but I suppose-.

    I look at myself as.. the room falls away slightly. It's still there, but it's less… Relevant. I'm… Larger, glowing with the orange light and for a disturbing moment I'm not sure whether I'm looking though the Ophidian's eyes or my own.

    In Koriand'r I/we we see her think about/relive a training session on Okaara, an armoured figure serving as a sparring partner for her class. John sits at the feet of a master of some mystic art, listening keenly to his words. Zagreus guides an indistinct figure through a dense forest while I…

    No. Wait.

    The fighter turns to us. / The mystic turns to us. / The explorer turns to us.

    "I see what my brother/sister found interesting about you. In the world yet not entirely part of it."

    "Lord Dream." / "Morpheus"

    The fighter is watching the class run through katas while talking to us. / The mystic holds the jewel up to John's eyes. / The explorer offers a flask to us.

    "Why do you seek me?"

    "We appear to have mislaid Melinoë in your realm, and were hopeful that you could find her and return her to us."

    "Yes, her sudden presence could be… Disruptive. Do you offer anything for her safe return?"

    "What do you want?"

    The fighter shows Koriand'r how to dismantle and clean a gun. / The mystic passes a scroll to us. / The explorer extends a rope down to us.

    "There is something that you can do for me. During the period in which I was trapped on Earth, there was a man who made an unusual connection to my realm. He used his prophetic abilities to hunt criminals and named himself after me."

    "Wesley Dodds."

    Dead of a stroke over a decade ago. Alan's spoken to me about him a few times.

    "It has been brought to my attention that I do not always reward good service as I should. Wesley Dodds is now dead, but in his memory I would see some unfinished business attended to."

    "I'd be happy to do that anyway. What's the job?"

    "Wesley Dodds was unable to restore his adopted son Sanderson Hawkins to full health. Find him, and complete his work."



    I/we wasn't/weren't sure if that happened here. "I/we already looked for him."

    "You have more resources and allies to draw upon now than you did then."

    "Okay, if… You're telling me that he's definitely still around… I'll get right on it."

    The fighter strikes us and Koriand'r both, sending us tumbling to the floor. / The mystic exhales a pink mist. / The explorer pulls a lever and closes a stone door on us.

    And I snap awake, the mist gone and my colleagues pulling themselves upright.
     
    Last edited: Jul 23, 2020
  22. thebishop8

    thebishop8 Umm, ackchyually...

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    Should that "is" be there?

    Change "and" to "a".
     
  23. Prognostic Hannya

    Prognostic Hannya Knight of the Yuri Crusade

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    Look's like Paul's soul is even more special than we thought. Can't wait to see a Paulphidian merger.
     
  24. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

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    'do it'

    maybe 'makes'

    'you have'

    'or my'

    'offers'

    maybe remove during
     
  25. Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

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    Thank you, corrected.
     
  26. Pinklestia

    Pinklestia Well worn.

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    The great greed snake is his mother.

    And she likes him.

    That basically makes him the second most powerful greed based creature in the universe.
     
  27. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

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    It's still 'have you anything' when it should be 'you have anything'
     
  28. Handlewithcare

    Handlewithcare Versed in the lewd.

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    Well, that went exceedingly well for dealing with an Endless.

    And Melinoes photo is of Paul, isn't it?
     
  29. Chojin Patriarch

    Chojin Patriarch Veteran Lurker

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    Yeah, binding him would be a bad idea. The sort of bad idea that gets you stuck in a cycle of 'waking up' dreams for years. Best to be very polite.

    Good to see he's been paying attention to his magical co-workers' techniques.

    I doubt any of them came closer than a thousand kilometres, really. Any closer might have been unwise.

    That must be quite a view. I'm impressed it has enough avarice remaining to act as a stepping waypoint.

    Wow, you just make magic so easy. All these hard-to-get components and you're just 'Here'.

    Wonder what this'll be.

    Hmm... Seriously wondering what it's a photo of? Her? OL? Some heartthrob?

    Ah, a little incense for the mental state, eh?

    I shudder to imagine what they're like. Quite strange, no doubt.

    And cue the font change? Or is he resistant enough to magic not to get drunk on it any more? :D

    Oooh, Ophidi-chan's coming along for the ride, is she?

    Not quite as trippy as his spell to free Teth-Adom, but funky nonetheless.

    And here comes Dream. Just the shape of it would have gotten his attention, methinks.

    Speaking through their dream figures? I suppose it saves him manifesting completely.

    I'm worried that he wasn't already aware of her presence, but he does tend to limit himself to make life interesting...

    Ooh, that's humble. Entirely open-ended and without any conditions. That'll make a point. Good thing he's not a demon, that'd screw you over hard.

    Ah, the 'Golden Age' Sandman. Supposedly inspired by a vision of the captured Dream.

    Oh, dear. I know of only one thing that could be linked to him...

    Another member of the JSA. He was turned into a silicate lifeform, and spent much of the century sealed in a glass containment vessel after going on a rampage.

    In other words: "Look again, and look harder."

    I'd say that's a dismissal if ever I saw one.

    Well, that went well. No-one's been driven mad or condemned to eternal sleep, so he was in a good mood. And that was a significant statement about OL: "In the world, yet not entirely part of it." I wonder if he'll remember that distinction. And now we see the next plot point for the episode. Find Sandy and bring him back into the world safely.

    The explorer pulls a lever and...
     
  30. Diraniola

    Diraniola I trust you know where the happy button is?

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    It's interesting that Dream focused all his attention on Paul rather than John, who was leading the ritual. Unless of course each person has their own conversation with with him, which could be implied with the triple scenes going through that conversation.
     
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