Mr Zoat
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With This Ring (Young Justice SI) (Thread Fourteen)
- Thread starter Mr Zoat
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Steelplaza
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I meant to comment on this when it was posted, but I feel like the SI isn't calling in more Orange Lanterns just to fix the earth, though certainly that's a part of it and justification on its own.
It also gives him three Lanterns (one of whom is a Daxamite) who will be loyal to the Illustres
Cappare (part 3)
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Mr Zoat
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26th July 2013
09:59 GMT -5
Lantern Coutara regards Hub City with mild curiosity. I suppose that she's seen a great many cities being rebuilt, but probably hasn't seen one with precisely these problems or this divergence of technologies.
"This is.. your city?"
"No."
She turns her head to look at me. "Then why are we here?"
"It's the city I'm rebuilding. I don't live here or own it."
"Does it have some spiritual significance?"
"In a sense, it's where the Anti-Life broadcast started. It was also in a pretty sorry state before that."
"Did you live here then?"
"Gosh no."
"Then I don't-" She shakes her head. "-understand why you're rebuilding this city. Or… Why you're taking so long about it. Your power is immense. This is something that I had thought you could do with a wave of your hand."
"Not quite that quickly, but-" I nod. "-within a few hours. Less if I had a clear plan to work from."
She goes back to examining the city, her eyes glowing as she scans it.
"I don't understand, Illustres."
"You don't understand… Why I don't do it all myself?" She nods. "Hm."
I stare blankly at the city myself. How to put it?
"I could fight the Reach on my own. I would have had to have started later, and assimilated millions of intelligent beings to use as construct lanterns before starting my attack, but I could do it. Goodness knows there are plenty of beings around the universe whom I wouldn't mind assimilating. Since I didn't know any of the people involved, I didn't have any particular attachment that would have made the delay unconscionable. But, I didn't. I built a Corps of living people, recruited Clarissi Dox to run things… In fact, despite the importance I place on the war I barely spend any time fighting it myself. Why do you think that is?"
"Illustres, I was there when the Clarissi complained that you were overshadowing him."
"Right, but I didn't tell him to just do better in future."
She nods thoughtfully. "No, you did not. Very well: why?"
"A number of factors, but primarily because the orange light is for everyone. Everyone wants things, and… Due to my enlightened state, I see those desires. I find their realisation beautiful. And fundamentally I don't think that I have unlimited license to override the desires of other people and force everyone to do things my way. Other people aren't my chattel, and I don't want them to be."
"So if people want to be free of the Reach, or to have a city, then they should either work for it or accept that they will not be free or have a city?"
"Yes. But it's also… What happens next?"
"The refugees will return to their home worlds."
"And the rest? What about the rest of Reach-controlled space?"
"The Controllers will resurrect the species that they can. Perhaps if Grayven of Apokolips will agree to a peace treaty he will take some of their core worlds."
"And then?"
"I do not know what you are trying to communicate."
"There's a quote from a famous book on Earth. 'That which is given has no value.' If I fought the Reach on my own and won, then a few worlds will be slightly grateful and most would ignore it. But if they're compelled by events to put effort in, then they'll care. Something like this is the sort of event that leaves a permanent mark on a civilisation. And not just the military alliance; consider how technology and raw materials are being traded within the alliance now."
"They will be bound together by blood. Are you..? Building an empire?"
"Depends what you mean by that. I have no desire to rule anyone, even as a figurehead. Nor do I have any idea to put Dox or anyone else in that position. I like to think that I'm building a federation of people who will be bound together by economic interests and shared experiences long after the war is over."
"Which requires them to all fight."
I nod. "And suffer and die." I bow my head and exhale through my nose. "Of course, one perfectly plausible result of me trying to do it all myself is that I'd die, lose control of the billions of construct lanterns and cause a galactic apocalypse. So it's not a purely philosophical and long term planning thing."
She nods slowly. "And you-. Apocalypse?"
"Yes."
"I have not taken a construct lantern, but is that possible? Would that happen?"
"It did happen. Look up the file on Abra Kadabra."
Her eyes glow for a moment, and then she frowns. "He travelled backwards in time. That is nonsense."
"Welcome to Earth."
"No-. But-. That is not-." She shakes her head. "I don't understand."
"The potential for time travel fits within the standard model of physics. And it's far easier in real physics. Something in the far future caused a tidal wave of orange constructs to consume a large part of the galaxy, then he travelled backwards in time to before it happened."
"But now it will not happen."
"It still might. You understand why I'm concerned about the possibility, because no one knows exactly what caused it."
"Is it inevitable, then?"
"No."
"But how did he see it if it is not inevitable?"
"The event did not accompany him back, just his own memories. Why should that compel our future actions?"
She appears to be struggling with the idea.
"Look, Lantern Coutara, you have to understand… This is Earth. It is a madhouse. And I don't just mean the people. All sorts of things that the rational mind says should be impossible happen here. Not all the time, but usually a few times a year. If something happens and you think it's impossible… Well, double check it, and then accept that your ideas about what's possible and impossible are just wrong."
"Yes, Illustres. Where will we be staying while we are here?"
"Unless you want to make your own arrangements, you can all stay with me. I've got plenty of room, and no neighbours to complain about the noise. Oh, and, ah… I wanted to introduce Taranna to a few people while she's here?"
"Ah." She nods. "I see."
"Okay, let's do a quick review and then I can introduce you to the people you'll be working with."
09:59 GMT -5
Lantern Coutara regards Hub City with mild curiosity. I suppose that she's seen a great many cities being rebuilt, but probably hasn't seen one with precisely these problems or this divergence of technologies.
"This is.. your city?"
"No."
She turns her head to look at me. "Then why are we here?"
"It's the city I'm rebuilding. I don't live here or own it."
"Does it have some spiritual significance?"
"In a sense, it's where the Anti-Life broadcast started. It was also in a pretty sorry state before that."
"Did you live here then?"
"Gosh no."
"Then I don't-" She shakes her head. "-understand why you're rebuilding this city. Or… Why you're taking so long about it. Your power is immense. This is something that I had thought you could do with a wave of your hand."
"Not quite that quickly, but-" I nod. "-within a few hours. Less if I had a clear plan to work from."
She goes back to examining the city, her eyes glowing as she scans it.
"I don't understand, Illustres."
"You don't understand… Why I don't do it all myself?" She nods. "Hm."
I stare blankly at the city myself. How to put it?
"I could fight the Reach on my own. I would have had to have started later, and assimilated millions of intelligent beings to use as construct lanterns before starting my attack, but I could do it. Goodness knows there are plenty of beings around the universe whom I wouldn't mind assimilating. Since I didn't know any of the people involved, I didn't have any particular attachment that would have made the delay unconscionable. But, I didn't. I built a Corps of living people, recruited Clarissi Dox to run things… In fact, despite the importance I place on the war I barely spend any time fighting it myself. Why do you think that is?"
"Illustres, I was there when the Clarissi complained that you were overshadowing him."
"Right, but I didn't tell him to just do better in future."
She nods thoughtfully. "No, you did not. Very well: why?"
"A number of factors, but primarily because the orange light is for everyone. Everyone wants things, and… Due to my enlightened state, I see those desires. I find their realisation beautiful. And fundamentally I don't think that I have unlimited license to override the desires of other people and force everyone to do things my way. Other people aren't my chattel, and I don't want them to be."
"So if people want to be free of the Reach, or to have a city, then they should either work for it or accept that they will not be free or have a city?"
"Yes. But it's also… What happens next?"
"The refugees will return to their home worlds."
"And the rest? What about the rest of Reach-controlled space?"
"The Controllers will resurrect the species that they can. Perhaps if Grayven of Apokolips will agree to a peace treaty he will take some of their core worlds."
"And then?"
"I do not know what you are trying to communicate."
"There's a quote from a famous book on Earth. 'That which is given has no value.' If I fought the Reach on my own and won, then a few worlds will be slightly grateful and most would ignore it. But if they're compelled by events to put effort in, then they'll care. Something like this is the sort of event that leaves a permanent mark on a civilisation. And not just the military alliance; consider how technology and raw materials are being traded within the alliance now."
"They will be bound together by blood. Are you..? Building an empire?"
"Depends what you mean by that. I have no desire to rule anyone, even as a figurehead. Nor do I have any idea to put Dox or anyone else in that position. I like to think that I'm building a federation of people who will be bound together by economic interests and shared experiences long after the war is over."
"Which requires them to all fight."
I nod. "And suffer and die." I bow my head and exhale through my nose. "Of course, one perfectly plausible result of me trying to do it all myself is that I'd die, lose control of the billions of construct lanterns and cause a galactic apocalypse. So it's not a purely philosophical and long term planning thing."
She nods slowly. "And you-. Apocalypse?"
"Yes."
"I have not taken a construct lantern, but is that possible? Would that happen?"
"It did happen. Look up the file on Abra Kadabra."
Her eyes glow for a moment, and then she frowns. "He travelled backwards in time. That is nonsense."
"Welcome to Earth."
"No-. But-. That is not-." She shakes her head. "I don't understand."
"The potential for time travel fits within the standard model of physics. And it's far easier in real physics. Something in the far future caused a tidal wave of orange constructs to consume a large part of the galaxy, then he travelled backwards in time to before it happened."
"But now it will not happen."
"It still might. You understand why I'm concerned about the possibility, because no one knows exactly what caused it."
"Is it inevitable, then?"
"No."
"But how did he see it if it is not inevitable?"
"The event did not accompany him back, just his own memories. Why should that compel our future actions?"
She appears to be struggling with the idea.
"Look, Lantern Coutara, you have to understand… This is Earth. It is a madhouse. And I don't just mean the people. All sorts of things that the rational mind says should be impossible happen here. Not all the time, but usually a few times a year. If something happens and you think it's impossible… Well, double check it, and then accept that your ideas about what's possible and impossible are just wrong."
"Yes, Illustres. Where will we be staying while we are here?"
"Unless you want to make your own arrangements, you can all stay with me. I've got plenty of room, and no neighbours to complain about the noise. Oh, and, ah… I wanted to introduce Taranna to a few people while she's here?"
"Ah." She nods. "I see."
"Okay, let's do a quick review and then I can introduce you to the people you'll be working with."
Last edited:
Ngamer11
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That should say 'lose'.
It's been a while since we've seen an alien be shocked at how BS Earth is.
I really hope that by the time humans expand from their solar system that the rest of the universe treats them the way America treated places like Gotham or Hub City: a place of madmen that they don't want to visit and are now afraid will spill into their homes.
Mr Zoat
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Thank you, corrected.
Chojin Patriarch
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No, but he's put a lot of work into it. But the city and the world. Hasn't always worked out for the best, but he is only human, and thus eminently fallible. Still, he's done some good here and there. A net positive overall, current state aside.
Still not quite the answer she asked for. But it may require some explanation.
All of which has burned a mark or two into the collective psyche of the place. And he should know, he's seen it's dreamscape.
To be fair, he hardly stands still to live anywhere, sometimes. At least when we're seeing him.
Which Helmut is providing, of course. The problem is why OL hasn't just fixed everything yet..
Because you're not an Earthling. Outside of the whole 'religious blinding of women' thing, her people were fairly rational, I believe?
Because while it's his, it' also everyone else's. And they should have a part in the efforts to rebuild.
See, the first plan, that's what some optimisation-obsessed types might have done. Because only they could get it right, you know. But the second...
...The second spreads the load, and the glory. A burden share dis a burned lightened, and all that.
Too much hassle if everyone is stuck waiting for you to tell them to do things, for a start. Wouldn't get any rest for requests for orders.
Ah, yes. Something many heroic stories fail to consider. The hero wins the day, gets the girl and the throne... 'And then what?'
Which is a lot of planets, don't forget. Many of whom don't have refugee populations to resettle them.
Well, listen closely, I'm sure OL is about to explain it.
I'm guessing the saying would be paired with '...While that which is earned has the greatest value to those who earn it.' Or something like that. And that's why he's doing it this way. So that the people involved don't just feel like they were handed a new city, a new life on a silver platter. That leads to entitlement...
With checks and balances should one of them get ideas about sitting above the rest. Well, just that sort of cooperation will manage itself overall.
Which is entirely possible. It would leave the Ring in the hands of those who would abuse its power, be corrupted by it into cataclysmic ends.
If you think that's how it would work, surely. After all, the Construct Lanterns have only the desires their master puts into them. Even when that desire is 'act as you would have in life, within limits', because that's still bound by how the master thinks the person would have acted.
Why hello, is this your first time encountering Earth Bullshit™?
More accurately, welcome to existence in hard mode, with all the random event cards in play and multiple draws a turn.
I mean, given the right powerset, someone could literally fly through time. Though it'd have to be a very broken powerset.
Especially because until you came along, the only Orange Ring wielder was happily living a aggressively private life in seclusion.
And this is where the concepts and terminology starts to get wibbly-wobbly.
For instance, what if you tried to prevent it from happening, only to cause it without knowing? With so many Orange Lanterns, all it would take is one going utterly mad with power before they could be shut down...
And look at it this way. If you can survive here, everywhere else will seem casually easy from then on.
The tower Manga Khan made? Not the most secure place, but remote enough that most would rather not hassle them. Or an apartment in Gotham, maybe. It's nicer than it used to be.
For instance, the League. The Team, in the case of Sodom Yat and Taranna. The administration of Hub City.
Heh. I noticed that last little 'I see.' A mother's caution around new people, I bet. The kids will like the new experiences, even if Coutara isn't totally enthused. The League will likely welcome the extra Lanterns, though wonder why OL asked them to come. The public will probably enjoy the new faces amongst the heroes, and the chance to gossip about them.
Someguy Somewhere
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Should read as 'people'.
Mr Zoat
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Should be spelled as 'people', certainly.