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

Wivk · Mar 2, 2024

Lord Ernest said:
And he asks why Zagreus thought that he was courting her?

I'm also a big fan of Melinoe; honestly, after Zatanna, best romantic interest introduced in the story and the banter she has with the Illustres is always entertaining.

I disagree, the alien spider queen was a more interesting romantic interest than the backwards talking magic girl.

Mr Zoat · Mar 3, 2024

30th March 2013
03:35 GMT +2?

"So how are you finding it down here?"

The heavily armed khundian shade glances away from his gun sight for an instant. He was one of the shades who transferred here from Mother of Mercy's tender clutches, and I'm… A little concerned that a khundian wouldn't fit in well. Khundian culture is rather distinct from Ancient Greek culture, with the possible exception of some parts of Sparta.

"Acceptable."

Around us the rest of the Army of Erebos is deploying in a semicircle around the gate, leaving room for Akhlys to approach but digging in just in case they need to fight after all.

"You'll be here for millions of years, if not eternity. You might want something better than 'acceptable'."

"No. I will spend time here teaching other shades how modern war works. Once I tire of them, then I will demand to be reincarnated."

"You mean 'ask politely to be reincarnated'."

He snorts. "Khundians have little to do with gods. I pay respect to Hades for rescuing me and housing me. That respect ends when I want to leave."

"You realise that as things stand you won't reincarnate as a khundian?"

"One of my employers was three thousand years old. It made him miserable. I am not such a coward. If this existence no longer suits me then I will move on to another. I have been a fine khundian. I will be a fine… Whatever you are."

"Good-."

"Don't touch me."

I lower the hand that was going to pat him on the back. "Man. I'll… Leave you to it."

I fly over the army towards the gate itself. Melinoë is waiting by it already, and Akhlys is approaching at an unhurried pace.

"Ready to go?"

"I am no less ready than I was when I agreed to this. Are you certain that Alan Scott is inside?"

"Not in the slightest. But his whole thing is hope, so… Ah…"

She looks at me. She raises her eyebrows a little. I smile reassuringly. She rolls her eyes and strides up to the gate, pulls it open just enough to get inside and walks through, pulling it closed behind her.

She's probably planning to try to hasten his arrival.

I turn back t-.

Akhlys lays her right hand on my left gauntlet.

That-. That shouldn't let her affect me. I've replaced my spell eater and that isn't physical contac-.

She squeezes her hand, my armour cracking and crumbling underneath! That shouldn't-. She's not using physical strength, so it's not triggering the kinetic barrier. I activate the crumbler-. Already destroyed.

"What are you doing?"

"Winning more swiftly."

I pull away-.

The armour fails and she touches-.

Grinding down.

Huh. Wondered what I'd get this time. Because despite everything I'm in a pretty good mental place. Plenty of fulfilling and beneficial work, but at the same time it's not such a desperate rush that I can't take an hour to myself. So what exactly-?

Oh.

Yes, that's… There's an increasing possibility that human civilisation could collapse. It's not-. And the thing with the League is that we… Will become society, the only source of… Anything. We'll be needed to make anything large scale happen because the lesson people will learn from this is be simple and turtle up. That wasn't why Mr. Queen was having an episode, but perhaps it's as much of the idea as he can grasp. It isn't human civilisation anymore, it's Justice League society, featuring the human species.

And I've got no reason to believe that this won't keep happening. We can't… build. We can just do our own thing and rebuild and rebuild every time, making exactly no progress, because… We're not the point. We're not being superheroes so that we can say that we're superheroes. We're superheroes because we want to improve things. Us taking over doesn't just mean that we can do that without anyone getting in the way, it means that no matter what we do we can't succeed.

"Do you see?"

Hm.

"No."

I pull my hand away from her.

"I mean, I see what you're getting at, but it's not very convincing. I have all the time in the universe. And at the end, if it turns out that it was impossible… Then I haven't done anything wrong because it was impossible."

I step away from her, towards the gateway, rebuilding my gauntlet as I go.

"How did that get to you? I can't really see you being ground down like it was trying to imply I had been."

"I was ground down over the course of seven thousand years." She falls in behind me but makes no effort to touch me again. "Everything was subsumed by my suffering, the constant pain and weakness."

"Did you ever experience anything else?"

"Yes. When I was very young. But the joy faded as the titans were felled."

"What did that have to do with it?"

"You discovered that the Olympians strengthened themselves by leaching power from those bound in Tartarus. But they were not inclined to take what they did not want. That which would bring them pain."

"But they couldn't leave it to its owners, because they might use that power to escape. So… You."

"Yes. Me. And others like me."

"I… See why you'd be upset about that. It's quite reasonable."

"No. I'm not upset. I'm not much of anything, other than the Anti-Life."

"Yes, well…" I reach out to grab hold of the gate. "I'll see about correcting that."

"You poor man. You will not. It is I-"

She reaches out and yanks the gate, throwing it wide open!

"-who will correct you, and all others."

Darko · Mar 3, 2024

Mr Zoat said:
The heavily armed khundian shade glances away from his gun sight for an instant. He was one of the shades who transferred here from Mother of Mercy's tender clutches, and I'm… A little concerned that a khundian wouldn't fit in well

I remember a Harry Potter/DC one shot where Harry ends up in Hell since letting Voldemort kill him qualified as suicide, and ends up sitting next to a Khundian who died fighting on Earth and is waiting to be transferred to his people's afterlife.

Mr Zoat said:
"You realise that as things stand you won't reincarnate as a khundian

Maybe he'll reincarnate as a metahuman who looks like a Khundian.

Mr Zoat said:
have been a fine khundian. I will be a fine… Whatever you are

Whatever Paul is remains a good question.

Mr Zoat said:
because… We're not the point We're not

"point. We're"

Mr Zoat said:
"You discovered that the Olympians strengthened themselves by leaching power from those bound in Tartarus. But they were not inclined to take what they did not want. That which would bring them pain."

"But they couldn't leave it to its owners, because they might use that power to escape

So using pain to fuel their magic like Sith do with the Force.

Mr Zoat said:
So… You."

"Yes. Me. And others like me."

So it's an Omelas situation.

Chojin Patriarch · Mar 3, 2024

Mr Zoat said:
30th March 2013
03:35 GMT +2?

"So how are you finding it down here?"

The heavily armed khundian shade glances away from his gun sight for an instant. He was one of the shades who transferred here from Mother of Mercy's tender clutches, and I'm… A little concerned that a khundian wouldn't fit in well. Khundian culture is rather distinct from Ancient Greek culture, with the possible exception of some parts of Sparta.

I imagine he'd feel the Spartans were a little too soft, perhaps.

The Khunds tend to take their 'hat' of Space Warriors seriously, after all, with a death in battle achieving their objective being the greatest end they can imagine.

"Acceptable."

Around us the rest of the Army of Erebos is deploying in a semicircle around the gate, leaving room for Akhlys to approach but digging in just in case they need to fight after all.

Or if something comes through when she opens it. Best to be on their guard, after all.

"You'll be here for millions of years, if not eternity. You might want something better than 'acceptable'."

"No. I will spend time here teaching other shades how modern war works. Once I tire of them, then I will demand to be reincarnated."

Well, he's a cocky one. I assume Hades will recognise that as a cultural trait and not a personal one to be offended by.

"You mean 'ask politely to be reincarnated'."

He snorts. "Khundians have little to do with gods. I pay respect to Hades for rescuing me and housing me. That respect ends when I want to leave."

About what you'd expect of a warrior culture. After all, if he's no longer your host, then he may be an enemy someday.

"You realise that as things stand you won't reincarnate as a khundian?"

"One of my employers was three thousand years old. It made him miserable. I am not such a coward. If this existence no longer suits me then I will move on to another. I have been a fine khundian. I will be a fine… Whatever you are."

Technically, over-evolved apes. But I doubt he'd recognise the exact terminology. Or care.

"Good-."

"Don't touch me."

I lower the hand that was going to pat him on the back. "Man. I'll… Leave you to it."

Well, what a nice fellow.

I fly over the army towards the gate itself. Melinoë is waiting by it already, and Akhlys is approaching at an unhurried pace.

"Ready to go?"

Right, then. Time for the meat of the event to begin.

"I am no less ready than I was when I agreed to this. Are you certain that Alan Scott is inside?"

"Not in the slightest. But his whole thing is hope, so… Ah…"

Not exactly improving her mood or her temper by admitting that, OL...

She looks at me. She raises her eyebrows a little. I smile reassuringly. She rolls her eyes and strides up to the gate, pulls it open just enough to get inside and walks through, pulling it closed behind her.

She's probably planning to try to hasten his arrival.

...Keep telling yourself that if it makes you feel better.

I turn back t-.

Akhlys lays her right hand on my left gauntlet.

Excuse me, my dear, but the deal was no corruption attempts until after you enter the gate, wasn't it?

That-. That shouldn't let her affect me. I've replaced my spell eater and that isn't physical contac-.

She squeezes her hand, my armour cracking and crumbling underneath! That shouldn't-. She's not using physical strength, so it's not triggering the kinetic barrier. I activate the crumbler-. Already destroyed.

And no Godspeech, either. This seems to be something specific to her, perhaps.

"What are you doing?"

"Winning more swiftly."

Also jumping the gun a bit. now, let's see how OL deals with this...

I pull away-.

The armour fails and she touches-.

Grinding down.

Ah, I see. This particular expression of the Anti-Life is all about decay and wear... Let's see what the mental attack aspect looks like, then...

Huh. Wondered what I'd get this time. Because despite everything I'm in a pretty good mental place. Plenty of fulfilling and beneficial work, but at the same time it's not such a desperate rush that I can't take an hour to myself. So what exactly-?

Oh.

On the other hand... How long have you been doing this job? I know you've taken time off, OL, but they usually end up going poorly...

Yes, that's… There's an increasing possibility that human civilisation could collapse. It's not-. And the thing with the League is that we… Will become society, the only source of… Anything. We'll be needed so making anything large scale happen because the lesson people will learn from this is be simple and turtle up. That wasn't why Mr. Queen was having an episode, but perhaps it's as much of the idea as he can grasp. It isn't human civilisation anymore, it's Justice League society, featuring the human species.

I'm sure that's the view an Apokaliptian would take from it, of feudalism writ large and dominant personalities ruling willing herds of followers...

And I've got no reason to believe that this won't keep happening. We can't… build. We can just do our own thing and rebuild and rebuild every time, making exactly no progress, because… We're not the point We're not being superheroes so that we can say that we're superheroes. We're superheroes because we want to improve things. Us taking over doesn't just mean that we can do that without anyone getting in the way, it means that no matter what we do we can't succeed.

Such is the nature of the work. There's always some new trouble to deal with, some new problem to be solved. And OL may be a bit of a workaholic, but even that can wear thin...

"Do you see?"

Hm.

Oh, she's confident that he's given in, isn't she? It certainly looks that way, doesn't it, if you were looking into his mind...

"No."

I pull my hand away from her.

...But OL isn't that easy an egg to crack. His mind is locked into certain patterns that make the Anti-Life, well... Slip off without taking firm hold for long.

"I mean, I see what you're getting at, but it's not very convincing. I have all the time in the universe. And at the end, if it turns out that it was impossible… Then I haven't done anything wrong because it was impossible."

I step away from her, towards the gateway, rebuilding my gauntlet as I go.

Better to try, fail and learn, than to never have tried at all? An interesting way to look at it.

"How did that get to you? I can't really see you being ground down like it was trying to imply I had been."

"I was ground down over the course of seven thousand years." She falls in behind me but makes no effort to touch me again. "Everything was subsumed by my suffering, the constant pain and weakness."

It is strange that she was so... Affected by her godly domain. Most of the other gods embody their domains, but it doesn't weigh down on them. Unless it's because of the nature of her domain, the negativity...

"Did you ever experience anything else?"

"Yes. When I was very young. But the joy faded as the titans were felled."

That's called 'growing up', dear. It comes with the territory of living. But growing old isn't mandatory.

"What did that have to do with it?"

"You discovered that the Olympians strengthened themselves by leaching power from those bound in Tartarus. But they were not inclined to take what they did not want. That which would bring them pain."

Ah... Such as the pain and suffering of their Titanic sources...

"But they couldn't leave it to its owners, because they might use that power to escape. So… You."

"Yes. Me. And others like me."

So she became a scapegoat. It fits, as the practice was supposedly employed in ancient times in Hellenic societies.

"I… See why you'd be upset about that. It's quite reasonable."

"No. I'm not upset. I'm not much of anything, other than the Anti-Life."

And the whole point of not using a sophont being for the purpose is to avoid that sort of suffering. But given that Zeus the knobheaded was in charge...

"Yes, well…" I reach out to grab hold of the gate. "I'll see about correcting that."

"You poor man. You will not. It is I-"

Ah... Not going to simply open it a crack and step through, is she?

She reaches out and yanks the gate, throwing it wide open!

"-who will correct you, and all others."

Well, she's got style, if nothing else. Not doing things by halves.

I hope throwing the gates open like that doesn't let something out of the Dreaming that may prove hazardous to the Underworld. Even with so many warriors gathered and ready for a fight, it may well be something they can't deal with. And there was a mention of Anti-Life infection within the Dreaming, which I bet is already gathering to Ahklys' side...

Silverias · Mar 3, 2024

Those who walk away from Olympus.

RichardWhereat · Mar 3, 2024

Does the superhero Bueno Excellente exist in this universe?

Darko · Mar 3, 2024

Chojin Patriarch said:
I imagine he'd feel the Spartans were a little too soft, perhaps

Imagine viewing a society of violent psychopaths as soft.

Chojin Patriarch said:
The Khunds tend to take their 'hat' of Space Warriors seriously, after all, with a death in battle achieving their objective being the greatest end they can imagine.

And trying to kill someone is considered a compliment.

Chojin Patriarch said:
And no Godspeech, either. This seems to be something specific to her, perhaps.

I don't think we've ever seen an Old God use godspeech.

I remember Hera once used something similar when she influenced Paul to talk about his romantic life, but it wasn't speech and small hearts just showed up.

WereDragon · Mar 3, 2024

Mr Zoat said:
Hm.

"No."

About time he got back to being impressive.

Really want and hope this whole thing gets resolved with nothing more than Alan bopping her gently on the head with a kind admonishment to stop moping. The anti-lifed Earth arc has gone on way too long. Doubly so after the climactic finish turned out to not be the sodding finish.

The heavily armed khundian

Nice to see how that whole project is working out. Wonder how Hades feels about having an aggressively cosmopolitan realm?

Mr Zoat · Mar 3, 2024

Darko said:
"point. We're"

Thank you, corrected.

RichardWhereat said:
Does the superhero Bueno Excellente exist in this universe?

Bueno Excellente exists. I wouldn't call him a superhero.

RichardWhereat · Mar 3, 2024

Mr Zoat said:
Bueno Excellente exists. I wouldn't call him a superhero.

Well, he did that epic team up. But, Tommy himself? I swear to gods, you've answered this before, but I cannot remember where.

Duke Long · Mar 3, 2024

Mr Zoat said:
We'll be needed so making anything large scale happen because the lesson people will learn from this is be simple and turtle up.

'for making'? Maybe I'm just not understanding the sentence.

Mr Zoat · Mar 3, 2024

Duke Long said:
'for making'? Maybe I'm just not understanding the sentence.

I don't think I understood the sentence.

Mr Zoat · Mar 4, 2024

30th March 2013
03:39 GMT +2?

This is… Novel.

The graveyard that was here last time has been replaced by… Stone. Grey stone, illuminated from nowhere because this is a dream. I can't tell if this is a castle or a… Maze? I haven't seen a window or anything else which would suggest a direction, though Akhlys seems to know where she's going.

"Is this what it got turned into last time?"

" In part. It seems that Melinoë has added to it."

We pass a-. Ah, a room for a sarcophagus. This is a giant crypt. Thematically appropriate, though-. Ah, of course. The things that emerge are dream-creatures: fragments risen from the collective unconscious. None of them are the souls of the dead.

"Let us learn what she had in mind."

We walk out into an internal pathway which runs around the interior of a square cross-sectioned tower. Looking up-. Heh. Looking up I see myself and Akhlys looking up and/or down from a hundred other pathways, because conventional physics are for the weak.

"An optical illusion. This is a pointless delay that cannot hold me here."

"Each day's a gift and not a given right. People will struggle on for every moment, even if they don't have any hope of winning. Because who knows what might happen."

"They might give in to despair."

"Or a madman with a glowing orange ring might swing by and deal with their problem. That's happened quite a lot recently."

"The hope merely emphasises the hopelessness."

I walk up behind her and wrap my arms around her torso. "I'm sorry about-"

Ultimately, alone.

Just an opportunity to meet new people. I've actually lived through that one.

"-that."

"Is this what you are planning? To try and turn me from the truth with feigned affection?"

"No."

She reaches around with her left hand and lays it on my left forearm. "Fool."

"That appears to be the prevailing opinion."

"I tolerate your touch because I am not used to using the Anti-Life in this environment."

I frown, looking past her-. The cracks between the stones are glowing black.

"This dream of stone and death lacks the integrity to resist as you do. Merely by my being here I cause it to crumble."

"And how do you handle madness?"

"See?"

She points upwards with her right hand, and I follow her extending index finger to watch as the black glow reaches the reflections.

"Dreams fade before the light of truth."

Dark lines appear between each reflection, the whole shattering into fragments which shimmer into ethereality as they move through each other like phantoms before merging and collating-.

I see a translucent image of myself swing in through the wall, another through the ceiling, another-.

I see myself from slightly different directions and angles, and Akhlys and.. this place, and…

Some of them didn't come here the same way. I see stairs I didn't walk up, passages I didn't walk along. I feel everything from a dull emptiness that feels a little like the Anti-Life to exhalant joy, shivering fear, amusement-.

"An interesting approach. Making me induce my own madness." Akhlys looks across the now-sensible gap between our walkway… And the opposite walkway where Melinoë stands. "But all that you have done is expose your ignorance. Did you think that my thoughts are my own, so that confusing them would stop me?"

"Also, did you have to hit me as well?"

Melinoë glowers at-. Either one or both of us. "Yes."

"You cannot inflict suffering on me. You could not have done so even before my enlightenment in the ways of the Anti-Life. I am the Goddess of Suffering. I can no more be made to suffer by you than I could make you dream a nightmare."

"I cannot make you suffer." A figure emerges from the corridor behind her. "But not everyone who experiences madness suffers from it."

"He-llo there!" The-. Napier waves, lipstick-coated mouth grinning and too-long right arm waving in a parody of genuine friendliness. "Straight Man and Debbie Downer. My money was on you ending up with the Superboy!"

"Jack. You seem chipper."

"Hah-hah! What can I say? You gave me that white glowy knock to the ol' noggin, and everything was right-" He taps the top of his head with his right fist. "-in the Jokerdome!"

"I was sort of hoping that we'd get your original personality back."

"You did! But it turns out that I'm not even good for my own sanity! Completely fruited his loop! Fell back into me like a comfortable pair of unwashed pants!" He leans forwards, right hand at the side of his face as if offering a private aside. "He did that sort of thing a lot."

Akhlys pushes me back and walks to the edge of the walkway. "Are you a jester?"

"I'm the jestiest! But you…" He shakes his head. "I'm afraid that the Anti-Life just isn't funny."

Behind him, Melinoë makes eye contact with me and motions to her right with her eyes. I nod inside my armour, then rise slightly off the ground and head down the passage to my left.

The moment I'm out of Akhlys' line of sight the space around me shifts and I'm falling, plummeting down a corridor that a moment ago was horizontal. And I admit, for just a second I'm afraid of falling again for the first time in years. I'm falling-

Through a gap in the wall I drop past I see Napier throw a gas grenade at Akhlys.

-down to-.

I stagger, turning my momentum into a run as down becomes down again, Melinoë watching me disinterestedly.

"The Joker?"

"His mind is empty of aught but joy and madness. He will use the Dream to his advantage without thinking about it, and her aura will not afflict him."

"So long as he can't come back later. No sign of Alan?"

"Not as yet."

"Then we'd best go find him."

Ngamer11 · Mar 4, 2024

Mr Zoat said:
"He-llo there!" The-. Napier waves, lipstick-coated mouth grinning and too-long right arm waving in a parody of genuine friendliness. "Straight Man and Debbie Downer. My money was on you ending up with the Superboy!"

This is a complete surprise. It is truly a perilous time when the Joker is needed to save the day. The fact that he noticed the chemistry between OL and Superboy is also fun to know. Also, I hope Batman wasn't made aware of this beforehand so that we can see his reaction to this.

Mr Zoat said:
"Jack. You seem chipper."

"Hah-hah! What can I say? You gave me that white glowy knock to the ol' noggin, and everything was right-" He taps the top of his head with his right fist. "-in the Jokerdome!"

"I was sort of hoping that we'd get your original personality back."

"You did! But it turns out that I'm not even good for my own sanity! Completely fruited his loop! Fell back into me like an comfortable pair of unwashed pants!" He leans forwards, right hand at the side of his face as if offering a private aside. "He did that sort of thing a lot."

That's a shame, though I suppose it was too much to hope that the Joker can be made sane permanently.

Mr Zoat said:
Akhlys pushes me back and walks to the edge of the walkway. "Are you a jester?"

"I'm the jestiest! But you…" He shakes his head. "I'm afraid that the Anti-Life just isn't funny."

It is always a good story when the Joker decides the evil side is not to his liking, because he's one of the most unpredictable people in the world, which means he can at least surprise the bad guy he fights.

Mr Zoat said:
The moment I'm out of Akhly's line of sight the space around me shifts and I'm falling, plummeting down a corridor that a moment ago was horizontal. And I admit, for just a second I'm afraid of falling again for the first time in years. I'm falling-

That apostrophe should be moved to the end of the word.

Darko · Mar 4, 2024

Mr Zoat said:
"You cannot inflict suffering on me. You could not have done so even before my enlightenment in the ways of the Anti-Life. I am the Goddess of Suffering. I can no more be made to suffer by you than I could make you dream a nightmare

If this is Akhlys then it should be black and not orange.

Mr Zoat said:
"He-llo there!" The-. Napier waves, lipstick-coated mouth grinning and too-long right arm waving in a parody of genuine friendliness. "Straight Man and Debbie Downer. My money was on you ending up with the Superboy

Shit.

Well if there's anyone that would have an odd relationship with Anti-Life, it would be him.

Mr Zoat said:
Fell back into me like an comfortable pair of unwashed pants!" He leans for

"like a"

Mr Zoat said:
Melinoë hakes eye

"makes"

Mr Zoat said:
passage my left.

"to my"

Vaermina · Mar 4, 2024

Mr Zoat said:
30th March 2013
03:39 GMT +2?

I wanna point out here that bringing the Joker into anything is garunteed to make things worse in the long run.

Ngamer11 · Mar 4, 2024

Vaermina said:
I wanna point out here that bringing the Joker into anything is garunteed to make things worse in the long run.

To be fair, this was Melinoë's plan, not Paul's, and it would make sense that she'd use someone who was insane given that she's the Goddess of Nightmares and Madness.

Chojin Patriarch · Mar 4, 2024

Mr Zoat said:
30th March 2013
03:39 GMT +2?

This is… Novel.

The graveyard that was here last time has been replaced by… Stone. Grey stone, illuminated from nowhere because this is a dream. I can't tell if this is a castle or a… Maze? I haven't seen a window or anything else which would suggest a direction, though Akhlys seems to know where she's going.

Or perhaps, a Labyrinth? Not the kind with a single path, though. And can we hope that there's a Minotaur to patrol it that can at least delay Ahkyls? It'd certainly be on-theme for those involved, at least.

"Is this what it got turned into last time?"

" In part. It seems that Melinoë has added to it."

Interesting. A delaying tactic as a defensive measure on the part of the Dreaming?

We pass a-. Ah, a room for a sarcophagus. This is a giant crypt. Thematically appropriate, though-. Ah, of course. The things that emerge are dream-creatures; fragments risen from the collective unconscious. None of them are the souls of the dead.

"Let us learn what she had in mind."

...Dare I hope that Melinoë has called forth something more sinister, like the Tomb of Horrors perhaps? Or possibly the World's Largest Dungeon.

We walk out into an internal pathway which runs around the interior of a square cross-sectioned tower. Looking up-. Heh. Looking up I see myself and Akhlys looking up and/or down from a hundred other pathways, because conventional physics are for the weak.

"An optical illusion. This is a pointless delay that cannot hold me here."

...Or perhaps this is another kind of Labyrinth...

"Each day's a gift and not a given right. People will struggle on for every moment, even if they don't have any hope of winning. Because who knows what might happen."

"They might give in to despair."

Yes, and then someone else can shake them out of it. It's why people aren't mean to exist alone.

"Or a madman with a glowing orange right might swing by and deal with their problem. That's happened quite a lot recently."

"The hope merely emphasises the hopelessness."

But the thrill of hope fulfilled can motivate far better than the belief it never will be...

I walk up behind her and wrap my arms around her torso. "I'm sorry about-"

Ultimately, alone.

Yeah, she's not feeling like being in a hugging mood right now.

Just an opportunity to meet new people. I've actually lived through that one.

"-that."

And once again, he shakes off a dose of Anti-Life with a simple change of perspective...

"Is this what you are planning? To try and turn me from the truth with feigned affection?"

"No."

Nothing feigned about his feelings. Nature of the Enlightened.

She reaches around with her left hand and lays in on my left forearm. "Fool."

"That appears to be the prevailing opinion."

'It's not like I wanted you to hug me or anything, b-baka." The Anti-Life is bringing out the tsundere in her...

"I tolerate your touch because I am not used to using the Anti-Life in this environment."

I frown, looking past her-. The cracks between the stones are glowing black.

...Or perhaps the cat. Then again, what is a cat but a tsundere in fur?

"This dream of stone and death lacks the integrity to resist as you do. Merely by my being here I cause it to crumble."

"And how do you handle madness?"

Since being here will probably make Melinoë much stronger.

"See?"

She points upwards with her right hand, and I follow her extending index finger to watch as the black glow reaches the reflections.

Aw, barging in with the dungeon bypass...

"Dreams fade before the light of truth."

Dark lines appear between each reflection, the whole shattering into fragments which shimmer into ethereality as they move through each other like phantoms before merging and collating-.

So, no exploring the folded space?

I see a translucent image of myself swing in through the wall, another through the ceiling, another-.

I see myself from slightly different directions and angles, and Akhlys and.. this place, and…

Oof, looks like Melinoë's aim is a little indiscriminate. She's not still peeved at OL, is she?

Some of them didn't come here the same way. I see stairs I didn't walk up, passages I didn't walk along. I feel everything from a dull emptiness that feels a little like the Anti-Life to exhalant joy, shivering fear, amusement-.

"An interesting approach. Making me induce my own madness." Akhlys looks across the now-sensible gap between our walkway… And the opposite walkway where Melinoë stands. "But all that you have done is expose your ignorance. Did you think that my thoughts are my own, so that confusing them would stop me?"

And it doesn't concern you that the Anti-Life is apparently at the wheel?

"Also, did you have to hit me as well?"

Melinoë glowers at-. Either one or both of us. "Yes."

To be fair, you did kind of earn that one, OL.

"You cannot inflict suffering on me. You could not have done so even before my enlightenment in the ways of the Anti-Life. I am the Goddess of Suffering. I can no more be made to suffer by you than I could make you dream a nightmare."

"I cannot make you suffer." A figure emerges from the corridor behind her. "But not everyone who experiences madness suffers from it."

Oh, did she call in a ringer? Or at least fabricate a dream of one?

"He-llo there!" The-. Napier waves, lipstick-coated mouth grinning and too-long right arm waving in a parody of genuine friendliness. "Straight Man and Debbie Downer. My money was on you ending up with the Superboy!"

"Jack. You seem chipper."

...This better not be the real guy in the flesh., or things might just get a little more difficult.

"Hah-hah! What can I say? You gave me that white glowy knock to the ol' noggin, and everything was right-" He taps the top of his head with his right fist. "-in the Jokerdome!"

"I was sort of hoping that we'd get your original personality back."

On the upside, all I can hear is Mark Hamill's classic voice. Not... Whatever the YJ version was.

"You did! But it turns out that I'm not even good for my own sanity! Completely fruited his loop! Fell back into me like a comfortable pair of unwashed pants!" He leans forwards, right hand at the side of his face as if offering a private aside. "He did that sort of thing a lot."

Akhlys pushes me back and walks to the edge of the walkway. "Are you a jester?"

Ah, so this is closer to a dream of the Joker than the real man himself. Like a distillation of all his madness... Which makes this all the more worrying.

"I'm the jestiest! But you…" He shakes his head. "I'm afraid that the Anti-Life just isn't funny."

Behind him, Melinoë makes eye contact with me and motions to her right with her eyes. I nod inside my armour, then rise slightly off the ground and head down the passage to my left.

Yes, best not to hang around in case Joker gets distracted by him.

The moment I'm out of Akhlys' line of sight the space around me shifts and I'm falling, plummeting down a corridor that a moment ago was horizontal. And I admit, for just a second I'm afraid of falling again for the first time in years. I'm falling-

Through a gap in the wall I drop past I see Napier throw a gas grenade at Akhlys.

So Joker's distraction broke Ahklys' disruption of the spatial folding.

-down to-.

I stagger, turning my momentum into a run as down becomes down again, Melinoë watching me disinterestedly.

Now would be a real good time to fix the little issue of your dwindling Ring Charge, you know...

"The Joker?"

"His mind is empty of aught but joy and madness. He will use the Dream to his advantage without thinking about it, and her aura will not afflict him."

So this is basically the perfect battlefield for this Joker. Let's hope he doesn't slip his leash, though...

"So long as he can't come back later. No sign of Alan?"

"Not as yet."

"Then we'd best go find him."

Hopefully they're not pinned down by a dream storm or something...

This seems like a bad idea, real Joker or not. But honestly, this whole situation has been leaning on the Godzilla threshold since OL soaked up all that death magic. And here, in the Dreaming? There's a great big safety net of a Godzilla just waiting to have his attention grabbed by Ahklys letting loose in his realm. Though I doubt he'll take action until his rules allow it...

Ngamer11 · Mar 4, 2024

Mr Zoat said:
"Or a madman with a glowing orange right might swing by and deal with their problem. That's happened quite a lot recently."

Found another error. That should say 'ring'.

Duke Long · Mar 4, 2024

Mr Zoat said:
She reaches around with her left hand and lays in on my left forearm. "Fool."

'it on'

Mr Zoat said:
"I cannot make you suffer." A figure emerges from the corridor behind her. "But not everyone who experiences madness suffers from it."

I don't think this should have orange speech marks. Someone already mentioned the other paragraph like this.

Lord Ernest · Mar 4, 2024

Never expected to see the Joker again, but hey, at least he's useful in some way. What I don't know for certain is if this is the Joker's mind summoned to the Dream by Melinoe or if it's the actual Joker physically there; I would assume the first one, since Melinoe just recently went in and I don't think that's enough time to go to the physical world and back.

Mr Zoat · Mar 4, 2024

Ngamer11 said:
That apostrophe should be moved to the end of the word.

Darko said:
If this is Akhlys then it should be black and not orange.
"like a"
"makes"
"to my"

Ngamer11 said:
Found another error. That should say 'ring'.

Duke Long said:
'it on'
I don't think this should have orange speech marks. Someone already mentioned the other paragraph like this.

Thank you, corrected.

Firewillreign · Mar 4, 2024

All this fuckery is going to guarantee Dream's attention, and an angry Dream means everyone is screwed. Also, I REALLY doubt that Anti-Life can even work on him, because the endless are in a class of their own and their awareness of creation and themselves make Paul's enlightenment look like pot-induced fever dream.

NightmareWarden · Mar 4, 2024

Firewillreign said:
All this fuckery is going to guarantee Dream's attention, and an angry Dream means everyone is screwed. Also, I REALLY doubt that Anti-Life can even work on him, because the endless are in a class of their own and their awareness of creation and themselves make Paul's enlightenment look like pot-induced fever dream.

I wonder if Sandy's debt will come due? And he'll be used as a sock puppet for Dream's will, or something.

Signaller · Mar 4, 2024

So I've only ever seen two pieces of media with the Joker - the animated series from the mid-90s, and the second Batman movie. And my mind immediately went to the cartoon version's voice and mannerisms in reading that, without me even realising it for a few paragraphs. That's a bit of a mindfuck.

Mr Zoat · Mar 5, 2024

30th March 2013
03:42 GMT +2?

Melinoë leads me out onto a… Landing pad? Her gaze rises to the… Cloud-wracked sky as a bat-winged horse swoops down towards us.

"You could probably get a real one."

"I am not asking Uncle Poseidon to have sex with a bat. A steed of bound-together dreams will-" It lands just in front of us and she climbs onto it. "-suffice."

"Okay, we're looking for hope, Alan, or a giant blue bird called Adara. Can you find them?"

"We cannot leave this to chance."

"Sure, ideally, but I don't know how to make this-."

"So we will consult with the master of this realm." The horse's wings flap and it rises into the air. "You can explain."

"Hgghuuuhahahahaha!"

Napier grows out of the tower, pushing down on the wall to lift up his legs and crouch on it. Then he reaches towards his flower with his right hand and triggers the bulb, acid spraying out and making the stone smoulder and melt.

I close my eyes, focus my mind on the sensation of flight in all its forms and sort of pull the associated ideas to me. Nothing like as fast as I'm used to flying, but then we're not flying to a particular corporeal location. "Why him?"

Melinoë leads the way, leaning close to her steed as it flaps for height. "How many willing servants do you think that the Goddess of Nightmares and Madness has?" Her eyes narrow. "Or did you expect me to keep myself for you?"

"No, of course not."

She looks up at the rapidly-approaching clouds. "He knows the basics of the art of dream manipulation. He will hold her longer than either of us could."

"Is there going to be a long-term problem with Jack 'the Joker' Napier knowing how to do that?"

"Not if we do not contain the Anti-Life."

"I seem to remember Dream being a bit… Temperamental."

"Are you worried that we are going to see one of the few being in existence who can hold you to account?"

"Yes. Plus the fact that Desire seems to like me and the two of them don't get on. Ah, as I understand it."

"Desire has spoken to you?"

"Twice. Apparently I'm a 'delightful mess'."

"Fooooooooore!"

I glance down as Napier draws a golf club from… Nowhere, and swings it at a tower which changes into a golf ball a moment before the club hits.

"I bet you've never suffered like that before!"

"Can he-?"

"I cannot imagine him winning, but he can hold her attention. Now, ready yourself to-"

We punch through the clouds, and there's a castle of ridiculous towers standing on rock fingers rising out of the clouds, buildings perilously perched and inadequately braced. Thin walkways link some of the towers, without rhyme or reason in their directions or orientation. The clouds below are dark grey, and the sky all around is pale blue-grey, not cloud or mist but reality with nothing printed onto it.

"-grovel."

"Does he know we're coming?"

"Yes."

"Then at least the grovelling will be efficient."

A wing-flap from her steed and we're nearly there, another and she's coming into land, touching down on the top of a battlement with no visible way off. I drift down and land next to her.

"Is there a way to get an emergency meeting? I realise that he's a sovereign and a busy man-."

"But he recognises patterns well enough to know-"

I turn, and see… That small turret wasn't there before, and neither was the door it in. Morpheus… I'm assuming that that is him, but what I'm seeing-. I know he can look like just about anything, but what I'm seeing right now is a black… Blob with a white mask with a sort of simplified human face on it at roughly the level a face should be.

"-that leaving one such as you alone in my domain would be ill-advised."

Melinoë mimes a curtsey. "Dream Lord."

I perform a shallow bow as he approaches, his body… Refining itself into something more human-looking as he does so. The blob takes on a suggestion of robes and hair, the face more definite features. Eyes shining with tiny stars shimmer under heavy brows.

I incline my head. "Dream."

"Goddess of Nightmares and Scholar of Avarice. You have brought Anti-Life into my kingdom."

"Yes, and if you'll help us find Blue Lantern Alan Scott we'll deal with that immediately. And I'll pay you back for the insult and intrusion but please, we're in a hurry."

His robe becomes a coat and trousers, and he gains visible arms. "You do not intend to claim that I owe you for freeing Sanderson Hawkins?"

"I don't know how you value the two things and don't have time to argue. I'm a hero; if I can pay a price to prevent something terrible happening, then that's what I'll do."

"Very well then. A favour for a favour. Alan Scott is trying to find passage from Baghdad. But it is a simple matter-"

"…a single place.. where-."

Alan steps out from behind the turret, looking around in surprise.

"-to move him from one part of my realm to another.

"Thank you. Alan, did Diana explain what's going on?"

He blinks, then shakes his head. "No? I haven't seen her. I just thought Sandy might have some kinda dream portal, or a way to get through the Dream so we could get into Erebos that way."

"Good idea." I turn to Morpheus. "Thank you, you know how to reach me when you want me. Come on!"

I rise into the air. Alan tries to follow but doesn't get anywhere. Melinoë pulls him towards her horse and then boosts him up onto its back before mounting it herself.

"Okay, I'm missing something. What's going on?"

Ngamer11 · Mar 5, 2024

Mr Zoat said:
"Fooooooooour!"

Unless that's on purpose, that should say 'Fooooooooore'.

Mr Zoat said:
His robe becomes a coat and trousers, and he gains visible arms. "You do not intend to claim that I owe you for freeing Sanderson Hawkins?"

"I don't know how you value the two things and don't have time to argue. I'm a hero; if I can pay a price to prevent something terrible happening, then that's what I'll do."

I can't wait to see what Dream will ask of Paul after this is over.

Darko · Mar 5, 2024

Mr Zoat said:
"I am not asking Uncle Poseidon to have sex with a bat

I don't think he'd mind.

Mr Zoat said:
Morpheus… I'm assuming that that is him, but what I'm seeing-. I know he can look like just about anything, but what I'm seeing right now is a black… Blob with a white mask with a sort of simplified human face on it at roughly the level a face should be.

Maybe you caught him changing.

moralrelativity · Mar 5, 2024

Nice to know Dream can be so accomodating. I do wonder about what it's going to cost Paul somewhere / somewhen.

KaiserDrgn · Mar 5, 2024

Have the events of Sandman happened in this setting? Is Dream still Morpheus or is he Daniel? Paul referred to him as Morpheus in his mind, but I don't know if that's indicative or not.

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