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

The worst thing about RWBY is that Sienna Kahn isn't in it more. Completely wasted character. I'm sure I could talk her around.

Ephebophilia. And only if they had sex. Otherwise, it would just be really inappropriate.

Yes, RWBY has an unfortunate talent for introducing interesting concepts, and then poorly executing them.

If you had a version of Paul land in Remnant, I presume that warning Sienna and trying to help her avoid her fate would be one of your top priorities?
 
Yes, RWBY has an unfortunate talent for introducing interesting concepts, and then poorly executing them.

If you had a version of Paul land in Remnant, I presume that warning Sienna and trying to help her avoid her fate would be one of your top priorities?
Random Remnant citizen: "All my Semblance does it let me glow orange. I can't even make the glow do anything cool."
Incoming SI: "How would you like to be my best friend?"

*Checks calender*
No, still three years until I can talk about the Good Friday Agreement on this website. Which is a shame because it's a good metaphor for the faunus.

One of the other problems with RWBY is the lack of faunus oppression. We see one guy being mean to a faunus huntress, but he spends the episode being a dick to Jaune so he's probably just a dick rather than a racist. The Schnee Dust Company is established as being dicks to everyone in Ruby's intro. There are faunus in Beacon Academy and a faunus headmaster. And yet plenty of faunus are willing to join the White Fang in a place they're visibly not being oppressed. After a certain point it looks more like a persecution complex than actual persecution.

So if I was writing it, I'd have to decide if I was writing a story where the oppression was current and real, or one where it was historical but had a disproportionate hold on the modern faunus psyche. And if it's real, Velvet and Lionheart are gone and Weiss would probably have to be a villain. And if it's not real, several canon characters would have to be shown as stupid and/or deranged.
 
Random Remnant citizen: "All my Semblance does it let me glow orange. I can't even make the glow do anything cool."
Incoming SI: "How would you like to be my best friend?"

*Checks calender*
No, still three years until I can talk about the Good Friday Agreement on this website. Which is a shame because it's a good metaphor for the faunus.

One of the other problems with RWBY is the lack of faunus oppression. We see one guy being mean to a faunus huntress, but he spends the episode being a dick to Jaune so he's probably just a dick rather than a racist. The Schnee Dust Company is established as being dicks to everyone in Ruby's intro. There are faunus in Beacon Academy and a faunus headmaster. And yet plenty of faunus are willing to join the White Fang in a place they're visibly not being oppressed. After a certain point it looks more like a persecution complex than actual persecution.

So if I was writing it, I'd have to decide if I was writing a story where the oppression was current and real, or one where it was historical but had a disproportionate hold on the modern faunus psyche. And if it's real, Velvet and Lionheart are gone and Weiss would probably have to be a villain. And if it's not real, several canon characters would have to be shown as stupid and/or deranged.

To be fair, it's not like Rooster Teeth didn't go out of their way to show that anti-Faunus discrimination is ever present in the setting. Sure, we didn't see much actual oppression or slavery on-screen, but the fact that one of the four main characters was initially super racist against Faunus before she had a change of heart does say a lot about how a lot of people see Faunus in Remnant, especially when it's coming from a character raised in high society. Sure, Rooster Teeth didn't do that good of a job at showing actual oppression beyond insults and bullying, but it's still a pretty ballsy move to have one of your main characters be racist, especially in this day and age.

And of course, there's also what we see when Adam finally loses his mask too. Can't get more on-the-nose than literally having them branded like cattle. And I don't think Paul would fix Adam by fixing his face.
 
, Rooster Teeth didn't do that good of a job at showing actual oppression beyond insults and bullying, but it's still a pretty ballsy move to have one of your main characters be racist, especially in this day and age.
"This day and age" was more than a decade ago, and Weiss was so mildly racist and quickly not that it really can't be used as a good showcase of how important an issue it is.

Adam was mostly just wasted to the point I've seen people joke that he fell out of a parallel world where his plot made more sense.
 
Weiss wasn't ever really racist. Some people tried to claim she was, but the scenario around it was incredibly stupid.

===

Weiss: I hate the White Fang.

Blake: I can't believe you'd be racist against the Faunus like that.

Weiss: I'm only talking about the White Fang. I hate them because they kidnapped and murdered friends and family while I was growing up.

Blake: Even though I left the White Fang because I couldn't tolerate how murderously violent they've become any longer, I'm going to insist they'd never do things like that and run off to find the local cell and prove you wrong.

A little bit later . . .

Weiss: Even though you were completely wrong, I'm going to apologize to you for hating people who actively want me dead.

Blake: And I won't apologize for trying to defend the people who want you dead.

Weiss and Blake: Yay! We're friends now!

===

Seriously. The Faunus racism storyline was a shitshow that was botched at every turn.
 
Common Sense (part 15) New
Common Sense (part 15)

1st October 2010
21:02 GMT -5


I sit on the Crock settee, trying to get comfortable. Local news is playing footage of the celebrations, and from the looks of things the presenter has been imbibing himself. They've been interviewing anyone who walks up, with priority being given to the victims of the Joker's previous attacks. I… Suppose that the survivors from today's attack will still be in hospital.

I look towards the kitchen. "I'm happy to help, you know!"

"I can handle a few dishes. And this is good physical therapy. I need to get used to moving around."

I nod. A reasonable point, and it's also reasonable for the person who.. didn't do the cooking to handle the cleanup. Dad used to handle loading the dishwasher at.. home.

Huh. We had a dishwasher for so long that while I just about remember the first one being installed I don't remember who did the washing up before that.

And I only offered anyway because this is the first time… That I've had to sit down without worrying about what the League's response would be.

"…not showing any sign of stopping…"

I mean, I'm clearly not going to have any problem with the general public. I suspected that would be the case… Because it makes sense. Not because it was in Kingdom Come…

Thinking about it, it's not all that clear what 'side' Kingdom Come was on. Sure, Captain Atom exploded as a result of Magog's crusade, but Parasite was the one who made him explode. And no one who knew what Parasite could do would think that could happen. Parasite drains power, he doesn't amplify it. But even leaving aside… That much like Marvel's Civil War, it started with people making pretty reasonable decisions and having them blow up in their faces, Superman's prison didn't work any better. The criminals contained there broke out, killing their guards and the warden before being killed by the nuclear explosion. So despite everything that Superman said about Magog, the situation ended up being dealt with in the same way.

So the general public is fine. Government? Anyone complaining about the person who stopped an attack like that is committing political suicide. Avenues of attack… National sovereignty and arbitrariness. The correct way to deal with the second is to agree and ask how the complainant would like to handle it in future. The first…

The Justice League of America is respected worldwide, but they aren't exactly popular with some governments. Regarded as necessary, perhaps, but no one really likes their territorial integrity getting violated for something that should be the job of local police or the military. In America with the 2nd Amendment, history of costumed vigilantes and lionisation of iconoclasm, their actions are well received. It's effectively the same in Europe. Africa and South America accept that beggars can't be choosers…

So the significant question is: would I enter Russia or China uninvited. And I think the answer is 'yes, but I really don't want to'. I think if I had just cause and handed whoever I apprehended over to the local authorities then there wouldn't be a problem, but…

Chechnya's not going to rebel again, is it. And I doubt that Russia will invade any former-Soviet territory. But there's Hong Kong. And I can see why the Chinese government might be concerned because I actually might decide to get involved if they ramped the oppression index up high enough. Which means…

Which means that there's a good chance that I'm going to thoroughly piss off my former team mates by being elevated to the Justice League to reassure nervous nations that I'm agreeing not to concern myself with their internal affairs.

"Heh."

But… How do I feel about it? I did just… Shoot several people dead. And Diana was right, that sort of thing does usually take a while to adapt to, even for people who volunteer as professional soldiers. But I can't… Honestly say that I've been haunted by Vertigo's half-burnt face or anything. Might be something to do with having to want them dead to make it happen. So the act is associated with that clear desire, rather than shooting in the general direction of the enemy and killing a particular someone more or less incidentally. And I… Have been sorting through my own thoughts more than most soldiers would be trained to, simply to try and minimise the contamination from the ring. So I've got that going for me.

And it's not like I want post-traumatic stress disorder, so it's… Also possible that the ring would just… Prevent it, as part of-.

I look up Paula enters the room, a smile growing on my face-. And then I remember what we're going to talk about-.

"It looks like you've become quite popular."

She's looking at the screen as she walks around and sits… At the other end of the settee. Probably… Because if we're going to have a serious talk we probably need to actually look at each other, but I can't deny that I feel a little… Put out.

"I… Assumed that people would be supportive. I didn't think they'd be this enthusiastic."

She moves so that she's two-thirds facing me and one-third facing the television-.

I reach for the control box. "Should I turn it off?"

She shakes her head, then pauses to think about where to start. I notice her eyes drift to-.

I nod, pull the ring off my finger and put it into my pocket. As always there a very slight change in the feel of the air, as the environmental shield shuts down and I'm forced to experience normal temperature, pressure and smell.

I only really notice it for the first few seconds, but it is… Odd, for those few seconds. But that's the only oddity that I notice. I don't feel any differently about what I did.

"Better?"

I shake my head. "The same."

"Have you killed anyone before today?"

"No. I'm… Sure it would have come up."

"I suspect that Artemis is not being entirely honest when she tells me what your team has been doing."

"Ah… Well, I'm off the team now. That was the… Agreement Wonder Woman and Batman came to. He doesn't want a killer vigilante near the children, and I think she's wanted to move me since she found out she was wrong about my age."

"That is not why I asked. I want to know if you are alright. If you are covering for Artemis, stop."

"No. To the best of my knowledge I have never directly killed anyone before today. A few people I've arrested may have been executed, but I wasn't around to see it. I've… Been studying my own reactions, and I don't appear to be suffering any adverse psychological consequences." … "And nor do I feel the desire to make lists of everyone else who deserves to die and start railgunning them."

"Do you think about killing villains a lot?"

"I… Have to be aware of how much force I'm applying, and against who. I… Yes, I have thought about… Situations in which I'd use that sort of force against people. When it would be… Justified. This… Wasn't a corner case."

She breathes out… Relieved, I think?

"Good. Those people do not deserve anyone feeling bad for them."

I nod. "I know. Napier didn't used to be a particularly bad man, but that was before the Smilex. And the rest chose that life."

"Napier-? The Joker?" I nod. "What will you do next?"

"I'm still learning how to be a superhero, and… There isn't an adult training team. Green Lantern Two-" Deal with it, Jordan. "-and Diana have been giving me lessons aimed at adults since they found out, and honestly the normal curriculum wasn't dumbed down as far as I could see."

"Did they throw you out of the Mountain?"

"Not exactly, but it was implied."

She frowns. "Where are you living?"

"Green Lantern One's guest room. I should.. probably look at buying somewhere." Ugh. "And finding an American company to invest the minimum required into so I can sort out my immigration status, because I'm presently a stateless person. Might pick LexCorp as a joke…"

"I have a better idea."

Oh? Oh. It's a bit.. early, I'd have thought? But I'm not against-.

"I will help you find somewhere. We will go looking tomorrow."

Ah.

She sees my face fall slightly. "Gotham house prices are very reasonable. Realtors have not adjusted to the Joker being dead and the city being safer."

"I'm sure that you're right." I can't help but smile, a… Little ruefully. "Thank you in advance for your assistance."
 
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No. He's not even sure that it happened, and with everything else going on it's not a priority.
Agree it's not a priority, but still worth knowing how the artifact appeared/manifested in what was supposed to be a secure facility (since it appeared while he was being warped, without alerting Kaldur who was standing within a few feet of him?), and whether or not it's just paper and ink or if it has some sort of extra properties.
 
No no....see, she's been infected with common sense from time spent with him, she knows not to jump into a relationship too fast.

And Logistically I'll point out that her making sure he's getting a place in Gotham means he's closer to her, and she can visit him rather then him visit her home, that she shares with her daughter or a home he shares with a veteran hero.

Very forward thinking.
 
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Common Sense (part 15)

1st October 2010
21:02 GMT -5


I sit on the Crock settee, trying to get comfortable. Local news is playing footage of the celebrations, and from the looks of things the presenter has been imbibing himself. They've been interviewing anyone who walks up, with priority being given to the victims of the Jokers previous attacks. I… Suppose that the survivors from today's attack will still be in hospital.
This party could go on for a while, I think. After all, the people of the city has a deep personal stake in being happy that one of their worst criminals is gone. I'm sure they're hoping other assholes get nixed as well...

I look towards the kitchen. "I'm happy to help, you know!"

"I can handle a few dishes. And this is good physical therapy. I need to get used to moving around."
And besides, he earned a little service. IF their relationship had progressed far enough, I'd have said he'd be getting lucky tonight, but...

I nod. A reasonable point, and it's also reasonable for the person who.. didn't do the cooking to handle the cleanup. Dad used to handle loading the dishwasher at.. home.

Huh. We had a dishwasher for so long that while I just about remember the first one being installed I don't remember who did the washing up before that.
Heh. I remember a recent Not Always Right story about an older man considering loading a dishwasher to be 'manly' housework. Because it's a machine. 😏

And I only offered anyway because this is the first time… That I've had to sit down without worrying about what the League's response would be.

"…not showing any sign of stopping…"

I mean, I'm clearly not going to have any problem with the general public. I suspect that would be the case… Because it makes sense. Not because it was in Kingdom Come…
Ah, yes, the 'bad future' storyline where people were kind of okay at first with 'heroes' using lethal force on supervillains, starting with Magog killing the Joker after he dropped a smilex bomb on the Daily Planet. Written mostly as a lament at the asshole heroes coming out of comics of the late Ninteies...

Thinking about it, it's not all that clear what 'side' Kingdom Come was on. Sure, Captain Atom exploded as a result of Magog's crusade, but Parasite was the one who made him explode. And no one who knew what Parasite could do would think that could happen. Parasite drains power, he doesn't amplify it. But even leaving aside… That much like Marvel's Civil War, it started with people making pretty reasonable decisions and having them blow up in their faces, Superman's prison didn't work any better. The criminals contained there broke out, killing their guards and the warden before being killed by the nuclear explosion. So despite everything that Superman said about Magog, the situation ended up being dealt with in the same way.
Honestly, the governments probably did make the best choices they could have. Sadly, villains gonna villain, and then they authorised that nuke...

So the general public is fine. Government? Anyone complaining about the person who stopped an attack like that is committing political suicide. Avenues of attack… National sovereignty and arbitrariness. The correct way to deal with the second is to agree and ask how the complainant would like to handle it in future. The first…
Although it's easier to ask for forgiveness than permission, some states might prefer you ask before doing.

The Justice League of America is respected worldwide, but they aren't exactly popular with some governments. Regarded as necessary, perhaps, but no one really likes their territorial integrity getting violated for something that should be the job of local police or the military. In America with the 2nd Amendment, history of costumed vigilantes and lionisation of iconoclasm, their actions are well received. It's effectively the same in Europe. Africa and South America accept that beggars can't be choosers…
And the smaller nations might scream and shout about sovereignty, but in the end, if they can't deal with the problem themselves, someone's going to have to come over there.

So the significant question is: would I enter Russia or China uninvited. And I think the answer is 'yes, but I really don't want to'. I think if I had just cause and handed whoever I apprehended over to the local authorities then there wouldn't be a problem, but…
China would probably rather you left it to the Great Ten. While Russia has its own special forces...

Chechnya's not going to rebel again, is it. And I doubt that Russia will invade any former-Soviet territory. But there's Hong Kong. And I can see why the Chinese government might be concerned because I actually might decide to get involved if they ramped the oppression index up high enough. Which means…
You'd have to deal with the Great Ten interfering. And they would consider themselves in the right, because soverign territory.

Which means that there's a good chance that I'm going to thoroughly piss off my former team mates by being elevated to the Justice League to reassure nervous nations that I'm agreeing not to concern myself with their internal affairs.

"Heh."
That's one way to ensure he follows the League's rules of engagement.

But… How do I feel about it? I did just… Shoot several people dead. And Diana was right, that sort of thing does usually take a while to adapt to, even for people who volunteer as professional soldiers. But I can't… Honestly say that I've been haunted by Vertigo's half-burnt face or anything. Might be something to do with having to want them dead to make it happen. So the act is associated with that clear desire, rather than shooting in the general direction of the enemy and killing a particular someone more or less incidentally. And I… Have been sorting through my own thoughts more than most soldiers would be trained to, simply to try and minimise the contamination from the ring. So I've got that going for me.
Yeah, I'd say the Ring is stabilising your emotional state.

And it's not like I want post-traumatic stress disorder, so it's… Also possible that the ring would just… Prevent it, as part of-.

I look up Paula enters the room, a smile growing on my face-. And then I remember what we're going to talk about-.
Ah, the joy of prospective cuddles tempered by having to adult for a bit.

"It looks like you've become quite popular."

She's looking at the screen as she walks around and sits… At the other end of the settee. Probably… Because if we're going to have a serious talk we probably need to actually look at each other, but I can't deny that I feel a little… Put out.
Eh, there's always time for cuddles after. Possibly even a lap pillow... 😏

"I… Assumed that people would be supportive. I didn't think they'd be this enthusiastic."

She moves so that she's two-thirds facing me and one-third facing the television-.
Never underestimate the satisfaction of something like this. The knowledge that the Joker won't kill anyone again, and even if there's copycats, they can never be as bad.

I reach for the control box. "Should I turn it off?"

She shakes her head, then pauses to think about where to start. I notice her eyes drift to-.
Wow, the tv's so old it doesn't even have a remote, it has a box? :p

I nod, pull the ring off my finger and put it into my pocket. As always there a very slight change in the feel of the air, as the environmental shield shuts down and I'm forced to experience normal temperature, pressure and smell.

I only really notice it for the first few seconds, but it is… Odd, for those few seconds. But that's the only oddity that I notice. I don't feel any differently about what I did.
Ah, very good idea. Remove the mental filter of the Orange Light. Great for honesty.

"Better?"

I shake my head. "The same."
Presumably the dampening of the reaction has already been internalised.

"Have you killed anyone before today?"

"No. I'm… Sure it would have come up."
And it's hard to be sure of a person's condition during a super-hero fight. Although I have no doubt CS!OL has been conscientious about that sort of thing.

"I suspect that Artemis is not being entirely honest when she tells me what your team has been doing."

"Ah… Well, I'm off the team now. That was the… Agreement Wonder Woman and Batman came to. He doesn't want a killer vigilante near the children, and I think she's wanted to move me since she found out she was wrong about my age."
Aw. There goes most of his in-group. Maybe for the best given his age.

"That is not why I asked. I want to know if you are alright. If you are covering for Artemis, stop."

"No. To the best of my knowledge I have never directly killed anyone before today. A few people I've arrested may have been executed, but I wasn't around to see it. I've… Been studying my own reactions, and I don't appear to be suffering any adverse psychological consequences." … "And nor to I feel the desire to make lists of everyone else who deserves to die and start railgunning them."
Well, that's probably reassuring for the League, if nothing else.

"Do you think about killing villains a lot?"

"I… Have to be aware of how much force I'm applying, and against who. I… Yes, I have thought about… Situations in which I'd use that sort of force against people. When it would be… Justified. This… Wasn't a corner case."
Yeah, this was pretty cut and dried justified force. None of the Injustice League would have escaped execution if they'd been taken alive.

She breathes out… Relieved, I think?

"Good. Those people do not deserve anyone feeling bad for them."
True, true. Each of them earned their fate.

I nod. "I know. Napier didn't used to be a particularly bad man, but that was before the Smilex. And the rest chose that life."

"Napier-? The Joker?" I nod. "What will you do next?"
Not that most people will care about his real name. That man died the day he took that header into those chemicals...

"I'm still learning how to be a superhero, and… There isn't an adult training team. Green Lantern Two-" Deal with it, Jordan. "-and Diana have been giving me lessons aimed at adults since they found out, and honestly the normal curriculum wasn't dumbed down as far as I could see."
To be fair, they would be preparing the kids for adult careers.

"Did they throw you out of the Mountain?"

"Not exactly, but it was implied."
Though he'd probably move out anyway, unless they asked him to stay.

She frowns. "Where are you living?"

"Green Lantern One's guest room. I should.. probably look at buying somewhere." Ugh. "And finding an American company to invest the minimum required into so I can sort out my immigration status, because I'm presently a stateless person. Might pick LexCorp as a joke…"
Well, given his funds, he can probably get the paperwork fast-tracked easily enough.

"I have a better idea."

Oh? Oh. It's a bit.. early, I'd have thought? But I'm not against-.
I think Artemis would kill you if you moved in.

"I will help you find somewhere. We will go looking tomorrow."

Ah.
At least he can make the place the most secure place in the city... Outside of batman's bases.

She sees my face fall slightly. "Gotham house prices are very reasonable. Realtors have not adjusted to the Joker being dead and the city being safer."

"I'm sure that you're right." I can't help but smile, a… Little ruefully. "Thank you in advance for your assistance."
Worst case, she can move in with him later...

A pleasant chat, and a surprisingly mature one. Well, the early moments of one, anyway. It is interesting that CS!OL feels so... Unconcerned by his actions, even after removing the Ring's influence. I guess accepting the necessity of it made the Orange Light modify his perception of it, even ex post facto. Perhaps some time spent without the Ring will let him process it normally...
 
Ephebophilia. And only if they had sex. Otherwise, it would just be really inappropriate.
I'm imagining Oh El somehow managing to get stuck in a comedically awkward relationship where he has to constantly find excuses not to have sex or even be near her.
I sit on the Crock settee, trying to get comfortable. Local news is playing footage of the celebrations, and from the looks of things the presenter has been imbibing himself. They've been interviewing anyone who walks up, with priority being given to the victims of the Jokers previous attacks. I… Suppose that the survivors from today's attack will still be in hospital.
'Joker's'
I mean, I'm clearly not going to have any problem with the general public. I suspect that would be the case… Because it makes sense. Not because it was in Kingdom Come…
'suspected'?
"No. To the best of my knowledge I have never directly killed anyone before today. A few people I've arrested may have been executed, but I wasn't around to see it. I've… Been studying my own reactions, and I don't appear to be suffering any adverse psychological consequences." … "And nor to I feel the desire to make lists of everyone else who deserves to die and start railgunning them."
'do'
 
I'm imagining Oh El somehow managing to get stuck in a comedically awkward relationship where he has to constantly find excuses not to have sex or even be near her.
An excuse not to have sex wouldn't be hard. She's a Catholic.

I mean, I remember reading that most American Catholic women ignore the rules on contraception and pre-marital sex, but it wouldn't be that weird for him to imply that he was following them.
'Joker's'
'suspected'?
'do'
Thank you, corrected.
 
An excuse not to have sex wouldn't be hard. She's a Catholic.

I mean, I remember reading that most American Catholic women ignore the rules on contraception and pre-marital sex, but it wouldn't be that weird for him to imply that he was following them.
…This is starting to sound vaguely possible. Please, don't give me hope for a Zatanna comeback once Jade dies and is subsumed by the Source. My spirits will be crushed when it doesn't actually happen.

Though I'd be satisfied by an Old Kara (New Superwoman?) comeback.
 
…This is starting to sound vaguely possible. Please, don't give me hope for a Zatanna comeback once Jade dies and is subsumed by the Source. My spirits will be crushed when it doesn't actually happen.

Though I'd be satisfied by an Old Kara (New Superwoman?) comeback.
It was my original plan.
 
Can't help but wonder that this Paul Assimilated a crazy villain and that Might affect him later or give him knowledge of past crimes…..
 
"This day and age" was more than a decade ago, and Weiss was so mildly racist and quickly not that it really can't be used as a good showcase of how important an issue it is.

Adam was mostly just wasted to the point I've seen people joke that he fell out of a parallel world where his plot made more sense.

Yeah, but I'm just saying, most authors would try to do an anti-racist aesop by making up a strawman caricature character for the heroes to fight against, and give them no nuance, humanity or emotional dephts whatsoever. The fact that they had the courage to not only make one of their heroines openly racist, but to actually portray her as a human, well-rounded character who changes and develops over time to recognize that her own prejudice is wrong, is much more effective and admirable, even if the handling of her character arc was admittedly kind of clumsy.

Weiss wasn't ever really racist. Some people tried to claim she was, but the scenario around it was incredibly stupid.

===

Weiss: I hate the White Fang.

Blake: I can't believe you'd be racist against the Faunus like that.

Weiss: I'm only talking about the White Fang. I hate them because they kidnapped and murdered friends and family while I was growing up.

Blake: Even though I left the White Fang because I couldn't tolerate how murderously violent they've become any longer, I'm going to insist they'd never do things like that and run off to find the local cell and prove you wrong.

A little bit later . . .

Weiss: Even though you were completely wrong, I'm going to apologize to you for hating people who actively want me dead.

Blake: And I won't apologize for trying to defend the people who want you dead.

Weiss and Blake: Yay! We're friends now!

===

Seriously. The Faunus racism storyline was a shitshow that was botched at every turn.

Um, yes, she was definitely racist. Don't get me wrong, she has every right to be disgusted at the White Fang for what they did to her, but she clearly showed disdain against all Faunus, not just the White Fang. She openly talked shit about all Faunus, she automatically assumed that Sun Wukong was a criminal who was either part of the White Fang, or that he would end up in the White Fang when she first met him, just because of his race.

According to Oxford Languages, the textbook definition of racism is "discrimination, prejudice and antagonism by an individual, community, or institution against a person or people on the basis of their membership in a particular racial or ethnic group, typically one that is a minority or marginalized". And that's exactly what Weiss was doing. Thus, she was being racist.

Still, I do agree with you that the plot thread was resolved too quickly. A lifelong prejudice should not get solved in the span of ONE episode. It would have been fine if Weiss had grown to respect Blake and Sun because they proved they weren't like thr Faunus who attacked them, but to outright just discard all her prejudice out of nowhere feels unnatural.


Thinking about it, it's not all that clear what 'side' Kingdom Come was on. Sure, Captain Atom exploded as a result of Magog's crusade, but Parasite was the one who made him explode. And no one who knew what Parasite could do would think that could happen. Parasite drains power, he doesn't amplify it. But even leaving aside… That much like Marvel's Civil War, it started with people making pretty reasonable decisions and having them blow up in their faces, Superman's prison didn't work any better. The criminals contained there broke out, killing their guards and the warden before being killed by the nuclear explosion. So despite everything that Superman said about Magog, the situation ended up being dealt with in the same way.

I know, right? Kingdom Come is a pretty good story for the most part, but if it was trying to convince people why killing villains is a bad thing, it really shot itself in the foot by having all the villains break out of prison (should we really be surprised, considering that's what villains do best?), and then they all had to be nuked anyway. So if anything, there would have probably been less casualties if the villains had been executed from the get go, depressing as that sounds.

And it's not like I want post-traumatic stress disorder, so it's… Also possible that the ring would just… Prevent it, as part of-.

You know, that's an interesting question: Could you theoretically use a power ring to modify your own brain to remove any undesired mental conditions or illnesses? Like, if you get PTSD, can you modify your brain so that you stop experiencing the symptoms?

Oh? Oh. It's a bit.. early, I'd have thought? But I'm not against-.

"I will help you find somewhere. We will go looking tomorrow."

Ah.

She sees my face fall slightly. "Gotham house prices are very reasonable. Realtors have not adjusted to the Joker being dead and the city being safer."

Congratulations, Paula! You have the dubious honor of being the first woman in the multiverse to blueball a Paul!
 
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Can't help but wonder that this Paul Assimilated a crazy villain and that Might affect him later or give him knowledge of past crimes…..

Yeah, I'm waiting for the other shoe(s) to drop and a sequence of decisions that seemed perfectly reasonable and sensible at the time lead to an absolutely batshit insane POV.
 
Yeah, but I'm just saying, most authors would try to do an anti-racist aesop by making up a strawman caricature character for the heroes to fight against, and give them no nuance, humanity or emotional dephts whatsoever. The fact that they had the courage to not only make one of their heroines openly racist, but to actually portray her as a human, well-rounded character who changes and develops over time to recognize that her own prejudice is wrong, is much more effective and admirable, even if the handling of her character arc was admittedly kind of clumsy.



Um, yes, she was definitely racist. Don't get me wrong, she has every right to be disgusted at the White Fang for what they did to her, she clearly showed disdain against all Faunus, not just the White Fang. She openly talked shit about all Faunus, she automatically assumed that Sun Wukong was a criminal who was either part of the White Fang, or that he would end up in the White Fang when she first met him, just because of his race.

According to Oxford Languages, the textbook definition of racism is "discrimination, prejudice and antagonism by an individual, community, or institution against a person or people on the basis of their membership in a particular racial or ethnic group, typically one that is a minority or marginalized". And that's exactly what Weiss was doing. Thus, she was being racist.

Still, I do agree with you that the plot thread was resolved too quickly. A lifelong prejudice should not get solved in the span of ONE episode. It would have been fine if Weiss had grown to respect Blake and Sun because they proved they weren't like the Faunus who attacked them, but to outright just discard all her prejudice out of nowhere feels unnatural.
I mean... Sun is a criminal. He stowed away on the ship that brought him to Beacon. And while Blake never attacked Weiss, she did at the very least attack a whole lot of security guards while she was a member of the White Fang and was never punished for it.
You know, that's an interesting question: Could you theoretically use a power ring to modify your own brain to remove any undesired mental conditions or illnesses? Like, if you get PTSD, can you modify your brain so that you stop experiencing the symptoms?
If you know what you're doing, yes.
 
I mean... Sun is a criminal. He stowed away on the ship that brought him to Beacon. And while Blake never attacked Weiss, she did at the very least attack a whole lot of security guards while she was a member of the White Fang and was never punished for it.

Yeah, but keep in mind, Weiss didn't know that at the time. She just automatically assumed that Sun was a criminal as soon as she saw him despite having never met him before, or not having any proof that he had actually commited a crime. Nor did she know what Blake did either. As for Blake's crimes, I think the reason why she never got in trouble for what she did is because neither her teachers or friends knew about the guards. Considering how secretive she was about her past, it makes sense that she wouldn't be too eager to divulge on her crimes.

If you know what you're doing, yes.

Okay, now what would happen if you took someone who had a lifelong mental condition, like Two-Face and his DID, and made his brain more like the typical baseline?
 
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Thank you, corrected.
Yeah, but keep in mind, Weiss didn't know that at the time. She just automatically assumed that Sun was a criminal as soon as she saw him despite having never met him before, or not having any proof that he had actually commited a crime. Nor did she know what Blake did either. As for Blake's crimes, I think the reason why she never got in trouble for what she did is because neither her teachers or friends knew about the guards. Considering how secretive she was about her past, it makes sense that she wouldn't be too eager to divulge on her crimes.
What is it that they say on SpaceBattles? It's harder to complain about witch hunts when they keep finding witches. It isn't racism if it's true, it's pattern recognition.
Okay, now what would happen if you took someone who had a lifelong mental condition, like Two-Face and his DID, and made his brain more like the typical baseline?
...

Yes, the SI can forcibly alter the brains of other people.
 
Can't help but wonder that this Paul Assimilated a crazy villain and that Might affect him later or give him knowledge of past crimes…..

Yeah, I'm waiting for the other shoe(s) to drop and a sequence of decisions that seemed perfectly reasonable and sensible at the time lead to an absolutely batshit insane POV.
Other versions have Assimilated evil people and weren't affected by it.

Granted, they were either spiritually strong enough to resist them or so different that they couldn't be manipulated.

But this version may still not have a soul and now he's connected to a very old and dangerous wizard.
 
Thank you, corrected.

What is it that they say on SpaceBattles? It's harder to complain about witch hunts when they keep finding witches. It isn't racism if it's true, it's pattern recognition.

Um, no it isn't. Sure, in this case, I agree with you that there were a LOT of "witches" in Vale, because the White Fang was actually present there due to Cinder and Adam's plans. However, by that point, the show had shown quite a few examples of Faunus who either weren't affiliated with The White Fang (Velvet and Sun), or who used to be part of them but then decided to desert the White Fang for one reason or another (Blake and Tucson). Hell, Velvet is neither a criminal or a White Fang member. So clearly, assuming that they're all in the White Fang is an exaggeration. And if you have at least one example who is neither White Fang nor a criminal, then pattern recognition obviously isn't 100% reliable, now isn't it? That'd be like if I said that all the mentally ill people in Gotham City are evil just because 99% of Batman's villains are mentally ill in one way or another. It just doesn't work, especially when you yourself have admitted that Batman is insane.

So throwing all the faunus together in the same basket is just plain wrong. And again, the show literally showed that the rich and powerful tend to treat the Faunus like crap, or even in Adam's case, literally branded them like cattle to force them into slavery. So, yes, anti-faunus racism and slavery does exist in the World of Remnant. Did the show do a good job at showing it in the early volumes? No. Did the show still eventually prove that it exists in the later volumes? Absolutely. I agree with you that the show could have done a better job at showing the hardships and discrimination endured by the faunus in the first 3 volumes, but the later volumes more than made up for it, and they showed loads and loads of faunus who weren't White Fang, or even criminals at all.

'Could've'?
Bit of a blast from the past here. I forgot that he said he was seventeen. Could've sworn it was eighteen.

Wouldn't Orange Lantern have to change his lie to take into account the years thta have passed since he arrived in this world? It's been what, 3 years since his initial arrival? So, if he had to lie, he'd have to say that he's around 20.

Speaking of which, will Paul ever tell the truth about his age to everyone?
 
And That's Okay (part 16) New
21st July 2013
07:23 GMT -5

Urghhh…

I hear.. Artemis walk into the dining area and stop abruptly when she sees me. "What's wrong with him?"

Wallace rises from his seat and walks over to greet her. "Hey, beautiful."

"Hey."

I hear them kiss, but I'm too busy staring at the table.

"Have you asked?"

"Yeah. Turns out? We're doomed."

"Oh. I thought it might be something we didn't know."

"No, we're more doomed than that. Did you read the report on the fight at KordTech?"

"Ah… Not yet. Is it important?"

"While the existential dread is getting to me, I can answer questions. I was just sort of hoping more of the team would be here."

"Honestly…" I can hear Wallace's disquiet clearly. "We don't really get together as a team all that much. Batman's too busy running everything to come up with missions, everyone else on the Justice League is too busy stopping everything exploding to give us missions…"

I hear Artemis sit down across from me. "And all the intelligence agencies that share info with the League either can't or won't, so we don't know what we could be doing. You've been working in Hub City, right?"

"Amongst other places. It's got power and medicine and the rebuilding is starting. Do you want a symbiote that makes you highly resistant to disease?"



"Stop looking at the table!"

I lift my head up, looking at Artemis. "Certainly, dear future sister-in-law."

"What symbiote?"

"A new genomorph. It works as a sort of super-liver. Once it's in you, you'll barely know that it's there, other than the fact that you'll stop getting ill."

Artemis frowns for a moment, then nods. "Be-cause I'm tough and I heal fast, but I'm not actually immune to diseases or poisons."

Wallace looks curious. "Would it work on me?"

"Not… Sure. Ah, do you remember exactly how you created your version of the Garrick Formula?"

"You mean, exactly what I got wrong?"

"Yes."

"Ah…" He looks away as he thinks hard. "Not… Precisely. I know roughly what I got wrong 'cause Uncle Barry tried to work it out. But since it exploded, it was kinda hard to work out exactly what quantities I'd used."

"Can Mister Allen slow down to exactly your speed?"

"Yeah, he can-? Right, because if the symbiote went too fast or too slow, that could be really bad." He frowns. "And wouldn't Artemis's regeneration cause a problem? If she heals whatever it's biting onto, that would cause constant internal pain."

"No, it's fine. They copy your tissues once they're implanted and spoof your body into thinking that they're part of it." I look around. "So is everyone else not coming?"

Wallace shrugs. "Depends. Match is still interning with LexCorp-." I raise my eyebrows. "Yeah, I know. The guy cannot take a hint. And-"

I don't know why Artemis is staring at me.

"-Conner and Megan are in high demand, because we're basically the Justice League's interns."

"I thought that was the Peace Operatives' jobs."

Artemis snorts. "It would be, except according to Green Arrow everyone thinks they're too creepy to work with."

"So how come you're here?"

They can't quite avoid looking at each other and blushing-. Empty mountain, right.

"Well-." Wallace examines the wall in the hopes of finding an answer. "Uncle Barry's rushing all over the world, and I think all the Central City Rogues work for you now."

"Mister McCulloch said that logistics weren't his thing. Technically, I don't even employ-" I hear the hanger zeta tubes activate. "-Leonard."

Wallace shrugs. "They're not making trouble in Central City, so I can do monitor duty in case someone needs backup in a flash."

"Green Arrow and Red Arrow need bonding time."

"What about-?" Arsenal walks up the steps into the kitchen area. "Never mind. Good morning, Roy."

"Paul. Long time no see." He contemplates me for a moment. "So, the world's doomed, right?"

Artemis nods. "Apparently."

"It's more doomed than I realised. Batman and Mister Atom are on it, but I'm concerned about their methods. They're slightly better than a large civil war or a famine, but unless I'm completely off the mark they're going to cause big problems later on and I'm hoping that some of you have better ideas-" Donna flies in from the direction of the training room. "-than I've been able to come up with."

Donna lands, looking around. "This is about Batman's brainwashed army, right?"

"Partly."

"Good. I don't know why he did it, but it needs to stop."

"In point of fact, we need it not to stop."

Wallace frowns. "Who's having a civil war?"

"If the worst likely prediction comes to pass, China could collapse, resulting in multiple hostile nuclear-armed states. Oh, and if that happens we could lose about fifty million people to starvation alone. And if there are automated second strike systems out there that the League doesn't know about, it could result in global nuclear Armageddon."

Wallace's face creases further. "Haven't we had enough of those already?"

"You'd think. But it turns out that not interfering in national governments when times were good meant that an awful lot of disadvantageous social structures and poor decisions were allowed to continue to times like now." I look around. "Okay, if this is all we're getting, let's go to the training room and I'll give you a full briefing."
 

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