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

[Wivk]

Incompetent impersonators not doing their research into their targets, a good thing for everyone else.

 

[Mr Zoat]

Incompetent impersonators not doing their research into their targets, a good thing for everyone else.

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In the original series, Captain America was a good target because no one really knew what he was like. Unfortunately for the skrull, Logan does know and can sniff the difference.

 

[Frozen20XX]

And now she's definitely concerned. The impersonator is evidently being very wary of trying to use the Ring.

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Thank the One Above All for that, because the last thing we need is Skrull!Not-OL going Larfleeze on the city.

 

[Shotiegun11]

Is there a list where i could find all the chapters of the Invincible variant of Paul?

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Random segments of the Episode: 'Equity' and the 'Invulnerable War' segments, I believe. I think that all there is.

 

[BR549]

In the original series, Captain America was a good target because no one really knew what he was like. Unfortunately for the skrull, Logan does know and can sniff the difference.

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...ah, so Rogue is going to run into Logan, start to explain she has concerns about OL, and then stop, pause, and ask whose purple blood is all over an even-more-pissed-off-than-usual Wolverine...

Lol of course they instantly know it's not him because of his well known habit of being so british that he doesn't shit.

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You joke, but I suspect that a clue might be the combination of "I can be there in a moment if I run" and "I am on the toilet" = "I will use my Ring to finish going".

Which, assuming all Pauls share the Paragon's trait, is something he will never, ever do for love or money...

 

[Zig]

Ah Yes, the 'Punch Dimension' thing.

One explanation for Cyclops's was that his eyes don't generate the energy, rather they form a portal to an alternative dimension full of 'concussive energy'. His eyes simply form an aperture for the energy to enter our reality.

They mostly ditched that explanation but it still comes up. I think they came up with it in an attempt to explain why he doesn't have 'recoil' to his powers, or super strong neck muscles to absorb such recoil. And they are pretty specific about those beams not being lasers or thermal....heck I remember the 90's cartoon version putting out fires with them....somehow.

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Now I want a version that has the required secondary powers of super strong neck muscles going around head butting people.

 

[Cuchulin]

Now I want a version that has the required secondary powers of super strong neck muscles going around head butting people.

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Head butting power require a super hard head as well.

 

[m_d]

Is there a list where i could find all the chapters of the Invincible variant of Paul?

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Here's what I can easily get you. Though I'm doing links, I'm not doing them all pretty with the dates and titles for all of them right now in the interests of speed, but you can find them in this index on the first page pretty easily.

Episode 149: Equity parts: 9, 14, 15, 16, 18, 26, 27, 28 (i.e.: all the ones happening in 2024)
Episode 156: Goo-Goo G'joob parts: Invulnerable War: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 (All in 2025 as opposed to the parts corresponding to the episode title, which are in 2013)

I'm still working on the side-story index. Not done yet, but I'll post it when I've got it.

 

[Mr Zoat]

1st September 2013
19:43 GMT -5

Artemis looks mildly confused. "Bournville is an actual place?"

"Yes. It was the top of the line Victorian town built by the Cadbury brothers for their workers. It's also the place the dark chocolate brand I resurrected is named after."

Wallace arranges more of the names Edward Mackensen provided us with on the hologram display. Faces, employment history, and… I'm not sure whether I should be worried or relieved that we've got this much information on known associates. And when they're all in place, he looks decidedly unsatisfied. "We've got a problem."

"Someone's been making drugs in a company town when I'm the one who owns the company."

"Not that." He gestures at the display. "Why would any of these guys know anything about alchemy?"

He's got a point. A few drivers, a depot manager, a welder… Yes, some of them have something obvious to add to the enterprise, while others…

"This chap." I point. "Charles Andrews."

Artemis frowns, calling up his expanded history. "The… Homeless guy?"

"'No fixed address' doesn't mean homeless. Did I ever tell you about The Tate Club?"

"The place in London where the wizards hang out?"

I nod. "Criminal record. A couple of speeding tickets, both in London. And he didn't have the same hair style, but I'm pretty sure that I remember seeing him in the club on one of my visits."

Wallace raises his eyebrows. "What happened to perfect memory?"

"Wizards. There are plenty of ways for them to disguise themselves. Altering my memory would be difficult, but changing their own face a little would be easy. What else do you notice about his record?"

"He's been unemployed… His whole life."

"Good suit for an unemployed man. Unemployment benefits in Britain aren't that good."

Wallace nods. "Street magician?"

"That's my guess." I have my ring quickly review Cadbury's records. "Never applied for a job with Cadbury or KordTech."

Artemis nods. "Guess he's not a joiner."

"Could be that. Or it could be that he's not good enough."

Wallace looks sceptical. "I don't know, Oh El. This isn't something a guy who knows nothing could have come up with."

I call up the mass spectrometry results.

"Look, each of the patches contains basically the same thing. The only difference is the… Tiny amount that can't be properly analysed with conventional equipment. That looks to me like he found a potion recipe somewhere and adapted it."

Wallace nods. "So he can follow a recipe but doesn't know enough to create things outside of that."

"It's a thing in Britain. We've actually got lots of magicians, technically, but they're usually weak and ignorant. They get by on cunning and the greater ignorance of the people around them. One or two good tricks they parlay into wider significance."

Alright, London's the most surveilled city in the world… And we have access to all of their records. Again, not… Totally comfortable with that, but… Facial recognition-. Ring, that query's going to take to long. Do the processing yourself.

Compliance. Results available.

And suddenly I know nearly everywhere he's gone in central London for the last twenty years. Any one particular place-.

"Here." The Grand Hotel, of course. "I think he's been living here."

Artemis frowns. "Do magicians earn enough to live full-time in fancy hotels?"

"Not usually, but it's easy to nudge a few minds so that they think you're a guest. Put up a glamour so that they're only selectively aware that the room you're occupying actually exists. There are all sorts of ways to manipulate people with magic if they can't defend themselves at all." There's a reason why the Metropolitan Police put up with John Constantine, and it's not just because of that Watford mess. They needed someone with his skills. "I'll get in touch with my old friends at The Tate Club and see if they're prepared to talk to me."

Wallace calls up a London street map. "Think it's safe for me and Arte to check out his hotel?"

"Probably. I suspect that it's booby trapped… If he's planning on ever coming back, which given that he's moved to Bournville, he may well not be."

Artemis nods. "Like, an explosive..?"

"Probably not. Probably some sort of curse, or maybe a minor demon. If it's the first, your spell eaters should be able to take it… Unless it's indirect. But again, I don't get the impression that he's particularly powerful. It would probably be bound to an object-. You've got your-?"

Artemis and Wallace both pull out their rune stones.

"Good, good. I've got silver-plated iron daggers if you want them, but honestly you should be able to handle a minor demon without special measures."

Artemis holds out her hand, so I fabricate a knife with a sheath that will fit on her harness.

Wallace frowns thoughtfully. "How smart would a demon be?"

"Uh… This is a pile of assumptions we're making here, but I'd guess that if it attacks you then it's probably as intelligent as a feral animal, and if it holds off and waits then it's probably as intelligent as… My old praexis demons."

"Could we bargain with-" Artemis glares at him and slaps his upper right arm. "-with-. I don't mean like that."

"You necessarily do. It's a demon. Even just freeing it from bondage would just free it to inflict misery on other people. If you want to try and get information from it, give it a choice of having its physical form destroyed by either physical trauma or Essence of Vitriol. Your super acid will cause lasting harm. If there's a demon there at all, which I emphasise we don't know."

Artemis nods. "We sweep the place, find where he's been hiding, and go through his stuff and see if there's anything magical there."

"You and Wallace will."

"Okay." Wallace raises an eyebrow. "And where are you going?"

"Bournville. It's not strange for me to visit; I own the company. I'll walk around, monitor our suspects remotely and see if I see any problems. If you turn out to need me I can be back in London in a few seconds, but I'm still hopeful that we can end this without a violent confrontation."

Artemis frowns. "Did you miss the part where they tried to kill a guy to keep him quiet?"

"Frankly, I don't think a magician like this is skilled enough to pull that off. I'm not sure why it happened, but that's why I'm going to go in softly. Anything else?"

They shake their heads.

"Alright." I generate a zeta tube construct. "Let's go."

 

[Ngamer11]

"Not usually, but it's easy to nudge a few minds so that they think you're a guest. Put up a glamour so that they're only selectively aware that they room you're occupying actually exists. There are all sorts of ways to manipulate people with magic if they can't defend themselves at all." There's a reason why the Metropolitan Police put up with John Constantine, and it's not just because of that Watford mess. They needed someone with his skills. "I'll get in touch with my old friends at The Tate Club and see if they're prepared to talk to me."

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That should say 'the'.

 

[Mr Zoat]

That should say 'the'.

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Thank you, corrected.

 

[Darko]

Artemis looks mildly confused. "Bournville is an actual place?"

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Wonder if Jason Bourne can trace his family there.

 

[Chojin Patriarch]

1st September 2013
19:43 GMT -5

Artemis looks mildly confused. "Bournville is an actual place?"

"Yes. It was the top of the line Victorian town built by the Cadbury brothers for their workers. It's also the place the dark chocolate brand I resurrected is named after."

Click to shrink...

And no doubt revitalised by his takeover and the establishment of the Portal network? Makes sense, really, having most of the staff close at hand. Less travel time, easier to call in in emergencies... And probably easy to hide out in.

Spoiler: Commentary spoilered for length

Wallace arranges more of the names Edward Mackensen provided us with on the hologram display. Faces, employment history, and… I'm not sure whether I should be worried or relieved that we've got this much information on known associates. And when they're all in place, he looks decidedly unsatisfied. "We've got a problem."

Click to shrink...

I guess he was being diligent in covering his ass. Making sure he knew all the names he needed in case he had to turn it over to the police.

"Someone's been making drugs in a company town when I'm the one who owns the company."

"Not that." He gestures at the display. "Why would any of these guys know anything about alchemy?"

He's got a point. A few drivers, a depot manager, a welder… Yes, some of them have something obvious to add to the enterprise, while others…

Click to shrink...

But none of them seem the sort to have the crucial arcane skills involved. Not unless they were seriously low-balling their skillsets.

"This chap." I point. "Charles Andrews."

Artemis frowns, calling up his expanded history. "The… Homeless guy?"

"'No fixed address' doesn't mean homeless. Did I ever tell you about The Tate Club?"

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The kind of fellow who spends his money on hotels and hostels. makes it harder to track him, though.

"The place in London where the wizards hang out?"

I nod. "Criminal record. A couple of speeding tickets, both in London. And he didn't have the same hair style, but I'm pretty sure that I remember seeing him in the club on one of my visits."

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People can and do change haircuts as time passes. I don't know if OL still wears his hair longish, and I'm sure other friends have adapted to changing fashions.

Wallace raises his eyebrows. "What happened to perfect memory?"

"Wizards. There are plenty of ways for them to disguise themselves. Altering my memory would be difficult, but changing their own face a little would be easy. What else do you notice about his record?"

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A simple illusion would be more energy-efficient than a mass enchantment. Especially if it's as simple as 'totally unremarkable, don't bother trying to remember me.'

"He's been unemployed… His whole life."

"Good suit for an unemployed man. Unemployment benefits in Britain aren't that good."

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More likely he makes his money through under-the-table means. Cash payments for services that don't appear on tax forms. Or even outright theft.

Wallace nods. "Street magician?"

"That's my guess." I have my ring quickly review Cadbury's records. "Never applied for a job with Cadbury or KordTech."

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I suspect that'll be changing by the time this is done. It'll be that or a prison sentence for narcotics-related offences.

Artemis nods. "Guess he's not a joiner."

"Could be that. Or it could be that he's not good enough."

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Not everyone is involved in Constantine level affairs, true. Most would definitely avoid that sort of thing like the plague.

Wallace looks sceptical. "I don't know, Oh El. This isn't something a guy who knows nothing could have come up with."

I call up the mass spectrometry results.

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Alchemy doesn't require a lot of magical energy. A little nudge during the preparation to enforce the mystical changes and that's about it. Potentially doable unaware, as Kid Flash showed when he copied the Garrick Formula...

"Look, each of the patches contains basically the same thing. The only difference is the… Tiny amount that can't be properly analysed with conventional equipment. That looks to me like he found a potion recipe somewhere and adapted it."

Wallace nods. "So he can follow a recipe but doesn't know enough to create things outside of that."

Click to shrink...

Not everyone has the benefit of money or someone involved in Atlantis to get the training manuals needed.

"It's a thing in Britain. We've actually got lots of magicians, technically, but they're usually weak and ignorant. They get by on cunning and the greater ignorance of the people around them. One or two good tricks they parlay into wider significance."

Alright, London's the most surveilled city in the world… And we have access to all of their records. Again, not… Totally comfortable with that, but… Facial recognition-. Ring, that query's going to take to long. Do the processing yourself.

Click to shrink...

When it comes in handy, it makes it easier to ignore the doubts.

Compliance. Results available.

And suddenly I know nearly everywhere he's gone in central London for the last twenty years. Any one particular place-.

Click to shrink...

Particularly dense clusters of sightings within the last year would be best. Ideally the last month...

"Here." The Grand Hotel, of course. "I think he's been living here."

Artemis frowns. "Do magicians earn enough to live full-time in fancy hotels?"

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A decent hedge-wizard doesn't need to pay...

"Not usually, but it's easy to nudge a few minds so that they think you're a guest. Put up a glamour so that they're only selectively aware that they room you're occupying actually exists. There are all sorts of ways to manipulate people with magic if they can't defend themselves at all." There's a reason why the Metropolitan Police put up with John Constantine, and it's not just because of that Watford mess. They needed someone with his skills. "I'll get in touch with my old friends at The Tate Club and see if they're prepared to talk to me."

Click to shrink...

Not sure why they wouldn't, unless he's too public a figure for their preferred anonymity.

Wallace calls up a London street map. "Think it's safe for me and Arte to check out his hotel?"

"Probably. I suspect that it's booby trapped… If he's planning on ever coming back, which given that he's moved to Bournville, he may well not be."

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Still may be instructive if they can find any traces. It's likely where he first made these patches before selling the first batch and making bank.

Artemis nods. "Like, an explosive..?"

"Probably not. Probably some sort of curse, or maybe a minor demon. If it's the first, your spell eaters should be able to take it… Unless it's indirect. But again, I don't get the impression that he's particularly powerful. It would probably be bound to an object-. You've got your-?"

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They are adults at this stage, or close to. If they can't deal with something simple like this by themselves, they would be better off not being heroes...

Artemis and Wallace both pull out their rune stones.

"Good, good. I've got silver-plated iron daggers if you want them, but honestly you should be able to handle a minor demon without special measures."

Click to shrink...

...But being prepared never hurts, no matter your age.

Artemis holds out her hand, so I fabricate a knife with a sheath that will fit on her harness.

Wallace frowns thoughtfully. "How smart would a demon be?"

Click to shrink...

I pity anything that tries to take her on, expecting a 'weak human female' only to get its back folded and a knife to its throat.

"Uh… This is a pile of assumptions we're making here, but I'd guess that if it attacks you then it's probably as intelligent as a feral animal, and if it holds off and waits then it's probably as intelligent as… My old praexis demons."

"Could we bargain with-" Artemis glares at him and slaps his upper right arm. "-with-. I don't mean like that."

Click to shrink...

Not a foolish question. At the very least, you'd have to make it willing to return to Hell.

"You necessarily do. It's a demon. Even just freeing it from bondage would just free it to inflict misery on other people. If you want to try and get information from it, give it a choice of having its physical form destroyed by either physical trauma or Essence of Vitriol. Your super acid will cause lasting harm. If there's a demon there at all, which I emphasise we don't know."

Click to shrink...

But, again, better prepared than surprised. Hope for the best, but plan for the worst.

Artemis nods. "We sweep the place, find where he's been hiding, and go through his stuff and see if there's anything magical there."

"You and Wallace will."

"Okay." Wallace raises an eyebrow. "And where are you going?"

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Hopefully they'll have no trouble even finding the hidden spot. I can't foresee the guy maintaining any concealment spells on it now that he's moved on, but there's the chance others might have been in and out and contaminated the spot unknowingly.

"Bournville. It's not strange for me to visit; I own the company. I'll walk around, monitor our suspects remotely and see if I see any problems. If you turn out to need me I can be back in London in a few seconds, but I'm still hopeful that we can end this without a violent confrontation."

Click to shrink...

Not least because they'll be overkill, unless this guy can somehow summon a demon lord or other extra-dimensional backup.

Artemis frowns. "Did you miss the part where they tried to kill a guy to keep him quiet?"

"Frankly, I don't think a magician like this is skilled enough to pull that off. I'm not sure why it happened, but that's why I'm going to go in softly. Anything else?"

Click to shrink...

He might merely be a patsy in the affair. A pawn of something more dangerous...

They shake their heads.

"Alright." I generate a zeta tube construct. "Let's go."

Click to shrink...

Well, time to see if the preparations are needed or not.

It says a lot that OL and company are over-preparing. They're used to things getting out of hand and seem to expect it more often than not, I suspect. But given the tendency for OL's missions to go awry, better to brace for disaster than take things lightly. Especially with something like these patches and their sympathetic magical risks, as seen with Edward's troubles.