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

Queshire · Jan 16, 2021

frommerman said:
She's crushingly touch starved. Depending on her characterization here, it seems likely she'd latch onto the first person she can touch even if they weren't interested. He didn't have to do anything manipulative, just proving he can touch her was going to be enough.

It might even be cruel not to reciprocate. He's literally the only person in her whole world she can touch. Imagine her knowing that there was someone she could hug, even just that, and they weren't interested. And it's not like she's some delicate wallflower in need of protection. Aside from the minor deities of the X-men universe, she's one of the most powerful individuals in the world. And she's just a touch away from being any of those people as well.

Aye, and that can be achieved just as well from the friend zone.

thebishop8 · Jan 16, 2021

Mr Zoat said:
Her good humour rather vanishes.

The "v" in "vanishes" is so dark it vanishes against the dark background. Is that intentional?

Darko · Jan 16, 2021

Queshire said:
Lol, well he moves fast.

Uhhhhh.... though if this Paul winds up in a relationship with Rogue, well, I'm not sure that's good.

It seems a bit squicky to take advantage of the fact that he's the first one she's been able to touch in years like that.

Most versions of Paul tend to be very considerate toward their romantic partners.

Belenus said:
New alternate of In Praise of Eros when?

Zoat did mention that they will be eating cake off each others bodies in a week.

Mr Zoat · Jan 16, 2021

Darko said:
'the orange'
'glove'

Thank you, corrected.

Also congrats on being able to use Google for porn instead of Yahoo.

Feels good.

Agent Orange said:
Why isn't he doing it anyway? Isn't he also a telekinetic (telekine?)?

No, he isn't.

frommerman said:
He's literally the only person in her whole world she can touch.

No, there are a couple of others. Leach, Unus the Untouchable and maybe Sebastian Shaw. It's not a long list, but it's longer than just him.

thebishop8 said:
The "v" in "vanishes" is so dark it vanishes against the dark background. Is that intentional?

Yes.

Chojin Patriarch · Jan 16, 2021

Mr Zoat said:
Earth 534834

14th October 1992
20:27 GMT -5

Professor Xavier regards my cube construct curiously.

Hardly the most complex construct, but this Paul's got a lot of learning to do... And he's in probably the best place for it. Hmm...

What to call him. 'Xaul'?

"Hmm."

He reaches out with his right hand and presses against it. The surface remains solid and the cube doesn't move. He exerts a little more force, testing its stability.

And the curiosity has been sparked. I wonder what Beast will make of this, given his doctorate in.. Physics, was it?

"How resilient are they?"

"As resilient as I want them to be. Which is the problem."

Ah, the fun of pre-enlightenment Lanterns.

He withdraws his hand. "How so?"

"How strongly could you want an abstract three dimensional object of no particular value to exist?"

"I see. So you have to focus on that desire. And if you don't..?"

Now, if it was something he wanted... Nay, needed to shape, it'd be damn near unbreakable.

"It becomes very weak. Or fades away entirely. Fading away is also what happens if I feel anything other than avarice."

I nod at the increasingly translucent cube.

Ah, the challenge of making two guys sitting around sharing exposition interesting...

"See? Try again."

He gives it a shove, and after a moment's resistance the side he's pushing on gives way and his forearm pushes through to the middle of the cube, which then continues to decay around him. A moment later then orange light of the construct has faded away completely.

Like dust in the wind. Sparkly orange dust, but still...

"Hm. And what else can you do with it?"

"I can fly. Just a.. matter of putting a barrier around my body and moving it. Armour-" I hold up my right hand as a construct gauntlet forms around it. "-is simple, because I don't want to get hurt. And when I want to hurt someone, a simple orange ray is easy enough to create. But control is still an issue."

Oh, wait until he works out the more esoteric levels of function... Imagine people's faces when they learn he can heal, given a sufficient level of anatomical knowledge...

He nods. "Yes, that's a problem with which I'm intimately familiar. If you want to do something it happens, without waiting for an actual decision about whether or not it's the right course of action."

"The inverse is true as well. For example-" I raise my left hand and fire a beam at him. He jerks in surprise, then relaxes as the barely visible beam patters lightly across his jacket. "-if I don't want to hurt someone, not a lot happens."

Good thing you two are alone. If one of the X-Men had seen that, I suspect there'd be trouble...

"Compared to some forms of energy projection, that's a useful safety measure."

"But it doesn't just apply to offensive constructs. If I'd like to.. rescue someone who I don't want to rescue, nothing happens."

Heh. Yeah, I bet Cyclops wishes he had that sort of safety function, the poor brain-damaged sod...

"Are you speaking from experience?"

"Backlash survived the fall, but when I tried to grab him I honestly believed that he wouldn't. An intellectual 'I'd rather he didn't die' isn't enough."

Well, that is certainly a costume choice. Man must be damn proud of those abs to show them off like that...

"How strong are your constructs when you are committed to something?"

"Nothing I've tested them against -including the Mandarin's ring blasts- has penetrated my defensive constructs. He was able to bypass them, but not directly breech them. Same with M.O.D.O.K.'s plasma guns and missiles."

Never underestimate the desire to stay alive and unhurt... Guessing Mandarin tried to mind-whammy him.

He raises his eyebrows slightly.

"You've been keeping interesting company."

You have no idea. Just have be careful about how to mention the trophy he took from Mandarain... Though I expect he left the finger behind.

"I thought that testing my attacks in an isolated location on people listed as 'Wanted: Dead' was more sensible than trying them in a built up area with a civilian population. Since I.. had the option."

"It would have been more sensible to come here at the start."

He didn't realise he needed the help yet. Overconfidence is a killer for rookie Lanterns.

I nod. "Yes. But given how intuitive the ring's functions are, I wasn't sure it was necessary. But it-. But it is. Clearly."

"Well, we have training facilities which you can use to improve your combat abilities. I'm sure that some of my other students will be happy to volunteer as sparring partners. Jean Grey is probably the best person to offer you help with the psychological aspects."

Oh, I can just imagine the Wolverine nickname he earns... 'Fruit Juice'? 'Orange Crush'? 'Tang'?

I nod.

"Thank you. Ah, obvious… I'd.. have thought it would go without saying, since I.. came here, but obviously I.. support mutant civil rights-"

I suppose it needed to be said. After all, Xavier has a rule about prying. Though I bet he'll be surprised by how open Paul's mind is. And then get KO'd by the name thing...

He nods with a wry smile.

"-and I'm happy to assist your team in the field whenever you think that's appropriate. If you think it doesn't dilute the message to have someone who isn't a mutant along."

Honestly, I thought that would reinforce the whole unity message... And the X-men have always been damn good when they've had non-mutant teammates...

"My aim has always been to enable mutant and humans to live together in peace-."

"And, ah, you don't think phrasing it like that is a problem in itself? I mean, it sounds like you're defining mutants as something non-human, when… Actually, you're more similar to baseline modern humans than Neanderthals. Just… One signature gene that the rest of us don't have. That's less than.. blonde hair."

And yet that one gene can cause things like Beast's mutation (which is part of his powers in this setting, not because of him downing an experimental chemical.) Or Nightcrawler. There are any number of Mutants with severe physical changes. Even without Magneto's little public debut framing mutants in a bad light as happened in the comics, I doubt people are too comfortable knowing there are people out there with any number of crazy scary abilities...

He frowns thoughtfully. "That's an interesting observation, though I think that given the range of physical-."

"Professor? Weren't sure-" Someone pushes his office door open. "-if you were gunna-" A woman-. That's Rogue, wearing a blue summer dress with matching opera gloves, walks in carrying a tray with a covered bowl and some cutlery on it. "-come on back down, so Jean…"

Mrrrow. One of the best reasons many teenage boys watched the show. After all, a hot southern lady in a spandex outfit so tight it's practically body-paint is hard to go past when channel-surfing...

She stops as she registers me, and I stand because… That seems like the thing to do. It's funny; I've long thought that superhero code names were a bit.. silly, in a lot of cases. Supervillain ones even worse, when their identities were known. But since I got here I've kept running into people where I've got no idea what their actual name is. Case in point: I've got no idea what Rogue's actual name is, and she wasn't exactly a minor character.

At the time, Rogue had no real name. There were teases, but I don't think any writer had settled on one until the Movie called her Anne Marie... And this Rogue's memories are so scrambled after her set-to with Carol Danvers that even she doesn't know it...

"Good evening. And… Sorry, Professor. I.. didn't realise I was interrupting."

"That's quite alright. Thank you, Rogue, please put it on my desk. Orange Lantern will be joining us at the Institute.

Hmm... How is he going to sort out his name in this alternate? The usual 'go through a list until he passes out' method? Has he even realised his name is blocked? I mean, OL found it out within minutes...
(And on the topic of names: 'Saul Talbot'? Kinda close to the real name. And it was in plain sight the whole time.

Nice. Interesting that he can think parts of it, but not the whole thing - Peter Wynne has the tail end of his real name, after all...)

"Well howdy. See you've already got the hang of the dress code." She smiles warmly at me. "Dinner's usually dress down."

Change.

A flash of orange and my armour is replaced by jeans and a jumper.

Thankfully without any momentary nudity.

Gods help any Paul stuck in a Magical Girl setting. Especially one where transformations aren't instant, like Symphogear.

"I will bear that in mind." I extend my right hand. "Pleased to meet you."

She sets the tray down on the Professor's desk and then approaches me, carefully taking my hand and shaking it. This version must have acquired Ms Marvel's strength, then. That will be interesting to test my construct shields against.

Remember, he doesn't know specifics of the setting... Which means he doesn't remember the good parts of the cartoon.

"So what's your story, sugah?"

"My.. control needs work. Under stress I don't necessarily get the results I want."

That's one way to put it...

"And what's your thang?"

"I can do anything I want, as long as it's orange and doesn't take more than about fifteen minutes." I hold out my right hand, manifesting a sword and then switching it to a gun and then… Something that isn't a weapon… A bouquet of flowers. And dismiss. "You?"

'Fifteen minutes' being based on the amount of time he can manage to focus? I doubt it'd be based on Ring Charge, unless the Ka Stone is really inefficient.

Her good humour rather vanishes. "When ah… Touch people, I kinda drain them. Their life, their strength."

"Ah." I nod sympathetically. "Well. Good news, then."

Don't think we missed that momentary depression Black there, Mr Zoat. Understandable, though, given the drawbacks of her powers.

My right hand darts out and taps her on the left cheek.

Her eyes widen and she pulls back in the air!

Probably not the best way to show off the environmental shield, but hey...

"You crazy goose-brained-!"

I shrug, holding my right hand up so that I'm looking at her over the back of it.

Setting quite the first impression. That scatter-brained-ness coming from the Orange Light running a little hot, making him more impulsive, I take it.

"I don't touch things. See the orange glow?"

She hovers in the air, her panting breaths slowing as she takes a very careful look at my barely-visible environmental shield.

Any second now, it'll hit her...

"It relays tactile sensation from me to you and you to me, but we didn't actually touch." I shrug. "You didn't drain me and.. probably won't from casual contact."

She lands, then nervously takes a step closer.

Admittedly, I'm not certain how well it'd last during more... Intimate contact, but hey, it's a start...

"Are you fer real?"

"I'm as real as everything else."

Wow, she really is touch-starved, isn't she? Even if they don't go the romantic route, she's just found herself a new best friend...

Her eyes flick from me to the Professor. Then she slowly pulls off her right glow and extends her hand to me. I gently take it in both of mine and hold it for a few moments.

"See? No problem."

"Ah, yeah. Ah'm seein', alright."

...Oh, my. Well, Gambit's just lost any chance of romance with her. Now, it's a matter of whether Paul's British properness can withstand her.. affections.

Even if it doesn't work out romantically, I think these two are gonna be good friends. And I foresee her being a lot less.. tense in future, too. One of her biggest issues throughout her history has been isolation, and having someone she can touch safely? That's a damn big butterfly.

"Backlash survived the fall, but when I tried to grab him...

"Blacklash survived the fall, but when I tried to grab him...

...but not directly breech them.

...but not directly breach them.

Queshire said:
Bipedal walking is hard.

Indeed. In the comics, he's had an occasion or two where he went into combat using an exoskeleton powered by psionic energy. Like during the finale of the Fatal Attractions event, where he joined the X-Men in an attack on Asteroid M. Even then, he was having to devote a lot of focus on walking...

As for the telekinetic thing? That was largely a minor element of the Ultimate comics, from what I remember. Xavier has generally not shown any significant telekinetic powers elsewhere...

RichardWhereat · Jan 16, 2021

Belenus said:
Lewd...
New alternate of In Praise of Eros when?

Realtalk though, this is actually really sweet. Def want to see this one get expanded upon, even without lewds.

And with, of course.

WhiteNoise · Jan 16, 2021

Chojin Patriarch said:
...but not directly breech them.

Click to expand...

Click to shrink...

...but not directly breach them.

You mean he's not putting them in pants for the first time?

Handlewithcare · Jan 16, 2021

Yeah, neither Jean nor Xavier should look into his head.

Finding out they are comic characters to him would not go over well.

Bramble Thorn · Jan 16, 2021

Also congrats on being able to use Google for porn instead of Yahoo.

Mr Zoat said:
Feels good.

Is there a piece of current events I'm missing here?

Darko · Jan 16, 2021

Bramble Thorn said:
Is there a piece of current events I'm missing here?

Basically this.

Mr Zoat said:
FINALLY! It turns out that my internet service provider was censoring my Google searches! After logging onto my account, search everywhere because it isn't clearly listed and then restarting my router, I can once again search for porn using Google rather than Yahoo!

I saw Zoat post it when I was checking to see if this chapter came out.

Mr Zoat · Jan 16, 2021

Chojin Patriarch said:
And the curiosity has been sparked. I wonder what Beast will make of this, given his doctorate in.. Physics, was it?

It's within that field. Don't ask me for the specifics.

'Fifteen minutes' being based on the amount of time he can manage to focus? I doubt it'd be based on Ring Charge, unless the Ka Stone is really inefficient.

Fifteen minutes being about how long his charge lasts at full combat usage intensity, throwing up constructs and having them constantly destroyed.

"Blacklash survived the fall, but when I tried to grab him...
...but not directly breach them.

"I... I'm sorry, but I don't understand your name."

With a full face mask on I can't read his expression, but I imagine he's sneering.

"What's so hard to understand?"

"Your lash isn't black, your costume isn't black, and... Well, you're not black. Where does the black come from?"

To our right, Dreadknight snorts with laughter, and ~~Backlash~~ Blacklash jerks his head around to glare at him.

"What, I can't be black if I'm not black?!"

"Hah!"

"You're not a knight!"

"No, but I have a doctorate. Even after leaving Latvaria, I wasn't going to call myself 'Doctor Dread'. I have a horse and armour. It's close enough. You're not even a little bit black."

"What should I have called myself, then?"

"Whiplash."

"The Lash."

"Pink-" Dreadknight snorts again. "-lash."

Darko · Jan 16, 2021

Mr Zoat said:
What, I can't be black if I'm not black?!"

Well Tom Cassidy is also called Black Tom Cassidy, so you're not alone.

CTrees · Jan 16, 2021

Why wouldn't you use Bing for your porn searches? It's easily the best search engine for porn. Uh, so I've heard... Wait this is QQ, and I've commented on In Praise of Eros. Bing is definitely the best search engine for porn these days.

Darko · Jan 16, 2021

Chojin Patriarch said:
Good thing you two are alone. If one of the X-Men had seen that, I suspect there'd be trouble...

Either a telekinetic hold, metal claws or eye beams would have come his way.

Chojin Patriarch said:
Heh. Yeah, I bet Cyclops wishes he had that sort of safety function, the poor brain-damaged sod...

Maybe this Paul can help with that.

Chojin Patriarch said:
I suppose it needed to be said. After all, Xavier has a rule about prying. Though I bet he'll be surprised by how open Paul's mind is. And then get KO'd by the name thing...

He is a highly powerful and experienced telepath, so he may actually not be hurt by it.

Chojin Patriarch said:
Hmm... How is he going to sort out his name in this alternate? The usual 'go through a list until he passes out' method? Has he even realised his name is blocked? I mean, OL found it out within minutes...
(And on the topic of names: 'Saul Talbot'? Kinda close to the real name. And it was in plain sight the whole time. Nice. Interesting that he can think parts of it, but not the whole thing - Peter Wynne has the tail end of his real name, after all...)

Either the list thing or he chooses one he likes.

It's possible Saul tried to figure out his name and when he found some that he couldn't say he chose some that sounded similar.

Chojin Patriarch said:
Thankfully without any momentary nudity. Gods help any Paul stuck in a Magical Girl setting. Especially one where transformations aren't instant, like Symphogear.

Violet Paul.

Chojin Patriarch said:
Setting quite the first impression.

He does that.

Chojin Patriarch said:
That scatter-brained-ness coming from the Orange Light running a little hot, making him more impulsive, I take it.

Or it's just him.

Chojin Patriarch said:
Oh, my. Well, Gambit's just lost any chance of romance with her. Now, it's a matter of whether Paul's British properness can withstand her.. affections.

I'm betting that behind that British politeness there's a passionate, if awkward, lover.

Chojin Patriarch said:
Even if it doesn't work out romantically, I think these two are gonna be good friends.

Some of the best romances start out as friendships.

Chojin Patriarch said:
As for the telekinetic thing? That was largely a minor element of the Ultimate comics, from what I remember. Xavier has generally not shown any significant telekinetic powers elsewhere...

Apokalips did give him some telekinetic powers in the Evolution cartoon.

Massgamer · Jan 16, 2021

Rogue is touch-starved in the same way that Ratchet and other 'deviants' of his species were, but unlike them they is also minor sexual aspect to it since hard for her to get involved with people without touching.

Maybe Paul can offer to over her in an environmental shield and let her hug her friends for once, it'd certainly be a nice gesture at least.

Prince Charon · Jan 16, 2021

Darth.Bill said:
Yes, the appropriate first thing to tell Rogue is that you are a viable sexual partner. Anyone would do the same.

Well, I'm pretty sure more than half the guys (and a few of the girls) that I went to high school with in the 1990s would have at least tried to tell her that under those circumstances, though some of us would likely have been very awkward about it. She was pretty popular.

PrinceJonathan · Jan 16, 2021

Mr Zoat said:
She hovers in the air, her panting breaths slowing as she takes a very careful look at my barely-visible environmental shield.

"It relays tactile sensation from me to you and you to me, but we didn't actually touch." I shrug. "You didn't drain me and.. probably won't from casual contact."

"Feels like I'm wearing nothing at all."

"Stupid sexy goose-brain."

Mquz · Jan 16, 2021

So... what if he gave her the/ a power ring. Would she be able to touch people? Would the ring make her indirectly touch everything at once?

FreeGod · Jan 16, 2021

Queshire said:
Bipedal walking is hard.

I expect that floating is simpler and that means that he can put a bunch of cool gadgets into his chair.

Mr Zoat · Jan 16, 2021

Mquz said:
So... what if he gave her the/ a power ring. Would she be able to touch people? Would the ring make her indirectly touch everything at once?

Yes, though the orange light wouldn't do anything good for her mental state. Or Carol Danvers'.

Silverias · Jan 16, 2021

So...umm...hanging around Xavier means that his meta-knowledge is not going to last very long. If not Xavier, then Emma Frost. Xavier has very few compunctions about peeking when he feels it's necessary, and Emma...even less so.

Poimenikos · Jan 16, 2021

Oh... So. If that paul has problems with hes... "Wants" that mean that IF he gets involved with rogue he might have a problem. While having... Alone time with her he might think "we must not touch'' . But if he deeply truly comes to love her and he wants to have true contact ? it would take onky a secont lost in passiin and baaam. Rogue gonna get traumatized.

Doccer · Jan 16, 2021

Chojin Patriarch said:
And on the topic of names: 'Saul Talbot'? Kinda close to the real name. And it was in plain sight the whole time. Nice. Interesting that he can think parts of it, but not the whole thing - Peter Wynne has the tail end of his real name, after all...)

Do we know what his real last name is?

Darko · Jan 16, 2021

Doccer said:
Do we know what his real last name is?

Tallowin.

Aelyx · Jan 16, 2021

Silverias said:
So...umm...hanging around Xavier means that his meta-knowledge is not going to last very long. If not Xavier, then Emma Frost. Xavier has very few compunctions about peeking when he feels it's necessary, and Emma...even less so.

This Xavier isn't comics Xavier, he's a bit more idealistic. Jean would be the safer bet, I don't remember if Emma goes to the mansion in the show.

Soul Shocker · Jan 16, 2021

Mr Zoat said:
Her eyes flick from me to the Professor. Then she slowly pulls off her right glove and extends her hand to me. I gently take it in both of mine and hold it for a few moments.

"See? No problem."

"Ah, yeah. Ah'm seein', alright."

Handholding at first meeting?

.... lewd.

EDIT: Lewd no2:
Seems like environmental shield is like an ultra-thin condom, conveys touch both ways, but you're not actually touching

dxdragon · Jan 16, 2021

Paul x Rogue?

Niiiice.

I actually want a bunch more snippets from this world. Maybe have them be a 3rd point of view, like Renegade is his 2nd?

hance1986 · Jan 16, 2021

Mr Zoat said:
"My aim has always been to enable mutant and humans to live together in peace-."

' mutants '

Mr Zoat said:
"That's quite alright. Thank you, Rogue, please put it on my desk. Orange Lantern will be joining us at the Institute.

' Institute." ' missed quotation mark.

Mr Zoat said:
"Your lash isn't black, your costume isn't black, and... Well, you're not black. Where does the black come from?"

I kind of want this to be OL's thing a bit in the 90s Marvel universe he's known for by the villains. Don't let the orange one talk, because he asks those armor piercing questions that throw off villain team cohesion slightly, or make something sound ridiculous, or find some chink in the armor. What it does is kind of interrupt the flow. Like The X-Men are comic book style arrayed against Apocalypse and his Horsemen like in a splash panel and En Sabah Nur is monologuing about purging the weak and inferior and Paul says "Excuse me!" and says something that undermines the argument and Apocalypse just attacks because he doesn't want to answer, proving Paul's point.

nick012000 · Jan 16, 2021

Poimenikos said:
Oh... So. If that paul has problems with hes... "Wants" that mean that IF he gets involved with rogue he might have a problem. While having... Alone time with her he might think "we must not touch'' . But if he deeply truly comes to love her and he wants to have true contact ? it would take onky a secont lost in passiin and baaam. Rogue gonna get traumatized.

Or, you know, having sex or being romantically intimate in general, once the lust causes enough Violet Light to disrupt his Orange Light constructs.

Lazurman · Jan 16, 2021

nick012000 said:
Or, you know, having sex or being romantically intimate in general, once the lust causes enough Violet Light to disrupt his Orange Light constructs.

Lust/Horny is Avarice/Orange. Love is... Love/Violet.

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

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Umm, ackchyually...

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Just zis guy, you know?

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If you see a God on the road fuck it!

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