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

[Mr Zoat]

Let's not forget that the Lady that lectures Captain America about being out of touch because he hasn't watched any Youtube videos or sat in the stands for a NASCAR race? Yeah, we are supposed to Agree with her.

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I honestly think that was the problem. The storyline about the country reacting in a stupid way to a tragedy was interesting, but editorial for some reason thought that people reading a superhero comic would cheer on the formation of a police state.

I can see why they might have thought that at the time, but Modern Politics.

 

[jonasquinn]

This is progressing, because the story has been static due to Paragon's power level for over a year.

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Except it absolutely hasn't, things have happened, situations have changed and characters have evolved and learned

That is the definition of the story progressing, just because OL hasn't had to face a bloody, endless struggle to do anything and then have it all undone doesn't mean the story isn't progressing

You might want to actually look up what the Entities powers are... Cause resurrecting people is purely a white thing... And messing with Souls is purely a Black.

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Except that's clearly not the case here, or at the very least not the case for people who are Enlightened because at that stage they've become so aware of their emotions that they're essentially a part of their respective Entity

And even if we go with your version of things the Ophidian doesn't need to resurrect OL, she just has to go "Hey, you're my favourite living thing and you've spent the past year connected to me and viewing everything in terms of your desires so I basically have an imprint of your consciousness and memories so bam, have all that back and now we're back to normal"

This so much. A character's stats are not the story. Losing powers isn't going "backwards" or "undoing the story". Conflict and loss are good for stories. We'll see how Zoat pulls if off of course - if nothing else I'd imagine we'll get some fun Orange moments.


-obligatory "wow agreeing with vaermina note, we're walking-

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Conflict and loss are good for stories when they make sense and don't completely destroy it, which this would

Not only would OL lose all of his character development and attachments but he'd also be forced into a universe that has adapted to his tactics which he now doesn't know, it would basically be forcing a tutorial character into a late game area

Unless with the loss of his enlightenment and many of his memories, he takes the Post Civil War(1, the one where he deleted his entire mind to keep it out of Norman Osborn's hands) Back Up Tony Stark approach to seeing/hearing about what he has done, and reacts with abject horror at how he could have done some of the things he has.

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But why would he? The vast majority of things he's done are good, even the most controversial things like Fate and the Citadelians are largely agreed to have been for the better by those involved and since all being Enlightened did was make him more aware of what he already wanted to do he's likely not going to give a shit anyway

But Zoat has earned more faith than that. I really can't see him doing a depower, even though its the thing I've feared happening every single time the bitchfest starts.

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Thats what I'm telling myself too, like I said I'm probably not going to read the next few updated fully until I know how this ends, because if is a comic style reset then I am done, but I don't think it actually will be

 

[Vaermina]

So, not going to lie, pretty annoyed that the second OL finally starts showing some flex and not having his every effort shut down or tanked....he gets one shot by a mega bullshit beam.

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Problem with that idea is that Paragon has been showing his flex for years.

Now, normally I would suspect that the loss of his memories and Orange quotes would be yet another Thor gets set back because Mjölnir was broken again, gotta give up the Odinforce and head back to the status quo once more. Because during my time as a lower assistant at Marvel, god damn did I have to sit in a lot of meetings with writers who wanted nothing more than to undo/ignore continuity because they either didn't care, or liked how things were "before".

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Everything said, I really don't think you get why those writers were so keen on depowering Thor. It's not because they wanted a return to the status que, it's because to most people overpowered characters are boring because there's no real struggle in their accomplishments.

 

[jonasquinn]

Problem with that idea is that Paragon has been showing his flex for years.

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Except for the parts where he make sure to be careful when dealing with enemies, is fighting something he doesn't understand or his enemies have adapted to him and he has to work around whatever they've done

Everything said, I really don't think you get why those writers were so keen on depowering Thor. It's not because they wanted a return to the status que, it's because to most people overpowered characters are boring because there's no real struggle in their accomplishments.

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Except that's not true, just because your protagonist gets stronger that doesn't suddenly remove any struggle so long as your good writer. The antagonists can get stronger as well, they can learn and adapt, the hero can be put in situations where being the strongest doesn't mean they'll win

Plus that's an example that doesn't work here because there are still plenty of things in the setting that are dangerous to OL of he isn't careful

 

[Maxx Crowley]

I honestly think that was the problem. The storyline about the country reacting in a stupid way to a tragedy was interesting, but editorial for some reason thought that people reading a superhero comic would cheer on the formation of a police state.

I can see why they might have thought that at the time, but Modern Politics.

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So given my time in the industry, such as it was, I can see Civil war happening the way it did for a few reasons.

1. Once again, Editorial demands the titles be "Shaken up." I heard this phrase endlessly.

2. They want a BIG event that'll get everyone's attention. Still reasoning, after all these years of being wrong, that it'll get people flocking back.

3. They want something they think will be topical OR the writers themselves want to do "Super serious writing guiz." I can tell you that there is NOTHING modern comic writers want more then awards, recognition on a mainstream stage, and some kind of interview on fucking Ellen or something.

4. Many of the writers don't give a shit, are annoyed this shit is taking time away from what they want to do, and can't agree on much of anything.

5. Many comic writers have firm dislikes to outright hatred of certain characters and are not above using Editorial mandated events to take a wet shit on them. I can see The Woman lecturing Cap being written by someone who thinks Cap is an overrated, outdated relic. While at the same time using her to take potshots at society as a whole. Recall her rant about how she resented being trapped somewhere while the heroes saved her life, and how she damn sure wanted them to be accountable to her.

6. Foolish writers who think they can use Editorial's mandate to push for real growth/changes. Spider-man revealing himself publicly for instance. These poor souls are NEVER prepared for Fan-backlash.

Civil War almost certainly had the same origin as the massive push/shilling of Chick-Thor. Whor as she was unfortuanly dubbed. Someone saw something on the news, they heard someone giving passionate interviews on the subject, and though "Holy shit! If we do a story about that, they'll all coming running!"

It's also like Civil War 2, with whatever the fuck was supposed to be up with Ms. Marvel, ol' Carol Danvers. I don't know how they expected us to see her as anything BUT a scumbag...yet somehow they did.

And I can also tell you that most of the comic industry pretty much can't stand long time comic fans, especially when they have to keep crawling back, groveling all the while, to them after all those new fans don't show up, and they've gone out of their way to insult the fuck out of their existing fanbase.

Thats what I'm telling myself too, like I said I'm probably not going to read the next few updated fully until I know how this ends, because if is a comic style reset then I am done, but I don't think it actually will be

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As I said, Zoat's more than earned my good faith. I don't always agree with what his characters do, or how he's universe is set up. But I have very few complaints with his actual writing and creativity.

Except that's not true, just because your protagonist gets stronger that doesn't suddenly remove any struggle so long as your good writer. The antagonists can get stronger as well, they can learn and adapt, the hero can be put in situations where being the strongest doesn't mean they'll win

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Not to mention, characters like Superman, Thor, The Hulk....a bit part of their draw is how powerful they are.

I've been a Hulk fan since I was 5 years old. Let me tell you, when they goofy shit up him losing a fight. I get annoyed as all hell. He's the Hulk! Him being a perpetual motion machine of smashing is so much of the fun!

And yet the best storylines about him deal with the mental issues of Banner. The action is the FUN, but that doesn't mean the action is the entire story. You expect the Hulk to win. You rub your hands with glee over how badly he's going to wreck the stupid villain who was foolish enough to pick a fight with him.

Sure, a good fight has back and forth, but you don't pick up a Superman book expecting him to get his ass kicked.

The kindness of Superman, the hope he brings. Of how he works to bring a better world, and inspires those around him.

Thor is a God for fucks sake. I"m not a big fan of the Donald Blake stuff, but I adore the Thor storylines that are like the mythological tales of Old. Thor's stories should be epics on a godly scale. I recall one where he crafted objects much like his mythological ones, the belt, the gloves, and utterly stomped Thanos. Which I enjoyed, because I absolutely detest Thanos and avoid anything he is in.

I really don't get how people groan about OL fighting, when OL fighting is not the storyline. OL Uplifting Earth, and bettering the galaxy, IS the storyline.

And I say this as someone who, honest to god, finds OL to be too weak for what he is. The fact that magic shits on him so hard annoys the fuck out of me.

I'm STILL pissed about him getting curbstomped by the Pigeon of war. But that's me.

 

[CTrees]

I can tell you that there is NOTHING modern comic writers want more then awards, recognition on a mainstream stage, and some kind of interview on fucking Ellen or something.

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Or being optioned for a Netflix series. There are a lot of indie books these days that just feel like they're pitches for a Netflix series. They usually end up cancelled after a few issues, but there are plenty you can read issue #1 of and go, "yep, this feels like a Netflix series I'm never going to notice or watch."

 

[Coda]

As I said, Zoat's more than earned my good faith. I don't always agree with what his characters do, or how he's universe is set up. But I have very few complaints with his actual writing and creativity.

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This. So much this.

I'm significantly less jaded. I don't really read comic books, and I lost interest in MCU. So there's nothing specific about the setting that bothers me. I don't have a deep-seated predisposition for how the universe is supposed to function by comparison to other DC works. And I don't think I would have taken the characters in the direction that Zoat took them in if I had been writing it, but given the context I don't have any particular reason to complain about their decisions.

But I don't have to have seen the dark side of comic book writing to agree that Zoat has earned a fair measure of trust.

I tend to feel like a lot of complaints about With This Ring are people who were looking for a different kind of story. As Maxx said, superhero stories aren't about winning or losing. It's not a spoiler to assume that the heroes are going to win in the end in pretty much any story -- that's just how storytelling works. Winning or losing is just a vehicle for the story, not the story itself. The story is about how the characters act before and after the fight.

And With This Ring does that well. Each character builds upon their history. Things build upon other things that have been established. Ideas might be introduced arbitrarily but they're given a proper exploration and their effects aren't arbitrary. They're not discarded arbitrarily (though they might be forgotten about if they're not sufficiently significant) and... well, if it is done for metanarrative purposes to undo something the author isn't satisfied with, it's still sensibly worked into the story instead of crudely cudgeled in.

 

[Darko]

I can't see where he's had too many actions that he'd be "horrified" by.

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But why would he? The vast majority of things he's done are good, even the most controversial things like Fate and the Citadelians are largely agreed to have been for the better by those involved and since all being Enlightened did was make him more aware of what he already wanted to do he's likely not going to give a shit anyway

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The murder of Nabu and the genocide of the Citadelians may count.

Paul was disturbed when he thought he killed Clayface, so now he may be disturbed with his murdering of the other two.

Yeah they may have deserved it, but OL may have now lost his enlightenment and because of that he may feel like he used to do pre enlightenment.

Or he may think in a different way due to losing his memories.

We'll just have to wait and see.

I'm STILL pissed about him getting curbstomped by the Pigeon of war. But that's me.

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To be fair said pigeon was himself an extremely powerful magical being, who had access to godlike magical power, magic which Paul had little experience with or knowledge of, as well as potentially spending a long time studying Paul so he can defeat him, while Paul may have known very little about him, and having some of his resources cut off, like making his lantern stop working.

I also didn't like it when he lost, but I can see why Karrien was able to beat him.

 

[jonasquinn]

The murder of Nabu and the genocide of the Citadelians may count.

Paul was disturbed when he thought he killed Clayface, so now he may be disturbed with his murdering of the other two.

Yeah they may have deserved it, but OL may have now lost his enlightenment and because of that he may feel like he used to do pre enlightenment.

Or he may think in a different way due to losing his memories.

We'll just have to wait and see.

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The issue with that is that OL's decision to do those things was based on logic not just his emotions at the time and most people agree with him, you ask anyone in Vega and they'll say he did the right thing and even most of the League agrees he was right to do what he did with Fate even if they don't like how he went about doing it

 

[Darko]

The issue with that is that OL's decision to do those things was based on logic not just his emotions at the time and most people agree with him, you ask anyone in Vega and they'll say he did the right thing and even most of the League agrees he was right to do what he did with Fate even if they don't like how he went about doing it

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There was some emotion involved, like him hating what Nabu did to his friend and what the Citadelians did.

Also even if he made them due to a logical reason, he may still feel like crap now.

People can make perfectly logical decisions and still hate themselves for doing them, even if others think everything they did is acceptable.

 

[Mr Zoat]

Earth 534834

20th November 1992
11:36 GMT -5

Rogue looks my face over as I land, then spares a perfunctory glance at Mr. LeBeau.

"Ah don't see no black eyes." She takes a step closer and prods me experimentally in the chest a few times. "Bruises not show up yet?"

"Hey, cher." Mr. LeBeau smile lecherously at her. "Us boys just be civil-like."

I nod. "And.. I.. need to apologise."

I take the impact beam ring out of subspace and hold it out. She actually starts, eyes widening as-.

"No! No, no." She glances aside, taking a relieved breath. "I mean, I'm not against the idea at some point in the future-."

"Man, you got so little game you give game to e'ryone else." Mr. LeBeau plucks the ring off my hand and holds it closer to Rogue's face, just in front of her eyes. "Lantern got dis here from Mandarin. Thinks it could help you with your problem."

"Mandarin?" She frowns, puzzled. "You cut off a fellah's finger, then asked him for help?"

"No, that's what I'm apologising for. I've had the ring for months; I just didn't know what it did and didn't want to risk experimenting in case it was booby trapped. But it turns out that according to a man who studied it extensively, it creates force fields and it's pretty much plug and play."

She doesn't really react-.

"Sorry, that doesn't exist yet. You just put it on your finger and it works." I shrug. "It probably takes a while to master, but it's the best-."

"Y'all mean it-. I can wear it and-. Touch things?"

"You-. You'll probably have to work at that level of control. But, yes."

"And it ain't trapped? You're-you're real sure-?"

I raise my right hand and jab my index finger through the ring. Unlike with the power ring that has been my ever-present companion since I arrived on this Earth, there's no glow or synthetic voice in my head telling me what's happening. But there's definitely something-.

I hold up my right hand, palm facing her, and picture a plane of force…

Something that looks like transparent gel extrudes from a space just in front of the ring and awkwardly expands to fill the space I'm picturing. I press my left hand against it, but it feels solidly fixed in space. Rogue taps the far side… No transmission of force, but I think this demonstrates the principle well enough.

"Dat ain't for you." Mr. LeBeau pulls the ring off my finger, causing the force barrier to fade and vanish in less than a second as he offers it to Rogue. "You wan' dis, cher?"

"You darn tootin'-" She snatches it out of his hand with her right thumb and forefinger and slides it onto her left index finger. "-ah do."

She looks at it for a moment, flexing her hand.

"So how's this thing work?"

"Just picture in your head an image of the force you want to exert, and it should appear."

"Sounds… Easy, but…"

A bubble forms around her body. It's about five centimetres thick and visible only as it bends light.

"This…" She sighs. "This ain't what ah had in mind."

She goes to put her left hand on my chest, and her own shield bubble stops her.

"Can you feel-?" She shakes her head. "Okay, well, try…" I extend my environmental shield to her. "Try matching the outline of that."

"Ah.. ah dunno-."

Her shield halves its diameter.

"Huh?"

"The ring I use has an AI and is designed to be as easy to use as possible. That ring's a little harder."

"You get it, cher." Mr. LeBeau smiles encouragingly. "Jus' gotta keep workin' at it."

She focuses, the bubble shrinking further and further until I can't see it under the glow of my environmental shield. So I deactivate it and take a step back…

It's still barely visible.

"Looks good, cher. So how's about you try touch something?"

She hesitantly pokes him in the left cheek, then shakes her head.

"Ah still ain't feelin' it."

"Remember, even if it can't literally transmit force, you should be able to instruct it to mirror the pressures on the external surface-."

She pulls her hand back, her eyes widening.

"I felt that."

Mr. LeBeau moves his face towards her hand. "Was it good for you?"

She somewhat clumsily pats the side of his face with her palm.

"I-I can feel it."

I smile. "Excellent. Now, there's a couple of th-"

She grabs me by the jacket and pulls me into a clinch, kissing me hard on the lips.

"-mph?"

It.. doesn't feel quite.. natural, there's a lack of friction, but both pressure and temperature are conveyed-.

"Hey, how come he get a kiss? You got one for me?"

Rogue releases me, her eyes wide and her breaths panting.

Um.

Um.

"Thank you? Um, in the interests of full disclosure, the former-."

"Heh." Rogue looks down, then back up at me. "You don't got a lotta experience talkin' to girls, do you sugar?"

I shake my head. "No, next to none. In the context of romantic intimacy."

Mr. LeBeau snorts. "I believe dat."

"The-the last user of that ring ended up with green skin. We don't know why. And he's probably going to try and get it back at some point."

"Green skin, huh? You like green girls?"

"Um. It's a non-issue. We also don't know what powers the ring, how it recharges or how it will respond to constant use. It's probably worth having Doctor McCoy have a look at it and see if he can make sense of it to make sure that it will keep working, and… Well, there are probably other people in your position, so it would be helpful if we could make more. But it's yours, so, enjoy it."

"So how come you never lend her your ring?"

"Remmy-."

"The last person who wore that ring turned green. The last person who wore this ring-" I point to it. "-spent a billion years in an isolated cave, too powerful to die and too paranoid to move."

"Ah. Dat go' happen to you?"

"I certainly hope not. Mister LeBeau, now that my 'unfair' advantage has been neutralised, would you say that we are -to use the vernacular- 'cool'?"

He nods. "Guess there's only so many times you can shoot yourself in the foot. Jus' don't-."

I completely ignore everything else he says and focus on Rogue.

"Rogue, you are a paragon of courage, resilience and beauty, in whose presence I consider myself fortunate to dwell. I would like it very much if you would accompany me to dinner tomorrow evening."

"Think I got a hole in my schedule, sugar. But ah wanna test this ring out some more right now."

 

[Darko]

look my face

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'looks my'

Man, you got so little game you give game to e'ryone else

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He's not wrong.

You cut off a fellah's finger, then asked him for help?"

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Well an alternate of him nearly choked a woman to death and is now dating her.

man who studied it extensively that it creates

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'extensively, it creates'

come he get a kiss

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If this isn't just his way of talking then it should be 'gets'

her breaths panting.

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'breath'

You don't got a lotta experience talkin' to girls, do you sugar?"

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Nope.

Green skin, huh? You like green girls?"

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Well who wouldn't like her.

Rogue, you are a paragon of courage, resilience and beauty, in whose presence I consider myself fortunate to dwell. I would like it very much if you would accompany me to dinner tomorrow evening."

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Damn, he's smooth.

Will the next two chapters of this episode be renegade focused.

Now the amnesia episode.

What's it called?

For some reason I can't help but think of it as 'Days of our Lanterns', due to amnesia and soap operas being a common thing.

 

[hance1986]

Gambit who.

 

[Handlewithcare]

"You darn tootin'-" She snatches it out of his hand with her right thumb and forefinger and slides it onto her left index finger. "-ah do."

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I'm sorry, but now all I can hear is Applejack...

"Rogue, you are a paragon of courage, resilience and beauty, in whose presence I consider myself fortunate to dwell. I would like it very much if you would accompany me to dinner tomorrow evening."

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Huh. That wasn't bad actually. Since when did our boy got game?

 

[Whenever Possible]

"Test the ring out more" means more kissing, doesn't it

Huh. That wasn't bad actually. Since when did our boy got game?

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He doesn't. This Paul is obviously a deep cover Skrull, that's why the question about green girls is awkward for him.

 

[NightmareWarden]

Hmm. I wonder if this Paul has any interest in assimilating dangerous symbiotes like Venom's siblings. With a bit of training I bet he could convince the slimy bugger to avoid covering his head and allow for clothing to be worn over it for particular missions.

 

[Chojin Patriarch]

Earth 534834

20th November 1992
11:36 GMT -5

Rogue look my face over as I land, then spares a perfunctory glance at Mr. LeBeau.

"Ah don't see no black eyes." She takes a step closer and prods me experimentally in the chest a few times. "Bruises not show up yet?"

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Heh. One guess what she thinks they've been up to... To be fair, it's a natural expectation given the way they were acting when she saw them earlier that morning...

Spoiler: Commentary spoilered for length

"Hey, cher." Mr. LeBeau smile lecherously at her. "Us boys just be civil-like."

I nod. "And.. I.. need to apologise."

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I bet she's extra confused now...

I take the impact beam ring out of subspace and hold it out. She actually starts, eyes widening as-.

"No! No, no." She glances aside, taking a relieved breath. "I mean, I'm not against the idea at some point in the future-."

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Hello! Nice, Xaul. Those smooth English moves (and ability to safely touch her) giving you an edge over Mr scruffy Cajun there...

"Man, you got so little game you give game to e'ryone else." Mr, LeBeau plucks the ring off my hand and holds it closer to Rogue's face, just in front of her eyes. "Lantern got dis here from Mandarin. Thinks it could help you with your problem."

"Mandarin?" She frowns, puzzled. "You cut off a fellah's finger, then asked him for help?"

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Easy enough to assume that, yes. He never mentioned that he took the ring the finger was wearing, after all.

"No, that's what I'm apologising for. I've had the ring for months; I just didn't know what it did and didn't want to risk experimenting in case it was booby trapped. But it turns out that according to a man who studied it extensively that it creates force fields and it's pretty much plug and play."

She doesn't really react-.

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Dude, SCSI is barely a thing that year. USB is another three or four minimum, and limited to heavier-duty gear... Also, she's not a tech-spod like you or Beast. It's all Greek to her.

"Sorry, that doesn't exist yet. You just put it on your finger and it works." I shrug. "It probably takes a while to master, but it's the best-."

"Y'all mean it-. I can wear it and-. Touch things?"

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Amazed she didn't snatch it out of Gambit's hands there and then. But I bet that hope is touched by doubt, too...

"You-. You'll probably have to work at that level of control. But, yes."

"And it ain't trapped? You're-you're real sure-?"

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Tony did give it a proper once-over, didn't he? That would be irresponsible to just send them on their way without one... And yet entirely in character for 90's Tony Stark...

I raise my right hand and jab my index finger through the ring. Unlike with the power ring that has been my ever-present companion since I arrived on this Earth, there's no glow or synthetic voice in my head telling me what's happening. But there's definitely something-.

I hold up my right hand, palm facing her, and picture a plane of force…

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A nice demonstration, but you do have kind of an advantage here, working with your Power Ring... Although the Ten Rings do seem to have their own sort of intelligence at times. Some system that interprets the wearer's mental commands into action...

Something that looks like transparent gel extrudes from a space just in front of the ring and awkwardly expands to fill the space I'm picturing. I press my left hand against it, but it feels solidly fixed in space. Rogue taps the far side… No transmission of force, but I think this demonstrates the principle well enough.

"Dat ain't for you." Mr. LeBeau pulls the ring off my finger, causing the force barrier to fade and vanish in less than a second as he offers it to Rogue. "You wan' dis, cher?"

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Now, to see if she can use it as easily as he did.

"You darn tootin'-" She snatches it out of his hand with her right thumb and forefinger and slides it onto her left index finger. "-ah do."

She looks at it for a moment, flexing her hand.

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Boy, she really wanted this. Understandable really, though. Now, to get it working for her...

"So how's this thing work?"

"Just picture in your head an image of the force you want to exert, and it should appear."

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Oh, sure, you make it sound so simple, Xaul.

"Sounds… Easy, but…"

A bubble forms around her body. It's about five centimetres thick and visible only as it bends light.

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Ooh, subtle. Does it include mittens?

"This…" She sighs. "This ain't what ah had in mind."

She goes to put her left hand on my chest, and her own shield bubble stops her.

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She's got a point. But well done for a first try. I'm sure she'll improve.

"Can you feel-?" She shakes her head. "Okay, well, try…" I extend my environmental shield to her. "Try matching the outline of that."

"Ah.. ah dunno-."

Her shield halves its diameter.

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Evidently the ring works a lot more instinctively than Xaul's, it seems... She didn't even appear to consciously command it there.

"Huh?"

"The ring I use has an AI and is designed to be as easy to use as possible. That ring's a little harder."

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And yet the Mandarin made it looks so easy. Admittedly, he's had years of practice. She's had it all if a minute, and improving surprisingly well.

"You get it, cher." Mr. LeBeau smiles encouragingly. "Jus' gotta keep workin' at it."

She focuses, the bubble shrinking further and further until I can't see it under the glow of my environmental shield. So I deactivate it and take a step back…

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Good thing she wears skintight clothing already. Unless the Impact Ring sheathes each hair and piece of cloth individually (which it's probably capable of, to be fair) she might end up a little flattened. And yes, I mean her hair. And maybe her jacket...

It's still barely visible.

"Looks good, cher. So how's about you try touch something?"

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Ah, Gambit, still thinking you have a chance...

She hesitantly pokes him in the left cheek, then shakes her head.

"Ah still ain't feelin' it."

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Just a matter of adjustment, methinks. On the upside, not feeling anything might make fights a bit easier for her, since she tends to end up tanking enemy attacks...

"Remember, even if it can't literally transmit force, you should be able to instruct it to mirror the pressures on the external surface-."

She pulls her hand back, her eyes widening.

"I felt that."

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There we go! Now, if she can learn to adjust it in combat, whether as personal defence or team-friendly force-walls, she just got a big force-multiplier.

Mr. LeBeau moves his face towards her hand. "Was it good for you?"

She somewhat clumsily pats the side of his face with her palm.

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No doubt thinking 'ugh, you horndog...'

"I-I can feel that."

I smile. "Excellent. Now, there's a couple of th-"

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Oh, this is going to be fun...

She grabs me by the jacket and pulls me into a clinch, kissing me hard on the lips.

"-mph?"

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Ooh, forcefield against forcefield. How naughty.

It.. doesn't feel quite.. natural, there's a lack of friction, but both pressure and temperature are conveyed-.

"Hey, how come he get a kiss? You got one for me?"

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Don't push your luck, scruffy.

Rogue releases me, her eyes wide and her breaths panting.

Um.

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...Suddenly, I'm glad Gambit is there to stop things.. getting out of hand.

Um.

"Thank you? Um, in the interests of full disclosure, the former-."

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And then you go and flub the pickup. A "Whaw." Or "Mlrb?" would have been far more suitable.

"Heh." Rogue looks down, then back up at me. "You don't got a lotta experience talkin' to girls, do you sugar?"

I shake my head. "No, next to none. In the context of romantic intimacy."

Mr. LeBeau snorts. "I believe dat."

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Hey, he's ben busy adjusting to a superhero life...

"The-the last user of that ring ended up with green skin. We don't know why. And he's probably going to try and get it back at some point."

"Green skin, huh? You like green girls?"

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The Green skin was probably something induced by one of the other rings. At least one of them could manipulate biology, surely.

"Um. It's a non-issue. We also don't know what powers the ring, how it recharges or how it will respond to constant use. It's probably worth having Doctor McCoy have a look at it and see if he can make sense of it to make sure that it will keep working, and… Well, there are probably other people in your position, so it would be helpful if we could make more. But it's yours, so, enjoy it."

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Eminently sensible. Though he may want to coordinate with Stark on it. The Iron Man armours probably have better sensor setups...

"So how come you never lend her your ring?"

"Remmy-."

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It is a fair question... Admittedly, it has a good answer too.

"The last person who wore that ring turned green. The last person who wore this ring-" I point to it. "-spent a billion years in an isolated cave, too powerful to die and too paranoid to move."

"Ah. Dat go' happen to you?"

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Of course, he doesn't know that this isn't Larfleeze's own ring. Wonder if he'll ever manage to earn the propriety unlock?

"I certainly hope not. Mister LeBeau, now that my 'unfair' advantage has been neutralised, would you say that we are -to use the vernacular- 'cool'?"

He nods. "Guess there's only so many times you can shoot yourself in the foot. Jus' don't-."

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Quit talking, Remy. All you had to say was "We cool..."

I completely ignore everything else he says and focus on Rogue.

"Rogue, you are a paragon of courage, resilience and beauty, in whose presence I consider myself fortunate to dwell. I would like it very much if you would accompany me to dinner tomorrow evening."

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Ah, turning up the manners. And they thought he had no game?

"Think I got a hole in my schedule, sugar. But ah wanna test this ring out some more right now."

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As long as you keep your clothes on, I expect it'll be fine. Or are we going to need a chaperone for you two now?

Well, that worked out well. I almost hope to see them again in future, sooner rather than later, if only to see how the rest of the team reacts to Rogue's new-found touchy-feelyness. And back to Paragon tomorrow, eh? Let's see the damage...

 

[Darko]

Tony did give it a proper once-over, didn't he? That would be irresponsible to just send them on their way without one... And yet entirely in character for 90's Tony Stark...

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And other versions of him.

Good thing she wears skintight clothing already. Unless the Impact Ring sheathes each hair and piece of cloth individually (which it's probably capable of, to be fair) she might end up a little flattened. And yes, I mean her hair. And maybe her jacket...

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We all know what you meant you little pervert.

And back to Paragon tomorrow, eh?

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Or renegade.

 

[Mr Zoat]

'looks my'
'extensively, it creates'

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Thank you, corrected.

If this isn't just his way of talking then it should be 'gets'

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It is.

'breath'

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He's paying close attention to every one.

 

[transhumansage]

"Think I got a hole in my schedule, sugar. But ah wanna test this ring out some more right now."

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i seriously hope the mandarin cant influence her remotely.

 

[nick012000]

I think it's funny that she tested out the new ring's safety by poking Gambit. Really shows which of the two she actually cares about. XD

 

[Doccer]

"Um. It's a non-issue. We also don't know what powers the ring

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The hyperlink just goes to a blank page. For me at least.

 

[Darko]

The hyperlink just goes to a blank page. For me at least.

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Just look for Ogress on the Marvel Animated Universe wiki.

 

[Mr Zoat]

The hyperlink just goes to a blank page. For me at least.

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Weird. It's supposed to go to a normal internet page. Anyone else?

 

[Ngamer11]

Weird. It's supposed to go to a normal internet page. Anyone else?

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Works fine for me.

 

[Assblaster5000]

Weird. It's supposed to go to a normal internet page. Anyone else?

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All fine on my end.

 

[LZB1285]

Weird. It's supposed to go to a normal internet page. Anyone else?

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I got a blank page the first time, the page loaded the second time. Could be one of a multitude of glitches.

 

[Stsword]

Hmm. I wonder if this Paul has any interest in assimilating dangerous symbiotes like Venom's siblings. With a bit of training I bet he could convince the slimy bugger to avoid covering his head and allow for clothing to be worn over it for particular missions.

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A symbiote would be more useful non assimilated.

Assimilated, it's a construct, so any attack that can punch through a construct would go right through the symbiotic armor too.

Symbiotes can also be enhanced- like with serums like the Goblin Serum, or cybernetics, such as the Extremis virus.

 

[Mr Zoat]

It's been a while since I watched Spiderman, but the only symbiotes I remember from it are Venom and Carnage. Were there others?

 

[Ngamer11]

It's been a while since I watched Spiderman, but the only symbiotes I remember from it are Venom and Carnage. Were there others?

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A lot more. You'll probably need to look through the Marvel wiki to look them up.