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

Mr Zoat · Mar 21, 2021

Handlewithcare said:
Ah. Makes sense.

So no magical caller ID?

Only for magic telephone calls. And that would probably be more than her secret identity 'should' be able to do.

Cuchulin · Mar 21, 2021

Darko said:
I know that they're probably not real squirrels, but I can really see squirrel spies being a thing in DC.

Reminds me of CIAGulls, as old time New Englander's will tell you real Seagulls don't have legs because they don't spend time on land.

Stsword · Mar 21, 2021

Darko said:
I know that they're probably not real squirrels, but I can really see squirrel spies being a thing in DC.

In Scooby Doo team up there exists a joint Hanna Barbera/DC world.

So there is at least one universe in the DC multiverses in which there is a Secret Squirrel. Also oddly enough apparently every version of DC was up for grabs. They teamed up with the Superfriends and Justice League, both Teen Titans and Teen Titans Go.

Hmm, there not knowing where Dracula is makes me wonder if Great Britain has diplomatic ties with Count Rominoff's Eastern European country.

He also has his own Creature Commandos. Not artificially created monsters, but made of actual supernatural monsters.

Doccer · Mar 21, 2021

Mr Zoat said:
No, no, the person who shouts 'order' is the Speaker, not the Prime Minister.

Wouldn't you shit up and listen when the blood spotter demands it regardless of his position?

Mr Zoat · Mar 21, 2021

Doccer said:
Wouldn't you shit up and listen when the blood spotter demands it regardless of his position?

He doesn't do that. Remember, Geoffrey Talbot's ring was made without blood magic by a Qwardian.

Maxx Crowley · Mar 21, 2021

Doccer said:
Wouldn't you shit up and listen when the blood spotter demands it regardless of his position?

I'm not even entirely sure how one "Shit's up".

Coda · Mar 21, 2021

Mr Zoat said:
world wide

Usually "worldwide".

Mr Zoat said:
ompf

Usually "oomph".

Mr Zoat said:
Quiet sensible

Quite

Mr Zoat · Mar 21, 2021

Coda said:
Usually "worldwide".
Usually "oomph".
Quite

Thank you, corrected.

Stsword · Mar 21, 2021

Mr Zoat said:
He doesn't do that. Remember, Geoffrey Talbot's ring was made without blood magic by a Qwardian.

I would think a Qwardian making a power ring would mean it's more likely to make the user vomit acidic pseudo-napalm than otherwise.

"Why does this power ring powered by compassion make one vomit corrosive liquid fire constructs?"

"The proper question is why wouldn't it make one vomit corrosive liquid fire constructs?"

Sockmonkey · Mar 22, 2021

Pinklestia said:
Why not? They have a Detective Chimp.

They need to put him in touch with Cranius so he can have some proper vocal chords installed.

Mr Zoat · Mar 22, 2021

12th July 2012
11:54 GMT -5

"Okay, but could it be better?"

Kaldur looks at me impassively.

"While I doubt that the design of the water bearer is 'perfect', I do not think that redesigning my equipment is what you are supposed to work on while on medical leave."

"I'm not on.. medical leave. They just want me to avoid…" Okay, it… Would be an arcane influence. Sort of. I couldn't work with the magic part and that's where the potential interference would come from.

I bow my head, nodding.

"Okay."

He smiles faintly, patting me on my left shoulder.

"Do not look so troubled. Surely there are things that you do that do not involve magic?"

Cadbury's is running well, making a profit quarter on quarter and expanding their operations while taking into account differences in regional tastes. Americans just really like gone off milk in their chocolate, and… Capitalism. It's their money. You can lead a horse to good chocolate but you can't make it eat-.

Don't ever feed a horse chocolate.

"Yes… But they're all work things. I… Rather made this whole thing my life."

Computer game development is coming along. Provisionally named 'Vega', they're working on both the engine and the storylines. I don't know how long that sort of thing usually takes, but the progress reports sound relatively positive. I thought about asking Oliver to be my man on the board there as well, but decided against it. While Cadbury's is supposed to be a commercial company, the game is more about having a mass market study into popular morality and ethics. For me, anyway. I'm not gambling with money I can't afford to lose, and… Frankly, the people involved all seem well motivated enough that I'm not worrying about it.

He nods. "I understand that all too well."

Which leaves me at a loose end.

"I mean, Orange Lantern, so-."

"If you did not make it your life, you would not be able to do it so well."

"Obligation only takes me so far."

"During a campaign, it can be difficult for a soldier to take time to themselves."

"I think the problem's more the other way around. I can raise my hand-" I tap my right forefinger and middle finger against my forehead. "-and reappear almost anywhere. But studies on combat fatigue show that that's not actually a good idea." I shrug. "People work better when they're given time to decompress before getting back to normal life. And it was…"

I look around the mountain's living area.

"This, or gardening with Alan. And I've never really liked gardening, and we're both 'out', which… Can make things a little awkward. So…" I smile awkwardly. "What have you been up to?"

"On M'gann's advice I have began attending a local dance class."

…

"Oh?"

"For obvious reasons, dances in Atlantis are very different to how they are performed on dry land."

"I can imagine. What..? What sort of dancing?"

"Recently, we have been learning the tango."

"Huh."

"Does it surprise you that it would interest me?"

I shrug.

"You haven't mentioned it before, but… It's good to have a hobby, I suppose? You..? Enjoying it?"

He smiles faintly. "I am. Despite Canis's attempts to persuade me otherwise, I seldom use my abilities for anything other than combat."

"I thought Atlanteans were just stronger and tougher than baseline humans. I didn't think you were more agile as well."

"We are not, but living under water forces us to perceive our environment in three dimensions. I have noticed that as a result my spatial awareness tends to be better than that of most surface dwellers."

"Makes… Sense. And that translates into dancing?"

"Not perfectly. I am unlikely to tread upon my partner's toes, but the patterns of movement do not necessarily come naturally."

"Made any new friends?"

"Yes, and they are not people whom I would otherwise have met. Conner said that it would be wise to expand my social circle to include 'regular people'."

"Superheroes are supposed to defend society. I imagine unending duty would get a bit frustrating if we didn't have any emotional investment in the people we were fighting for."

"I doubt that the people I meet will ever be imperilled. Happy Harbour has an exceedingly low crime rate."

It's true. Even the Sheeda didn't really bother to attack it during their incursion, probably due to a combination of quick Justice League response time and low population. What crime there is, is usually petty hooliganism and not the sort of thing where superheroic intervention would really help. Community policing is the order of the day there.

"They're imperilled by attacks on the Earth as a whole. And you can imagine that they're similar to the people you see in other places."

"Is that what you do?"

"No. Empathic vision. Unless they're blocking it somehow I can see the individuality of everyone around me, everything they want to achieve with their lives. But unless you've been working on your parapsychic abilities-"

He shakes his head.

"-you don't have that."

"In Atlantis, parapsychics are rare. The strain it places on the mind of the user means that few are prepared to undertake the training. I am not among them."

If anything he's underselling it. On the surface, parapsychics with no training generally get to the point where they're forced to live as hermits; the sheer intensity of the images they get from everything overwhelming them. In Atlantis they get proper training, but all that means is that they hit the 'limit' earlier. Their ability to dampen the visions is only slightly better than ours.

"Perfectly sensible, but you see how it's a different problem."

"Parapsychics usually have trouble using violence. I have not noticed that being a problem for you."

"Oh, no. When I see someone's desires, when I see for sure what they want… I can tell for certain that they need to die. It sounds callous, but if you saw what I see…"

I shake my head and look away, towards the 'entertainment centre'.

"That got morbid. Are you up for some cooperative Sonic the Hedgehog?"

Signaller · Mar 22, 2021

Mr Zoat said:
"Yes… But they're all work things. I… Rather made this whole thing my life."

Computer game development is coming along. Provisionally named 'Vega', they're working on both the engine and the storylines. I don't know how long that sort of thing usually takes, but the progress reports sound relatively positive. I thought about asking Oliver to be my man on the board there as well, but decided against it. While Cadburys' is supposed to be a commercial company, the game is more about having a mass market study into popular morality and ethics. For me, anyway. I'm not gambling with money I can't afford to lose, and… Frankly, the people involved all seem well motivated enough that I'm not worrying about it.

Should we be reading in to the fact that he didn't mention Jade as a non-work-thing?

Darko · Mar 22, 2021

Mr Zoat said:
While I doubt that the design of the water bearer is 'perfect', I do not think that redesigning my equipment is what you are supposed to work on while on medical leave."

Kaldur, you do realize this is Paul you're talking to?

Mr Zoat said:
Okay."

He smiles faintly, patting me on my left shoulder.

He's learning.

Mr Zoat said:
While Cadburys' is supposed to be a commercial company, the game is more about having a mass market study into popular morality and ethics

Get ready to see some sick things Paul.

Mr Zoat said:
For obvious reasons, dances in Atlantis are very different to how they are performed on dry land."

Now I can't get that 'Under the Sea' song out of my head.

And I'm thinking of that lobster from YJ Abridged, John I think, singing it.

Mr Zoat said:
Recently, we have been learning the tango.

Watch out ladies, and guys, because Kaldur will now get to show the passionate side he has underneath all that stoicism.

Mr Zoat said:
"I doubt that the people I meet will ever be imperilled. Happy Harbour has an exceedingly low crime rate."

And that is how Kaldur summoned Murphy.

Mr Zoat said:
That got morbid

As it tends to get with you.

Idkusername · Mar 22, 2021

Mr Zoat said:
"It Atlantis, parapsychics are rare.

'In Atlantis'

BlueMangoAdea · Mar 22, 2021

Signaller said:
Should we be reading in to the fact that he didn't mention Jade as a non-work-thing?

I'm pretty sure Jade is too busy doing her own work.

FreeGod · Mar 22, 2021

The Vega game is going to run into a few problems.

Players need to have a good understanding of the situation in order to make meaningful moral choices which means likely alot of tutorial levels.
The game is going to need to be extremely free form to avoid pigeonholing players into false dilemmas. Simulating populations does not seem easy.

Chojin Patriarch · Mar 22, 2021

Mr Zoat said:
12th July 2012
11:54 GMT -5

"Okay, but could it be better?"

Kaldur looks at me impassively.

Ah, feeling a bit of cabin fever, OL? Time off weighing on you? Not unsurprising, given his overall character. OL definitely seems like someone who enjoys having something to do all the time. Being stuck on Earth letting his soul patch itself up must be driving him crazy with boredom...

"While I doubt that the design of the water bearer is 'perfect', I do not think that redesigning my equipment is what you are supposed to work on while on medical leave."

"I'm not on.. medical leave. They just want me to avoid…" Okay, it… Would be an arcane influence. Sort of. I couldn't work with the magic part and that's where the potential interference would come from.

Yeah... I suspect even having Kaldur use his abilities around you would throw the balance off a little. And you know Hinon would have words with you about messing up your 'stable' baseline readings.

I bow my head, nodding.

"Okay."

I mean, surely there's something not magic related you could be doing? Maybe work on some Warhammer models?

I know if I had a power ring of any colour, my quite large painting backlog would be gone in moments... And my Lego collection would be sorted as hell.

He smiles faintly, patting me on my left shoulder.

"Do not look so troubled. Surely there are things that you do that do not involve magic?"

See, that's the question. With so much time tied up in things like Kord Industries' arcanotech, Atlantis' Thaumaturgic research and so much more... There's not a lot left...

Cadburys' is running well, making a profit quarter on quarter and expanding their operations while taking into account differences in regional tastes. Americans just really like gone off milk in their chocolate, and… Capitalism. It's their money. You can lead a horse to good chocolate but you can't make it eat-.

Don't ever feed a horse chocolate.

Unless they're Equestrians, who seem to have developed a more human digestive response. Heck, they can vomit, something natural horses cannot do.

"Yes… But they're all work things. I… Rather made this whole thing my life."

To be fair, Superheroing is quite the involving lifestyle choice.

Computer game development is coming along. Provisionally named 'Vega', they're working on both the engine and the storylines. I don't know how long that sort of thing usually takes, but the progress reports sound relatively positive. I thought about asking Oliver to be my man on the board there as well, but decided against it. While Cadburys' is supposed to be a commercial company, the game is more about having a mass market study into popular morality and ethics. For me, anyway. I'm not gambling with money I can't afford to lose, and… Frankly, the people involved all seem well motivated enough that I'm not worrying about it.

Eh, it was something that was never expected to be coming out anytime soon. Modern Triple-A games take up to five years of development, especially stuff as complex as the Vega game would have to be. I can but hope it doesn't take the Mass Effect route of one path with minor variations...

He nods. "I understand that all too well."

Which leaves me at a loose end.

The joy of being a workaholic.

"I mean, Orange Lantern, so-."

"If you did not make it your life, you would not be able to do it so well."

That is true, sure enough. It's what makes Orange Lanterns so powerful when working towards their goals. But of course it comes with the drawbacks OL is facing here...

"Obligation only takes me so far."

"During a campaign, it can be difficult for a soldier to take time to themselves."

That's one thing OL doesn't have to worry about. If anything it's the opposite problem.

"I think the problem's more the other way around. I can raise my hand-" I tap my right forefinger and middle finger against my forehead. "-and reappear almost anywhere. But studies on combat fatigue show that that's not actually a good idea." I shrug. "People work better when they're given time to decompress before getting back to normal life. And it was…"

Exactly. It's an interesting conundrum. And it'll only get more complex if others learn to do things he can do. On the other hand, once others begin to share his skills, there's less pressure on him to do everything himself...

I look around the mountain's living area.

"This, or gardening with Alan. And I've never really liked gardening, and we're both 'out', which… Can make things a little awkward. So…" I smile awkwardly. "What have you been up to?"

Any interesting missions for the Team we've missed? No injuries or problems OL can help with?

"On M'gann's advice I have began attending a local dance class."

…

...Okay, then. That's... Not something I could ever see him doing.

"Oh?"

"For obvious reasons, dances in Atlantis are very different to how they are performed on dry land."

I rather envision them being like complicated synchronised swimming displays, really. Atlantis is probably old-fashioned musically, so no discothèques or raves, and the styles that come with them... So more baroque massed formations than anything informal...

"I can imagine. What..? What sort of dancing?"

"Recently, we have been learning the tango."

Huh. Anyone you're enjoying the dances with? After all, a nice surface girl (or boy, he is bisexual in canon) could be just the tonic to expand his horizons.

"Huh."

"Does it surprise you that it would interest me?"

It does kind of come out of left field... But Canon Kaldur is such a blank canvas, anything goes really.

I shrug.

"You haven't mentioned it before, but… It's good to have a hobby, I suppose? You..? Enjoying it?"

I mean, Kaldur might stick with something he doesn't like doing out of a sense of obligation... He's that sort of person from what we've seen of him...

He smiles faintly. "I am. Despite Canis's attempts to persuade me otherwise, I seldom use my abilities for anything other than combat."

"I thought Atlanteans were just stronger and tougher than baseline humans. I didn't think you were more agile as well."

Agile is a relative term. He might not tumble like an acrobat, but being aquatic would give him a much better sense of spacial awareness. Also far better eyesight than human, if only because of the low-light conditions at deeper levels.

"We are not, but living under water forces us to perceive our environment in three dimensions. I have noticed that as a result my spatial awareness tends to be better than that of most surface dwellers."

"Makes… Sense. And that translates into dancing?"

Yeah, wouldn't to do swim too high and bump your heads on ceilings, so you learn to be aware of everything around you quite young, I bet.

"Not perfectly. I am unlikely to tread upon my partner's toes, but the patterns of movement do not necessarily come naturally."

"Made any new friends?"

Should we draw up a Shipping Chart?

"Yes, and they are not people whom I would otherwise have met. Conner said that it would be wise to expand my social circle to include 'regular people'."

"Superheroes are supposed to defend society. I imagine unending duty would get a bit frustrating if we didn't have any emotional investment in the people we were fighting for."

Something many superhero settings tend to forget. How many have you seen that have the heroes on duty in every scene, no casual clothes or everyday activities? When was the last time you saw a cape going shopping for food, catching a movie or schlepping around on the couch watching TV? That wasn't a comedy?

"I doubt that the people I meet will ever be imperilled. Happy Harbour has an exceedingly low crime rate."

It's true. Even the Sheeda didn't really bother to attack it during their incursion, probably due to a combination of quick Justice League response time and low population. What crime there is, is usually petty hooliganism and not the sort of thing where superheroic intervention would really help. Community policing is the order of the day there.

Most small towns would be like that if word got out that Superheroes hung around. The ones that didn't spontaneously develop supervillain nemeses, anyway... Though the sort of cape who gets involved in small-town crime generally don't earn cape opponents... They'd be in more danger of a local gang learning where they live and trying to mess with them to make a point or recover reputation.

"They're imperilled by attacks on the Earth as a whole. And you can imagine that they're similar to the people you see in other places."

"Is that what you do?"

I imagine things like that are a lot easier for OL if he can pick a few faces in the crowd to empathise with.

"No. Empathic vision. Unless they're blocking it somehow I can see the individuality of everyone around me, everything they want to achieve with their lives. But unless you've been working on your parapsychic abilities-"

He shakes his head.

Unsurprising, it's hardly something you'd need as a soldier-mage.

"-you don't have that."

"It Atlantis, parapsychics are rare. The strain it places on the mind of the user means that few are prepared to undertake the training. I am not among them."

Weird that Mages don't develop Psychic abilities, and vice-versa. It's not like the mechanics are mutually exclusive, are they? I suppose they can construct spells to do that, though...

If anything he's underselling it. On the surface, parapsychics with no training generally get to the point where they're forced to live as hermits; the sheer intensity of the images they get from everything overwhelming them. In Atlantis they get proper training, but all that means is that they hit the 'limit' earlier. Their ability to dampen the visions is only slightly better than ours.

"Perfectly sensible, but you see how it's a different problem."

It's something of a 'sink or swim' problem, then. Either you learn to shield on your own or get training to do so, or you get broken down by your own abilities. I suspect that's one reason why Captain Comet lost interest in Earth so long ago... That and the wanderlust.

"Parapsychics usually have trouble using violence. I have not noticed that being a problem for you."

"Oh, no. When I see someone's desires, when I see for sure what they want… I can tell for certain that they need to die. It sounds callous, but if you saw what I see…"

And he's had to look into some very dark places in his career. Including himself.

I shake my head and look away, towards the 'entertainment centre'.

"That got morbid. Are you up for some cooperative Sonic the Hedgehog?"

So who gets to be Tails, the clearly superior character? After all, in the original Mega-Drive games, he was invulnerable as player two. He's as fast as Sonic, and he can glide via his tails.

All Sonic has is what, spikes? Shoes?

Interesting to see OL at ends on what to do with his newly-discovered free time. No doubt he has concerns about what's happening back at the Front, but he really does need to relax a bit after nearly dying permanently. It was only really luck that he came back from the whole Qwa-Matter thing, after all...

Mr Zoat · Mar 22, 2021

Idkusername said:
'In Atlantis'

Thank you, corrected.

FreeGod said:
The Vega game is going to run into a few problems.

Players need to have a good understanding of the situation in order to make meaningful moral choices which means likely alot of tutorial levels.

The game is going to need to be extremely free form to avoid pigeonholing players into false dilemmas. Simulating populations does not seem easy.

1. That's unrealistic. The information needs to be there so that players can discover it, but how often to people actually have access to all of the information relating to a decision they're making.
2. Not exactly. Look at Shadow of Mordor. The game generates variety while the main mission parts are always the same.

Ngamer11 · Mar 22, 2021

Mr Zoat said:
Computer game development is coming along. Provisionally named 'Vega', they're working on both the engine and the storylines. I don't know how long that sort of thing usually takes, but the progress reports sound relatively positive. I thought about asking Oliver to be my man on the board there as well, but decided against it. While Cadburys' is supposed to be a commercial company, the game is more about having a mass market study into popular morality and ethics. For me, anyway. I'm not gambling with money I can't afford to lose, and… Frankly, the people involved all seem well motivated enough that I'm not worrying about it.

I imagine that it will be controversial when it's revealed that the contents of the missions in the game are not fictional.

Also, I know Ted Kord isn't Blue Beetle in the Paragon timeline due to Paul's influence, but is he Blue Beetle in the Renegade timeline? I'm just wondering because it might be fun to see that excitable genius on the field.

Mr Zoat · Mar 22, 2021

Ngamer11 said:
Also, I know Ted Kord isn't Blue Beetle in the Paragon timeline due to Paul's influence, but is he Blue Beetle in the Renegade timeline? I'm just wondering because it might be fun to see that excitable genius on the field.

I haven't decided. The only obvious changes from canon is that he got Morrow's element manipulation system, and with Mr. Crock and Mr. Slade out of the picture it's quite likely that he won't be killed.

Agent Orange · Mar 22, 2021

Signaller said:
Should we be reading in to the fact that he didn't mention Jade as a non-work-thing?

Nah. They are working off of Persona model you see. He put in a lot of effort early in the game to max out Jade's Social Link, picked a Romance option and that was that. Their relationship is set in stone so there's no point of thinking about her or interacting beyond bare minimum (so the audience doesn't forget she exists).

Mr Zoat · Mar 22, 2021

Agent Orange said:
Nah. They are working off of Persona model you see. He put in a lot of effort early in the game to max out Jade's Social Link, picked a Romance option and that was that. Their relationship is set in stone so there's no point of thinking about her or interacting beyond bare minimum (so the audience doesn't forget she exists).

Jade's in the war zone. Spending time with her would involve being in the war zone.

Darko · Mar 22, 2021

Chojin Patriarch said:
work on some Warhammer models?

Or bake.

Chojin Patriarch said:
I rather envision them being like complicated synchronised swimming displays, really. Atlantis is probably old-fashioned musically, so no discothèques or raves, and the styles that come with them... So more baroque massed formations than anything informal

I'm still picturing something like in the Little Mermaid.

Mr Zoat said:
Mr. Slade

Mr. Wilson actually.

Vaermina · Mar 22, 2021

Mr Zoat said:
"Oh, no. When I see someone's desires, when I see for sure what they want… I can tell for certain that they need to die. It sounds callous, but if you saw what I see…"

Except... You can't see "for sure" because you get shut down by extreme's of Hope.

Agent Orange · Mar 22, 2021

Darko said:
I'm still picturing something like in the Little Mermaid

Makes perfect sense to me. We know that Atlanteans pick their monarchs based on their singing ability and that social positions is greatly influenced by individual's ability to carry the tune (that's why Tula and Garth are at the bottom and icons like John the Lobster are just below the King and Queen).

AidanMorgan · Mar 22, 2021

Also the Vega game is running on a budget of "yes", isn't it? Being funded by the guy with more money than Earth and all.

Mr Zoat · Mar 22, 2021

AidanMorgan said:
Also the Vega game is running on a budget of "yes", isn't it? Being funded by the guy with more money than Earth and all.

When you're selling to the entire universe, you don't need to sell that many units per planet to make your money back.

Prince Charon · Mar 22, 2021

Maxx Crowley said:
I'm not even entirely sure how one "Shit's up".

Alien anatomy?

Mr Zoat said:
"Parapsychics usually have trouble using violence. I have not noticed that being a problem for you."

"Oh, no. When I see someone's desires, when I see for sure what they want… I can tell for certain that they need to die. It sounds callous, but if you saw what I see…"

That... actually makes a disturbing amount of sense. Ouch!

BlueMangoAdea · Mar 22, 2021

Prince Charon said:
That... actually makes a disturbing amount of sense. Ouch!

I mean, if you know that someone's values are contradictory to yours, removal is the only acceptable option. Or something like that?

Agent Orange · Mar 22, 2021

Naturally. That's how the society (and shipping) functions. There can be only one.

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

Dedicated ragequitter

Versed in the lewd.

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I trust you know where the happy button is?

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I trust you know where the happy button is?

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Know what you're doing yet?

Connoisseur.

Versed in the lewd.

Alive. For now.

If you see a God on the road fuck it!

Veteran Lurker

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Just zis guy, you know?

Alive. For now.

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