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

[thepsyborg]

And Paul is going to visit a world were blowing shit up won't net you points? Interesting

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Time to bake another cake?

 

[Cuchulin]

Time to bake another cake?

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Only if it's larger than the last one.

 

[Vaermina]

"You formed a rapport with Lantern Drusa, and she is sufficiently cunning to make up for your complete failure in matters of subtlety."

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Nobody is that cunning, he's an utter trainwreck when it comes to subtly.

 

[Prince Charon]

I can only hope that someone with a better memory than me (and/or more patience) will update the list of Orange Lanterns on the wiki, and maybe even give more of them articles. Like, I recognize Drusa's name, but I'm blanking on details. I do know who Ratchet is, though, and at least he's on the list, but Drusa doesn't even have that, and neither does Xor (though I do recall reading the chapters he was in, just not the names of the episodes).


EDIT: In reference to Paul's increased tendency to get into fights: To be fair, he's very powerful, quite skilled, and very hard to kill, he's fond of efficiency, and he's in a violent profession, so even without whatever Boss Smiley did to him, he isn't forced to maintain the skills and habits of talking things out with people, and thus those skills and habits could fade.

 

[Ngamer11]

I can only hope that someone with a better memory than me (and/or more patience) will update the list of Orange Lanterns on the wiki, and maybe even give more of them articles. Like, I recognize Drusa's name, but I'm blanking on details. I do know who Ratchet is, though, and at least he's on the list, but Drusa doesn't even have that, and neither does Xor (though I do recall reading the chapters he was in, just not the names of the episodes).

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You can also check the TV Tropes page. That has a few more members in it.

 

[Mr Zoat]

I can only hope that someone with a better memory than me (and/or more patience) will update the list of Orange Lanterns on the wiki, and maybe even give more of them articles. Like, I recognize Drusa's name, but I'm blanking on details. I do know who Ratchet is, though, and at least he's on the list, but Drusa doesn't even have that, and neither does Xor (though I do recall reading the chapters he was in, just not the names of the episodes).

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Drusa's the one who hacked Aya in the Green Lantern animated series.

 

[Prince Charon]

Drusa's the one who hacked Aya in the Green Lantern animated series.

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That's less helpful than you probably think.

EDIT:

You can also check the TV Tropes page. That has a few more members in it.

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I'd rather not give TVTropes more page views than absolutely necessary.

 

[Ngamer11]

EDIT: In reference to Paul's increased tendency to get into fights: To be fair, he's very powerful, quite skilled, and very hard to kill, he's fond of efficiency, and he's in a violent profession, so even without whatever Boss Smiley did to him, he isn't forced to maintain the skills and habits of talking things out with people, and thus those skills and habits could fade.

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I think it's more that he has more people that he cares about on Earth. As such, he wants to improve it with as little chance of people he cares about being hurt as possible. When he's on other planets, he wants to improve them, but he's more willing to do things like mass murder.

 

[moralrelativity]

that would be beneficially.

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beneficially -> beneficial

 

[Mr Zoat]

beneficially -> beneficial

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Thank you, corrected.

That's less helpful than you probably think.

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First seen back here.

 

[jonasquinn]

I think it's more that he has more people that he cares about on Earth. As such, he wants to improve it with as little chance of people he cares about being hurt as possible. When he's on other planets, he wants to improve them, but he's more willing to do things like mass murder.

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I feel like that's a loaded way of saying it

A more neutral way of putting it would be that OL can only dedicate time to so many projects at once so it's better for him to take the more hands off route to helping people on other planets, even if that includes violence

 

[Ngamer11]

5th March 2011
Earth's Orangest Hero
Earth's Orangest Hero

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I just noticed, the second part of this is set on June 13, so the date should be added.

 

[Mr Zoat]

4th August 2012
15:33 GMT

"So?"

Lantern Drusa looks at me a little cautiously.

"So?"

"How have you been? How do you feel about our mission? Are there any developments in your skills regarding which you need to apprise me?"

"Well enough. It's a job. I'm… Not a god..?"

"Me neither."

I take a seat on the opposite side of the refectory table, the various L.E.G.I.O.N.-affiliated personnel around us suddenly taking a great deal more interest. At least, those who aren't heading for what they imagine to be minimum safe distance.

Come on. Becoming a god's not that hard. Have these people even met a god?

"And I wasn't expecting you to be a god. I was wondering how much progress you'd made in finding out what it is that you most value?"

Her eyes drop to… Her copy of 'The Grace of Aulier'? A religious book from her homeworld.

"I'm not finding it here." She stares into my eyes. "How did you become immortal?"

"Did you try reading my book?"

She nods. "You abhor decay."

I extend my right forefinger and point to a worn section of her book at it is restored back to prime condition. Then a scuff on the table, a faint stain…

"I abhor decay. My environmental shield undoes it without me even really thinking about it."

"How do you get like that?"

"I don't know, exactly. I didn't grow up in a-" I point to her book again. "-religious household. But I did go to a religious primary school. And I wasn't really… I'm not naturally inclined to question things that I'm told-."

She blinks, her mouth falling open slightly for a moment before she closes it again, trying to make it look like she wasn't astonished.

"I grew up surrounded by trustworthy people. I know, I was lucky. But when the local vicar gave weekly sermons I just… Accepted that was how the universe worked. And then… When I learned a little more about the world around me, I couldn't relate the fantastical stuff that he was saying with.. practical reality. That was when I first came to believe that death was permanent."

"It still is for most people."

I shake my head.

"No. Lantern Corps policy involves shipping our corpses back to our homeworlds where possible, or a friendly world where it's not. Your soul will end up somewhere. Did you see my tattoos?"

"… Yes."

"That's what I had to do to even get a soul. Well before I developed my current level of pain resistance, I volunteered to have my flesh branded so I could benefit from something that you've had your entire life at no cost." I lean back slightly. "Once I stopped believing in God, I stopped believing in souls. And if souls didn't exist, death was inevitable oblivion."

"Yes?"

"I can only assume that it was more of a shock to me than it is to you because I had previously believed that it wasn't the case."

"That was it?"

"There was an encounter with a dead chicken as well, but… Yes. I don't like me decaying. I don't like the things around me decaying. The first thing-."

"The first thing you did with your ring was improve your body."

"I can heal myself very easily, too."

"So without having gone through those experiences, I can't make myself immortal."

"No, you probably can. Just not in the same way. Is there really no long-term goal that you're working towards? I-" I shake my head and shrug. "-mean, anything."

She thinks for a moment.

"Which god?"

"Ah… In my home parallel, we haven't had contact with other intelligent species. I don't know if there's anything like the Source Wall. But it was a monotheistic religion worshipping an all-powerful creator deity."

"My peo-. My homeworld had several religions. All they were for me was a source of curse words."

"You didn't grow up with one in-" I point to the book again. "-particular?"

"I'm going through them in alphabetical order. No."

"Okay, so you don't specifically want to be immortal."

"I want to be immortal. I just don't want it as hard as you do. I'm so used to things decaying that it doesn't seem wrong to me."

"If you're interested in taking that route, I know a few telepaths-."

"No."

"Ah, progress! You-."

"I value my mental integrity over becoming a better Lantern."

"'Better' is a loaded term. There's no one right way to be an Orange Lantern. Though-. Have you ever visited Larfleeze?" I get a shallow nod. "That's the wrong way."

"Because he has no desires that are actually his own, he just acts on pure desire."

"That's not a terrible answer. I honestly hadn't thought of it like that." I nod. "But I think you're right. So… Okay, you're having a problem with a visceral drive. Working on pure intellectual desire. Where do you want to end up? If given a choice of jobs, which do you opt for, all other things being equal?"

"I like working with technology. But now I have-" She raises her left hand, ring shimmering. "-the most advanced piece of technology in the universe on my finger."

"Do you want to learn to create them?"

"I could, but then I'd just have the ability to create something I've already got."

"Only machines it has a record of. Have you read the files on my homeworld's scientists?"

"I picked up machines because it made me useful but not threatening. I don't have some great underlying love for technology."

"Okay. Maybe we're taking the wrong approach, here."

"What do you mean?"

"You don't know of anything you really really want? So maybe you just need to try completely new things. How do you feel about model wargaming?"

 

[Mr Zoat]

I just noticed, the second part of this is set on June 13, so the date should be added.

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Thank you, corrected.

 

[Diraniola]

"You don't know of anything you really really want? So maybe you just need to try completely new things. How do you feel about model wargaming?"

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Paul would take that opening to recommend his game.

 

[Handlewithcare]

"LET THE EMPEROR...LITTLE PLASTIC FIGURINES FILL THAT GAPING MAW IN YOUR SOUL!"

Hm. Slaneesh would actually be a good cautionary tale for OLs. Excessive want without satisfaction.

 

[Darko]

Well enough. It's a job. I'm… Not a god..?"

"Me neither."

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Canis has called you a New God, and others have called you a demigod.

Come on. Becoming a god's not that hard. Have these people even met a god?

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No Paul, they haven't.

Well there are the Controllers.

Also, not everyone finds things as easy as you do.

And I wasn't really… I'm not naturally inclined to question things that I'm told-."

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This does not match up with what we've seen him do when he's told something by someone.

Your soul will end up somewhere.

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Assuming her world has an afterlife.

If not, then she may just be a ghost, and that may not be so good, or she could be absorbed in her worlds mystic fields and potentially lose her identity and sense of self, so just another form if death.

"My peo-.

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Still not all that connected to them.

files on my homeworld scientists?"

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'homeworlds'

You don't know of anything you really really want?

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If the second 'really' is not intentional then it's just 'you really want'

How do you feel about model wargaming?"

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Hmm, so he may ask her for help in the Vega game.

 

[Mr Zoat]

'homeworlds'

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Thank you, corrected.

 

[FreeGod]

This does not match up with what we've seen him do when he's told something by someone.

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I assume that it was a changing experience in more than one way.

 

[DrThoth]

Is this the Lantern who really valued wealth/material resources because they were rare on her planet? I forget if we got a detailed explanation of how she was chosen.

Paragon could use his empathic vision to figure out her desires, but without some even more metaphysical shenanigans that probably wouldn't lead to identifying potential new desires.

If she values mental integrity so much, I think that could extend to a general desire for stability of consciousness, which is basically what a soul is. She could turn that into an abhorrence of specifically mental deterioration and thus have a perpetually unaging brain (a Lantern equivalent to the Brain on Earth, I suppose). Cloning or brain transplantation tech seems feasible with the levels of technology in play here, especially with having medically oriented Orange Lanterns who would be really driven to heal others. It wouldn't be the pseudo-immortality the Paragon has, but it seems functional enough.

Another suggestion is just throwing her into a life-or-death situation to trigger primal survival instincts or something, though that could go any number of ways.

 

[Chojin Patriarch]

4th August 2012
15:33 GMT

"So?"

Lantern Drusa looks at me a little cautiously.

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Probably feeling a little concerned about what the Illustres wants from her this time. Bad enough she's stuck being the diplomatic one on their joint mission. If she's been keeping up on his affairs, she knows how badly things can go...

Spoiler: Commentary spoilered for length

"So?"

"How have you been? How do you feel about our mission? Are there any developments in your skills regarding which you need to appraise me?"

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In other words, you want to know the things that don't get logged in the records.

"Well enough. It's a job. I'm… Not a god..?"

"Me neither."

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Not yet. but you're getting there, kind of.

I take a seat on the opposite side of the refectory table, the various L.E.G.I.O.N.-affiliated personnel around us suddenly taking a great deal more interest. At least, those who aren't heading for what they imagine to be minimum safe distance.

Come on. Becoming a god's not that hard. Have these people even met a god?

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With OL, the splash zone is quite large. I expect a few have discreetly started filming, just in case something funny happens...

"And I wasn't expecting you to be a god. I was wondering how much progress you'd made in finding out what it is that you most value?"

Her eyes drop to… Her copy of 'The Grace of Aulier'? A religious book from her homeworld.

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But that would be more of a Hope thing than a Want. Still, good to see she's looking for something.

"I'm not finding it here." She stares into my eyes. "How did you become immortal?"

"Did you try reading my book?"

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If it's written anything like this, it must have been interesting.

She nods. "You abhor decay."

I extend my right forefinger and point to a worn section of her book at it is restored back to prime condition. Then a scuff on the table, a faint stain…

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What a delightful understatement.

"I abhor decay. My environmental shield undoes it without me even really thinking about it."

"How do you get like that?"

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Well, for a start, it involved merging with the Ophidian. Not something for a casual Orange Lantern without a good understanding of their wants to attempt...

"I don't know, exactly. I didn't grow up in a-" I point to her book again. "-religious household. But I did go to a religious primary school. And I wasn't really… I'm not naturally inclined to question things that I'm told-."

She blinks, her mouth falling open slightly for a moment before she closes it again, trying to make it look like she wasn't astonished.

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Indeed. That's not exactly the image other people see of him much of the time. Then again... As we saw in his briefings with Dox, he usually only asks questions to clarify details, but rarely do we see him say 'No, that's not right.'

"I grew up surrounded by trustworthy people. I know, I was lucky. But when the local vicar gave weekly sermons I just… Accepted that was how the universe worked. And then… When I learned a little more about the world around me, I couldn't relate the fantastical stuff that he was saying with.. practical reality. That was when I first came to believe that death was permanent."

"It still is for most people."

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Then you haven't been working hard enough at it. Much like a sensible wizard, a good Orange Lantern is very, very hard to kill. OL has just taken it to the point that he's even harder to keep dead.

I shake my head.

"No. Lantern Corps policy involves shipping our corpses back to our homeworlds where possible, or a friendly world where it's not. Your soul will end up somewhere. Did you see my tattoos?"

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Admittedly, there isn't always a lot to ship back sometimes.

"… Yes."

"That's what I had to do to even get a soul. Well before I developed my current level of pain resistance, I volunteered to have my flesh branded so I could benefit from something that you've had your entire life at no cost." I lean back slightly. "Once I stopped believing in God, I stopped believing in souls. And if souls didn't exist, death was inevitable oblivion."

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And there's the start of his thanatophobia, eh?

"Yes?"

"I can only assume that it was more of a shock to me than it is to you because I had previously believed that it wasn't the case."

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Well, not every culture has an afterlife equivalent after all. For some, it's merely in being honoured by others. For others, it's a literal place their soul goes. I wouldn't be surprised if each of her planet's religions had different ideas about it...

"That was it?"

"There was an encounter with a dead chicken as well, but… Yes. I don't like me decaying. I don't like the things around me decaying. The first thing-."

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...I won't ask, it's probably a messed up memory. But most people's first brush with actual death is often a dead animal or the like...

"The first thing you did with your ring was improve your body."

"I can heal myself very easily, too."

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And unlike that first time, you know to block your pain receptors when you do it.

"So without having gone through those experiences, I can't make myself immortal."

"No, you probably can. Just not in the same way. Is there really no long-term goal that you're working towards? I-" I shake my head and shrug. "-mean, anything."

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This is probably going to be a running theme for those more interested in the esoteric side of Orange Light use. Since each person's desires are unique, so will their path towards Enlightenment...

She thinks for a moment.

"Which god?"

"Ah… In my home parallel, we haven't had contact with other intelligent species. I don't know if there's anything like the Source Wall. But it was a monotheistic religion worshipping an all-powerful creator deity."

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To be fair, that's probably a concept that turns up on every planet now and again. So it wouldn't be completely unknown to her.

"My peo-. My homeworld had several religions. All they were for me was a source of curse words."

"You didn't grow up with one in-" I point to the book again. "-particular?"

"I'm going through them in alphabetical order. No."

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Well, that's certainly a thorough way to apply yourself to a task... Bet she's noticed a few running themes and similarities between them. After all, most members of a species have some ideas in common.

"Okay, so you don't specifically want to be immortal."

"I want to be immortal. I just don't want it as hard as you do. I'm so used to things decaying that it doesn't seem wrong to me."

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An odd way to look at it, but hey... Whatever works. I'm sure there's something that'll get you invested in it.

"If you're interested in taking that route, I know a few telepaths-."

"No."

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See? You're invested in not wanting your mind to be messed with. It's a good start.

"Ah, progress! You-."

"I value my mental integrity over becoming a better Lantern."

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Which will mean your Orange Light will allow you to shrug off mental effects more easily.

"'Better' is a loaded term. There's no one right way to be an Orange Lantern. Though-. Have you ever visited Larfleeze?" I get a shallow nod. "That's the wrong way."

"Because he has no desires that are actually his own, he just acts on pure desire."

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...Huh. That... That is honestly an interesting viewpoint on it. It makes sense, too. He mainlined Avarice for so long that his own desires were buried underneath the collectives wants of the universe. Like one grain of sand in a desert.

"That's not a terrible answer. I honestly hadn't thought of it like that." I nod. "But I think you're right. So… Okay, you're having a problem with a visceral drive. Working on pure intellectual desire. Where do you want to end up? If given a choice of jobs, which do you opt for, all other things being equal?"

"I like working with technology. But now I have-" She raises her left hand, ring shimmering. "-the most advanced piece of technology in the universe on my finger."

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So, desire fulfilled. Now what? What do you want to use it for?

"Do you want to learn to create them?"

"I could, but then I'd just have the ability to create something I've already got."

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And why would you need more than one ring? As OL's showed, extra rings only supply more charge, and a good personal lantern can mitigate that issue easily enough.

"Only machines it has a record of. Have you read the files on my homeworld scientists?"

"I picked up machines because it made me useful but not threatening. I don't have some great underlying love for technology."

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Welp. What do you want, then? When your power works on wanting things, you have to be able to focus on something you want, after all. The joy of satiation...

"Okay. Maybe we're taking the wrong approach, here."

"What do you mean?"

"You don't know of anything you really really want? So maybe you just need to try completely new things. How do you feel about model wargaming?"

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See, that's a good idea. New experiences end up sparking new wants. But be honest, OL, you just want another player for your refined, balanced Warhammer, don't you?

Ah, the joy of gaining what you thought you wanted. You end up feeling unsatisfied, because it's not what you really wanted after all. I wonder how many other Orange Lanterns are having that sort of issue? How many are finding getting something that can do anything they want isn't what they were really needing?
At any rate, it'll be interesting to see if people try his Warhammer game and enjoy it. Could become a meme within the Corps: The Illustres is so good at war that he made a game where everything else is equally good at killing too, just so he could have a challenge...

 

[Zig]

Is Warhammer Paul asking his friends to play Heroclix?

 

[w34v3r]

I'm actually very interested in the potential for inter-species gaming leagues and companies.

This sounds FASCINATING.

 

[RichardWhereat]

"You don't know of anything you really really want? So maybe you just need to try completely new things. How do you feel about model wargaming?"

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A few days later, she really really wants to be Sanguinius, with an army of genesons.

 

[Darko]

Is this the Lantern who really valued wealth/material resources because they were rare on her planet? I forget if we got a detailed explanation of how she was chosen

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Yep.

She appeared in the episode where Paul fought a Thunderer during a diplomatic mission.

She doesn't seem to care all that much about her home planet.

 

[AidanMorgan]

This does not match up with what we've seen him do when he's told something by someone.

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I mean, it's happened a couple times. Like with him just going along with being on the Team and assuming it wasn't the kid's team until someone set up a school identity for him.

 

[Mr Zoat]

Is Warhammer Paul asking his friends to play Heroclix?

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No.

No meme image, because I don't know Heroclix well enough to hate it.

 

[Vaermina]

"I value my mental integrity over becoming a better Lantern."

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And Paragon doesn't.

 

[ForeverShogo]

The idea that you need some special mindset to be effectively immortal as an Orange Lantern still seems really dumb to me. Most people don't really want to get old, or decrepit, or deal with illness or injury or whatever.

The idea that always being in your prime isn't just part of the package is just absolutely bonkers to me.

 

[BlueMangoAdea]

The idea that you need some special mindset to be effectively immortal as an Orange Lantern still seems really dumb to me. Most people don't really want to get old, or decrepit, or deal with illness or injury or whatever.

The idea that always being in your prime isn't just part of the package is just absolutely bonkers to me.

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Right. The ring allows you to completely reshape your body, anyways. Wouldn't the vast majority of old people want to stop being old if they have the ring on?