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

[Mr Zoat]

With the world in the state it's in, school is still in session, and will Paul try to set up Alan again?

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"What do you want? I can pay cash, and can introduce you to eligible bachelors, I can perform exotic services..?"

...

"I'll take options one and two. But the money better be cold and hard and the guys better be hot and… Well."

"I'll see what I can do."

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Who did you think he intended to suggest?

 

[Ardy]

Who did you think he intended to suggest?

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Martian man hunter? Red arrow (both versions)? Red star? One of the many single alien men in the OLC who could benefit from experience on Hard Mode?

He knows a lot of single guys

 

[thebishop8]

"He's always been one of the harmless ones. Relatively speaking."

And it's true. As far as Batman knows he's never actually killed anyone.

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Interestingly, in the Renegade version Grayven arranges for Tetch to be killed and claims he had killed 7 people:

He walks closer, taking a moment to look at the people gathered below. "Is Tetch dead?"

"Hmm." Sinestro? Ah, I see. "Wait for it, wait for-. Yes."

"He was a sick man."

"Yes." I nod. "Yes he was."

"He was off his medication. I could have taken him in alive."

"Was he off his medication last time as well?" He glares. "And the time before that? Seven deaths total, all young girls.

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[Bud-E]

Who did you think he intended to suggest?

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I don't know maybe Effigy, he's "hot" right?

 

[Mr Zoat]

Interestingly, in the Renegade version Grayven arranges for Tetch to be killed and claims he had killed 7 people:

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A wizard did it.

...

It's kind of annoying that people here remember my story better than I do, but it's also kind of nice.

Let's say that he's never directly deliberately killed anyone, but that deaths predictably happen as a result of his actions.

 

[Duke Long]

"That is not merely a boast. I witnessed it myself, both when I arrived at the Hill and they loosed upon me, and later when they carried out a demonstration of their weapons. They were happy to show me, to try to intimidate me. And, just as we have scorpions and ballistae which are larger and more powerful than our bows, so they too have larger and more powerful versions of their weapons. There are places on Alnus Hill were they struck our centuries where it is not possible to tell that the thing they struck was once a man, much less who they were. And these are not weapons inherited from their ancestors or granted them by their gods." He slows his delivery. "These are weapons which their forges can make continuously."

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'where'

Damn. It's… I was thinking that they took his species' brains for major industrial centres or capital ships. But it turns out, no. Not at all. It's just slightly more convenient for them to rip and entire species' brains out of their skulls than it is to ship… To ship a computer in.

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'an'

Honestly, we might want to consider larger sized blunderbusses or hand cannons for them. Rifles or arquebuses are a bit beyond our technological ability right now, and the sorts of musket we could make would be significantly inferior to longbows and won't reliably penetrate the plate armour worn by elite units. But a large blunderbuss, where they could dash forwards into range of an enemy infantry levy, blast a hole in their formation and they fall back to reload…

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'then'?

Next to us, Battery Master Allius Gais Graccus looks at them suspiciously. He was a senior engineer under Zorzal during the attack on the Warrior Bunny's territory, overseeing the construction of bridges and roads for the Empire's army. I'm not sure how much contact he had with the Bunnies, but it appears that they didn't exactly impress him.

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'Gaius'? It could be fine but with the Roman theme I thought it might be a mistake.
'Bunny'? Unless there was one specific Warrior Bunny whose territory it was, I'm not familiar with the setting.

Diabo smiles. "That is good news. I will arrange a time for you to practice… Tomorrow? If that is agreeable to you?" She nods, then sort of freezes awkwardly. I feel Diabo use my power to look within her and see why. A moment later he nods. "I understand your lack of enthusiasm, but remember that our aim here is not to repeat my brother's slaughter but to force our neighbours to become tributaries. It is my hope that a substantial show of force will prevent the need for a lengthy campaign. As well as stabilising things here at home after our near-disastrous conflict with Japan. Stability means that internal conflicts don't occur, that bandits don't prey on honest citizens and existing tributaries don't wages war with us or with each other."

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'wage'

Naturally.

Words for the Word God.

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Are you doing that because of the spam warning? You know you can just ignore it, right?

I hope that's not true, but the Hub City revitalisation can only go so fast and we're not that far away from harvest season. America needs both new farm machinery and maintenance work done on what it already has. So I've sunk a new Dolmen Gate into a road that's due for replacement, I've set up a farm machine garage in a intact warehouse and I've found some people qualified to work there.

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'an'

"I did, but it's not practical for me to put a bleed torsion generator in every car, whereas the infrastructure is there for oil. Exotic power plants are being built for mains supply, but for… Heavy goods vehicles and cars, it's easier to spend a year or two using oil rather than try to electrify them all. Several of the… Dolmen Gates owned by Cadburys' Shipping are already linking oil wells, refineries and distribution hubs, which… Everyone is in favour of because places that produce oil are about as dependant on selling it as other places are on using it, and it's easier than shipping it or piping it."

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'Cadbury's'?
'dependent'

"Yes, but there's 'odd' in the sense of being a bit of an oddball, and then there's odd in the sense of saying 'the bits of plastic on the ends of shoelaces are called aglets and their true purpose is sinister'. I know he's a shaman, and that.. might mean that he's been getting exposed to the parapsychic residue of the planet being Anti-Lifed for a month. He might have gotten reinfected, or being driven potty by the damage to civilisation, or… I don't know, undiagnosed brain cancer or something. If you could at all prevail upon him to meet with me, I'd really appreciate it."

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'been'?

"No. The connection to that universe is… 'Sticky', for wont of a better term that you would understand. It would decay, but it wouldn't decay to nothing instantly."

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'want'
I like the addition of 'that you would understand'.

Scan… Oh yeah! Now, the O.M.A.C.s from Earth -14 used the Amazo system, but since their version was nanotech based I.. probably can't detect our Amazo, though it would be worth giving it a try. So, limited utility, but if the system can be used-.

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I don't remember how you do acronyms and initialisms, so do the full stops mean that everyone is pronouncing it oh-em-ay-see? Seems bizarre if so.

I initially missed her because she's wearing the same colours as the Operatives, but she doesn't have the signature Mohican. At the moment she's holding up one side of the Dolmen Gate.

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Wait, the Mohican is standard issue? I… suppose it makes sense that Buddy wasn't unique, given the whole theme they're going for, but that's so fucking bizarre. Then again maybe people are used to bizarre appearances among superheroes.

Which means it's probably just something like Boss Smiley controlling the Madd Hatter controlling Batman controlling the Peace Agents.

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I hope you're right Vaermina, that sounds hilariously convoluted.

"You're fortunate. I can't seen any signs of venom-related damage to your brain."

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'see'

 

[Mr Zoat]

'where'
'an'
'then'?
'Gaius'? It could be fine but with the Roman theme I thought it might be a mistake.
'Bunny'? Unless there was one specific Warrior Bunny whose territory it was, I'm not familiar with the setting.
'wage'
'an'
'Cadbury's'?
'dependent'
'been'?
'see'

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Thank you, corrected.

'want'

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Nope.

I don't remember how you do acronyms and initialisms, so do the full stops mean that everyone is pronouncing it oh-em-ay-see? Seems bizarre if so.

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I'm going to say 'no'.

Are you doing that because of the spam warning? You know you can just ignore it, right?

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Typing that is actually quicker, as well as a reference to my own past on Warseer.

Words for the Word God.

 

[Azzy Rael]

Being Catty with a British Orange Lantern. Selina, you either need to have a word with the new Mrs. Wayne, or stop drinking so heavily- even I know he'd clap back. Might not even recognize the burn even.

 

[Mr Zoat]

18th July 2013
10:22 GMT -5

Selina looks at me as if she's fairly confident that she misheard me, but is familiar enough with me to know that she can't be completely certain.

"Ninety?"

"Immortal."

"Right, but…" Her eyes narrow slightly. "Ninety immortal."

Gotham streets are fairly empty at this time of day, particularly the part of Gotham that we're heading to. Naturally, Wayne Enterprises has taken a leading role in reconstruction, and… Talia Wayne has taken advantage of the death of international shipping to on-shore industry. It's a little like the city has gone back in time fifty years, not unlike what I'm doing with Hub. Only less radically, and from a more… Habitable position. But that means that while things get busy during the shift change, we're currently in a quiet patch. No cars, because petrol is expensive when it's available. But there are regular busses, and they're clean and have a security guard. Safe and reliable.

I return my attention to Selina. "He looks fifty and he'll look fifty when you're ninety. And he's a really great guy."

"I'm…" Her eyes narrow further. "Keep going."

"He's in good physical condition, extremely faithful-."

"Why exactly are you shilling for this guy?"

"Because I'm trying to persuade him to-. Okay, so you know how I can see emotions?" She gives me a very small nod. "I can see the desire for emotional connections that aren't there. He's just about ready to start dating again, and you're not actually interested in a long term relationship."

"Tch. Excuse you."

"Selina, I'm an em-path. You're curious who I'd suggest and you're mildly interested in a novel experience. Which means that you're perfect for each other."

"Because he'd definitely be a novel experience and even though he's ninety he's not ready to commit yet."

"He's lived on his own for virtually his entire life. Actually sharing his life with someone is probably something that he needs to work up to. Which is fine, because so do you."

"You're really bad at this."

"You're just saying that because you know it's true and that unsettles you. You know you had an open goal with Mister Wayne, and you didn't take the shot. And…"

A Wayne Enterprises bus drives past us.

"There's the result. I hate to admit it, but maybe Talia-."

"Don't even finish that sentence. And I'm done 'dating' old men. Who else have you got?"

"I've got a billionaire industrialist with a vital role in the world's economy."

"Talia can't be that good for him if he's got the itch already."

"I doubt that Talia's given him an itch. But I'm talking about Ted Kord."

She frowns. "I thought he was.. dating someone. There was someone in Variety about it."

"Shockingly, the woman from the island of warrior lesbians wasn't interested in men." And I can't really say that Io led him on. It's not as if she knew anything about extra-Themysciran courtship. "He took it fairly well, but she was pretty embarrassed about it."

She thinks for a moment. "Billionaire industrialist didn't go so well last time. And Ted Kord never chased me over the rooftops."

"Is that a plus or a minus?"

"Minus. Definitely minus."

"Why?"

She side-eye rolls her eyes at me. "Didn't you ever chase Jade over the rooftops?"

"… Once. And she drugged me and nearly got away and then I grabbed her with construct tentacles and sent her to prison."

"You don't need to rub it in." She sighs. "Does Ted have any interests outside of work?"

"Probably? He does really like his work-. Or rather, he likes the work that happens several levels below where his job is supposed to be. He had to hire someone to manage his company because he was spending too much time in the workshop."

"P-ass."

"Widowered professional acrobat currently working as a gym instructor?"

"I doubt he chased me over the rooftops either."

"He did three weeks ago."

She stops for a moment, frowning. "That was Batman."

"You didn't get a close look, did you?" She gives me an unsettled look. "Slightly slimmer, didn't grab a gadget quite as fast as he would?"

"Huh. I.. guess he did. Batman's using body doubles?"

"A body double. He's a very busy man."

She thinks that over, then starts walking again, shaking her head as she does so.

"Dating someone I thought of as budget Batman wouldn't be fair to either of us."

"So you want someone like Batman but not like Batman?"

"How about I just take the cash?"

"I'll pay you the cash anyway, but now you've given me a problem to solve."

"That attitude is why Batman and me didn't work. I'm not a problem to solve."

"That attitude is why you and Batman didn't work. You started looking for an excuse."

That earns me a scowl. "Because you were there."

"I'm still an empath. I know it because you know it, and I can say it because my ego isn't on the line and I do actually want to help."

She pointedly widens her eyes as she looks right at me. "Stop. Helping."

"Alright. Just cash it is."

Some people don't want to be helped. And some people don't want to be helped by me. But maybe if I talk to-.

"And don't talk Holly and Karon into 'helping' either." She huffs, eyeing the entrance to the Iceberg Lounge. "Did you ever do anything to Cobblepot?"

"I kidnapped and threatened him for information once."

"Oh, everyone does that. But… Let me do the talking?"

 

[TFTwink]

Tch. Excuse you

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This might be the most normally written Catwoman I've seen in a fanfic.

 

[Ngamer11]

"Widowered professional acrobat currently working as a gym instructor?"

"I doubt he chased me over the rooftops either."

"He did three weeks ago."

She stops for a moment, frowning. "That was Batman."

"You didn't get a close look, did you?" She gives me an unsettled look. "Slightly slimmer, didn't grab a gadget quite as fast as he would?"

"Huh. I.. guess he did. Batman's using body doubles?"

"A body double. He's a very busy man."

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Is this a canon character or an original one?

 

[Mr Zoat]

Is this a canon character or an original one?

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Canon to the Young Justice television series.

 

[Ngamer11]

Canon to the Young Justice television series.

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Is this Robin's uncle Rick?

 

[Mr Zoat]

Is this Robin's uncle Rick?

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Yes.

 

[Ngamer11]

Yes.

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I'm a little surprised he's fine with doing this. Though I suppose he's had enough time to come to terms with his nephew acting as a superhero. Does he thinks if he does this he can help Robin when the latter needs it?

 

[Chojin Patriarch]

18th July 2013
10:22 GMT -5

Selina looks at me as if she's fairly confident that she misheard me, but is familiar enough with me to know that she can't be completely certain.

"Ninety?"

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He really did put Alan's name forwards? ...I mean, he is handsome, if you don't mind older men. And every description notes that he has quite the voice. The sort of thing that makes some ladies go gooey if they think it's being directed at them, you know?

Spoiler: Commentary spoilered for length

"Immortal."

"Right, but…" Her eyes narrow slightly. "Ninety immortal."

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On the upside, eh has plenty of emotional maturity, and a bit of experience. Also, old-fashioned chivalry means he'll make you feel like the most important woman on Earth...

Gotham streets are fairly empty at this time of day, particularly the part of Gotham that we're heading to. Naturally, Wayne Enterprises has taken a leading role in reconstruction, and… Talia Wayne has taken advantage of the death of international shipping to on-shore industry. It's a little like the city has gone back in time fifty years, not unlike what I'm doing with Hub. Only less radically, and from a more… Habitable position. But that means that while things get busy during the shift change, we're currently in a quiet patch. No cars, because petrol is expensive when it's available. But there are regular busses, and they're clean and have a security guard. Safe and reliable.

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...As much as they can be in Gotham, of course. Good to see Talia making some improvements to her husband's city.

I return my attention to Selina. "He looks fifty and he'll look fifty when you're ninety. And he's a really great guy."

"I'm…" Her eyes narrow further. "Keep going."

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Plus, if he's so inclined, he can keep you looking twenty. Ring-based healing, you know?

"He's in good physical condition, extremely faithful-."

"Why exactly are you shilling for this guy?"

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Come on, Selina. Alan is basically his adopted father in this world. Or at least a cool older uncle.

"Because I'm trying to persuade him to-. Okay, so you know how I can see emotions?" She gives me a very small nod. "I can see the desire for emotional connections that aren't there. He's just about ready to start dating again, and you're not actually interested in a long term relationship."

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So OL's kind of looking for someone willing to help him get back on the bike, so to speak. Someone up for a good time, but nothing permanent.

"Tch. Excuse you."

"Selina, I'm an em-path. You're curious who I'd suggest and you're mildly interested in a novel experience. Which means that you're perfect for each other."

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There's novel, and then there's near-demigod.

"Because he'd definitely be a novel experience and even though he's ninety he's not ready to commit yet."

"He's lived on his own for virtually his entire life. Actually sharing his life with someone is probably something that he needs to work up to. Which is fine, because so do you."

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Though I imagine seeing his alternate self from the JSI world and learning his personal history showed him what could have been with Rose Canton (And/or Molly Mayne.).

"You're really bad at this."

"You're just saying that because you know it's true and that unsettles you. You know you had an open goal with Mister Wayne, and you didn't take the shot. And…"

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To be fair to her, Talia was way more... Aggressive? About her intentions, and she took the swing more readily.

A Wayne Enterprises bus drives past us.

"There's the result. I hate to admit it, but maybe Talia-."

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As much as everyone has their doubts, she does seem to be putting her full efforts into improving what is Batman's.

"Don't even finish that sentence. And I'm done 'dating' old men. Who else have you got?"

"I've got a billionaire industrialist with a vital role in the world's economy."

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Ironically, that could apply to multiple men in this universe.

"Talia can't be that good for him if he's got the itch already."

"I doubt that Talia's given him an itch. But I'm talking about Ted Kord."

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It was kind of him or Luthor, really. And I don't think Lex has the temperament to cope with Selina.

She frowns. "I thought he was.. dating someone. There was someone in Variety about it."

"Shockingly, the woman from the island of warrior lesbians wasn't interested in men." And I can't really say that Io led him on. It's not as if she knew anything about extra-Themysciran courtship. "He took it fairly well, but she was pretty embarrassed about it."

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Aw, they made such a cute pair. I guess she preferred to keep it professional.

She thinks for a moment. "Billionaire industrialist didn't go so well last time. And Ted Kord never chased me over the rooftops."

"Is that a plus or a minus?"

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Besides, if you want him to be chasing you over rooftops, he's not really fit enough for that.

"Minus. Definitely minus."

"Why?"

She side-eye rolls her eyes at me. "Didn't you ever chase Jade over the rooftops?"

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I mean, getting the adrenaline and endorphins pumping probably do make the make-outs afterwards quite a bit more fun...

"… Once. And she drugged me and nearly got away and then I grabbed her with construct tentacles and sent her to prison."

"You don't need to rub it in." She sighs. "Does Ted have any interests outside of work?"

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In other words, she's lucky Batman liked her.

"Probably? He does really like his work-. Or rather, he likes the work that happens several levels below where his job is supposed to be. He had to hire someone to manage his company because he was spending too much time in the workshop."

"P-ass."

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What, you don't like intelligent guys?

"Widowered professional acrobat currently working as a gym instructor?"

"I doubt he chased me over the rooftops either."

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Too mundane for her, I see?

"He did three weeks ago."

She stops for a moment, frowning. "That was Batman."

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Huh. Interesting. Not Jean-Paul Valley, I suspect, because of the 'widowed' part.

"You didn't get a close look, did you?" She gives me an unsettled look. "Slightly slimmer, didn't grab a gadget quite as fast as he would?"

"Huh. I.. guess he did. Batman's using body doubles?"

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Like @Ngamer11 suggests, is this Rick Grayson filling in? All the clues suggest it (And no sooner asked than answered in the affirmative by Word of Zoat...)

"A body double. He's a very busy man."

She thinks that over, then starts walking again, shaking her head as she does so.

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Although I suspect Rick fills out the tights very nicely, if Bruce and Dick are anything to go by. You know, what with Comics Nightwing generally agreed in-universe to have the best ass of any male hero?

"Dating someone I thought of as budget Batman wouldn't be fair to either of us."

"So you want someone like Batman but not like Batman?"

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That's a challenging line to walk, and not one most man can manage...

"How about I just take the cash?"

"I'll pay you the cash anyway, but now you've given me a problem to solve."

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OL, her love life is not your problem to solve. Just doing this much is enough.

"That attitude is why Batman and me didn't work. I'm not a problem to solve."

"That attitude is why you and Batman didn't work. You started looking for an excuse."

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That would be a troublesome difference in viewpoint to contend with.

That earns me a scowl. "Because you were there."

"I'm still an empath. I know it because you know it, and I can say it because my ego isn't on the line and I do actually want to help."

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Even if she's deciding she doesn't want your help?

She pointedly widens her eyes as she looks right at me. "Stop. Helping."

"Alright. Just cash it is."

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Well, at least you can say you offered. Just don't be an ass about it later.

Some people don't want to be helped. And some people don't want to be helped by me. But maybe if I talk to-.

"And don't talk Holly and Karon into 'helping' either." She huffs, eyeing the entrance to the Iceberg Lounge. "Did you ever do anything to Cobblepot?"

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Ha! She knows him well enough to see that coming.

"I kidnapped and threatened him for information once."

"Oh, everyone does that. But… Let me do the talking?"

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True, he does tend to be a popular first stop for under-the-table interrogation. Hell, he probably has a hidden line in the budget for stuff like window repairs and thug medical for such occasions.

As long as Selina isn't drinking herself into an early grave, OL, I don't think there's much help she'll accept from you. A lady has her pride, a cat doubly so, and Selina is much like her feline companions in that respect. Just let her be, and focus on your current job rather than obsessing over making her life 'perfect'...

 

[Thundersmight94]

I've been wondering, with everything that's happened, do people still remember or have whatever warding charms were being passed around by the villains to prevent Paul from just telling his ring to find and show him specific people, or has Paul simply stopped doing it since it's usually a mixed bag?

 

[Duke Long]

Nope.

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I know that it's a real word, I'm saying that in that context I think it's wrong. It's not being used to refer to a habit (not directly anyway), it's being used to refer to a desire, so it should be 'want'. And I did check just in case and it does seem like 'for want of' is the correct version, according to every result I saw including one from this dictionary you linked.

 

[Mr Zoat]

I know that it's a real word, I'm saying that in that context I think it's wrong. It's not being used to refer to a habit (not directly anyway), it's being used to refer to a desire, so it should be 'want'. And I did check just in case and it does seem like 'for want of' is the correct version, according to every result I saw including one from this dictionary you linked.

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Thank you, corrected.

Words for the Word God.

 

[Steelplaza]

I've been wondering, with everything that's happened, do people still remember or have whatever warding charms were being passed around by the villains to prevent Paul from just telling his ring to find and show him specific people, or has Paul simply stopped doing it since it's usually a mixed bag?

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Every corporation in the world that thinks they might have something to hide from power ring scans started stamp pressing wards and putting them everywhere, and it apparently takes only that tiny amount of magic to stop power ring scans[1]. Forget villains passing them around, people are probably stealing them from Lexcorp office buildings if they think there's the slightest chance someone with a power ring might look for them.

[1] A little contrived, but it's a reasonable workaround for "Orange Lantern has his ring instantly find any person or item of information" that allows preserving some tension in the story.

 

[CrazyNoVa]

Paul was moronic with that

woman is still clearly sore about losing Bruce and he just stab her with it

Paul really need to un-enlight himself, being human+ is clearly a negative

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To be fair, Paul was already weird about this kind of stuff even before he merged with Ophidian, so I don't think taking away his enlightenment would fix anything.

Who did you think he intended to suggest?

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Darkseid, obviously.

 

[webxro]

All this shipping makes me wonder, who would be the woman best suited for the Lex Luthor of this fic ? Romantically I mean.

 

[Jirachi]

"I've got a billionaire industrialist with a vital role in the world's economy."

"Talia can't be that good for him if he's got the itch already."

"I doubt that Talia's given him an itch. But I'm talking about Ted Kord."

She frowns. "I thought he was.. dating someone. There was someone in Variety about it."

"Shockingly, the woman from the island of warrior lesbians wasn't interested in men." And I can't really say that Io led him on. It's not as if she knew anything about extra-Themysciran courtship. "He took it fairly well, but she was pretty embarrassed about it."

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Wasn't ted kord dating one of the sivanas?

 

[Darko]

All this shipping makes me wonder, who would be the woman best suited for the Lex Luthor of this fic ? Romantically I mean.

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He's marrying Veronica Cale in the Renegade timeline.

 

[Ardy]

Wasn't ted kord dating one of the sivanas?

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He took Beautia out on a date, I think, but it didn't get followed up on

 

[Mr Zoat]

18th July 2013
10:29 GMT -5

One of the servers leads us through the main floor towards Mr. Cobblepot's office. The Iceberg Lounge is a… Nice place. A high-class club which I'm sure sees even more custom now than it did before with its rivals mostly defunct and with the sort of supplies that Mr. Cobblepot can acquire harder to purchase. And of course it's a place where you can pretend all of what happened was some sort of bizarre nightmare. I've got no idea what happened to it while the Earth was Anti-Lifed, but I can see where repairs have been made since I first scanned it. Some furniture is newer than the rest… Not that any of it is in bad condition. This… Would have been part of the area that Mistress controlled, and Cobblepot is very much the sort of person to bear a grudge-.

"Has Karon suffered any sort of blowback from..?"

Selina's eyes flick very briefly to the server, then return to me. She shakes her head, but that's probably something I should ask about in more detail.

Most City Bosses… Didn't survive. Mannheim killed some, local rivals killed some, some killed themselves after the Anti-Life was expunged and… Some were already detested locally and were mobbed to death. I hadn't really thought about that part beforehand, but I suppose even the vitalising high of pure life force has limits when it comes to universal fraternal affection. Not all of them had bad things happen: there was a guy in Austin who took holy orders; he said that he couldn't stand what he's seen in himself and desperately wanted to change. Most of the rest... Haven't really come to my attention. Earth has a lot of cities. I asked Mr. Atom and he said that they hadn't all died…

I think that's what he meant anyway. Technically, 'approaching eighty percent' can mean a great many things.

I wonder why Mr. Cobblepot had us brought through the main club, rather than through the staff entrance? To delay us a little, possibly? He's had some wards done but I've stopped taking that sort of thing personally. The cleaning staff aren't currently working… Anywhere I can see. Perhaps they are on shift but he's had them relocate just in case we kick off? That seems out of character, but then comic Mr. Luthor didn't see a contradiction between encouraging the man who cleans his office to call him 'Lex' and having an uppity union representative pushed off a building, so…

The server holds up her right hand to stop us as she knocks once on Mr. Cobblepot's office door, hears a muffled reply and then steps inside. There's a camera in the antechamber so he knew that we were here anyway, but… Theatre. Him making himself feel better about someone who could tear this place out of the bedrock and throw it into the sun being in his space.

I take a seat and relax. Selina on the other hand remains standing, glaring suspiciously at a painting on the wall. "I recognize this."

"If you tell me, will I have to take a professional interest?"

"No."

I turn away, looking towards the door. "When Mister Atom does that, it's because he genuinely doesn't understand that he's being evasive."

"Technically, there's nothing illegal about running a bereavement house clearance company."

"As long as you're not killing-."

"That's hardly necessary. Just… The next of kin might not necessarily know what their dead relative had, or how much it's worth, or that they're the next of kin, or that the person calling them is from a private company and not from the city government."

Ah, yes. "A bit scummy, not actually illegal. About what I expected. Honestly, I think I'd be a little disappointed if he didn't have some sort of scheme to take advantage of the situation." My eyes flick to the camera for a moment. "Though obviously, if anything of sentimental value to an actual living person went walkabouts, I might have concerns."

Selina sighs.

"Are you taking it more personally than I am?"

"It's a question of professional pride. Batman stopped me grabbing this painting a few years ago, and he just takes it out in a moving van."

"What works, works. If you're feeling the pinch you could ask him for a job."

"Oh hah hah."

"On the appraisals team I mean. I didn't even realise that it wasn't a print, but you spotted it right away." Hm. "Though I suppose that being on the moving team would be good exercise."

She turns back to me. "Are you implying something?"

"I don't know what you do day to day, but it would… You know, get you out of the house. And I know that interest on saving is basically zero if your bank is still functioning, and with a lot of currencies getting devalued relative to food and manufactured goods, you might… You know, want paying work, and… I don't think Cadbury's really needs your skill set."

"Thank you for your concern, but I'm doing fine."

"And that's why I'm avoiding scanning your house."

"I'll have you know, everything in my apartment is legally owned by me."

"And that's legally owned by Mister Cobblepot. And I note that you only refer to what you have in your home." Oh. "Unless the failure of your romantic relationship has led you to want to genuinely and completely reform, and this is you trying to reach out to a superhero for guidance? Because in that case-"

"As if."

"-I-."

The door opens, the server stepping out and gesturing for us to enter. Mr. Cobblepot-

"The two of you are like a street soap opera, but I've got work to do."

-glowers at us from behind his desk. I can't see any real hatred for me, so perhaps this will be easier than I thought?

Selina walks past me with an assertive and confident gait, while I just walk normally. Obviously I could float in, but I'm here to ask for assistance, so I don't want to put his back up more than it is already.

He glowers at us both for a moment. "Well? What do you want?"

I find myself falling into parade rest, while Selina struts forwards and deposits herself languidly in one of the chairs in front of his desk. "Oswald, that's hardly the way to talk to an old friend."

"Did the Bat send you?"

"Not specifically. I require information that I hope you either have or can get more easily than other sources. Naturally, I am happy to pay for that service."

"Heh." It's more a cough than a laugh, but I suppose it's a positive sign. "If only the Bat could be that polite. If only you'd been that polite last time."

"Mister Cobblepot, Jervis Tetch appears to have gone on an abduction spree. I can't imagine that he has any financial dealings with you, but a couple of your employees appear to be prime Alice material."

Blond, and probably too young to be working in a club which serves alcohol.

"Leaving aside what it might occur to him to make you into. I would very much like your assistance in tracking him down, or at least narrowing down his likely location."

"And what's in it for me?"

"I can pay medallions, or… I'd never mock someone for their physical disfigurements, but you don't have anything that it wouldn't be hard for me to fix if you so desired." I raise my right hand, subspace my glove, and then alter my own hand to mirror his. "Mm. Uncomfortable, and awkward to use I imagine."

I shift it back, wiggling the fingers at him.

"Well?"

"Payment up front."

 

[Lazurman]

The world is not ready for Tall Cobblepot.

 

[RichardWhereat]

The world is not ready for Tall Cobblepot.

Click to shrink...

Guess who Selina is dating..

 

[Someguy Somewhere]

I Think they hand waved the change over for BTAS and New Adventures art style shift for Oswald for the batman cartoons with a tie in comic where he pulled a caper and left Gotham for a vacation that included a bit of plastic surgery. Might be what gets Penguin the Classy look here.

 

[Chojin Patriarch]

18th July 2013
10:29 GMT -5

One of the servers leads us through the main floor towards Mr. Cobblepot's office. The Iceberg Lounge is a… Nice place. A high-class club which I'm sure sees even more custom now than it did before with its rivals mostly defunct and with the sort of supplies that Mr. Cobblepot can acquire harder to purchase. And of course it's a place where you can pretend all of what happened was some sort of bizarre nightmare. I've got no idea what happened to it while the Earth was Anti-Lifed, but I can see where repairs have been made since I first scanned it. Some furniture is newer than the rest… Not that any of it is in bad condition. This… Would have been part of the area that Mistress controlled, and Cobblepot is very much the sort of person to bear a grudge-.

Click to shrink...

Probably a bit of salt that he couldn't have been the one to take that initiative, I suppose. Sadly, such a position is a little too high-profile for Oswald's preferred manner of operation. The man likes his privacy, after all.

Spoiler: Commentary spoilered for length

"Has Karon suffered any sort of blowback from..?"

Selina's eyes flick very briefly to the server, then return to me. She shakes her head, but that's probably something I should ask about in more detail.

Click to shrink...

Most likely a little concerned about who might be listening to their little discussions while they're here. It's guaranteed that the top tables are bugged, after all, and their guests are plied with drinks with just a little more alcohol content than usual...

Most City Bosses… Didn't survive. Mannheim killed some, local rivals killed some, some killed themselves after the Anti-Life was expunged and… Some were already detested locally and were mobbed to death. I hadn't really thought about that part beforehand, but I suppose even the vitalising high of pure life force has limits when it comes to universal fraternal affection. Not all of them had bad things happen: there was a guy in Austin who took holy orders; he said that he couldn't stand what he's seen in himself and desperately wanted to change. Most of the rest... Haven't really come to my attention. Earth has a lot of cities. I asked Mr. Atom and he said that they hadn't all died…

Click to shrink...

No doubt the ones who were as tyrannical as Mann/seid suffered the messy ends.

I think that's what he meant anyway. Technically, 'approaching eighty percent' can mean a great many things.

I wonder why Mr. Cobblepot had us brought through the main club, rather than through the staff entrance? To delay us a little, possibly? He's had some wards done but I've stopped taking that sort of thing personally. The cleaning staff aren't currently working… Anywhere I can see. Perhaps they are on shift but he's had them relocate just in case we kick off? That seems out of character, but then comic Mr. Luthor didn't see a contradiction between encouraging the man who cleans his office to call him 'Lex' and having an uppity union representative pushed of a building, so…

Click to shrink...

And minimising collateral damage also reduces the amount of money spent covering injuries or deaths...

The server holds up her right hand to stop us as she knocks once on Mr. Cobblepot's office door, hears a muffled reply and then steps inside. There's a camera in the antechamber so he knew that we were here anyway, but… Theatre. Him making himself feel better about someone who could tear this place out of the bedrock and throw it into the sun being in his space.

Click to shrink...

And you want him being in a good mood for this. Makes him more likely to want to help you.

I take a seat and relax. Selina on the other hand remains standing, glaring suspiciously at a painting on the wall. "I recognize this."

"If you tell me, will I have to take a professional interest?"

Click to shrink...

A former target, I take it? One she couldn't get away with?

"No."

I turn away, looking towards the door. "When Mister Atom does that, it's because he genuinely doesn't understand that he's being evasive."

Click to shrink...

To be fair, he doesn't have the most comprehensive grasp of human subtlety sometimes.

"Technically, there's nothing illegal about running a bereavement house clearance company."

"As long as you're not killing-."

Click to shrink...

If she (or anyone else) had been, Batman wouldn't have played nice. Even taking advantage of recently-dead parties might have been iffy.

"That's hardly necessary. Just… The next of kin might not necessarily know what their dead relative had, or how much it's worth, or that they're the next of kin, or that the person calling them is from a private company and not from the city government."

Ah, yes. "A bit scummy, not actually illegal. About what I expected. Honestly, I think I'd be a little disappointed if he didn't have some sort of scheme to take advantage of the situation." My eyes flick to the camera for a moment. "Though obviously, if anything of sentimental value to an actual living person went walkabouts, I might have concerns."

Click to shrink...

Of course, if said items were to happen to turn up returned to their owners anonymously...

Selina sighs.

"Are you taking it more personally than I am?"

"It's a question of professional pride. Batman stopped me grabbing this painting a few years ago, and he just takes it out in a moving van."

Click to shrink...

Ah, of course. Frustrated jealousy.

"What works, works. If you're feeling the pinch you could ask him for a job."

"Oh hah hah."

Click to shrink...

I mean, he might find some use for a silent-entry expert. Who knows what sort of incriminating things people might keep in a safe or locked desk drawer?

"On the appraisals team I mean. I didn't even realise that it wasn't a print, but you spotted it right away." Hm. "Though I suppose that being on the moving team would be good exercise."

She turns back to me. "Are you implying something?"

Click to shrink...

And I now remember that Brosef DC Fic ('Manpower', over in the NSFW side,) where a now-married Selina was finding her old catwoman suit a little tighter than she used to when she visited the main character/s...

"I don't know what you do day to day, but it would… You know, get you out of the house. And I know that interest on saving is basically zero if your bank is still functioning, and with a lot of currencies getting devalued relative to food and manufactured goods, you might… You know, want paying work, and… I don't think Cadbury's really needs your skill set."

Click to shrink...

I expect actual vigilante work is a bit beneath her, too. So she's not likely to be into running around stopping crimes.

"Thank you for your concern, but I'm doing fine."

"And that's why I'm avoiding scanning your house."

Click to shrink...

To be fair, it wouldn't be as challenging to go a roving right now anyway. The mansions of those who died have already been gone over, and those that remain are probably a bit lighter in valuables...

"I'll have you know, everything in my apartment is legally owned by me."

"And that's legally owned by Mister Cobblepot. And I note that you only refer to what you have in your home." Oh. "Unless the failure of your romantic relationship has led you to want to genuinely and completely reform, and this is you trying to reach out to a superhero for guidance? Because in that case-"

Click to shrink...

Catwoman never really seems to go the heroic route, does she? At least in regular stories. Too much bad girl appeal for her writers.

"As if."

"-I-."

The door opens, the server stepping out and gesturing for us to enter. Mr. Cobblepot-

Click to shrink...

Aw, just when it was getting juicy? I guess Oswald is getting bored of the 'Moonlighting' banter.

"The two of you are like a street soap opera, but I've got work to do."

-glowers at us from behind his desk. I can't see any real hatred for me, so perhaps this will be easier than I thought?

Click to shrink...

You haven't really done anything to earn his ire yet, OL. Your activities rarely collide with his.

Selina walks past me with an assertive and confident gait, while I just walk normally. Obviously I could float in, but I'm here to ask for assistance, so I don't want to put his back up more than it is already.

He glowers at us both for a moment. "Well? What do you want?"

Click to shrink...

...I do hope OL is at least wearing a nice suit, rather than any sort of heroic costumes. Brings the tone of the discussion down a little in Oswald's eyes.

I find myself falling into parade rest, while Selina struts forwards and deposits herself languidly in one of the chairs in front of his desk. "Oswald, that's hardly the way to talk to an old friend."

"Did the Bat send you?"

Click to shrink...

Straight to business, then.

"Not specifically. I require information that I hope you either have or can get more easily than other sources. Naturally, I am happy to pay for that service."

"Heh." It's more a cough than a laugh, but I suppose it's a positive sign. "If only the Bat could be that polite. If only you'd been that polite last time."

Click to shrink...

To be fair, nothing says 'No funny business' than busting in through a window (that's probably designed to minimise wastage) and roughing up a couple of goons (who likely have good medical coverage...)

"Mister Cobblepot, Jervis Tetch appears to have gone on an abduction spree. I can't imagine that he has any financial dealings with you, but a couple of your employees appear to be prime Alice material."

Blond, and probably too young to be working in a club which serves alcohol.

Click to shrink...

Which could get him in deep trouble is someone were to mention that in the right ears. Nicely veiled threat, OL.

"Leaving aside what it might occur to him to make you into. I would very much like your assistance in tracking him down, or at least narrowing down his likely location."

"And what's in it for me?"

Click to shrink...

...Not sure if there as a penguin in either book, but there was a dodo, I believe? And Tetch might consider one flightless bird as good as another.

"I can pay medallions, or… I'd never mock someone for their physical disfigurements, but you don't have anything that it wouldn't be hard for me to fix if you so desired." I raise my right hand, subspace my glove, and then alter my own hand to mirror his. "Mm. Uncomfortable, and awkward to use I imagine."

Click to shrink...

So he does lean a bit more into the physically disfigured aesthetic of the Burton or Timm Penguin than the old silver-age portly gentleman Penguin.

I shift it back, wiggling the fingers at him.

"Well?"

"Payment up front."

Click to shrink...

I imagine he's quite handsome once he gets cleaned up. If still middle-aged, unless OL is feeling especially gracious.

Well, that's one way to get excellent assistance. An offer like that will have Oswald quite eager to pay back that little debt. And his information network should be wide enough to get leads on the Hatter if he's anywhere in the mainland United States general area, I bet. Of course, there's always the chance he's elsewhere...