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

Cool10007 · Jun 3, 2025

I completely forgot how much I love Canis.

TFTwink · Jun 3, 2025

Mr Zoat said:
Come and help me, and… I'll try and do something horrible to your psyche afterwards. If that's what you w-.

He strides past me. "Brut! We ride!"

Paul the God-Whisperer

Bigking321 · Jun 3, 2025

Is that the secret pure evil Tibetan monastery that Prometheus went to and got the key to the void realm or something to that effect?

If so, I can see why he would be drawn there.

Chojin Patriarch · Jun 3, 2025

Mr Zoat said:
19th July 2013
00:53 GMT +8

I float down through the tunnels hewn into the rock, the orange light from my rings the only illumination. Tibet wasn't quite the last place I expected to find Canis, but it was pretty close. The monks were happy enough to direct me down here, though…

Huh, I guess the White Light hit him hard. Given that in theory, it's also the Life Equation (or some part of it) embodied in a form that can interact with the universe, that's unsurprising...

I'm cringing internally at the thought, but they all looked the same to me. And normally I'd wonder if the Chinese were cloning people, but I doubt that they could organise something like that at the moment… Or maybe they escaped in the chaos? But this place is a lot older than six months old. And… It's built on the top of a weirdly-shaped rock spire… Which must have been really difficult with the sort of tools they'd have had if the age estimate my rings are giving me is correct.

It's probably more that there's a certain quality about them that makes them less individual. Wonder if the White Light helped them come a little closer to Nirvana (If they're Buddhist, anyway.)

But they're not hurting anyone up here, so that can be a problem for another day. Canis is in one of the meditation chambers, and they didn't seem to think that me disturbing him would be a problem. Honestly, with the spire being the shape it is, I'd have thought that digging in from the sides would be the easiest way to use it, but it looks like the only entrance is the caves below is from the top.

Well, doing it this way is probably some form of worship in itself. The act of walking all the way up to the top then descending can be a form of meditation.

Crazy monks are going to crazy monk, I guess.

I can just about hear… Muttered chanting coming from a short distance below. I recognise Canis's voice, but there's… Some sort of resonance to it that I don't remember from before. No translation available, apparently, which might mean that it's a New God thing. Down the path I can see a weak light, probably coming from lanterns of the sort the monks carry.

Wonder if he's feeling Canis muttering in Godspeech or something? He's felt something from it before.

"Canis?"

As I reach the chamber leading to the meditation cells Brut pads over to greet me. I note that he's not wearing armour as I raise my right hand for him to sniff. Reassuring that I am who I smell like, he snorts at me before turning around and walking back to one of the cell entrances. He then turns around a couple of times to find a comfortable spot on the stone floor, then lays down.

Bet he feels odd about not being all armoured up. The war hounds are probably trained to wear it nonstop, so any deviation...

"Good dog."

Four lanterns on poles provide a level of illumination for people without power rings. There are some… Wall hangings whose design I don't really recognise. They put me in mind of other designs from the region while still being… Different, but I suppose that naturally a place this remote would develop its own style. There's a fire pit in the middle, but it's currently cold. Are they using..? Coal? Probably easier to get than wood somewhere like this.

Or that style is something more unearthly. Would go hand-in-hand with the monks being 'off' somehow.

I walk towards the cell… The door is made of wooden planks, and the frame looks like it's made of… Copper? Brut is keeping his eyes on me, but he doesn't object as I reach out to knock.

"Canis? I'm sorry to intrude, but I could use your help. Do you have a moment?"

Such a good boy.

"Yes, certainly! Come!"

I push the door, and it.. resists for a moment before swinging open.

Well, at least he's in a mood to take visitors.

Ah. Of course.

Canis has decorated.

There's a raised cuboid of stone in the middle of the chamber, with slots for lantern poles at each of the corners. Around the sides of the room are.. pots containing various types of… Bonsai ivy? Okay. Alternating with those are pots containing decorative stones. And the walls…

How positively tame.

Canis is working on an incredibly intricate painting… The borders of the various scenes look a little like the decoration on pieces of Chinese pottery, but in several colours and.. a little bit spikier. The scenes… I'd guess they're things from Apokoliptian myths? I can see what I think are fire pits in some of them, and one of the towers reminds me of one of the pictures the League took during their brief sojourn there. The rest? No idea, and he's only about a third done.

Ah, there's Canis' distinct aesthetic. I'm guessing the scenes would be horrific and gruesome in anyone else's eyes.

"Impressive."

He doesn't look around, focusing on his brushwork. "No. But it will be. The rocks of this place speak to me."

Interesting. I wonder why?

"Metaphorically or literally?"

"For me there is little difference." "For me there is no difference."

Such is the nature of New God Narrative power.

"I need your help with something. There's a New God device, and I've got no idea what it's for."

"Why not ask my aunt, or her husband?"

"Because they're very busy. There's a lot of Apokoliptian technology to go through, and this wasn't involved in the broadcast. It's not a high priority."

Plus I would not be surprised if they weren't getting called in on other things, such as peacekeeping actions.

"But high enough for me?"

I make a point of looking around. "Yes, I think so. Canis, I realise that your standard of 'alright' is as divergent from human norms as mine is, but are you alright?"

Bet he's been feeling odd after everything that's happened.

"Did they tell you what happened when we encountered the False Darkseid?"

I nod. "He told you that you weren't being tested. That your exile was genuine. And… I suppose that you weren't important enough to put significant effort into killing."

Which would be a mortal blow to his morale, if not for the fact it wasn't the big guy Himself..

"Does Kanto toy with me, do you think?

"He did spare Scott Free once out of admiration for his abilities. Perhaps he's a fan?"

Or you're simply an amusing diversion, with a bit of fun before the kill.

"A curious thing. I once wrote a poem inspired by him passing through a crowd. He left knife wounds that his targets didn't even feel until he had left. It was… Beautiful."

"Well, there you are, then-."

The sound of it gives me a real Assassin's Creed vibe. The 'iconic' sort of scene you see in the trailers for the games.

"Except it wasn't." His expression is bitter as he lowers his brush and turns towards me. "What was that.. white light that you unleashed upon this world?" "With its burning revelation."

"The essence of life."

"There is a Life Equation? I thought that was some foolish-." He closes his eyes for a moment. "And how did you discover it?"

Well, if the Anti-Life equation exists, there must be an opposite 'proof', isn't there?

I shrug. "I have a good relationship with the Controllers. Controller Hinon was involved in the creation of the first power rings."

"Ah." He nods. "Yes. And do you know what it did to me?"

Though the Spectrum as a whole is only a part of the equation, I bet.

"I don't, but… You'd-. You grew up surrounded by Anti-Life. And it removed it. That… Must have been disturbing for you."

"No. No. It was the most natural thing in existence. It was breathing without a choke collar for the first time in my life." He leans towards me, his eye widening manically. "I.. hate it."

Such a fitting analogy, given his alignment with dogs. And now that that weight is gone, he feels at odds with himself, doesn't he?

"Ah."

"My thoughts dwell on the uplifting and unified. When I think on my own memories of Great Darkseid's hymnals, and of the wonder of the dark city, of the joyful screams of the labour slaves… I am filled with disquiet. With… Horror. And not the good kind! Is this how you see it?"

He's lived with that as 'normal' for so long, that feeling that it isn't the rightful nature of the universe is like a shock of ice water to his mind.

"I can't say for certain, but it sounds like it."

"Can you turn it off?"

Well, you could always go looking for something contaminated with Anti-Life to reapply it to yourself.

"Um. I don't think so. And I don't think I'd want to. Have you considered that this is giving you an interesting new perspective to work from?"

"'I' am not working. It is this… False consciousness that moves me now."

...Okay, disassociation is troublesome. That's a bad sign.

"But what if the false state was the previous one?"

"It was still mine!"

Deep. And a lot of people feel that way about their traumas and joys.

"You.. could just go back to Apok-."

"I could not bear Darkseid's gaze as I am now!"

Though he would probably find you fascinating as a science experiment.

"I think that if you give not being evil a try, you'll find that it isn't all that bad."

"This is the problem!"

You liked being the 'bad guy'. The one that your allies looked at with worry behind your back?

"Okay, but… Has being here helped?"

He looks away, shaking his head. "Little."

Then why stay? Or is everything else that much worse to you?

"Then maybe you need to try something else. Come and help me, and… I'll try and do something horrible to your psyche afterwards. If that's what you w-."

He strides past me. "Brut! We ride!"

Ah, giving him something to focus on other than his own misery. Good, good.

I see Canis hasn't been dealing well with his little epiphany granted by the White Light. Perhaps having something to focus on will be good for him, until he can find a new normal. Let's just hope that new normal is one friendly to the people of Earth... Meanwhile, at least OL will be getting some insight into the gubbin he found.

Coltsguy · Jun 3, 2025

Paul: "I'm going to screw up your mind in the worst way."

Canis: "You truly are the best friend a New God could ask for."

AmericanNumbers · Jun 3, 2025

It is funny that this lines up with my idea that Paul is the New God of Uplift and Revolution to Grayven's Conquest and Reform.

Duke Long · Jun 3, 2025

Mr Zoat said:
But they're not hurting anyone up here, so that can be a problem for another day. Canis is in one of the meditation chambers, and they didn't seem to think that me disturbing him would be a problem. Honestly, with the spire being the shape it is, I'd have thought that digging in from the sides would be the easiest way to use it, but it looks like the only entrance is the caves below is from the top.

'to'?

Mr Zoat said:
As I reach the chamber leading to the meditation cells Brut pads over to greet me. I note that he's not wearing armour as I raise my right hand for him to sniff. Reassuring that I am who I smell like, he snorts at me before turning around and walking back to one of the cell entrances. He then turns around a couple of times to find a comfortable spot on the stone floor, then lays down.

'Reassured'?

It hadn't occurred to me that he'd been bothered by the white light. Poor bloke. I shall miss his macabre fascinations. Hopefully Oh El can fix him. I wonder what horrible thing he'll do? An obvious option is getting Melinoë to do something.

Mr Zoat · Jun 3, 2025

Duke Long said:
'to'?
'Reassured'?

Thank you, corrected.

WereDragon · Jun 3, 2025

Mr Zoat said:
"No. No. It was the most natural thing in existence. It was breathing without a choke collar for the first time in my life." He leans towards me, his eye widening manically. "I.. hate it."

"Ah."

"My thoughts dwell on the uplifting and unified. When I think on my own memories of Great Darkseid's hymnals, and of the wonder of the dark city, of the joyful screams of the labour slaves… I am filled with disquiet. With… Horror. And not the good kind! Is this how you see it?"

"They changed it, now it sucks."
"Every change was an outright and unmitigated improvement!"
"They changed it, now it sucks."

"Then maybe you need to try something else. Come and help me, and… I'll try and do something horrible to your psyche afterwards. If that's what you w-."

He does have a proven record of doing horrible things to people's psyches. Mostly by accident but I'm sure he can arrange to do it intentionally with a bit of effort.

BR549 · Jun 3, 2025

WereDragon said:
"They changed it, now it sucks."
"Every change was an outright and unmitigated improvement!"
"They changed it, now it sucks."

For Canis, the White Light was a case of Ruined FOREVER.

Jirachi · Jun 3, 2025

Mr Zoat said:
19th July 2013
00:53 GMT +8

Crazy monks are going to crazy monk, I guess.

I can just about hear… Muttered chanting coming from a short distance below. I recognise Canis's voice, but there's… Some sort of resonance to it that I don't remember from before. No translation available, apparently, which might mean that it's a New God thing. Down the path I can see a weak light, probably coming from lanterns of the sort the monks carry.

I do wonder if this means that Canis has become more complete or he's simply more equipped to hear him now - he's certainly been more then capable of godspeaking from the start, and he doesn't appear to have picked up any more blatant powers that would show up as alterations to his quotation marks.

Canis is working on an incredibly intricate painting… The borders of the various scenes look a little like the decoration on pieces of Chinese pottery, but in several colours and.. a little bit spikier. The scenes… I'd guess they're things from Apokoliptian myths? I can see what I think are fire pits in some of them, and one of the towers reminds me of one of the pictures the League took during their brief sojourn there. The rest? No idea, and he's only about a third done.

"Impressive."

He doesn't look around, focusing on his brushwork. "No. But it will be. The rocks of this place speak to me."

"Metaphorically or literally?"

"For me there is little difference." "For me there is no difference."

At least he's getting his inspiration from here rather then connecting directly to say, the tower of rage - I wouldn't be suprised if something nasty could come of that.
Missed canis's style a good bit, I think.

"Does Kanto toy with me, do you think?

Missing quotation mark.

"No. No. It was the most natural thing in existence. It was breathing without a choke collar for the first time in my life." He leans towards me, his eye widening manically. "I.. hate it."
[...]
"My thoughts dwell on the uplifting and unified. When I think on my own memories of Great Darkseid's hymnals, and of the wonder of the dark city, of the joyful screams of the labour slaves… I am filled with disquiet. With… Horror. And not the good kind! Is this how you see it?"

He's not red, and he was already growing his capacity for... contemptuous horror and dislike for the disquieting - but I suppose that the life equation has rather skipped him ahead. And his nature seems to be flowing just as well as before, if not better. But I suppose from his perspective that's the problem.

CrazyNoVa · Jun 3, 2025

Mr Zoat said:
I don't see why I'd talk about any theoretical 3rd game either.

I'm guessing that you're not a fan of Mass Effect 3, then?

Mr Zoat said:
"This isn't my first rodeo. Or the first time I've been down into the sewers with a superhero who's a few bats short of a belfry."

"It hadn't even occurred to me to ask you if you knew The Question."

Who says she wasn't talking about Bruce? Just saying, Batman does have his…moments.

Mr Zoat said:
Okay, unfocus, and… Perceive the world in terms of patterns of desires, needs, wants, fixations and obsessions. Oooh yes, that's lighting up nicely.

"He's the guy with no face, right?"

Feeling out environment, seeking useful knowledge, reaching for safety without giving information away.

"He has a face-."

"Ah… Tell me when you've finished."

Keep the crazy man where you can see him and stay out of the blast radius.

Not sure what that's about. Returning my focus to the objects I can… See something of Tetch himself. His need for physical reality to be unreal, and for the people in his head to be made manifest. And as I.. turn a fragment over-.

It's… Stronger. Like… He was calm, if not entirely happy, and then almost frenzied in the frantic need to get back what he… Lost. The delusion. The dream.

I've felt that way once or twice myself. The realisation that something you'd desperately like to be true just isn't, the loss of possibility and your ability to believe in it. And that…

Yes, I see it. Fragments of the desire, linking to one another, this one to this to this to this to this… All little parts of a whole which-

"Robin? Yeah, it's Catwoman. What do I do when Orange Lanterns starts… Glowing more than usual." … "About ten feet. Why?"

-make something more and bigger. Fragments to fragment, the delightful delusion on one side and the bitter desperation of denial on the other and the shapes-.

"Ah, hey, Alan? It's Orange Lantern. He's gone a bit… Yeah. Yeah. I'll pass you over."

"Paul, knock it off. You're scaring people. Again."

Wait, scaring people? What exactly did he do? I get that he was trying to perceive the world in orange-vision, but how does that affect others apart from him? Did he create a bunch of orange eyes again, but on a smaller scale to see the entire city? How did it affect people apart from him in a way that would scare them?

Darko · Jun 3, 2025

CrazyNoVa said:
Wait, scaring people? What exactly did he do? I get that he was trying to perceive the world in orange-vision, but how does that affect others apart from him? Did he create a bunch of orange eyes again, but on a smaller scale to see the entire city? How did it affect people apart from him in a way that would scare them?

He's glowing a lot right now and is most likely not paying attention to his surroundings like most people do, so it's safe to assume that something weird is going on with him and that's never a good sign.

Mr Zoat · Jun 3, 2025

Jirachi said:
Missing quotation mark.

No, but I did miss a speech mark.

CrazyNoVa said:
I'm guessing that you're not a fan of Mass Effect 3, then?

What Mass Effect 3?

Who says she wasn't talking about Bruce? Just saying, Batman does have his…moments.

They both knew that she was talking about Batman. He just pretended that she wasn't.

Wait, scaring people? What exactly did he do? I get that he was trying to perceive the world in orange-vision, but how does that affect others apart from him? Did he create a bunch of orange eyes again, but on a smaller scale to see the entire city? How did it affect people apart from him in a way that would scare them?

He was glowly very brightly, partially transubstantiated and probably channelling enough desire that people around him could feel it.

CrazyNoVa · Jun 3, 2025

Mr Zoat said:
He was glowly very brightly, partially transubstantiated and probably channelling enough desire that people around him could feel it.

So, he was basically doing the Malvolio thing where he was unintentionally letting his emotional aura and presence spill over into the material world and subtly affecting people's behaviors around him?

Yes, I know Paul isn't nearly as evolved as Malvolio, but the Orange light tends to influence people far more noticeably than the Green light does.

Mquz · Jun 3, 2025

Coltsguy said:
Paul: "I'm going to screw up your mind in the worst way."

Canis: "You truly are the best friend a New God could ask for."

This seems like it's very on brand for an artist (known for use of psychedelics). I wonder how Kanis would react to Mother of Mercy?

Mr Zoat · Jun 4, 2025

18th July 2013
12:22 GMT -5

Canis stares at the globe in wonder while Brut glares at it as if it might attack at any moment.

"I have no idea what this is or what it was used for." He tentatively reaches out towards it, gingerly touching the surface. "What artful hand has caused this to be?"

On the other side of the orb Selina rolls her eyes while Ted taps buttons on a data pad.

"Do you know what sort of thing it might be?"

"Normally I would take it for a device of subjugation, but that makes no sense here. The Anti-Life broadcasters covered the globe, and hence had greater power."

"Mannheim was pushing into the arcane realms as well. Could this have been part of what he used to do it?"

"It is not impossible. Our technology is a conduit for the fragment of divinity which Dark-."

He cuts himself off, then his head tilts listlessly to the right as his renewed purpose abandons him.

"Lantern, tell me the truth of it. Do our powers as gods come from Darkseid?"

"Um. Maybe. Their ultimate source is The Source, but given the depth of Darkseid's control of Apokolips it's entirely possible that he has some way to restrict or control the process. When did you fully become a New God?"

"On New Genesis, where I would be free of such things."

"Well, ah… I can't say for certain. You'd need to check with someone who understands the process better. But based on the available evidence-."

"It was not his intent that I gain this state."

"Yes."

"And the process… It is the same for the New Gods of New Genesis?"

"I didn't ask them about that when I visited. You… Could visit them yourself, or you could ask your uncle to relay a message."

"Perhaps... No. I should decide what I want to do with the information before I take any action."

I smile. "Perhaps it makes sense to regard yourself as a work in progress?"

His eyes lock onto me, wide and staring. Then they start to drift away, his right hand coming up to jab at me with his right forefinger. Truth

"Ah. Canis?"

Selina snorts. "You went all that way to get him and you broke him before he could tell us anything."

"He was broken a long time ago. I-."

"HAH!" Ted clenches his right fist and punches the air. "I got it!"

Selina and I stare at him, but he's focused on his screen.

"Ted?"

He's nodding to himself, but jerks his head up when he realises that I've spoken. "Huh?"

"What have you found?"

"Okay, so you know what Pangaea was?" I-. "It was a continent comprised of all current landmasses before continental drift broke them apart over millions of years. You can tell that different parts of the world used to be next to each other because of the general shape and the mineral composition of the ground matching."

Selina nods, but without the sarcasm which would suggest that she's humouring someone telling her something which she already knows. And to be fair, if it wasn't for Tom Strong and Neil Adams I might not have heard of it either.

"Now there was a fringe theory -which I got a kick out of- that Pangaea didn't exist, and that mineral matches could be explained by the Earth being smaller and the edges of continental plates being points of expansion." Thank you, Neil Adams. "So you just take out all the seas and it all goes together."

Selina blinks. "Does it work?"

"I mean… Kind of. It doesn't explain where the extra mass comes from, but-." He shakes his head. "That's not the point. The point is that the oceanic parts of this globe are thinner than the rest."

"Yes?"

There's a small frown as he tries to understand that I don't understand. Then his eyes flick to Selina as he realises that she isn't following his reasoning either. "Think about it. Why? When we make globes we don't make the oceanic parts thinner than the rest. I mean, even if we were making a relief globe it would be almost completely smooth. The Earth's about ten thousand Mount Everests thick. If you made a globe twelve inches across that's about a thousandth of an inch. But-" He waves his pad at the globe. "-this thing has a much bigger difference."

"Okay, that's a little odd. I'd have thought that making a sphere would be easier. Canis?"

He looks mildly perplexed. "Are there joint-lines?"

Ted shakes his head. "Not that I can see from Orange Lantern's visual records."

"Then I would guess that the continental parts were built, and then grown to cover the seas."

Ted nods. "Why would..? Whoever made this, do it like that?"

Canis runs his right hand down a… Line indicating a series of Anti-Life broadcasters. "Because that was where his influence was strongest. I do not remember there being any Anti-Life broadcasters under water."

I shake my head. "No, there weren't."

"Then it would be simplest for Mannheim to create something reflecting where his powers were strongest, and then simply direct the material to fill in the rest."

Ted starts looking excited. "It's psychomorphic?"

"No." I shake my head. "Thaumomorphic. These lines aren't decoration or a planning aide. It grew these in response to where they are."

Ted doesn't look less excited. "Paul, when you're done with this, can I use it? Because we've made a whole lot of progress in including flows of magic energy-."

Canis shakes his head. "That will not work. It is fixed in its purpose. You cannot simply reuse it."

"Aw…" Then he perks up. "Can you get more?"

"No."

"Can you make more?"

Canis looks dubious. "If I had a great deal of Apokoliptian equipment which I do not have, yes."

"Darn. In that case-."

"Did you..?" Selina points at the globe. "Learn anything useful about this thing at all?"

"Oh! Right, sorry. I think it's an egg."

I blink. "I beg your pardon?"

He waves his pad at me, playing an image of the globe bursting apart. "That's my best recreation, based on the images you gave me. It wasn't destroyed from the outside, from an impact or… Anything like that. My best guess is that something inside was applying pressure all around, and not just on points of weakness. I think there was something inside there."

"Or..? Someone?"

Ngamer11 · Jun 4, 2025

Mr Zoat said:
Ted doesn't look less excited. "Paul, when you're done with this, can I use it? Because we've made a whole lot of progress is including flows of magic energy-."

That should say 'in'.

Bigking321 · Jun 4, 2025

Hmm...

Well... I have no idea what this is about. If it's a comic event it's one i don't know about.

The character stuff is pretty nice.

chxenocide2 · Jun 4, 2025

So, my first thought is this would be some sort of Life Entity avatar/reflection/spawn given the whole being born from the Earth(globe) and anti-life map.

TFTwink · Jun 4, 2025

Would it be too simple if this was Tetch trapped and accidentally broadcasting his hatred for Justifiers?

Chojin Patriarch · Jun 4, 2025

Mr Zoat said:
18th July 2013
12:22 GMT -5

Canis stares at the globe in wonder while Brut glares at it as if it might attack at any moment.

"I have no idea what this is or what it was used for." He tentatively reaches out towards it, gingerly touching the surface. "What artful hand has caused this to be?"

Well, that's depressing. He was OL's best shot outside of the Frees. Still, he seems interested in what it is, and perhaps that will bring him to try and find out. A better way to find out what he is now than sulking in a temple.

On the other side of the orb Selina rolls her eyes while Ted taps buttons on a data pad.

"Do you know what sort of thing it might be?"

I suppose to Selina, this all seems like tomfoolery and pointless mysticism.

"Normally I would take it for a device of subjugation, but that makes no sense here. The Anti-Life broadcasters covered the globe, and hence had greater power."

"Mannheim was pushing into the arcane realms as well. Could this have been part of what he used to do it?"

A map to the ethereal realms touching Earth? It did have leyline patterns as far as OL could tell.

"It is not impossible. Our technology is a conduit for the fragment of divinity which Dark-."

He cuts himself off, then his head tilts listlessly to the right as his renewed purpose abandons him.

Best not to invoke His name here, even now. Especially with unknown technology waiting.

"Lantern, tell me the truth of it. Do our powers as gods come from Darkseid?"

"Um. Maybe. Their ultimate source is The Source, but given the depth of Darkseid's control of Apokolips it's entirely possible that he has some way to restrict or control the process. When did you fully become a New God?"

I wouldn't put it past Him either. What is a Tyrant, if others can gain power without His oversight?

"On New Genesis, where I would be free of such things."

"Well, ah… I can't say for certain. You'd need to check with someone who understands the process better. But based on the available evidence-."

In other words, whatever he's a New God of, it is his alone. It might have been shaped by his upbringing, but he awoke under his own volition.

"It was not his intent that I gain this state."

"Yes."

After all, if he is a New God of Art, what place would that have on Apokalips? Except maybe as a servant to the New God of Propaganda.

"And the process… It is the same for the New Gods of New Genesis?"

"I didn't ask them about that when I visited. You… Could visit them yourself, or you could ask your uncle to relay a message."

His... Uncle? Not ringing a bell. I'm guessing whoever vouched for him with New Genesis. Himon, maybe? Edit: Ah, right, the Frees...

"Perhaps... No. I should decide what I want to do with the information before I take any action."

I smile. "Perhaps it makes sense to regard yourself as a work in progress?"

His eyes lock onto me, wide and staring. Then they start to drift away, his right hand coming up to jab at me with his right forefinger. Truth

Heh. He likes that idea, I see. And it's fitting. I doubt his godname sprang fully formed from his soul. Of course it's going to shift and change as he matures.

"Ah. Canis?"

Selina snorts. "You went all that way to get him and you broke him before he could tell us anything."

Eh, wouldn't be the first time he's managed that.

"He was broke a long time ago. I-."

"HAH!" Ted clenches his right fist and punches the air. "I got it!"

...Dangit, Ted, they were having a moment.

Selina and I stare at him, but he's focused on his screen.

"Ted?"

And of course he's too focused to realise they heard him speak. Or even realise he said that out loud.

He's nodding to himself, but jerks his head up when he realises that I've spoken. "Huh?"

"What have you found?"

Yes, please do share with the class.

"Okay, so you know what Pangaea was?" I-. "It was a continent comprised of all current landmasses before continental drift broke them apart over millions of years. You can tell that different parts of the world used to be next to each other because of the general shape and the mineral composition of the ground matching."

A reasonable theory fitting the evidence, anyway. Sadly, unless someone can create a time viewer sort of thing, we won't know for sure.

Selina nods, but without the sarcasm which would suggest that she's humouring someone telling her something which she already knows. And to be fair, if it wasn't for Tom Strong and Neil Adams I might not have heard of it either.

Ah, Tom Strong, there's a name I've not heard in a long while. One of Alan Moore's creations for 'America's Best Comics.' For those unaware, think a classical pulp adventurer with all the goofiness that implies, but set in a modern era.

"Now there was a fringe theory -which I got a kick out of- that Pangaea didn't exist, and that mineral matches could be explained by the Earth being smaller and the edges of continental plates being points of expansion." Thank you, Neil Adams. "So you just take out all the seas and it all goes together."

Huh. That's a new one to me.

Selina blinks. "Does it work?"

"I mean… Kind of. It doesn't explain where the extra mass comes from, but-." He shakes his head. "That's not the point. The point is that the oceanic parts of this globe are thinner than the rest."

"Yes?"

'Thinner' as in less wide than the real thing? Interesting.

There's a small frown as he tries to understand that I don't understand. Then his eyes flick to Selina as he realises that she isn't following his reasoning either. "Think about it. Why? When we make globes we don't make the oceanic parts thinner than the rest. I mean, even if we were making a relief globe it would be almost completely smooth. The Earth's about ten thousand Mount Everests thick. If you made a globe twelve inches across that's about a thousandth of an inch. But-" He waves his pad at the globe. "-this thing has a much bigger difference."

True. The surface and atmosphere is like a thin skin over the rest of the Earth. And even the crust is a narrow layer over the flowing lava deeper within.

"Okay, that's a little odd. I'd have thought that making a sphere would be easier. Canis?"

He looks mildly perplexed. "Are there joint-lines?"

Wait, it isn't a globe or slighty-ovoid sphere like the real Earth? Peculiar.

Ted shakes his head. "Not that I can see from Orange Lantern's visual records."

"Then I would guess that the continental parts were built, and then grown to cover the seas."

'Grown'? Like what? This wasn't wholly manufactured, then..

Ted nods. "Why would..? Whoever made this, do it like that?"

Canis runs his right hand down a… Line indicating a series of Anti-Life broadcasters. "Because that was where his influence was strongest. I do not remember there being any Anti-Life broadcasters under water."

Because Atlantis had been magically protected, and would have found them if they'd tried to set them up there.

I shake my head. "No, there weren't."

"Then it would be simplest for Mannheim to create something reflecting where his powers were strongest, and then simply direct the material to fill in the rest."

So the origin points and vertices of the patterns are the placements of the broadcasters, and the rest is... Connection patterns? Area of influence? A very New God way of doing things.

Ted starts looking excited. "It's psychomorphic?"

"No." I shake my head. "Thaumomorphic. These lines aren't decoration or a planning aide. It grew these in response to where they are."

The question is, was it made before the broadcast began, as a planning tool, or after, by someone trying to map out the spread?

Ted doesn't look less excited. "Paul, when you're done with this, can I use it? Because we've made a whole lot of progress is including flows of magic energy-."

Canis shakes his head. "That will not work. It is fixed in its purpose. You cannot simply reuse it."

Ah. So it was discarded after it did it's job, then.

"Aw…" Then he perks up. "Can you get more?"

"No."

That seems the wrong question, Ted.

"Can you make more?"

Canis looks dubious. "If I had a great deal of Apokoliptian equipment which I do not have, yes."

There you are... Though I would not be surprised if New Genesis could also make them, probably with the same amount of equipment.

"Darn. In that case-."

"Did you..?" Selina points at the globe. "Learn anything useful about this thing at all?"

Or has this all been a waste of time they could have been using to find the Hatter?

"Oh! Right, sorry. I think it's an egg."

I blink. "I beg your pardon?"

...What?

He waves his pad at me, playing an image of the globe bursting apart. "That's my best recreation, based on the images you gave me. It wasn't destroyed from the outside, from an impact or… Anything like that. My best guess is that something inside was applying pressure all around, and not just on points of weakness. I think there was something inside there."

"Or..? Someone?"

Could Tetch have done something like Nina Dowd? Been sealed in a device that... Altered him?

I swear, if Tetch is wandering around with a different face or something after a New God-technology-induced transformation... That would actually be fascinating. Would he have powers now, some kind of mind-control power or the like? Or be transformed into an even more aesthetically accurate match for the Mad Hatter of Alice fame? I wonder...

Mr Zoat · Jun 4, 2025

Ngamer11 said:
That should say 'in'.

Thank you, corrected.

Chojin Patriarch said:
His... Uncle? Not ringing a bell. I'm guessing whoever vouched for him with New Genesis. Himon, maybe?

He calls Barda his aunt, as she and his mother were both Furies. Thus, Scott Free is his uncle.

Duke Long · Jun 4, 2025

Mr Zoat said:
"He was broke a long time ago. I-."

'broken'?
or
Extraneous 'was'?

Neruz · Jun 4, 2025

Given that the Life Entity is growing inside the Earth like a bird in an egg, it does seem likely that this Earth-shaped egg has something to do with it.

Darko · Jun 4, 2025

Mr Zoat said:
forefinger. Truth

Maybe add a . after "Truth".

Mr Zoat said:
He was broke a long

"broken"

Mr Zoat · Jun 4, 2025

Duke Long said:
'broken'?

Thank you, corrected.

Darko said:
Maybe add a . after "Truth".

I think that's fine.

CrazyNoVa · Jun 4, 2025

Mr Zoat said:
"Okay, so you know what Pangaea was?" I-. "It was a continent comprised of all current landmasses before continental drift broke them apart over millions of years. You can tell that different parts of the world used to be next to each other because of the general shape and the mineral composition of the ground matching."

Selina nods, but without the sarcasm which would suggest that she's humouring someone telling her something which she already knows. And to be fair, if it wasn't for Tom Strong and Neil Adams I might not have heard of it either.

"Now there was a fringe theory -which I got a kick out of- that Pangaea didn't exist, and that mineral matches could be explained by the Earth being smaller and the edges of continental plates being points of expansion." Thank you, Neil Adams. "So you just take out all the seas and it all goes together."

Selina blinks. "Does it work?"

"I mean… Kind of. It doesn't explain where the extra mass comes from, but-." He shakes his head. "That's not the point. The point is that the oceanic parts of this globe are thinner than the rest."

"Yes?"

Wait a second…are referencing Batman: Odyssey?

OH MY GOD, IT ALL MAKES SENSE NOW! No wonder Bruce has been acting batshit crazy! He's been replaced by the one version of himself that can give Frank Miller Batman a run for his money in the lunacy department: NEAL ADAMS BATMAN!

Stsword · Jun 4, 2025

CrazyNoVa said:
Wait a second…are referencing Batman: Odyssey?

OH MY GOD, IT ALL MAKES SENSE NOW! No wonder Bruce has been acting batshit crazy! He's been replaced by the one version of himself that can give Frank Miller Batman a run for his money in the lunacy department: NEAL ADAMS BATMAN!

Well then I look forward to Robin having an explosive costume and the inclusion of Bat-Man the Neanderthal and his sidekick Primus the Saurian wonder.

CrazyNoVa · Jun 4, 2025

Stsword said:
Well then I look forward to Robin having an explosive costume and the inclusion of Bat-Man the Neanderthal and his sidekick Primus the Saurian wonder.

Imagine Paul trying to explain all this insanity to the rest of The Team.

Kid Flash: "Dude, you're just screwing with us, right?"

Paul: "No, I swear I'm not kidding! The center of Earth is actually hollow, and there's all these dinosaur-riding neanderthals that live in it! They even have a neanderthal Batman and a saurian Robin!"

Robin: "...A Neanderthal Batman and a Robin who's part Dinosaur?"

Paul: "Yes, really! Granted, their Batman looks strangely like The Huntress for some reason, but there's more of them who live at the center of Earth with the Egyptian gods..."

Osiris: "I'm sorry, with WHO?!"

Paul: "...Except not really, because it turns out that they were aliens all along!"

Artemis: "...Yup, definitely screwing with us."

Paul: "Oh right, that reminds me! Kon, have you ever felt the urge to interview Robin when he's half-naked?"

Robin: "When I'm WHAT?!"

Miss Martian: *Blushes and gets a nosebleed at the steamy homoerotic subtext*

Superboy: "Um...No?"

Paul: "Good. If you ever feel the urge, take my advice: just don't do it. By the way, Richard, always remember what Batman taught you about trains, guns, bomb threats, and getting exploded out of a hostage situation, okay?"

*Everyone slowly turns their heads to stare at Robin with various levels of incredulity*

Robin: "WHAT ARE YOU ALL STARING AT ME FOR?"

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

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