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

Mr Zoat · Jul 28, 2019

6th February
11:43 GMT

"Megatron."

"Megatron."

Best Starscream voice. "That's all I ever hear! After today no one will need to use that name again!"

Guy squints. "Huh?"

"When I was little, I had a cassette with a Transformers story on it. At one point Starscream throws a classic hissy fit and shouts 'Megatron! Megatron! That's all I ever hear…"

Guy leans back, shrugging. "I didn't really watch th' show."

"So… Do you actually know who Megatron is?"

From the pilot's seat, Xor grunts. "No."

Guy looks mildly offended. "Sure I know who Megatron is, but that's 'cause of… Cultural osmosis, or whatever. How tha Hell is Megatron your inspiration?"

"As well as that cassette, I had a tape with two episodes of the animated series on it. The first one was set after the film, with Starscream's ghost collecting city transformer eyes for Unicron-"

Guy shrugs and shakes his head. Damn casual.

"-the planet eater… Never mind. The second episode has the Decepticons build a machine which lets them share their special abilities with Megatron. He then challenges Optimus Prime to a fight and kicks his arse. And it might sound silly now, but when I was little that was a big shock. The hero of the story flat out losing because the villain was better prepared."

At the pilot's station, Xor's ring starts glowing. Why-? Ah, he's asking it to explain Transformers to him. Good luck with that.

"So you grab all the powers you can, because that way you can beat up Optimus Prime."

I lean back in my chair. "I was at an impressionable age. It made a big impact. Oh, and the other part of the story had the Constructicons digging into the Autobots' fortified mountain base while they were all out watching the fight, so the whole thing is double relevant to me."

Guy thinks about that for a moment. "Kinda… Kinda think I took the hard road as far as childhood motives goes."

"I…" Urghhh… "I can't.. joke about that."

Guy turns to look straight in front of us, at the main view screen. "Sure you can. I've got the piss-tasting beer to remind me he's gone, haven't I?"

"Fine: I got productive kleptomania out of my childhood trauma and all you got was a lousy haircut."

"See? Not so hard." He shifts in his seat. "'course, if I'd had VHS tapes I liked watchin', pa woulda smashed them up." He shrugs. "Maybe burned them while I watched."

"A…" … "A…"

Guy turns his eyes my way and the git starts smiling.

Xor looks around. "Giant robots? You are talking about giant robots?"

Guy holds up his right hand and generates a passable Generation 1 Megatron construct.

"No. Made up giant robots. If they'd been real giant robots this would be a sensible thing ta talk about."

Xor stares blankly at me. "You are motivated by your desire to beat a fictional giant robot you remember from your childhood?"

"No, it's the principle. A comedically evil character wins because he's studied his enemy and built up his own power. In the core of my nature is an abhorrence of that."

"Evil don't get to win when Orange is around."

"I-."

"Which makes me kinda curious about what happened yesterday."

"I thought my report was fairly thorough. I don't really like what happened, but it was the best I could come up with in the time I was prepared to spend there."

He dismisses his construct. "Givin' Megatron a do-over?"

"There was a story where Shockwave managed to unify Cybertron under his leadership after millions of years of war by creating and controlling a reliable fuel supply. Look, you've seen enough of the really evil civilisations which exist in the universe to know that a criminal network on Earth isn't actually that bad in the general scheme of things. Heck, I made a deal with the Spider Guild last year. They eat people."

He jerks his head in my direction. "They still eatin' people?"

"They didn't specifically promise to stop…" … "I'll visit Vega once we're finished here."

Guy frowns at me. "Yeah, you do that. And how come we've got another Star Sapphire?"

"Guy, now that you're in a long term relationship with Tora, are you happier or less happy than you were before?"

"Hal was happier when he was with our Carol. Love's… Great. That ain't the point. Our Carol was a rookie. You gave a crystal we know makes people crazy to a goddamn vet."

"A veteran who's used the violet light without going crazy for years, yes. That's like comparing me to Larfleeze." I lean towards him. "Look, the way I see it, it was only a matter of time before the Zamarons make a nuisance of themselves. But Maltusian society prizes the ability to exert influence. If she flies up to them with a template for, A, letting mortals use the violet light without going crazy and, B, making a Corps of their own, I strongly suspect that they'll go for it."

"And if they don't?"

"Then they've got-"

"We are arriving."

"-one extra Lantern."

Normal space reappears, an unimportant system outside the nominal borders of Alignment space. And in the distance I feel our contact, Lantern Canar.

Guy pulls himself out of his chair.

"Alright then. Let the shit storm commence."

Buggy123 · Jul 28, 2019

Mr Zoat said:
6th February
11:43 GMT

"Megatron."

"Megatron."

Best Starscream voice. "That's all I ever hear! After today no one will need to use that name again!""

Guy squints. "Huh?"

"When I was little, I had a cassette with a Transformers story on it. At one point Starscream throws a classic hissy fit and shouts 'Megatron! Megatron! That's all I ever hear…"

Guy leans back, shrugging. "I didn't really watch tha show."

"So… Do you actually know who Megatron is?"

From the pilot's seat, Xor grunts. "No."

Guy looks mildly offended. "Sure I know who Megatron is, but that's 'cause of… Cultural osmosis, or whatever. How tha Hell is Megatron your inspiration?"

"As well as that cassette, I had a tape with two episodes of the animated series on it. The first one was set after the film, with Starscream's ghost collecting city transformer eyes for Unicron-"

Guy shrugs and shakes his head. Damn casual.

"-the planet eater… Never mind. The second episode has the Decepticons build a machine which lets them share their special abilities with Megatron. He then challenges Optimus Prime to a fight and kicks his arse. And it might sound silly now, but when I was little that was a big shock. The hero of the story flat out losing because the villain was better prepared."

At the pilot's station, Xor's ring starts glowing. Why-? Ah, he's asking it to explain transformers to him. Good luck with that.

"So you grab all the powers you can, because that way you can beat up Optimus Prime."

I lean back in my chair. "I was at an impressionable age. It made a big impact. Oh, and the other part of the story had the Constructicons digging into the Autobot's fortified mountain base while they were all out watching the fight, so the whole thing is double relevant to me."

Guy thinks about that for a moment. "Kinda… Kinda think I took the hard road as far as childhood motives goes."

"I…" Urghhh… "I can't.. joke about that."

Guy turns to look straight in front of us, at the main view screen. "Sure you can. I've got the piss-tasting beer to remind me he's gone, haven't I?"

"Fine: I got productive kleptomania out of my childhood trauma and all you got was a lousy haircut."

"See? Not so hard." He shifts in his seat. "'course, if I'd had VHS tapes I liked watchin', pa woulda smashed them up." He shrugs. "Maybe burned them while I watched."

"A…" … "A…"

Guy turns his eyes my way and the git starts smiling.

Xor looks around. "Giant robots? You are talking about giant robots?"

Guy holds up his right hand and generates a passable Generation 1 Megatron construct.

"No. Made up giant robots. If they'd been real giant robots this would be a sensible thing ta talk about."

Xor stares blankly at me. "You are motivated by your desire to beat a fictional giant robot you remember from your childhood?"

"No, it's the principle. A comedically evil character wins because he's studied his enemy and built up his own power. In the core of my nature is an abhorrence of that."

"Evil don't get to win when Orange is around."

"I-."

"Which makes me kinda curious about what happened yesterday."

"I thought my report was fairly thorough. I don't really like what happened, but it was the best I could come up with in the time I was prepared to spend there."

He dismisses his construct. "Givin' Megatron a do-over?"

"There was a story where Shockwave managed to unify Cybertron under his leadership after millions of years of war by creating and controlling a reliable fuel supply. Look, you've seen enough of the really evil civilisations which exist in the universe to know that a criminal network on Earth isn't actually that bad in the general scheme of things. Heck, I made a deal with the Spider Guild last year. They eat people."

He jerks his head in my direction. "They still eatin' people?"

"They didn't specifically promise to stop…" … "I'll visit Vega once we're finished here."

Guy frowns at me. "Yeah, you do that. And how come we've got another Star Sapphire?"

"Guy, now that you're in a long term relationship with Tora, are you happier or less happy than you were before?"

"Hal was happier when he was with our Carol. Love's… Great. That ain't the point. Our Carol was a rookie. You gave a crystal we know makes people crazy to a goddamn vet."

"A veteran who's used the violet light without going crazy for years, yes. That's like comparing me to Larfleeze." I lean towards him. "Look, the way I see it, it was only a matter of time before the Zamarons make a nuisance of themselves. But Maltusian society prizes the ability to exert influence. If she flies up to them with a template for, a, letting mortals use the violet light without going crazy and, b, making a Corps of their own, I strongly suspect that they'll go for it."

"And if they don't?"

"Then they've got-"

"We are arriving."

"-one extra Lantern."

Normal space reappears, an unimportant system outside the nominal borders of Alignment space. And in the distance I feel our contact, Lantern Canar.

Guy pulls himself out of his chair.

"Alright then. Let the shit storm commence."

Huh, that's pretty interesting. Up until now I had the impression that Paul spent his childhood reading/watching every bit of DC media ever made.

FreeGod · Jul 28, 2019

Buggy123 said:
Huh, that's pretty interesting. Up until now I had the impression that Paul spent his childhood reading/watching every bit of DC media ever made.

That is just what comes up. Bet he is glad that he can use his ring to enhance memory.

hance1986 · Jul 28, 2019

Mr Zoat said:
At the pilot's station, Xor's ring starts glowing. Why-? Ah, he's asking it to explain transformers to him. Good luck with that.

should be ' Transformers '

Ganurath · Jul 28, 2019

Buggy123 said:
Huh, that's pretty interesting. Up until now I had the impression that Paul spent his childhood reading/watching every bit of DC media ever made.

That still leaves time for stuff like Transformers, or Babylon 5.

Handlewithcare · Jul 28, 2019

Wait, Carol-16 is planning to stay? Permanently?

Also, I really like the Megatron backstory.

Vaermina · Jul 28, 2019

Mr Zoat said:
"A veteran who's used the violet light without going crazy for years, yes. That's like comparing me to Larfleeze." I lean towards him. "Look, the way I see it, it was only a matter of time before the Zamarons make a nuisance of themselves. But Maltusian society prizes the ability to exert influence. If she flies up to them with a template for, a, letting mortals use the violet light without going crazy and, b, making a Corps of their own, I strongly suspect that they'll go for it."

"And if they don't?"

"Then they've got-"

"We are arriving."

"-one extra Lantern."

Given Paul never actually confirmed that the Zamarons in his universe have Power Rings of their own it feels like there's a rather large oversight here.

Mr Zoat · Jul 28, 2019

Buggy123 said:
Huh, that's pretty interesting. Up until now I had the impression that Paul spent his childhood reading/watching every bit of DC media ever made.

Actually, no. My interest in DC is a more recent thing.

hance1986 said:
should be ' Transformers '

Thank you, corrected.

Chojin Patriarch · Jul 28, 2019

Mr Zoat said:
Best Starscream voice. "That's all I ever hear! After today no one will need to use that name again!""

I can hear the screech of Chris Latta's vocoder-tweaked tone. Lovely.

"When I was little, I had a cassette with a Transformers story on it. At one point Starscream throws a classic hissy fit and shouts 'Megatron! Megatron! That's all I ever hear…"

Suprised Guy didn't comment on the fact you had a cassette. Or did he assume you meant a CD, or an older kid's hand-me-downs?

Guy looks mildly offended. "Sure I know who Megatron is, but that's 'cause of… Cultural osmosis, or whatever. How tha Hell is Megatron your inspiration?"

I admit, there's not an obvious link.

Guy shrugs and shakes his head. Damn casual.

It makes sense in context!

At the pilot's station, Xor's ring starts glowing. Why-? Ah, he's asking it to explain transformers to him. Good luck with that.

Especially if it dumps the entire franchise, g1, Beast-era, Japan-g1 and Beast, Unicron trilogy, movie and comic books all at once.

I lean back in my chair. "I was at an impressionable age. It made a big impact. Oh, and the other part of the story had the Constructicons digging into the Autobot's fortified mountain base while they were all out watching the fight, so the whole thing is double relevant to me."

The moral: Stab them in the back when they're looking the other way.

Guy thinks about that for a moment. "Kinda… Kinda think I took the hard road as far as childhood motives goes."

Poor form, Guy. Dropping the traumatic childhood card is a bro-chat foul!.

Guy turns his eyes my way and the git starts smiling.

Ugh, git indeed.

Xor looks around. "Giant robots? You are talking about giant robots?"

Heh, thankfully, they're only canon to Marvel universes, not DC.

Guy holds up his right hand and generates a passable Generation 1 Megatron construct.

Toy or Cartoon... No wait, he wouldn't have a clue about the toy, would he?

"No, it's the principle. A comedically evil character wins because he's studied his enemy and built up his own power. In the core of my nature is an abhorrence of that."

Uh, what?

"Which makes me kinda curious about what happened yesterday."

He actually read the report. Wow.

"They didn't specifically promise to stop…" … "I'll visit Vega once we're finished here."

One more thing for the to-do list.

"A veteran who's used the violet light without going crazy for years, yes. That's like comparing me to Larfleeze." I lean towards him. "Look, the way I see it, it was only a matter of time before the Zamarons make a nuisance of themselves. But Maltusian society prizes the ability to exert influence. If she flies up to them with a template for, a, letting mortals use the violet light without going crazy and, b, making a Corps of their own, I strongly suspect that they'll go for it."

Social engineering, OL-style.

Amusing discussion aside, this has some nice callbacks for OL. I mean, has he been bothering to keep an eye on Vega at all?

Stsword · Jul 28, 2019

Now I really want the crossover to happen.

Yes, that's Optimus Prime as a Green Lantern, and I understand that Invisible Plane was going to be a transformer.

Gazing Eye · Jul 28, 2019

its always interesting to hear about how people interpreted stories when they were young...

although its always a bit confusing to hear children be so against the bad guys winning since I became enamoured by the creativity of cartoon villains like Megatron and came to believe that their people would be objectively better off with the villains in charge since their people were always the ones coming up with new powerful tech while the heroes stood around goofing of and getting into drama

Pinklestia · Jul 28, 2019

I remember that episode, what I had got from it is that Megatron won by cheating.

Now if I had to mention a Transformers G1 episode that influenced me... it was the "Turn the human kid character into Transformer Frankenstein".

That and the "Back To The Future" triilogy might be while I wanted to be a Mad scientist when I grew up.

Other kids wanted to be Astronauts, I wanted to be the one building and inventing the spaceships.

Of course, reality is a hard mistress.

And I suck at math.

Anyway back to the story, will we ever get to see the Paul who decided to be female to fit better in the gender reversed universe DC?

Doc Sithicus · Jul 28, 2019

Mr Zoat said:
"Alright then. Let the shit storm commence."

And this goes into my useful quotes file.

chxenocide · Jul 28, 2019

Stsword said:
Now I really want the crossover to happen.

Yes, that's Optimus Prime as a Green Lantern, and I understand that Invisible Plane was going to be a transformer.

Well yeah, she's right above Wonder Woman's head.

Queshire · Jul 28, 2019

chxenocide said:
Well yeah, she's right above Wonder Woman's head.

Where?

Mr Zoat · Jul 28, 2019

Chojin Patriarch said:
"When I was little, I had a cassette with a Transformers story on it. At one point Starscream throws a classic hissy fit and shouts 'Megatron! Megatron! That's all I ever hear…"
Suprised Guy didn't comment on the fact you had a cassette. Or did he assume you meant a CD, or an older kid's hand-me-downs?

Oh, he noted it.

Ganurath · Jul 28, 2019

Chojin Patriarch said:
At the pilot's station, Xor's ring starts glowing. Why-? Ah, he's asking it to explain transformers to him. Good luck with that.
Especially if it dumps the entire franchise, g1, Beast-era, Japan-g1 and Beast, Unicron trilogy, movie and comic books all at once.

Data burst in two, one, zero. Data burst complete.

Stsword said:
Yes, that's Optimus Prime as a Green Lantern, and I understand that Invisible Plane was going to be a transformer.

Along with the Batplane, from the look of it.

As for myself... I think that the first piece of media to really impact me was the Magic: The Gathering novel for the Mercadian Masques set. The main character and main villain had gotten into a sword duel with one another, and the former reflected on a childhood lesson, that "every strength has a shadow of a weakness." He assessed his own abilities, and those of his opponent, and formulated a strategy that encouraged the villain to pursue the main character's played up weakness with sufficient abandon to earnest expose his own, allowing the main character to strike the decisive blow. The practical advantages of taking the time to analyze those around me encouraged me to develop the skills that would later help me mitigate the issues brought on by my being on the autistic spectrum.

Buggy123 · Jul 28, 2019

Vaermina said:
Given Paul never actually confirmed that the Zamarons in his universe have Power Rings of their own it feels like there's a rather large oversight here.

It's perfectly possible that he has access to a database that includes them, seeing as he's working with the Controllers and pilfered a portion of the GLC's database.

Beyond that, it's a fairly straightforward conclusion; Maltusians who are aligned with a particular spectrum will usually make a lantern corps if they can:

The Controllers would have make a Orange Corps if they hadn't lost the primary fountain of avarice for the entire universe... to a insane demigod of greed. After one of their members took a gamble that left them in a coma for several billion years, they recovered it and proceeded with that plan, hesitating only because OL wouldn't let them control the Corps quite as much as they wanted.

The Guardians snatched up the most stable color first, and the Green Corps have been going strong ever since.

The ethereal Indigo Corps is... out there, certainly. OL saw one of them, and was promptly tricked by it before it teleported away. Whether or not there's a actual Maltusian at the head remains to be seen, but since glow-tech is kinda their thing it seems perfectly reasonable. And they do have rings; the staff is essentially just their lantern.

None of the other colors have really been seen, probably for one reason or another, but it's a pretty constant theme that whenever a Maltusian aligns themselves with a particular portion of the spectrum, they use it, create rings from it, and then create a corps to spread their will/desires/compassion, etc, onto the universe.

So, I'd say that it's quite a safe assumption that the Zamarons, being Violet aligned Maltusians, would do exactly the same thing if they could. But there's never been any evidence that they have rings or a Corps, so the natural conclusion is that they just don't have the tech.

Slayer Anderson · Jul 28, 2019

Mr Zoat said:
"So you grab all the powers you can, because that way you can beat up Optimus Prime."

I lean back in my chair. "I was at an impressionable age. It made a big impact. Oh, and the other part of the story had the Constructicons digging into the Autobot's fortified mountain base while they were all out watching the fight, so the whole thing is double relevant to me."

...yeah, this makes way too much sense.

Someguy Somewhere · Jul 28, 2019

Stsword said:
Yes, that's Optimus Prime as a Green Lantern, and I understand that Invisible Plane was going to be a transformer.

Got to admit I saw the same episodes as a tyke. One of the odd things that stuck with a lot of Transformers fans was just how much character they gave to every 'bot and 'con. A lot of personalities were thrown at the wall, and they stuck. I'm not going to kid myself or others that might have nostalgia goggles for the show, it was by editorial mandate made to be a full length commercial for the toys. But the writers figured if they were being forced to introduce new characters left and right, they'd actually MAKE them characters that would stand out. And they did a great job of it, and the voice actors did amazing work bringing those crazy killer robots to life.

When the animated movie was written, it was written with the intention of killing off many of those same characters, with the sole intent to get kids to buy all new toys. They even had them slip in a swear ( the famous "Oh Shit! What do we do now?" from Spike) for the purpose of upping the rating of the film. This was done to make sure that the parents had to watch the film so they knew what to buy. I know that now, but back then?

That film was a HUGE part of my childhood. The animation, the music, the fight scenes, all of it was top notch. A Swan song for the characters we grew up with.

When season 3 came around, and they'd switched animation studio's....and the writing went to strange places (Ghost robots, Zombie Optimus, some space monkey thing retcon'ed into building Unicron). It was mood whiplash as a kid. Still interesting, but it lost that Spark (pun intended)

Took until Beast Wars (Beasties up north, evidently War isn't a word they like to have on tv for kids) for the universe to feel right again.

Lord Ernest · Jul 28, 2019

Nice that the Illustres is going to pay attention to Vega again, it feels awkward that he left so many bad shit running rampant there. Primary the Psions, but also the Gordanians, The Branx and the widespread culture of slavery that exists in the region.

Not that I think he should dedicate all his time to that, and I think the intent was to let Koriand'r and Komand'r take care of most of it, but he should at least supervise a bit since he decided to take responsibility for the region and take care of the worst offenders. Again, the Psions, those shits have to go almost as much as The Citadel and he just left them there because they retreated to their home planet. When the enemy is a race of super mad scientists with known capabilities to create Anti-Lantern weaponry you really shouldn't give them the time to think about the situation and/or just let two rookie Lanterns to handle the possible 'fan-hitting shit' moment; that sounds a bit like asking to lose those rookie Lanterns.

Dakkan Sall · Jul 28, 2019

Mr Zoat said:
If she flies up to them with a template for, a, letting mortals use the violet light without going crazy and, b, making a Corps of their own, I strongly suspect that they'll go for it.

This is more an aesthetics thing probably, but I would have thought that when since they're being used as vocalized bullet points, the "a" and "b" would have at least been capitalized if not followed by something like a colon/semicolon instead of just a comma.

Mr Zoat · Jul 28, 2019

Dakkan Sall said:
This is more an aesthetics thing probably, but I would have thought that when since they're being used as vocalized bullet points, the "a" and "b" would have at least been capitalized if not followed by something like a colon/semicolon instead of just a comma.

I'll modify it.

Sendral · Jul 28, 2019

Chojin Patriarch said:
"No, it's the principle. A comedically evil character wins because he's studied his enemy and built up his own power. In the core of my nature is an abhorrence of that."
Uh, what?

For clarity, I believe what Paul here finds abhorrent is the idea that evil (and cartoonish evil at that) could triumph when it's better prepared, better equipped, and has a better strategy. Many children grow up with a general notion that good triumphs over evil in the end; most of our media reflects that, doubly so for material aimed at children. If one holds the central ideal that good should triumph, then knowing that evil can win through those means makes allowing that to happen verboten.

In a world where Evil wins when Good does nothing, if Good is to win then Good is obliged to act. In a world where Evil wins when Good is under-prepared, Good is similarly obliged to prepare.

Bramble Thorn · Jul 28, 2019

Vaermina said:
Given Paul never actually confirmed that the Zamarons in his universe have Power Rings of their own it feels like there's a rather large oversight here.

No, he should know that both by implication (the crystal Carol has came from them originally, as opposed to a ring, the Zamoran representative during the Anti-Monitor not having one), and had had that confirmed off screen, because he asked Himon to smooth things out with them, and that is something she should have found out (if she didn't know already). Instead she complained about them regressing, making half Zamorans and doing nothing useful.

Chojin Patriarch said:
Social engineering, OL-style.

He should get in touch with Himon so she knows about that, so she know she makes damn sure the Zamorans know who to thank for this / who they owe favors to. I mean he went there once before with the intent of helping advance their emotional light tech level, so they could begin to advance their ideology and agenda in a more safe manner, and they fired on him without warning from orbit, and never reached out after the Controllers clarified to them that no, it was not Larfleeze or a construct lantern they shot at.

Basically, they turned down an offer of help with developing their own rings with the help of an Orange Lantern and the opportunity to study extant Orange Lantern and Rings. And that was to much effort for them.

And OL was like, OK. Apparently not all Malthusians are created equal. Maybe you are just the Special Education Malthusians that ride the short bus, and need to spoon feed to take your medicine. Let me call in a favor and use my Phone A Friend power to send over a Violet Lantern and Violet Lantern from the negative universe where you aren't such useless twits. YOU'RE WELCOME.

Stsword said:
Yes, that's Optimus Prime as a Green Lantern

But Optimus Prime fits Hope so much better...

Vaermina · Jul 28, 2019

Buggy123 said:
It's perfectly possible that he has access to a database that includes them, seeing as he's working with the Controllers and pilfered a portion of the GLC's database.

Beyond that, it's a fairly straightforward conclusion; Maltusians who are aligned with a particular spectrum will usually make a lantern corps if they can:

The Controllers would have make a Orange Corps if they hadn't lost the primary fountain of avarice for the entire universe... to a insane demigod of greed. After one of their members took a gamble that left them in a coma for several billion years, they recovered it and proceeded with that plan, hesitating only because OL wouldn't let them control the Corps quite as much as they wanted.

The Guardians snatched up the most stable color first, and the Green Corps have been going strong ever since.

The ethereal Indigo Corps is... out there, certainly. OL saw one of them, and was promptly tricked by it before it teleported away. Whether or not there's a actual Maltusian at the head remains to be seen, but since glow-tech is kinda their thing it seems perfectly reasonable. And they do have rings; the staff is essentially just their lantern.

None of the other colors have really been seen, probably for one reason or another, but it's a pretty constant theme that whenever a Maltusian aligns themselves with a particular portion of the spectrum, they use it, create rings from it, and then create a corps to spread their will/desires/compassion, etc, onto the universe.

So, I'd say that it's quite a safe assumption that the Zamarons, being Violet aligned Maltusians, would do exactly the same thing if they could. But there's never been any evidence that they have rings or a Corps, so the natural conclusion is that they just don't have the tech.

A natural conclusion that Paul apparently never reached given he never even considered that sending her to them might result in them getting the Lantern tech that they didn't previously possess.

Mquz · Jul 28, 2019

Mr Zoat said:
Oh, he noted it.

Not that suspicious : since most cars come, or at least came with casette players, I was listening to cassettes as a kid in the early 2000s. Including one my parents bought brand new with Spanish speaking lessons in like 2003. You could still find them all the way up until everything went digital. CDs were more common, though cassettes were harder to ruin by force, so I remember a lot of box sets of audiobooks coming with both versions. Could have also been a hand-me-down.

Ngamer11 · Jul 28, 2019

Mr Zoat said:
Oh, he noted it.

He's going to figure out Paul's age isn't he?

Lord Ernest said:
Not that I think he should dedicate all his time to that, and I think the intent was to let Koriand'r and Komand'r take care of most of it, but he should at least supervise a bit since he decided to take responsibility for the region and take care of the worst offenders. Again, the Psions, those shits have to go almost as much as The Citadel and he just left them there because they retreated to their home planet. When the enemy is a race of super mad scientists with known capabilities to create Anti-Lantern weaponry you really shouldn't give them the time to think about the situation and/or just let two rookie Lanterns to handle the possible 'fan-hitting shit' moment; that sounds a bit like asking to lose those rookie Lanterns.

Unlike Grayven, he left them alive. I fully expect this to escalate until Paul figures out a way to permanently neutralize them.

Bramble Thorn said:
He should get in touch with Himon so she knows about that, so she know she makes damn sure the Zamorans know who to thank for this / who that owe favors to. I mean he went there once before with the intent of helping advance their emotional light tech level, so they could begin to advance their ideology and agenda in a more safe manner, and they fired on him without warning from orbit, and never reached out after the Controllers clarified to them that no, it was not Larfleeze or a construct lantern that shot at.

Basically, they turned down an offer of help with developing their own rings with the help of an Orange Lantern and the opportunity to study extant Orange Lantern and Rings. And that was to much effort for them.

And OL was like, OK. Apparently not all Malthusians are created equal. Maybe you are just the Special Education Malthusians that ride the short bus, and need to spoon feed to take your medicine. Let me call in a favor and use my Phone A Friend power to send over a Violet Lantern and Violet Lantern from the negative universe where you aren't such useless twits. YOU'RE WELCOME.

They'll probably try to deny it until the truth is right in their faces. Malthusians don't generally like admitting to being wrong, especially if the one who proved it is a non-Malthusian.

Buggy123 · Jul 28, 2019

Vaermina said:
A natural conclusion that Paul apparently never reached given he never even considered that sending her to them might result in them getting the Lantern tech that they didn't previously possess.

Yes, he did actually. That's the "template";

Mr Zoat said:
"A veteran who's used the violet light without going crazy for years, yes. That's like comparing me to Larfleeze." I lean towards him. "Look, the way I see it, it was only a matter of time before the Zamarons make a nuisance of themselves. But Maltusian society prizes the ability to exert influence. If she flies up to them with a template for, A, letting mortals use the violet light without going crazy and, B, making a Corps of their own, I strongly suspect that they'll go for it."

Template here most likely means a template for a ring. It seems less likely that he means "a template for mental stability under the influence of Violet light", because by that veteran Violet Lantern's word, violet power rings are much less mentally influencing and the training that allows her to resist the Star Sapphire is largely redundant. The Zamarons could either take the training, and be able to use their inferior tech to start a Corps... or, quietly steal the tech and replicate it, and then start their own, better, Corps. Or do both, for good measure.

Bramble Thorn · Jul 28, 2019

Vaermina said:
A natural conclusion that Paul apparently never reached given he never even considered that sending her to them might result in them getting the Lantern tech that they didn't previously possess.

Wow. There is obliviousness. And then there is this.

Have you not been reading the story at all, including the most recent installment? How are you even able to comment while being this ignorant? He sent her over specifically in hopes of giving them lantern tech and switching their outreach efforts over to a Lantern Corps structure.

Mr Zoat said:
"A veteran who's used the violet light without going crazy for years, yes. That's like comparing me to Larfleeze." I lean towards him. "Look, the way I see it, it was only a matter of time before the Zamarons make a nuisance of themselves. But Maltusian society prizes the ability to exert influence. If she flies up to them with a template for, A, letting mortals use the violet light without going crazy and, B, making a Corps of their own, I strongly suspect that they'll go for it."

This is something he has brought up in the story multiple times.

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

Dedicated ragequitter

I trust you know where the happy button is?

If you see a God on the road fuck it!

A pitiful excuse for a man.

Apologizes For Nothing

Versed in the lewd.

Well worn.

Dedicated ragequitter

Veteran Lurker

Versed in the lewd.

Compound, Lidless, Always Watching.

Well worn.

Not too sore, are you?

Know what you're doing yet?

Not too sore, are you?

Dedicated ragequitter

Apologizes For Nothing

I trust you know where the happy button is?

Orthodox Heretic

The Critical Fumbler

At the End...

Random Encounter

Dedicated ragequitter

Getting some practice in, huh?

Verified Silhouette

Well worn.

Versed in the lewd.

Experienced.

I trust you know where the happy button is?

Verified Silhouette

Users who are viewing this thread