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

[RichardWhereat]

The CCTV surveillance state thing is a bit newer.

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Even that began in the 60's.

 

[Gladiusone]

It's a bit iffy, but we've had more or less the same firearm laws for over twenty years. We've never had an all gun-armed police force.

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As I understand it, the 'unarmed police' go back to Bobby Peel's original orders for the Metrapolitan Police, who were armed with a truncheon and a wooden rattle (to summon assistance). To reassure the public, they were designed to be the furthest thing from a 'militarised organistation' as possible, to the extent that they were originally banned from actually investigating crimes. Stopping one in progress was fine, but actually looking into crimes was seen as 'poking their noses into the private lives of the city's citizens.'

 

[FeepingCreature]

"All three of our species have empathy, we have sympathy, we have a sense of fairness - they even tell stories like we do, they have art. Shouldn't that be enough? Wasn't that supposed to be enough? But all it does is put us into enough of the same reference frame that we can be horrible by each others' standards."
--Three Worlds Collide, paraphrased

Seemed apropos.

 

[Buggy123]

"All three of our species have empathy, we have sympathy, we have a sense of fairness - they even tell stories like we do, they have art. Shouldn't that be enough? Wasn't that supposed to be enough? But all it does is put us into enough of the same reference frame that we can be horrible by each others' standards."
--Three Worlds Collide, paraphrased

Seemed apropos.

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I prefer to be horrible by my own standard, as well. If everyone's horrible, no one is.

 

[Mquz]

I prefer to be horrible by my own standard, as well. If everyone's horrible, no one is.

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Without spoiling too much: in this case though, one of the species is of an advanced alien race that values individual happiness over individual free will and don't consider one a prerequisite for the other. The other one is a species that builds their morality system around the act of eating their own babies, which they don't abuse and do value, in a ritual mass hunt. None of the species are willing to allow the others' morality system to exist.

The point is, your own standard is still likely based on the general human standard to obviously value individuality and free will, seeing as you are making your comment about individual morality, as well as not harming innocents.

Honestly, it's a great short story, but the author is a bit too much of a fan of Fate, and compares Fate SN to Shakespeare while also calling his futuristic space ship the Kiritsugu.

 

[Soul Shocker]

The rune stone literally did nothing. It's entirely possible the pendants don't actually do anything here either and that it's such an ingrained habit that he just does it forgetting he's not on Earth at the moment.

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Could also be some kind of Lightning rod for magic.
Any active magic will power the rune stones' glow.

Any eavesdropping magic will discharge onto the pendants instead of doing it's job.

 

[Siskulous]

Uhhhhh... Is this getting too close to modern politics?

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Personally I think that's more a discussion of cultural differences than politics. But that said it can be a very politically charged topic.

 

[AverusBlack]

Hey, that 'feed me' function of the orange light. If an alt. Paul learned to do that before he was able to acquire a personal lantern, would he have been able to use that function to feed on the orange light of, I dunno... say, he gets into a power plant or a small star or something and just wants that goddamned energy for this ring right now would that serve to recharge it in any way?

 

[Mastigos2]

Mr Zoat how did Paul get that much detail off of a yellow fear? I thought he was limited to orange desires for visions like that and just detected the presence of other emotions. Is he getting better at it?

 

[Mr Zoat]

Hey, that 'feed me' function of the orange light. If an alt. Paul learned to do that before he was able to acquire a personal lantern, would he have been able to use that function to feed on the orange light of, I dunno... say, he gets into a power plant or a small star or something and just wants that goddamned energy for this ring right now would that serve to recharge it in any way?

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It's possible to do, it's just not possible to learn it within a single ring charge while being a remotely normal person.

Mr Zoat how did Paul get that much detail off of a yellow fear? I thought he was limited to orange desires for visions like that and just detected the presence of other emotions. Is he getting better at it?

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He's had high-grade empathy for a while. He can see the seven colours and images associated with them in other people.

 

[thebishop8]

Mr Zoat how did Paul get that much detail off of a yellow fear? I thought he was limited to orange desires for visions like that and just detected the presence of other emotions. Is he getting better at it?

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As Zoat said, he's been that good at it for a while now. One of the best examples is when he met Blue Lantern Paul a year ago in story; he took a good look at all of his emotions. See here:

How much do I trust myself? I know that I'm not an especially honest person and this me has spent a great deal of time living around supervillains. I doubt that brought out my better character traits. I close my eyes for a moment, then open them with empathic vision turned up all the way.

Anger's vague and diffuse. A lot of faces. Feels like day to day problems magnified by stress. Wilson's intransigence is a factor but it isn't a centre or focus.

Avarice is pervasive, but again not particularly strong. Friends and safety. I don't think he's had the resources to pursue his own objectives in the way I have. There's envy there, some sort of flying fortification… That can't be an efficient use of space. I can't see any desire to gain power to advance an agenda of his own, let alone doing so for its own sake.

Fear is spikier, shooting up from an elevated resting level. The President, the people around him, the idea that my opposite number has misjudged something and is actually in the wrong. He's constantly surrounded by people who could easily kill him, many of whom have motive to do so. Will he have misjudged? Maybe, but his judgements aren't going to be all that different to the ones which I'd have made in his place.

Those faces…

"You said you were in charge of the youth team."

"The Young Offenders. I didn't.. pick the name. Ultraboy, Talon, Mary Mayhem, Jackie Quick, Mistress Martian, Zorina Zatanna, Arrowette and Lamprey. I don't lead them on missions; Ultraboy does that. I organise them, take care of the big picture stuff and keep food in the fridge."

He's become a parental figure to a group of children who just lost theirs.

Green is simple enough. He's committed to this path. If I say no then he'll try something else somewhere else for as long as he can.

"Ultraboy and Ultraman? How well did they get on?"

His blue is different to mine but I think he's trying to use it in the same way. He genuinely hopes for a positive outcome, the Syndicate quietening down and President Wilson resigning. I don't.. do that. Heck, we're sitting in an example of me giving up on people and doing it myself. Maybe hope is what's left after you remove the ability to do it yourself.

"They were very close, for the few months they actually knew each other. When Talon, Mayhem and Quick broke him out of Cadmus, Ultraman… Ultraman told me later that he had two choices to maintain face. He could kill the clone, or take him in. Claim him as his own." He shrugs. "He'd had some people investigating how possible it was for him to have children for a while. He said it was an easy choice."

"Talon would be Owlman's. Jackie, Johnny's. I'm assuming that J'arkus was Martian?" He nods. "Zorina is obviously Mister Zatara's. Lamprey?"

Indigo shows me his team mates most clearly. They wouldn't have known a life other than being supervillains and now they're having to thrive or die without their mentors. And.. a short, red haired young woman? There's also compassion for the people caught up in the fights between the Syndicate's volatile elements and the US military.

"Student of Barracuda, Shogun of the Seven Seas. Aquaman."

Aqualad. "Arrowette?"

"Oliver Queen. He's called Archer. Was, anyway, he's dead now."

"Mary Mayhem?"

Violet? Looks like there's no Missus Blue Lantern. Given how intense our recent experiences are it's not surprising that our affection for our family back home has.. not faded, but move to the background somewhat. His affection for Zorina feels like the same as mine for Zatanna, though I doubt mine has that tint of fear to it. I turn the vision back down to normal.

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[AverusBlack]

It's possible to do, it's just not possible to learn it within a single ring charge while being a remotely normal person

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Yeah, but theres a lot of remotely non-normal people around. I'm just thinking in hypotheticals, like if a DC vampire had gotten an orange ring. Feeding off other things is a base nature to them, I was wondering if a vampire had gotten one if they could use that to sort their shit out until they were able to acquire a lantern or something, was all. What-if's.

 

[Mr Zoat]

Yeah, but theres a lot of remotely non-normal people around. I'm just thinking in hypotheticals, like if a DC vampire had gotten an orange ring. Feeding off other things is a base nature to them, I was wondering if a vampire had gotten one if they could use that to sort their shit out until they were able to acquire a lantern or something, was all. What-if's.

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Feed me is a little more sophisticated than that. It also doesn't charge the ring.

While there are beings who could charge a ring manually, they're somewhat unusual and extremely powerful in their own right.

 

[Aeess]

Feed me is a little more sophisticated than that. It also doesn't charge the ring.

While there are beings who could charge a ring manually, they're somewhat unusual and extremely powerful in their own right.

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Didn't Sybarite charge his ring by absorbing magic Demons are made of, wouldn't that mean that most wizards could charge it by directing their magic into it.

 

[Siskulous]

Didn't Sybarite charge his ring by absorbing magic Demons are made of, wouldn't that mean that most wizards could charge it by directing their magic into it.

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Not just any demon. Incubi. Demons of lust, a specific form of desire, a type of avarice. I sort of doubt that just any magic would work.

 

[Aeess]

Not just any demon. Incubi. Demons of lust, a specific form of desire, a type of avarice. I sort of doubt that just any magic would work.

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That was just the first one, he had a variety of demons after that. Also Zoat mentioned that it was the absorption of magic from the demons that was charging the ring.

 

[DrThoth]

I'd need to reread the Sybarite posts to be sure but I don't think he discussed plans for going for Alan Scott's Lantern initially, after his side-trip with the incubus. Did even the first infusion of demon-magic hook him so much he decided not to pursue it?

 

[Aeess]

I'd need to reread the Sybarite posts to be sure but I don't think he discussed plans for going for Alan Scott's Lantern initially, after his side-trip with the incubus. Did even the first infusion of demon-magic hook him so much he decided not to pursue it?

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Seems like it

I walk over to the… It's ridiculous, really. To the button which pulls the curtains back. If I'd actually followed through on my initial impulse to speak to Alan Scott when I first arrived, things might have gone rather differently. As it was, pretty much tripping over an incubus mid-hunt provided me with a perfect opportunity to try plan B first

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"Do you use demon magic?"

"As I understand it, no."

"Are you a demon?"

"Aaaaaaaahh… I don't.. think so? I didn't start as one, but things get a bit fuzzy after a while."

"Then how do you explain it?"

"I power myself by eating demons." My rib cage splits open, my chest cavity glowing orange as it chomps at her before closing. "My first was an incubus, which may have impacted my subsequent behaviour a little. And if you'd like a demonstration of that…"

"That would explain your libido."

"I don't know. I mean, you're hot, but I wasn't practising for a year and a half just for you. I don't actually have that much experience with super strong women."

Tuppence insisted on turning every assignation into a test of strength. She called it off after I ate a malumi and could handle her without burning power at a ludicrous rate. Apparently she likes her men on the verge of panic.

"I was referring to you consuming an incubus."

"I don't know. I've eaten more demons since, and my behaviour didn't change afterwards. And anyway, I don't see it as a problem." It's a bit of a risk, but I create a glowing orange sword in my right hand. "Does that feel demonic to you?"

She holds up a small stone marked with an ankh. The mark shimmers gold for a moment, but doesn't otherwise react. She checks it, then nods.

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And here is Zoat explaining how consuming demons charges the ring

Sybarite took Magic Absorption really early on, and has levelled it up quite a bit.

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[FreeGod]

I figured that Paul got yellow enlightenment during the terror thing arc, but Zoat didn't want to add extra quote marks. The orange marks are already a pain.

 

[Maxx Crowley]

Now we just need to find the Paul who has a ring set up like The Mandarin. (A gimmick I have a soft spot for.)

 

[Buggy123]

Without spoiling too much: in this case though, one of the species is of an advanced alien race that values individual happiness over individual free will and don't consider one a prerequisite for the other. The other one is a species that builds their morality system around the act of eating their own babies, which they don't abuse and do value, in a ritual mass hunt. None of the species are willing to allow the others' morality system to exist.

The point is, your own standard is still likely based on the general human standard to obviously value individuality and free will, seeing as you are making your comment about individual morality, as well as not harming innocents.

Honestly, it's a great short story, but the author is a bit too much of a fan of Fate, and compares Fate SN to Shakespeare while also calling his futuristic space ship the Kiritsugu.

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I've read it before, it was pretty interesting. And yes, while I'm still more-or-less based on the general human standard, what I mean is that if your morality system considers and accepts that every human a horrible person (including yourself), then encountering a race that eats babies is no longer a huge issue; "Oh, you consume and slowly digest your fully-conscious offspring? Cool, that's a pretty unique form of evil! Cmon, lets go get some drinks."

They're no longer a affront that you have to deal with, because if you were going to deal with affronts the first thing you'd be thinking is "Well, the closest awful person to shoot is myself, followed by that guy standing next to me, and then...".

 

[Someguy Somewhere]

Now we just need to find the Paul who has a ring set up like The Mandarin. (A gimmick I have a soft spot for.)

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Didn't the Marvel verse Paul get dead, Hand Ninja rez'ed and then lopped off one of their Mandarin's hands?
I seem to recall something about their Wisdom asking Mrs OL, Hella Goddess of the Dead, if she wanted to put on a cape and join in the fun.

EDIT:

Found it
https://forums.spacebattles.com/thr...i-thread-eleven.311139/page-810#post-17055294

 

[Ngamer11]

Didn't the Marvel verse Paul get dead, Hand Ninja rez'ed and then lopped off one of their Mandarin's hands?
I seem to recall something about their Wisdom asking Mrs OL, Hella Goddess of the Dead, if she wanted to put on a cape and join in the fun.

EDIT:

Found it
https://forums.spacebattles.com/thr...i-thread-eleven.311139/page-810#post-17055294

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That was an omake.

 

[Mquz]

I've read it before, it was pretty interesting. And yes, while I'm still more-or-less based on the general human standard, what I mean is that if your morality system considers and accepts that every human a horrible person (including yourself), then encountering a race that eats babies is no longer a huge issue; "Oh, you consume and slowly digest your fully-conscious offspring? Cool, that's a pretty unique form of evil! Cmon, lets go get some drinks."

They're no longer a affront that you have to deal with, because if you were going to deal with affronts the first thing you'd be thinking is "Well, the closest awful person to shoot is myself, followed by that guy standing next to me, and then...".

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That's missing the point of a morality system: the point is, that you follow it. Ideally, you strive to be good, and what good is is defined by the system. Everyone isn't good, but tolerable people try to mostly be good according to the system and definetely don't constantly try to get you to break your moral laws. The problem comes when others have different values. When they don't even try to be mostly good according to your morality system. They are, be definition, irredeemably evil according to your system. For example, Muslim extremists obviously consider themselves good, but their morality system is based on a twisted version of Sharia Law. To them, the things we value as a consumerist culture are the great evils of our time and they will do nearly everything to wipe them out. To us, they are for much the same reason.

Those aliens are much the same. By allowing ourselves to feel pain, we are perpetuating great evil and are according to those aliens hurting the absolute good of the universe. Likewise, by not eating our babies and letting them live, we are perpetuating an evil according to the other aliens. They will do anything to make us do these things and ensure that their version of good is spread across the universe.

 

[Mr Zoat]

6th February
16:57 GMT

"None?"

Xor's face is fairly impassive, but there's an unhappy undercurrent that I've learned to recognise.

Guy nods slowly as he scrolls through another report. "Yeah. You guys die a lot in the… War Hounds, but plenty live long enough t' leave. Lotta them re-up or join the…" He blinks at a translation that doesn't quite work in English. "Hidden Guard?"

"I could have joined them. I chose not to."

"Right, so there ain't all that many goin' back t' regular life. Which figures, seein' as how they're child soldiers who don't know anything else-."

Xor glowers. "We do. We are-." He takes a moment to simmer down, and I feel a minor surge of pride. "We have contact with the crew of the ships we are assigned to. And the civilians who live on and around the military bases where we are stationed. We do have contact with other ways of life. We are not dumb robot drones."

"Wasn't what I meant, big guy. Human kids get general education, advice on all kinds a' careers. You've been surrounded by th' army since you were… How old were you?"

"I don't know. I thought I left the army when I was ten. But that was ten years of service, not ten years of age. I don't know how old I was when I became… Me."

"Guess they didn't think you needed t' know."

"I didn't. I remember nothing of it. I don't remember remembering anything of it. It doesn't matter. Tell me about the other War Hounds who left."

"They don't last. War Hounds who switch bodies…" He presses a button and a series of faces appear, along with the amount of time they survived. "Two years, tops. Some of this… Yeah, they could be accidents. Think they're still strong and tough as… You. Still a lot of accidents, though."

"Why would they kill citizens programmed to be loyal?"

"Dunno. Maybe they don't want people talkin' to 'em. Don't want people thinkin' a' their child soldiers as people."

I shake my head. "I doubt that's it. This isn't a government that's sensitive to public opinion."

"It isn't. And this… Why kill Onisia when they could just kill me? War Hounds are tough, but there are many weapons which can harm us."

"And why not just kill someone else? This Jaggar Ton guy looks like he's connected. And he's rich. This isn't a nobody who nobody's gunna ask questions about."

"I am a fall guy."

"We don't know that." Guy flicks through publically available information sources, looking for… Depictions of War Hounds. "Everyone in the Alignment knows you guys are super-reliable soldiers. And Ton's known you personally fer years. No way anyone who's thinkin' about this fer a few minutes is gunna believe it. So what's goin' on?"

"The Crime Syndicate cowed President Wilson into submission by killing his wife and threatening to kill his daughter."

"Someone leanin' on Ton?" Guy thinks for a moment. "Could be. Hey, Xor? Orange said you got hired after stopping Ton gettin' assassinated."

"Yes."

"They ever find out who sent 'em?"

"I don't know."

Guy nods. "Canar, you find anythin'?"

"I have been working with public and government sources. Are you authorising me to use clandestine means to acquire information?"

Guy frowns, puzzled. "Yeah? Why you wading though that bullshit?"

"The Alignment is a functioning civilisation which is neither engaging in open war with its neighbours nor engaging in slavery or mass murder. Lantern Corps laws require me to observe their laws. Unless I am given contrary orders by the Guardians or an Honour Guard Lantern."

"Sure, orders away."

"Understood." Lantern Canar's eyes glow green for a moment as he forces a bypass. "It will take a little time for me to find anything."

"I don't suppose that the attackers are still alive, are they?"

"Doubt it." I look at Guy. "Come on, that wasn't a government hit. Or if it was, it was some hired guns who didn't know who they were workin' for."

"Sir? I believe that I have discovered something relevant."

"Yeah?"

Canar holds out his right hand and generates a construct of a well-dressed local woman. Xor's eyes lock onto her immediately.

"This is Onigar Ton, the daughter of Lantern Xor's former employer. She has been cited for 'political disruption' relating to the War Hounds."

"What's that mean, exactly?"

"The charge is used as a warning to well-placed citizens that their actions are unacceptable, as a prelude to more aggressive action."

"She is in danger?"

Ring, access data stores.

Compliance.

"I'm not seeing any orders for her termination. Lantern Gardner, you told me that we were investigating Lantern Xor's conviction. Is that still the case, or do you intend for us to attempt to undo the Alignment's conscription system?"

"I'm thinkin' about it."

"I don't recommend it. In a state like this you'll struggle to find an internal reform mechanism that you can use as an outsider. That leaves force, and I don't think this is sufficiently bad to justify it." He shoots me a disgruntled look. "Though if you think otherwise I'll be happy to support you. Incidentally, I'm not seeing a kill order either, though that might just mean that kill orders are verbal only."

"If she has information which we lack, it may be advantageous to approach her rather than attempt to locate pertinent data amongst the planet's entire noosphere."

"True. Xor?"

"Has she spoken of her mother's murder?"

"Nothing specific on record."

"She will.. recognise me."

"Yes, but your ring's orange. What do you want?"

"I had thought… No. I will not hope. I will remain here. You, speak to her." He blinks as Canar removes the construct, then turns to face me. "My judges all condemned me. Either they are involved with whoever framed me, or they are idiots. Onigar may have learned something about Onisia's murder, but unless the murderer has confessed I doubt that anyone else has."

"You sure you don't want to come? I can give you a holographic disguise."

"No. My-. I am not certain how I would feel. It is best that I do not."

"Alright. Guy, shall we?"

 

[Queshire]

"This is Onigar Ton, the daughter of Lantern Xor's former employer. She has been sited for 'political disruption' relating to the War Hounds."

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Cited, not sited.

 

[Mquz]

Actually... is this all a way to keep their child soldiers from breeding with their general population? Maybe there's something off with either their brains (they're not actually orphans), or their bodies sexual systems. Especially since she's cited for activity related to War Hounds.

they might not care about civilian opinion, but they do abou that of the GLC

 

[zerofarad]

"Has she made spoken of her mother's murder?"

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Odd phrasing, but not impossible. Not sure if it's a typo.

 

[Chojin Patriarch]

Xor glowers. "We do. We are-." He takes a moment to simmer down, and I feel a minor surge of pride. "We have contact with the crew of the ships we are assigned to. And the civilians who live on and around the military bases where we are stationed. We do have contact with other ways of life. We are not dumb robot drones."

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Not what he meant...

Spoiler: Commentary spoilered for length

"Wasn't what I meant, big guy. Human kids get general education, advice on all kinds a' careers. You've been surrounded by th' army since you were… How old were you?"

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A question still unanswered, really.

"I don't know. I thought I left the army when I was ten. But that was ten years of service, not ten years of age. I don't know how old I was when I became… Me."

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So he could have been anything from ten days to ten years.

"I didn't. I remember nothing of it. I don't remember remembering anything of it. It doesn't matter. Tell me about the other War Hounds who left."

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Nice diversion. Guess this is actually bothering him.

"They don't last. War Hounds who switch bodies…" He pressed a button and a series of faces appear, along with the amount of times they survived. "Two years, tops. Some of this… Yeah, they could be accidents. Think they're still strong and tough as… You. Still a lot of accidents, though."

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Outside statistical norms, though? I wonder...

"I am a fall guy."

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Translation convention, or a phrasing he learned from OL and Guy? Interesting.

"They ever find out who sent 'em?"

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Did they even investigate the attempt?

Guy frowns, puzzled. "Yeah? Why you wading though that bullshit? "

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Extraneous space between word and quotation mark...

"The Alignment is a functioning civilisation which is neither engaging in open war with its neighbours nor engaging in slavery or mass murder. Lantern Corps laws require me to observe their laws. Unless I am given contrary orders by the Guardians or a Honour Guard Lantern."

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Ah, you're a good Lantern, not a decent one. (if you'll excuse the borrowing of 'This Bites' terms)

"Doubt it." I look at Guy. "Come on, that wasn't a government hit. Or if it was, it was some hired guns who didn't know who they were workin' for."

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Patsies. Disposable thugs.

"Sir? I believe that I have discovered something relevant."

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That was quick...

Canar holds out his right and...

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Canar holds out his right hand and...

Xor's eyes lock onto her immediately.

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Oh-ho.

She has been sited for 'political disruption' relating to the War Hounds."

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She has been cited for 'political disruption' relating to the War Hounds."
(unless intentional?)

"The charge is used as a warning to well-placed citizens that their actions are unacceptable, as a prelude to more aggressive action."

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So: 'Clean up your act and shut up, or...'

"She is in danger?"

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Easy, romeo.

"I don't recommend it. In a state like this you'll struggle to find an internal reform mechanism that you can use as an outsider. That leaves force, and I don't think this is sufficiently bad to justify it." He shoots me a disgruntled look. "Though if you think otherwise I'll be happy to support you. Incidentally, I'm not seeing a kill-order either, though that might just mean that kill orders are verbal only."

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Hopefully this whole thing doesn't get Guy busted back down...

"Has she made spoken of her mother's murder?"

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Bit mangled. maybe delete 'made'?

"I had thought… No. I will not hope. I will remain here. You, speak to her." He blinks as Canar removes the construct, then turns to face me. "My judges all condemned me. Either they are involved with whoever framed me, or they are idiots. Onigar may have learned something about Onisia's murder, but unless the murderer has confessed I doubt that anyone else has."

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Or... She's involved somehow. ...What, just saying...

"No. My-. I am not certain how I would feel. It is best that I do not."

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No taking chances about blurting out something awkward.

Amazingly tense, for four guys sitting around talking...

 

[Buggy123]

That's missing the point of a morality system: the point is, that you follow it. Ideally, you strive to be good, and what good is is defined by the system. Everyone isn't good, but tolerable people try to mostly be good according to the system and definetely don't constantly try to get you to break your moral laws. The problem comes when others have different values. When they don't even try to be mostly good according to your morality system. They are, be definition, irredeemably evil according to your system. For example, Muslim extremists obviously consider themselves good, but their morality system is based on a twisted version of Sharia Law. To them, the things we value as a consumerist culture are the great evils of our time and they will do nearly everything to wipe them out. To us, they are for much the same reason.

Those aliens are much the same. By allowing ourselves to feel pain, we are perpetuating great evil and are according to those aliens hurting the absolute good of the universe. Likewise, by not eating our babies and letting them live, we are perpetuating an evil according to the other aliens. They will do anything to make us do these things and ensure that their version of good is spread across the universe.

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You're absolutely right about all of this. The problem is essentially that (by my morality system) all people who I know to exist are immoral, and do immoral things. This includes myself; I am immoral and regularly and unavoidably do things I consider immoral. It is effectively impossible for me or any other human being to be good or attempt to be good.

It is... theoretically possible for people who I don't find immoral to exist, but while I haven't exactly checked every person on the planet, I'm reasonably certain none of them qualify. The Baby Eaters don't qualify, and I don't remember if there are enough details about the Super Happy Fun People to give a answer on them. And I don't particularly care about the magnitude of immorality; past a certain point, I don't really think it matters if you've got 9,217 Immorality Points or 5,122,430,666 Immorality Points.

This left me with a bit of a conundrum, because morality is a fairly important factor in social interactions; a default of "BAD BAD BAD BA-" is really not very conducive to... anything. And you can't really sort by "badness" and set a cutoff, because it's all so high that I can't effectively distinguish between anyone; the only choices left are "everyone is bad" or "no one is bad". So, I basically just went with "no one is bad", and also created a 'meta-morality' system where I move individuals to the "everyone is bad" category if they are sufficiently annoying at the moment. That last bit might sound a little odd, but I would unavoidably lash out at anyone/anything that makes me angry anyway, and I think that's the most effective and succinct rationalization for that behavior.


So, by this system, Baby Eaters would get the default answer of "not bad" in most situations.