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

[Bramble Thorn]

"I was thinking more that we kill anyone who looks in danger of getting things organised, but… Sure, we could sic them on my alter ego if you like. I'm guessing… Virman Vundabar, Granny Goodness and DeSaad require most attention. Virman will have the best conventional weapons, Granny the best warriors and DeSaad the most sophisticated technology."

"Granny Goodness mind-controlled Superman a few years ago. He killed Darkseid in revenge, but I don't think he managed to kill her."

Hm. "My conquest aura should let me… Influence a faction if I slay their leader. Granny's Furies might be useful for attacking Thanagar, especially if we're trying to start a war between them."

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Does anyone else feel that Grayven's lighthearted-shoot-from-the hip idea to get Apokolips involved and start a war just like that seems incredibly dumb and hasty?

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I don't like the idea of siccing new enemies on the native Grayven, at the very least without investigating how he is running his empire. Because if Thanager 50 also had the Equality Plague like Thanager 16 did, then their conduct is probably the same in the preceding years. You know, fucking over the nation who cured the plague for them, and then set up a expansionist, racist, imperialistic government run by a military junta (and started indrocitinating the younger generation to be the same way), took over nearby inhabited worlds and treated the original occupants like second class citizens or worse (including concerted efforts to eradicate their original language, culture, and historical records) including the other sentient species that evolved on their planet. And topped it off by trying to not just conquer Earth but outright destroy it and effectively end the human race there.

If Grayven 50 does treat native populations who surrender to him relatively decently (or even just any better than the Thanagarians did), then he's actually a net improvement. Honestly, If I was going to get involved, it would be to go over and make sure none of the government or military that thought blowing up Earth as acceptable got away. Possibly even move on to the newer colonies settled with the jingoist soldier retirees and make sure they get dealt with also. Evacuate any children to one of those older colonies where the brainwashing hadn't spread so much. Tell the survivors they lost the rights to their homeworld due to the many and varied stupid mistakes they had made.

'Avatars' are up there with 'Doombots' as stupid ways to allow characters to deny their failures.

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Isn't that a bit the pot calling the kettle black? How may Zoats has this story gone through by now?

 

[DAT_NOOB]

So, who wants to take bets here? Last second dodge, or captured?

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can I get a bet on withstood?

 

[Buggy123]

can I get a bet on withstood?

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Aye, I hadn't thought of that until after i posted. Honestly I'd probably bet on withstood as well.

 

[rkyeun]

Haha, her god speech is Stomp!

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You know that quote, about imagining a boot stomping on a human face forever?
It's her boot. That's what she's the New God of.

 

[Handlewithcare]

You know that quote, about imagining a boot stomping on a human face forever?
It's her boot. That's what she's the New God of.

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That's less haha.

 

[alid610]

Wait are so are New gods even related to the other gods like zeus and odin. They seem incredibly weaker excluding darksieds omega stuff. They dont seem powerful enough to be called gods in any way. Even most of gavyerns power seems to be from his rings and the modified venom buster.

 

[Queshire]

He reached through dimensional walls by accident. I wouldn't call that weak.

 

[Coda]

Armagetto

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I was going to provide a spelling correction, but it seems that DC Comics writers are the ones that made this mistake. Carry on.

"One!

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Missing closing quote.

 

[Lord Ernest]

From what I gather, a God or New God is strong depending on what they're God of. Hephaestus doesn't look that tough or powerful, for example, but the guy is damn useful, that's for sure. I'm pretty sure most of us here could knock out Granny Goodness with a crowbar and good old fashioned determination (I bet Maxx could do it without the crowbar, even), but most of Darkseid's elite warriors have gone through her "tender care" and she has traumatized enough people as to gain respect from actual demons.

Besides that, Gods and New Gods are two totally different things. Gods are magic-based lifeforms, probably arisen from the Dream, with natural or learned magical abilities associated with myth, context or culture. New Gods are dual part real humanoids/concepts, with a natural link to the Source that fuels their magically based abilities and talents. If none of that makes sense, then I guess I don't understand them as well as I think.

 

[Pinklestia]

Haha, her god speech is Stomp!

Aso,, things almost immediately went wrong. Called it.

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He went arrogant again.

He should honesty get a sudekick that slaps him any time he does stupid shit like this.

 

[Gantradies]

From what I gather, a God or New God is strong depending on what they're God of. Hephaestus doesn't look that tough or powerful, for example, but the guy is damn useful, that's for sure. I'm pretty sure most of us here could knock out Granny Goodness with a crowbar and good old fashioned determination (I bet Maxx could do it without the crowbar, even), but most of Darkseid's elite warriors have gone through her "tender care" and she has traumatized enough people as to gain respect from actual demons.

Besides that, Gods and New Gods are two totally different things. Gods are magic-based lifeforms, probably arisen from the Dream, with natural or learned magical abilities associated with myth, context or culture. New Gods are dual part real humanoids/concepts, with a natural link to the Source that fuels their magically based abilities and talents. If none of that makes sense, then I guess I don't understand them as well as I think.

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i mean- as a god of the forge/smithing, i would NOT want to armwrestle/get into a brawl with him- he might not have war/battle as a aspect, but given how strong the average Smith is- and the likely quality of the Armour/weaponry he kept for himself...

 

[Mr Zoat]

Missing closing quote.

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Thank you, corrected.

 

[Stsword]

Wait are so are New gods even related to the other gods like zeus and odin. They seem incredibly weaker excluding darksieds omega stuff. They dont seem powerful enough to be called gods in any way. Even most of gavyerns power seems to be from his rings and the modified venom buster.

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Because DC was using god as a race, not a power level.

Darkseid is a god, so is Lashina, who I can remember once being defeated by Catwoman in hand to hand combat, so are the pathetic schmucks that get whipped while doing slave labor.

Earth deities also have the advantage over New Gods in that Earth deities use magic, while New Gods use their technology.

So Zeus can just go bippity boppity boo and make whatever shit he wants to happen happen, a New God is going to need devices to do the same.

So I don't know if you are expecting more from them because of Abrahamic equating divinity with omnipotence, or were confused by the hype DC has given New Gods, and Darkseid especially, over the years to justify their turning characters whose stories were supposed to end in the eighties into a franchise zombie.

Because hey, why make an original character when you can use Darkseid ad nauseam? And then they felt the need to hype up Darkseid to distract people from him being the loser ruler of a shithole populated by C-listers.

In the comics, they are related, The New Gods evolved in the presence of the Source while the other gods were created by the Godwave which emanated from the Source.

Here, where Zoat made the gods elemental beings? They seem more like convergent evolution than anything else. The fact that Alan's turning into an elemental being blocked his new god apotheosis Renegade side doesn't suggest to me that they are the same thing.

 

[IndigoAbyss]

There's surprisingly little fanart of her, considering her use of whips and bondage-costume.

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I know right? What's up with that? She was like my first real crush
Thanks to her I discovered a lot of....interesting things..

 

[Steelplaza]

Imagine what it's like to be the god of Stomping.

I mean, you have a niche. No one can say you don't have a niche. Yes, it's not one of the cool broad concept like Freedom or Tyranny or Conquest or whatever the fuck Highfather's godhood is about... but still. You Stomp good. You are conceptually the master of crushing things underneath your large feet; maybe you can even expand it out a little to shaking the ground from the sheer force of your foot impacts. You Stomp good.

Every day you get up, break your fast, and go out for a glorious day of stomping. And sure, there may be those who say unkind things, but you don't care. You Stomp. That is your Way, that is your Reason. It's all about picking up a foot and putting it down, baby.

Stomp.

 

[Mr Zoat]

27th December 2004
02:02 GMT -6

Owfuckingfuck!

Stompa raises her boot again and takes a look at me.

"Huh. Think I'm losing my touch." She lifts it a little higher. "Oh well."

I brace with my feet and thrust my arms upward out of the parademon huddle, some losing their grip while others frantically try to hold on. I grab her foot and twist, causing her to lose her footing and fall on her arse.

None May Conquer Conquest.

Then I shove my arms out to the sides, yellow light thrusting the parademons off me! I trigger my aero-discs as the two Furies scrabble back. Now that the parademons are in one convenient location and appropriately fearful, I hold my hands out to either side and project cutting beams into the parademon pile. Parademons dead or cringing, I calmly fold my arms behind my back.

"Where's Granny?"

Lashina readies her ribbon-whip while Stompa gets her feet back under her-.

"And where's the other-?"

Surprise!

Claws! Claws scraping my cheeks as a weight lands on my shoulders! I feel them bite in as I form manacles and clamp them around Mad Harriet's arms before lifting her off me and dangling her before me. My facial wounds… Aren't healing particularly quickly. They're shallow enough that they should close up almost-.

Mad Harriet bends, kicking out at me with both feet. She.. really doesn't know when to stop. I wonder how Granny keeps her under control? I idly lean back slightly, catch her ankles at the apogee of their swing and then gently push them back down.

Then I float forward and backhand her across the face hard enough to break my own construct and send her flying to the feet of her colleagues.

"Is that it?" I look around, my face a pantomime of sadness. "Is this what Apokolips has been reduced to? Mindless, aimless charges into prepared positions?"

Shayera swoops down and floats just behind me, the head of her mace covered in off-purple scabs where she struck before its disruption field could fully re-establish itself.

"Even my gordanians could manage better than-."

Something hits me in the chin, snapping my head backwards as I feel another impact to my abdomen. Environmental shield and armour soaks most of it, but I'm still sent flying upwards before-

Two red dots.

-a series of impacts focusing on my face and chest. Fuckingfah! Construct armour!

It forms, and I see a half-second of black-red blur before it shatters and -I raise my arms to protect my face- the strikes start again. Alright -agh- it's kinetic impacts, create a kinetic barrier-.

There's another strike and the barrier triggers-. It's supposed to appear for a moment and then fail, but for some reason it's staying active. My attacker's right fist appears to be… Stuck..? In it. Said attacker is dressed in black, red and silver armour of Apokoliptian design not too dissimilar from my own. Silver boots, silver gauntlets, shoulder and neck guards and a silver helmet with a t-shaped visor. The rest is black but for the red tron lines. They're also short-. No, young. Assuming standard pattern humanoid development I'd say that they're younger than Lynne.

A boy or girl this strong and fast? I can't think of any-.

Two red lights appear behind the visor, then I get to see the construct generating my kinetic barrier melt for an instant before failing completely as the kryptonian child turns his eyes towards my bruised and bleeding face!

"Good, child! Kill this disobedient boy for Granny!" Pain Begets Loyalty.

AAAAAAGHHgold kryptonite radiation!

…

Graaaghh! Mirror!

The stealth heat beams coming from his face hit my construct and are deflected-

"Agh!"

-back into his eyes, causing him to drift back slightly in the air and cover his face with his hands before he recovers and returns his attention to me. Alright, fine, radiation didn't work on Kara last time, bit silly for me to think it would work through fully enclosed Apokoliptian armour.

"Finish him!" Remember the Lash!

Okay, problem. His armour protects him from kryptonite radiation. Red sunlight might work, but his armour is fully enclosed. And I'd rather not kill a child if I can help-.

There's a blur, and small legs wrap around my neck and strong arms grip my head and I feel the pressure constricting and turning! Okay, actually in danger now. Open fire!

Six drone weapons drop back into phase and open fire, death rays and blasters hitting my assailant in the back-.

And he's gone, and-. Two of the drones vanish from my awareness as he moves faster than they can track. Ugh, Apokolips: this child won't be a part-timer like Superman, he'll have been trained in his powers since birth. Constant exposure to pain and Granny's conditioning-. Where is the old hag? The Champion's Challenge.

Mad Harriet might be crazy, but that doesn't let her just ignore a concussive head trauma. She's down for now. Stompa isn't fast or agile enough to hit Shayera in an open environment and is punch-drunk from repeated Nth metal mace strikes and Lashina-.

I block her whip strike with a buckler construct and then hit her in the chest with a full-.

"No!"

Jghh! I feel my armour crack, and my spine with it! I'm knocked flying across the Apokoliptian landscape by the force of the strike! But at least I can feel this injury healing. I take control of my flight and warp back towards my opponent, feeling slowly returning to the lower part of my body. He's stopped to check on the staggered Lashina, curious. Now, what else works on kryptonians?

Ultrasonic blast.

The air shimmers with the force I'm putting into it, and I have to grab Shayera and shield her to prevent her falling out of the air.

"Aaarghh."

The kryptonian boy grips the side of his helmet, knocking the weird panel ornaments off as he does so.

"Did you know they had a kryptonian?"

Shayera shakes her head. "Where did they get a kryptonian from?"

"Kal-El was here for weeks. They might have cloned-" Lashina looks at him with genuine concern. "-him. Though I'm not sure why he's not an adult."

Still, we've done what we came here for. Granny will now think that Grayven 50 is gunning for her. Mother Box?

Ping.
I Stand Triumphant.
How about now?

Ping.

Good show.

"Vulture, we're leaving." Shayera nods. "I see that Apokolips isn't even worth my time."

Boom!

 

[thebishop8]

Lashina readier her ribbon-whip

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*readies

 

[Vaermina]

Still, we've done what we came here for. Granny will now think that Grayven 50 is gunning for her. Mother Box?

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Given Darkseid didn't fall for "Grayven's" little pretend the only way Granny would is if Zoat writes her with the idiot ball.

 

[Chojin Patriarch]

Owfuckingfuck!

Stompa raises her boot again and takes a look at me.

"Huh. Think I'm losing my touch." She lifts it a little higher. "Oh well."

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DAT_NOOB Called it, he tanked the hit!

Spoiler: Commentary spoilered for length

Then I shove my arms out to the sides, yellow light thrusting the parademons off me! I trigger my aero-discs as the two Furies scrabble back. Now that the parademons are in one convenient location-. And fearful, I hold my hands out to either side and project cutting beams into the parademon pile. Parademons dead or cringing, I calmly fold my arms behind my back.

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He's like a blender!

Lashina readier her ribbon-whip while Stompa gets her feet back under her-.

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Lashina readies her ribbon-whip while Stompa gets her feet back under her-.

"And where's the other-?"

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Are there only three Furies? Otherwise, this ought to be where're (as in 'where are'.)

Claws! Claws scraping my cheeks as a weight lands on my shoulders! I feel them bite in as I form manacles and clamp them around Mad Harriet's arms before lifting her off me and dangling her before me. My facial wounds… Aren't healing particularly quickly. They're shallow enough that they should close up almost-.

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Apparently, Harriet's godly power lets her cuts things that ought to be invulnerable, and makes sure they stay cut once they are.

Mad Harriet bends, kicking out at me with both feet. She.. really doesn't know when to stop. I wonder how Granny keeps her under control? I idly lean back slightly, catch her ankles at the apogee of their swing and then gently push them back down.

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Control her? Probably ingrained fears.

"Is that it?" I look around, my face a pantomime of sadness. "Is this what Apokolips has been reduced to? Mindless, aimless charges into prepared positions?"

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Again, that's a Parademon's job. But this was just wasteful...

Something hits me in the chin, snapping my head backwards as I feel another impact to my abdomen. Environmental shield and armour soaks most of it, but I'm still sent flying upwards before-

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Super-speed. Yay.

It forms, and I see a half-second of black-red blur before it shatters and -I raise my arms to protect my face- the strikes start again. Alright -agh- it's kinetic impacts, create a kinetic barrier-.

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Alas, I guess punching things is the limit of a young kryptonian-apokalyptian hybrid...

A boy or girl this strong and fast? I can't think of any-.

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Think back on your meta-knowledge, Grayven...

AAAAAAGHHgold kryptonite radiation!

…

Graaaghh! Mirror!

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Oh, dear. Immune to gold K radiation? Or simply shielded by his armor...

-back into his eyes, causing him to drift back slightly in the air and cover his face with his hands before he recovers and returns his attention to me. Alright, fine, radiation didn't work on Kara last time, bit silly for me to think it would work through fully enclosed Apokoliptian armour.

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Welp, time to bust out the fists.

There's a blur, and small legs wrap around my neck and strong arms grip my head and I feel the pressure constricting and turning! Okay, actually in danger now. Open fire!

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Well, at least they trained him in tactics.

"No!"

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Yeah, don't mess with his mommy. Even bad boys love their mommas.

"Kal-El was here for weeks. They might have cloned-" Lashina looks at him with genuine concern. "-him. Though I'm not sure why he's not an adult."

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Oblivious, isn't he?

"Vulture, we're leaving." Shayera nods. "I see the Apokolips isn't even worth my time."

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Heh. That'll surely get their goat.

Well, that went about as well as could be expected... Useful intel, if nothing else.

Lots of godspeech!

I brace with my feet and thrust my arms upward out of the parademon huddle, some losing their grip while others frantically try to hold on. I grab her foot and twist, causing her to lose her footing and fall on her arse.

None May Conquer Conquest.

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"And where's the other-?"

Surprise!

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"Good, child! Kill this disobedient boy for Granny!" Pain Begets Loyalty.

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"Finish him!" Remember the Lash!

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There's a blur, and small legs wrap around my neck and strong arms grip my head and I feel the pressure constricting and turning! Okay, actually in danger now. Open fire!

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And he's gone, and-. Two of the drones vanish from my awareness as he moves faster than they can track. Ugh, Apokolips: this child won't be a part-timer like Superman, he'll have been trained in his powers since birth. Constant exposure to pain and Granny's conditioning-. Where is the old hag? The Champion's Challenge.

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Ping.
I Stand Triumphant.
How about now?

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[Dakkan Sall]

The kryptonian boy grips the side of his helmet, knocking the weird panel ornaments off as he does so.

"Did you know they had a kryptonian?"

Shayera shakes her head. "Where did they get a kryptonian from?"

"Kal-El was here for weeks. They might have cloned-" Lashina looks at him with genuine concern. "-him. Though I'm not sure why he's not an adult.

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Huh. I'd actually looked up the Furies after the last chapter, and saw under Lashina's wiki entry of how this kid was originally planned for the DCAU but the plotline eventually scrapped. Did not expect to see him here.

Given Darkseid didn't fall for "Grayven's" little pretend the only way Granny would is if Zoat writes her with the idiot ball.

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On the other hand, that's Darkseid. Neither Granny, nor any other of the Apokolips elite, have been shown to have similar knowledge/awareness of his status/nature. And that's in his native reality, let alone this one where they probably haven't seen the 'real' Grayven in who knows how long.

 

[Lord Ernest]

I was expecting the little guy, but not right away. Still, feeling real sorry for Kal-El's kid, and it seems his mother really loves him. Wonder what his name is and if he could develop New God abilities later on?

I'm hoping this is just a strategic withdraw on Grayven's part and he comes back, if only because the kid doesn't deserve Granny, nobody does, let alone Apokolips, and also because an Apokolips with a properly indoctrinated Kryptonian with the possibility of future New God abilities is too dangerous to let him in Granny's disgusting hands. That could tip the scale in the Apokoliptian civil war or be a future danger.

 

[Mr Zoat]

*readies

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Thank you, corrected.

 

[russellmopar]

"Vulture, we're leaving." Shayera nods. "I see the Apokolips isn't even worth my time."

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"Vulture, we're leaving." Shayera nods. "I see that Apokolips isn't even worth my time."

 

[Handlewithcare]

Poor boy. Kal-El is going to go ballistic whe he finds out.

Does this kid also exist in Grayvens and Pauls dimensions?

 

[Lord Ernest]

Does this kid also exist in Grayvens and Pauls dimensions?

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If you refer to Earth 16 then it wouldn't be possible. Kal-El has never been brainwashed by Apokolips and as such has never been involved with Lashina. The closest individuals are Kon and Match, and Superman already knows of them, for obvious reasons.

 

[thebishop8]

Given Darkseid didn't fall for "Grayven's" little pretend the only way Granny would is if Zoat writes her with the idiot ball.

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You can't say Granny would be holding the idiot ball for being fooled without knowing why Darkseid wasn't fooled. And we have obvious guesses about why Darkseid wasn't fooled, namely that he had a loyal Fatherbox reporting back to him. If Darkseid was keeping tabs on the real Grayven, then that's another easy explanation. These both involve information and resources Granny Goodness likely doesn't have.

What I predict to happen next...I think Granny Goodness will retaliate against Grayven 50 faster than the Renegade expects, maybe when he's in the middle of rescuing Scott. Granny realizes the ruse, and she and Grayven 50 team up, with the Renegade having Stormwatch and more of the Justice Lords on his side to keep it even. That would be a good way to keep the kryptonian kid in the story, rather than letting him appear and then immediately disappear.

It would also be slightly amusing to have Captain Marvel fight someone younger than him for once.

 

[helios]

Getting some real Brightburn vibes from the Kryptonian child.

 

[Mr Zoat]

"Vulture, we're leaving." Shayera nods. "I see that Apokolips isn't even worth my time."

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Thank you, corrected.

 

[DAT_NOOB]

DAT_NOOB Called it, he tanked the hit!

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What do I win?
Unfortunately it appears we will not be getting a discussion between renegrayven and granny goodness yet

 

[Vaermina]

On the other hand, that's Darkseid. Neither Granny, nor any other of the Apokolips elite, have been shown to have similar knowledge/awareness of his status/nature. And that's in his native reality, let alone this one where they probably haven't seen the 'real' Grayven in who knows how long.

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You can't say Granny would be holding the idiot ball for being fooled without knowing why Darkseid wasn't fooled. And we have obvious guesses about why Darkseid wasn't fooled, namely that he had a loyal Fatherbox reporting back to him. If Darkseid was keeping tabs on the real Grayven, then that's another easy explanation. These both involve information and resources Granny Goodness likely doesn't have.

What I predict to happen next...I think Granny Goodness will retaliate against Grayven 50 faster than the Renegade expects, maybe when he's in the middle of rescuing Scott. Granny realizes the ruse, and she and Grayven 50 team up, with the Renegade having Stormwatch and more of the Justice Lords on his side to keep it even. That would be a good way to keep the kryptonian kid in the story, rather than letting him appear and then immediately disappear.

It would also be slightly amusing to have Captain Marvel fight someone younger than him for once.

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You're both forgetting something rather important.

The real Grayven was one of Granny's "children", which means like "Grayven" has a connection to his minions Granny has a connection to the Grayven she raised.