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

Ace Dreamer · Jun 22, 2020

ForeverShogo said:
not sure if I'd be any better if given that kind of power

There was a story idea, called 'Master PC', which tv tropes says first appeared in 1998. Lots of stories were written based on this, and I believe some might still be. It was the ultimate power trip for PC users, a free program offered in an e-mail which could totally re-write the basic laws of reality, in terms of people's bodies and personalities, in a considerable radius (quite a few miles/kilometres). Permanently, with 'no saving throw'. The only downside? Who else might be running a copy. Note you could forward a copy to your friends...

Of course, I think it was a sex fantasy, of a serious power-trip kind, and, those stories might interest some. What I thought far more interesting was that more serious fanfic authors wrote SI stories, where it was them that received the program, and what they might do to the real world with it. Some were really fascinating.

So, don't think Evil OL is on an 'ultimate power trip', there's those out there that make him look like an amateur.

Vaermina · Jun 22, 2020

ForeverShogo said:
On thinking more on it. I think part of why it didn't hit me as hard as it has hit others is I'm honestly not sure if I'd be any better if given that kind of power. Oh, sure, I'd like to be able to say that I'd never resort to mass brainwashing to get what I want. That I'd never make someone want to be with me.

But I can't. Not really. Faced with the temptation to just be able to make people want the same things that you want? To know that, at any time, you could have your crush return your feelings? All you have to do is use the power that has been given to you and you can make it happen. All your dreams can come true.

I'd worry that within a week I'd be monologuing about creating the perfect world once the network of orbital mind control lasers comes online.

And I wouldn't even have the excuse that I accidentally drank a literal Evil Potion. But I'm sure I'd strive to be a benevolent God-King. I'd even convince myself that it's for the greater good. Look at how happy everyone is. How bad can I possibly be?

But you don't need mind control to do all that.

You just need money and your own intelligence.

And on that note, mind controlling your crush into liking you would change said crush from the person you liked into basically someone else with the same looks. And well, if all you wanted the person for was their looks, power ring plastic surgery can make anyone you want look like anyone else you want.

Prince Charon · Jun 22, 2020

Mr Zoat said:
North American Space Agency

Is that a different group from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, or do they just have a different name on Earth-16?

ForeverShogo · Jun 22, 2020

Eh. I think I disagree there. If all you're changing is their feelings towards you but everything else is still the same . . . Even if you still think they aren't the same person, they're a pretty damn close replacement.

All the other things you like about them are still there.

Odysseus2099 · Jun 22, 2020

Prince Charon said:
Is that a different group from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, or do they just have a different name on Earth-16?

Someone else brought that up earlier in the thread.

Mr Zoat said:
That's at least partly me not bothering to check, and also the SI emphasising its role.

In other words Zoat (and thus OL) didn't know what NASA stands for and just made something up.

Vaermina · Jun 22, 2020

Odysseus2099 said:
In other words Zoat (and thus OL) didn't know what NASA stands for and just made something up.

Paul does that a lot.

At this point I fully expect his team and coworkers laugh about it behind his back.

Mr Zoat · Jun 22, 2020

ChiChi said:
https://forum.questionablequesting....stice-si-story-only.8961/page-19#post-2451272
this post and the next few after it are prime examples of inconsistent story arcs if they were threadmarked properly it'd be one thing then I could just follow the threadmarks but as it is it's a bit of a pain trying to keep track of multiple story arcs the way it currently is

it could also be reposted to AO3 with the alternate paths being in separate stories of the same series

I'm not sure I understand what you're saying. If you're referring to the interweaving of the Renegade and SI components, I did that because they are happening at the same time. People commented at the time that it wasn't easy to follow and I've avoided doing it again.

https://forum.questionablequesting....stice-si-story-only.8961/page-20#post-2451349
the next thread mark on this one doesn't go to the next post in the plot line

Threadmarks in the Story Only thread move between the start of each episode.

recognize? make it a threat... Hellspore?

The Renegade suddenly recognised it and so immediately thought the name.

Mr Zoat · Jun 22, 2020

12th April
14:21 GMT -5

"Shouldn't you be in school?"

Richard shakes his head.

"Batman's busy with the 'ClusterCorp' thing and the 'Russia has spaceships' thing, and you're in Gotham."

"I live in Gotham."

Richard smirks.

"So you get why he's concerned."

"…extremely disrespectful to public property."

"Ah… Yeah… Babe."

Below us, Koriand'r attempts to berate two young men who were graffitiing an underpass while Detective Montoya looks on. I don't think they've stopped staring at her breasts since she landed.

I'd criticise, but they are very nice breasts being displayed to their best advantage.

"So is that Komand'r or Koriand'r?"

"Koriand'r."

"Why do you think her name sounds like 'coriander'?"

"There are only so many syllables."

"Does she know those guys are checking her out?"

"I… Fifty-fifty. She knows that she's attractive, but she also knows that she's an alien on an isolated world. And Tamaraneans are a lot more open about that sort of thing than humans tend to be."

"…paint over the marks you have made to restore this place to pristine condition."

"Can we just paint over this bit? I mean, the city hasn't done any painting here for, like, years."

"No, because you are being punished for your misdeed. Now go!"

One takes a step away from her, probably-. Yep, intending to head home and forget this ever happened, which sounds like a good way to get an alien warrior princess knocking on your door to me. The other hesitates.

"If I do, will you give me your number?"

Koriand'r looks slightly puzzled.

"I do not have a number. I am a person; I have a name."

There's a somewhat complicated burst of emotion from the other chap, a combination of irritation that his friend is drawing this out combined with good natured envy at his friend for having the moxie to ask.

"Could you get me her number?"

I raise my eyebrows.

"What? I'm fifteen. And she's… How old is she?"

"She's from a different planet, a different species and a different culture. Her people consider her an adult. I've pegged her as seventeen-equivalent. And she doesn't have a number."

"She doesn't have a number or she doesn't 'have' a number?"

I actually don't know what Tamaraneans do for telephones. Adam said that their communications were working, but I didn't think to ask what that means for individual citizens. I'll have to ask Koriand'r.

"Look, she's right there. You can just talk to her, or ask me to send her a message, or ask any other Lantern in the universe to send her a message."

"Because Lanterns are so-. Huh." He nods. "Earth actually does have a lot of Lanterns. That's actually not so hard."

"I know. We have more Lanterns assigned here than any other Sector in history. Though.. Sector Lanterns are a post-Qarrigat thing, so there were probably regions before that which had more Lanterns."

"You said that Orange Lanterns can do whatever they want when they're not doing Orange Lantern work. Does that mean that Koriand'r is a free agent?"

"She's assigned to Vega. She's here because she's interested in Earth and Vega is quiet at the moment. This is.. sort of a holiday, so… Yes."

"I don't suppose she works for another trading company?"

I shake my head.

"I already thought of that. Tamaran-." No, she can use her ring for private commercial activities, as long as they don't conflict with her official assignments. "Tamaran doesn't really have anything to export at the moment. In.. five to ten years they'll have spare space in their space docks and a population with a space age education, but at the moment the place is too badly damaged."

"Is there anything they want from us?"

"You can ask, but I doubt it. They're rebuilding and don't want to be dependent on aliens, but they're rebuilding back up to a higher level of technology than we have. Ah, in widespread deployment at least. They used to have an interstellar fleet and interstellar merchants. The only thing we could really offer would be mass low-tech manufacturing, and then there's.. the problem of shipping."

"I thought they were building an interstellar fleet?"

"'Interstellar' doesn't mean instant, it just means that they can get from system to system without needing a generation ship. Flying around Vega is a day or two between systems, but the planets in Vega are weirdly close together. Depending on which FTL drive they go for, flying from Vega to Earth could be anything from six months to two years."

"It doesn't take Lanterns that long."

"True, but I don't-."

My ring blinks.

"Illustres here."

The helmeted head of Comic King appears, and my heart sinks.

"How can I help?"

"Are the Russians natural pranksters?"

"I'm afraid that I don't know enough about Russian culture to answer that. Why do you ask?"

"Their fleet has vanished."

Oh… Gods.. damn it.

"And my ship disappeared as well."

"And you can't track it?"

"ClusterCorp has an excellent safety record for the lives of our senior executives! All standard tracking procedures will have been implemented the moment anything untoward happened! I have received no signal, and my ring shows nothing!"

"Alright, that's a little-."

"Nothing! Nothing at all."

"I underst-."

"Not the slightest buzz of the hypercom, not a fizz from the bleedcom."

"Any deb-?"

"Not a peep of a spatial dis-."

"Mute. I will begin investigating. Feel free to either make yourself useful or keep out of my way. Illustres out."

I lower my left hand as Richard breathes in sharply.

"Well that isn't good."

Idkusername · Jun 22, 2020

Mr Zoat said:
"Why do you think her name sounds like 'coriander'?"

Represent!

Twilight666 · Jun 22, 2020

Mr Zoat said:
Below us, Koriand'r attempts to berate two young men who were graffitiing an underpass while Detective Montoya looks on. I don't think they've stopped staring at her breasts since she landed.

Is Detective Montoya included in the ones staring at Koriand'r's breasts?

ForeverShogo · Jun 22, 2020

Russia: We have a space fleet.

Whatever This Is: You had a space fleet.

Bigking321 · Jun 22, 2020

Mr Zoat said:
"Are the Russians natural pranksters?"

Ok. This made me burst out laughing.

What a wonderful opening line.

Queshire · Jun 22, 2020

Oh that's a shame. Gone. Probably for good. Such. A. Shame.

Darko · Jun 22, 2020

Mr Zoat said:
Below us, Koriand'r

So you're using her post Red Hood and the Outlaws costume.

main-qimg-c863fad8942798b77dac5941a9cc07cc

Well it's certainly more modest than her pre n52 and Outlaws comics costume she wore.

Though I'm not sure she would mind if she had to wear those costumes. Think you once said that Tamaraneans tend to wear just enough clothing to cover up their reproductive bits

Here's her costume in the JL Odyssey comics if you want her to go in more armor.

Mr Zoat said:
I'd criticise, but they are very nice breasts being displayed to their best advantage.

True.

Twilight666 said:
Is Detective Montoya included in the ones staring at Koriand'r's breasts?

Most likely I suspect.

King of Frost · Jun 22, 2020

It's probably unrelated but I'm hoping this is more interplanar bullshit so OL has the chance to kill the evil rapist version of himself.

Darko · Jun 22, 2020

King of Frost said:
It's probably unrelated but I'm hoping this is more interplanar bullshit so OL has the chance to kill the evil rapist version of himself.

It probably isn't sadly.

My guess is either some other alien, or a mad scientist from Earth.

Or a combination of both, a mad alien scientist on Earth.

ClusteCorp may have a lot of enemies and they decided to get some payback for something and the Russians got caught in the crossfire.

Vaermina · Jun 22, 2020

Mr Zoat said:
"You can ask, but I doubt it. They're rebuilding and don't want to be dependent on aliens, but they're rebuilding back up to a higher level of technology than we have. Ah, in widespread deployment at least. They used to have an interstellar fleet and interstellar merchants. The only thing we could really offer would be mass low-tech manufacturing, and then there's.. the problem of shipping."

Paul forgets that Earth has interstellar Zeta Beam technology.

"Their fleet has vanished."

Oh… Gods.. damn it.

"And my ship disappeared as well."

Time to make your bets everybody.

A) The US Government decided it was tired of this and blew the Russian's out of the sky with one of their many many superweapons.

B) The Light made their move and stole everything.

C) The Russians decided to steal the Cluster Corp ship.

D) Darkseid didn't like Cluster Corp interfering with his business arrangement.

E) Boss Smiley decided to teach Paul a lesson.

Darko · Jun 22, 2020

Vaermina said:
Paul forgets that Earth has interstellar Zeta Beam technology.

They also may have had help from the guys on Rann for that one and their current Zeta Beams may only work in the radius of their solar system not several light years after it.

Vaermina said:
B) The Light made their move and stole everything.

Maybe, but probably not. Still maybe.

Vaermina said:
D) Darkseid didn't like Cluster Corp interfering with his business arrangement.

Zoat once said that paragon Darkseid barely thinks of the Earth. Him shaking hands with Savage also may not be any indication of his interest in the planet as he could do the same with thousands of others from different worlds. I also think the members of the Light made contact with Apokalips in jut the last few years and not when Savage mad a deal with the Big D centuries ago when he was plaing warlord.

Vaermina · Jun 22, 2020

Darko said:
Zoat once said that paragon Darkseid barely thinks of the Earth. Him shaking hands with Savage also may not be any indication of his interest in the planet as he could do the same with thousands of others from different worlds. I also think the members of the Light made contact with Apokalips in jut the last few years and not when Savage mad a deal with the Big D centuries ago when he was plaing warlord.

Zoat said that before the new season's started coming out that showed otherwise.

Darko · Jun 22, 2020

Vaermina said:
Zoat said that before the new season's started coming out that showed otherwise.

He also showed Barda as having defected from Apokalips.

Canon Darkseid may be more interested in Earth, this stories not so much.

Hell show Darkseid could also not care all that much and has deals like the one he has with Savage with others on other worlds.

Nervaqus987 · Jun 22, 2020

Vaermina said:
Zoat said that before the new season's started coming out that showed otherwise.

And Barda and Scott are also happily married and on Earth, unlike in canon where neither of those things are true.

It's a safe bet not to treat Season 3 as Canon aside from whatever bits Zoat decides he wants to pick out.

Idkusername · Jun 22, 2020

Vaermina said:
Zoat said that before the new season's started coming out that showed otherwise.

And you've decided to cite a source that Mr Zoat has explicitly said does not apply to his story... why, axactly?

Mr Zoat · Jun 22, 2020

Darko said:
Here's her costume in the JL Odyssey comics if you want her to go in more armor.

Good armour does not merely cover the wearer's shoulders, forearms and... Hips?

Darko · Jun 22, 2020

Mr Zoat said:
Hips?

Hey people can try to hurt you there.

At least it's more armored than just a sports bra and some short shorts.

The purple parts of it may also be more armored than they look.

Idkusername · Jun 22, 2020

Darko said:
Hey people can try to hurt you there.

At least it's more armored than just a sports bra and some short shorts.

It's the evolution of the bikini armour.

Chojin Patriarch · Jun 22, 2020

Mr Zoat said:
12th April
14:21 GMT -5

"Shouldn't you be in school?"

Richard shakes his head.

So, was Robin just in the neighbourhood or does Batman have standing orders about OL being unaccompanied in Gotham?

"Batman's busy with the 'ClusterCorp' thing and the 'Russia has spaceships' thing, and you're in Gotham."

"I live in Gotham."

Yes, that's why he's worried.

Richard smirks.

"So you get why he's concerned."

See, even Robin agrees with me!

"…extremely disrespectful to public property."

"Ah… Yeah… Babe."

Below us, Koriand'r attempts to berate two young men who were graffitiing an underpass while Detective Montoya looks on. I don't think they've stopped staring at her breasts since she landed.

When a six foot tall orange babe in skimpy space armour is talking to you, you tend to pay attention, yes.

I'd criticise, but they are very nice breasts being displayed to their best advantage.

"So is that Komand'r or Koriand'r?"

If it were Komy, she'd probably already have smacked them upside the head for ogling her. Even if she is Tamaranean, she's cynical enough to know what head they're thinking with right now.

"Koriand'r."

"Why do you think her name sounds like 'coriander'?"

"There are only so many syllables."

Says the boy who uses words like 'whelmed'...

"Does she know those guys are checking her out?"

"I… Fifty-fifty. She knows that she's attractive, but she also knows that she's an alien on an isolated world. And Tamaraneans are a lot more open about that sort of thing than humans tend to be."

She's probably tolerating it, until they try to get handsy.

"…paint over the marks you have made to restore this place to pristine condition."

"Can we just paint over this bit? I mean, the city hasn't done any painting here for, like, years."

"No, because you are being punished for your misdeed. Now go!"

I presume she's supplying paint for them to use... Or remotely acquiring it from wherever...

One takes a step away from her, probably-. Yep, intending to head home and forget this ever happened, which sounds like a good way to get an alien warrior princess knocking on your door to me. The other hesitates.

"If I do, will you give me your number?"

He's presuming a lot, isn't he? His little head must have taken over... Also, Detective Montoya standing right there. She's not moving to intercept the first guy? Or is she considering asking for Kory's number too?

Koriand'r looks slightly puzzled.

"I do not have a number. I am a person; I have a name."

There's a somewhat complicated burst of emotion from the other chap, a combination of irritation that his friend is drawing this out combined with good natured envy at his friend for having the moxie to ask.

If it weren't a bad time, he'd probably be facepalming.

"Could you get me her number?"

I raise my eyebrows.

Ah, so young Dick is interested, eh? Think clean thoughts, chum, OL knows what you're wanting...

"What? I'm fifteen. And she's… How old is she?"

"She's from a different planet, a different species and a different culture. Her people consider her a adult. I've pegged her as seventeen-equivalent. And she doesn't have a number."

Not enough gap to be squicky. but still a little uneven. And Kory's life experiences are a little unbalanced due to her upbringing...

"She doesn't have a number or she doesn't 'have' a number?"

I actually don't know what Tamaraneans do for telephones. Adam said that their communications were working, but I didn't think to ask what that means for individual citizens. I'll have to ask Koriand'r.

Or arrange a little QEC system. Like you did for Georgia Sivana?

"Look, she's right there. You can just talk to her, or ask me to send her a message, or ask any other Lantern in the universe to send her a message."

"Because Lanterns are so-. Huh." He nods. "Earth actually does have a lot of Lanterns. That's actually not so hard."

And someone actually noticed it. A bit disproportionate, isn't it? Four Green Lanterns from the same planet (two Honour Guard, two Sector Lanterns) plus OL...

"I know. We have more Lanterns assigned here than any other Sector in history. Though.. Sector Lanterns are a post-Qarrigat thing, so there were probably regions before that which had more Lanterns."

"You said that Orange Lanterns can do whatever they want when they're not doing Orange Lantern work. Does that mean that Koriand'r is a free agent?"

Hoping she plans to move here permanently, little bird?

"She's assigned to Vega. She's here because she's interested in Earth and Vega is quiet at the moment. This is.. sort of a holiday, so… Yes."

"I don't suppose she works for another trading company?"

To be honest, that is a logical question in the face of Manga Khan... "Lord-Lantern!"

I shake my head.

"I already thought of that. Tamaran-." No, she can use her ring for private commercial activity, as long as they don't conflict with her official assignments. "Tamaran doesn't really have anything to export at the moment. In.. five to ten years they'll have spare space in their space docks and a population with a space age education, but at the moment the place is too badly damaged."

And I doubt Earth would be their first port of call...

"Is there anything they want from us?"

"You can ask, but I doubt it. They're rebuilding and don't want to be dependent on aliens, but they're rebuilding back up to a higher level of technology than we have. Ah, in widespread deployment at least. They used to have an interstellar fleet and interstellar merchants. The only thing we could really offer would be mass low-tech manufacturing, and then there's.. the problem of shipping."

Not unless they can produce some kind of interplanetary equivalent to a Dolmen Gate... Earth and Tamaran are a bit too far apart for casual commutes.

"I thought they were building an interstellar fleet?"

"'Interstellar' doesn't mean instant, it just means that they can get from system to system without needing a generation ship. Flying around Vega is a day or two between systems, but the planets in Vega are weirdly close together. Depending on which FTL drive they go for, flying from Vega to Earth could be anything from six months to two years."

Ooof. That would be a dull ride. Or at least you'd hope so.

"It doesn't take Lanterns that long."

"True, but I don't-."

Lanterns have some of the best FTL in the galaxy. That's not a standard to hold anyone else up to.

My ring blinks.

"Illustres here."

The helmeted head of Comic King appears, and my heart sinks.

Crap, now what?

"How can I help?"

"Are the Russians natural pranksters?"

They certainly aren't known for it, no...

"I'm afraid that I don't know enough about Russian culture to answer that. Why do you ask?"

"Their fleet has vanished."

...Fuck.

Oh… Gods.. damn it.

"And my ship disappeared as well."

Double fuck! That's not good at all.

"And you can't track it?"

"ClusterCorp has an excellent safety record for the lives of our senior executives! All standard tracking procedures will have been implemented the moment anything untoward happened! I have received no signal, and my ring shows nothing!"

Can your systems transmit to your ring? Remember that little issue with Venturia?

"Alright, that's a little-."

"Nothing! Nothing at all."

Okay, yes, we heard you.

"I underst-."

"Not the slightest buzz of the hypercom, not a fizz from the bleedcom."

I sincerely hope he's using real devices, not constructs...

"Any deb-?"

"Not a peep of a spatial dis-."

"Mute. I will begin investigating. Feel free to either make yourself useful or keep out of my way. Illustres out."

Oh, god, such open-ended instructions. You just know he'll fuck something up...

I lower my left hand as Richard breathes in sharply.

"Well that isn't good."

...Gee, you think?

Okay... Looks like we have an actual crisis. God only knows how the Russians are reacting to this right now. Hopefully not blustering and threatening too loudly.

Her people consider her a adult.

Her people consider her an adult.

Darko · Jun 22, 2020

Chojin Patriarch said:
Batman have standing orders about OL being unaccompanied in Gotham

High chance he does.

Z3r0Sama · Jun 22, 2020

ForeverShogo said:
Russia: We have a space fleet.

Whatever This Is: You had a space fleet.

So anything artificial in space near earth is gone?

Justice League: We have a Watchtower.

Paul: You had a Watchtower.

TheEyes · Jun 22, 2020

Mr Zoat said:
Good armour does not merely cover the wearer's shoulders, forearms and... Hips?

Think that's more the waist or kidney area on a human, but who knows what the vital areas of a Tamaranian are? Maybe their brains are in their shoulders? That'd frankly make a lot more sense than putting them in an external sensory appendage like those Earthian monkeys; what evolutionary mistake thought that was a good idea?

Mr Zoat · Jun 22, 2020

Chojin Patriarch said:
Her people consider her an adult.

Thank you, corrected.

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

Questioning The Nature of our Realities

Well worn.

Just zis guy, you know?

Not too sore, are you?

Versed in the lewd.

Well worn.

Dedicated ragequitter

Dedicated ragequitter

Versed in the lewd.

I trust you know where the happy button is?

Not too sore, are you?

Not too sore, are you?

Not too sore, are you?

Connoisseur.

Wishing I was somewhere colder no doubt.

Connoisseur.

Well worn.

Connoisseur.

Well worn.

Connoisseur.

Well worn.

Versed in the lewd.

Dedicated ragequitter

Connoisseur.

Versed in the lewd.

Veteran Lurker

Connoisseur.

Not too sore, are you?

Well worn.

Dedicated ragequitter

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