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

[Darko]

Captain Marvel can be Captain Marvel because Jebediah of Canaan stays in the Rock of Eternity. That serves as an anchor for the gods' magic.

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I remember you mentioned that previously, but I said that I think it would be more useful to have a divinely blessed mage rather than a divinely blessed brawler.

I don't know, maybe Jebediah or someone else could bless some ordinary magician with divine power to increase their magic.

Billy was able to share his power with two others, so maybe it's possible for the power to be shared with an actual magic practitioner.

 

[alfred0809]

Darko said: ↑

If you're talking about the fictional universe Zoat made then he can just make it whatever he likes physics wise.

Comic authors have been doing it for decades.​

And he already has... Hence the Bleed...

 

[Stsword]

Captain Marvel can be Captain Marvel because Jebediah of Canaan stays in the Rock of Eternity. That serves as an anchor for the gods' magic.

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Didn't you have Teth make his deal directly so that the Wizard couldn't take it away in this story on Blaze's suggestion? Which means middle men aren't necessary.

And as for why the Wizard hangs out at the Rock of Eternity 24/7, you could do what they do in the comics, the rock is solid magic, and if someone wasn't playing guard dog someone could sneak in and steal enough mojo to gain magical apotheosis.

 

[Darko]

Didn't you have Teth make his deal directly so that the Wizard couldn't take it away in this story on Blaze's suggestion? Which means middle men aren't necessary.

And as for why the Wizard hangs out at the Rock of Eternity 24/7, you could do what they do in the comics, the rock is solid magic, and if someone wasn't playing guard dog someone could sneak in and steal enough mojo to gain magical apotheosis.

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The Wizard also guards some of the things in the Rock, like the Evils of Man, and prevents them from escaping.

Plus he's apparently a Lord of Order and apparently there can't be more than one Lord of Order and Chaos walking around in this universe.

 

[Mr Zoat]

1st May
08:59 GMT -5

"Mistress Bleak not going to join us?"

Abednego hesitates for a moment before responding. "Sister Bleak is a canny fighter, strong-willed and true. But she is a scourge where perhaps a feather is more suited."

A couple of local men are supervising the grundymen loading our wagon, while Mr. Yao is quietly humming as he tries to understand their physiology. It looks like their wards don't disrupt his sonic abilities.

"Well said. Very diplomatic."

"We do not customarily work as a group. We were simply the ones who stepped forward when the call was made to face the fiend. Brother Shadrach were powerful moved to face the foul warlock who had slain so many. Sister Beulah wished to kill the murderer of her parents."

"And you?"

"I felt moved to it." He frowns as he catches sight through a window of Diana's part of the team. "Prithee, explain a thing to me."

"Certainly."

"Yonder woman; she is a princess among your folk?"

"Themyscira isn't a huge place, but she's the Crown Princess."

"Why does she… Dress..?"

"Joke-answer or real-answer?"

"As it please you."

"That's the traditional raiment of Themysciran ambassadors. She has dresses and robes, but we weren't sure what sort of reception we were going to get and she wanted to travel light. The bustier itself was made by Hephaestus, and is proof against most forms of attack. It also has the advantage of not binding her arms or legs; Diana is far stronger than any normal woman and if she wore something more binding in a fight she'd risk tearing it."

He frowns thoughtfully. "Still…"

"Have you ever worked on a farm?"

"Aye, as a child, before I was 'pprenticed."

"Did you ever take your shirt off because you got hot from working hard?"

"Aye, I did."

"Was that lascivious? Were you trying to attract the amorous attentions of the local girls?"

"No." He nods. "I take your meaning."

"Oh, it's not my meaning. 'But I say unto you, that whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.'"

He smiles. "Ah! So you interpret our Lord and Saviour's lesson as being that the sin is in the watcher, not the one being watched!"

"Well… Not in all circumstances, but for her that form of dress is completely normal. She's not trying to 'lead anyone away from the path of righteousness', she's just armouring her vital organs in case she gets into a fight. If someone gets 'distracted' by it, that's on them."

"I take your meaning, but methinks you would be hard pressed to carry the conclave."

"But I'm not trying to convince the conclave." I nod at the wranglers as they hitch horses to the cart. "Why do you use horses, not grundymen?"

"Controlling grundymen requires us to use our magics while controlling horses requires but a touch of the reins. If those we would speak to seek affray, grundymen would leave me weakened. And there are ways to disrupt the witch-signs I would use."

"And why aren't I just carrying us there?"

"We are a people of Christian witches. This hallowed land upon which we live is rife with spells and witch-signs, which such techniques as you use interfere with. That was what drew Sister Beulah to you."

"And.. she shot me. And you think the 'warlock-breed' would react in the same sort of way?"

"Some members of the parliament have long called for their deaths."

"And you?"

"'The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.'" He bows his head slightly. "Alas, the magics of the Sheeda do not share the Lord's forbearance."

He walks towards the cart, raising his right hand slightly to draw the attention of our fellow travellers.

"Gentlemen, please take your seats and we will away."

Mr Yao takes a seat on the bench at the front, while Leonid and I land in the back amongst the supply boxes. He claims a box as a seat while I generate a construct. Abednego climbs aboard last, a faint glow coming from the sigils carved into the wood and embossed upon the metal. He lightly shakes the reins and the horses trot out of the yard and down the centre of a largely empty thoroughfare.

Mr Yao looks around as people step to the sides of the road to avoid us. The witch-people clearly haven't felt the need to establish a rule about keeping to one side of the road, and the grundymen are slow enough to respond to their controllers that we have to keep a slow pace.

"How long will this take?"

Abednego shrugs. "Not so long, i'faith. I will use my magic to speed us on our way once we leave the town. That will take us to the closest road, then we must journey across the chalklands for a time. Perhaps a day or two, all told."

"What form of magic?"

"I be a synchronicity pilgrim. The cart, the horses and we ourselves will move at one with the universe."

I frown. "Yes, but wouldn't that.. just mean that obstacles were conveniently absent and connecting ferries will be there when we need them? We'll be moving in harmony with the world, not changing a part of it."

"Ah, you have some knowledge of it!" He smiles, glancing back at me as he does so. "Verily, at the skill of an apprentice that is indeed so. But as my master taught it to me, far greater things are possible if you abandon ego and submerge yourself in the wonder of the Lord's creation."

Which might explain why John never did it. 'Submerging himself in wonder' isn't really his thing. Or… 'Wasn't', I suppose. Becoming a Lord of Order and Chaos might have changed his perspective.

"Mister Abednego?" Leonid leans forwards slightly. "May I ask, what abilities do you use in combat? If this meeting is hostile, we must plan for what you can do."

Abednego tugs his coat aside slightly, showing a brace of pistols.

"I'm a fair shot, but if I'm a'fighting someone without righteous cause I prefer to slip away. Things being what they are, the warlock-folk are powerful riled up."

Mr Yao raises his eyebrows slightly. "For what reason?"

"We bind people against using evil magics because in the early days some of Melmoth's favourites tried doing things… That should not be spoken of. Which means that whenever we scry the workings of the Sheeda, the warlock-folk are targeted for a vengeance of dubious righteousness. They have their own ways of keeping watch on us, and they usually choose to move further away. But the Lord-Protector has commissioned a series of new villages these past few years. We're closer to their oldest settlements now than ever before, and they do not want to move."

Marvellous.

 

[Darko]

as possible

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Maybe 'are possible'

'Lord of Order and Chaos'

John's just a Lord of Chaos.

 

[zerofarad]

Were your trying to attract the amorous attentions of the local girls?

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presumably you

 

[BlueMangoAdea]

Maybe 'are possible'

'Lord of Order and Chaos'

John's just a Lord of Chaos.

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Wasn't he both before he foisted off his helmet?

 

[Handlewithcare]

Okay, maybe I like Abednego. Seems like a sensible fellow.

 

[Chojin Patriarch]

1st May
08:59 GMT -5

"Mistress Bleak not going to join us?"

Abednego hesitates for a moment before responding. "Sister Bleak is a canny fighter; strong-willed and true. But she is a scourge where perhaps a feather is more suited."

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Yes, she is a bit...blunt. About as subtle as a brick in a sock. Sure, there are times when you need that, but this doesn't sound like one of them.

Spoiler: Commentary spoilered for length

A couple of local men are supervising the grundymen loading our wagon, while Mr. Tao is quietly humming as he tries to understand their physiology. It looks like their wards don't disrupt his sonic abilities.

"Well said. Very diplomatic."

Click to shrink...

A man of hidden depths. Very happy to see more of him.

"We do not customarily work as a group. We were simply the ones who stepped forward when the call was made to face the fiend. Brother Shadrach were powerful moved to face the foul warlock who had slain so many. Sister Beulah wished to kill the murderer of her parents."

"And you?"

"I felt moved to it." He frowns as he catches sight through a window of Diana's part of the team. "Prithee, explain a thing to me."

Click to shrink...

'Felt moved to it'... His own synchronicity training guiding him to where he's best needed?

"Certainly."

"Yonder woman; she is a princess among your folk?"

"Themyscira isn't a huge place, but she's the Crown Princess."

Click to shrink...

And yes, some of the Amazons do wear about as much as she does. Or less.

"Why does she… Dress..?"

"Joke-answer or real-answer?"

"As it please you."

Click to shrink...

Wonder how he'd take the joke answer...

"That's the traditional raiment of Themysciran ambassadors. She has dresses and robes, but we weren't sure what sort of reception we were going to get and she wanted to travel light. The bustier itself was made by Hephaestus, and is proof against most forms of attack. It also has the advantage of not binding her arms or legs; Diana is far stronger than any normal woman and if she wore something more binding in a fight she'd risk tearing it."

Click to shrink...

Or literally bursting out of it. Muscles do expand noticeably when flexing.

He frowns thoughtfully. "Still…"

"Have you ever worked on a farm?"

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Hmm? Where's he going with this?

"Aye, as a child, before I was 'pprenticed."

"Did you ever take your shirt off because you got hot from working hard?"

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Ah. Drawing a parallel to Abednego's life. Clever.

"Aye, I did."

"Was that lascivious? Were your trying to attract the amorous attentions of the local girls?"

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I suspect he wouldn't be averse to any attentions anyway. Teenagers.

"No." He nods. "I take your meaning."

"Oh, it's not my meaning. 'But I say unto you, that whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.'"

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Got to love that ring database lookup facility...

He smiles. "Ah! So you interpret our Lord and Saviour's lesson as being that the sin is in the watcher, not the one being watched!"

"Well… Not in all circumstances, but for her that form of dress is completely normal. She's not trying to 'lead anyone away from the path of righteousness', she's just armouring her vital organs in case she gets into a fight. If someone gets 'distracted' by it, that's on them."

Click to shrink...

And if it helps her beat them? All the better.

"I take your meaning, but methinks you would be hard pressed to carry the conclave."

"But I'm not trying to convince the conclave." I nod at the wranglers as they hitch horses to the cart. "Why do you use horses, not grundymen?"

"Controlling grundymen requires us to use our magics while controlling horses requires but a touch of the reins. If those we would speak to seek affray, grundymen would leave me weakened. And there are ways to disrupt the witch-signs I would use."

Click to shrink...

Logical. And while horses can be spooked, they're less able to run wild hitched to the cart.

"And why aren't I just carrying us there?"

"We are a people of Christian witches. This hallowed land upon which we live is rife with spells and witch-signs, which such techniques as you use interfere with. That was what drew Sister Beulah to you."

Click to shrink...

Ah. So he's like a big, buzzing fly moving through their detection network.

"And.. she shot me. And you think the 'warlock-breed' would react in the same sort of way?"

"Some members of the parliament have long called for their deaths."

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That's not quite the question OL asked.

"And you?"

"'The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.'" He bows his head slightly. "Alas, the magics of the sheeda do not share the Lord's forbearance."

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So, the descendants of those who did use Sheeda magic get tarred with the same brush, even if they're repentant? It's not just cultural, but physiological corruption.

He walks towards the cart, raising his right hand slightly to draw the attention of our fellow travellers.

"Gentlemen, please take your seats and we will away."

Click to shrink...

Mount 'em up!

Mr Yao takes a seat on the bench at the front, while Leonid and I land in the back amongst the supply boxes. He claims a box as a seat while I generate a construct. Abednego climbs aboard last, a faint glow coming from the sigils carved into the wood and embossed upon the metal. He lightly shakes the reins and the horses trot out of the yard and down the centre of a largely empty thoroughfare.

Mr Yao looks around as people step to the sides of the road to avoid us. The witch-people clearly haven't felt the need to establish a rule about keeping to one side of the road, and the grundymen are slow enough to respond to their controllers that we have to keep a slow pace.

Click to shrink...

So hurrying is not the easiest thing. I shudder to imagine the response time on emergency services, if they even have any.

"How long will this take?"

Abednego shrugs. "Not so long, i'faith. I will use my magic to speed us on our way once we leave the town. That will take us to the closest road, then we must journey across the chalklands for a time. Perhaps a day or two, all told."

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Handy power. But... a day or two? Aren't they on a clock? How long can they maintain access from Earth?

"What form of magic?"

"I be a synchronicity pilgrim. The cart, the horses and we ourselves will move at one with the universe."

Click to shrink...

How remarkably Zen of them.

I frown. "Yes, but wouldn't that.. just mean that obstacles were conveniently absent and connecting ferries will be there when we need them? We'll be moving in harmony with the world, not changing a part of it."

"Ah, you have some knowledge of it!" He smiles, glancing back at me as he does so. "Verily, at the skill of an apprentice that is indeed so. But as my master taught it to me, far greater things as possible if you abandon ego and submerge yourself in the wonder of the Lord's creation."

Click to shrink...

Very Zen indeed. Just let the waters of life carry you to where you need to be?

Which might explain why John never did it. 'Submerging himself in wonder' isn't really his thing. Or… 'Wasn't', I suppose. Becoming a Lord of Order and Chaos might have changed his perspective.

"Mister Abednego?" Leonid leans forwards slightly. "May I ask, what abilities do you use in combat? If this meeting is hostile, we must plan for what you can do."

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Any area-effect spells you need to watch out for, for instance? Don't want to 'leave the fighters roasting in their mail'...

Abednego tugs his coat aside slightly, showing a brace of pistols.

"I'm a fair shot, but if I'm a'fighting someone without righteous cause I prefer to slip away. Things being what they are, the warlock-folk are powerful riled up."

Click to shrink...

Good to see he's not needlessly belligerent. A reasonable fellow.

Mr Yao raises his eyebrows slightly. "For what reason?"

"We bind people against using evil magics because in the early days some of Melmoth's favourites tried doing things… That should not be spoken of. Which means that whenever we scry the workings of the Sheeda, the warlock-folk are targeted for a vengeance of dubious righteousness. They have their own ways of keeping watch on us, and they usually choose to move further away. But the Lord-Protector has commissioned a series of new villages these past few years. We're closer to their oldest settlements now than ever before, and they do not want to move."

Click to shrink...

Well, that's...

Marvellous.

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...You said it. This is going to get messy, I bet.

Boy, I can just feel the sarcasm dripping off his last word. This sort of situation never ends well for anyone, and tends to leave hard feelings on one side or the other. And this? A persecuted minority being pressed by the expanding community that persecutes them? There will be blood, methinks.

 

[ChiChi]

Handy power. But... a day or two? Aren't they on a clock? How long can they maintain access from Earth?

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That window is already closed that was a big part of selecting the team who went by who could afford to be absent from their normal lives until the portal could be opened again to bring them back

 

[Mr Zoat]

Maybe 'are possible'

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presumably you

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Thank you, corrected.

Okay, maybe I like Abednego. Seems like a sensible fellow.

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He's basically a puritan hippy. The Lord God has a plan, and he's happy to go along with it.

 

[david]

Oh God, it's Brazil all over again but somehow more complicated.

 

[Aeess]

Why is Wonder Woman wearing her old armor? Like i get it if she's gotten used to it and prefers to wear it on places like the watchtower, but on a mission I'd think she'd wear her new armor since it's quite a bit more protective.

 

[Vaermina]

Why is Wonder Woman wearing her old armor, like i get it if she's gotten used to it and prefers to wear it on places like the watchtower, but on a mission I'd think she'd wear her new armor since it's quite a bit more protective.

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You don't bring tech armor to a wizard fight, you bring the god forged armor that actually has a chance against them.

 

[Darko]

You don't bring tech armor to a wizard fight, you bring the god forged armor that actually has a chance against them.

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Io, the Amazon that was taught by Hephaestus, helped make the new armor.

Though yeah bringing the one Hephaestus made does seem like a better idea.

 

[Stsword]

I wonder if any of the "witchbreed" here are only people who inherited more from the Sheeda blood than just blue skin, as opposed to those physically corrupted by magic Puritans weren't meant to know.

Shapeshifting, insect wings, tentacles, maybe exoskeletal armor, horns and stuff, the Sheeda have some interesting bits floating in the DNA.

An Alex Mercer-like kid who just takes after Melmoth's grandmother probably wouldn't go over well among the blue puritan set.

Oh that reminds me, there's a Green Lantern (Turytt) that looks like Doomsday, which suggests interesting things about where Bertron got that infant to start his experiments.

.

 

[Aeess]

Io, the Amazon that was taught by Hephaestus, helped make the new armor.
Though yeah bringing the one Hephaestus made does seem like a better idea.

Click to shrink...

You don't bring tech armor to a wizard fight, you bring the god forged armor that actually has a chance against them.

Click to shrink...

Wonder Woman's new armor isn't tech armor and Hephaestus was involved in making it.

I switch the hologram for Diana's current armour. "This armour was the result of a design project between myself, Ted Kord, an Atlantean by the name of Sephtian and Hephaestus. The obvious differences are the fully covered arms and shoulders, the plates covering the thighs and shins, and the armoured boots. The chain mail parts are enchanted so as not to impede the range of motion. Unlike the 'basque' armour, this is designed to protect every part of her body."

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[Darko]

Why is Wonder Woman wearing her old armor? Like i get it if she's gotten used to it and prefers to wear it on places like the watchtower, but on a mission I'd think she'd wear her new armor since it's quite a bit more protective.

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Just reread the chapter and apparently she wanted to travel light, since they didn't know how long they'd be gone.

Also this mission is technically a diplomatic one, so she may have wanted to wear something non threatening.

Oh that reminds me, there's a Green Lantern (Turytt) that looks like Doomsday, which suggests interesting things about where Bertron got that infant to start his experiments.

.

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He either got it from this guys home planet, or Doomsday and Turytt share nothing in common, aside from some similarities in appearance, not even their species.

It wouldn't be the first time members of two different species shared similar looks, even if they tend to be more human like most of the time.

 

[Mr Zoat]

Why is Wonder Woman wearing her old armor? Like i get it if she's gotten used to it and prefers to wear it on places like the watchtower, but on a mission I'd think she'd wear her new armor since it's quite a bit more protective.

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The old costume is the uniform of a Themysciran ambassador while the new armour is armour. It's a lot more comfortable to wear for long periods of time, too.

 

[TheMidnightRook]

Wasn't he both before he foisted off his helmet?

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He might actually still hold both titles, it was mentioned a couple of weeks ago that Quinn isn't a Lord of Order, so Constantine may still hold the title even without the helmet.

Not too surprising. John Quinn may have the Helmet but he isn't a Lord of Order. He can't just muscle his way past defensive spells.

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[Darko]

He might actually still hold both titles, it was mentioned a couple of weeks ago that Quinn isn't a Lord of Order, so Constantine may still hold the title even without the helmet.

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Yeah, but he gave the Helmet, the source of Order magic, to another guy.

Plus he apparently had trouble synchronising the two different magics, so it's not all that likely that he's both a Order and Chaos lord.

 

[Siskulous]

He might actually still hold both titles, it was mentioned a couple of weeks ago that Quinn isn't a Lord of Order, so Constantine may still hold the title even without the helmet.

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Isn't it more like Constantine is a Lord of Chaos who was able to get access to Order magic through the helmet?

I'm still waiting for that whole mess to come back and bite OL in the ass. I mean....Constantine. SOMEONE'S gonna get screwed over it.

 

[Coda]

Sister Bleak is a canny fighter; strong-willed and true.

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Comma instead of semicolon.

Some of the dialect is ever so slightly throwing me off because it's just different enough from how my grandmother used to talk to trip my "that's not right" alert. (She's gradually drifted to a more neutral American dialect over time, probably because of a combination of national television and none of her descendants talking like that, but I can still remember.) Voice-acting through it has it come out sounding natural, though, so no corrections needed in that regard.

I really like this Abednego guy. His worldview jives with my own.

 

[TheMidnightRook]

Plus he apparently had trouble synchronising the two different magics, so it's not all that likely that he's both a Order and Chaos lord.

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a) The in-story claim is that he became both, not that he neccessarily still is.
b) I specifically said he might still be, based on the fact that Quinn didn't become a Lord of Order.
c) The last time he appeared, it was said that he should be able to work out a balance and harmonize the conflicting magics, with the resulting implication that he would be trying it:

John raises his left hand, an ankh of crackling red lightning appearing over his palm. "Strange. The chaos thing I could… Felt a bit like everything was exploding at a hundred miles an hour, but… I could get it. This is… I dunno what this is."

"Balance. You should be able to… To harmonise-."

He looks me straight in the eyes, glaring slightly. His eyes are bloodshot and red and gold lights dance in his irises. "Yeah, well it's a bit harder than that when you actually do it, alright. Feels like getting torn into a million pieces whenever…" He closes his eyes for a moment, his whole body sort of shimmering. "Dunno if I'll be able t' do it."

"Anything I can do?"

"Not unless you know where you can find a Lord of Chaos and a Lord of Order working together."

"Shazam and Oggar. It… It didn't last, but…"

He nods. "Something to look at."

Click to shrink...

 

[Darko]

a) The in-story claim is that he became both, not that he neccessarily still is.
b) I specifically said he might still be, based on the fact that Quinn didn't become a Lord of Order.
c) The last time he appeared, it was said that he should be able to work out a balance and harmonize the conflicting magics, with the resulting implication that he would be trying it:

Click to shrink...

It's still highly doubtful that he became something like a Lord of both Order and Chaos.

The in-story claim was that he would try to become both, not that he succeeded.

Quinn may not be a Lord of Order, but he does still have the Helmet, which is an extremely powerful artifact, and it's doubtful John could have become a Lord of Order without it.

The two sources he may try to figure out how to synchronize, Oggar and Shazam, are not exactly all that likely to help him.

Shazam may know of his reputation and refuse because of that, plus he may not want to help a guy who helped kill a colleague in the Lord business, and Oggar is a bastard who may not want to risk associating with Constantine.

It's more likely that John decided to just give the Helmet to Quinn and stay a Lord of Chaos after finding it difficult to synchronize the two magics, with the possibility that he may have just learned a bit of how to use Order magic, but not enough to qualify as a Lord of Order.

 

[Mr Zoat]

Comma instead of semicolon.

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Thank you, corrected.

 

[TheMidnightRook]

The in-story claim was that he would try to become both, not that he succeeded.

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This rather implies a successful attempt:

Becoming a Lord of Order and Chaos might have changed his perspective.

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Quinn may not be a Lord of Order, but he does still have the Helmet, which is an extremely powerful artifact, and it's doubtful John could have become a Lord of Order without it

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When they killed Nabu, Constantine used the mana batteries to siphon off some of Nabu's power, seemingly hijacking Nabu's connection to the Plane of Order similar to what they did to Klarion.

"Oh yeah?" John carelessly tosses aside the skull and then sticks out his left hand, golden light jumping from the closest battery and shining through his skin as he absorbs it. "Two can play at that-" A red crackling ankh appears in his right hand. "-game."

"Life is matter given order."

John takes a step forwards. "Come on then!"

"Reason is the spark of life."

John pulls his sword back as Nabu reaches him. "Come on you fuck-!"

"Sentience is matter that embraces-" Nabu flies past John, John's hastily swung sword merely clipping his cape. "-reason."

The air around Nabu shines gold as he lands atop a mana battery, sword raised.

Oh shit, opening fire with everything!

"Did you dare think I was not prepared to die for my cause as well?!"

He brings the sword down on the bat-.

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Then he reaches up and pulls the helmet off his head.

…

"John?"

John slowly nods his head. "Just about."

He looks like he's been through the wringer. Actually… So does the helmet. He's got it slightly tucked under his right arm, but I can see what I think are Adom's finger marks where he squeezed it. Nabu's gold cloak… It was his coat. With the helmet off it's back to its usual fawn colour, but it was glowing. Kon and M'gann are just.. stopped, not moving, breathing... M'gann's hair is suspended in the air where she was turning her head. Some sort of suspended animation?

"What..? I-i-it work?"

"Pretty much. What'd you see up to?"

"He… He s-stabbed the… Battery."

John nods. "Not too clever, that. Just sped it all up. Had to grab the skull a bit quick, but apart from that…"

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"Zatanna, Zatanna." I hold out my left hand with my palm towards her. "It's fine. Now that it's done, it doesn't really matter to me what the League know." She nods, looking slightly relieved. "Though, um… I only remember up to Nabu stabbing the.. battery. Could you..? What happened next? John, Kon and M'gann gave me a summary…"

She lifts my hand off her shoulder and leans over her father again, kissing him on the forehead. Then she turns away from him and gestures to the room's chairs. I nod, stepping backwards and sitting in the one behind me as she turns the one next to the bed around to face me.

"Um, well… Nabu… Sort of… Exploded. I'm…" She looks aside, trying to work out how to put it into words. "I don't really know why. I guess… He was basically an intelligent spell, right? Do you think..? The bit that kept him coherent got drained and he just… Collapsed suddenly instead of slowly?"

I nod slowly. "Could be. There isn't really much data to draw on. I'd.. guess that it's more likely that what you saw was the result of his connection to the Plane of Order no longer having anything to feed into… But I don't.. really know, either." She nods. "Then what happened?"

"John… I only saw him for about a second? But I think he was trying to do something with the batteries as it was happening? And, um… I put up a shield and Rob got in front of me and tried draining the.. energy wave. Adom was struggling to get up and I didn't see Jade." She blinks, realising something. "Not then. I saw her afterwards, she's okay."

I nod. "John said."

"Then… It was a lot of power. I didn't think I could hold it… But, it only lasted about… Ten seconds? Then all the light sort of dimmed, and I could see John holding Nabu's helmet. Nabu's.. not.. controlling him, is he?"

"John took the Helmet off in my presence, so I'm assuming not."

Zatanna nods. "John was glowing, and Dad was.. sort of floating in front of him. Then the lights cut out completely. The batteries looked drained, so I guess John used them to power his transformation…

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[Darko]

This rather implies a successful attempt:




When they killed Nabu, Constantine used the mana batteries to siphon off some of Nabu's power, seemingly hijacking Nabu's connection to the Plane of Order similar to what they did to Klarion.

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OL hasn't exactly been in contact with John since he left for Vega, so it's possible that he doesn't know if John somehow managed a balance.

He may have absorbed some of Nabus magic, but it may not have been enough to become a Lord of Order.

It's also possible that he ran out of Order magic without the Helmet, or even if he still has some left it may not be enough to be considered a Lord of Order.

He also seemed to be uncomfortable wielding the two magics so he may have gotten rid of all the Order magic in him, he got rid of the Helmet at least.

 

[TheEyes]

The old costume is the uniform of a Themysciran ambassador while the new armour is armour. It's a lot more comfortable to wear for long periods of time, too.

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That would make more sense if they were approaching a completely alien civilization, but they're supposed to be negotiating with magical super-Puritans, so maybe a metal swimsuit wouldn't be the best thing to show up in?