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

Bud-E · Oct 5, 2022

Is Artemis and the rest of the team gonna join in on this it's been forever since they teamed up with Paul.

Ciber · Oct 5, 2022

Bls stop talking about Bruno.
We don't talk about Bruno.

Lord Ernest · Oct 5, 2022

Prince Charon said:
If something like that happens in the Renegadeverse (I don't recall whether the AotJ has been mentioned there), I'd expect Grayven to sense it for the same reason.

I don't think this would happen on the Renegade side. The Light 2.0 is there and Grayven is keeping an eye so that there is no Apokolips operation and/or infiltration on his planet.

Plus, ironically, Grayven's Earth is doing kinda better than the Illustres' Earth. No arcano-technological revolution but cheap energy and other innovations are majorly available, Africa got revamped, Sheeda attack was not as successful, no fuck up in South America, the UK got exorcised properly, no attack by the Silver City, etc.

Steelplaza · Oct 5, 2022

We look at this from Paul's side, but consider how poor Bruno is going to feel like an idiot. His deception was going perfectly, he had all the superheroes completely fooled, and now it may come crashing down (or at least end a bit earlier than ideally he would have liked) because he couldn't resist the urge to get a look at Orange Lantern in person. OL would have accepted it easily if "Father Bruno" had been busy that day; wouldn't have thought twice about not meeting him.

Unless of course this was all a magnificent double bluff where Bruno knew he would make Orange Lantern suspicious, and he did it to tweak the nose of the superheroes so they could catch in just a bit too late because he "already did it thirty-five minutes ago" style.

Ngamer11 · Oct 5, 2022

Lord Ernest said:
I don't think this would happen on the Renegade side. The Light 2.0 is there and Grayven is keeping an eye so that there is no Apokolips operation and/or infiltration on his planet.

Plus, ironically, Grayven's Earth is doing kinda better than the Illustres' Earth. No arcano-technological revolution but cheap energy and other innovations are majorly available, Africa got revamped, Sheeda attack was not as successful, no fuck up in South America, the UK got exorcised properly, no attack by the Silver City, etc.

Both have their pros and cons. And right now, the Renegade timeline is the one dealing with Arion, so I wouldn't be surprised if this archmage ends up creating a huge mess that the Renegade and his allies will have to clean up.

john doe 777 · Oct 5, 2022

RichardWhereat said:
Bullshit they don't. Have you met every single one of them? Using absolute statements just makes you absolutely wrong if there's a single outlier, and I've met a couple.

I did lots of charity work for the Catholic Church so I can say I have met quite a lot so yeah.

Rebu · Oct 5, 2022

Steelplaza said:
We look at this from Paul's side, but consider how poor Bruno is going to feel like an idiot. His deception was going perfectly, he had all the superheroes completely fooled, and now it may come crashing down (or at least end a bit earlier than ideally he would have liked) because he couldn't resist the urge to get a look at Orange Lantern in person. OL would have accepted it easily if "Father Bruno" had been busy that day; wouldn't have thought twice about not meeting him.

Unless of course this was all a magnificent double bluff where Bruno knew he would make Orange Lantern suspicious, and he did it to tweak the nose of the superheroes so they could catch in just a bit too late because he "already did it thirty-five minutes ago" style.

Oh no, I've gone cross-eyed.

Vaermina · Oct 5, 2022

Steelplaza said:
We look at this from Paul's side, but consider how poor Bruno is going to feel like an idiot. His deception was going perfectly, he had all the superheroes completely fooled, and now it may come crashing down (or at least end a bit earlier than ideally he would have liked) because he couldn't resist the urge to get a look at Orange Lantern in person. OL would have accepted it easily if "Father Bruno" had been busy that day; wouldn't have thought twice about not meeting him.

Unless of course this was all a magnificent double bluff where Bruno knew he would make Orange Lantern suspicious, and he did it to tweak the nose of the superheroes so they could catch in just a bit too late because he "already did it thirty-five minutes ago" style.

Or he could be pulling a Lex Luthor and be completely on the up and up about what he's doing and just did this to send LePaul into a paranoia spiral that will make him look like shit to the public.

RichardWhereat · Oct 5, 2022

john doe 777 said:
I did lots of charity work for the Catholic Church so I can say I have met quite a lot so yeah.

You've met a bunch of Catholics. Congrats. That's not every Christian priest ever. So no, you haven't met all of them. But you feel able to make broad generalisations. I have met some who say that, and worse.

Darko · Oct 5, 2022

Prince Charon said:
Huh. I was sort of thinking that they'd find out another way, like by Big Barda or Scott Free going through the Alliance of the Just(ified)'s teleporter and recognizing the horrible feeling of Anti-Life.

If something like that happens in the Renegadeverse (I don't recall whether the AotJ has been mentioned there), I'd expect Grayven to sense it for the same reason.

I don't think those two are members of the League, so that may be why they weren't called in.

Plus, others already checked the thing, including Paul.

Dur'id the Druid said:
Ok..... shooting in the dark here, but is this father more like the manifestation of a concept? Like Uncle Sam, the Endless, or Mr. Smiley? One that is forgettable by nature, but for the whispers in the ear?

I doubt it.

He may just have some Apokaliptian protection on him.

Though I guess it's possible that he's been Awakened.

Old Knife · Oct 5, 2022

RichardWhereat said:
You've met a bunch of Catholics. Congrats. That's not every Christian priest ever. So no, you haven't met all of them. But you feel able to make broad generalisations. I have met some who say that, and worse.

Priests/christian leaders identify themselves by denomination to represent the tradition they follow.

No one identifies as a "christian priest" because it's redundant incomplete identifier. Like saying you're an "engineer who works with technology to do things".

Unless you're identifying as a "social engineer"(pick up artist) or something.... That is a really dumb way to identify yourself.

So yeah. Bruno is probably a fake priest.
Or is at least guilty of using misleading and inaccurate language to deceive in the conversation.

RichardWhereat · Oct 6, 2022

Old Knife said:
No one identifies as a "christian priest" because it's redundant incomplete identifier.

Wrong.

I have met several who identify as that so as to differentiate between denominations they do not see as Christians. They'll also call themselves Anglican, or Catholics, Methodist, and so on. But when the costume comes off and they're sitting around talking about Baptists, JoHo's, Mormons, and well, denominations they don't like? Yeah, they're calling themselves Christian Priests.

Not everything someone calls themselves is something they'd fill out on a census.

You might have only ever spent time with them in their business life, but I've spent time with a lot of them in their off hours. They can be just as judgemental and insulting as the rest of us.

DAT_NOOB · Oct 6, 2022

Ciber said:
Bls stop talking about Bruno.
We don't talk about Bruno.

NO, No, no.

john doe 777 · Oct 6, 2022

RichardWhereat said:
Wrong.

I have met several who identify as that so as to differentiate between denominations they do not see as Christians. They'll also call themselves Anglican, or Catholics, Methodist, and so on. But when the costume comes off and they're sitting around talking about Baptists, JoHo's, Mormons, and well, denominations they don't like? Yeah, they're calling themselves Christian Priests.

no they don't

Mr Zoat · Oct 6, 2022

31st December 2012
10:44 GMT -7

"I… See it in your mind."

I don't really like other people rifling through my mind, but I trust Mr. J'onzz's professionalism. And he does have more formal training than M'gann.

**[Father Bruno is a.. big bloke-.]**

Mr. J'onzz winces. "I…" **See…**

**[Father Bruno is a.. big-.]**

**[Father Bruno is a-.]**

**[Father Bruno-.]**

"**Agh.**" Mr. J'onzz's breaks contact, wincing, his flesh shifting shape as he switches back to his default form. M'gann's eyes widen in surprise.

"Uncle J'onn? Are you okay?"

"Yes. I…" He changes back to his human-seeming form, shaking his head. "I have not encountered anything quite like that before. No memory of his precise appearance exists in your mind, but there is no sign that it was removed after you saw him."

M'gann considers that for a moment. "Was he disrupting Paul's short term memory while they were talking so the memory couldn't form?"

Mr. J'onzz thinks for a moment.

"It may be possible, but I could feel nothing to indicate that anyone had touched Paul's mind at all."

"Should.. I have a go?"

"Be my guest."

Mr. J'onzz steps aside to allow M'gann physical access. She flashes me a small and reassuring smile before raising her hands to her temples. Her eyes glow, and-

**[I'd make a rude comment about them being far better adjusted-.]**

M'gann's eyes stop glowing for a moment, and she raises her eyebrows at me.

"I didn't make the comment."

"Hm." Her eyes glow once more. **It still wasn't nice.**

**But it was accurate.**

She ignores that, prodding the memory.

**[Father Bruno-.]**

She breathes in sharply, but soldiers on.

**[Father…]**

I twitch. Rather than try playing through the memory, M'gann is focusing on it, and it's… Obvious like this that the memory is incomplete. The human brain normally smoothes over irregularities, and that's a facility that telepaths take ruthless advantage of. Virtually no one walks around with a missing spot in their visual field that should be there. But right now, she's… She's making me stare at something that isn't there.

**[Father…]**

Eh. Not like I can't just get a new brain if something goes wrong with this one.

**[Father…]** **[Father…]**

M'gann's eyes dim as she shakes her head. "I can't feel anything either. What could it be?"

"My guess would be some sort of mind-effect magic. My rune stone didn't heat up, but…" I smile. "Maybe it did and I just don't remember it."

"Or they prevented you from noticing. Uncle J'onn?"

"You are sure that there is nothing wrong with their teleportation system?"

I nod. "Yes, the machinery itself is fine, and its performance is within the bounds I'd expect based on other examples of similar technology. I…" I shrug. "The place is warded so I couldn't check everything as easily as normal, but that's not a cause for concern in itself. That just shows that they're taking their security seriously."

"Then there should not be an immediate threat. I will speak with Doctor Mist, and we will seek out 'Father Bruno' to discover what he truly is. Have you noticed any lingering ill-effects?"

"No. Should I transfer my consciousness to a new body just in case?"

M'gann frowns. "Doesn't that mean that you have to die?"

"Only for a few seconds. I've got a ritual space set up to ensure that I get my full memories back almost immediately."

Mr. J'onzz shakes his head. "No. Doctor Mist may want to examine you as you are."

I nod. Dying would probably distort most of the magic traces on my body-.

"I have no idea where 'Father Bruno' is now, but I've got the exact location where this happened." Hm. "Everyone on the Justice League got an invitation, didn't they?"

"Yes, but it was decided that sending Blue Lantern as a representative would be sufficient. Several League members -including myself- have given lectures at their training seminars. None have reported meeting this 'Father Bruno', or reporting any sensations similar to what you experienced."

"Hmm. I assume you-. You'd both recognise it if you saw that sort of memory editing again?" They both nod. I take three eye drives out of subspace, putting one on myself and offering the other two to M'gann and Mr. J'onzz. "These are memory backup devices. I realise that it might offend your sense of professionalism as telepaths, but I designed them to bypass certain types of memory alteration."

Mr. J'onzz takes one in his hands and contemplates it.

"Were you wearing one during your encounter with Father Bruno?"

"Not that I remember. I've integrated the technology into my combat armour, but I… I haven't made a habit of wearing one when I'm just walking around in normal clothes."

Feels weird to be wearing glasses again, but rather that than a malfunctioning brain.

M'gann puts hers on her face. "They can't shapeshift, can they?"

"Sorry. It should be perfectly possible to create a martian version, but I never spent the time on it."

Mr. J'onzz nods. "It will suffice. I will ask Vincent Edge for a tour of the Washington facility myself and examine his mind for any irregularities. You should speak with Doctor Mist as soon as possible."

"And what about me?"

"You planned to meet your school friends this afternoon. This is not yet an emergency, merely cause for concern."

"You can come with me if you really want, but it'll probably just involve you sitting there while Doctor Balewa stares at me, then coming home again."

"Okay, but let me know if anything goes wrong. It's been a while since I felt a mental ability I couldn't understand."

"I'll write up a full report when I know what happened. Thank you both for your help."

BlackCoat13 · Oct 6, 2022

Mr Zoat said:
And he does have more formal trading than M'gann.

Training

A telepath in the stock market… well, if he needed a big influx of cash in a hurry, and didn't care about the effects…

FreeGod · Oct 6, 2022

BlackCoat13 said:
Training

A telepath in the stock market… well, if he needed a big influx of cash in a hurry, and didn't care about the effects…

Nowadays there are very few people making any decisions at the stock market. Mostly it's done online.

Mr Zoat · Oct 6, 2022

BlackCoat13 said:
Training

Thank you, corrected.

Bud-E · Oct 6, 2022

Mr Zoat said:
"I'll write up a full report when I know what happened. Thank both for your help."

Thank you both for your help...Thank both of you for your help

Chojin Patriarch · Oct 6, 2022

Mr Zoat said:
31st December 2012
10:44 GMT -7

"I… See it in your mind."

I don't really like other people rifling through my mind, but I trust Mr. J'onzz's professionalism. And he does have more formal training than M'gann.

Even if he isn't necessarily as powerful as M'Gann. Sometimes the fine scalpel of training and experience is more useful than the brute hammer-blow force of raw power. And when they're dealing with your thinking meat, that's especially important.

**[Father Bruno is a.. big bloke-.]**

Mr. J'onzz winces. "I…" **See…**

Man, that aversion must be strong.

**[Father Bruno is a.. big-.]**

**[Father Bruno is a-.]**

Ooh, looks bad. Some kind of recursive loop, or is he just rewinding over and over, trying to find the right frame...

**[Father Bruno-.]**

"**Agh.**" Mr. J'onzz's breaks contact, wincing, his flesh shifting shape as he switches back to his default form. M'gann's eyes widen in surprise.

Oh, of course the memory is booby-trapped. Or at least unpleasant enough to try and force that a telepath can't bear the strain.

"Uncle J'onn? Are you okay?"

"Yes. I…" He changes back to his human-seeming form, shaking his head. "I have not encountered anything quite like that before. No memory of his precise appearance exists in your mind, but there is no sign that it was removed after you saw him."

So, then. It seems to have been edited out live? Probably something he was wearing, then. The clerical chip, perhaps, since it'd be visible if you looked at his face.

M'gann considers that for a moment. "Was he disrupting Paul's short term memory while they were talking so the memory couldn't form?"

Mr. J'onzz thinks for a moment.

A good theory. But how to test that?

"It may be possible, but I could feel nothing to indicate that anyone had touched Paul's mind at all."

"Should.. I have a go?"

It's your brain to risk. Better have the aspirin on standby, though.

"Be my guest."

Mr. J'onzz steps aside to allow M'gann physical access. She flashes me a small and reassuring smile before raising her hands to her temples. Her eyes glow, and-

You'd think they'd learn to conceal that little visual indicator. Though it probably only happens in a deep scan like this.

**[I'd make a rude comment about them being far better adjusted-.]**

M'gann's eyes stop glowing for a moment, and she raises her eyebrows at me.

I mean, she does have better eyes than her uncle. Red-on-red is not the best look.

"I didn't make the comment."

"Hm." Her eyes glow once more. **It still wasn't nice.**

And don't think Jonn didn't pick that up either. I'm sure he has a good reason for not tweaking his look now that people are used to him...

**But it was accurate.**

She ignores that, prodding the memory.

Do you want her deleting your ability to enjoy your favourite food?

**[Father Bruno-.]**

She breathes in sharply, but soldiers on.

Well, she's got guts.

**[Father…]**

I twitch. Rather than try playing through the memory, M'gann is focusing on it, and it's… Obvious like this that the memory is incomplete. The human brain normally smoothes over irregularities, and that's a facility that telepaths take ruthless advantage of. Virtually no one walks around with a missing spot in their visual field that should be there. But right now, she's… She's making me stare at something that isn't there.

...And now I'm picturing that bit from the end of Final Fantasy 8, with Squall's memory going loopy as he tries to focus on his girlfriend's face... Only to see a black blob instead.

**[Father…]**

Eh. Not like I can't just get a new brain if something goes wrong with this one.

...You say that so casually. This is why people think you're odd.

**[Father…]** **[Father…]**

M'gann's eyes dim as she shakes her head. "I can't feel anything either. What could it be?"

Well, then. Neither the scalpel nor the hammer worked? That's some serious mojo.

"My guess would be some sort of mind-effect magic. My rune stone didn't heat up, but…" I smile. "Maybe it did and I just don't remember it."

"Or they preventing you from noticing. Uncle J'onn?"

Or it's a kind of arcane effect you aren't used to. Wonder if the Frees could offer some insight. But you're not likely to think of it, are you?

"You are sure that there is nothing wrong with their teleportation system?"

I nod. "Yes, the machinery itself is fine, and its performance is within the bounds I'd expect based on other examples of similar technology. I…" I shrug. "The place is warded so I couldn't check everything as easily as normal, but that's not a cause for concern in itself. That just shows that they're taking their security seriously."

...Or that they're trying to keep something hidden from certain people. Like you.

"Then there should not be an immediate threat. I will speak with Doctor Mist, and we will seek out 'Father Bruno' to discover what he truly is. Have you noticed any linger ill-effects?"

"No. Should I transfer my consciousness to a new body just in case?"

Oh, sure. Like refreshing a browser profile, huh?

M'gann frowns. "Doesn't that mean that you have to die?"

"Only for a few seconds. I've got a ritual space set up to ensure that I get my full memories back almost immediately."

What does it say about OL that he has to consider that contingency?

Mr. J'onzz shakes his head. "No. Doctor Mist may want to examine you as you are."

I nod. Dying would probably distort most of the magic traces on my body-.

What isn't absorbed or rendered down by your soul-making tattoos or the Heart of the Ophidian, anyway...

"I have no idea where 'Father Bruno' is now, but I've got the exact location where this happened." Hm. "Everyone on the Justice League got an invitation, didn't they?"

"Yes, but it was decided that sending Blue Lantern as a representative would be sufficient. Several League members -including myself- have given lectures at their training seminars. None have reported meeting this 'Father Bruno', or reporting any sensations similar to what you experienced."

Then again, most of them are not exactly that attentive. Would any of them realise they can't remember his face without someone else pushing them on it, like OL did to Alan?

"Hmm. I assume you-. You'd both recognise it if you saw that sort of memory editing again?" They both nod. I take three eye drives out of subspace, putting one my myself and offering the other two to M'gann and Mr. J'onzz. "These are memory backup devices. I realise that it might offend your sense of professionalism as telepaths, but I designed them to bypass certain types of memory alteration."

Mr. J'onzz takes one in his hands and contemplates it.

...Let me guess, based on the 'Doctor Who' concept. Might be a little awkward to walk around with one of those eyepatches, though.

"Were you wearing one during your encounter with Father Bruno?"

"Not that I remember. I've integrated the technology into my combat armour, but I… I haven't made a habit of wearing one when I'm just walking around in normal clothes."

...Maybe you should start.

Feels weird to be wearing glasses again, but rather that that a malfunctioning brain.

M'gann puts hers on her face. "They can't shapeshift, can they?"

Well, at least they're not too obtrusively designed.

"Sorry. It should be perfectly possible to create a martian version, but I never spent the time on it."

Mr. J'onzz nods. "It will suffice. I will ask Vincent Edge for a tour of the Washington facility myself and examine his mind for any irregularities. You should speak with Doctor Mist as soon as possible."

Hopefully without the feedback loop that you just experienced. Might make the poking about a little obvious otherwise.

"And what about me?"

"You planned to meet your school friends this afternoon. This is not yet an emergency, merely cause for concern."

And we all know how important socialising in high school is...

"You can come with me if you really want, but it'll probably just involve you sitting there while Doctor Balewa stares at me, then coming home again."

"Okay, but let me know if anything goes wrong. It's been a while since I felt a mental ability I couldn't understand."

"I'll write up a full report when I know what happened. Thank both for your help."

Wonder if the Doc will notice anything off about him. He has a little more awareness of Anti-Life and Black Light effects.

Well, one avenue of investigation runs dry. Still, there's plenty of options. I bet if Doctor Balewa doesn't find anything, John Constantine might. And sooner or later, someone's going to think of asking the Frees' opinion. I can't imagine Batman will let this go once he reads the reports, though. Perhaps the Team will find themselves being deployed in alternate heroic identities to dig deeper...

Have you noticed any linger ill-effects?"

Have you noticed any lingering ill-effects?"

I take three eye drives out of subspace, putting one my myself...

Not sure about this. Perhaps 'by'?

PepeTheFrog · Oct 6, 2022

Oh god my eyes. I just googled "Bruno DC" and the first set of images that pops up is off a blond woman with swastikas for nipples. Why do this to me DC?

moralrelativity · Oct 6, 2022

Mr Zoat said:
Or they preventing you from noticing.

preventing -> prevented
OR
they preventing -> they were preventing

RichardWhereat · Oct 6, 2022

john doe 777 said:
no they don't

Is this trolling? I hope it is, because otherwise you two are just ignorant as fuck.

Chojin Patriarch · Oct 6, 2022

PepeTheFrog said:
Oh god my eyes. I just googled "Bruno DC" and the first set of images that pops up is off a blond woman with swastikas for nipples. Why do this to me DC?

Looks like you just got a dose of... MILLER TIME!

Katillno · Oct 6, 2022

Hey I wanna reread the part Alan got his blue ring what chapter is that?

Darko · Oct 6, 2022

Mr Zoat said:
Or they preventing you from noticing. Uncle J'onn?"

"Or they're"

Mr Zoat said:
I nod. "Yes, the machinery itself is fine, and its performance is within the bounds I'd expect based on other examples of similar technology. I…" I shrug. "The place is warded so I couldn't check everything as easily as normal, but that's not a cause for concern in itself. That just shows that they're taking their security seriously."

"Then there should not be an immediate threat

Yes there is.

Mr Zoat said:
None have reported meeting this 'Father Bruno', or reporting any sensations similar to what you experienced."

Though that doesn't mean he wasn't there.

Mr Zoat said:
but rather that that a malfunctioning brain.

"rather that than a"

Belenus · Oct 6, 2022

Mr Zoat said:
I take three eye drives out of subspace, putting one my myself and offering the other two to M'gann and Mr. J'onzz.

Not sure what that's supposed to be.

Mr Zoat · Oct 6, 2022

Bud-E said:
Thank you both for your help...Thank both of you for your help

Chojin Patriarch said:
Have you noticed any lingering ill-effects?"
Not sure about this. Perhaps 'by'?

moralrelativity said:
preventing -> prevented
OR
they preventing -> they were preventing

Darko said:
"rather that than a"

Thank you, corrected.

PepeTheFrog said:
Oh god my eyes. I just googled "Bruno DC" and the first set of images that pops up is off a blond woman with swastikas for nipples. Why do this to me DC?

To teach you the perils of the internet in a disturbing but non-harmful way.

Sordid Snake · Oct 6, 2022

Mr Zoat said:
"I have nothing but respect for Father Mattias. But Father Bruno doesn't appear to exist."

That made me snicker a bit since the first half sounds like the first half of Goethe's version of the "Schwabian salute"
Probably unintended though.
But it was intended then Mr Zoat is approaching Tolkien levels of understated jokes.

CTrees · Oct 6, 2022

PepeTheFrog said:
Oh god my eyes. I just googled "Bruno DC" and the first set of images that pops up is off a blond woman with swastikas for nipples. Why do this to me DC?

She has them tattooed on her butt, too.

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

Stand up so I can push you down!

Know what you're doing yet?

At the End...

Custom Title

Experienced.

Know what you're doing yet?

hey, little Anna, you're the one

Well worn.

Aia airëa Fëanáro.

Connoisseur.

Not too sore, are you?

Aia airëa Fëanáro.

Accused of writing in a far away land

Know what you're doing yet?

Dedicated ragequitter

I trust you know where the happy button is?

If you see a God on the road fuck it!

Dedicated ragequitter

Stand up so I can push you down!

Veteran Lurker

Alt Accounts are for Alt-Tabbing

Recovering pendant.

Aia airëa Fëanáro.

Veteran Lurker

Verified Nobu fan

Connoisseur.

Versed in the lewd.

Dedicated ragequitter

(Verified Viper)

Chasing the ring

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