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

Ngamer11 · May 4, 2023

This reminds me of New Port City from Bomb Queen, a place where something was making it so that simply going there makes you a worse version of yourself. I wonder who could've done such a thing here?

Whenever Possible · May 4, 2023

Part of me wants to blame the cats, but they I realized that "Dream fuckery" might actually be why things are the way there are.

Doccer · May 4, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
you're luck, kill.

lucky, killed.

NightmareWarden · May 4, 2023

Almost like the broad strokes of how this world works were set up, but a lot of vital background details were copied and pasted in.

Darko · May 4, 2023

What Robin asked makes sense.

There was this fic I once about characters travelling to other universes and one of them was the Wanted universe.

They ended up overthrowing the Fraternity with a Justice League, the freed heroes of that universe and another universe where the Fraternity didn't exist.

Later some of the heroes were discussing how the Fraternity could continue to exist after they won.

Villains teaming up happens, but them staying together after winning doesn't happen since their personalities just can't handle that and will lead to conflict.

One reader had a theory that made the Wanted universe seem much, much worse.

The Fraternity were once the good guys.

According to them, the Fraternity used to be the heroes of that world and they tried some weird reality warping to get rid of evil for good, only for it to backfire in the worst way and turn them into evil caricatures of people.

However, they didn't turn all the way and there was still some tiny shred of good left in them.

Namely their ability to remain loyal to each other.

Wonder if something like that happened here.

Stsword · May 4, 2023

Well the actual answer as to how a society that makes no sense works anyway in DC is that they are written that way.

Although I doubt Zoat plans on the Team beating up Johns, Morrison, Rucka, and Waid.

For Zoat's sensibilities, the first thing comes to mind is that the local equivalent of Boss Smiley.

Chojin Patriarch · May 4, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
6th February 2013
14:13 GMT -5

I'm trying not to think about what I'm seeing.

One time, Paul told me about a psychologist called John Nash. He did a lot of work on things like The Prisoner Dilemma and other questions like that, things where two or more people were depending on each other but couldn't communicate with each other. He had this whole theory that if people couldn't communicate, and didn't know who it was they had to work with, then they'd have to betray each other all the time.

Hello, Artemis. Boy, that kind of attitude sounds... Like the guy had assumptions about people that didn't align with how people actually are. Assumptions that I'm guessing were wide of the mark when he actually tested them...

Only when they ran the experiments, that didn't actually happen. People don't only trust each other when they have a gun to each other's heads. When you test it, it turns out that people trust unless they've got a reason not to. Even with no way to communicate, the participants trusted each other and got the best result when Nash's theory predicted they wouldn't.

Couldn't.

Shouldn't.

Gee, it's like people are capable of working together even when they're not in direct line of sight.

Only psychopaths who can't trust anyone and economists trained to analyse risk didn't trust, and they mostly got the worst results than people who trusted each other.

According to Paul, Nash threw his toys out of the pram and said the people participating were doing it wrong.

Ah. I see. He wanted his theories proven correct. But refused to adapt when experimentation proved him wrong. He's a bad scientist.

Here, he was right.

Mitchell takes a step back from his console, shaking his head. "How does this..? Work?"

Poorly, if at all?

Ultrawoman smiles… I think she's trying to smile sadly, but it's fake. I know that smile.

"I don't know. Somehow they keep on going."

Heh. Even the super-scientist doesn't understand how it works? I'm impressed. Even in parallel universes, Earth Bullshit™ works.

They've got things that look like governments, but in most places they're really just the biggest protection rackets. Even where they're not evil, they're not much use. It's like they don't really know how to be good, and they're just kind of copying the evil ones but trying to be less evil about it. They've had dozens of nuclear wars, and it's only the fact that they don't build up as much as our Earth did that's prevented them destroying the whole planet.

...Dozens of nuclear wars, but the planet isn't a burnt cinder yet? Something seems off there.

I'm suspicious.

This isn't Earth -14. Earth -14 works. This place is crazy.

Dick hasn't stopped reading. Mitchell is trying to keep his lunch down. Fine, I'll do it them.

Interesting indeed. I have to wonder what's different between parallels that makes that possible...

"So…" She looks at me. "We're here to what, exactly?"

"Take over. We've tried implanting explosives in people to stop them doing… Regrettable things, but it doesn't work. Artificial Intelligences go rogue so fast it's not worth bothering with them. I honestly don't know why any of this… This is, but it's what we're dealing with."

Huh. People will actively self-sabotage themselves by basically committing suicide by morality chain? That... Doesn't sound like it's entirely of their own choice, then...

"So you're.. saying you're not evil?"

"No, I'm evil. But I'm the organised, rationally self-interested kind of evil. Not the feral, rabid, self-destructive sort of evil that rules here. Ideally, I'd want to live in a world where everyone else is good and law-abiding, where my natural inclinations gave me just enough of an advantage to earn myself a comfortable life without disrupting the systems that bring me that comfort. But if I have to fix… That, then I need help. Help from people like you."

She's Lawful Evil. She understands that Rules exist for a reason, and how to work around them for her own gain... The Minus Sixteeners? They're Chaotic Evil. Chaotic Stupid, even. They try to get ahead, rules or no rules, even to their own detriment? That can't be natural.

"Like..? Us..?"

And I'm not acting. I mean, it fits the act I'm supposed to be putting on, but…

You're just too shocked by this stupidity to attempt to dissemble.

This place is…

It's not Hell. There are pockets of order where the people in power force it because it's convenient for them. But-.

The effect of powerful warlords, beating heads until people get the idea... And those pockets probably don't last much past their founder's death, I'll bet.

"Why now?"

"People don't usually question what they're used to. Madmen have made portals like the ones we're using before, but, well… They were..."

Madmen. Even less stable than the rest of them?

She shrugs, looking… She's making a show of looking helpless. But not looking helpless enough that I've forgotten that she's kryptonian.

But I can play along. "They were madmen, right."

The joy of being sane in an insane world. All you can do is watch and wonder how.

"It's only recently that there's finally a… 'Top level' evil pragmatist who feels the same way that I do. Most of the people we deal with can't even understand the argument. You have no idea how nice it is to talk to kids like you."

"And you need us."

That would be Harrolds, of course. Interesting that he can understand now. No doubt an aspect of his Enlightenment...

"You need to understand what we're trying to do, and be strong enough that you're… 'Death-resistant'."

"Because even with you and your boss supporting it, people will still try and kill us anyway."

That's pretty much a given, I suppose.

"Yes." She nods. "If you're luck, kill. You wouldn't believe what some people will do to avoid having to ask for things politely."

"O-kay. Ah. That sounds like… Something we could do? But you've got portals going to our Earth. I don't think having everyone exposed to the Anti-Life is gunna improve things."

...Honestly, Anti-Life might calm these shits down. If only by rendering them incapable of acting independently, which seems to be their big issue...

"That's what our local partner does for us."

"That's… Mistress, right?"

Ah, good, back on track. Information gathering!

"She and her people instinctively know who carries an infection with them, and who is just affected by it."

"But she could just tell them to send people through-."

Ah, there's the rub. Remember that little thought you had earlier?

"She could. Have you heard of something called 'The Prisoner Dilemma'?"

"Yeah. Except there were different versions and only some of them give the best results by both people trusting each other. This only works if whoever you're dealing with thinks the same way. And you're assuming that Mistress knows enough about the Anti-Life to keep her end of the bargain even if she wants to."

And that she's in control of herself enough to not be dancing to someone else's song.

"And yet we haven't had a single living transmitter sent through." She's still smiling, and it's getting a bit news anchory. "Though that might just be because the Anti-Life doesn't work here, I don't want to take a chance on that."

"Okay? So, we're obviously gunna wanna check out what you've said, but… If it's.. true? What do you actually want us doing?"

...Oooh, that's a consideration. What if the nature of the Anti-Life Equation is different in each universe, matter and anti-matter? This Earth is already such a shithole that the Anti-Life of Earth Sixteen would be... Tuesday.

"Honestly, I wasn't expecting to get candidates as promising as you this quickly. All we've set up for is unpowered people. But you want to see where the other people we brought through are working, don't you?"

I nod, glancing at Dick to see if he's finished yet.

I suppose that'll be helpful...

"Yeah, we-."

"This doesn't make sense."

Eh? What's Dick found?

Ultrawoman nods. "I realise that it's a lot to take in-."

"No, I mean-. These dates, a lot of them, are basically the same as the dates in our world. The first powered flight happened on the same day!"

...That seems highly improbable.

Seriously, what?

I frown. "Okay, that's… Weird, but-."

"The Wright Brothers were able to make the plane they did because of people sharing data. People investing in things that weren't weapons and might not pay off. None of those underlying motives work here. Right?"

...How did it even work here? Would they have been operating on, what, 'I'll show them! I'll show them all!' mode?

I shrug, shaking my head. I wouldn't have thought so, but if it happened on the same day then-.

"People here don't share… Scientific data. But just about every major discovery happened at the same time."

...Suspicion growing. This can't be natural, can it?

That can't be-. "Really?"

"And if the people behave that differently, why do the same countries exist? The Founding Fathers of America had strong beliefs about how a country should be run. Why is there even an America here? And there are loads of extra wars, but the population isn't much lower than ours!"

Consider how often 'What if Britain won the Revolutionary War?' has shown up in What-if scenario comics? History turns on a knifepoint. Even a small variance can result in great changes... Unless something's been playing games with it.

"Well, there's the Sheeda and then the Anti-Life…"

"They have nuclear wars. Plural."

And yet the planet isn't engulfed by Nuclear Winter, is it?

"Okay, so..? What does that mean?"

"I don't know." He looks at Ultrawoman, who looks confused. That's the first natural expression I've seen her make. "But I think you might need to find out."

It's amazing what a fresh pair of eyes can see, when they look in from the outside.

So... Something's been playing cosmic games with Earth Minus Sixteen, making its history proceed just like the positive version despite the impossibility of its people being incapable of producing the same world. I get the feeling the Multiverse has a reason for it being that way... So let's hope someone find out what that reason is.

Ganurath · May 4, 2023

Sure, that might be the history of Earth -16 now, but what was it like before the Anti-Monitor's rampage?

Duke Long · May 4, 2023

It makes sense for even selfish agents to cooperate, since Defect-Defect is the worst outcome, and it can be avoided simply by the vast majority of people in the multiverse choosing Cooperate. Also, for Mistress for example, in the counterfactual multiverse where the antimatter people completely expected her to Defect, they wouldn't have bothered to open the portal to her.
Or something. I'm just thinking about some decision theory shit I remember hearing, I could be completely wrong.

I'm still somewhat surprised Mistress is cooperating, though.

Darko · May 4, 2023

Duke Long said:
I'm still somewhat surprised Mistress is cooperating, though.

They're either giving her something, or a part of her is trying to help them get out.

Mr Zoat · May 4, 2023

Doccer said:
lucky, killed.

Thank you, corrected.

Darko said:
What Robin asked makes sense.

There was this fic I once about characters travelling to other universes and one of them was the Wanted universe.

They ended up overthrowing the Fraternity with a Justice League, the freed heroes of that universe and another universe where the Fraternity didn't exist.

Later some of the heroes were discussing how the Fraternity could continue to exist after they won.

Villains teaming up happens, but them staying together after winning doesn't happen since their personalities just can't handle that and will lead to conflict.

One reader had a theory that made the Wanted universe seem much, much worse.

The Fraternity were once the good guys.

According to them, the Fraternity used to be the heroes of that world and they tried some weird reality warping to get rid of evil for good, only for it to backfire in the worst way and turn them into evil caricatures of people.

However, they didn't turn all the way and there was still some tiny shred of good left in them.

Namely their ability to remain loyal to each other.

Wonder if something like that happened here.

I thought that the explanation from the original comic was perfectly adequate. The most powerful ones mostly avoid each other and the reality warping system deals with any issues generated by the rest.

Assblaster5000 · May 4, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
"They have nuclear wars. Plural."

That is... it's not the most obvious sign of background fuckery going on, but the industrial consequences of that are immense. They just shouldn't be able to make the electronics and stuff they'd need for a modern industry from all the radiological materials in the atmosphere. The amount of Cobalt-60 around alone would make basically any form of nuclear research all but impossible, and yet they have seemingly the same level of development everywhere technologically, while also retaining the capacity to produce all the especially finnicky bits that would go into things like portals to other universes and all the other comic book tech, that a baryonic matter universe has.

Whoever or whatever is doing this isn't even trying to be subtle about things at that point. They'd absolute have to be doing something to make this world work industrially, either by bringing in raw materials from somewhere else without anyone noticing or cleaning up the native stock somehow, all without a single person they couldn't silence noticing ever.

Mr Zoat · May 4, 2023

Chojin Patriarch said:
...Dozens of nuclear wars, but the planet isn't a burnt cinder yet? Something seems off there. I'm suspicious.

Not necessarily. 'Nuke' isn't a yield, it's just the mechanism by which that yield is acheived. I vaguely remember seeing a proof a few years ago which demonstrated that a suitcase nuke set off in the middle of Central Park wouldn't break the windows of the buildings around the edge of the park.

WereDragon · May 4, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
6th February 2013
14:13 GMT -5

Intriguing.
Ultrawoman is being a rational actor, doing sensible things for the position she is in. Unfortunately she is in a setting that only exists, let alone functions, because of cosmic fiat. There really isn't a way to be prepared for the outside context problem of your entire context not actually working without outside interference.

moralrelativity · May 4, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
Fine, I'll do it them.

them -> then

Mr Zoat said:
The Prisoner Dilemma'

Prisoner -> Prisoners -- unless that's just a difference between these universes

Vaermina · May 4, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
"I don't know." He looks at Ultrawoman, who looks confused. That's the first natural expression I've seen her make. "But I think you might need to find out."

There shouldn't be anything to find out.

At least, not for anybody other then Ambush Bug and Mr Nobody.

iamnuff · May 4, 2023

Probably some kind of resonance effect.
Ensuring parallel results even with vastly different inputs.

I imagine the justification is 'the evil Wright brothers did some theft and dirt that resulted in the same outcome as the positive 16 brothers got, on the same date.

Mr Zoat · May 4, 2023

moralrelativity said:
them -> then
Prisoner -> Prisoners -- unless that's just a difference between these universes

Thank you, corrected.

Laharn · May 4, 2023

maybe the -16 is more conected to 16 than we tink, our it's a Boss Smily situation.

Ardy · May 4, 2023

I'm now curious if earth-16 has had like, half of the US states have different names and the SI hasn't noticed because he didn't bother learning them back in earth prime

Mr Zoat · May 4, 2023

Ardy said:
I'm now curious if earth-16 has had like, half of the US states have different names and the SI hasn't noticed because he didn't bother learning them back in earth prime

Deseret's a real state, right?

Coda · May 4, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
Deseret's a real state, right?

It could have been, yeah.

iamnuff said:
Probably some kind of resonance effect.
Ensuring parallel results even with vastly different inputs.

In the Many Worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics, nothing says that apparently-independent parts of the wavefunction can't still interfere with each other.

Radix · May 5, 2023

Nash wasn't a psychologist, he was a mathematician and economist.

Wheenesss · May 5, 2023

... I might have missed an episode a while ago, but I wonder how Kara and New Kara are reacting to the whole Anti-Life infection?

Prince Charon · May 5, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
Only psychopaths who can't trust anyone and economists trained to analyse risk didn't trust, and they mostly got the worst results than people who trusted each other.

Radix said:
Nash wasn't a psychologist, he was a mathematician and economist.

Well, I think I see the answer to why he thought people would work like that.

Mr Zoat · May 5, 2023

4th November 1999
10:22 GMT

"A banshee, you say?" Percival leans on his garden spade, pausing his work in edging the garden borders. "That's a strange thing indeed. Was she there under duress, do you think?"

I shake my head, enjoying the sensation of rain pelting down against my environmental shield. After hanging around to watch 'Nicolas Logan' poke around the original ambush site for a bit, I decided to come home.

Home. No, I… It's still… Not. I'm a little more comfortable than I… Was, but it's still just a boarding room. Sorting out… Finding somewhere to live long-term is still…

Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans, I suppose.

"There was no sign of it. No explosives on her body or anything like that."

He smiles. "Looking at her body, were y'?"

"Not like that."

And… That's another issue. I live in rural Northern Ireland. The local people accept that I 'work fer the wee fellah', but I… Their friendliness is really bringing home how much my social skills have decayed since college. Not… To the point where I've managed to offend a Catholic village in rural Ireland enough to drive them to report my obviously English self to the Real IRA, but… I can't help but feel that I'm not really integrating. Any time they ask about the work I do… Just being friendly, not trying to interrogate me or anything like that… I don't want to lie, but I also don't want to be sectioned.

I ended up settling on 'helping him write his memoirs', which is effectively true as I end up frantically noting down everything he dredges up from his extremely long memory.

"Well, the banshees don't really hate humans. They're just no' so keen on technology. Would you say that the agent she was with was the handsome sort?"

I.. consider that for a moment.

"Yes? Is..? That something banshees do?"

"Oooh yes." Percival grins to himself. "That they do."

"How? I mean, they're an alien species. There shouldn't be any evolutionary history in common."

"What of it? Breed with monkeys, can y'?"

"I've got more in common with monkeys genetically than I do.. with…"

I regard my decidedly humanoid employer for a moment.

"I'm suddenly reminded that your species is the oldest in the universe. And we're the same shape. Is there something that you want to admit to?"

"Ah… Well, I'm no' quite sure how it works, but intelligent species have tended to end up the same shape as us. Fer yer reference, human and banshee is a viable pairing."

"How about human-siren?"

He frowns. "I don't really know. Let me know how it goes. But about yon banshee. Did ye happen to catch her neem?"

"No. Looked… Late teens. White hair. Black catsuit-."

"Hah! I'll no' blame you for taking a look, then. And don't be putting much stock in her looks."

"Sage advice. I'm aware that there's far more to a relationship-."

"No, no-." He rolls his eyes. "Yes, but what I mean to say is that banshees live a while longer than humans do. She could be in her teens, if her muther found herself a man, but I'd wager she's a while older. You didnae get into a fight with her, did y'?"

"She shot me once when I threatened the agent she was with. She was then willing to translate my sign language for him, so I don't think she bore a grudge."

"Good to know. Y' didnae get her name by any chance, did y'?"

"No, sorry. Do think you know her?"

"Eh… Show me a construct and I'll let yeh know."

I focus my mind on the woman I saw, straining to remember what I saw and not what I imagined or associated. The resulting construct… I think that's-.

I think that's right, and I think that Percival just breathed a sigh of relief.

"No, I can't roightly say I do. But… Eh. D'you think that's an end t' things?"

"I think that the Alliance will assess risks slightly differently now that they know I'm around. But the Alliance is still around and aliens are still on Earth without being able to either leave or integrate. So nothing's over."

He exhales slowly, with a little tiredness added in.

"If it'd be any help, I got… Eh… I've got a little token, fer getting through their stone circles. Yeh could pay them a wee visit."

"Is that allowed? I got the impression that they didn't think much of other people."

"It's like visiting anyone else's home. Bring them a little gift, be polite, and leave before they get tired o' you."

"Like a..? Fruit basket?"

"A book's probably better. They have trouble gettin' int' town, what with their allergies. Something on astronomy, maybe."

I nod. "Okay. It's worth knowing who she is. See if I can use her as a contact. And just getting in touch with Queen Mab would probably be useful." Hm. "Anything I particularly need to avoid doing?"

"Nothing yer actually likely t'do. Don't touch the tree."

"Is there any particular social ritual regarding meeting the queen?"

"No' so much. She's a queen, but she's queen in the old Irish sense."

"Okay?"

"Y'rule three farms and a bog an' y'kin call yerself 'queen'." He shakes his head. "She knows she's no' really in charge o' all that much. Don't insult her and you'll be fine."

"Book on astronomy, don't be a prat, got it. Any idea who those other people were?"

"When yeh say 'people'-?"

"Non-humans. I don't want to call them aliens because for all I know they were born here, and I suspect that alien-status is going to be something that I'm going to argue about with the Alliance."

"No idea. Fauns and goblins and whatnot don't have bad blood, not that I know about." He frowns. "If you'd be asking for my best guess, it's that the world's gettin' smaller an' they're all lookin' fer ways to stay out of the Alliance's way."

"No idea who's in charge, then?"

"None at all." He smiles. "Though after the show you put on last night, maybe it's you?"

moralrelativity · May 5, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
"None at all." He smiles. "Though after the show you put on last night, maybe it's you?"

I'm getting to really like Percival.

Chojin Patriarch · May 5, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
4th November 1999
10:22 GMT

"A banshee, you say?" Percival leans on his garden spade, pausing his work in edging the garden borders. "That's a strange thing indeed. Was she there under duress, do you think?"

I shake my head, enjoying the sensation of rain pelting down against my environmental shield. After hanging around to watch 'Nicolas Logan' poke around the original ambush site for a bit, I decided to come home.

Ah, Roswaul. Cooling off, handling an informal debriefing, topping off his Ring charge... And having discreetly observed the 'heroes' from a safe distance. Sensible, though I suspect it'll be hard to dig deeper than a name to put to his face at this stage of the Internet.

Home. No, I… It's still… Not. I'm a little more comfortable than I… Was, but it's still just a boarding room. Sorting out… Finding somewhere to live long-term is still…

Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans, I suppose.

And before you know it you've been living there for years, and you wonder just when it stopped being jsut a place you stayed.

"There was no sign of it. No explosives on her body or anything like that."

He smiles. "Looking at her body, were y'?"

"Not like that."

After all, he's not dead. And I suspect an early-insertion Paul would have been finding Nick just as... interesting to look at.

And… That's another issue. I live in rural Northern Ireland. The local people accept that I 'work fer the wee fellah', but I… Their friendliness is really bringing home how much my social skills have decayed since college. Not… To the point where I've managed to offend a Catholic village in rural Ireland enough to drive them to report my obviously English self to the Real IRA, but… I can't help but feel that I'm not really integrating. Any time they ask about the work I do… Just being friendly, not trying to interrogate me or anything like that… I don't want to lie, but I also don't want to be sectioned.

Not that they could hold you for long. Unless you were very unlucky with the timing of a snatch'n'grab.

I ended up settling on 'helping him write his memoirs', which is effectively true as I end up frantically noting down everything he dredges up from his extremely long memory.

"Well, the banshees don't really hate humans. They're just no' so keen on technology. Would you say that the agent she was with was the handsome sort?"

...Not keen on technology? I'm guessing they have issues with certain densities of electromagnetic fields, hmm? Like, say, the sort that would form around 'cold iron'?

I.. consider that for a moment.

"Yes? Is..? That something banshees do?"

...Ha. I figured he was a little interested in Nicky too. The series' artstyle is very early-2000's, all simple digital animation sharp edges, but he is a handsome guy.

"Oooh yes." Percival grins to himself. "That they do."

"How? I mean, they're an alien species. There shouldn't be any evolutionary history in common."

Two words: ~~Ultimate Shipper~~. Life Entity. If it thinks they're cute together, they will be able to get together.

"What of it? Breed with monkeys, can y'?"

"I've got more in common with monkeys genetically than I do.. with…"

...Ah, the old rub. Why do so many species in the universe look kind of human?

Especially in live-action shows.

I regard my decidedly humanoid employer for a moment.

"I'm suddenly reminded that your species is the oldest in the universe. And we're the same shape. Is there something that you want to admit to?"

Then again, I've read stories where it's implied the ancient human-like alien kind of bent the universe's 'morphogenic field' into their shape by accident. A 'Doctor Who' story, I think...

"Ah… Well, I'm no' quite sure how it works, but intelligent species have tended to end up the same shape as us. Fer yer reference, human and banshee is a viable pairing."

"How about human-siren?"

After all, human-centric setting, it's easy to assume our body shape is ideal for our way of life. Even when it's not really.

He frowns. "I don't really know. Let me know how it goes. But about yon banshee. Did ye happen to catch her neem?"

"No. Looked… Late teens. White hair. Black catsuit-."

'Late Teens' isn't a guarantee of youth for long-lived species, Roswaul. If your friend there wanted to he could look like a five-year-old.

"Hah! I'll no' blame you for taking a look, then. And don't be putting much stock in her looks."

"Sage advice. I'm aware that there's far more to a relationship-."

Still, it helps to be able to bear looking your partner in the face.

"No, no-." He rolls his eyes. "Yes, but what I mean to say is that banshees live a while longer than humans do. She could be in her teens, if her muther found herself a man, but I'd wager she's a while older. You did'ne get into a fight with her, did y'?"

"She shot me once when I threaten the agent she was with. She was then willing to translate my sign language for him, so I don't think she bore a grudge."

And you getting shot is hardly a deal-breaker.

"Good to know. Y' didnae get her name by any chance, did y'?"

"No, sorry. Do think you know her?"

Now wouldn't that be a fun 'Small world, eh?' moment?

"Eh… Show me a construct and I'll let yeh know."

I focus my mind on the woman I saw, straining to remember what I saw and not what I imagined or associated. The resulting construct… I think that's-.

And yes, human visual memory is not as reliable as you might think it would be. Surprised he doesn't have his Ring recording audio-visual material, for evidential purposes.

I think that's right, and I think that Percival just breathed a sigh of relief.

"No, I can't roightly say I do. But… Eh. D'you think that's an end t' things?"

...Methinks there might be something for him to admit to. Admittedly, it might have been centuries ago. A wild fling, perhaps. Even the most chaste Maltusian can have wants.

"I think that the Alliance will assess risks slightly differently now that they know I'm around. But the Alliance is still around and aliens are still on Earth without being able to either leave or integrate. So nothing's over."

He exhales slowly, with a little tiredness added in.

On the other hand... You did kill one of their men. 'Defense of another' or not, I don't think they're going to let that pass easily.

"If it'd be any help, I got… Eh… I've got a little token, fer getting through their stone circles. Yeh could pay them a wee visit."

"Is that allowed? I got the impression that they didn't think much of other people."

I mean... If you keep the armour on, they might just treat you as the Green Knight himself.

"It's like visiting anyone else's home. Bring them a little gift, be polite, and leave before they get tired o' you."

"Like a..? Fruit basket?"

...And don't agree to anything, no matter how innocent-sounding or insignificant? Or are they a little more relaxed than those kid of Fae?

"A book's probably better. They have trouble gettin' int' town, what with their allergies. Something on astronomy, maybe."

I nod. "Okay. It's worth knowing who she is. See if I can use her as a contract. And just getting in touch with Queen Mab would probably be useful." Hm. "Anything I particularly need to avoid doing?"

Seriously, dealing with the Fair Folk can be a minefield, depending on the kind.

"Nothing yer actually likely t'do. Don't touch the tree."

"Is there any particular social ritual regarding meeting the queen?"

Oh, I'm sure there's lots of protocol. The question is, how much can you skip by being the Emerald Knight?

"No' so much. She's a queen, but she's queen in the old Irish sense."

"Okay?"

"Y'rule three farms and a bog an' y'kin call yerself 'queen'." He shakes his head. "She knows she's no' really in charge o' all that much. Don't insult her and you'll be fine."

Indeed, 'King' and 'Queen' are fairly common and generic titles for leaders of any area. Chivalric tradition is what makes us think it's a big deal.

"Book on astronomy, don't be a prat, got it. Any idea who those other people were?"

"When yeh say 'people'-?"

Heh. Got to be precise, Roswaul. After all, just because their species wasn't born on Earth...

"Non-humans. I don't want t call them aliens because for all I know they were born here, and I suspect that alien-status is going to be something that I'm going to argue about with the Alliance."

"No idea. Fauns and goblins and whatnot don't have bad blood, not that I know about." He frowns. "If you'd be asking for my best guess, it's that the world's gettin' smaller an' they're all lookin' fer ways to stay out of the Alliance's way."

...A very astute summation of the issue. The more connected the world became over the years, the smaller it feels. Especially since the beginning of the Space Age.

"No idea who's in charge, then?"

"None at all." He smiles. "Though after the show you put on last night, maybe it's you?"

He's certainly got the power to manage it. Albeit at Percival's discretion.

A very calm little discussion, I see. I expect Roswaul's already had the 'I killed someone' talk with Percival before they got this far. And I can see the old fellow being very sensible about it. Meanwhile, some good points about matters raised. One short fight isn't going to make any of the issues at hand go away. And someone will have to stand up for the folks in harm's way... Looks like Roswaul's going to be doing this job for a long time.

Darko · May 5, 2023

Chojin Patriarch said:
Two words: ~~Ultimate Shipper~~. Life Entity. If it thinks they're cute together, they will be able to get together.

And if that's not the case then it's possible the Maltusians or someone else fiddled with the genes.

Chojin Patriarch said:
Ah, the old rub. Why do so many species in the universe look kind of human? Especially in live-action shows.

Usually because of some ancient precursor race.

In Star Trek it was that humanoid race that seeded various worlds, in Star Wars the Force may have played a part, plus the Rakata and others, in Marvel it's usually the Celestials etc.

And in DC it was the Maltusians and their connection to the Life Entity.

Chojin Patriarch said:
And yes, human visual memory is not as reliable as you might think it would be. Surprised he doesn't have his Ring recording audio-visual material, for evidential purposes

I think his AI may be weak.

woweed · May 5, 2023

Darko said:
In Star Trek it was that humanoid race that seeded various worlds,

The Forerunners. And, technically, given that, calling them humanoid is inaccurare: more accurately, Star Trek humans are Forerunner-oid.

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

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