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

Assblaster5000 · Jul 27, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
Superman and Mickey Mouse should have been public domain decades ago. You'll note that they aren't.

That's copy right extension via lobbying, not altering a Supreme Court ruling. The latter is significantly more public, especially with AI being such a hot topic now.

Also more likely to be opposed by big names and money since a significant percentage of rather wealthy folks in Hollywood, including several actors and directors, are directly against writers not getting paid properly. Trying to remove the profession entirely is just going to make everyone with a brain realise that they're next.

Ardy · Jul 27, 2023

Let's quit it with the rule 8 stuff before we have to move to ANOTHER site, guys

Duke Long · Jul 27, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
Ahri'ahn looks a little more weathered than he did when he attacked Abberance, but glowing steams of water are already looping around his forearms as I form a fusion cannon in my left-

'streams'?

Mr Zoat said:
He dances to the side, body momentarily shifting into water as Luna teleport in behind him and swings her spear!

'teleports'

Mr Zoat said:
Unfortunately he's also throwing off Luna's curse. His hair darkens to his original brown and his flesh becomes a little more vibrant.

Ah, so that was a curse. I just assumed he was doing something weird to power up, like desiccating himself to get water or something.

Vaermina · Jul 27, 2023

Agumentic said:
Sword of the Fallen really is such a narratively convenient weapon. You can kill as many people as you want, and then if the plot needs them, they can just reincarnate as necessary.

It's actually not.

Because each time you kill someone with it you set their power floating off into the ether for anyone with the ability to seize for their own.

Mr Zoat · Jul 27, 2023

Enochi said:
There were plenty of people around and none of they even spoke to her. Instead, it was Ryan who got all the admiration.

That there's a difference between the actual real world and the 'real world' shown in Barbie.

Duke Long said:
'streams'?
'teleports'

Thank you, corrected.

Rafin · Jul 27, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
No, because Ahri'ahn is dangerous enough that he's going to prioritise hunting him down while he's still mundane.

Sure, but that could have been coordinated with all the people that couldn't join this fight due to the Dream effect. Or just a couple he trusts to aid him during the now much more easy assimilation process. Either way, capture and knowledge extraction is much easier and killing becomes optional enough that someone like Orin or Luna would have a different opinion on the whole thing.

Mr Zoat · Jul 28, 2023

Prep Time

15th February 2013
08:55 GMT -5

I nod as another wave of crew teleport up, the crew chief stepping forward to hand out orders. I give them a scan but I don't really expect… Lex Luthor to try anything. Because these are LexCorps employees with backgrounds in aeronautics, the space program or electronics, and they're the most mentally stable of the survivors.

Truggs isn't greeting them. Because that's something that could be used to prove prior collaboration, and Truggs has a long record of criminality.

Just a couple of things to take care of before I head back down to Earth.

I press the activation button on my pilfered Dhorian communicator. "Mister Standing Bear, are you occupied?"

"You want to talk?"

"Seems like a good time."

"There is no good time. I'm in my barrack."

"Be with you in a few moments."

It's not practical for us to replace the lift in the prison ship, but we captured this ship entirely undamaged. It's… Well, it's obviously not Maltusian quality, but the build is decent. Some of the signage was clearly designed for people with non-standard eyes, but otherwise it needs no work to make it habitable for humans. Kadabra's busy adding Earth languages to the control system so that people without power rings can actually use it. Fortunately, the Dhorians aren't advanced enough to use anything really weird, or biologically different enough to perceive things differently to have an inhuman control scheme.

Lex's people will adapt.

Mr. Standing Bear picked quarters as far away from everyone else as possible. He said something about not having anything to contribute now that the fighting is over, but I wouldn't have to be an empath to know that was rubbish. Dhorian soldiers had communal sleeping areas, and the officers had fold-away bunks in their offices. Mr. Standing Bear is so big that he had to push three beds together.

I knock on the door, and it opens.

He's taken his helmet and amulet off and stuck them on a shelf in the room's cupboard, doors open so that it's in view the whole time. The man himself is standing at parade rest at the foot of his freshly made bed. Well, I am an officer, so I suppose that's a reasonable approach to take.

"Let's get this out of the way. Eiling implied something about a funeral?"

His face hardens. "Yes."

"What happened?"

"I got acquitted. Army paid me to leave anyway."

"Right, but acquitted of what?"

"Murder. Man came at my squad with a gun. Shot him dead, bullets kept going and hit the people behind him. Three died."

"How does that relate to a funeral?"

"They came from a funeral. Didn't like American soldiers being near it. We were ordered to be there in case trouble broke out. It did."

"Sounds like military thinking to me." I bow my head slightly. "You got off because there was a clear and present danger. If he hadn't wanted to get shot then he shouldn't have drawn a gun. It's unfortunate that anyone else got hurt, but that's what happens when you draw a gun in a crowd."

"That's what my lawyer said. Didn't change much. Too many people decided to blame me."

I don't need to look particularly deep to understand the issue. The army gave him structure that was missing from the rest of his life. With the army gone, he didn't have anything. His friends were other soldiers, his family… I'm not seeing strong bonds there.

"You're assigned as security for this ship for the duration of this crisis. After we're done… I don't know if you're interested, but I suspect that Eiling will be able to find work for a man of your talents. If he isn't, I can."

"Mm."

"If you want to talk to anyone about-"

His face, which had been relaxing slightly, hardens up again.

"-your experiences under the Anti-Life, I'm effectively a chaplain. Or I can find someone else, if you prefer."

"As long as I don't have to go back to Earth, I'm just fine."

I'm sceptical, but there isn't anything to be gained by pushing him at this point.

"As you will. Thank you for speaking with me-. Oh, is there..? Anyone you want me to get in touch with? Tell them-."

"No."

"I see."

Honestly, it's more surprising that some organisation or other didn't pick him before now.

I turn and head out of the door. I've got a meeting set up with Batman and Mister Atom, but they're both very busy people and can't just drop everything to speak with me. I need to fix my rings at some point, but I've got no real idea how to do that.

I raise my right fist as I walk down the corridor.

"Ring, contact Controller Hinon."

Nothing happens for a moment, then a sort of static-laden crackling construct appears. That… Might be Hinon, I suppose.

"Controller Hin-"

The image collapses.

"-on?"

Now, radio communication works fine. I was able to notify Guy what had happened without any difficulty. Is range a problem? It shouldn't be. The orange light? Did the contamination get further than I though? Don't know, don't know. I can't just ask Guy to try with his ring because they're blocked from long range communication by the Guardians due to the potential for Anti-Life contamination. Alan should-.

"Hey." Tuppence is waiting by the lift entrance, looking… Pensive? It's not a normal expression for her.

"Hello Tuppence. How have you been?"

Her eyes narrow lightly. "What's that suppose ta mean?"

"It means you've been stuck in an environment with the Anti-Life for a prolonged period of time and I'm concerned about you."

She holds my gaze suspiciously for a moment before looking away. "Sorry."

"It's fine. Ah. Do you want me to put a privacy shield up?"

She shakes her head. "No."

"Is Thomas alright?"

She shakes her head again, but her face come up to meet my eyes again. "Nah, he's fahn. Last I saw him, anyways. Lahks bein' a heero."

"And you?"

"Got a voice in mah head, tellin' me ah'm a simple-minded killuh. An' ah don't think it's wrong. Only thing that troubled me 'boud this whole thang is when ah couldn't kill someone."

And I can see the need in her. Now that she's started talking, she wants to keep going, to unburden herself.

"Why don't we.. go to my quarters, where we can get some privacy? I can even magic up some of that cold tea you people like so much?"

Darko · Jul 28, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
amulet off and stuck the on a

"stuck them"

Vaermina · Jul 28, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
Now, radio communication works fine. I was able to notify Guy what had happened without any difficulty. Is range a problem? It shouldn't be. The orange light? Did the contamination get further than I though? Don't know, don't know. I can't just ask Guy to try with his ring because they're blocked from long range communication by the Guardians due to the potential for Anti-Life contamination. Alan should-.

"Hey." Tuppence is waiting by the lift entrance, looking… Pensive? It's not an normal expression for her.

"Hello Tuppence. How have you been?"

LePaul the goldfish strikes again.

Mr Zoat said:
"Why don't we.. go to my quarters, where we can get some privacy? I can even magic up some of that cold tea you people like so much?"

Because this is totally more important then the potential Anti-Life contamination of the Orange Light.

Ngamer11 · Jul 28, 2023

Vaermina said:
LePaul the goldfish strikes again.

Because this is totally more important then the potential Anti-Life contamination of the Orange Light.

He can't fix his rings and can't contact anyone who could do so either, so he's working on problems he can solve for now.

Chojin Patriarch · Jul 28, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
Prep Time

15th February 2013
08:55 GMT -5

I nod as another wave of crew teleport up, the crew chief stepping forward to hand out orders. I give them a scan but I don't really expect… Lex Luthor to try anything. Because these are LexCorps employees with backgrounds in aeronautics, the space program or electronics, and they're the most mentally stable of the survivors.

Still a big risk, letting Lex's people have access to the ships. Never know what hidden, ears-only orders they might have been given, even knowing OL would check their psyches too. But if they're the best you've got access to, then needs must...

Truggs isn't greeting them. Because that's something that could be used to prove prior collaboration, and Truggs has a long record of criminality.

Just a couple of things to take care of before I head back down to Earth.

No big rush, after all. They've managed so far without you around, a couple of hours won't really hurt, will it?

I press the activation button on my pilfered Dhorian communicator. "Mister Standing Bear, are you occupied?"

"You want to talk?"

Pity he can't access military records, but those are probably in lockdown because of the crisis.

"Seems like a good time."

"There is no good time. I'm in my barrack."

"Be with you in a few moments."

Just enough time for a military man to prepare his bunk...

It's not practical for us to replace the lift in the prison ship, but we captured this ship entirely undamaged. It's… Well, it's obviously not Maltusian quality, but the build is decent. Some of the signage was clearly designed for people with non-standard eyes, but otherwise it needs no work to make it habitable for humans. Kadabra's busy adding Earth languages to the control system so that people without power rings can actually use it. Fortunately, the Dhorians aren't advanced enough to use anything really weird, or biologically different enough to perceive things differently to have an inhuman control scheme.

Though I'm kind of surprised there aren't emergency ladders or a secondary lift in the prison ship. Or are they how people are getting around over there right now?

Lex's people will adapt.

Mr. Standing Bear picked quarters as far away from everyone else as possible. He said something about not having anything to contribute now that the fighting is over, but I wouldn't have to be an empath to know that was rubbish. Dhorian soldiers had communal sleeping areas, and the officers had fold-away bunks in their officers. Mr. Standing Bear is so big that he had to push three beds together.

Well, that can't be too comfortable. Probably just how he likes it...

I knock on the door, and it opens.

He's taken his helmet and amulet off and stuck the on a shelf in the room's cupboard, doors open so that it's in view the whole time. The man himself is standing at parade rest at the foot of his freshly made bed. Well, I am an officer, so I suppose that's a reasonable approach to take.

At ease, soldier. You're acting like this is a formal inspection...

"Let's get this out of the way. Eiling implied something about a funeral?"

His face hardens. "Yes."

Finding out the local backstory, eh? I suppose curiosity is a simple drive...

"What happened?"

"I got acquitted. Army paid me to leave anyway."

Ah, not a formal 'dishonorable discharge' on paper, but he clearly considers it to be.

"Right, but acquitted of what?"

"Murder. Man came at my squad with a gun. Shot him dead, bullets kept going and hit the people behind him. Three died."

...Oops. Yeah, that'd just about do it. Compassionate fellow, if he's taking it this hard...

"How does that relate to a funeral?"

"They came from a funeral. Didn't like American soldiers being near it. We were ordered to be there in case trouble broke out. It did."

Judiciously avoiding commenting on where this happened, but really, throw a dart at any map...

"Sounds like military thinking to me." I bow my head slightly. "You got off because there was a clear and present danger. If he hadn't wanted to get shot then he shouldn't have drawn a gun. It's unfortunate that anyone else got hurt, but that's what happens when you draw a gun in a crowd."

"That's what my lawyer said. Didn't change much. Too many people decided to blame me."

Including yourself? Be glad, that 's what makes you a better man than Eiling.

I don't need to look particularly deep to understand the issue. The army gave him structure that was missing from the rest of his life. With the army gone, he didn't have anything. His friends were other soldiers, his family… I'm not seeing strong bonds there.

"You're assigned as security for this ship for the duration of this crisis. After we're done… I don't know if you're interested, but I suspect that Eiling will be able to find work for a man of your talents. If he isn't, I can."

...Wonder if he can manage to channel Compassion well enough to fire up a Ring?

"Mm."

"If you want to talk to anyone about-"

His face, which had been relaxing slightly, hardens up again.

That'll be a 'no', then.

"¬-your experiences under the Anti-Life, I'm effectively a chaplain. Or I can find someone else, if you prefer."

"As long as I don't have to go back to Earth, I'm just fine."

Sounds like he could benefit from a job with LEGION. Even if his magical amulet doesn't work outside the Solar system, he's still a damn large man.

I'm sceptical, but there isn't anything to be gained by pushing him at this point.

"As you will. Thank you for speaking with me-. Oh, is there..? Anyone you want me to get in touch with? Tell them-."

Know when to give up, OL. I don't think he wants to be 'fixed' right now.

"No."

"I see."

Honestly, it's more surprising that some organisation or other didn't pick him before now.

Probably because he hasn't really made a name for himself. And honestly, some organisations, you don't want him joining.

I turn and head out of the door. I've got a meeting set up with Batman and Mister Atom, but they're both very busy people and can't just drop everything to speak with me. I need to fix my rings at some point, but I've got no real idea how to do that.

I raise my right fist as I walk down the corridor.

True, Power Rings are generally not user-servicable. Unless you made them yourself, in which case you know them well enough to qualify as a certified technician anyway.

"Ring, contact Controller Hinon."

Nothing happens for a moment, then there's a sort of static-laden crackling construct appears. That… Might be Hinon, I suppose.

Safe bet that's the fault of the conflicting Indigo and Yellow programming...

"Controller Hin-"

The image collapses.

"-on?"

Let's hope she did get that call, and is curious as to who was calling.

Now, radio communication works fine. I was able to notify Guy what had happened without any difficulty. Is range a problem? It shouldn't be. The orange light? Did the contamination get further than I though? Don't know, don't know. I can't just ask Guy to try with his ring because they're blocked from long range communication by the Guardians due to the potential for Anti-Life contamination. Alan should-.

"Hey." Tuppence is waiting by the lift entrance, looking… Pensive? It's not an normal expression for her.

Oh, joy. Time-critical side-quests. Such fun.

"Hello Tuppence. How have you been?"

Her eyes narrow lightly. "What's that suppose ta mean?"

Someone's feeling defensive. Any reason for that, hun'?

"It means you've been stuck in an environment with the Anti-Life for a prolonged period of time and I'm concerned about you."

She holds my gaze suspiciously for a moment before looking away. "Sorry."

I bet some part of the Anti-Life has been making her wonder 'why does he care so much about folks like me?'

"It's fine. Ah. Do you want me to put a privacy shield up?"

She shakes her head. "No."

Presumably she doesn't think there's anything that needs that much privacy to discuss. And OL might struggle to keep it up anyway.

"Is Thomas alright?"

She shakes her head again, but her face come up to meet my eyes again. "Nah, he's fahn. Last I saw him, anyways. Lahks bein' a heero."

He's really enjoying the righteous face-punching stuff, huh?

"And you?"

"Got a voice in mah head, tellin' me ah'm a simple-minder killuh. An' ah don't think it's wrong. Only thing that troubled me 'boud this whole thang is when ah couldn't kill someone."

...Okay, that is something that does deserve privacy...

And I can see the need in her. Now that she's started talking, she wants to keep going, to unburden herself.

"Why don't we.. go to my quarters, where we can get some privacy? I can even magic up some of that cold tea you people like so much?"

Oh, boy. Is that going to start some rumours...

A new episode begins, and OL is already getting sidetracked, I see. Guess he's following the logic of 'worry about what you can fix, don't sweat what you can't.' Still, everything he gets bogged down with just puts off the big moment that much longer, and Earth probably needs it done sooner rather than later.

Because the world does not move at the protagonist's pace, and plots do not stop while you go clean out your mission journal...

Got a voice in mah head, tellin' me ah'm a simple-minder killuh.

Got a voice in mah head, tellin' me ah'm a simple-minded killuh.

BR549 · Jul 28, 2023

Ngamer11 said:
He can't fix his rings and can't contact anyone who could do so either, so he's working on problems he can solve for now.

Given I don't see who you're replying to, I know exactly who you're replying to, and thus I offer advice: don't feed the troll.

Duke Long · Jul 28, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
Nothing happens for a moment, then there's a sort of static-laden crackling construct appears.

Extraneous 'there's'

Mr Zoat said:
"Hey." Tuppence is waiting by the lift entrance, looking… Pensive? It's not an normal expression for her.

'a normal'

Vaermina · Jul 28, 2023

Ngamer11 said:
He can't fix his rings and can't contact anyone who could do so either, so he's working on problems he can solve for now.

He was just about to contact Alan, who would have been able to send a message out, before he got distracted by the shiny.

And even if for some reason Alan couldn't, he could have hopped over to Vega and tried the Orange Lanterns there.

Mr Zoat · Jul 28, 2023

Darko said:
"stuck them"

Chojin Patriarch said:
Got a voice in mah head, tellin' me ah'm a simple-minded killuh.

Duke Long said:
Extraneous 'there's'
'a normal'

Thank you, corrected.

Silveraith · Jul 28, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
Dhorian soldiers had communal sleeping areas, and the officers had fold-away bunks in their officers.

Offices.

Mr Zoat · Jul 28, 2023

Silveraith said:
Offices.

Thank you, corrected.

Coda · Jul 28, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
Abberance

Aberrance (though I had to go check your past chapters to be sure)

JeckJack said:
Instead it's... a Mr Zoat original barbie setting based on "several reviewers" rants on the Barbie movie. Huh.

It's a joke. Jokes don't have to be accurate to the source material. They just have to establish enough context to connect to the listener's shared experience.

Assblaster5000 said:
The Supreme Court has already ruled that anything an AI makes cannot be put under anything other than Creative Commons.

No, they said that prompting an AI isn't enough to establish copyright on its own, and that you have to put something more into the output to make it a creative work of human authorship. They absolutely did not say that it's never copyrightable.

Vaermina · Jul 28, 2023

Coda said:
It's a joke. Jokes don't have to be accurate to the source material. They just have to establish enough context to connect to the listener's shared experience.

While true, after a point it stops being a joke and starts being a bash.

Especially when the author goes on to try and insist and argue that his inaccurate version of things is the true version.

Mr Zoat · Jul 28, 2023

Coda said:
Aberrance (though I had to go check your past chapters to be sure)

Thank you, corrected.

No, they said that prompting an AI isn't enough to establish copyright on its own, and that you have to put something more into the output to make it a creative work of human authorship. They absolutely did not say that it's never copyrightable.

In 1915, the Supreme Court ruled that films weren't a form of expression but rather a business, and as such weren't protected by the 1st Amendment. Supreme Courts change their prior decisions all the time.

Phili · Jul 28, 2023

I hope that when/if they use the white light to save Earth, Teekl gets revived (possibly by accident, possibly as a side effect, possibly on purpose).
I figure it's one of the most likely scenarios where she could get revived, since white light can undo both death and orange-light-ification; and cats are highly relevant to power rings, since we know Tamaraneans can make extremely powerful lanterns, and they are descended from cat-equivalents; and one of the most prominent (maybe even the most prominent) Red Lantern is Dex-Starr, yet another cat (from Earth too).

Prince Charon · Jul 29, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
And I can see the need in her. Now that she's started talking, she wants to keep going, to unburden herself.

"Why don't we.. go to my quarters, where we can get some privacy? I can even magic up some of that cold tea you people like so much?"

Southern ice tea is less 'cold tea,' and more 'thin syrup, sort-of tea-flavoured, and full of ice' (speaking as an American who isn't into iced tea).

Mr Zoat · Jul 29, 2023

15th February 2013
09:03 GMT -5

I dumped Volgar Zo's personal effects into the hold of the ship that we gave them to fly home with, minus anything that might contain useful data. As a result it's bare walls, bare bed and a bare desk and that's about it. Matter transmutation with a yellow ring appears to be more difficult than it was with orange rings, but with a little effort I manage to produce a glass containing a cool brown liquid.

Tuppence takes it, not looking entirely convinced.

"Sorry, new power ring."

"You ain't gaht no beer?"

"I could look around the pantry. The Dhorians do drink alcohol, I'm just not sure how it tastes to the human palate."

She shrugs, looking for somewhere to sit. I gesture to the desk chair, making a construct chair for myself.

"So…"

"What happened t'that..? Gong.. thing."

"Teleported to a Justice League holding centre before the first of Luthor's people came up." She frowns, confused. "Luthor's involved in quite a lot of criminal activity, and has been intelligent enough that it's been quite hard to prove any of it in court."

"Lex.. Luthor?" She frowns. "Y'all sayin' he's a criminal?"

"No, as I said, he hasn't been convicted of a crime."

She clearly doesn't get it.

"Alright, see, there's overt crimes, like those you and your brother committed, where no one's in any doubt that you're the ones who did them. You might outrun the pursuit, but if you ever got caught then you'd get convicted. Same with the Sivanas; Doctor Sivana Senior might try and hide what he was doing in a particular place and time, but he's generally perfectly happy for everyone to know that it was him who unleashed that giant robot. Then there's covert crimes, where something happens and it's not clear who did it, or even if it was criminal in the first place. For example, an elected official having a consultancy fee paid to an off-shore holding company they own and are the sole employee of for work relating to their district."

"Whut?"

"Okay, so an elected official probably shouldn't accept money for work for companies in their constituency, because it makes it look like they're taking a bribe. And when they get paid money it 'should' be paid to them and taxed at the appropriate rate, but if it gets paid to a non-US company then it's possible to avoid quite a lot of tax. And best of all, neither are necessarily illegal and both are quite lucrative. Especially when you compare them to the risks and rewards associated with smash-and-grab jobs."

"So he's secret-. Not-caught-yet criminal?"

"Yes."

She frowns. "What's he dun?"

"He's tried to have Superman murdered a dozen times or so. Plenty of financial chicanery, which may not sound impressive but it's made him a great deal of money. We're reasonably sure he was involved in that mass child murder thing a few years ago, though that connection's a little more tenuous. But I… Fear that we're getting away from the point."

She looks away, takes a sip of tea and then pulls a face before putting the glass down.

"I didn't lihk bein' froze up by th' gong."

"Yeah, I… I hate being powerless, too."

"Y'all gaht out of it."

"True, but it was a near thing. I don't think it would have worked if Icicle wasn't there."

She looks at me incredulously. "Yeah. Raht."

"No, seriously. I'm nothing like as good with a yellow ring as I am with orange rings. I could have frozen that whole room and been stuck there until I died. From dehydration." Hm. "Actually, I don't know it if would have stopped me recharging my ring, so it's possible that I would have stayed alive on an increasingly empty starship while Eiling, Icicle and Kadabra died of asphyxiation or dehydration."

Her face falls slightly.

"But they wouldn't have done that to you. They wanted to use you as a weapon. There wouldn't be any point in killing you."

"Ah ain't.. immortal. Raht?"

"That's correct. You can live a very long time and in good health, but you're not immortal. All of Hugo Danner's original Sons of Dawn died."

"'cause they got sick."

"Yes."

"Ah've bin in a lotta faghts. Got hurt sometimes." She looks away for a moment. "But ah ain't never been… Just… Stuck."

I nod sympathetically. "Not a lot of fun, feeling powerless. Especially when you're.. used to being able to change things."

She sort of nods and shrugs at the same time.

"Ah know the voice is… Anti-Life. We all geht it. Ah even… Talk ta Tommy abowt it, some."

"About being a weapon?" She nods. "We are… Basically using you as a weapon at the moment. I understand that helping people isn't really… Something that motivates you, but is there… Something that you want to.. do, outside of violence?"

"Dunno. Never thawt aboud it. An… Then ah… Ah nearly-. Ah felt like ah'd nevah get the choice."

"Now's not a great time for a voyage of self-discovery, but you nearly got pardoned after your last brush with heroism. This time it's a certainty. I can get you a tutor if you want to give school a try-. Kadabra's probably going to be busy learning magic."

"Ah ain't really one fer schoolin'."

"It was just a suggestion. And it could be different if you're doing it because you want to rather than because you're told to. I know that you're doing alright in Belle Reve's educational program. But hey, you can spend a few years smashing boats and seeing if anything appeals to you."

"How d'y'all stop a gamma gong?"

"If I knew how to block a gamma gong I wouldn't have been paralysed myself. Now that we've got one, I… When this is over, I could try having a look at it. Basically, I don't know."

She nods. "An… Y'all know why Tommy gehts somethin' outta this an' ah don't?"

I shrug. "You're different people with different drives. Being able to protect people makes him feel good about himself. If you really don't feel the same way… Then… You don't. It might come when you expand your social circle outside of violent criminals, build actual social relationships… Or maybe you'd do better in an organised structure. Once you're free then you can volunteer for my organisation if you want. Heh, and if that doesn't work there are some mushrooms I can recommend."

She frowns, then shakes her head.

"Ah'm sayin' 'no'."

"Good call. Anything else you want to talk about right now?"

She shakes her head, getting up with her tea untouched after the initial sip. "Thanks."

"No problem. If you want to talk about anything, you know where I am."

Coltsguy · Jul 29, 2023

Awww, it's nice to see him helping people with pseudo-therapy.

Ngamer11 · Jul 29, 2023

It's great that Paul is now getting through to Tuppence. Assuming the two of them become superheroes, what could Thomas and Tuppence use as their new codenames? And just in case someone suggests it, I would rather they not choose the Wonder Twins.

Vaermina · Jul 29, 2023

I am reminded of the picture of the dog sitting and having tea while the house burns down around him.

Because that is LePaul right now.

Darko · Jul 29, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
Tuppence takes is, not looking entirely convinced

"takes it in"

Chojin Patriarch · Jul 29, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
15th February 2013
09:03 GMT -5

I dumped Volgar Zo's personal affects into the hold of the ship that we gave them to fly home with, minus anything that might contain useful data. As a result it's bare walls, bare bed and a bare desk and that's about it. Matter transmutation with a yellow ring appears to be more difficult than it was with orange rings, but with a little effort I manage to produce a glass containing a cool brown liquid.

Tuppence takes is, not looking entirely convinced.

I hope it's at least close to Iced Tea, rather than being 'something almost, but not quite entirely unlike tea.' Heck, I hope he made sure it's at least drinkable by humans, given his difficulties thus far with the Ring.

"Sorry, new power ring."

"You ain't gaht no beer?"

...I doubt the previous owner was much of a drinker. Would the space-lizard-chickens even risk alcohol, given their delicate nerves?

"I could look around the pantry. The Dhorians do drink alcohol, I'm just not sure how it tastes to the human pallet."

She shrugs, looking for somewhere to sit. I gesture to the desk chair, making a construct chair for myself.

For all you know, they enjoy it tasting like cinnamon and... barbecue sauce. Honestly, imagine the two nicest flavours - that should have nothing to do with each other - that you can.

"So…"

"What happened t'that..? Gong.. thing."

Ah, that's what this is about? Concerned about getting caught in that kind of state again?

"Teleported to a Justice League holding centre before the first of Luthor's people came up." She frowns, confused. "Luthor's involved in quite a lot of criminal activity, and has been intelligent enough that it's been quite hard to prove any of it in court."

"Lex.. Luthor?" She frowns. "Y'all sayin' he's a criminal?"

...That is a loaded question, and depends on who you ask.

"No, as I said, he hasn't been convicted of a crime."

She clearly doesn't get it.

Just because he hasn't been caught doesn't mean he hasn't done anything.

"Alright, see, there's overt crimes, like those you and your brother committed, where no one's in any doubt that you're the ones who did them. You might outrun the pursuit, but if you ever got caught then you'd get convicted. Same with the Sivanas; Doctor Sivana Senior might try and hide what he was doing in a particular place and time, but he's generally perfectly happy for everyone to know that it was him who unleashed that giant robot. Then there's covert crimes, where something happens and it's not clear who did it, or even if it was criminal in the first place. For example, an elected official having a consultancy fee paid to an off-shore holding company they own and are the sole employee of for work relating to their district."

Sadly, this sort of thing goes unnoticed simply because of that complexity, OL.

"Whut?"

"Okay, so an elected official probably shouldn't accept money for work for companies in their constituency, because it makes it look like they're taking a bribe. And when they get paid money it 'should' be paid to them and taxed at the appropriate rate, but if it gets paid to a non-US company then it's possible to avoid quite a lot of tax. And best of all, neither are necessarily illegal and both are quite lucrative. Especially when you compare them to the risks and rewards associated with smash-and-grab jobs."

Basically, it's how white-collar folk do crime, compared to you blue-collar folks.

"So he's secret-. Not-caught-yet criminal?"

"Yes."

See, now you've got it.

She frowns. "What's he dun?"

"He's tried to have Superman murdered a dozen times or so. Plenty of financial chicanery, which may not sound impressive but it's made him a great deal of money. We're reasonably sure he was involved in that mass child murder thing a few years ago, though that connection's a little more tenuous. But I… Fear that we're getting away from the point."

Right. This isn't a 'bash Luthor' jam session, it's an impromptu counselling session for Tuppence.

She looks away, takes a sip of tea and then pulls a face before putting the glass down.

"I didn't lihk bein' froze up by th' gong."

Likely the first time in your life that you've felt that powerless, I bet. Given than even a Dannered toddler is stupidly strong.

"Yeah, I… I hate being powerless, too."

"Y'all gaht out of it."

Thanks to a stroke of luck. If not for that ice...

"True, but it was a near thing. I don't think it would have worked if Icicle wasn't there."

She looks at me incredulously. "Yeah. Raht."

Really. It's lucky he and OL could produce ice outside the stasis field.

"No, seriously. I'm nothing like as good with a yellow ring as I am with orange rings. I could have frozen that whole room and been stuck there until I died. From dehydration." Hm. "Actually, I don't know it if would have stopped me recharging my ring, so it's possible that I would have stayed alive on an increasingly empty starship while Eiling, Icicle and Kadabra died of asphyxiation or dehydration."

Her face falls slightly.

To be fair, it would have been hard to pull the Lantern out of subspace within the stasis bubble.

"But they wouldn't have done that to you. They wanted to use you as a weapon. There wouldn't be any point in killing you."

"Ah ain't.. immortal. Raht?"

Honestly, nothing is, not even Death. She's simply going to be the last thing 'alive' at the end. Because someone's going to have to turn off the lights.

"That's correct. You can live a very long time and in good health, but you're not immortal. All of Hugo Danner's original Sons of Dawn died."

"'cause they got sick."

Yes, once of the few things outside of irresponsibly large weaponry than can affect you. Also: Gas weapons, sonic and telepathic attacks...

"Yes."

"Ah've bin in a lotta faghts. Got hurt sometimes." She looks away for a moment. "But ah ain't never been… Just… Stuck."

It sounded like an unpleasant experience.

I nod sympathetically. "Not a lot of fun, feeling powerless. Especially when you're.. used too being able to change things."

She sort of nods and shrugs at the same time.

True, her advantages do let her overcome a lot of problems. But some things, you can't just punch away...

"Ah know the voice is… Anti-Life. We all geht it. Ah even… Talk t'a Tommy abowt it, some."

"About being a weapon?" She nods. "We are… Basically using you as a weapon at the moment. I understand that helping people isn't really… Something that motivates you, but is there… Something that you want to.. do, outside of violence?"

It's not the best option, but the best isn't available, because Mannheim had plenty of prep-time.

"Dunno. Never thawt aboud it. An… Then ah… Ah nearly-. Ah felt like ah'd nevah get the choice."

"Now's not a great time for a voyage of self-discovery, but you nearly got pardoned after your last brush with heroism. This time it's a certainty. I can get you a tutor if you want to give school a try-. Kadabra's probably going to be busy learning magic."

...Unless she can learn 'Fist', I don't see her being a spellcaster.

"Ah ain't really one fer schoolin'."

"It was just a suggestion. And it could be different if you're doing it because you want to rather than because you're told to. I know that you're doing alright in Belle Reve's educational program. But hey, you can spend a few years smashing boats and seeing if anything appeals to you."

And if nothing else, the money from working will come in handy.

"How d'y'all stop a gamma gong?"

"If I knew how to block a gamma gong I wouldn't have been paralysed myself. Now that we've got one, I… When this is over, I could try having a look at it. Basically, I don't know."

She nods. "An… Y'all know why Tommy gehts somethin' outta this an' ah don't?"

Definitely something to look into, the Gamma Gong. Especially if LEGION scientists can reproduce it. Imagine being able to Stasis Scarab Warriors... Until they learn to counter it in turn...

I shrug. "You're different people with different drives. Being able to protect people makes him feel good about himself. If you really don't feel the same way… Then… You don't. It might come when you expand your social circle outside of violent criminals, build actual social relationships… Or maybe you'd do better in an organised structure. Once you're free then you can volunteer for my organisation if you want. Heh, and if that doesn't work there are some mushrooms I can recommend."

Honestly, I don't know if a military job would be good or not. She doesn't seem the disciplined type.

She frowns, then shakes her head.

"Ah'm sayin' 'no'."

Good call. Who knows what OL's mushrooms would show you?

"Good call. Anything else you want to talk about right now?"

She shakes her head, getting up with her tea untouched after the initial sip. "Thanks."

"No problem. If you want to talk about anything, you know where I am."

Honestly, if the tea's that bad, it might be a good distraction from her problems while he talks. Anything would seem better compared to drinking that stuff.

I'm getting a strong feeling this whole episode will consist of stuff like this: Helping sort out minor things, get everything lined up before he goes for the ~~Omega-4 Relay~~ White Light Summoning attempt. After all, who knows what will happen when they fire things up and shine their light on the dark things? And the less he has to deal with after that, the better.

BR549 · Jul 29, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
I'm just not sure how it tastes to the human pallet."

'Palate'.

Fallen Gods Rise · Jul 29, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
used too being

Used to being

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

I trust you know where the happy button is?

I trust you know where the happy button is?

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