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

[Mr Zoat]

In.

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Thank you, corrected.

 

[Ngamer11]

Anarkic (part 14)
Anarkic (part 15)

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I was rereading and found that the link for part 14 leads to the story only thread rather than the story part on this thread.

 

[Whenever Possible]

"According to my book, it never fell apart.

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Can't wait to see what Paul makes of this line.

 

[Ngamer11]

I scan the gynoid, and I can't help but feel a little disappointed. Having seen Danette and Dr. Lochhart, she just isn't all that impressive. Her mind is several orders of magnitude more simple; it's basically a chatbot with a few standard behaviours to act as a framework.

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Found another error after rereading. That should say 'Lockhart'.

 

[Mr Zoat]

I was rereading and found that the link for part 14 leads to the story only thread rather than the story part on this thread.

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Thnak you, corrected.

Not ignoring the rest, they'll just have to wait until I get home.

 

[PDV]

No, that's correct. Power taken directly from Delirium of the Endless.

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Says "Deliruim"

 

[Mr Zoat]

Says "Deliruim"

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I'm sorry, but I've got no idea what you're trying to correct or why.

 

[Mr Zoat]

'Then'
'minute'?
'an…'?
'it's in one'
'your'
'ship's weapons'
'seconds'
'PERMANENCE?'
'whose'
'ending up'?
'it's in', or maybe it isn't in such good condition as he thinks.
'it's probably'?
'nearby!'
'militia alike'?

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Found another error after rereading. That should say 'Lockhart'.

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Thank you, corrected.

 

[Ngamer11]

Thnak you, corrected.

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The link doesn't work due to an extra apostrophe.

 

[NightmareWarden]

I have no further plans for Ahri'ahn in the Renegade timeline.

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Now I'm interested in what he'll do in the Paragon timeline.

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Hehehe! Wait, dang it- Atlantis is back but there could still be a plot with the real him! Or a version of him from one of the bizarro Earths.

…now I'm wondering if that screwball impossible earth with humans that cannot work on a social level that Robin and co investigated has someone like Mister Smiley pulling the strings, or it is a counterpart to the AntiMonitor and Qward setup.

April 29th, 2013
06:22 UCT +3

"So, this is Themyscira." Johanna looks around the portal chamber. "It is very… Dark."

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Oh yay, I missed this chapter! Or I read a few lines and got distracted. Like'd. I hope things work out there, and that they don't have to deal with the misery of repairing Nazi Earth via the power of Love. Or something.

 

[Prince Charon]

Says "Deliruim"

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I'm sorry, but I've got no idea what you're trying to correct or why.

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Look at where the 'i' is compared to the 'u.'

 

[Lord Ernest]

Look at where the 'i' is compared to the 'u.'

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That already got corrected, I'm fairly sure.

That's not what you have written though. It's apparently taking power from someone named Deliruim, who I can only assume is Delirium's Bizzaroverse counterpart.

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Ah, right, with you. Thank you, corrected.

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[Sockmonkey]

Is the fact that he's not in the book the reason he can't say his name, since true names have metaphysical significance in this setting, if the book doesn't know he exists, then he couldn't have a true name?

 

[Mr Zoat]

4th October 1995
13:24 GMT -5

"…several minor irregularities in their accounting, but…" I shrug. "Honestly… I'm not sure that we want to help them recover funds from people trying to embezzle money from them. Though…" I smile a little. "It would be kind of funny if you did."

Professor Xavier smiles back. "I'm inclined to agree, but I think that perhaps our efforts could be more effectively focused elsewhere."

"There's also a load of violations of weapon control laws, but…" I gesture with my right hand to Scott's face, Logan's hands and my ring. "Pot, kettle."

"My face isn't a gun." Scott sounds unimpressed.

Henry looks uncertain. "No, but it could well be argued that you were -as a mutant- privileged in your ability to own a highly dangerous weapon while attempting to use the law as a tool to deny equivalent weapons to your political opponents."

I nod. "Again, getting a Supreme Court ruling which overturned all U.S. weapon ownership restrictions would be amusing, but I doubt that they'd thank you."

Jean nods. "But you do have something?"

"Yes." I press a button and bring up a series of crime reports on the screen. "I've been studying the statistical links between crimes and sentencing. Now, particular groups of people getting longer sentences for the same offence doesn't prove prejudice, as a fairly wide range of injuries can be covered by the same law. But it was a place to start looking. And in these cases we have three x-gene-possessing assault victims who were hospitalised with-" I bring up the police photos. "-injuries including stab wounds, severe bruising and broken bones, and whose attackers received surprisingly light sentences. Reading the judge's sentencing, there nothing that stands out as openly biased, but she did receive a donation from Friends of Humanity during her last election campaign. Now, if we could demonstrate that her ruling was due to underlying anti-mutant prejudice that might get her removed from her position, but there isn't anything else I can do remotely and I'm.. not a mind reader."

Anne-Marie frowns. "There ain't nothin' bettuh?"

"Not that I can find through statistical analysis." I shrug. "While I'm not trying to argue that the Friends of Humanity are harmless, the mutant population is relatively small, hard to distinguish from people who got superpowers in other ways, and a lot of illegal discrimination doesn't rise to the level of crimes, or go as far as generating criminal convictions. To be honest, this requires a large outreach effort whereby areas of concern can be identified by people on the ground, and we could perform investigations once that identification had been made."

Professor Xavier nods. "So what do you suggest?"

"Major cities usually have places where people with powers get together. The best information I have is that about three quarters of them should have the x-gene. And if we can't find them by asking politely, there's always Cerebro. Find community leaders, make sure they have our number."

The Professor nods. "I have had a few local organisers reach out to me in the past. But for the most part they were very… Angry people who wanted to pursue a more confrontational approach than I am comfortable with."

Remy actually looks up from the cards he's playing with. "When people scared, they jus' listen to whoever got de biggest mouth."

I nod. "I realise that it will take more work, but convincing people with superpowers to stay calm and rational and -where practical- obedient to the law will make it much easier to identify bad actors in the judiciary. If people with the x-gene are actually more likely to commit crimes then we're on a hiding to nothing. As for countering the Friends of Humanity generally… I think it might be an idea to expand the Institute's education program." I look around the room. "I mean, it's basically just Jubilee and me training at the moment, and in my case it's just mindfulness lessons and the occasional telepathic check-up. Each of us are easily capable of mentoring a few children with powers..."

Remy looks decidedly uncertain at that point. "I ain't sure they need mah kinda lessons. 'less you wan' the other bébé t' go home without dheir wallets."

Logan snorts. "Sounds like a valuable lesson t' me."

Henry raises his eyebrows. "Perhaps it would do less to encourage criminality if you limited yourself to card tricks? I'm certain that would find those just as entertaining, and it would be something which they could show their parents afterwards."

Kevin nods. "Ah, okay, mutants having better self control is good, but what are we doing with the regular kids? Mutants aren't getting beat up by other mutants."

Scott fans his hand out. "Why not invite them along? My best friend growing up was-. Didn't have an x-gene."

The professor thinks for a moment. "Because while I understand the value of exposure therapy, children without powers do not require special lessons in using powers which they don't have. Also, on a more practical level, Hank and I are the only people here who are licensed to teach children."

I nod. "Yes, I considered that. My thoughts were that offering a summer camp doesn't require the staff to have teaching qualifications as long as the activities are described as 'activities' rather than 'classes'. We all know enough about camping to oversee a camping trip, and I'm sure we could all find something to keep them entertained. If we encounter a child having control issues we can help them with that, and maybe suggest that they stay on a week for focused training. Of course, if the Institute did become a full-on school-school, then the rest of us are going to have to get qualified because I have no idea what the U.S. curriculum is like."

"Problem." Logan tilts his right hand slightly and extends a claw single claw. "What'd'we do when someone shows up t' trash the place? Or when we need t'go trash someone else's place?"

I shrug. "Summer school is… A week or two long? I'm sure the world can survive for that long without us actively fighting someone. And if we did desperately need to deploy while there were children on the premises, then one or two of us could stay behind and organise a safe group activity. And we'll obviously need an evacuation plan for if we were attacked here, but… Sad to say, most regular schools have those now. Supervillains are a fact of life in a lot of places. And.. our.. defences are a lot better than what most places have, especially including our exotic abilities."

The Professor nods. "I… Think that a summer school is something that we should be able to organize. Hank, perhaps you and I can put our heads together?" Henry nods. "Scott, please take the rest of the team and follow up with this judge. And Paul, while you're there, if they have any remaining injuries-."

"Of course." I nod. Abnormal physiology can make medicine difficult, but simple things like organic damage are easy to fix.

"Make sure that you make a record of their severity first. A defense lawyer might try to claim that we're exaggerating their extent."

"Certainly."

He looks around the table. "Then.. unless there's anything else..?"

There doesn't appear to be.

"Dismissed."

Scott stands first. "Get your things and then meet up in the hangar. Jean, can you tell Ororo?"

Jean raises her right hand to her forehead for a moment, then nods. "She's on her way."

A sensible precaution when everyone else is busy: someone gets to sit by a console to decrease our reaction time. And with Lilandra acting as an advisor with S.W.O.R.D. in exchange for a green card, Ororo drew the short straw. But with the meeting over, that's no longer so much of a concern. Anne-Marie and I glance at each other when we get out into the corridor. I don't think we really need anything-.

"Fergetting something?" Kevin looks at me expectantly, right hand held out.

I nod, a folder appearing from subspace. "Friends, family, local Friends of Humanity members and professional colleagues. Please don't do anything too creepy."

He shifts into-. Director Nicolas Fury, as he takes the folder. "How about you leave the spying to the professionals, huh?"

"As well as not being teachers, none of us are licensed as private detectives."

"In that case…" He shifts into… A cartoon character I don't recognise. "Let's go commit some federal offences!"

I nod. "Again."

 

[Mr Zoat]

The link doesn't work due to an extra apostrophe.

Click to shrink...

Thank you, corrected.

 

[Chojin Patriarch]

4th October 1995
13:24 GMT -5

"…several minor irregularities in their accounting, but…" I shrug. "Honestly… I'm not sure that we want to help them recover funds from people trying to embezzle money from them. Though…" I smile a little. "It would be kind of funny if you did."

Professor Xavier smiles back. "I'm inclined to agree, but I think that perhaps our efforts could be more effectively focused elsewhere."

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Ah, X-Paul presenting his findings concerning the Friends of Humanity? I expect it didn't take too long, even with mid-Nineties internet being what it is. And evidently finding a fairly mundane selection of illicit activities.

Spoiler: Commentary spoilered for length

"There's also a load of violations of weapon control laws, but…" I gesture with my right hand to Scott's face, Logan's hands and my ring. "Pot, kettle."

"My face isn't a gun." Scott sounds unimpressed.

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No, it's more like a loaded cannon, with one slip of the visor (or the glasses) away from a disaster. It's a pity Paul can't repair the neurological damage from his childhood that impairs his ability to control it, but it's probably so minor and obscure that even the Ring can't identify it...

Henry looks uncertain. "No, but it could well be argued that you were -as a mutant- privileged in your ability to own a highly dangerous weapon while attempting to use the law as a tool to deny equivalent weapons to your political opponents."

I nod. "Again, getting a Supreme Court ruling which overturned all U.S. weapon ownership restrictions would be amusing, but I doubt that they'd thank you."

Jean nods. "But you do have something?"

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Honestly, it makes me wonder how Tony Stark handles the Iron Man armours' armaments. Does he have licences for all of them, or do repulsor beams et al not fall under conventional weapons laws? Or maybe he has a deal with the Department of Defense...

"Yes." I press a button and bring up a series of crime reports on the screen. "I've been studying the statistical links between crimes and sentencing. Now, particular groups of people getting longer sentences for the same offence doesn't prove prejudice, as a fairly wide range of injuries can be covered by the same law. But it was a place to start looking. And in these cases we have three x-gene-possessing assault victims who were hospitalised with-" I bring up the police photos. "-injuries including stab wounds, severe bruising and broken bones, and whose attackers received surprisingly light sentences. Reading the judge's sentencing, there nothing that stands out as openly biased, but she did receive a donation from Friends of Humanity during her last election campaign. Now, if we could demonstrate that her ruling was due to underlying anti-mutant prejudice that might get her removed from her position, but there isn't anything else I can do remotely and I'm.. not a mind reader."

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A bit suspicious, but without hard evidence... There's not much in the way of legal recourse.

Anne-Marie frowns. "There ain't nothin' bettuh?"

"Not that I can find through statistical analysis." I shrug. "While I'm not trying to argue that the Friends of Humanity are harmless, the mutant population is relatively small, hard to distinguish from people who got superpowers in other ways, and a lot of illegal discrimination doesn't rise to the level of crimes, or go as far as generating criminal convictions. To be honest, this requires a large outreach effort whereby areas of concern can be identified by people on the ground, and we could perform investigations once that identification had been made."

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In other words, you need a spy or a private detective. Or even a whole team of them.

Professor Xavier nods. "So what do you suggest?"

"Major cities usually have places where people with powers get together. The best information I have is that about three quarters of them should have the x-gene. And if we can't find them by asking politely, there's always Cerebro. Find community leaders, make sure they have our number."

Click to shrink...

Touching base with the major super-teams would also help. That's an unfortunate side-effect of the somewhat self-contained natures of the shows: Little or no crossover between them, other than one-episode encounters.

The Professor nods. "I have had a few local organisers reach out to me in the past. But for the most part they were very… Angry people who wanted to pursue a more confrontational approach than I am comfortable with."

Remy actually looks up from the cards he's playing with. "When people scared, they jus' listen to whoever got de biggest mouth."

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Which explains why Magneto has a following despite his crimes. Angry and scared people want to strike at the thing they hate or fear, and when someone offers you help doing that...

I nod. "I realise that it will take more work, but convincing people with superpowers to stay calm and rational and -where practical- obedient to the law will make it much easier to identify bad actors in the judiciary. If people with the x-gene are actually more likely to commit crimes then we're on a hiding to nothing. As for countering the Friends of Humanity generally… I think it might be an idea to expand the Institute's education program." I look around the room. "I mean, it's basically just Jubilee and me training at the moment, and in my case it's just mindfulness lessons and the occasional telepathic check-up. Each of us are easily capable of mentoring a few children with powers..."

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I doubt they'll institute something like the New Mutants or Generation X teams, but expanding the cast? Sounds tricky.

Remy looks decidedly uncertain at that point. "I ain't sure they need mah kinda lessons. 'less you wan' the other bébé t' go home without dheir wallets."

Logan snorts. "Sounds like a valuable lesson t' me."

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Yes, I'm sure Logan would be great at teaching. Gym, perhaps?

Henry raises his eyebrows. "Perhaps it would do less to encourage criminality if you limited yourself to card tricks? I'm certain that would find those just as entertaining, and it would be something which they could show their parents afterwards."

Kevin nods. "Ah, okay, mutants having better self control is good, but what are we doing with the regular kids? Mutants aren't getting beat up by other mutants."

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Morph! Good to see them showing their face again. And sometimes mutants are the ones doing the beating, at least where the X-Men are concerned.

Scott fans his hand out. "Why not invite them along? My best friend growing up was-. Didn't have an x-gene."

The professor thinks for a moment. "Because while I understand the value of exposure therapy, children without powers do not require special lessons in using powers which they don't have. Also, on a more practical level, Hank and I are the only people here who are licensed to teach children."

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...Right, that is a problem. Not a lot of qualified mutant teachers, either, and getting regular folks might be tricky, especially if the mansion gets attacked.

I nod. "Yes, I considered that. My thoughts were that offering a summer camp doesn't require the staff to have teaching qualifications as long as the activities are described as 'activities' rather than 'classes'. We all know enough about camping to oversee a camping trip, and I'm sure we could all find something to keep them entertained. If we encounter a child having control issues we can help them with that, and maybe suggest that they stay on a week for focused training. Of course, if the Institute did become a full-on school-school, then the rest of us are going to have to get qualified because I have no idea what the U.S. curriculum is like."

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That would be amusing to see. 'Activities' like shooting practice where those with powers can use them instead of bows and arrows...

"Problem." Logan tilts his right hand slightly and extends a claw single claw. "What'd'we do when someone shows up t' trash the place? Or when we need t'go trash someone else's place?"

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Something the movies actually did show, at least once. Escape drills and tunnels, mostly.

I shrug. "Summer school is… A week or two long? I'm sure the world can survive for that long without us actively fighting someone. And if we did desperately need to deploy while there were children on the premises, then one or two of us could stay behind and organise a safe group activity. And we'll obviously need an evacuation plan for if we were attacked here, but… Sad to say, most regular schools have those now. Supervillains are a fact of life in a lot of places. And.. our.. defences are a lot better than what most places have, especially including our exotic abilities."

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The things that change in a world where super-powered fights are a common thing...

The Professor nods. "I… Think that a summer school is something that we should be able to organize. Hank, perhaps you and I can put our heads together?" Henry nods. "Scott, please take the rest of the team and follow up with this judge. And Paul, while you're there, if they have any remaining injuries-."

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What about an invitation of a safe place to recuperate? Or at least get away from the people who left them in that shape.

"Of course." I nod. Abnormal physiology can make medicine difficult, but simple things like organic damage are easy to fix.

"Make sure that you make a record of their severity first. A defense lawyer might try to claim that we're exaggerating their severity."

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Good point. Just because you can heal them instantly doesn't mean you don't have to show where the injuries were, for example.

"Certainly."

He looks around the table. "Then.. unless there's anything else..?"

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A quite different mission than what the X-Men are used to. Certainly not likely to be as much face-punching in spandex...

There doesn't appear to be.

"Dismissed."

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That's probably the toughest part of all this. They've had to become a bit paramilitary just due to oppressive and hostile responses to their existence... And once they get into the combative state of mind, it's hard to get out of it again.

Scott stands first. "Get your things and then meet up in the hangar. Jean, can you tell Ororo?"

Jean raises her right hand to her forehead for a moment, then nods. "She's on her way."

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Surprising that it wasn't 'all-hands on deck' for this meeting.

A sensible precaution when everyone else is busy: someone gets to sit by a console to increase our reaction time. And with Lilandra acting as an advisor with S.W.O.R.D. in exchange for a green card, Ororo drew the short straw. But with the meeting over, that's no longer so much of a concern. Anne-Marie and I glance at each other when we get out into the corridor. I don't think we really need anything-.

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Ah. I suppose that's a necessity. That would be a bonus of expanding their roster, even if they end up needing to divide into multiple sub-teams. Also interesting to see SWORD is a thing at this point.

"Fergetting something?" Kevin looks at me expectantly, right hand held out.

I nod, a folder appearing from subspace. "Friends, family, local Friends of Humanity members and professional colleagues. Please don't do anything too creepy."

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Ah, some non-violent correction planned out, eh?

He shifts into-. Director Nicolas Fury, as he takes the folder. "How about you leave the spying to the professionals, huh?"

"As well as not being teachers, none of us are licensed as private detectives."

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Well, sounds like someone will have to correct that. I suspect Morph could handle that.

"In that case…" He shifts into… A cartoon character I don't recognise. "Let's go commit some federal offences!"

I nod. "Again."

Click to shrink...

Given the crazy nature of the Marvel Universe's alternate pop culture, who knows whether that's Dick Tracy, McGruff the crime dog or some other random Private Eye guy...

This is probably a field the X-men aren't too used to dealing with: Legal and non-violent investigation. Admittedly, this is about the right time for them to be facing the Friends of Humanity, relative to canon... Let's just hope they don't come on too strong or make themselves too obvious when they start poking around... Or there may be trouble.

 

[Rebu]

We all know enough about camping to oversee a camping trip,

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I had this amazing - and amusing - mental image of Professor X and his big yellow wheelchair in the middle of nowhere.

Then I realized it would actually be a good idea, because it would get him away from everyone and give him some mental peace and quiet. And not just the usual kind.

Also the hover chair could glide over a lot of rough ground.

 

[Darko]

Mutants aren't getting beat up by other mutants."

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coughMagnetocough

. And we'll obviously need an evacuation plan for if we were attacked here, but… Sad to say, most regular schools have those now. Supervillains are a fact of life in a lot of places

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And it's not just supervillains.

 

[BR549]

A sensible precaution when everyone else is busy: someone gets to sit by a console to increase our reaction time.

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I assume this is meant to say 'decrease'?

Ah. I suppose that's a necessity.

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Basically it's a similar principle to the "designated survivor".

"In that case…" He shifts into… A cartoon character I don't recognise.

Click to shrink...

Given the crazy nature of the Marvel Universe's alternate pop culture, who knows whether that's Dick Tracy, McGruff the crime dog or some other random Private Eye guy...

Click to shrink...

Could be Cool McCool.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaLLlJ58cP0

 

[Mr Zoat]

I assume this is meant to say 'decrease'?

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Thank you, corrected.

 

[CTrees]

Mutants aren't getting beat up by other mutants."

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Different universe than X-Men: Evolution, but I recall the high school setting making "mutants beating up other mutants" a fairly frequent occurrence, there.

In this chapter's Marvel Earth, it's still probably just the relative rarity of mutants outside of vigilante groups and villain groups that mean not a lot of mutants run into each other enough to have the opportunity to beat each other up.

 

[Doccer]

that case…" He shifts into… A cartoon character I don't recognise. "Let's go commit some federal offences!"

I nod. "Again."

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What character?

 

[Duke Long]

His eyes move from me to the scroll, and for a moment I wonder if he's found one of those scrolls. Much as I might wish it otherwise, Amazon erotica is.. generating a rather large part of our foreign currency income at the moment, and I'm not sure if it's due to the quality or the novelty. But, no, or at least not directly. It's Hippasia's work on familial relationships. I remember it well, because I was there when the knife-marks which repeats every few inches were made. Hippasia was a Discordian, and thankfully one of the ones who left for the mainland rather than one of those who sacrificed themselves. She entered the cult with that scroll; decrying the female group family structure and calling for a change to what Diana calls 'the nuclear family'. It was ridiculous; she was born on Themyscira. She'd never even seen one.

Click to shrink...

'which repeat'?

"And we have fathers. They did not use to play a large role in our lives beyond our conception, but we-. Until Pavlos involved himself, every Amazon knew that she had a father and most knew who he was."

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'They used to not'?

I point to the Jaffa with the heavy staff, and send him back to line. Another Jaffa comes forwards. This one is wearing a far heavier version of the normal armour. It's not power armour, but the armour plates are about as thick as it's practical for a Jaffa to wear. On the left arm is a tower shield of similar thickness, and in his right he carries a Ma'Tak. He stands a short distance away from the Jaffa with the Zat'nik'tel and points his shield at him.

Click to shrink...

'to the line'?
'Ma'tok'?

"No. The firing chambers rotate internally, all constantly drawing power from the battery so that each is ready to fire again as swiftly as possible after discharging. And the shot are -by default- less powerful than a standard Ma'Tok blast. They'll still inflict a crippling or lethal injury through normal Jaffa armour, but they'll be less effective against other defences. And the maintenance complexity is significantly greater. If you decide to make use of the final version, I would strongly recommend increasing the level of training Jaffa receive in maintenance rituals. You would also need to increase the spare parts and fuel cell allocation Jaffa formations receive by about… Half again?" I shrug. "Once I have a final version, I will be able to give you a more precise recommendation."

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'the shots are'?

"It looks like a decorative glove or gauntlet, but if you-" I pull my fingers back and push my palm forwards. "-gesture-" 'Claws' of burning plasma extend from the finger tips. "-like that-" I slash, and the training dummy acquires five vicious lines through its armour and across its chest. "-it takes a reasonable-."

Ow!

I wince, shake my hand to put the claws out and then heal my hand.

"A reasonable melee weapon. I haven't got the plasma containment quite right yet, and it's really only good for a few slashes before the small power cell is expended, but it does work."

Click to shrink...

'makes a'?

Okay, LexCorp knows that I'm 'Project: Match', but… I'm not openly kryptonian, because… We're all agreeing to pretend to pretend that I'm not? It made sense when she explained it. I guess it kind of makes sense when I'm going to look exactly like Clark Kent when I'm older, and if everyone-. Everyone-everyone knew I was kryptonian it could make his life awkward. But there are Superman look-alikes around-.

Click to shrink...

Extraneous 'to pretend'?

The fields are really big, actually.

"How did you get those whole area this flat?"

Click to shrink...

'this'?

I watch as one turns off a road and then… Lower itself, retracting its road wheels and lowering the broader and more rugged off-road wheels before manoeuvring onto the planting area.

Click to shrink...

'Lowers'?

Oh, right. She's not a superhero or supervillain. She's just a business-

I turn in my seat, grab hold of her, jump out of the SUV with her in my arms and run get out of the robot's-

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'run to'?

"Ah, Emergency override! Shut down!"

"The shutdown command is 'shut down'?"

"We don't want to make it hard to remember! This shouldn't-. Enginehead, take manual control!"

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Sensible.

Okay, pretending to be human. The ground looks dry, but if they've been rotavating it so it'll probably be fairly loose. The robots weigh more than me, but using all their wheels, the robots have their weight spread more. I should stay on the roads as much as possible.

Click to shrink...

Extraneous 'if'
Or
Extraneous 'so'

"If the camera weren't working then it wouldn't go anywhere. It's the same interpretation program for written words and physical objects. Without it, they.. just don't work." … "Can you boost me over the gate?"

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'cameras'

If it's drive system isn't damaged then it's going to catch us before we get back to the research buildings. And-. It could do a lot of damage. Most of those buildings don't look all that tough, and there are other people working here. Maybe..? Maybe I can get her inside, smash it up and say that Superman did it?

Click to shrink...

'its drive'

 

[Mr Zoat]

What character?

Click to shrink...

The SI didn't recognise it.

 

[Steelplaza]

We've been coming back to the X-men animated continuity a lot recently and it's- fine I guess, but it's lacking a lot of the "SI has to deal with zany bullshit comics nonsense" that "With This Ring" really runs on. It seems like every update is the SI saying something sensible to the X-Men which they may debate a bit but ultimately agree is indeed sensible, end of chapter.

 

[Mr Zoat]

'which repeat'?
'They used to not'?
'to the line'?
'Ma'tok'?
'the shots are'?
'makes a'?
'this'?
'Lowers'?
'run to'?
Extraneous 'if'
Or
Extraneous 'so'
'cameras'
'its drive'

Click to shrink...

Thank you, corrected.

Extraneous 'to pretend'?

Click to shrink...

No. The pretence is itself a pretence.

 

[Mr Zoat]

The Man

8th May 2013
09:23 GMT

"…and I spent most of the rest of the day feeding arcane artefacts to the Ophidian, because just removing the physical objects wasn't enough to destabilise the system quickly, but I couldn't feed her too much because-."

Queen Artemis nods. "That would risk the ire of the elementals you would hope would finish the job."

I nod, leaning back slightly in my chair. "Exactly. I mean, it's a brilliant piece of thaumic engineering, and I… I think there are other things that they could do with the system, but the planet's thaumic systems aren't something you can just reroute like that without colossal amounts of power that we don't have."

She shakes her head in amazement. "I understand the principles you have described, but I cannot imagine devising the mechanisms to put it into operation. And you believe that she did that while being tortured by evil gods for thousands of years?"

"That's my best guess. She had other concerns when she decided to be more open about what she'd been doing. Hopefully, if we eventually restore her mental clarity, we can find out."

It's not like I can check the clay she used to change her own appearance, but I wouldn't be shocked if she'd had some of Ahri'ahn's bones added to the mix. But we never found out where she found them… If that is what happened.

"What would happen to her then?"

Huh. I look around her drawing room as I think about it. The carved wood and padded furnishings put me in mind of my granny's living room or dining room, though in fact it's probably more similar to the drawing rooms of the Early Modern wealthy. I smile a little as I see some of my books on the personal reading shelf.

"I don't know. It won't really be my business either way. Adom is a head of state, but he was killed before Gamemnae could try and murder him. The people she killed died a long time ago, and she legitimised her own actions in Atlantis-. Old Atlantis, so there's no legal issue there. But attacking King Orin, taking his authority and reordering Atlantean society… That's probably a death penalty offence, which strikes me as extremely wasteful."

"But hardly unearned."

"If she hadn't been willing to sacrifice her sanity with no prompting from me at all, I'd probably be a lot less conflicted."

I mean, I'm not conflicted, exactly. I want her alive and in prison so that she can work off her debt to society. I don't think she's an ongoing threat. But King Orin doesn't want a new Ocean Master, and getting his heart cut out really hurt. I can easily understand why he might just order her death. It wouldn't be capricious or arbitrary if he did.

I wonder if the genomorphs could-? Of course they could, but would it-?

"What are you thinking about?"

"I was wondering if we could use a species of telepathic hive mind creatures to take a copy of her knowledge, in the event that King Orin insisted that she be executed."

"I suppose that you could, but where would you find such creatures?"

"Oh, no-. Sorry. We've already got them. They're called g-nomes. They're a synthetic organic species, one of several genomorph types created by a company called Cadmus Laboratories."

She appears to take that with reasonable equanimity. "Do your people use many types of vassal creature?"

"No. None, actually. I was actually responsible for the legal changes that got them manumitted; they officially have full citizenship now. Do your people use.. things like that?"

"Some do. Though I imagine that their nature is dissimilar. Can your 'genomorphs' use magic?"

"Some can, but they have to be specifically designed for it. We've still got a couple who were engineered to use demonic magic in the wind, but the other types are a good deal easier to deal with."

"Then they are living creatures whose nature makes it easier to use a particular type?"

I nod. "That's my understanding of it."

"Ours are… Partially elemental. A seed enriched with magic is placed in a vessel, and their master will usually grant it life with a drop of their own blood."

"How mentally.. complex are they?"

"They essentially run off their master's intellect, understanding their orders and situation based on their master's understanding. If their master dies or severs the bond they usually just sit where they are until the raw magic powering them is expended."

That's.. a relief, and Artemis picks up on my response.

"Were you worried that we used slaves?"

"A little. I don't know your culture."

"Then let me put your concerns to rest. They're more like an extra pair of hands that a magician can operate without a second mind."

I nod, smiling. "That's a relief."

"Have you noticed any ill-effects from contact with Despair?"

"No." I shake my head. "Other than what happened to Gamemnae there doesn't appear to have been any ill effects. On the other hand, Despair is fairly patient, so they might just be setting me up for something. Or… Someone I meet, or something like that."

"Is there a story there?"

"I doubt that you've heard of the planet 'Krypton'. Despair was the one who arranged for it to develop intelligent life, knowing that it would be unstable and eventually explode. That took millions of years, so, I doubt that the comparatively short span of a mortal lifetime is much of an obstacle for them."

She gives her head a small shake. "How do you know about that?"

"It happened at a party. One of the guests was a Maltusian, and I work for her descendants. Well, the descendants of her people."

Huh. Technically, she might still be alive. Might be worth looking into. And… Actually, that whole business might.. go some way to explaining why Hinon was so interested in how Dream got contained…

"It's amazing that you've directly encountered two of the Endless-."

"Four."

"Four?"

"I met Dream when a possessed madman tried spreading the Anti-Life to the Dreaming, and Desire thinks I'm entertaining viewing. I haven't met Destruction, Delirium or Death, which is actually unusual as most people meet Death twice."

She nods slowly. "At the start and at the end of their lives. But you come from a place beyond their reach, and have not yet died."

"No, I've died twice. Didn't see her the first time and I don't remember seeing her the second time, but… My memories of that death are a bit confused."

She looks at me like she thinks that she misheard me. "You.. have died twice."

"I got better."

She nods slowly, looking unconvinced. "Perhaps, if we… How do you see the return of Atlantis affecting our agreement?"

"There's no such thing as too many researchers. Regardless of Atlantis getting spare capacity, we'd still like to expand. And if we don't need your researchers for our fleets in the short term, there are plenty of research projects we'd like them to work on. Obviously it's a little less urgent, but we're still eager to proceed."

"Then let us discuss how to do so."

 

[Signaller]

I wonder if the genomorphs could-? Of course they could, but would it-?

"What are you thinking about?"
...
"Some do. Though I imagine that their nature if dissimilar. Can you 'genomorphs' use magic?"

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Where did she get the name 'genomorphs' from? I don't think OL said it out loud? Also, you --> your.

 

[Darko]

She shakes her head in amazement. "I understand the principles you have described, but I cannot imagine devising the mechanisms to put it into operation. And you believe that she did that while being tortured by evil gods for thousands of years

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Well she probably had some time to get at least a bit used to having a three legged jaguar made of obsidian tearing out her heart.

But attacking King Orin, taking his authority and reordering Atlantean society… That's probably a death penalty offence, which strikes me as extremely wasteful."

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She is extremely powerful and was already murderous before the Delirium thing.

Now she's both extremely powerful and more insane.

Killing her is honestly prudent.

that their nature if dissimilar

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"nature is"

"It happened at a party. One of the guests was a Maltusian, and I work for her descendants. Well, the descendants of her people."

Huh. Technically, she might still be alive. Might be worth looking into. And… Actually, that whole business might.. go some way to explaining why Hinon was so interested in how Dream got contained

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Hinon did mention that her kind can't dream as a consequence of that.

"I met Dream when a possessed madman tried spreading the Anti-Life to the Dreaming

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Madwoman, since it was that despair goddess from Erebus.

which is actually unusual as most people meet Death twice."

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People born in this universe meet her twice.

 

[Ngamer11]

@Mr Zoat, what is the name of Hieronymous' home planet and what sector is it located in.