Hestia&theCourt
Turns out we're plural too.
- Location
- In transition
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Nah, it's not that. The difference between an ordinary scientist and a mad scientist is
With This Ring (Young Justice SI) (Thread Twelve)
- Thread starter Mr Zoat
- Start date
- Status
Nah, it's not that. The difference between an ordinary scientist and a mad scientist is
Ganurath
Literal Enthusiast
- Location
- A Valid Location
- Pronouns
- He/Him
I thought the difference was that ordinary scientists weren't mislabeled engineers.
- Location
- Somewhere out there
No, no. I'm not a mad engineer. I'm a sane engineer. (And a pretty good one, if I do say so myself.)
Only my science is mad.
- Location
- Argentina
Since Engineering can be about a lot of things, hell even economics, is the term engineer that's missleading not scientist. Also engineers build scientist invent. Mad scientists aren't engineers because they don't limit thenselves to build something that already exists.
Last edited:
You know, with cold gun tech it's easy to keep regular superconductors cool. The sort of enchantment Hephaestus used on that flame drinker hammer could do the same thing.
Family Day (part 23)
- Location
- Hampden Park
26th April
15:04 GMT +3
Donna waves as she sees me across the inner city plaza and jogs in my direction. I think I'll count the Senate agreeing to the presence of a Dolmen Gate here paired with one in the Themysciran Embassy as a minor victory. Saves me from having to ferry people here. Though not much use for Cassandra, it makes travel time for Donna about ten minutes and for Diana about two minutes.
And about twenty minutes for Io or any other Amazon who feels like sticking her toe into Man's World.
Donna comes to a halt in front of me and raises her eyebrows. "So? How was Sivana Day?"
"Doctor Thaddeus Bodog Sivana returned from the far future, pursued by Apocalypse Elves."
Her eyes widen slightly. "Are you alright?"
"I was, once Guy explained how to secure my subspace pocket against subspace pickpockets." I gesture back towards the palace. "Can we?" She nods and we start walking. "Thaddeus Senior persuaded Thaddeus Junior and Georgia to focus their energies on preparing for the next Sheeda Harrowing, so we won't have to worry about super science attacks from that quarter for the foreseeable future."
"And the bad news is that we've got Sheeda Apocalypse Elves to look forward to?"
"Yes, but we probably had those anyway. At least this way we know about it. And the Sivanas are quite good at making weapons."
She nods, then glances at me. "And how'd it go with Beautia?"
A goodbye kiss and we're meeting up again the next time the brain trust gathers. "Is that really why you came here?"
She ducks her head slightly. "Do you..? Did the results come in? Do you know..?"
"Not for certain, but… Probably. And I've also finished the secret mission I was given by Queen Hippolyta."
"Since I don't know what it was about I don't really know what to say about that." We climb up the steps and start towards the main entrance, the guards on duty giving us a nod. "Well?"
"The two are… Related. And I've got this whole monologue planned..?"
She rolls her eyes. "Fine, I can wait for a minute."
We pass into the throne room and begin walking up the central aisle. Queen Hippolyta, Captain Philippus and Diana are seated at the far end, with Acantha and Menalippe hovering close at hand. Menalippe's cat is also hanging around. Odd. Maybe it's too hot outside for her? Conversation falls away as they watch our approach. Once I reach the start of the 'audience area' I place my right fist over my heart and genuflect to the throne.
"My Queen. Thank you for granting me this audience."
Queen Hippolyta leans forwards slightly. "Paul, is there a reason why you are behaving in this way?"
"Yes, it's because I've done something very clever and I'm feeling fairly smug about it and want to wring the maximum enjoyment from the build up." I look up. "Chaos, you know?"
She looks puzzled. "I do not think I see-" I send filaments out of the throne room and down. "-what is chaotic about-" Around the corridors… "-a sense of pride in-?"
Four orange flickers as the Circle appear in front of me. They aren't merely on their knees, they're on all fours, faces pressed against the floor. "My Queen, I-." Alkyone's voice is choked. She hasn't stopped crying since I explained to them what the results I got from Sephtian meant. "We… Humbly beg your pardon for our grievous error in judgement. For our treason and attempted regicide."
Hippolyta's mouth has fallen open. Philippus' hand stills with her sword half-drawn and the guards already have their spears levelled. Acantha has covered her mouth with her right hand while… Diana looks at me with a sort of maternal irritation and gives her head a slight shake. Donna just looks confused.
I stand, my arms snapping out to the side. "Chaos."
Hippolyta stands, half-staggering forwards a pace before recovering herself. "How did you manage this?"
"When you went into Gaea's temple to create the clay figure which became Princess Diana, Alkyone followed you and watched. For reasons I.. still don't fully understand, while you were doing it she saw the Hekatonkheir Cottus standing over you. Now, they'd never seen Cottus in person before, so didn't realise that if he were physically present -even allowing for the spatial distortion at work in the grove- he'd have been visible from the city. And quite possibly the mainland. If you're used to gods and goddesses who look more or less Human, a titanic individual like Cottus is more than a little disturbing to see. That, combined with the fact that you made no mention of him upon your return, led Alkyone to conclude that your mind was being altered in some way. Since no friendly divinity would do that, Cottus' cause must have been hostile, and since it resulted in a child being created she must have been a vector for his malevolence."
"And for that, they tried to murder Diana." Hippolyta shakes her head. "But Cottus wasn't there."
"Diana, would you mind..?"
She frowns, but her mother is already looking at her and nodding. She closes her eyes for a moment, then takes the Lasso of Truth from her belt and places the loop of the lasso in her mother's hand. Hippolyta puts her fingers through and firmly grips the rope.
"I testify that I saw nothing of Cottus on that day, nor have I on any day since."
"And I can combine that with the testimony of Lord Hades, Princess Melinoë, Akhlys, Briareos and Gyges. While none of them can account for his every movement, none of them are aware of him having left Tartarus since the end of the titanomachy. And they all gave him good character references. Diana, may I borrow the Lasso?" She nods, and I link a filament to it and float it over to me. I take hold of the coil with my right hand and lower the loop so that it lies on the floor next to Alkyone's right hand.
It takes a moment, but her eyes glance towards it and then she moves her hand to take a grip on it. "My Queen, I saw Cottus standing with you that day."
I frown. Hmm. That means that her memory hasn't been altered. Or reconstructed in her own mind from ambiguous stimuli, the Lasso burns through that sort of thing.
"I can't explain that." I tug the Lasso back from Alkyone. "If it turns out that it matters, a full analysis of the site might yield more information, but I'll understand if you're not keen. Just to make sure that Alkyone's concern was unfounded I had my colleague Sephtian compare thaumic signatures from a number of individuals. To spare you the technical details, all members of the Greek mythos share certain arcane characteristics and these are more similar if there is some immediate relationship between the individuals compared. Having seen the results I can confirm that Cottus isn't drawing any power from Tartarus, or any source other than himself. His signature is simply too similar to that of his brothers. Diana has both Titanic and Olympian elements, but nothing that is uniquely like that of Cottus. While I would need to fully analyse the Five and Gaea herself to establish the relationship beyond reasonable doubt, on the balance of probability the version of Diana's creation told by Queen Hippolyta is correct."
I turn to Donna. "But Cottus might have created you."
The sudden change of direction appears to catch her off guard. "What?"
"The similarity between your metaphysique and Diana's is very high. Higher even than that of Diana and Euanthe, who were both given life by Gaea. The differences have a strong similarity to Cottus' magic, though there are other components I can't readily identify. I would hypothesise that you were somehow created in a similar fashion to Diana rather than being naturally born, though I'm afraid that more than that I don't know."
Her eyes drop to the floor as she takes that in. "Oh."
I turn back to the throne. "Alkyone has psychological issues relating to children which may have affected her judgement, but that was the trigger. I'm afraid that I can't explain every event… The information just isn't there. On the other hand, I have completed the task that you set me."
There's a flash of blinding light behind me, as if someone set off a flashbang grenade. Construct goggles form over my eyes as I turn around, and as the light dies down a blonde man wearing only a kilt, sandals and a pair of leather bracers stands in the aisle. He smiles at us.
"Perhaps I might explain?"
15:04 GMT +3
Donna waves as she sees me across the inner city plaza and jogs in my direction. I think I'll count the Senate agreeing to the presence of a Dolmen Gate here paired with one in the Themysciran Embassy as a minor victory. Saves me from having to ferry people here. Though not much use for Cassandra, it makes travel time for Donna about ten minutes and for Diana about two minutes.
And about twenty minutes for Io or any other Amazon who feels like sticking her toe into Man's World.
Donna comes to a halt in front of me and raises her eyebrows. "So? How was Sivana Day?"
"Doctor Thaddeus Bodog Sivana returned from the far future, pursued by Apocalypse Elves."
Her eyes widen slightly. "Are you alright?"
"I was, once Guy explained how to secure my subspace pocket against subspace pickpockets." I gesture back towards the palace. "Can we?" She nods and we start walking. "Thaddeus Senior persuaded Thaddeus Junior and Georgia to focus their energies on preparing for the next Sheeda Harrowing, so we won't have to worry about super science attacks from that quarter for the foreseeable future."
"And the bad news is that we've got Sheeda Apocalypse Elves to look forward to?"
"Yes, but we probably had those anyway. At least this way we know about it. And the Sivanas are quite good at making weapons."
She nods, then glances at me. "And how'd it go with Beautia?"
A goodbye kiss and we're meeting up again the next time the brain trust gathers. "Is that really why you came here?"
She ducks her head slightly. "Do you..? Did the results come in? Do you know..?"
"Not for certain, but… Probably. And I've also finished the secret mission I was given by Queen Hippolyta."
"Since I don't know what it was about I don't really know what to say about that." We climb up the steps and start towards the main entrance, the guards on duty giving us a nod. "Well?"
"The two are… Related. And I've got this whole monologue planned..?"
She rolls her eyes. "Fine, I can wait for a minute."
We pass into the throne room and begin walking up the central aisle. Queen Hippolyta, Captain Philippus and Diana are seated at the far end, with Acantha and Menalippe hovering close at hand. Menalippe's cat is also hanging around. Odd. Maybe it's too hot outside for her? Conversation falls away as they watch our approach. Once I reach the start of the 'audience area' I place my right fist over my heart and genuflect to the throne.
"My Queen. Thank you for granting me this audience."
Queen Hippolyta leans forwards slightly. "Paul, is there a reason why you are behaving in this way?"
"Yes, it's because I've done something very clever and I'm feeling fairly smug about it and want to wring the maximum enjoyment from the build up." I look up. "Chaos, you know?"
She looks puzzled. "I do not think I see-" I send filaments out of the throne room and down. "-what is chaotic about-" Around the corridors… "-a sense of pride in-?"
Four orange flickers as the Circle appear in front of me. They aren't merely on their knees, they're on all fours, faces pressed against the floor. "My Queen, I-." Alkyone's voice is choked. She hasn't stopped crying since I explained to them what the results I got from Sephtian meant. "We… Humbly beg your pardon for our grievous error in judgement. For our treason and attempted regicide."
Hippolyta's mouth has fallen open. Philippus' hand stills with her sword half-drawn and the guards already have their spears levelled. Acantha has covered her mouth with her right hand while… Diana looks at me with a sort of maternal irritation and gives her head a slight shake. Donna just looks confused.
I stand, my arms snapping out to the side. "Chaos."
Hippolyta stands, half-staggering forwards a pace before recovering herself. "How did you manage this?"
"When you went into Gaea's temple to create the clay figure which became Princess Diana, Alkyone followed you and watched. For reasons I.. still don't fully understand, while you were doing it she saw the Hekatonkheir Cottus standing over you. Now, they'd never seen Cottus in person before, so didn't realise that if he were physically present -even allowing for the spatial distortion at work in the grove- he'd have been visible from the city. And quite possibly the mainland. If you're used to gods and goddesses who look more or less Human, a titanic individual like Cottus is more than a little disturbing to see. That, combined with the fact that you made no mention of him upon your return, led Alkyone to conclude that your mind was being altered in some way. Since no friendly divinity would do that, Cottus' cause must have been hostile, and since it resulted in a child being created she must have been a vector for his malevolence."
"And for that, they tried to murder Diana." Hippolyta shakes her head. "But Cottus wasn't there."
"Diana, would you mind..?"
She frowns, but her mother is already looking at her and nodding. She closes her eyes for a moment, then takes the Lasso of Truth from her belt and places the loop of the lasso in her mother's hand. Hippolyta puts her fingers through and firmly grips the rope.
"I testify that I saw nothing of Cottus on that day, nor have I on any day since."
"And I can combine that with the testimony of Lord Hades, Princess Melinoë, Akhlys, Briareos and Gyges. While none of them can account for his every movement, none of them are aware of him having left Tartarus since the end of the titanomachy. And they all gave him good character references. Diana, may I borrow the Lasso?" She nods, and I link a filament to it and float it over to me. I take hold of the coil with my right hand and lower the loop so that it lies on the floor next to Alkyone's right hand.
It takes a moment, but her eyes glance towards it and then she moves her hand to take a grip on it. "My Queen, I saw Cottus standing with you that day."
I frown. Hmm. That means that her memory hasn't been altered. Or reconstructed in her own mind from ambiguous stimuli, the Lasso burns through that sort of thing.
"I can't explain that." I tug the Lasso back from Alkyone. "If it turns out that it matters, a full analysis of the site might yield more information, but I'll understand if you're not keen. Just to make sure that Alkyone's concern was unfounded I had my colleague Sephtian compare thaumic signatures from a number of individuals. To spare you the technical details, all members of the Greek mythos share certain arcane characteristics and these are more similar if there is some immediate relationship between the individuals compared. Having seen the results I can confirm that Cottus isn't drawing any power from Tartarus, or any source other than himself. His signature is simply too similar to that of his brothers. Diana has both Titanic and Olympian elements, but nothing that is uniquely like that of Cottus. While I would need to fully analyse the Five and Gaea herself to establish the relationship beyond reasonable doubt, on the balance of probability the version of Diana's creation told by Queen Hippolyta is correct."
I turn to Donna. "But Cottus might have created you."
The sudden change of direction appears to catch her off guard. "What?"
"The similarity between your metaphysique and Diana's is very high. Higher even than that of Diana and Euanthe, who were both given life by Gaea. The differences have a strong similarity to Cottus' magic, though there are other components I can't readily identify. I would hypothesise that you were somehow created in a similar fashion to Diana rather than being naturally born, though I'm afraid that more than that I don't know."
Her eyes drop to the floor as she takes that in. "Oh."
I turn back to the throne. "Alkyone has psychological issues relating to children which may have affected her judgement, but that was the trigger. I'm afraid that I can't explain every event… The information just isn't there. On the other hand, I have completed the task that you set me."
There's a flash of blinding light behind me, as if someone set off a flashbang grenade. Construct goggles form over my eyes as I turn around, and as the light dies down a blonde man wearing only a kilt, sandals and a pair of leather bracers stands in the aisle. He smiles at us.
"Perhaps I might explain?"
Last edited:
Well, The Sun just rose.
- Location
- Florida, United States
I HAVE A QUESTION.
I was under the impression that due to his tattoos, the gods couldn't see / sense him and that also applied to when he talked? So how would he have known when to make his dramatic entrance?
Winged One
Not the Simurgh
- Location
- definitely the ground
- Pronouns
- They/Them/It
This oughta be good. I'm guessing he's here on official message business.
If I understand correctly, they can't sense him to track him, but if they are looking at some area, they can hear what's going on, which would include things he's saying.
HanEmpire
Delicious
Well Paul announced this meeting beforehand to cause as much Chaos as possible. I think it likely that some gods/goddesses were listening in out of curiosity.
See what happens? Hang out with supervillains for a few hours, you start monologuing. It's catching.
Typo:
"gathers" I think.
- Location
- USA
I hope he has a plan for stopping anyone from going after her after that revelation. seems a bit uncouth to reveal someone's personal info in such a manner to the public
Hm.
I'm going to guess that Cottus did, somehow, show up at Diana's creation. He then did some shenanigans there that lead to the creation of Donna. Maybe he stole a piece of Diana's clay body, maybe he twinned the effect somehow, I don't know but I'm quite sure he was there and did something that resulted in Donna.
I'm going to guess that Cottus did, somehow, show up at Diana's creation. He then did some shenanigans there that lead to the creation of Donna. Maybe he stole a piece of Diana's clay body, maybe he twinned the effect somehow, I don't know but I'm quite sure he was there and did something that resulted in Donna.
He could have already been there; shapechanged or invisible. The wards don't stop direct visual observation. And the Olympians are generally portrayed as good at shapechanging.
- Location
- West Michigan
...
"Secret mission." "Throne room." It's very unlikely that this is a public event.
Zoat, you probably meant "aisle."
Also, that cat is suspicious.
Last edited:
- Location
- Wall Gazing
Apollo's divine realm includes prophecy.
It's not really the public. It's the Queen, her Crown Princess, the Queen's personal guard, and a whatever the prisoner's count as. Either way, they're loyal to Hippolyta.
It's not like he's making an announcement to a packed senate.
- Location
- Oblivion
They also don't stop someone targeting their scry on objects Paul might be carrying with him.
Remember this bit?
I suspect the cat may have been Apollo in disguise.
- Location
- Hampden Park
Thank you, corrected.
No, it wasn't that. Apollo was told what the SI had been doing by Hades and has been keeping an eye on Themyscira for something like this since.
Scholar of Time
Master of Lurking
- Location
- Born of Sands, Raised in Shadow
Ah, Zoat time - a fine replacement for reading a novel. Thanks!
No one likes you Apollo, fuck off.
He was probably just hanging out invisible waiting for his cue.
She's an Amazon trapped in that form.
- Status