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

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PDV said:
It didn't get time onscreen, but I don't think that's true. In between the double-marathon endurance training Diana gave him I expect there was some close-combat practice.
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Queshire said:
More than that, considering the amount of time OL was with the team I would eat my hat if unpowered combat wasn't covered. There's Batman, Green Arrow and Black Canary who would all likely want to include it, plus Artemis and Robin on the team who would need to keep up with it.
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It's been mentioned several times in-story that he's gotten hand-to-hand training. Also his fight with the Gotham mobster demonstrates that while he isn't a great melee fighter he does know how.

Just for a heartbeat I see a look of shock on his face. Then his face hardens, his fists come up and he dashes towards me. Okay, let's see how much of Ms Lance's lessons stuck. He telegraphs a right, and from the angle of the limb it looks like it'll include an elbow chaser. Doubt he'll extend enough for a throw. "Ragh!"

I move left, my right comes across to turn his arm aside. Still hurts without the ring or power armour but it does put me in position to trip him and hit him in the side of the head with the heel of my left palm. He staggers a step and collapses onto the ground and I step back as he rolls to his feet. "I really do recommend calling it a night. These sorts of affair are seldom dignified."

He approaches again, slower this time. Hmm, Robin or Artemis would have gone for a pin or a choke there, wouldn't they? I'm probably too analytical for good melee fighting. The skills are just-. He throws a series of jabs at my head and I step back as he does so. Not like we've got a ring-out line here. So opposed to how it makes sense to fight as a Lantern. I step back just ahead of his next strike then surge forwards, pushing his left arm aside with my left hand while my own right fist uppercuts him under the chin. I follow up, turning side on, pushing off with my calves and shoving my shoulder into his chest.

Off to the side I hear the restaurant door open as he falls backwards, unable to stop himself hitting the pavement hard. "Agh!" Right, does he-? He reaches into his belt and pulls out a tiny flick knife. The hand holding it is swiftly met by the toe of my right foot, sending the knife flying. I then drop onto him, hands going to his shoulders and my right knee to his diaphragm. "Owgh!" Right fist up and hope he gets the messa-.
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Also, as it's been brought up before, with the whole "humbling" topic. That OL basically has a Saiya-jin style recovery to an asskicking. One that doesn't leave him going "Oh woe is me, if only I hadn't been so not humble." But one that leaves him going "Okay...whatever did that, is not going to do it again." Before embarking on researching/building/covering that weakness.

So....you're desire for a humble OL will only leave you with an even more powerful OL. My god, what have you done?
 
Maxx Crowley said:
Also, as it's been brought up before, with the whole "humbling" topic. That OL basically has a Saiya-jin style recovery to an asskicking. One that doesn't leave him going "Oh woe is me, if only I hadn't been so not humble." But one that leaves him going "Okay...whatever did that, is not going to do it again." Before embarking on researching/building/covering that weakness.

So....you're desire for a humble OL will only leave you with an even more powerful OL. My god, what have you done?
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I would say more 'wizard.' He's no getting (much) more powerful (quickly). But when he encounters something that gives him a problem, he explores the possibility space available to him, which is huge, to create counters so that the next time it isn't a problem.
 
The big hole I see in the Hawk's logic here is that OL doesn't know them well enough to have had reason to believe they would help him and wouldn't side with Nabu or had any opinion on the subject at all. They may as well be two other random Thanagarians or other aliens who just showed up and declared they were mad at him.
 
I think there is one criticism that is fair here. Let's look at how OL handled his meeting with the Flash versus the Hawks.

A rooftop in Central City, out of line of sight of any security cameras and within convenient travelling distance for a man who can run at light speed. He was supposed to be here twenty two minutes ago, but Wallace said that's pretty normal for hi-.

Then he's there, the coffee cup I put out already in his hand and at his lips.

"Thank you for taking the time to see me, Flash."
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I descend slowly as she waits for the police. "I appreciate there's-" Now the mace comes out. "-never a good time-"

"What do you want?"

"-for this sort of conversation, but I was wondering if you'd like to talk about Nabu?"
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You notice the difference? He made an appointment with the Flash at a specific time and place to talk things over. He blindsided the Hawks by dropping out of the sky with no prior notice. The Hawks definitely seem to be angrier to talk with, but even allowing for that I'm not sure it should be a surprise that the first meeting went better than the second.
 
Briefvoice said:
I think there is one criticism that is fair here. Let's look at how OL handled his meeting with the Flash versus the Hawks.





You notice the difference? He made an appointment with the Flash at a specific time and place to talk things over. He blindsided the Hawks by dropping out of the sky with no prior notice. The Hawks definitely seem to be angrier to talk with, but even allowing for that I'm not sure it should be a surprise that the first meeting went better than the second.
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While you have a point, I'm not sure the Hawks would have willingly made an appointment for him in any kind of reasonable timeframe, precisely because they're so mad at him. I don't think there was much Paul could have done to improve the way this conversation went.
 
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Rampage (part 3)
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    • 6th November
    14:21 GMT

    "You, er…" The police officer assigned to keep watch over me leans in a little bit. "You.. like… You know Batman then, do yuh?"

    I'm sitting in a small office in Cardiff Central Police Station. With Alan making friends with a cross section of Alliance members and the team somewhere in southern Africa, I've been assigned to check John Fate's background.

    "Ah… Yes? I wouldn't say we're social acquaintances at this point, but we've been colleagues for a little over a year now. I've been on a number of missions at his instruction."

    "Could you.. like… Get his autograph fer me?"

    "I can… I can certainly ask for you, but he.. hands those out only very occasionally. Usually for charity, after Superman has smiled at him for a couple of minutes."

    She grins. "Ah, that'd be brilliant!"

    "As I said, no promises, but-" A CID officer walks in, and the police officer moves away slightly. "-I'll certainly ask."

    "Alright, Constable Williams. I think I can handle this one, thank you."

    "Right you are, sir." She heads towards the door. "Shout if you need anything fetching."

    "I will." The detective looks me over, apparently not very impressed. "What happened to the fancy armour, then?"

    "I didn't think it appropriate to the situation. And it's not exactly chair-friendly." I open my hands, letting her get a good look at my power rings. She's a stout, middle aged woman with short brown hair. "If you want to phone the League and confirm my identity-."

    "What do you think I just did?"

    "Good, so you know who I am. Would it be possible for me to ask you some questions?"

    "Just as soon as I'm shuwer we're not going to have some lunatic start knocking over buildings."

    "No, no-. Ah, not as far as I know. I'm just checking the references of someone who might be working with the League at some point."

    "Don't have a lot of costumed mental cases around here. I think we'd have spotted them."

    "I don't think that the individual in question wore a costume." I take a picture out of subspace, showing John Fate's face attached to an approximately-correct body wearing a suit. "Does this man seem familiar at all?"

    She frowns with mild irritation, then her brows unfurrow slightly in recognition. "He does a bit, though I'm jiggered if I know where from."

    "He claimed that he offered to assist the Cardiff police during a series of ritualistic killings with a magic motive."

    Her eyes widen. "That's never John Constantine. You send him on a body building course, did yuh?"

    "You're right, that isn't John Constantine. Not unless something very strange is happening." Moderately strange. John's a common first name and Constantine is three thousand five hundred and sixtieth most common. My own is too rare to feature on any of the lists I saw. It might not even exist here. "But he claims he was around here at the same time."

    "Might be." She reaches out for the picture and I hand it to her. "Several of the officers involved in that were moved off front line duties. Mental health." I nod sympathetically. That sort of thing doesn't bother me any longer, but mutilated bodies are a bit of a shock if you're not used to them. "I can show them the picture."

    "I'd appreciate that. I just need to confirm that he was here and trying to be helpful."

    "Alright. I'll get that done for you. Is there anything else?"

    "I would appreciate a copy of the relevant case files. I'm not expecting a copycat or anything like that, I just want to make sure that I'm being thorough."

    "The Justice League can request that. I'll have it scanned and sent via the proper channels."

    A couple of days' wait, then. And it's mildly painful that it isn't all on computer. "Thank you."

    I offer her my right hand, which she takes briefly before indicating the door. "Can you find your way out?"

    "Yes, thank you. I'll look forward to hearing from you." I raise my right fore and middle fingers to my forehead in a mock salute,

    -then step out and back-

    6th November
    09:25 GMT -5

    into the city of Chicago for my next Justice League member meeting.

    "Hey, ah, Nancy? I'll call you back. Looks like my nine thirty just arrived."

    Mr O'Brian in civilian mode. He can't really hide what he is, but he makes an effort. His suit and shirt are red, material from that weird.. leotard.. thing he was for whatever reason wearing when he took the chemical bath which turned him into living rubber repurposed into office wear. His hair looks stranger still, a solid unmoving mass stuck on top of his head. He's not wearing his gog-. No, he is, the goggles have just merged with his eyebrows.

    "Do you have a moment, Plastic Man?"

    "Eh… Sure." He falls backward, morphing into an office chair as he does so. "Sit down, I'll get someone to make you coffee."

    "Thank you, but I don't drink coffee. Also, I'm…" I shake my head. "Not sitting on you." I generate a construct chair and sit down opposite him. "I'm sure you know why I'm here."

    "Because you need someone to sportscast your match with Hawkwoman?" He shifts back into humanoid form, his right hand now holding a microphone. "In the red corner, all the way from Thanagar, give it up for-!"

    "No. Nabu."

    The microphone merges with his hand, his whole body sagging. "Yeah, well, see, I didn't actually know-."

    "Diana told me. You somehow managed to miss that he was possessed."

    He shrugs. "It's not the first thing you think of. I mean, what was his name-?"

    "Kent Nelson."

    "Right! Kent Nelson was fine wearing the helmet for decades."

    "And Nabu wanted to keep Kid Flash as his host-."

    "Ah, hey." He holds his hands out in a placatory gesture, expanding them to three of four times normal size. "I wasn't even on the League when that happened. I didn't get access to the reports until New Year."

    "And you didn't read through them."

    "I read some. The ones about things we were actually doing. There are a lot of reports in there!" He returns his hands to normal size. "I don't even particularly think you were wrong, but… I thought if there was anything going wrong with Zatara then Batman or someone would have said something."

    I could bear a grudge about this. Being on the Justice League should mean that you do the blasted reading. But I think this episode has already given him the kick he needed on that score.

    "I.. suppose that's.. fair. Anything you want to ask me?" He shakes his head. "Then… Have a nice day."

    I raise my fingers to my forehead again.
     
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    • I actually feel a bit sorry for Plastic Man there; it's clear that a fair amount of his problem was that he trusted that he'd be told about a little thing like a teammate being possessed.

    Typos:

    Mr Zoat said:
    "Just as soon as I'm shuwer we're not going to have lunatic start knocking over buildings."
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    "lunatics"

    Mr Zoat said:
    "I don't even particularly think you were wrong, but… I though if there was anything going wrong with Zatara then Batman or someone would have said something."
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    "thought"
     
    This's a nice quiet chapter, just resolving shit for us. And gods damn, that's definitely JC. I bet he's having a laugh that Paul can't even see the obvious shit in front of him.

    Mercenary said:
    Oh Christ I just realized he's doing the DBZ thing isnt he...
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    Oh yes. He's been calling that out for ages. Since he started Transmissioning, I think.

    Mercenary said:
    When fiction gives you a hole, you can build whatever you want in it. :D
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    Not the way the quote goes on QQ, I assure you.
     
    Didn't Plas have a sidekick? Woozy, I think?

    Not really but sure what he did in the comics or what he could possibly be doing here.

    Same with Plas's son.
     
    fictionfan said:
    Mr Zoat seems to be having fun coming up with justifications for one of the biggest plot holes in canon.
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    My options were:
    1) Come up with reasons which were plausible, if not actually good
    2) Erase the whole plot line

    I chose 1 because I planned it out right at the beginning when my writing skills were much weaker than they are now. I've seen other YJ stories cover it, and they usually have the POV character look for a host. I think one added a League beatdown at Roanoke when Nabu acted up.
    Avernus said:
    Typos: "lunatics" "thought"
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    Thank you, corrected.
    RichardWhereat said:
    Woozy Winks

    Oh good gods. I'm betting that Zoat's intentionally leaving him out, but it'd be hilarious if he didn't.
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    No, he's around. And getting treatment. The SI just hasn't heard of him and doesn't actually know Mr O'Brian particularly well.
    SuperiorSpiderMn said:
    sure
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    That's the Welsh accent for yhaw.
     
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