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Life Ore Death - DC Feruchemy [Young Justice]

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Personally, I prefer Teal Lanterns of Joy, because there not being a happiness or contentment color on the Spectrum just strikes me as wrong when it's such a powerful emotion.

I could also back Brown Lanterns, though, because if Desire can have a color (orange is avarice) then I don't see why Despair couldn't do the same.
 
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Would hatred or contempt have a color separate from Rage, do you think? We already have an Ultraviolet, maybe they would be an Infrared?
 
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YeahOkayCool said:
Would hatred or contempt have a color separate from Red, do you think? We already have an Ultraviolet, maybe they would be an Infrared?
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Hatred seems to be part and parcel with typical Red, but I could see Contempt being distinct enough to warrant its own color. Hell, it even thematically kinda fits with Shame being on the other end of the spectrum.
 
 
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Embarking - part 10
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    • Life Ore Death​
    * December 17 [Ferris PoV]

    "One bright day in the middle of the night, two dead boys got up to fight.
    "Back to back they faced each other, drew their swords, and shot their brother.
    "A deaf policeman heard the noise, ran up and shot those two dead boys.
    "If you disbelieve this tale is true, ask the blind man: he saw it too."

    "Woo!" Rose cheered, clapping enthusiastically as I sucked in deep breaths. "You got it, way to go!"

    "Thank," I panted. "You." My vague wish that I had not rattled it off in one go could not overcome my mental glow of success.

    "Very impressive," John Dee agreed with a nasty-sounding cackle. I did not let it disturb me; over the course of our weeklong travels, I had learned that he was simply too damaged to sound pleasant, even at his most genuine and innocent moments. As such, I had taken to accepting his words and actions strictly like solid bronze, and ignoring the unpleasant tones and cackles with which he voiced them.

    "Thank you," I repeated when I had caught my breath. "This has been… an education. Very, very good," I emphasized.

    Spending a week of easy travel – even if it was long and time consuming, the actual path was quite smooth and either evenly level or downhill, so my wheelchair actually gave me the easiest journey of all of us – with primarily English speakers who had no ways to kill time except through talk had certainly improved my English abilities in leaps and bounds.

    Thanks in small part to my familiarity with copper-mind memorization drills, I could now recite and understand a number of common nursery rhymes, lullabies, quotes, and pop culture references. Everyone had been very supportive, and even if I did occasionally feel like the baby of the group… well, with Donna still on Themyscira, I was the youngest by at least a decade.

    They were genuine enough in supportive praise that I did not feel especially smothered.

    It was… extremely pleasant. This alone would have made this trip worthwhile, in my opinion.

    "We have arrived," Diana informed the rest of us. We all paused our movements and glanced around.

    Currently, our location appeared to be either a path at the base of a cliff face, or a very wide and foggy tunnel. There was a wall with the torch-brackets that marked our path on our left, stretching as far as the eye could see before and behind us, as well as up into the fog.

    Any signs that would have denoted whether we were in the open or in a vast tunnel still were concealed by the thick mist that swirled around us. It had the slight taste of Investiture that made it almost welcoming and familiar, but it was composed of Earth's magic, and there was a definite difference that I could not forget. It was a little clammy, but my clothes were warm, and I did not mind it.

    I still could not see any signs of the River Styx, which would be our arrival point – I had been informed that unless one entered with divine permission or powerful magic, one must always cross the River Styx to enter Erebus – and it looked like no one else did, but I trusted Diana.

    "Is there anything we will need to do?" I asked. I had repeated the question about once a day, just in case, but the answer remained.

    "No," Diana re-confirmed with a slight smile. "We are on proper business, so I do not expect we will meet Kerberos, nor should we be troubled by him if we do. I will arrange our payments with Charon, and everything should be safe enough, for now."

    'Pity,' I sighed, fingering the piece of rock I had procured in case I needed to attempt to pass Cerberus. 'Although, given that I do not have my Feruchemy, and even my aura is in recovery, it is far better to not need any of my precautions than to discover if they work without testing.'

    Diana led us onwards, along the path of misty torchlight, and we followed her.

    "I see it," John Dee announced after a few more minutes.

    'I thought he had the worst eyesight of us…? Ah, but he is both experienced in uses of power, and the closest to death. That may explain it.'

    "I as well," Wesley agreed after a few minutes. "Diana, should there usually be some ghosts waiting for passage? Or the people who died and were buried without two coins to pay the toll?" I fingered the small pouch of spare change, etc., I had also brought along at that.

    "Hmm... There are several possible answers to that," Diana explained to us. "The first is that there exist more than one river crossing, and this one is reserved for those who enter as we did, or are living, or are on business; the dead would then be at another crossing."

    "Is there another crossing? I thought there was only one Charon," Barbie voiced uncertainly.

    "Mm. Magic means a thing can be more than one thing at the same time," I paraphrased. "It also, I think, should apply to being in places."

    "Quite possibly. The second is that the rules have changed, or some allowance has been made, such as others paying on dead men's behalf to let the ghosts who lacked an obol of their own pass through. The third… is that they are around us now, and we do not see them."

    We all probably drew the same conclusion at once, and eyed the deep mists around us.

    '…I dearly wish I had metal-minds I could use,' I mentally sighed, and for a moment my thoughts turned again to my stolen earring and its Hemalurgy, and whether or not the Dr. Fate had found it yet. I shook thoughts away. 'Well… I do not feel any malice, or see any signs.'

    I remained turbed at the idea of ghosts in the mist, and merely broadcast benevolent thoughts to them, if they were present.

    "Mm. I see the boat," I announced not long after Diana's declaration, taking one hand off of my wheels long enough to point ahead.

    It was still a ways off, though, and we kept walking for almost another half-hour before the mist cleared, and we were on the bank.

    'I know mists and vision do not work that way, so it is definitely magic. I wish I knew more about how it worked,' I mused.

    *Errrt-uh-errr-uh-errrrrrrrr!*

    The not quite call of a rooster startled me for a moment, especially as it was nowhere near dawn here, and I wondered why Charon had kept one on his boat. Whatever the reason was, the reddish bird was leaving now, taking wing diagonally off into the mists and away.

    Diana conducted a whispered discussion with Charon as I looked out into the emptiness of what might have been a large cavern. It was illuminated in some inexplicable way, despite a lack of light sources, and I could clearly see across the river, and along each side of me.

    The entire experience was rather surreal, but it was concerting in its own way, because the experience of such strangeness was what I wanted to gain, and what I hoped to one day understand. I found myself smiling faintly, feeling quite comfortable and at home.

    'Although, I must remember to not eat anything we did not bring along in the pack,' I reminded myself again.

    "Renka, Rose, Barbie," Diana called gently. "We're up first, then the boys on the next trip."

    I almost snorted at the use of 'boys', which I usually would have identified as an insulting diminutive, except for the fact that I knew it was well meant, and that she was in fact of an age with the older men. 'Though, that they are traveling separately suggests... well, never mind.'

    Rose led the way, then I rolled forward, and Barbie followed after.

    I suspected the blonde had stayed behind me to take control of my wheelchair if I had trouble, but I rolled up the ramp with ease.

    The boat should not have been big enough for all four of us, but it was all the same, and we pushed off the dock a few moments later.

    Charon did not say anything to us, but I looked him over curiously, and I caught him looking back at me.

    He appeared to be a muscled, middle-aged human with gray skin and fuzzy brown hair. His face was serious and sallow, his eyes seemed to stand out like glowing candles without the illumination, and a long, tangled beard trailed down the front of his greasy, food-stained robe.

    I wondered idly if he was related to Jinx, or if the gray skin was something more generic. 'I will have to ask how she is coping, after I return.'

    We disembarked, again without issue, and I watched Charon pole away, back to pick up the other two.

    "Well, that's a bad omen," Rose muttered suddenly. I twisted my head to follow her gaze.

    There was a tree not too far away, bare and slightly wizened, but otherwise unremarkable save that it was, now that I thought about it, the only tree visible among the miles of river, bank, and upright rocks dotting the plain.

    In the tree was a single bird, colored black, though I knew not of which kind.

    "Ravens are ominous here, yes," Diana noted, "but why do you assume it is a bad omen?"

    "Because all of the counting rhymes start off with bad things. 'One for sorrow, two for mirth,' and those stuff."

    "I thought those were magpies," I noted idly, although I knew Carpe Jugulum to be far from a reliable reference. "Mm. Also, is your counting rhyme as important as the ones… with which…" 'I know how to say this…' "The rhymes by which the magpies, or birds, count themselves?"

    "An interesting observation," Diana murmured. "I have not the faintest clue, to tell the truth."

    "Well, we can't exactly go ask the birds how they count each other, either," Barbie observed, "but I have heard you can deflect an ill outcome of a count by greeting the birds in question, especially if it's one who's alone. Hello Mister Raven! I salute you!" She shouted with a wave.

    I smiled, adding, "Hello, and I hope you are well," because even if it was untrue, I enjoyed the idea of good manners beating bad fortune.

    Diana called something in Greek, over-lapping with Rose's belated greeting.

    "Nice to see you too," the raven called back, which in hindsight should not have surprised me. 'After all, what would a non-magical bird be doing alive in Erebus?' "Glad you made it in good time! I'm just gonna keep catching up with my friend Alec until the others get here."

    "…I-? Okay, you do that," Rose called back uncertainly. We four all shared a look.

    "This is an underworld. Dead afterlife. We should not be surprised if a living raven is magic," I pointed out mildly, rueful at my own whatever.

    Diana mastered her surprise quickly and nodded. "Quite correct, Renka. We must remember that the rules of the material world are in abeyance in Erebus, and to remain aware that things are often not as they seem. …I will also note that there is a tree here in myths, where roost many eagles… but not this tree."

    "Prometheus," I murmured, because I remembered that there was an eagle sent to eat his liver.

    "Quite right, although that situation has since changed, I believe," Diana informed us.

    With a creak and the sound of a soft splash, Charon docked his boat again, and our comrades disembarked.

    "Diana. What's caught your attention?" Wesley asked, as we were all staring at the tree.

    "Ah-ha-ha-haaa," John Dee cackled gleefully. "Ooh, I see he sent us a messenger, yes he did! Or a guide! I wonder if I know him?"

    "Eh," squawked the raven, flapping from the tree over to a rock closer to us, "if you didn't you do now. Call me Matthew."

    "I am Princess Diana of Themyscira," Diana introduced, stepping briskly forward to offer a bow. "With me are Rose Walker, Barbara Bild, Renka Tindwysra, Wesley Dodds, and John Dee. We seek entrance to the Dreaming, to rescue a friend of ours, if it is permissible."

    "Well," he squawked. "I'm not going to stop you, and I'm going back in that direction anyway. Um, you want the Gate of Horn?"

    "I believe so. There should not be any issues with our task?" Diana double-checked.

    "If you're not invited guests and you're all going in the flesh, then you suffer the same risks and you'll probably need to leave the way you came," Matthew explained, "but you've all got a lot of… I don't expect you'll be in much danger. But no promises."

    "Such is the way of life. Please, lead the way, Sir Matthew."

    "Righty-o! Um, it's pretty fast if we follow the path, but that'll take us straight through the House of Hades," he warned.

    "Quite alright," Wesley chuckled. "We might as well pay our respects, and Diana brought proper offerings."

    "This path will keep us away from Elysium as well, which would be wise at this time of year," Diana confirmed.

    "Um, about the offering?" Barbie interrupted nervously.

    "You need not be concerned, as I brought enough for all of us."

    "Mm. May I-? Am I allowed to give an offering of my own, as well?" I asked, having brought things for this as well.

    "I… certainly, although you do not need to," Diana assured me. "What is it?"

    "This." I removed my small pouch and opened it. She drew back, eyes wide in momentary shock.

    "I… see… Quite a princely gift, and an unexpected one. I daresay he will accept it and respect you. If you are certain of this...?"

    "Yes, thank you. I am glad," I murmured. Matthew took wing, and we began to follow him down the central road, toward the large building far away. A few paces in, however, a thought occurred to me. 'Omens…' "Pardon me," I called out.

    ""Yes?"" several of my companions asked at once.

    "Counting ravens. The idea is ominous. An omen. May I please hear the 'counting rhymes'?"

    "…I don't see why not," Rose muttered, nor did any of the others. "Mister Matthew? Would you be offended if we go through some of the counting rhymes for ravens that my friend is wondering about?"

    "If you know any that you birds use instead of humans, that would be really neat, too," Barbie agreed.

    "Nope, can't say I do. But go ahead," he invited.

    "Hehahahahaha," John Dee cackled. "Ooh, ooh! Here's the one I learned from my mother:

    "One for sadness, two for mirth;
    "Three for marriage, four for birth;
    "Five for laughing, six for crying;
    "Seven for sickness, eight for dying;
    "Nine for silver, ten for gold;
    "Eleven a secret that will never be told!

    "Yeeehahahahahaha…!" he cackled joyously.

    "Simple, but succinct," Diana noted. "Are they all like that?"

    "In what way?" Wesley deflected.

    "Well, I'm guessing John's rhyme is older – or, I dunno, somehow better – than the ones I know. Mine only go up to seven," Barbie noted.

    I wrinkled my nose. "I think it is not very… not good writing with words to be poetry."

    "Poetic," Wesley informed me.

    "Thank you. I do not think the words are very poetic." John made a curious noise, leering at me. "The word 'for' repeats a lot," I elaborated.

    "I think that's just a conceit of saying it. Although… I think I remember one that doesn't," Rose murmured, then cleared her throat.

    "One crow sorrow, two crows mirth,
    "Three crows a wedding, four crows a birth,
    "Five brings silver, six takes wealth,
    "Seven crows a secret, I can't tell."

    "Mm. Do they all start with sadness," I asked, "and next gladness? Do they all end in a secret?"

    "I think so," John Dee stated, nodding vigorously as we walked along. "Maybe that's because those are the ones that are correct?"

    "Only for the rhymes in English," Diana objected. "The one I learned on Themyscira as a girl was quite different. I cannot remember all of its words now, but I know it went up to thirteen, which was the complete end of a situation; sometimes death, but not necessarily."

    "Most corvids are very gregarious as species go," Wesley informed us.

    "Gregarious." I rolled it around my mouth. "Not egregious?"

    "Gregarious means sociable. Pack animals like wolves, or birds that flock together," Wesley explained patiently.

    "Birds of a feather!" John Dee chimed in, cackling.

    "Oh. So it'd be really rare for someone to see a lone crow or raven, just like it would be rare to see a lone wolf," Barbie realized.

    "Aaaand the bird would probably be kicked out for similar reasons," Matthew contributed. "Lone wolves are usually sick, or rabid."

    "Mm. Reasons for one to be bad luck," I mused, happy to have made some sense of this. "Please, what are some of the other versions?"

    "Not all that different," Barbie stated. "I know one that doesn't exactly end in a secret, though." She raised her voice and sang:

    "One for sorrow, two for mirth,
    "Three for a wedding, four for a birth,
    "Five for rich, six for poor,
    "Seven for a witch, I can tell you no more."

    "Mm. Not a secret, if she cannot tell you because she does not know," I mused slowly, turning things over in my head.

    "Seems like semantics to me… but I guess semantic's antics are important in a rhyme," Rose mused. "Okay, how about another one?"

    Thusly, we continued down the road, to the House of Hades.
     
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    • I'm going to assume Renka did not bring a death-related gift like bones, poison or worse. Perhaps a gift for Persephone?

    Or perhaps a hard drive containing all notable Earth media referencing Hades (including the animated Hercules)?
     
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    Oh no. You've discovered my secret evil plan to have Fate free Zatara in favor of a new host. Now I'll need to take a month's hiatus as I rewrite all of my next episode. For shame.
     
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