Mmkay. A little bit of advance notice. I'm gonna be scarce starting from this Thursday, 22nd September, till about...um, I dunno, around 11th October, maybe. Tentatively speaking.
Two or three weeks. Could be longer, could be shorter. I might drop by to post on the forums, but lacking regular 'net access, I'll almost certainly not be in-game.
-- Acyl

Caught this on the broadcast channel and had to share. How true! -Cindy
[Broadcast]Friction System: (( most people fight monsters for the badges.. Lusca is ...
not exp friendly.. she dishes out debt faster than a credit card ))

I was just thinking about HP fanfic, and the way that so many authors break the power balances so severely and believably. I think I've realized the problem. The problem is that Rowling, though she is many things, and many of them admirable, is not a particularly good tactician, let alone a particularly good strategist. She doesn't think like that, so her characters don't think like that. It's rather unfortunate because you can be certain that otherwise there would be characters who thought strategically. Mad-eye, for one, would be breaking down Dumbledore's door and haranguing him until he got a better grasp of the art, let alone the fact that Dumbledore himself would be more ept - as would Voldemort, a fair smattering of Aurors, most of the Death Eaters, and so on.
Many of her readers, however, *are* tacticians, so when we transplant our own grasp of tactics on to one or more characters, that alone (even without the all-too-frequent author bias that enSues) renders the characters far more effective - to an overbalancing degree, given the amount that the current parities are held together by wishes and fairy dust.
I'm not sure what my reaction would be, except perhaps to propose an AU where the Initial Big Change was that the appropriate people *were* decent tacticians/strategists/etc. Keep it balanced - if you upgrade Dumbledore to where he ought to be, you should do the same for Voldemort. Give Lucious the intellect that he ought to have to balance out Mad-eye, and so on.
The problem is, really, that you'ld have to take it all the way back, and there are so *many* differences that spring from this one thing.
- Assume that the Potters die bravely as normal. There weren't any major errors in judgement there - just terrible surprises
- Black demands truth serum and gets it. He doesn't get Azkaban, but he does have to dea with that whole "unregistered animagus" thing. A manhunt ensues for Scabbers, who *does* get the Azkaban treatment if/when he is caught.
- We will assume that Putting The Dementors In Charge Of Azkaban was done by one of those people who come by their stupidity naturally. Fudge, say.
- Even if you chalk up the Dursleys initially to a horrifying attack of senility, Harry gets checked in on from time to time. Pretty quickly, they realize he's being horribly mistreated, Dumbledore decides that he doesn't *want* another Riddle, and they either Fix The Dursleys or put him Somewhere Else. Meanwhile, someone starts training Harry in magical duelling.
further dominoes fall later.

Well, it's not *quite* fanfic, but...
- I'd really like to see a filk for "One time at band camp" to the tune of "One night in bangkok" from Chess. It just feels...so right.

What a great team we had this morning! Eva, Lora'Lai, Superball, Jackie, Minuet and Wide (and a friend of Supes whose name I can't recall).
So, latest gossip (BTW, is this another Task Force Eva?) on the Minuet and Wide Saga. This is edited because it was a long scene. But a good one! BTW, did someone think to get a screenie of this? I was pre-occupied for some reason. :-)
So, picture this...in Founder's Fall, Williams Square, Wide in his white tux, Min in her football uniform and the SG mates cavorting in the background - except for Eva, who was out trying to get another mission. She's so dedicated. :-)
Minuet Mac Hine: Excuse me? What was that?
Lora'Lai: Eva, you might want to pay attention here.
Superball: Say---IS THE BIG GUY DOING WHAT I THINK HE IS?
[Team]Jackie Marie Frost: Is this what I think it is?
Wide Receiver: *whispers.*
Wide Receiver: Will.
Wide Receiver: You.
[Team]Lora'Lai: I think so.
Wide Receiver: Be.
Wide Receiver: My.
[Team]Jackie Marie Frost: Starts with a B!
Wide Receiver: *whispers softly in Min's ear.
Wide Receiver: Bride.
Superball whispers in the background, "Dude, you mean he -actually-... Damnit, I owe Syn five bucks!"
Jackie Marie Frost has not rice, throws hail.
Minuet Mac Hine: *gasp. Min starts shaking in nervousness
Wide Receiver nervous
Minuet Mac Hine: Ah....
Minuet Mac Hine: Uhm...
Superball leans on Lora'Lai, hand clapsed over his face. "I can't watch!"
[Team]Evangelia: Folks up for a timed mish vs. COT?
[Team]Superball: Uhhhh...
[Team]Jackie Marie Frost: Timing!
[Team]Superball: Nooowww is not the tiiiime...boss.
[Team]Lora'Lai: Eva, you are missing the real action over here. ^_^
[Team]Evangelia: No problem.
[Team]Superball: And it ain't against the Circle, yo.
[Team]Evangelia: bring me to the action
[Team]Lora'Lai: Err.... can't.
[Team]Evangelia: Oh.
[Team]Evangelia: OMW then
Wide Receiver: [free moment to ooc tp tehm in]
[Team]Lora'Lai: Oh NVM
[Team]Jackie Marie Frost: Wide is in kneeling in front of Min. And no, it is not what you think.
[Team]Evangelia: See, I got there.
[Team]Evangelia:
[Team]Evangelia: thx
[Team]Superball: I don't know what to think! Oh my stars!
Minuet Mac Hine: I...I ..wasn't expecting that.
Wide Receiver: [the box holds a ring with a very large emerald flanked with diamonds]
Jackie Marie Frost senses trouble, cover's Superball's mouth.
Minuet Mac Hine: Oh wow.
Superball MMMmMMPpHhHmmPph
Minuet Mac Hine: Uhm......yes?
Wide Receiver WOOHOOO!

Oh gouls, ghouls, ev'rywhere you can see
and I am the lord of the vamps, Celes V.
And I'll drink your blood if only you agree
Yes, turn you and toake you back to Hellsing
- CDSERVO: Loook *deeeeply* into my eyes... Tell me, what do you see?
CROW: (hypnotized) A twisted man who wants to inflict his pain upon others.
For the next 72 hours, Itachi intoned, I will slap you with this trout. - Spying no Jutsu, chapter 3
"In the futuristic taco bell of the year 20XX, justice wears an aluminum sombrero!"hemlock-martini
--
"Anko, what you do in your free time is your own choice. Use it wisely. And if you do not use it wisely, make sure you thoroughly enjoy whatever unwise thing you are doing." - HymnOfRagnorok as Orochimaru at SpaceBattles
woot Med. Eng., verb, 1st & 3rd pers. prsnt. sg. know, knows

For lack of a better way to occupy my time (and since Devil May Cry 3 is being obstinate) ...
***
Zero no Tenshi: Chop Suey
***
I don't think you trust,
In, my, self righteous suicide,
I, cry, when angels deserve to die,
One: Mahou Shounen Evangelical Katsu ... or something.

"Most people would have tried spinning excuses as to how they'd been unwittingly used as an accessory to a crime," Old Osmond, the Principal of the Academy, said.
"I think we've established that I'm not most people," I was having a hard time not responding with 'gee, ya think, Gandalf?' which I'm not sure he would have appreciated.
His office, in an antithesis of the concept that was 'principal of a magical school', was actually fairly spacious and well organized.
The man himself seemed oddly reasonable, though shrewd ... I'd say I could count myself lucky. I could have been stuck dealing with Mustrum Ridcully.
"I think we could call it even," I went on, blandly. Wouldn't do to make him think that he was negotiating from a position of power. "You and yours knocked me over and dragged me here against my will, I knocked you and yours over and took your stuff. You'll also note that I took care to return it."
"Would you have, if you could have actually used it?" the bespectacled balding guy standing off to the side of the Gandalf-lookalike's desk asked.
Sharp man.
"Yes, but then I'd be on my way _out_ of this backwater world and definitely out of your hair, so the point is moot."
"Well, the Staff of Destruction is a complex instrument that the greatest minds of the country have been puzzled over ..."
"It's a glorified firecracker that can only go off once and has no so called 'magical' power whatsoever," I cut him off. "Very limited amount of uses you can get out of something that's designed go 'boom' and blow other things apart."
That, it seemed, was not what either had expected to hear.
"You mean to say that you actually know how it works?" the disbelief on Glasses' face - I think his name was Cobalt or Colton or something - was plain to see.
"In gross terms. Chemistry. Solid fuel. Impact detonator. The tube you little staff expands into to direct the delivery," alright, so a little simpler, then. "Okay. Think of it like a cannon you can carry around with you."
***
Apparently, Glasses was something of a budding enthusiast where the sciences were concerned.
Colbert - that was his name, by the by - wanted to spend the next several hours digging through my mind for ideas. Not literally, fortunately.
Magic teacher with a fancy for technology ... well, I'd seen odder things in the course of my travels.
He seemed to be able to grasp ideas quickly as well, which I found out a bit later on.
Finally, though, we cut a deal.
The gist of it being that I'd stay on and play 'ideas taster' to Colbert's inner mad scientist, and in exchange would be given means and assistance to research a way back to where I'd come from. To a self professed hack, it seemed like fair trade.
I'd certainly be in a better position to do so in the premier Magical Academy of the continent than I would have been trying to do the same through other, less direct means.
Though part of me was still insisting on just raiding their logs and records to find notes on _some_ sort of potent magical device or item or being, then take off to try and make use of said power ...
... but, for one thing, that sort of approach had worked out _oh_ so well just a brief bit ago, yes?
For another, it would be useful to have an alternative to having to acquire obscene amounts of pure power and/or have a technological basis ready every time I wanted to Cross.
Also ...
... it would be nice to help create something, maybe start off something grand, without the usual destruction ...
... another, quieter part of me, chimed in softly.
In retrospect, that was perhaps the wrong thing to think, as it seems to invite disaster.
But that would come later.
There and then I had other, more immediate things to deal with.
Settling in.
Getting the lay of the land, so to speak.
Finding some food.
Sadly, those would have to wait a bit also. The most immediate one was the one that sought _me_ out.
To sum it up in five words:
"What do you mean, 'familiar'?"
***
END One
***
next up: No bull? You know, at least Takumi was polite. This is legal, how? Oi! Old man! I want some compensation, damnit!
Or simply: getting acquainted.

Tsuzuku!
-Griever
When tact is required, use brute force. When force is required, use greater force.
When the greatest force is required, use your head. Surprise is everything. - The Book of Cataclysm

Dunno if Bob's used this song before but it suddenly occurred to me that this would work well for Doug.
I don't have the lyrics handy but there's a song where the chorus includes the phrase, "I'm working my way back to you babe,". I can't recall the title or artist offhand, but that line describes the Walk fairly well, don't it? 8)__________________
I feel like I'm diagonally parked in a parallel universe.
___________________________
"I've always wanted to be somebody, but I should have been more specific." - George Carlin

Okay, a disclaimer first. This bit currently exists in isolation -- there is no more of this particular story before or after it. I have only the vaguest
"gee, it would be cool if..." intents about putting the GGG crew in this setting. The scene just came to me a couple days ago and insisted on being
written, though, and would not leave me alone. Sadly it's not enough to throw at my prereaders, but I'd like it if someone enjoyed it, so here
it is. Enjoy, but don't ask for more.

Yet.

Peggy's going to be doing an all-day gardening seminar/class/thing at Rutgers tomorrow, starting fairly early in the morning and going on almost to sunset. That means I will likely be playing COH all that time, with a short break to make lunch in the middle.
Just so folks know.
Wide Receiver, if you're around and want to retry that Crey mish in Steel Canyon, I'll be up for it.
-- Bob
---------
...The President is on the line
As ninety-nine crab rangoons go by...