I've been asking Bob a few questions about Doug and the Walk lately, but they've been spoilers so they were by e-mail. This one isn't a spoiler, and other folks might be interested in the answer, so...
When Doug's helmet computer is in combat mode, just how much of a hair-trigger is it on?
For example, which of these would trigger the healing song?
a) Doug says "System. I'm Alive. Play" - we've seen that work.
b) Somebody else says "System. I'm Alive. Play" while wearing the helmet.
c) Somebody else says "System. I'm Alive. Play" while beside the helmet.
d) Doug says "...blah blah blah System, I'm Alive. Play blah blah blah..." (replacing "blah blah blah" with normal dialogue)
e) Doug says "...blah blah blah system blah blah blah I'm Alive blah blah blah Play blah blah blah..." (again, replacing "blah blah blah" with normal dialogue)
f) Doug says "System", then waits for a few seconds, then says "I'm Alive", then waits for a minute, then says "Play".
g) Doug says "System", somebody else says something, Doug says "I'm Alive", somebody else says something, Doug says "Play".

-Rob Kelk
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

Powers that can be done in silence. His silent powers are enumerated as enhanced speed or combat-hyping. improbability field, and magesight.
First technique is taken from from Naruto with the kawarami no jutsu. He could throw down a smoke pellet and use his speed to switch himself with whatever object is handy. Needs strength if he's going to go with logs.
Yadomejutsu: The art of arrow-cutting.
Wooden Table Spin:He's a martial artist so he could be able to manipulate a wooden table he's standing on top of to spin and smack enemies.
Iaijitsu:The ability to kill a person in a single draw from a sheathed sword. Called speed draw when used with pistols.
Houkou Incarnate:The ability to watch a person move in slow motion. It allows the twitch of a muscle to give away predicted motions. (This is specific to martial arts masters as they know what motion follows the muscle twitch).
Sense the Demon/Angel//Etc. :Self-explanatory. Extraplanar visitors tend to stand out. Same technique Skuld used to sense Doug's arrival.
Le Parkour Running:He does this anyway.
A few extra tricks to have up his sleeve. A magician always has an extra trick up their sleeve.

no updates to report, but i figure 420 posts is long enough to start a new thread... so here it is: the new! the improved! the shorter! updates thread!
-Z, Post-reader at Medium
----
If architects built buildings the way programmers write programs, the first woodpecker to come along would destroy civilization.
-Z, Post-reader at Medium
----
If architects built buildings the way programmers write programs, the first woodpecker to come along would destroy civilization.

I sing the body electric
I celebrate the me yet to come
I toast to my own reunion
When I become one with the sun
And I look back on Venus
I look back on Mars
And I burn with the fire
Of ten million stars
And in time
And in time
We will all be stars
I sing the body electric
I glory in the glow of rebirth
Creating my own tomorrow
When I shall embody the earth
And I'll serenade Venus
I'll serenade Mars
And I'll burn with the fire
Of ten million stars
And in time
And in time
We will all be stars
(oh yeah)
We are the emperors now
And we are the czars
And in time
And in time
We will all be stars
I sing the body electric
I celebrate the me yet to come
I toast to my own reunion
When I become one with the sun
And I'll look back on Venus
I'll look back on Mars
And I'll burn with the fire
Of ten million stars
And in time (and in time)
And in time (and in time)
And in time (and in time)
We will all be stars
-- Fame Soundtrack, "I Sing The Body Electric"

-- Bob
---------
For Jor-El so loved the Earth, he sent his only begotten son...

Ok. I was listening to this song, and got the weirdest flash of powers for it, so I thought I'd share with the class. And since the version that I have is around ten minutes long, Doug has all sorts of time to play with.
Bat Out Of Hell
Meatloaf
The sirens are screaming and the fires are howling
Way down in the valley tonight
There's a man in the shadows with a gun in his eye
And a blade shining oh so bright
There's evil in the air and there's thunder in the sky
And a killer's on the bloodshot streets
And down in the tunnel where the deadly are rising
Oh I swear I saw a young boy
Down in the gutter
He was starting to foam in the heat
Oh Baby you're the only thing in this whole world
that's pure and good and right
And wherever you are and wherever you go
There's always gonna be some light
But i gotta get out
I gotta break it out now
Before the final crack of dawn
So we gotta make the most of our one night together
When it's over you know
We'll both be so alone
Like a bat out of hell
I'll be gone when the morning comes
When the night is over
Like a bat out of hell I'll be gone gone gone
Like a bat out of hell I'll be gone when the morning comes
But when the day is done
And the sun goes down
And the moonlight's shining through
Then like a sinner before the gates of heaven
I'll come crawling on back to you
I'm gonna hit the highway like a battering ram
On a silver black phantom bike
When the metal is hot and the engine is hungry
And we're all about to see the light
Nothing ever grows in this rotten old hole
Everything is stunted and lost
And nothing really rocks
And nothing really rolls
And nothing's ever worth the cost
And I know that I'm damned if I never get out
And maybe I'm damned if I do
But with every other beat I got left in my heart
You know I'd rather be damned with you
If I gotta be damned you know I wanna be damned
Dancing through the night with you
If I gotta be damned you know I wanna be damned
Gotta be damned you know I wanna be damned
If Gotta be damned you know I wanna be damned
Dancing through the night
Dancing through the night
Dancing through the night with you
Oh Baby you're the only thing in this whole world
that's pure and good and right
And wherever you are and wherever you go
There's always gonna be some light
But I gotta get out
I gotta break it out now
Before the final crack of dawn
So we gotta make the most of our one night together
When it's over you know
We'll both be so alone
Like a bat out of hell
I'll be gone when the morning comes
When the night is over
Like a bat out of hell I'll be gone gone gone
Like a bat out of hell I'll be gone when the morning comes
But when the day is done
And the sun goes down
And the moonlight's shining through
Then like a sinner before the gates of heaven
I'll come crawling on back to you
Then like a sinner before the gates of heaven
I'll come crawling on back to you
I can see myself tearing up the road
Faster than any other boy has ever gone
And my skin is raw but my soul is ripe
And no one's gonna stop me now
I gotta make my escape
But I can't stop thinking of you
And I never see the sudden curve until it's way too late
I never see the sudden curve till it's way too late
Then I'm dying on the bottom of a pit in the blazing sun
Torn and twisted at the foot of a burning bike
And I think somebody somewhere is tolling a bell
And the last thing I see is my heart
Still beating
Breaking out of my body
And flying away
Like a bat out of hell
Then I'm dying at the bottom of a pit in the blazing sun
Torn and twisted at the foot of a burning bike
And I think somebody somewhere must be tolling a bell
And the last thing I see is my heart
Still beating
Still beating
Breaking out of my body and flying away
Like a bat out of hell
Like a bat out of hell
Like a bat out of hell
Like a bat out of hell
Like a bat out of hell
Like a bat out of hell
Powers: The primary power is transformation. For those of you who've seen/read Hellsing, it allows Doug to transform into a large cloud of bats and back at will for the duration of the song. Now...there are a few other perks.
First, the bats are bright red and covered with a thin layer of flame. Two, they can fly like the devil himself was after them - they can probably push or even break Mach 1. The faster they fly, the more intense the flame surrounding them becomes, and the longer the trail of fire they leave behind them (and the longer it endures). The cloud is immune to flame, and by flying back and forth in an area can fill it with fire, torching anything flammable within it. If the entire cloud flies in a circle fast enough, they can even form a fiery version of a tornado. Finally - Doug can reform at the location of any single bat, the rest vanishing as he turns human again. This is very useful for evasion, as the cloud can split apart and fly in a myriad of directions to avoid an enemy, and then Doug can appear at whichever location is enemy-free.
So...there you go. Useful at all?
--Feinan

Discussions elsewhere in the forums encouraged me to dig this out and post it. This is the original "metaplot" for The Drunkard's Walk, last tweaked about five years ago. Even then it was out of date, as the incomplete portion of the Walk continuously mutated and mutates still. I now work from another "itinerary" file in a somewhat different format; the fact that this one is still around is basically a tribute to my packrat tendencies.
Note that this is not complete and unabridged. There are definite spoilers remaining in the old file, which I have removed. Likewise I've removed some excess notage that really belonged in the project development files for the various Steps, and didn't really add anything to what this file was all about. Even with those bits in, though, this wasn't exactly the most informative file -- it was mainly a top-level list of "pointers" to keep me organized.
Anyway, enjoy. The Drunkard's Walk of Douglas Sangnoir:Start point: Warriors' World (homeworld). Low ambient mana. Departs via enemy action.First step: Velgarth, home of the Heralds of Valdemar. Average mana, node system. Learns how to tap nodes, and how *not* to. Trades unarmed combat training to Alberich for armed combat, particularly quarterstaff. Departs via "Point of Know Return" by Kansas. Working Title: "A Horse Ain't A Horse, Of Course, Of Course"Second step: Bubblegum Crisis. Outrageously high mana, node system. Builds motorcycle. Title: "Robot's Rules of Order" Gate Song: "The Way" by FastballThird step: Kodomo no Omocha. Average ambient mana. I have no idea for a plot yet for this setting, but it seemed like a nice challenge -- definitely a world where combat solutions are out of the question. Working Title: "Sana-chan no Omocha".Fourth step: Buckaroo Banzai, post-"8th Dimension". Average mana, node system. Working Title: "Pests and Hanoi-ances"Fifth step: In Nomine (A!MS variant?). High mana, node system (Tether variant). Working Title: "Holy, Holy, Holy... Cow"Sixth step: The Well World. Average ambient mana. Acquires translator crystal. ???Seventh step: "M.A.G.N.U.S. Veritas" -- an otherwise mundane Earth where the first experimental A.I. computer discovers the true principles of magic and becomes the only wizard on the planet. Low ambient mana. Doug learns more about magic, not that he can really apply it.Eighth step: Quantum Leap. Sam of course leaps into Doug. There is something vital for both Doug *and* Sam to accomplish in order for Doug to move on. Low ambient mana.Ninth step: Slayers Learns what the invocation of a "Dragon Slave" sounds like, and the subsequent need to duck. Outrageous ambient mana.Tenth step: Legion's Quest poly-crossover. Mana uncertain at this point. Learns that he isn't the only wanderer, that he *will* get home.Eleventh step: Dirty Pair, Zen/Legion alternate, post-Legion? Average ambient mana? Story?Twelfth step: Unknown.Thirteenth step: Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Average ambient mana. Arrives near the Hellmouth. With clever hacking gets job as a shop teacher at Sunnydale High. Stumbles across vampires. Chasing them, stumbles across Buffy; both think the other's a vampire at first, and fight... Willow discovers his credentials are faked (expertly)......Last step: Home again, home again, jiggity-jig.

-- Bob
---------
For Jor-El so loved the Earth, he sent his only begotten son...

Does the forum software support HTML sigs now?
YES!

Jeanne Hedge
www.jhedge.com

"Believe me, if I have to go the rest of my life without companionship, knowing myself won't be a problem."
-- Gabrielle of Potadeia

I'm a real guy I like real guy things
Like boats and guns and onion rings
But houshold chores need a power resolution
I went to the store and purchased the solution
I got a pressure washer I like it a lot
'Cause it makes cleaning destructive
Now I blow away the dirt and obliterate the muck
I pressure wash my fench and my couch and my truck
Nothing's dirty in the house though things are a little damp
My car's clean now even though it's bald
It's fur is in a corner of my neighbour's yard
I've got a new kid but diapers aren't a problem
I pressure washed his butt he'll never pee on me again
I got a pressure washer (He likes it a lot)
I got a pressure wahser (He cleaned up the tot)
Sure I may be squirting water but in my head
I'm a sergeant with a flamthrower spewing out death
I've got 2000 psi of awesome killing power
Look out commies, here comes Mike Rambo
With his 50 mm pressure washer look at him go
Jehovah's witnesses come and shake my hand
I pressure washed their literature and not they understand
I got a pressure washer
One day I was out pressure washing my lawn
My neighbour came home with a big smile on
He pulled out a brand new
Gas powered
Turbo charged
90 gauge
Super mega mega mega washer
With a DVD drive
Damn IT!!!
I need a bigger pressure washer (he needs a bigger pressure washer)
I need a bigger pressure washer (he needs a bigger pressure washer)
I need a bigger pressure washer
I need a bigger pressure washer
I need a bigger pressure washer
Or maybe a hummer

Pressure Washer, The Arrogant Worms, from their 2006 album Beige

Like the subject says, every super team needs someone with a "water blast" power. (The Sailor Senshi have Sailor Neptune, although her atack is more "ball of water" than "water jet".)
The water jet isn't likely to kill anyone outright, but it will do some damage. (In GURPS terms, I'd set it as a 5d Innate Attack (crushing), with Jet, Double Knockback, and No Wounding, for a total of 18 points.)
Jealousy of somebody with a bigger "water jet" attack would also fit this song...

(Edit: Stupid typos...)
-Rob Kelk
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

Once again, it's time to select panelists for the 2006 Anime Central Fan Fiction Panel!
Anime Central 2006 (www.acen.org) is scheduled for May 5-7 at the Hyatt Regency O'Hare in Rosemont, Illinois (the same Chicago-area location as the last few years). If you're going to be attending ACen and you're interested in being on the panel, please send the following information, via PRIVATE email (address below - we don't want to clutter up Bob's board):
-- Your real name and the name you write under, if different.
-- A list of works you've written, including what anime/manga series they involve. Please highlight up to five of your favorites, as well as any works written in the past year.
-- Where your works can be found (URLs would be helpful).
-- If you've been on a fanfic panel before, and if so, which one.
-- If you've ever attended the fanfic panel at Anime Central
(attended = been at, but not been a panelist).
-- (OPTIONAL INFORMATION) Why you'd like to be on this panel.

PRIVATE EMAIL your information to Jeanne Hedge at [url=mailto:jhedge@rcn.com[/url] by March 24. The panel will be chosen shortly thereafter. Be aware, the fanfic panel at Anime Central is traditionally largely Q&A between the panelists and the attendees, so consider carefully if this sort of thing makes you uncomfortable (but if you write fanfics, it probably won't ).

Looking forward to hearing from you!Jeanne
"Believe me, if I have to go the rest of my life without companionship, knowing myself won't be a problem."
-- Gabrielle of Potadeia

When does Ami get the Mercury Computer? It's certainly not during the first season despite god knows how many fics hand it to her in her little "Welcome to the Senshi!" bag of goodies.
And what are the circumstances under which she gets it? Is it delivered by one of Luna's backflips?
Thanks.

-- Bob
---------
For Jor-El so loved the Earth, he sent his only begotten son...