I saw this image on the Daz3D forums yesterday, and the artist has granted permission today for me to re-post it to the FenWiki. So I did.

Meteor Shower



http://www.fenspace.net/index.php5?titl ... howerB.jpg]larger version here

Who is she? Obviously, she's a catgirl. I think she's a bit naive, but that might just be my take on the image. Past that ... well, we did a pretty good job of describing Over The Rainbow as a group, so why not try that method again?
--
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

So, exactly how wrecked is the Middle East by 2013? Is it still habitable? Do any of the aforementioned nation states even exist? How limited was the nuclear exchange?
Thanks,

M
Michael R. Smith (lastfreehuman@gmail.com)
GURPS IST Aleph Wordpress (http://istaleph.wordpress.com/)
GURPS IST Aleph Twitter (http://twitter.com/IstAleph/)
Trek This! Wordpress (http://dthiller.wordpress.com/)
My Blog (http://lastfreehuman.wordpress.com/)

Robin Williams died this morning.

I grew up seeing things a little differently, appearing,
disappearing, hardly innocent, nor
tied down to the ground.
I learned to roll and tumble with the punches,
glory in my stripes and spots
walk by invisible and never make a sound

But heavy is the crown that's always hidden
tender is the heart you never see
hard and fast shines the grin that we flash,
but there's a vulnerable stripe or two on me.
Maybe any place outside of Wonderland
is not for me, my friend.

If I leave my grin behind, remind me
that we're all mad here
and it's okay.
Sun up, sun down the shadows hide me down in
Wonderland, Wonderland, nobody knows the way,
but if you find it in your dreams, you can
find it at your day job
somewhere south of Hell
Take the path to left or right with
just your gut to guide you
the story is not for anyone else to tell.

Go down the rabbit hole and out the other side
you can't go home in the middle of the
magic carpet ride
you gotta greet the sun before his
lovely daughter moon
you can't forsake the journey for the
safety of your room
until you learn your lesson well.

I have learned to see and hear
everybody loud and clear
but the truth comes out in riddles that are
safe enough to share
that's how it is in songs, you see,
and stripes always look good on me
whether or not I'm really there (smile hangs in the air)

But heavy is the burden of the wise ones
when no one understands a word they say
the Jabberwock never bothered anyone,
but nobody believes him to this day
and why should they?

If I leave my grin behind, remind me
we're all mad here
and it's ok.
Sun up, sun down the shadows find me out in
Wonderland, Wonderland, nobody knows the way
but if you find it in your dreams,
you can find it at your day job
somewhere south of Hell
Take the path to left or right with
just your gut to guide you
the story is not for anyone else to tell.

You gotta go down the rabbit hole and
out the other side
you can't go home in the middle of the
magic carpet ride
you gotta greet the sun before his
lovely daughter moon
you can't forsake the journey for the
safety of your room
until you learn your lesson well.

Is it the stripes or the spots you see?
Was it hearts or diamonds, baby, brought you here to me?
Darling, you know better than to trust a pack of cards!
What have we learned,
the world is never as mad as it could be.
never as mad as it could be.

If I leave my grin behind, remind me
that we're all mad here
and it's ok!

If I leave my grin behind, remind me
that we're all mad here
and it's ok!

If I leave my grin behind, remind me
that we're all mad here
and it's ok!

If I leave my grin behind, remind me
we're all mad here
and it's ok!

-- SJ Tucker, "Cheshire Kitten (We're All Mad Here)"

-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

Written and performed by Johnny Nash, 1972 (2 minutes 45 seconds) -- or you can go with the 1993 cover by Jimmy Cliff (if there's a difference in the lyrics, I didn't see it clearly).  Well, actually, there're a whole bunch of covers.
I can see clearly now, the rain is gone
I can see all obstacles in my way
Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind
It's gonna be a bright
(Bright), bright (bright)
Sun-shiny day.
It's gonna be a bright
(Bright), bright (bright)
Sun-shiny day.

I think I can make it now, the pain is gone
All of the bad feelings have disappeared
Here is the rainbow I've been prayin' for
It's gonna be a bright
(Bright), bright (bright)
Sun-shiny day.

Look all around, there's nothin' but blue skies
Look straight ahead, nothin' but blue skies.

I can see clearly now, the rain is gone
I can see all obstacles in my way
Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind
It's gonna be a bright
(Bright), bright (bright)
Sun-shiny day.
It's gonna be a bright
(Bright), bright (bright)
Sun-shiny day.

It's gonna be a bright
(Bright), bright (bright)
Sun-shiny day.

Oh, what a bright (bright)
Sun-shiny day.

Oh, yeah, in the area of effect there's gonna be bright, blazing sunshine pouring down from above -- no matter what time it is, outdoors, in, or kilometers underground, weather conditions immaterial -- and for purposes of the reaction of vampires and similar entities, yes, that certainly is pure, undimmed, unstained, and all but holy sunlight.  Can you say "ouch," boys and ghouls?  Or are they too busy turning to dust?  

It was the repetition of "bright, sun-shiny" over and over that led me to think the sunshine aspect was more important than mere vision enhancement.  And then I thought of a scene in Gold Digger where a character chased away vampires by opening up a portal that let some very intense sun shine through.

Hmmm.  You might be able to get the same effect with "Let the Sunshine In" from Hair.

Edited to add some clarifying details.
-----
Big Brother is watching you.  And damn, you are so bloody BORING.

Or is it just a division of the PLA?
Thanks,

M
Michael R. Smith (lastfreehuman@gmail.com)
GURPS IST Aleph Wordpress (http://istaleph.wordpress.com/)
GURPS IST Aleph Twitter (http://twitter.com/IstAleph/)
Trek This! Wordpress (http://dthiller.wordpress.com/)
My Blog (http://lastfreehuman.wordpress.com/)

I found a reference to this in IST, but only that it was founded in 1985 and went bankrupt in 1987.
M
Michael R. Smith (lastfreehuman@gmail.com)
GURPS IST Aleph Wordpress (http://istaleph.wordpress.com/)
GURPS IST Aleph Twitter (http://twitter.com/IstAleph/)
Trek This! Wordpress (http://dthiller.wordpress.com/)
My Blog (http://lastfreehuman.wordpress.com/)

Forgive me if I stray too close to idea stealing but I came across the following quote whilst reading The Dresden Fillies False Masks by psychicscubadiver (Chapter 22 if required) and I feel the definitions would be perfect for a conversation involving Doug and the senshi (in particular Usagi, Rei and Ami). I have added the bold for emphasis. In case it isn't clear due to my abrupt cut and paste, the words are spoken by Celestia and pony form Dresden .

"...You have a strong spirit. Follow it, and you will not lose your way.”

Dresden flushed slightly and his ears folded back in reaction to the praise, but he recovered quickly enough. “Don’t you mean heart?”

Celestia shook her head. “No. A heart can feel rage without reason. A mind can be rational without compassion. You must let neither control you. It is the spirit that unites them and defines who we truly are.”

Whilst I could see the quote also being used in any other step with Doug as a teacher, I still see the senshi as the text book examples although given the time that has passed since I last saw the anime there is a real risk I'm relying on fanon characterisations particularly with Ami.

Mark

(God, I love it when a long and arduous process of composition falls into /dev/null because of a hiccup in my connection.)

I don't know if there'll be room for it in the final product, but surprisingly little work is needed to reconcile the historical Vercingetorix of the Arverni with Mark Johnson's Voltmaster (Super Scum, pp.54-55). The biggest thing Johnson got wrong is identifying the character as Germanic rather than Celtic, and as an emortal, he was already on my shortlist of important people. In fact, here's the stat block I derived from his SS writeup:

?Voltmaster [969 points]
    ST 11 [10], DX 15 [100], IQ 15 [100], HT 13 [30].
    Per 16 [5].
    CF: Celtic [0], Chinese [1], Roman [1], Western [1].
    Languages: Gaulish (Native) [0], English (Native) [6], French (Native) [6], German (Native) [6], Italian (Native) [6], Latin (Native) [6], Mandarin (Native) [6], Portuguese (Native) [6].
    Advantages: Artificer 2 [20], Attractive [4], Binding 10 (Rapid Fire 2, +40%; Breakable: DR 10, SM -4, -25%; Can Be Stolen: Contest of DX, -30%; Limited Use: 4 per day, -20%; Melee Attack: C1, -20%; Unreliable: 14, -10%) [7], Combat Reflexes [15], DR 1 (Force Field, +20%; Electricity, -20%; Limited: energy, -20%) [4], DR 10 [50], Electricity Talent 2 (Elemental + Super) [10], Enhanced Block 2 [10], Filthy Rich [100], Gadgeteer [25], Goggles and Headset (Hyperspectral Vision [Extended High-Band +30%; Extended Low-Band +30%], Microscopic Vision 2, Radio, Resistant to Psionics +3; Breakable: DR 5, SM -6, -25%; Can Be Stolen: Contest of DX, -30%) [41], Hands of Taranis (Burning Attack 7; Armor Divisor 2, +50%; Damage Modifier: Surge, +20%; Electricity, -20%; Melee Attack C1, -20%) [46], Healer 2 [20], High Pain Threshold [10], Mathematical Ability 3 [30], Photographic Memory [10], Rapid Healing [5], Unaging [15], Unusual Background: Super [10].
    Disadvantages: Absent-Mindedness [-15], Code of Honor (Villain's) [-10], Delusion ("War is good for humanity"; major) [-10], Duty (Deadly Dozen, 12 or less) [-10], Enemy (Hero group, 6 or less) [-15], Reputation (Criminal) [-15], Secret (Identity) [-20], Secret (his long history) [-5], Sense of Duty (to teammates) [-5].
    Quirks: Amateur science fiction writer; Donates regular large sums to charity; Only watches PBS; Video game fanatic; Wants desperately to travel to space. [-5]
    Skills: Accounting-19 [8]+, Acrobatics-15 [4], Administration-15 [2], Area Knowledge (World)-17 [4], Area Knowledge (Europe)-18 [8], Armoury/TL9 (Body Armor)-18 [8]*, Armoury/TL9 (Small Arms)-16 [4], Biology/TL9 (Genetics)-14 [4], Brawling-17 [4], Broadsword-14 [1], Carpentry-16 [2], Chemistry/TL9-17 [12], Computer Operation/TL9-16 [2], Computer Programming/TL9-18 [16], Diagnosis-21 [20]**, Driving/TL9 (Automobile)-14 [1], Economics-14 [2], Engineer/TL9 (Bombs & traps)-21 [8]*+, Engineer/TL9 (Communications)-21 [8]*+, Engineer/TL9 (Computers)-21 [8]*+, Engineer/TL9 (Electronic Weapons)-21 [8]*+, Engineer/TL9 (Holographics)-21 [8]*+, Engineer/TL9 (Medical Electronics)-23 [16]*+, Engineer/TL9 (Security Systems)-21 [8]*+, Engineer/TL9 (Sensors)-23 [16]*+, First Aid/TL9-17 [1]**, Gesture-16 [2], History-21 [28], Jeweler/TL3-17 [12], Judo-15 [4], Karate-15 [4], Market Analysis-16 [1]+, Mathematics/TL9 (Applied)-17 [2]+, Mechanic/TL9 (Small gadgets)-16 [1]*, Merchant-16 [4], Physician/TL9-21 [20]**, Physiology/TL9-18 [8]**, Piloting/TL9 (Multi-engine jet)-15 [2], Prospecting/TL9-16 [4], Research/TL9-18 [12], Savoir-Faire (High Society)-16 [2], Scuba-15 [2], Seamanship/TL9-16 [2], Shield-16 [2], Smith (Iron)/TL3-16 [1]*, Surgery/TL9-21 [24]**, Swimming-14 [2], Traps/TL9-15 [2], Writing-15 [2].
    * Includes bonus from Artificer.
    ** Includes bonus from Healer.
    + Includes bonus from Mathematical Ability.

The biggest thing we'd need to resolve is whether the "Vercingetorix" who surrendered to Gaius Julius at the Battle of Alesia, and was ultimately reported to have been executed after Caesar's Gallic Triumph, was the real deal or a volunteer impostor. Also, it occurred to me, based on his Chinese connections and his stated desire to start a global war, that he may have placed at least as much of a role in manipulating events to provoke World War III as anyone from Infinity.

?Comments?

EDITED to add his gear.

For historical (and, potentially, allohistorical) context. I'll post more as I find or think of them; please add anything that strikes you as relevant.

"Ich sah den neuen Menschen, furchtlos und grausam. Ich erschrak vor ihm!" (I saw the New Man, intrepid and cruel. I was terrified of him!)
-- attributed to Adolf Hitler, Gespräche mit Hitler by Hermann Rauschning (first published in English as Hitler Speaks, 1939)

"Superman or Green Lantern ain't got
Nothin' on me"
-- Donovan, "Sunshine Superman" (1966)

"I saw the decade end
When it seemed the world could change in the blink of an eye"
-- Jesus Jones, "Right Here Right Now" (1990)