[OOC][PLOT] Planning for Arc 1 - Arrivals

[Black Aeronaut]

Oh jeeze.  I forgot you mentioned Ruby before....

Heh-heh-heh....

Yang: "Did he just get a little girl to stop crying?"
Blake: "Yes, he did."
Yang: "And then get a hug and a kiss from that little girl after he found her mommy?!"
Blake: "I thought I was seeing things at first, but yes.  Yes he did."
Yang: "WHY THE HELL IS HE STILL SINGLE!?  I KNOW HE'S NOT GAY!  I'VE CAUGHT HIM LOOKING AT ME!!!"
Blake: ".... Perhaps you'd like to do something about that?"
Yang: "Wha?  No way!  He's twenty years older than us!  That'd be like dating Professor Oobleck." (O///O)
Blake: "Your sister doesn't seem bothered by it."
Yang: "Huh?"
Ruby: *Hearts in her eyes as she practically drools, completely unaware of the conversation behind her.*
Weis: "Honestly, you could do a lot worse Yang.  Benjamin is an incredible manager.  In fact, if he had the means, I'd put money on him being able to manage a hostile takeover of my father's company.  Besides, he's such a handsome gentleman - like a more refined version of your Uncle Crow."
Blake: *Evil Little Grin(tm)*  "Why Weis!  You make me wonder just what such a hostile takeover would entail~."
Weis: (O///O) "Uhm...  Well!  It's only make sense!  It would smooth things over amongst the shareholders if they knew that there was a Schnee in the family!  And I know he'd never mistreat me!  And....   he'd be a much better father than mine."
Blake: *Looks to Yang with a raised eyebrow.*  "Fascinating.  Not only does she not deny it, but she looks forward to having children with him."
Yang:  "Weis, you are a far more courageous girl than I ever imagined."
Weis: *turning her nose up in the air* "Well, if I honestly have to marry someone twice my age, like Father might try arranging for me, then it might as well be someone who cares about my feelings!  I will not make my mother's mistake!"
Blake:  *Evil Little Grin(tm)* "You better hurry if you want that 'First Wife' position then.  Rumor has it Nanoha's and Homura's cohorts are both taking action."
Yang & Weis: "WHAT!?!?!"
Blake: "You three have fun courting him.  I'll be sitting next to Sun and eating popcorn."

Also, interesting thought: Precia shows up and still has Alicia's preserved body.  After everything dies down, Benjamin makes a deal with Hild that blows everyone's minds: His life energy split between himself and Alicia to bring her back.

"... That is extraordinarily bold.  You realize what you are asking for?  To allow her to siphon off of your very soul to sustain hers?  You are aware of the risks, right?  And you are aware that this is something that Lord Phantomhive or even the Goddesses will not be able to compensate you for?"

"Very much so aware.  She is a sweet girl with a beautiful soul.  She deserves this."

Hild placed a hand on Benjamin's face.  "And what do I get out of this?  What you're asking for isn't cheap, even with what you're willing to do for it."

Ben thought for a moment.  "Let's make it an IOU with collateral - my soul will be on the line unless I can come up with something better."

Hild grinned.  "Deal."

Fate will be torn between tearing him a new one for making such a deal...  and kissing him for bringing Alicia back.  Because she still has that oh-so-bittersweet memory of something that could have been...  She knows that he knows about it.  And it both warms and breaks her heart that he would go to such a length for her.

[robkelk]

Taking things out of order...

many of the bullet points on Ben's list: Youthful, but not underage; tiny; very intelligent; and incredibly dangerous.

If it wasn't for the first and last criteria on that list, I'd be wondering what Ben thinks of Nakano Azuza from K-On!. (And Azuza isn't going to be underage for too much longer, although I expect she'd be more interested in college than marriage once she graduates from high school. Her lack of power (other than the Power of Rock™), OTOH...)

Have you forgotten how I've made perfectly normal girls into outrageously dangerous little vixens while somehow keeping them entirely within character? Minmei comes to mind, though I had a lot of wiggle room there.

True that. Azuza might need a bit more steel in her backbone, too - while she's the no-nonsense one in Hokago Teatime, she's still willing to go along to get along.

Really, the more I bring in, the harder this is for Ben. And few people would really understand how bad it is for him.

If Rei mentions anything to Usagi - and I suspect she would - then Ben can expect a personal intervention after Thanksgiving and before Christmas. Yes, Fate (not Nanoha's Fate) has dealt Ben a shitty hand. Yes, Ben's life has been miserable. But there is absolutely no reason why it needs to remain miserable. Ben has friends now; Usagi noticed how Ben and Tenchi got along at the Halloween party, just for one example. Ben's doing useful work and has the respect of his peers. And Usagi is willing to help Ben, or even just give him a shoulder to cry on, whenever he asks.

Oooh. Ben's gonna pull the Kirk defensive here...

"Ben, you have to let me do this. It's killing you!"

"Usagi... You know that I love you all, right?"

Tears forming in her eyes, Usagi nodded.

"Then you understand, while I can love you as sisters, I could never..." his voice faltered and he steadied himself. "I could never have what I really want. It's not my place."

"But... at least I can take you pain away."

Benn shook his head slowly. "No. This pain... it's part of what I am, part of what makes me me. Yes, I've made mistakes. Every morning I wake up alone and I confront those mistakes again and again. But if I didn't make those mistakes in the past, would I be the person I am today? Would I have the strength of character to stand up to the likes of Ryouko and tell her to chill? Or to look down at Teletha and tell her she needs to ease up? Or sweet little Nanoha, telling her that she needs to relax and be a kid while she can enjoy it? Would I have the courage to do these every day things if I didn't have this pain?"

"You made Rei-chan cry," said Usagi softly. "I've never seen her cry like that before. I couldn't believe it. Something inside of you frightened her so much that I'm afraid of letting you see her again. And what's so terrible about that is that I cannot see how you can hold something that horrible inside of you when you are the sweetest, most kind, gentle, and loving man I have ever seen since my Mamourou or Rob-san."

"I know," he said, feeling like he was a thousand years old as he put his head to the doorway, his eyes screwed shut. "I am so sorry that I hurt her. I shouldn't have talked to her. I should have just kept my distance. As for what she saw? She saw my soul. She saw how it hungered for warmth - so much so that it feels like a black hole trying to pull you in. That is what scared Rei - that I might consume her completely."

"Then... can we at least talk?"

Benjamin shrugged. "What is there to talk about? I've had my loves. I either made mistakes, or they couldn't handle my intensity. The one that I wish..." He sighed and sat down on the couch. "She couldn't leave her family behind. She chose that over me. She and I... I could feel how we matched. She not only handled my intensity, she let it fuel her own passion. We'd make utterly bed-breaking love to each other, then tell me how much she loved it even though it made her sore. And her mind was utterly diabolical. She was studying psychology and wanted to be a profiler for serial killers - to get into their heads and discern what they were thinking. She was twisted, in a ways. Perverted, you might even say. But it was something I could love and appreciate.

"And I had to leave her behind.

"And that was just the cleanest breakup I've ever had. There's also my childhood. I can go on and on about all the horrible things I've had to live through. How half of my brothers were verging on being psychotic while we were growing up. How my step-dad would berate me in front of said siblings, and then demand that I be a leader to them. You would not believe the vindication I felt when my step-brother from my step-dad's first marriage called him out on how he treated me! He could hardly believe his own dad would do that, but it happened right before his eyes and it disgusted him."

Benjamin then took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"You take my pain away, you're going to lobotomize me. Because so much of my life has been hurt and suffering that taking it all away would leave me a mere shadow of myself. I'd be just a child - naive and weak willed. Yes, I would be happier. But I also wouldn't be able to do even a tenth of what I do now."

And then to Usagi's surprise, he got up and then pulled her into a bone-crushing hug. "Thank you for trying anyways.... little sister."

That was it. The straw that broke the camel's back. Usagi started bawling against his chest.

The world really was a horrible place. Because not with youma, but instead with everyday people, had this man been made to suffer. And she could do nothing about it. But Ben knew, as she wailed pitifully, that this was just how life was. And for this bit of pain? Usagi herself would be a stronger, wiser person for it.

Ben only hoped that his own stamina would hold out until someone would come along, strong enough to help him shoulder the burden.

And then, just because I haven't punched you in the feels hard enough, we go out on this little gem of a classic...



Egads, I'm such an evil cuss.

Eh, maybe.

Usagi: I understand, Ben... but isn't there anything I can do? Even just listen while you talk?

Since it's come up: What I'm thinking for my SI's building - and plans change as stories are written - is the dynamics settle down into a few different families, official or not. Usagi would insist that laws regarding polyamourous relationships apply to everyone equally (not just the nobility), and she and Mamoru together have the power and lineage to make their claim to the Sol system stick if the Juraians complain. Whether that means group marriages for everybody or for nobody remains to be seen.

Really, I think that polyamory in general is more or less, if not the norm, then socially acceptable in the greater galaxy in the Tenchi-verse.

In the Tenchi-verse, certainly. But that's just one 'verse out of many that are being added to this mix on an irregular basis.

• First Family (with a Head of State and everything): Usagi, Mamoru, and Rei, with Chibi-Usa as a dependent.
  
• All alone because of that thrice-dammed curse: Minako. (Just ask her. Everyone else will consider her to be part of the building's first family, especially Usagi, Rei, and Mamoru.)
  
• Second family: Luna and Artemis, with Diana as a dependent. Yeah, going with canon here - there aren't a lot of talking cats out there to add to this dynamic, and they seem more comfortable in feline form than in human form.
  
• Third family: SI-Rob, Mii, Ami, and Makoto.
  
• Fourth family: Kamijo Touma (who hasn't shown up yet), Mikoto, Kuroko, and Misaka Niiko (sister 10032), with Index (who hasn't shown up yet) as a dependent. Touma/Minako is canon. Touma/10032 is strongly shippable by canon; he saved her life specifically and the other clones' lives generally, she was the first person who he ever gave a gift to, and she canonically has feelings of some sort for him.
  
• Fifth family: Ruiko, Kazari, and ... somebody. (Not Accelerator.)
  

Makes sense to me, except the bit with Venus. What's this curse that you speak of? I may have heard it before, but it's slipping my mind...

It was at the end of Codename: Sailor V - the big bad told Venus (while dying in her arms) that she would never find love as long as she had her duty. She took that comment as a dying curse instead of a blatantly-obvious observation... and she hasn't had a boyfriend since, because she's been self-sworn to her duty to Usagi.

As for the Jack of Kinrowan characters, Jacky's canonically in an on-again-off-again relationship, Kate is single and wants a relationship, and Finn hasn't expressed an opinion on the matter.

I'm gonna have to go find these books...

As I post this, Amazon has the omnibus edition in stock.

I don't know (or am not sure) what to do with Accelerator, Misaka Kokono (10339), Misaka Nana (13577), Misaka Rei (19090), Misaka Misaka (20001, a.k.a. "Last Order"), and Kazakiri Hyoga (who hasn't shown up yet but by canon has a connection to Misaka Misaka). All I am sure about is (a) Misaka Misaka and Kazakiri Hyoga stay together, and (b) that Accelerator isn't about to marry the sisters of the clones girls he killed, even if he does Get A Clue™ and stops being an asshole all the time. (Luckily for him, it's canon that helping to look after Misaka Misaka is giving him at least part of that much-needed clue... but he might end up alone anyway.) It would be reasonable for spoilers-regarding-canon to include a Misaka Sister in each of the first, third, and fifth families listed above; the girls might even be interested.

Accelerator kinda strikes me as the natural loner anyhow - the one who is just fine being on his own, and having only limited contact with people. Though I'm sure Misaka Misaka won't let him get away with that entirely.

Yeah - I've revised my local copy of the scene I posted earlier where Academy City shows up in the setting, and Misaka Misaka makes the big puppy-dog eyes in an effort to keep Accelerator from immediately going back and kicking ass.

(And if I get any urges to add more "friendly" characters to my corner of this, please whack me over the head with a paper fan. More foes are good; more people who I'll need to write on an ongoing basis are bad.)

Kek. I'll keep that in mind.

---

Dartz, the new story post looks great! I love where you're going with it.

---

Rob, just saw your new one, too. Hoo boy, he's about to have a whopper laid on him by those two, isn't he?

Yeah, and just before he has to go pick up Rin at the train station, too.

I might be sufficiently evil to not write that scene, merely refer to it in later dialogue... EDIT: Naaahhh...

[robkelk]

Also, interesting thought: Precia shows up and still has Alicia's preserved body.  After everything dies down, Benjamin makes a deal with Hild that blows everyone's minds: His life energy split between himself and Alicia to bring her back.

"... That is extraordinarily bold.  You realize what you are asking for?  To allow her to siphon off of your very soul to sustain hers?  You are aware of the risks, right?  And you are aware that this is something that Lord Phantomhive or even the Goddesses will not be able to compensate you for?"

"Very much so aware.  She is a sweet girl with a beautiful soul.  She deserves this."

Hild placed a hand on Benjamin's face.  "And what do I get out of this?  What you're asking for isn't cheap, even with what you're willing to do for it."

Ben thought for a moment.  "Let's make it an IOU with collateral - my soul will be on the line unless I can come up with something better."

Hild grinned.  "Deal."

Fate will be torn between tearing him a new one for making such a deal...  and kissing him for bringing Alicia back.  Because she still has that oh-so-bittersweet memory of something that could have been...  She knows that he knows about it.  And it both warms and breaks her heart that he would go to such a length for her.

That's a very sweet deal for Hild - she gets Ben's soul as long as she splits it in two. One bargain on her part gets her both Ben and Alicia come the Final Trumpet.

And there's no guarantee that she won't give Alicia all of the pain that Ben refused to let Usagi take away, leaving Ben with none.

Are you sure you don't want to reconsider this?

[Dartz]

I amn't sure it works, unless there's a real risk of Hild holding him to his end of the deal. Or of it ever being called in.

You don't make a deal with the devil and not take some consequences that make you really regret making that decision.


---

Still havent decided if Data is alone - or has his friends in orbit. If he's alone, he's been sent as the building manager.

Meg's gone fairly fantastically native in short order.

[robkelk]

That's one of the premises of Ah! Megamisama - Heaven gives one and only one wish for free, while Hell gives as many wishes as the wisher is able to pay for. Hild will collect.

[Dartz]

I'd be curious as to how.

These things tend to seem a long time off when you make them - but have a nasty habit of happening tomorrow.

Almost like Hild new it was coming.

[Black Aeronaut]

Is that how it comes across?  ....  Okay, I guess I could have explained that better.

Another way to think about it is that Hild is essentially performing one incredibly powerful necromantic feat by calling Alicia's soul back and reanimating her (very well preserved) corpse.  Normally, this would mean Alicia would be some form of undead, such as a zombie, liche, or ghoul.

HOWEVER, she has a benefactor in Benjamin who's covering that tab for her by providing additional spiritual energy to cover the 'upkeep' of keeping her body animated until it can support itself once again.  Give it about a year or two, tops before her metabolic process is back up to 100%.

Meanwhile, Hild is holding the IOU with Ben's soul as the collateral.  He has until the time of his death, whenever that may be, to come up with suitable reparations for the effort that Hild put into resurrecting Alicia.  The trouble is that this means that Ben owes her a soul - one that would not typically be destined to Hell as she would get such a soul regardless.

And no, Hild is not giving him any clues as to when that day might be.

This will provide an interesting bit of tension in that while Benjamin has this IOU hanging over his head, he has to be careful about not getting himself killed.  I mean, sure, getting killed in the first place would be a bad thing.  But once he's clinically dead, even IF Washu were to bring him back, Hild can then say that he belongs to her now because he did indeed die before paying the debt owed.

It's a technicality Hild doesn't mention, but Belldandy is very quick to point it out.

Besides, to my knowledge, Hild is a punch clock villain and the 'Kick the Dog' trope never really applied to her.  I could be wrong, though, as It's been a while since I've read AMG.

Though it might be interesting if Alicia does pick up 'echoes' of Ben's painful past experiences.  Having that to draw on with only a faint echo of the emotional baggage to go with it might turn her into a little bad-ass to rival her 'big sister'.  But on the fun side of things...  She can go around telling the other girls that are showing an interest in him exactly what he thinks of each them - both the things he likes, and the parts of them he thinks they can improve.

Hmmm....  To give an idea of how this might work....

There was a knock on my door and I looked up from my laptop, wondering who on earth this could be.  To my surprise, Alicia was waiting for me as I opened the front door.

"Alicia!  What are you doing here so late, sweetie?  Come on inside before before someone sees you and wakes up your sister."

Quietly, she came inside, her slippers padding on the ground as she hugged her teddy bear close to her chest.  As she worked at getting herself settled, I went and put a glass of milk in the microwave.

"Alright, it's only you and me here now.  Akemi-chan's already asleep.  You can tell me what's bothering you."

Alicia was silent for a moment before the microwave beeped.  As I was getting her milk, she suddenly said, "You were thinking about stuff again, weren't you?"

I paused mid motion, then sighed and brought Alicia the warm milk.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart," I said as I sat down next to her, leaving the glass of milk on the coffee table in front of her.  Rather than say anything, though, she latched onto me, sniffling softly.  I put my arms around her and said, "Oh Alicia.  I'm so sorry."

"Don't be," she whispered through her gentle sobs.  "You brought me back.  You made it so I can live with my sister.  You made her happy.  You made me happy.  But as much as I feel what hurts you, big brother, I also feel what makes you happy.  And I know that seeing big sister and I together...  it makes you so happy that it blots out the pain."

I know it may seem strange for such a little girl to be so articulate, but Alicia had always been ahead of the curve for her age - every bit the budding intellectual that her mother had been in her own youth.  And she only grew more sharp and intelligent once she was resurrected.  Washu-chan was absolutely certain that my intellect was passively bleeding through like osmotic process.  Which probably meant that very soon she would be able to start learning the basic calculations she needed to know in order to become a mage like her sister.  From what I heard, Hayate was already working on a Device for her.

A few quick taps on my computer brought up some music - a selection of soothing and uplifting tracks by James Horner.  Not only to ease Alicia's reciprocal hurt, but to help me so the feedback effect would be cut off.  I then got her to drink her glass of milk, and then showed her what I was up to (this week's expense and income reports - boring adult stuff, but she found it mildly interesting anyhow to see how things behind the scenes worked).  I then picked her up and went to Fate and Nanoha's apartment.

Fate opened the door before I could even knock.  "Just bring her inside, Benjamin," she said kindly.  Alicia was already dozing on my shoulder.  As I laid her down in her bed, Alicia sighed and snuggled her teddy bear closer.  A quick little kiss on her forehead left a content smile on her lips as she drifted off.

Suddenly, I felt Fate's arms around me.

"Fate?"

"It's alright," she said quietly.  "I just want to stay like this for a moment.  I am so grateful for you and everything you've done, and everything you keep on doing.  You know that you're the closest thing she has to a father?"

It made my heart twinge in a bittersweet way and I put my arms around Fate's petite form and hugged her back.  "Yeah... it's hard not for me to treat her like as if she was my own.  Every day she seems to become just a bit more like me - she might as well be my daughter now."

"That's fine by me," whispered Fate.  "Her becoming more like you...  I can't think of anyone better.  I love you so much after all - just as much as I love Nanoha."

I couldn't even sigh at that.  A love that true I could never berate.  Not in a million years.  Fate was growing like a weed now - her adolescence had hit hard and fast, and she was turning into a tiny woman before my eyes.  While I knew that hormones were a factor, I also knew that there was nothing false about what she felt for me.

I then kissed the top of Fate's head.  I would be lying to myself if I said that I didn't feel any love for her.  Or for the others, for that matter.  She then looked at me with those beautiful ruby eyes of hers.  They normally seem more like a brilliant hue of brown, especially when half-shaded by her low-hanging bangs, but once the light caught them, they glittered like the finest cut corundum.  She was already so gorgeous, even as a child.  She would be breathtaking once she was an adult.

"I need to get some sleep.  You do, too.  Go on, Benjamin.  We still have a lot to do tomorrow."

I rolled my eyes at that.  "Oh lordy, do we ever."

Whoops.  Got a bit carried away, there.  (;^_^)>

[Black Aeronaut]

EDIT: Regarding Hell granting as many wishes as Ben would like.... He's smarter than that. This thing for Alicia is about the only thing he's ever gonna wish for from Hell. Seeing Alicia relive his own growing pains is hurtful in and of itself... But Ben at least knows that it's nowhere nearly as bad as experiencing them first-hand.

Ironically, Alicia will become the sort of girl who is always wears the kind of skirt you can fight in because she never wants to be caught unprepared. But at the same time, she will also know the treasure of life's joys - only oh-so-much-more acutely now that she has Benjamin's experiences to contrast with.

She never wants to see anyone hurt unjustly. For that reason, she will become a ferocious little fighter, fast and agile like her sister (it's in the blood), but with firepower like Nanoha's (especially once you cheese her off).

[Dartz]

This will provide an interesting bit of tension in that while Benjamin has this IOU hanging over his head, he has to be careful about not getting himself killed. I mean, sure, getting killed in the first place would be a bad thing. But once he's clinically dead, even IF Washu were to bring him back, Hild can then say that he belongs to her now because he did indeed die before paying the debt owed.

Define death?

The devil's in the detail of the IOU. In how it's worded and in the fine print where somewhere, it may define death as something eminently surveable by modern standards - a good spark across the chest and a shot of adrenaline can work wonders.

And there may not be time to read all the terms and conditions in detail.

You can't make a deal with the devil and not take the consequences... you're not smarter than the devil. That's called hubris, IIRC.

[robkelk]

And there's no reason why the deal can't be put off an extra day - Alicia's been in her current state for years.

Get the contract in writing, and let the local resident bureaucrat read it before anybody signs it. My SI might be able to suggest some wording changes. (Or not - Ami is smarter than my SI, and Hild is smarter than Ami...)

[robkelk]

Present for you - two installments today.

Don't expect me to be this nice every day.

[Dartz]

Although at the same time that does give me an idea for a one-shot joke.

'Accidentally' summoning a demon on-stage...

Cut to a week later where Hild comes to claim her due.

A nice cash appearrance fee, because even demons need to pay rent, and everyone at the concert is going to hell anyway.

[Black Aeronaut]

This will provide an interesting bit of tension in that while Benjamin has this IOU hanging over his head, he has to be careful about not getting himself killed.  I mean, sure, getting killed in the first place would be a bad thing.  But once he's clinically dead, even IF Washu were to bring him back, Hild can then say that he belongs to her now because he did indeed die before paying the debt owed.

Define death?

The devil's in the detail of the IOU. In how it's worded and in the fine print where somewhere, it may define death as something eminently surveable by modern standards - a good spark across the chest and a shot of adrenaline can work wonders.

And there may not be time to read all the terms and conditions in detail.

You can't make a deal with the devil and not take the consequences... you're not smarter than the devil. That's called hubris, IIRC.

Re: Defining Death - it's a film-version John Constantine deal - even clinical death counts, even if he were to be resuscitated.

And may I kindly remind you, this is Ah! Megami-Sama we are dealing with here.  Grim-Derp has been kicked out the door with its baggage strewn all over the street by it's jilted lover.  Just because other stuff is coming in the front door does not mean that Hild is suddenly Beelzebub, Lucifer, Satan, or any of those other nasty interpretations.  She is Hild.  Urd's Mother.  Punch Clock Villain.  Yes, she rules hell.  Yes, she's effectively running a business.  And yes, she may try for something, but it's more likely than not going to be for her own amusement and trollolololulz rather than any capital gains for Hell.

If nothing else, think of it this way: Benjamin is employed by her.  And even Hell has standards of conduct in matters like these.

But if that's not enough for you, then have this: Hild gains nothing by either actively or passively destabilizing the situation in the Housing Complexes.  They are meant to keep the refugees relatively safe and comfortable until something can be worked out.  Safe and Comfortable does not equate to fucking over one of the guys that are HER boots on the ground.  By doing this, Hild would be caught with The Idiot Ball, and you all know how much I despise that trope.

AND IF THAT IS STILL NOT ENOUGH? Then The Almighty can give Hild a phone call, telling her to knock it off and cut a straight deal this one time.

I trust that I have given enough reasons?  And that they are all believable, sensible, and above all, not breaking character or setting?

We will still have a sitting of Bureaucrats.  There will still be negotiation.  But over all, the deal will be relatively cut-and-dry, and there will be a minimum of Hild trying to screw Ben over on this.  Most of the consequences will merely be the naturally occurring ones of this process.  And I would hope that would be enough angst for everyone here.  Outright traumatizing Alicia through this process or fucking with Ben's mental faculties or other such things is WORM-Level BS - Making the story Grim for the sake of being Grim.  And that was a point that I thought we were clear on.

Dartz, don't get me wrong here.  The existential crisis of personal identity you have going in your story is all fine and good.  It's something from which good character development can occur.  But doing any of the above to Ben and Alicia has no real point in driving the plot forward or providing good character development.  Prove to me that it can, and I *MIGHT* reconsider.

Anyhow, I'm gonna get to writing.  My block on this finally has some good sized cracks in it, and I wanna see what I can force through.

[Dartz]

It depends. Hell gains from chaos. Hell is the promulgation of Chaos over order.... (Well, depending on your theology)

No need for the massively long post. Don't mean like Dresden Files inconvenient or black hole Dark - just something that makes the sacrifice feel worthwhile, like something that has happened. What that something is can fit the tone of the series it comes from.

Making a deal with Hild would be very different from making a deal with fucking Barbatorem or something. Or, making a deal with Goddess! Barbatorem might be very different from making a deal with Pact! Hild.

Maybe I'm just putting a bit too much about how I GM games into things. It seems very much like something that could be placed under the 'Flaw' heading - to gain points to do other things. And it'd be a poor GM that didn't at least allow players to be inconvenienced by their flaws. Punished is never fun, but the inconveniences is what make the game fun. So does putting players in situations where their flaws become things that have to be worked around.

To use a Shadowrun metaphor, the effect of those flaws and how those strings can be pulled can be very different in a Pink Mohawk or Black Trenchcoat game. (I like Pink Trenchcoat....)

[Black Aeronaut]

I'll look into it. But the thing to keep in mind is that for both Heaven and Hell, this is a dire emergency. This isn't just the Apocalypse or Ragnarok or anything else like that, because all those imply that there's gonna be something left in the end. Instead, they're up against the absolute end of reality across the multiverse. Hild is not gonna fuck around because there is no room for it.

If there are negative consequences (besides the agreed upon terms which will be very straightforward), it's going to be something that's a natural consequence of what they're doing, and not because of some fine print.

Right now, I'm leaning towards it being a side effect of Alicia being undead until her metabolic process starts taking over. Ideas?

[robkelk]

This makes much more sense than what I thought you meant, yes. Although SI-Rob would still want to look over the contract before SI-Ben signs it.

Right now, I'm leaning towards it being a side effect of Alicia being undead until her metabolic process starts taking over. Ideas?

Everybody Knows ™ that Usagi can bring people back from the dead... which means it would be good for her character development if she cannot help Alicia in any way. Besides, with what's going on in my current sidestory, it's probably a bad idea for the restless dead to go anywhere near Ottawa if they have any spark of decency left. (While Usagi has already stated that Something Must Be Done about the Host, the books make it clear that the Court / Host divide is a matter of personal preference for some faerie races, not a biological imperative. Usagi's going to be disappointed there, too - a surgical strike will not take out the Host the way it did the Dark Kingdom.)

EDIT: Oh, here's a thought...

Despite everything, Alicia's soul cannot be restored to her body - it's been too long. But Hild has her soul, and the next best thing is to put it into an object of some sort and bind that object to Alicia's body. Hild acknowledges that the payment need not be as valuable as a human soul.

Alicia awakens, not quite soulless because her soul is somewhere nearby. She proceeds to learn magic ... and somewhere along the line, discoveres that she cannot be killed because her soul is already separated from but still connected to her body.

Anime fans start calling her a Puella Magica. Those of us versed in myths and legends of the world start comparing her to Koschei the Deathless - and start worrying. (Which is a completely unfair and prejudiced way to behave about such a sweet girl... but paranoids will be paranoids.)

[robkelk]

... (I like Pink Trenchcoat....)

Oh, you had to remind me, didn't you?

As he made his way from kitchen to living room, something small and pink popped up in front of him. It was Skuld.

"Hihi, Mr. Constantine!"

John stared. "Wha... wha?"

Skuld twirled in front of him, beaming. "What do you think? Chas told me about these neat trenchcoats you're always wearing, so I thought I'd get one!"

She was wearing a trenchcoat, all right. It looked a lot like his, only...

John frowned. "It's... er... pink."

Skuld smiled. "I know. Isn't it CUUUUTE?" She stuck her hands in the trenchcoat pockets and beamed.

-- Dire Fates, Part II

[Bob Schroeck]

Heh. That was exactly what I thought of, too, when I read that.

[Black Aeronaut]

I'd have to change things up a tad, but perhaps the Soul Gems would be the actual inspiration. Hild would probably find it to be very interesting from an intellectual standpoint. Between Ami, Urd, Washu, and any other genius with metaphysics/magical qualifications (Hello? Tohsaka-san? We need a consult...) they'd be able to cook one up for Alicia that doesn't have that flawed-by-design feature.

Usagi would have the power to make the soul gem under Rin's guidance. This will be important because then they can go on to make replacement soul gems for the rest of the Puella Magi.

But Hild would be the one to call Alicia's soul back and bind it into the soul gem, and then that to Alicia's body, because she's the only one available that can pull it off. And before that even works, Alicia's soul has to agree to this - mainly because once she does this, her soul is going to be bound to that gem forever unless it breaks. She will be like the Puella Magi - deathless and immortal. If anything happens to their body, they need only repair it through their magical abilities... Which are quite potent, as is the nature of a Puella Magi.

I wonder what Alicia's special talent would be. Homura can wind back time and has a hammer space. Madoka... Did we ever find out what Madoka's special talent was before she went Madoka-kami? (Although, thinking of it, would Madoka be the perfect person to fetch Alicia's soul?)

Ooooh, I can see that now... Instead of Hild, have Madoka be the one meeting Alicia in the twilight between life and death, just as she would have with all the other Puella Magi as Madoka-Kami, and making the offer to her...

[Labster]

It depends. Hell gains from chaos. Hell is the promulgation of Chaos over order.... (Well, depending on your theology)

Oh, should I not introduce Tomo Takino to Discordianism, then?

Also, if Hild gives Ben a bad deal, couldn't Michiru Kaioh challenge her to a fiddle match for her soul?

I'm also getting from this thread that I really need to watch PMMM to be able to keep up.

[robkelk]

It depends. Hell gains from chaos. Hell is the promulgation of Chaos over order.... (Well, depending on your theology)

Oh, should I not introduce Tomo Takino to Discordianism, then?

Wouldn't that be like introducing Mizunashi Akari to canoeing? (Possible, but completely unnecessary.)

Also, if Hild gives Ben a bad deal, couldn't Michiru Kaioh challenge her to a fiddle match for her soul?

If it's anime-Hild and she's as good at the violin as anime-Belldandy is at the flute, I'd say "go for it".

I'm also getting from this thread that I really need to watch PMMM to be able to keep up.

It wouldn't hurt - PMMM is one of the better magical-girl shows of the 2010s. Pity Aniplex has the rights and charges a fortune for the discs. (You can get away with the first two movies - they re-tell the TV series without losing too much detail. BA hadn't yet seen the third movie the last time I asked.)

[Dartz]

Fiddle?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lK4cX5xGiQ

[Labster]

Dartz, If we're allowed to use the guitar, I'm sure we could find a lot of people willing to battle with the power of rock.

I am writing again, and my mind just made this connection: Personal Reality - Ayumu Kasuga - esper.  And now I am very worried for us all.

It depends. Hell gains from chaos. Hell is the promulgation of Chaos over order.... (Well, depending on your theology)

Oh, should I not introduce Tomo Takino to Discordianism, then?

Wouldn't that be like introducing Mizunashi Akari to canoeing? (Possible, but completely unnecessary.)

Just for this, my next story will have a canoe <grin>

[Black Aeronaut]

Clues for the clueless, please? O_o

[Bob Schroeck]

Just for this, my next story will have a canoe <grin>

And then Rob can add Mr. Canoehead as a refugee to his bunch.