[OOC][PLOT] The Return of Planning for Arc 1 - Arrivals

[robkelk]

Oh, yes... Danbooru failed me; I couldn't find a fanart image of Mii in a Bunny outfit. But I did find some other reasonably-safe danbooru links (so NSFW even though the images I'm linking to are IMHO okay) to images of Mii and the other Academy City girls.

Links put behind a spoiler tag because danbooru - you have to click on an extra step so you can't tell me you clicked on danbooru links by accident. Click at your own risk.

Spoiler

Mii in her school uniform
Video-grab of what danbooru cares about, the first time we saw Mii wear a bikini. Canon: she's in that swimsuit because it was the only one in that size and they didn't have anything larger.
Which, of course, leads to fanart of Mii in her school uniform... which I trust explains why SI-Rob locked his door when the girls were acting like a Tenchi harem.

As long as I'm looking up images, have some more fan art. Still danbooru:

• Fan art, canon scene. From front to back of the bike: Mii, Kazari, and Ruiko.
  
• Picnic time. This one captures the group-dynamic personalities rather well, even if the art style is slightly off-model.
  
• "Can badges". The top row are from A Certain Magical Index (left to right: Index, Kanzaki, Aisa, Komoe-sensei). Second row, left to right: Kuroko, Mikoto, Mikoto's clone, Mikoto Mikoto. Third row, left to right: Ruiko, Kazari, Mii. and two of Dr. Harumi Kiyama (who might or might not show up, but won't be joining my set of regular characters). Again, the art style is off-model, but close enough.
  
• Why we don't let electrokinetics go swimming with everyone else.
  
• A flight of fanart fancy, nyan. As naughty as I'm going to link to, because teenagers; of course danbooru goes even farther.
  

[Black Aeronaut]

I have the Sailor Senshi and "Scientific Railgun" girls going. We had planned on having Usagi and Mamoru show up dressed as Sarah and Jareth from Labyrinth and see how long it took them to recognize each other. (SI-Rob and the other Senshi have "as soon as they see each other" in the betting pool, because they aren't stupid.) Makoto and Mikoto are going as each other. We can go to one of the big Halloween parties after dinner, once everybody's changed into their signature outfits.

Ah yes!  This.  I forgot all about this.  

I'm assuming the Megami will make an appearance (maybe a brief one), along with Keiichi. Rob makes sure to at least say hello to all of them, as well as to all of the other apartment managers in attendance.

I think that given some of the friendships that have been developing, they can get away with be away for a little while.  A couple of hours at least.  (Really, while the situation is dire, it's not like it's so bad that people can't cycle through shifts.)

Mikoto, being the competitive sort that she is, asks whether she can duck out to the courtyard and match herself against somebody else. Sorry, too obvious, but Washuu expected the request and there's a quiet subspace pocket where people can set off all the explosions they want. She can hold her own against Sosuke (it's canon that she has an electrostatic forcefield that deflects ceramic shrapnel), but then she challenges Ryoko... two minutes later, in Washuu's lab, she's being patched up and the Misaka Sisters are hovering around her in concern, secrecy be damned. This leads to my subplot's Big Event: Kuroko giving Mikoto a long speech that boils down to "I like you, not your twin sisters, and I really wish you'd trust me with more of your secrets".

For the record, I want Ben to be there to tell Mikoto that she's biting off more than she can chew.  And then for Ben to grumble just within earshot, "Every goddamn fucking time I tell someone that something isn't a good idea or they should REALLY do a certain thing to AVERT CERTAIN BAD THINGS I get fucking blown off like I don't know what the fuck I'm talking about..."  God, I almost sound like my Grandpa Farmer here.

And oh dear.  I take it Mikoto isn't really all that perceptive?  

Rob will deliberately refrain from noticing that Benjamin does something sneaky for Mamoru and Usagi, to the point of distracting Chibi-Usa at the appropriate time. If this is after Mikoto needs patching up, then he'll pass Chibi-Usa over to Misaka Misaka afterward.

You sure you'd notice?  Thing is, you learn a thing or three about being sneaky when your old man can literally hear a fucking mouse fart from fifty yards and practiced paranoia to an unusual extent.  Like how to walk quietly without really looking like you're trying to walk quietly (Dad was ALWAYS on my case for looking like I was 'slinking').  Or how to leave an object EXACTLY as it was before after you disturbed it.  Or how to subtly hide something you don't want someone else to see (like a piece of candy someone slipped you that you're not supposed to have).  Or how to keep your face from shifting when you're outright asked about something you know you'd wind up in hot water for (or backhanded in a flare of outrage because you didn't give the answer he wanted to hear).

Physical and emotional abuse sucks balls.  But I'll be damned if it doesn't give you some useful skills if you can force yourself through the anxiety it induces.  Still flinch though whenever I see something even remotely like a backhand blow coming my way.

Rin and Kazari have already met; they catch up on the news and are introduced to each other's housemates. Leads to a mix-and-mingle that gets the shyer people out of their "safe" groupings.

"Okay, everyone got their score cards ready?"

To further Usagi and Tenchi's plan, Rob will offer Ben the use of the pullout couch in his home office, and make the same offer to the other apartment managers. (For continuity's sake, please don't show up before November 11.) Ben, meet Ruiko and Kazari, who might be willing to share a boyfriend without expectation of further commitment if certain hints in canon are read certain ways... and wouldn't that give Ben something to think about.

Oh no.  The idea is that it's all being done subtly.  Like someone wants Ben's help with their homework...  "Look, can't you bug Washu-chan about this?" "Yes, but you're much better at putting it into perspective."  Or someone invites Ben over for a Super Smash Bros. Tournament...  "Okay, one more round but that's it!  I'm about to keel over here..."  Or, one of Ben's real weak spots, someone wants to spend time with him over a pot of tea and pick apart one of the books they borrowed from his library...  "Honestly, I like to think that Mars Bar Thompson saw Maniac as a rival from the word 'go', racism be damned..."

And each time, they keep him going until he's at the point of nodding off, then summarily shove him onto a couch or futon and throw a blanket over him.  Bonus points for taking lessons from Washu and doing actual hypnosis tricks like using a droning monotone voice at just the right moment, having a mechanical clock around (like say, a grandfather clock with a very pronounced and slow tick-tock), or even just lowering the light intensity in the room to a 'nighttime' level.

You know.  Really sneaky-like.  Because they can already tell that if they're more direct about it, Ben is simply going to politely deflect.  "Thank you very much for the offer, but I can't possibly impose.  I'm supposed to be your caretaker, not the other way around..."

Other stuff:

• Tessa and Ami, in a corner, talking Science! for at least a half-hour until Mao and Usagi drag them off to meet other people.
  
• Kazari asking Weiss how to create a will-focusing device. Mikoto asking Yang the same question.
  
• Minako becoming interested in Rin's gem magic. Bling as arsenal?
  
• Ruiko dropping hints to Washuu-chan that she's piloted a giant mecha once before...  Rob later (after the 12-year-olds including Ruiko have dozed off) asking Washuu-chan, very quietly, what kind of favours it would cost him to get a Patlabor style mech for Ruiko by Christmas.
  
• Mii and Yang comparing notes about the local motorcycles.
  
• Mao, Urd, and Ryoko polishing off a case of beer between them.
  

Heheh.  In order...

• Ben: "Really, did you have to split them up like that?  I mean, I get it, but look at it from their perspective: it's like being a kid at a boring grown up party, and then suddenly you find another kid..."
  
• Yang: "Actually, you might wanna talk more to my sister about this kind of thing.  Most of us just make our own based on our fighting style and what we like - we're pretty utilitarian about it that way, but Ruby sees it more of an expression of a person's personality and she gets REALLY intense about it."
  
• Pfft.  Honestly, while Minako can be a bit of a yutz, I see her as being far classier than that - especially if your getting her from the very end of the last story arc.  That said, though, if she can make it look glamorous without being gaudy...
  
• Washu-chan: *Raises an eyebrow* "I could.  The question is are you prepared to deal with the potential property damage?"
  
• Mii is a Biker Chick?  Did not know this...  (But then, I haven't watched anything from Index/Railgun...)
  
• Only a case?  I think that Ryoko and Urd they can put away a couple of kegs (full size ones, not pony kegs) between the two of them alone.  And Mao might account for a good portion of a keg herself!  Though I'd be more concerned about what happens to Kurtz once he gets a few drinks in him and makes a pass at both Urd and Ryoko.  Ben: "Awww shit.  Guys, eyes up just in case we need to take cover."
  

At the end of the party, Washuu won't let the Misaka Sisters and Accelerator go with the Academy City girls - they still need some TLC. Mamoru, Luna, Artemis, Diana, and Chibi-Usa get to go, though.

Heh.  Washu entering mama bear mode.  Also.... D'OH!  I forgot I also gotta have those five show up...  Well, if Mamoru is on-site already, then that will make it easier for Ben to set things up.

Also, thanks for the fanarts.  They not only made me laugh, but they also gave me a somewhat more clear idea about their characters. 

[Labster]

Lots of great ideas above.  I haven't written much yet, but I'd like to have a couple of things happen for Halloween:

* Sakura and Shaoran (sorry guys I'm using normal Japanese romanization, not Syaoran or Xiaolang) are both electric magic users.  They'd probably both appreciate a demonstration of things you can do with electricity from people who are better at it.  Sakura would be happy to learn magic from anyone, and she's a quick learner.
* Sakura and Shaoran fall in love with Usagi at first sight.  I'm pretty sure this would be required by canon, given that they find themselves attracted to ordinary users of lunar magic.
* Tomo going around bugging people trying to see if she can get some sort of noble title out of the House of Jurai or House of Serenity.  Preferably something like Countess of Sacra Mensa so she can boss around the people from Aria.
* Osaka starts asking questions about Personal Reality.
* Athena may appreciate being given the chance to drive something fast

I'm sure I can come up with a bit more, as these are mostly short bits.  And I need costumes too.  I'm sure Tomoyo can come up with some ideas for that, I just need her to share them with me. 

[robkelk]

I have the Sailor Senshi and "Scientific Railgun" girls going. We had planned on having Usagi and Mamoru show up dressed as Sarah and Jareth from Labyrinth and see how long it took them to recognize each other. (SI-Rob and the other Senshi have "as soon as they see each other" in the betting pool, because they aren't stupid.) Makoto and Mikoto are going as each other. We can go to one of the big Halloween parties after dinner, once everybody's changed into their signature outfits.

Ah yes!  This.  I forgot all about this.  

Still coming up with costumes for everyone else, except that Mii's in a Bunny outfit (mostly to catch Rob's eye - she hasn't said anything about her feelings yet).

I'm thinking Rob might go with a black suit and Ray-Bans (or equivalent - the optometrists that are next door to SI-Rob's building in-story are the ones I've been going to in RL for years, so I know where to get prescription sunglasses), with a silver pen in the breast pocket. Riding herd on espers and magical girls is just as good as riding herd on aliens, right?

I'm assuming the Megami will make an appearance (maybe a brief one), along with Keiichi. Rob makes sure to at least say hello to all of them, as well as to all of the other apartment managers in attendance.

I think that given some of the friendships that have been developing, they can get away with be away for a little while.  A couple of hours at least.  (Really, while the situation is dire, it's not like it's so bad that people can't cycle through shifts.)

That's what I thought, too - Peorth and a couple of anime-only characters minding the store while the Norns take a two-hour break.

Mikoto, being the competitive sort that she is, asks whether she can duck out to the courtyard and match herself against somebody else. Sorry, too obvious, but Washuu expected the request and there's a quiet subspace pocket where people can set off all the explosions they want. She can hold her own against Sosuke (it's canon that she has an electrostatic forcefield that deflects ceramic shrapnel), but then she challenges Ryoko... two minutes later, in Washuu's lab, she's being patched up and the Misaka Sisters are hovering around her in concern, secrecy be damned. This leads to my subplot's Big Event: Kuroko giving Mikoto a long speech that boils down to "I like you, not your twin sisters, and I really wish you'd trust me with more of your secrets".

For the record, I want Ben to be there to tell Mikoto that she's biting off more than she can chew.  And then for Ben to grumble just within earshot, "Every goddamn fucking time I tell someone that something isn't a good idea or they should REALLY do a certain thing to AVERT CERTAIN BAD THINGS I get fucking blown off like I don't know what the fuck I'm talking about..."  God, I almost sound like my Grandpa Farmer here.

And oh dear.  I take it Mikoto isn't really all that perceptive?  

Oh, she's perceptive... but she's also canonically stubborn and has a need to be the best. It's landed her in the hospital in the past, even when she knows what'll likely happen to her.

Rob will deliberately refrain from noticing that Benjamin does something sneaky for Mamoru and Usagi, to the point of distracting Chibi-Usa at the appropriate time. If this is after Mikoto needs patching up, then he'll pass Chibi-Usa over to Misaka Misaka afterward.

You sure you'd notice?  Thing is, you learn a thing or three about being sneaky when your old man can literally hear a fucking mouse fart from fifty yards and practiced paranoia to an unusual extent.  Like how to walk quietly without really looking like you're trying to walk quietly (Dad was ALWAYS on my case for looking like I was 'slinking').  Or how to leave an object EXACTLY as it was before after you disturbed it.  Or how to subtly hide something you don't want someone else to see (like a piece of candy someone slipped you that you're not supposed to have).  Or how to keep your face from shifting when you're outright asked about something you know you'd wind up in hot water for (or backhanded in a flare of outrage because you didn't give the answer he wanted to hear).

Physical and emotional abuse sucks balls.  But I'll be damned if it doesn't give you some useful skills if you can force yourself through the anxiety it induces.  Still flinch though whenever I see something even remotely like a backhand blow coming my way.

No, Rob wouldn't notice that level of stealth... but he would notice that Usagi and Mamoru had disappeared, and would run interference after the fact.

Rin and Kazari have already met; they catch up on the news and are introduced to each other's housemates. Leads to a mix-and-mingle that gets the shyer people out of their "safe" groupings.

"Okay, everyone got their score cards ready?"

To further Usagi and Tenchi's plan, Rob will offer Ben the use of the pullout couch in his home office, and make the same offer to the other apartment managers. (For continuity's sake, please don't show up before November 11.) Ben, meet Ruiko and Kazari, who might be willing to share a boyfriend without expectation of further commitment if certain hints in canon are read certain ways... and wouldn't that give Ben something to think about.

Oh no.  The idea is that it's all being done subtly.  Like someone wants Ben's help with their homework...  "Look, can't you bug Washu-chan about this?" "Yes, but you're much better at putting it into perspective."  Or someone invites Ben over for a Super Smash Bros. Tournament...  "Okay, one more round but that's it!  I'm about to keel over here..."  Or, one of Ben's real weak spots, someone wants to spend time with him over a pot of tea and pick apart one of the books they borrowed from his library...  "Honestly, I like to think that Mars Bar Thompson saw Maniac as a rival from the word 'go', racism be damned..."

And each time, they keep him going until he's at the point of nodding off, then summarily shove him onto a couch or futon and throw a blanket over him.  Bonus points for taking lessons from Washu and doing actual hypnosis tricks like using a droning monotone voice at just the right moment, having a mechanical clock around (like say, a grandfather clock with a very pronounced and slow tick-tock), or even just lowering the light intensity in the room to a 'nighttime' level.

You know.  Really sneaky-like.  Because they can already tell that if they're more direct about it, Ben is simply going to politely deflect.  "Thank you very much for the offer, but I can't possibly impose.  I'm supposed to be your caretaker, not the other way around..."

Got it. Usagi comes up with the base idea, Tenchi comes up with the "but subtle" part, I assume.

The pull-out couch would still be available, though.

Other stuff:

• Tessa and Ami, in a corner, talking Science! for at least a half-hour until Mao and Usagi drag them off to meet other people.
  
• Kazari asking Weiss how to create a will-focusing device. Mikoto asking Yang the same question.
  
• Minako becoming interested in Rin's gem magic. Bling as arsenal?
  
• Ruiko dropping hints to Washuu-chan that she's piloted a giant mecha once before...  Rob later (after the 12-year-olds including Ruiko have dozed off) asking Washuu-chan, very quietly, what kind of favours it would cost him to get a Patlabor style mech for Ruiko by Christmas.
  
• Mii and Yang comparing notes about the local motorcycles.
  
• Mao, Urd, and Ryoko polishing off a case of beer between them.
  

Heheh.  In order...

• Ben: "Really, did you have to split them up like that?  I mean, I get it, but look at it from their perspective: it's like being a kid at a boring grown up party, and then suddenly you find another kid..."
  
• Yang: "Actually, you might wanna talk more to my sister about this kind of thing.  Most of us just make our own based on our fighting style and what we like - we're pretty utilitarian about it that way, but Ruby sees it more of an expression of a person's personality and she gets REALLY intense about it."
  
• Pfft.  Honestly, while Minako can be a bit of a yutz, I see her as being far classier than that - especially if your getting her from the very end of the last story arc.  That said, though, if she can make it look glamorous without being gaudy...
  
• Washu-chan: *Raises an eyebrow* "I could.  The question is are you prepared to deal with the potential property damage?"
  
• Mii is a Biker Chick?  Did not know this...  (But then, I haven't watched anything from Index/Railgun...)
  
• Only a case?  I think that Ryoko and Urd they can put away a couple of kegs (full size ones, not pony kegs) between the two of them alone.  And Mao might account for a good portion of a keg herself!  Though I'd be more concerned about what happens to Kurtz once he gets a few drinks in him and makes a pass at both Urd and Ryoko.  Ben: "Awww shit.  Guys, eyes up just in case we need to take cover."
  

Again in order...

• Usagi: "I get what you're saying, but they can't talk with only each other!"
  
• In that case, Ruby gets snagged in a pincer.
  
• It's Minako, the one who can pull off being a model or an idol singer. Tasteful is good in its place; gaudy is good in its place; and glamorous is a given any place.
  
• SI-Rob: "I'll find someplace for her to practice. And better to have it and not need it, then need it and not have it, right?"
  
• Not only is Mii a Biker Chick, she used to run with a gang until the guy she was crushing on apparently died. A gang that hated espers, no less, which almost put her in the position of "passing for white at a Klan meeting" - Mii has a wild side and the skills to survive while indulging it.
  
• Oh, probably, but I'm only going to bring one keg from a local craft brewer. And I'd like to see Kurtz make a pass at Ryoko... from a safe distance, of course.
  

At the end of the party, Washuu won't let the Misaka Sisters and Accelerator go with the Academy City girls - they still need some TLC. Mamoru, Luna, Artemis, Diana, and Chibi-Usa get to go, though.

Heh.  Washu entering mama bear mode.  Also.... D'OH!  I forgot I also gotta have those five show up...  Well, if Mamoru is on-site already, then that will make it easier for Ben to set things up.

They're willing and eager to make themselves scarce for the first little while; they've been told by Academy City that their very existence is top-secret, and Mikoto only knows about them because she hacked the security on the project. They have a blind spot about their being fictional in this setting; they won't have thought of the idea that the other girls from Academy City might have learned of their existence simply by reading Wikipedia.

In fact, it'll take some coaxing to get them to come out of Washuu's lab and say hello to everyone else after Kuroko lectures Mikoto.

As for Accelerator, he couldn't give a damn about the rest of us, except for Misaka Misaka.

Also, thanks for the fanarts.  They not only made me laugh, but they also gave me a somewhat more clear idea about their characters. 

I should have done something similar earlier...

[robkelk]

Lots of great ideas above.  I haven't written much yet, but I'd like to have a couple of things happen for Halloween:

* Sakura and Shaoran (sorry guys I'm using normal Japanese romanization, not Syaoran or Xiaolang) are both electric magic users.  They'd probably both appreciate a demonstration of things you can do with electricity from people who are better at it.  Sakura would be happy to learn magic from anyone, and she's a quick learner.
* Sakura and Shaoran fall in love with Usagi at first sight.  I'm pretty sure this would be required by canon, given that they find themselves attracted to ordinary users of lunar magic.
* Tomo going around bugging people trying to see if she can get some sort of noble title out of the House of Jurai or House of Serenity.  Preferably something like Countess of Sacra Mensa so she can boss around the people from Aria.
* Osaka starts asking questions about Personal Reality.
* Athena may appreciate being given the chance to drive something fast

I'm sure I can come up with a bit more, as these are mostly short bits.  And I need costumes too.  I'm sure Tomoyo can come up with some ideas for that, I just need her to share them with me. 

Not that I'd suggest Yomi dress as Yomiko Readman... but I'll suggest Yomi dress as Yomiko Readman. Assuming you've seen or read Read or Die.

Makoto is a powerful but not-too-imaginative electrokinetic. Mikoto, though, has demonstrated unusual electrokinetic powers, including:
* ignoring the effects of a handheld contact-range taser (and lampshading that by saying "Sorry, those don't work on me" to the attacker);
* using her fingertips as a contact-range taser;
* magnetically levitating iron dust/rust out of riverbank sand and forming it into a shortsword/whip;
* wall-crawling up concrete walls by magnetizing her hands and feet and connecting magnetically to the rebar;
* generating an electrostatic forcefield (being a Level 5 esper, it also deflects non-magnetic items including ceramic shrapnel);
* tracking the flow of electricity in the area and using that mental map as a replacement for sight after being blinded by a flash-bang (the HUDs that the clones wear let them do the same thing);
* consciously controlling her nervous system after being administered a neural blocker (with a second-order effect of ionizing her entire skin surface);
* flight with electromagnetic propulsion, although she has trouble maintaining altitude;
* and they didn't code-name her "Railgun" for no reason.
And the Misaka Sisters have demonstrated the ability to remotely affect and control electric motors. Sakura and Sahoran might end up overwhelmed with data. Good thing Usagi is genuinely a kind person and is willing to help them cope with the data overload.

Osaka with her own Personal Reality... I don't know whether to applaud or run.

[ECSNorway]

Mikoto is also capable of fine-tuning her power's control and sense feedback to very precise and potent cyberpathy. She was able to hack into secure databases with nothing more than that, a palmtop, and a random library terminal, and was only stopped from getting what she wanted because she couldn't break Uiharu's encryption.

[Dartz]

Have no access to the piratepad. It just sort of breaks and goes into a continuous 'site is down' loop.


I am working on stuff.... slowly

“They took away my happiness. My satisfaction, my comfort. They took away every good feeling I could ever have and they left everything else. And then, they left me.”


“They only gave them back when I stopped fighting, when I stopped doing anything but just lying there…”

[robkelk]

Have no access to the piratepad. It just sort of breaks and goes into a continuous 'site is down' loop.

I'm having the same problem. Export what's there to a format you can read offline, save the export, close the browser window, write your additions in a text editor, re-open the browser window, and copy-and-paste your contributions.

[Black Aeronaut]

I have the Sailor Senshi and "Scientific Railgun" girls going. We had planned on having Usagi and Mamoru show up dressed as Sarah and Jareth from Labyrinth and see how long it took them to recognize each other. (SI-Rob and the other Senshi have "as soon as they see each other" in the betting pool, because they aren't stupid.) Makoto and Mikoto are going as each other. We can go to one of the big Halloween parties after dinner, once everybody's changed into their signature outfits.

Ah yes!  This.  I forgot all about this.  :D

Still coming up with costumes for everyone else, except that Mii's in a Bunny outfit (mostly to catch Rob's eye - she hasn't said anything about her feelings yet).

Ah yes.  The halloween party comes before their confession.  I absolutely must keep this in mind.  :P

I'm thinking Rob might go with a black suit and Ray-Bans (or equivalent - the optometrists that are next door to SI-Rob's building in-story are the ones I've been going to in RL for years, so I know where to get prescription sunglasses), with a silver pen in the breast pocket. Riding herd on espers and magical girls is just as good as riding herd on aliens, right?  :)

Pffft.  Pretty much!  :D

I'm assuming the Megami will make an appearance (maybe a brief one), along with Keiichi. Rob makes sure to at least say hello to all of them, as well as to all of the other apartment managers in attendance.

I think that given some of the friendships that have been developing, they can get away with be away for a little while.  A couple of hours at least.  (Really, while the situation is dire, it's not like it's so bad that people can't cycle through shifts.)

That's what I thought, too - Peorth and a couple of anime-only characters minding the store while the Norns take a two-hour break.

Honestly, it would not be out of place for various Goddesses and Demons to be taking a bit of time off.  The work is very stressful, and keeping everyone in a good state of mental health will be critical to making good progress.

Callahan's will probably be  a popular haunt for the likes of Urd, Marler, and maybe even Belldandy and Peorth.

That said, both Goddesses and Demons have very strict rules about what they can and can't do while off duty.  But basically?  It all boils down to "Don't break any local laws" and "Don't do anything we have to clean up afterwards".

Oh, and would anyone mind if Keichii and maybe Megumi, too, set up shop in San Antonio?  They don't necessarily have to be residents at the apartments, but given the regularity that Belldandy is checking in on things, it would make sense if it was simply part of her commute.  There's plenty of nice places they can possibly set up a home and a business... and just a few miles off to the east is the San Antonio Speedway... it isn't much.  Mostly just a drag strip, but a well appointed one, and they also setup of drift racing events in the parking lot now and then.  And lots of good sportsmanship - yeah, there's attitude, but it's always with a wink and a grin.  It wouldn't be what Keiichi is quite used to, but he'd probably find himself quite at home in short order because all the people that show up for the events are completely and totally nuts over cars.  (And believe me, a lot of these events are pretty much 'run whatcha brung', so it can get pretty crazy out there.)

Mikoto, being the competitive sort that she is, asks whether she can duck out to the courtyard and match herself against somebody else. Sorry, too obvious, but Washuu expected the request and there's a quiet subspace pocket where people can set off all the explosions they want. She can hold her own against Sosuke (it's canon that she has an electrostatic forcefield that deflects ceramic shrapnel), but then she challenges Ryoko... two minutes later, in Washuu's lab, she's being patched up and the Misaka Sisters are hovering around her in concern, secrecy be damned. This leads to my subplot's Big Event: Kuroko giving Mikoto a long speech that boils down to "I like you, not your twin sisters, and I really wish you'd trust me with more of your secrets".

For the record, I want Ben to be there to tell Mikoto that she's biting off more than she can chew.  And then for Ben to grumble just within earshot, "Every goddamn fucking time I tell someone that something isn't a good idea or they should REALLY do a certain thing to AVERT CERTAIN BAD THINGS I get fucking blown off like I don't know what the fuck I'm talking about..."  God, I almost sound like my Grandpa Farmer here.

And oh dear.  I take it Mikoto isn't really all that perceptive?  :D

Oh, she's perceptive... but she's also canonically stubborn and has a need to be the best. It's landed her in the hospital in the past, even when she knows what'll likely happen to her.

I meant in the romantic sense back there.  :P  I know she's perceptive enough to know when she's getting in over her head.  Which is what would make Ben's invective all the sharper.  Although I'd imagine that Mikoto would start going crosseyed at all the F-Bombs Ben's dropping.  ;)

Rob will deliberately refrain from noticing that Benjamin does something sneaky for Mamoru and Usagi, to the point of distracting Chibi-Usa at the appropriate time. If this is after Mikoto needs patching up, then he'll pass Chibi-Usa over to Misaka Misaka afterward.

You sure you'd notice?  Thing is, you learn a thing or three about being sneaky when your old man can literally hear a fucking mouse fart from fifty yards and practiced paranoia to an unusual extent.  Like how to walk quietly without really looking like you're trying to walk quietly (Dad was ALWAYS on my case for looking like I was 'slinking').  Or how to leave an object EXACTLY as it was before after you disturbed it.  Or how to subtly hide something you don't want someone else to see (like a piece of candy someone slipped you that you're not supposed to have).  Or how to keep your face from shifting when you're outright asked about something you know you'd wind up in hot water for (or backhanded in a flare of outrage because you didn't give the answer he wanted to hear).

Physical and emotional abuse sucks balls.  But I'll be damned if it doesn't give you some useful skills if you can force yourself through the anxiety it induces.  Still flinch though whenever I see something even remotely like a backhand blow coming my way.

No, Rob wouldn't notice that level of stealth... but he would notice that Usagi and Mamoru had disappeared, and would run interference after the fact.

I can only imagine how Usagi might react when Mamoru tells her they only have 30 minutes...  *Recieves text from Ben*  Maybe forty-five - Mikoto just decided to throw down with Ryoko and everyone's taking bets.  ;)

To further Usagi and Tenchi's plan, Rob will offer Ben the use of the pullout couch in his home office, and make the same offer to the other apartment managers. (For continuity's sake, please don't show up before November 11.) Ben, meet Ruiko and Kazari, who might be willing to share a boyfriend without expectation of further commitment if certain hints in canon are read certain ways... and wouldn't that give Ben something to think about.

Oh no.  The idea is that it's all being done subtly.  Like someone wants Ben's help with their homework...  "Look, can't you bug Washu-chan about this?" "Yes, but you're much better at putting it into perspective."  Or someone invites Ben over for a Super Smash Bros. Tournament...  "Okay, one more round but that's it!  I'm about to keel over here..."  Or, one of Ben's real weak spots, someone wants to spend time with him over a pot of tea and pick apart one of the books they borrowed from his library...  "Honestly, I like to think that Mars Bar Thompson saw Maniac as a rival from the word 'go', racism be damned..."

And each time, they keep him going until he's at the point of nodding off, then summarily shove him onto a couch or futon and throw a blanket over him.  Bonus points for taking lessons from Washu and doing actual hypnosis tricks like using a droning monotone voice at just the right moment, having a mechanical clock around (like say, a grandfather clock with a very pronounced and slow tick-tock), or even just lowering the light intensity in the room to a 'nighttime' level.

You know.  Really sneaky-like.  Because they can already tell that if they're more direct about it, Ben is simply going to politely deflect.  "Thank you very much for the offer, but I can't possibly impose.  I'm supposed to be your caretaker, not the other way around..."

Got it. Usagi comes up with the base idea, Tenchi comes up with the "but subtle" part, I assume.  :)

The pull-out couch would still be available, though.

More or less, but I imagine that it would turn into an interesting sort of brainstorming session as suddenly the entire Masaki tribe gets in on it.  After all, Usagi isn't the only one that is worried for Ben.  The rest of the Masaki Tribe is worried as well since Ben has gone so far above and beyond for their sakes.  (Really, it's not just going to be Sasami petitioning the Royal Council for Ben's adoption.  Ayeka and Noike will be putting in their recommendations as well which, when summarized, amount to an excruciatingly polite way of saying, "You're all idiots if you let him get away from us!"

Other stuff:

• Tessa and Ami, in a corner, talking Science! for at least a half-hour until Mao and Usagi drag them off to meet other people.
  
• Kazari asking Weiss how to create a will-focusing device. Mikoto asking Yang the same question.
  
• Minako becoming interested in Rin's gem magic. Bling as arsenal?
  
• Ruiko dropping hints to Washuu-chan that she's piloted a giant mecha once before... :)  Rob later (after the 12-year-olds including Ruiko have dozed off) asking Washuu-chan, very quietly, what kind of favours it would cost him to get a Patlabor style mech for Ruiko by Christmas.
  
• Mii and Yang comparing notes about the local motorcycles.
  
• Mao, Urd, and Ryoko polishing off a case of beer between them.
  

Heheh.  In order...

• Ben: "Really, did you have to split them up like that?  I mean, I get it, but look at it from their perspective: it's like being a kid at a boring grown up party, and then suddenly you find another kid..."
  
• Yang: "Actually, you might wanna talk more to my sister about this kind of thing.  Most of us just make our own based on our fighting style and what we like - we're pretty utilitarian about it that way, but Ruby sees it more of an expression of a person's personality and she gets REALLY intense about it."
  
• Pfft.  Honestly, while Minako can be a bit of a yutz, I see her as being far classier than that - especially if your getting her from the very end of the last story arc.  That said, though, if she can make it look glamorous without being gaudy...
  
• Washu-chan: *Raises an eyebrow* "I could.  The question is are you prepared to deal with the potential property damage?"
  
• Mii is a Biker Chick?  Did not know this...  (But then, I haven't watched anything from Index/Railgun...)
  
• Only a case?  I think that Ryoko and Urd they can put away a couple of kegs (full size ones, not pony kegs) between the two of them alone.  And Mao might account for a good portion of a keg herself!  Though I'd be more concerned about what happens to Kurtz once he gets a few drinks in him and makes a pass at both Urd and Ryoko.  Ben: "Awww shit.  Guys, eyes up just in case we need to take cover."
  

Again in order...

• Usagi: "I get what you're saying, but they can't talk with only each other!"
  
• In that case, Ruby gets snagged in a pincer.
  
• It's Minako, the one who can pull off being a model or an idol singer. Tasteful is good in its place; gaudy is good in its place; and glamorous is a given any place.
  
• SI-Rob: "I'll find someplace for her to practice. And better to have it and not need it, then need it and not have it, right?"
  
• Not only is Mii a Biker Chick, she used to run with a gang until the guy she was crushing on apparently died. A gang that hated espers, no less, which almost put her in the position of "passing for white at a Klan meeting" - Mii has a wild side and the skills to survive while indulging it.
  
• Oh, probably, but I'm only going to bring one keg from a local craft brewer. And I'd like to see Kurtz make a pass at Ryoko... from a safe distance, of course.
  

• Ben: "But you gotta admit, those two are completely adorkable together!"  ;)
  
• Ruby: *Gets snagged by each of her arms and is suddenly being pulled two different ways.*  "GYAAAAHHH!"
  
• As long as it looks good....
  
• Glad to see Burt Gummer's Maxim is getting so much traction.  ;)
  
• Oh GAWD.  Rob.  Mii is the Princess Rainicorn of your bunch.  She does not seem like it at all.  In fact, she'd be the last person you'd suspect of it.  But oh LAWDY can she do the ROWDINESS.
  
• Hah.  Ben knows what he's dealing with.  He'll be bringing in at least two full-size kegs.  Good stuff, mind.  San Antonio's foodie culture extends very much to the microbrewery crowd as well.  I've heard more than one happily sloshed tourist positively gushing about some of the locally crafted brews.
  

At the end of the party, Washuu won't let the Misaka Sisters and Accelerator go with the Academy City girls - they still need some TLC. Mamoru, Luna, Artemis, Diana, and Chibi-Usa get to go, though.

Heh.  Washu entering mama bear mode.  Also.... D'OH!  I forgot I also gotta have those five show up...  Well, if Mamoru is on-site already, then that will make it easier for Ben to set things up.

They're willing and eager to make themselves scarce for the first little while; they've been told by Academy City that their very existence is top-secret, and Mikoto only knows about them because she hacked the security on the project. They have a blind spot about their being fictional in this setting; they won't have thought of the idea that the other girls from Academy City might have learned of their existence simply by reading Wikipedia.

In fact, it'll take some coaxing to get them to come out of Washuu's lab and say hello to everyone else after Kuroko lectures Mikoto.

As for Accelerator, he couldn't give a damn about the rest of us, except for Misaka Misaka.

Actually, I was talking about the other half of the Crystal Millennium Contingent.  :P

Lots of great ideas above.  I haven't written much yet, but I'd like to have a couple of things happen for Halloween:

* Sakura and Shaoran (sorry guys I'm using normal Japanese romanization, not Syaoran or Xiaolang) are both electric magic users.  They'd probably both appreciate a demonstration of things you can do with electricity from people who are better at it.  Sakura would be happy to learn magic from anyone, and she's a quick learner.
* Sakura and Shaoran fall in love with Usagi at first sight.  I'm pretty sure this would be required by canon, given that they find themselves attracted to ordinary users of lunar magic.
* Tomo going around bugging people trying to see if she can get some sort of noble title out of the House of Jurai or House of Serenity.  Preferably something like Countess of Sacra Mensa so she can boss around the people from Aria.
* Osaka starts asking questions about Personal Reality.
* Athena may appreciate being given the chance to drive something fast

I'm sure I can come up with a bit more, as these are mostly short bits.  And I need costumes too.  I'm sure Tomoyo can come up with some ideas for that, I just need her to share them with me.  :D

Not that I'd suggest Yomi dress as Yomiko Readman... but I'll suggest Yomi dress as Yomiko Readman. :) Assuming you've seen or read Read or Die.

Makoto is a powerful but not-too-imaginative electrokinetic. Mikoto, though, has demonstrated unusual electrokinetic powers, including:
* ignoring the effects of a handheld contact-range taser (and lampshading that by saying "Sorry, those don't work on me" to the attacker);
* using her fingertips as a contact-range taser;
* magnetically levitating iron dust/rust out of riverbank sand and forming it into a shortsword/whip;
* wall-crawling up concrete walls by magnetizing her hands and feet and connecting magnetically to the rebar;
* generating an electrostatic forcefield (being a Level 5 esper, it also deflects non-magnetic items including ceramic shrapnel);
* tracking the flow of electricity in the area and using that mental map as a replacement for sight after being blinded by a flash-bang (the HUDs that the clones wear let them do the same thing);
* consciously controlling her nervous system after being administered a neural blocker (with a second-order effect of ionizing her entire skin surface);
* flight with electromagnetic propulsion, although she has trouble maintaining altitude;
* and they didn't code-name her "Railgun" for no reason.
And the Misaka Sisters have demonstrated the ability to remotely affect and control electric motors. Sakura and Sahoran might end up overwhelmed with data. Good thing Usagi is genuinely a kind person and is willing to help them cope with the data overload.

Osaka with her own Personal Reality... I don't know whether to applaud or run.

Mikoto is also capable of fine-tuning her power's control and sense feedback to very precise and potent cyberpathy. She was able to hack into secure databases with nothing more than that, a palmtop, and a random library terminal, and was only stopped from getting what she wanted because she couldn't break Uiharu's encryption.

Yeesh.  Don't ever let Railgun meet Magneto.  While his abilities are not directly electrical, Mikoto will probably decide it's close enough for government work and not relent until she's finally had a go at the old timer...  Only to be proven most emphatically that old age and experience really does trump youth and enthusiasm.  :P

Oh, and I would so love to see Osaka with her own Personal Reality.  It would be like as if Nichijou suddenly became real.  :D

Have no access to the piratepad. It just sort of breaks and goes into a continuous 'site is down' loop.

I'm having the same problem. Export what's there to a format you can read offline, save the export, close the browser window, write your additions in a text editor, re-open the browser window, and copy-and-paste your contributions.

Yeah, having issues myself here.  Gonna take my new computer over to the tech heads at school, see what they can make of that and an issue I'm having with my school-sponsored Microsoft Office 365 account.

[Rajvik]

Am I the only one seeing a drinking contest between Urd, Mihoshi, Ryoko, and Jayne?

[robkelk]

"Whose bright idea was it to let Mihoshi get drunk?"

[Black Aeronaut]

Snrk. Sure as hell won't be Ben's. He got the booze mainly because he knew that Urd and Ryoko would be packing it away.

[robkelk]

Spent the evening researching firearms laws in Canada, just to make sure I get the next installment of my current sidestory right.

<deadpan> Yay, firearms license laws. Yay, import restrictions. </deadpan> Good thing I'm fluent in bureaucratese, or I'd still be at it.

Almost all of those goodies that are legal for Ben to build out of kits or spare parts are not legal to import into Canada. Forget about offering Rob anything fully-automatic, or adaptable to fully-automatic without a decent tool kit and a lot of time, because no permits will be issued to possess those under any circumstances. (Before you ask: the Firearms Act specifically does not apply to the Armed Forces.) Anybody under 18 can only legally possess non-restricted rifles or shotguns; "non-restricted" essentially means not semi-automatic. Rob's going to need a license, too, because he's the adult responsible for the Misaka Sisters and the Minor's License does not permit independent acquisition of firearms unless the minor can demonstrate a need to live off the land (which definitely is not the case in a city). You need to pass a course before being allowed to apply for a Possession and Acquisition license - two courses if you want to purchase a restricted firearm. And it's legal for the RCMP to search a private dwelling just if they have reasonable cause to believe unlicensed firearms are on the premises, and the only way to prove they're licensed is to produce the license upon demand.

Thus, Rob's contact in the police department will strongly suggest letting the shooting club keep the girls' rifles under lock and key when they aren't in use, just to prevent headaches all around.

[robkelk]

Just looked at the PiratePad doc - and discovered all changes in the last 119 days were gone.

Luckily, I made an offsite copy the day before yesterday, so I imported that. We've lost the colour markup, but at least we're back to where we were 49 hours ago, after I made my additions. After importing, I saved a copy - so if there's a "Revision 5" in the saved copies, we're good.

[Black Aeronaut]

Well. That would explain why I couldn't get in. Something must have happened to their servers the other night.

EDIT: Rob, can you clarify the import laws a bit? Would sending the 'Goodies' as ready-to-assemble kits still be in violation? Also, I kinda figured that some items are going to be flagrant violations regardless - the idea is that they are only to be used when shit goes REALLY pear-shaped. The Goodfellow rounds come to mind...

[Bob Schroeck]

...you're going to send Tim, Graeme and Bill? But why would they need to be assembled...

...oh, wait, not those Goodies.

<emily litella>Never mind!</emily litella>

[robkelk]

Well.  That would explain why I couldn't get in.  Something must have happened to their servers the other night.

EDIT: Rob, can you clarify the import laws a bit?  Would sending the 'Goodies' as ready-to-assemble kits still be in violation?  Also, I kinda figured that some items are going to be flagrant violations regardless - the idea is that they are only to be used when shit goes REALLY pear-shaped.  The Goodfellow rounds come to mind...

Ready-to-assemble kits would still be in violation, yes. (We really don't have the gun culture that the USA does.)

So, if this happens in-story, we'd need someplace to store them that's more secure and more difficult to find than a pocket dimension... because I've already established there's at least one genre savvy detective on the Ottawa Police force.

EDIT: Of course, once Usagi is recognized as Neo-Queen Serenity and the building gains extraterritoriality status, all bets are off.

[Black Aeronaut]

Hmmm....  Ben can go ahead and do a thorough inspection.  With the paranoia his father instilled into him, he's gotten VERY GOOD at hiding shit.

(We played hide and go seek when we were kids.  I was pretty good, but one time I completely confounded everyone.  The trash can outside had been left upside down after being emptied.  Made sure that not a damn person saw me get under that thing.  Despite the smell, I stayed under that sucker and didn't come out until they all started to get worried.  Heh-heh-heh.)

Hmmm...  Come to think of it?  Let's go full retard Snake Eater at European Extreme Difficulty here.

A device embedded in the building's structure - doesn't really matter where.  Any wall?  You tap a specific sequence, like for example: Shave and a Haircut.  And then suddenly, instant door!

The device that projects the portal can honestly be any fixed location, and embedded in a wall under the plaster board so it's not visible at all - they'd have to literally tear through the walls to find it, and your genre savvy police officer would probably have a lot of trouble coming up with a court order for that.  Washu can even make it so it won't trip any metal detectors in case they decide to go that route.  Maybe even make it so it can fool an ultrasound imager.  (Yes, I would be that paranoid.)

Meanwhile, the means to access it is easy enough that anyone you trust with the sequence can do it.  Better yet, there can be different sequences for different parts of the armory.  This can be so each person has their own individual armory so there's no crowding in an effort to get kitted out quickly.  And you can keep the big nasties like the Goodfellow rounds out of their hands.

Also, this means that no matter what part of the house they're in, they'll never be out of reach of their personal armory.

Hrm... maybe also include a second element?  Object with a 'verification key' embedded in it?  Could be troublesome if one ever gets lost.  Biometrics?  Maybe.  Would have to put detection equipment throughout the house, and I don't know if that'd sit well with you even though it's only a machine that is monitoring, but not recording.

Maybe also tie it into the Good Neighbor System so that the tenants can only access their armories in the event that the system gets tripped.  Oh!  Multi-functionality: Panic Room and Escape Hatch - the armory can be closed from the inside, and a scuttle hatch in the floor leads to the building's panic room.

Thoughts?

(Hey, if you think I'm going overkill, keep in mind that you're the one that decided to make the Unseelie into "Special Friend" status.  At least that's how I think they might feel after that stunt you pulled with Michiru - they probably thought they had it in the bag, and then you turn up with her and...)

[robkelk]

That should work... Add in an override so the individual armouries can't be accessed without authorization from one of SI-Rob (building manager and direct representative of the Megami and Phantomhive), Mii (senior Judgment officer in residence), or Usagi (Neo-Queen Serenity), and that would assuage Rob's fears.

One each for each of the Sisters, one for Mii, one for Rob, one for the really dangerous toys (Rob/Mii/Usagi only) ... I think that would do.

(As for the Unseelie... well, that's how they're portrayed in the source material. Nasty pieces of work. And, yes, they wouldn't have been at all happy about what happened.)

[Dartz]

Send 'em here.

Our local police are so inept they managed to loose an Uzi when it popped out of the car boot. Some aul Granny picked it up, went for a shop with it in her bag then handed it in to a cop shop across the city.

So they can be just sort of set aside somewhere.

The building is an 18th century one with cellars under the city road, original 18th century windows and dampened 18th century oak. It has housed generations of dozens of families, the great rooms often broken down and shared by a dozen members of the same family at once. It's an old tenament - mostly kipple inside. There is electrical power, a mains water supply and heating is currently through lit fires only. You could probably remake the back half of Blade Runner in the place.

There's bound to be plenty of 'secure' places to hide things. Or sneak in and out.

[robkelk]

A sad note... In real life, the family member who owned the property featured in my first side story passed away yesterday. So I'll be a bit distracted for a while.

[Bob Schroeck]

You have my deepest sympathies, Rob.

[robkelk]

Thanks, Bob. The funeral's this weekend, so please don't expect to see me online too much until next week.

[Bob Schroeck]

Understood. Take what time you need.

[Labster]

Are there any rules about importing decks of tarot cards?

It was kind of odd the timing of when I left for Scotland.  Normally I need a break about that time, but for some reason I was making great creative progress both at work and fiction writing, and now I need to get that momentum back.  On the other hand, I've gotten a bit of inspiration from the places I visited, particularly for Akari.  For instance, Halloween is also Samhain.

That should have been an obvious thing, but I've never had occasion to study sí and faerie.  They say to write what you know, but the story keeps wanting to write itself further and further away from what I know now.  I suppose I could just make it up, but that would probably ruin the story for someone, and honestly, it just feels like cheating.

Oh, and would anyone mind if Keichii and maybe Megumi, too, set up shop in San Antonio?

Does it come with the whole temple?  It would only take a minor miracle to set that up.