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

[robkelk]

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.)

Manga canon is that Keiichi's dai-sempai Chihiro Fujimi leaves a good-paying job on a motorcycle design team and hires Keiichi and Belldandy to work for her; the three of them start a custom motorcycle shop, Whirlwind. (It isn't much - it looks like it's run out of a converted shipping container - but it keeps body and soul together and they enjoy the work.) In our shared universe, Belldandy's busy, so there's room for Megumi (although she's a better rider than mechanic) and Sora Hasegawa to take her place.

I'd grab them myself if it wasn't for "Ottawa = snow one-third the year = no market for custom bikes"... Go for it!

[robkelk]

Are there any rules about importing decks of tarot cards?

The deck can only have one "The Lovers", unless you're James Bond.

Okay, okay...

A quick web search turns up a list of divination techniques at ThoughtCo, including Tarot reading, Norse rune reading (for Belldandy), and something called "Full Moon Water Scrying" (which might be of interest to Akari if she's going to develop some second-sight abilities). Each has a link to at least a basic overview of the technique; the Tarot articles go into more depth than I'm willing to go through over a hotel's wi-fi connection.

That should have been an obvious thing, but I've never had occasion to study sí and faerie.

Each of those subjects is far larger than I can possibly cover in quick web searches - I'll need access to my library at home for them.

[Black Aeronaut]

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.)

Manga canon is that Keiichi's dai-sempai Chihiro Fujimi leaves a good-paying job on a motorcycle design team and hires Keiichi and Belldandy to work for her; the three of them start a custom motorcycle shop, Whirlwind. (It isn't much - it looks like it's run out of a converted shipping container - but it keeps body and soul together and they enjoy the work.) In our shared universe, Belldandy's busy, so there's room for Megumi (although she's a better rider than mechanic) and Sora Hasegawa to take her place.

I'd grab them myself if it wasn't for "Ottawa = snow one-third the year = no market for custom bikes"... Go for it!

Oh, there is a HUGE motorcycle community here in San Antonio.  Granted, while most of it is of the more American-style cruiser variety, there is a not-insignificant number of super bikes out here.  And rest assured, there is good reason for motorcycling being popular out here - the long stretches of hot, sunny weather combined with the hill country terrain and un-crowded two-lane blacktop highways make for a perfect place for the lifestyle.

And the lot with the dilapidated buildings pretty much right next door to the complex would be the perfect place for Chihiro, Keiichi, Megumi, and Sora to set up shop.

Along with the Callahan's on the same lot, Ben's spot on the map could become very interesting...

[Black Aeronaut]

Are there any rules about importing decks of tarot cards?

The deck can only have one "The Lovers", unless you're James Bond.  

Okay, okay...

A quick web search turns up a list of divination techniques at ThoughtCo, including Tarot reading, Norse rune reading (for Belldandy), and something called "Full Moon Water Scrying" (which might be of interest to Akari if she's going to develop some second-sight abilities). Each has a link to at least a basic overview of the technique; the Tarot articles go into more depth than I'm willing to go through over a hotel's wi-fi connection.

I'm not gonna set any hard and fast rules over this.  Just as long as it's faithful to the characters is all I want. 

[robkelk]

That should have been an obvious thing, but I've never had occasion to study sí and faerie.

Each of those subjects is far larger than I can possibly cover in quick web searches - I'll need access to my library at home for them.

Home now, but exhausted. (Two six-plus-hour drives in three days with a funeral between them tends to exhaust a person.) If I haven't come back to this by next weekend, please nudge me.

[Rajvik]

Get some rest man, this can wait

[robkelk]

I'm tempted to add to the list of refugees Calvin Cobb: Radio Woodworker! (C'mon, every setting needs a stalwart fighter of Nazis...) But that would require buying a copy of the book...

[robkelk]

That should have been an obvious thing, but I've never had occasion to study sí and faerie.

Each of those subjects is far larger than I can possibly cover in quick web searches - I'll need access to my library at home for them.

Quick answer: There are as many types of fae as there are Celtic and Norse cultures, so we have some leeway to pick and choose. What sort of sidhe do you want?

[Black Aeronaut]

I'm tempted to add to the list of refugees Calvin Cobb: Radio Woodworker! (C'mon, every setting needs a stalwart fighter of Nazis...) But that would require buying a copy of the book...

I can only imagine how he'd react to His Royal Trumpiness. 

[robkelk]

Topic shift.

We have a couple of Crowleys in our characters' backstories. How do they interact? Are they the same person, or different?

[Black Aeronaut]

Easy. Just have it be the man himself. It will be frickin' hilarious to see the people that revere him get to meet their hero and see what he really is.

[Black Aeronaut]

Okay, after going through the threads, I don't think I've come out with this detail yet.

I've had this idea for a long time, actually.  Ever since the original conception of TNB because I felt Ben needed a power-up suitable to put him on par for the Tenchi-verse.  And I think that the A's arc is as good as any spot for it.

And soooo.... what if Ben somehow got a pet Masu...  Nothing as over-the-top as what happened to Tenchi when a whole bunch of them took a female form and followed Ryo-Ohki's desire to be helpful...

More like just one of the little fellers took a shine to him...  And everyone felt it would be safer just to let it be.  It seemed content with Ben, and even if Ben got a bit frustrated, it wasn't like he was feeling any aggression towards anyone, so the Masu would remain non-aggressive.  (Maybe a bit protective, but nothing serious since everyone tool the little Masu seriously!)

And then we get to the A's arc.

Ben has Washu-chan lock up the Masu - as much as he hates to do it, he doesn't want to chance the property damage, even if they can do their battles in a dimensional layer.

But the little guy does get out.  And not a moment too soon, because Ben just got his ass handed to him by Vita.  (He was supposed to sneak up on Shamal and nail her with his AMF, but the Belkan's caught wise and set up a trap.)  And I don't just mean 'a little roughed up'.  I mean he loses an arm and has to tie a tourniquet with his web belt before he can bleed-out.  The little Masu is at a loss, so it does the only thing it can do.

It integrates itself with Ben.  And Vita's shit is royally fucked.

“You’re not dead yet?” came Vita’s voice from up above, raising Ben’s hackles.  “Boy, you weren’t kidding when you said you’d be hard to kill.  Sorry, it’s not usually in my nature to kick a guy when he’s down like this.  Belkan Code, you know.  But you’re way too dangerous to allow to run around.”

“shut up.”

“...What?” said Vita in surprise.

“I told you to shut up,” said Ben as he slowly and painfully levered himself up.  Squishy had fixed the major damage, but all the smaller hurts had remained.  But that only became fuel - fuel that was added to the massive bunker that was his rage at life’s unfairness, and how he so dearly wanted to wreck life’s shit until it caved in to his desires.

“I’m so fucking DONE with this bull shit!” snarled Ben as his rage started to spool up, hitting critical levels as he felt his chest become heavy and hot.  “I’m gonna beat you down so fucking hard that you won’t be able to stop me from turning you over my knee and whaling the goddamned tar out of you!”

And then without really thinking about it, he raised his right arm, shut his eyes, and felt something release.

He only heard a brief scream saying “MASS WEAPON!?” before the was a massive report that knocked Ben back down on his ass.

Once he could open his eyes again, it was to a mind-bending tableau.  A few hundred feet away there was a fireball climbing up into the sky, a thin plume of smoke stretching up and away from it already, capped by a growing mushroom-shaped top.

Did I just...

Suddenly, Yuuno was there, yelling something... Ben couldn’t tell because he had been deafened by the blast - not enough to pierce his ear drums, but he wouldn't hear much for the next few minutes.

He pointed at his ear, made a fist, and then a ‘boom’ motion with his hand.

Yuuno grimaced, then nodded, understanding exactly what had happened.  He simply helped Ben up and then cast a short-range teleport spell. If Yuuno understood only one thing, it was that Ben had been severely hurt and needed to get to Washu-chan ASAP.

##

Shamal knew that Vita was in trouble.  Fortunately for her, the area was clear for the moment, their enemies having withdrawn, allowing Shamal the chance to do the same with Vita.

And Vita was in a sorry state indeed - he barrier jacket all but completely destroyed, blackened and soot stained, and Vita with second degree flash burns all over her body.

“Saint Kaiser’s Blood!  What happened to you Vita!?”

Vita winced as she slowly tried to push herself up.  “it’s... bad shamal.  he’s got... NGH!  mass weapon now.”

Shamal went to work right away, running a quick diagnostic.  “But he’s always had mass weapons.”

“no... reaction mass weapon.  think... was antimatter.”

The color drained out of Shamal’s face and she checked the diagnostic report.  Indeed, Vita had been exposed to a truly horrendous burst of X-Rays so intense that it nearly flash-cooked her on the spot.  This was bad - not only because Shamal was going to need to spend the rest of the day repairing the systemic DNA damage and radiation burns, but also because this would definitely burn through several pages in The Book of Darkness.  

At a certain point in the history of ancient Belka, even the most bloodthirsty among them had given up on reaction weapons such as those simply because they were far too destructive.  What good was a world conquered and pacified when it wasn't in one piece anymore?  And now?  Now there was someone with Nanoha’s people who had access to Matter/Anti-matter weapons.

“Mother of Kaisers... What have we started?”

A bit of informational material....  The site will be the Ingram Square Mall at Loop 410 and Ingram Road.  It's a good thing this is in a dimensional layer, because DAAAYYYUUUUUM!!!

First, some data...

   

  M-AM 20ton Info2.JPG (Size: 54.67 KB / Downloads: 135)

Now, a basic map.  Note that the thermal burn intensity tapers off dramatically near the 15psi 5psi overpressure threshold...

   

And to help invision it a bit better, one with satellite imagery.

   

I had to highlight the 1psi threshold so it can be seen.  Also, I threw in a small blue X-mark on the shopping mall, indicating where Ben would be when he fires that sucker off.  The idea is that Vita saw what was coming and tried to get the hell out of there, but the projectile landed almost right on her heels.  Effin' ouch.

The Belkans will definitely be regarding Ben far more warily after this point.  What he has isn't a good close-in weapon... but he can still hit them from a safe distance.  Which is very bad news because with Fate being able to kite them like nobody's business, and Yunno and Arf to lend support...  Tenchi can even keep Signum occupied!  And Ben?  Now Ben can hit them like a ballistic missile submarine - you won't know he's there until the bombs are on their way.  And this is going to prove to be absolutely pivotal when it comes time to deal with the BoD's Self-Defense System.

Trust me, after this?  Washu is DEFINITELY gonna work with him on controlling how big of a boom he makes, but this will still be something Ben considers 'the nuclear option'.  That is, until he unlocks a secondary firing mode.  It takes far more effort on his part, but there's much less collateral damage.

Instead of shooting a projectile with a payload, instead he performs a carefully controlled internal M/AM annihilation, and shoots a high-intensity beam of x-rays a la Megatron when he decided he wasn't screwing around anymore or Shockwave.  But that's gonna be more of a second season thing.

Just imagine what Jail Scaglietti will think of this.

Soooo....  Thoughts?

[robkelk]

Y'know, I was thinking of asking whether it might or might not be a good idea to help Misaka Misaka and Kazakiri Hyoga be able to safely unlock FUSE/Kazakiri (which canonically has the power of an angel, roughly on par with a NGE angel)... Now I'm thinking we might need that just to survive Ben.

I can't wait until we move into space - then we can have a proper Lensman Arms Race. We certainly have the mindset for one.

[Black Aeronaut]

Don't tempt me.  Those words alone triggered the following:

Gravity Rifles - warp gravity to suddenly accelerate a hunk of rock to extremely alarming relativistic speeds the likes of the Oh My God particle.  (To give you an idea of how fast that sucker was going, if a photon had taken off at the same time on a parallel course, it would have taken the photon 215,000 years to get just 1cm ahead of the OMG Particle.)

Please do not tempt me to a Lensman-style arms race.  It will go to some very alarming places that were only in Emperor Palpatine's wildest wet dreams.  

[Dartz]

Yeah, lets not arms race shit.

Micronuclear weapons going off on US territory with the current cabbage in Power is probably going to end up with this becoming a Mad Max crossover....

[Labster]

Darkness beyond twilight, crimson beyond blood that flows...

[Black Aeronaut]

Yeah, lets not arms race shit.

Micronuclear weapons going off on US territory with the current cabbage in Power is probably going to end up with this becoming a Mad Max crossover....

Well, what'll happen is that they'll be using a sort of sub-dimension for their battle.  The field is the same as the 'IRL', but all the damage is contained to that sub-dimension.  This was commonly used by TSAB agents to eliminate the risk of collateral damage.  So that Big Badda Boom shouldn't have any real effect on the outside.

[robkelk]

On the other hand, they had to put out the fires before releasing the sub-dimension in A's, so there's some sort of bleed-through if the battleground isn't cleaned up after the battle.

[Black Aeronaut]

Benjamin: *Looks over at the ruin that is the Ingram Square Mall where there is conspicuously no fires burning within a 1/10th mile diameter around the smoldering crater in the middle of the parking lot.*

"I think we're good here.  So how about we take care of those grass fires out by the Biomedical Research Institute before they get to something REALLY flammable."

:V

EDIT: Yes. We actually do have a legitimate Biomedical Research Institute and it's not far from where I live, too.

[robkelk]

EDIT: Yes.  We actually do have a legitimate Biomedical Research Institute and it's not far from where I live, too.

I thought every large city had a biomedical research institute. Ottawa has two: government (connected with the National Research Council) and private-sector (connected with the hospitals and the University of Ottawa - which is one reason why Ami attends uOttawa.)

[Black Aeronaut]

Sorry 'bout that.

There's a lot of people out there that think San Antonio is this podunk little city you only ever visit because of some battlefield memorial about Davy Crockett and something call the Alamo. 

[robkelk]

Meh. You also have an art museum in an ex-brewery.

[Black Aeronaut]

Ah yes. The Pearl. That is one HAPPENING place. Come on down and visit in October if you can manage it. The weather should be tolerable for you by then, and we should be kicking off our own Oktoberfest.

(EDIT: We also turned an old cement plant into an upscale shopping center with a multiplex stadium theater, and recently built a world-class convention center, which is connected by a skywalk to the Alamodome - a 64,000 seat multipurpose venue we built in hopes of attracting an NFL team, but the NFL thinks our city won't provide the ticket sales they want. Pssshhht.)

On that note, I think that I'll go ahead and work on making photo albums of some of the more interesting places in town for some of the more slice-of-life happenings... or even abandoned structures in town that can serve as battlefields.

[Black Aeronaut]

Sudden realization.  The null ability IC-Ben will get is going to be so similar to Touma's that the Index girls might start wondering about things.  However, his isn't quite as potent as Touma's

But then there is the fact that the magical ECM aspects came out first, which arguably makes him into a far more dangerous combatant because you don't see him coming.  Espers will have to rely on more traditional means of detection, such as infrared, ultrasound, the good old Mk1 eyeball...  bioelectrical fields, yes...  but he's gonna look... well, let's just say he's gonna look 'hazy' to Mikoto senses.  Not undetectable - far from it, in fact - but more like she can't make out what he is.

Question: Who all here has an SI-fic that is not There's Nothing Better?  I know Rajvik has one on SV/SB...

[robkelk]

Sudden realization.  The null ability IC-Ben will get is going to be so similar to Touma's that the Index girls might start wondering about things.  However, his isn't quite as potent as Touma's

I should hope not, considering Touma's effect is

Spoiler

primarily there to keep an Eldritch Abomination imprisoned (not that he knows that).

But then there is the fact that the magical ECM aspects came out first, which arguably makes him into a far more dangerous combatant because you don't see him coming.  Espers will have to rely on more traditional means of detection, such as infrared, ultrasound, the good old Mk1 eyeball...  bioelectrical fields, yes...  but he's gonna look... well, let's just say he's gonna look 'hazy' to Mikoto senses.  Not undetectable - far from it, in fact - but more like she can't make out what he is.

Mikoto tends to rely on the Mark I Eyeball, so she won't be too put-out. Mii will wonder why she looks straight through Ben when she uses her x-ray vision, though.

Question: Who all here has an SI-fic that is not There's Nothing Better?  I know Rajvik has one on SV/SB...

Most of my fics are on hiatus, alas. Fenspace and a Girls Girls Girls stagger that's still in the "I have a few notes but what am I going to do with them" stage would count as SF... and the GGG stagger is on hold until Bob mentions my Warriors World SI in DW XIII.