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

[Black Aeronaut]

Ben would probably want to pull her aside and gently explain the horror that was the battle for Serenity Valley if he happened to be around.

[robkelk]

If we add that to the Halloween party story, he probably would.

Speaking of the Halloween party story, here's a line for you, riffing off a comment you made on the PiratePad.

"Ben, I'm the Goddess of the Past. All of my meaningful relationships - those kind of relationships - are in the past. That means I'm available. Want to go somewhere after this party, just the two of us?"

[Black Aeronaut]

If we add that to the Halloween party story, he probably would.

Speaking of the Halloween party story, here's a line for you, riffing off a comment you made on the PiratePad.

"Ben, I'm the Goddess of the Past. All of my meaningful relationships - those kind of relationships - are in the past. That means I'm available. Want to go somewhere after this party, just the two of us?"

Heh.  Ben would have a counter for that, but he's pretty sure that saying it out loud would land him in hot water.  That counter being, "But by your own logic, wouldn't that just mean I'm another notch in your headboard once everything is said and done?"

I have all kinds of Asperger-style thoughts like this.  The trouble for me?  Balancing how badly needed the thought is against how many feathers it's going to ruffle.

But in this case, Ben would go for an assist with Belldandy because he knows she'd understand, her not judging Ben based on one statement and instead taking the big picture view.  And she'd understand his concern completely, and then be able to relate this concern to Urd in a way that's not going to anger her.

Another bit we can have is Ben having a quiet moment with Keiichi, the two of them having talked about cars and engines for a bit.

"You know, I envy you, Keiichi."

"Ah-heh.  I get that a lot."

"Well... this is different.  A lot of people say that just based on the surface details.  They see an utterly beautiful woman with a kind heart and not much more.  They rarely look into the details.  But me?  I'm mildly Aspy - that is, someone with Asperger's Syndrome.  It's a form of high-functioning autism that some of us don't think of as a handicap, but rather as having a different set of tools in our brains.  I'm pretty sure you've noticed that I haven't had much trouble at all picking up calculus, right?"

"Yes..." replied Keiichi uncertainly.

"Well, imagine adapting that kind of ability and putting it to work in dissecting a person's character.  The ability to break it down into the most basic elements and all the impetuses that drive them, and make out the strange connections between the various components that most others have difficulty even imagining.  That's what I do when I get to know someone.  Yes, it's cold and kinda dissociative, but it's just a simple matter of fact - this is how I function - how my CPU is laid out - and there's nothing I can ever do to change that fact.

"So, when I see Belldandy, I don't just see a kindhearted beauty.  I look for the reasons why she is so kind and gentle to everyone.  I look for the subtleties that others miss.  I carefully watch her eyes, her mouth, the way she walks and talks.  And I can tell you right now, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that Belldandy is God's Treatise on the perfect ideal of what a woman is.

"I know that you know she is a Goddess, and that she is practically perfect.  But I know it as well.  Not based on some snap judgment or just on what someone else has told me.  I don't simply know that she is perfect.  I come to as full of an understanding of Belldandy as is possible through my interactions with her.  And because of that, Keiichi, I envy you a great deal."

Keiichi gave Ben a worried look, but Ben caught it right away and gave the other man a small, sad smile.

"Don't worry.  I know you love her a great deal.  And that is something that I would protect.  I could never be so evil of a person as to even attempt to take that away from you."

Ah yes, the melancholy is strong tonight.

[Labster]

Oh, interesting.  I'm not very observant, but one of the things I observe very quickly is when another person is autistic.  See, I'm a programmer, and there's so many aspies in my peer groups that it's hard not to see the differences, even if each person has a unique set of behaviors.  In person, I'm sure my SI would pick up on it right away (it's harder online).

And I need to write my story with Bell in it.  When we get a security system, it will have a panic button like Rob's does.  Then, well, think of who lives in my apartment.

Also, if your SI says that to Urd, Brent will go up and say, "Urd-sama, can I offer you a drink?"

[Rajvik]

And when he does, someone gets to see me over at a wall hitting my head against it. "Always alone, always late" when asked will answer "Don't worry about it, it's just issues."

[robkelk]

And when he does, someone gets to see me over at a wall hitting my head against it. "Always alone, always late" when asked will answer "Don't worry about it,  it's just issues."

Bonus points if that "someone" is Kaorin, who is in the same boat and wouldn't be interested in your SI.

[robkelk]

<sigh> Still can't find fanart of Mii in a Bunny outfit. At this point, I am seriously considering commissioning a piece.

Anybody have a favourite fanartist who's willing to take commissions and work in the anime's original style?

[robkelk]

Okay, how about this.  I know I've put a moratorium on fanfic materials, but it was mainly to keep us from getting swamped by the various fanfic versions of the Sailor Senshi outside the two anime series and the manga.  And this can be explained in that the version of the material that has the strongest following is the one that has the most influence on the Metacontuity - it's that whole malleability thing.

That said... I would not mind if we started taking on traits of our various SI's. Nothing OP at first. It's gonna be little things. Like for my character it will be the Magic ECM at first - which is gonna be funny as fuck to see Tohsaka Rin react to* - and not much else. Then a bit later, the nullifier abilities kick in and is first noticed by the Puella Magi when being in Ben's presence suddenly makes them dizzy (AMF field would mess with their Soul Gems' connection to their bodies).

I just had a thought... (consults Wikipedia to double-check - recollections confirmed!) ...and it just might work as a catalyst for my SI to start unlocking powers. And it's in-universe, too, tying together Chinese Astrology and a stanza in the Poetic Edda in a way that will benefit people who were born the year that I was born and curse everyone else: drink the waters from Hvergelmir, one of the Three Wells of Yggdrasil.

Anybody else would risk taking on wyrmlike or woodlike traits (or a fusion of both, becoming a Níðhöggr-like being), but Chinese astrology says I'm already a Wood Dragon so the waters wouldn't do those things to Rob, especially if Sakura uses her Cards to divine the most auspicious moment for Rob to drink the waters from Hvergelmir. And with Ruiko unlocking her esper Skill, there's no reason for Rob not to have an ability of some sort, so there wouldn't be any mental blocks left in the way of him developing powers.

As to what those particular powers might be, I'm not yet sure, but considering Hvergelmir is the fount of the rivers of Asgard, they should tie in with pure or holy water - giving my SI common ground with Sailor Neptune and Brent's version of Akari. (Considering also that Hvergelmir is surrounded by snakes, Rob might also pick up Parseltongue - and never know it. )

All I need to do is get Rob to actually obtain waters from Hvergelmir... but that shouldn't be too difficult to make happen. ("Urd, just what was in that drink?" )

Thoughts?

EDIT: Oh - the Prose Edda also mentions that Hvergelmir is worse than poison, so drinking it would entail quite a risk. (Of course, in this setting that might refer to the risk of becoming a Nídhogg-like being.) Better make sure Sakura does that divination, and Urd treats the water appropriately.

[Rajvik]

Hey Rob, anything there that would cover an earth horse?

Just a thought

[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!

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...

BA, just sent you a PM about this.

[robkelk]

Hey Rob, anything there that would cover an earth horse?

Just a thought

Not a lot of horses in Norse mythology - the only one I can think of off the top of my head is Sleipnir. Mind you, Sleipnir is a pretty powerful horse, and does have ties to earth in that its dam sire was Svaðilfari, the horse that assisted in building the walls of Asgard. If you go that route, your SI has the potential to be more powerful than my SI.

[Dartz]

, so drinking it would entail quite a risk

Unless someone just fills a water bottle from it in ignorance or recklessness - on a sort of, I just want to have this around and this is the only bottle I have - a sort of anti-freeze in a cokebottle surprise.

[Labster]

Hey Rob, anything there that would cover an earth horse?

As long we don't have to deal with a Bad Horse.  He's really, really bad.

Water dog here.  I'll just be chilling with Tadakichi, I guess.  The Azumanga girls are all Wood Ox, except for Tomo and Chiyo.   Chiyo's a Metal Horse.  Tomo's an Aquarius, so she's either the oldest or youngest of the cohort... right now I'm thinking oldest is funnier, but I don't know when people decide to enroll their children in school in Japan.  Like, what's the cutoff date?  It's not the Coming of Age day, is it?

I've been meaning to write some Sakura divination scenes, but I know very little of the tarot.  Once I research that, I have ideas, because her cards make an interesting set of archetypes.  As she gets more cards, her divinations will get better, too.

EDIT: After reading a few sites that actually believe in tarot, it's easy to see it's all bullshit and I can do whatever I want.  Yay!  I'm writing a section now, based on a few ideas I mixed and matched, which is apparently what "real" practitioners do too.

[Inquisitive Raven]

Not a lot of horses in Norse mythology - the only one I can think of off the top of my head is Sleipnir. Mind you, Sleipnir is a pretty powerful horse, and does have ties to earth in that its dam was Svaðilfari, the horse that assisted in building the walls of Asgard. If you go that route, your SI has the potential to be more powerful than my SI.

Actually, Svaðilfari was Sleipnir's sire. Loki was his dam. Ain't shapeshifting, gender-bending deities fun? Of course, that makes Svaðilfari another horse from Norse mythology.

[robkelk]

Ah, right. I plead distraction at the time.

[Black Aeronaut]

Metal Monkey here. Nothing in Norse mythology for me buuuu~uuuuut in Asian legends... Why, hello there, Sun Wukong! (aka Son Goku)

[Labster]

Huh, I'm coming up blank for water dog mythology.  Plenty of dogs associated with fire, electricity, and the woods, but nothing in the doggy paddle.  I might be forced to go with "This is Spring of Drowned Dog.  One day, dog fall in Jusenkyo spring and die, very sad."

And uh, I made a research failure on one published story, the old Pacific Electric train tracks weren't on Abbot Kinney Boulevard, they were one street over.  So I need to decide if I want to have her walk down to Electric Avenue, or maybe use the old tracks right next to the apartments?  Uh, I hate retcons.

[Black Aeronaut]

Here, Brent.  This might also be useful to you - a map that shows not only the rail lines, but also the original canal system.

https://www.westland.net/venicehistory/m...ce-map.htm

And it looks like I was pretty dead-on with my own effort to recreate the canals using a snip from Google Maps:


  Venice3.PNG (Size: 194.16 KB / Downloads: 110)

If you still need a reason for how they were able to keep the canals from stagnating, I just remembered that Coastal Cali is famous for the winds that come in off the Pacific.  And all it's gonna take is for one Dutch aqueduct engineer to show up and go, "Sayyy, I got an idea..."

[robkelk]

Metal Monkey here.  Nothing in Norse mythology for me buuuu~uuuuut in Asian legends...  Why, hello there, Sun Wukong!  (aka Son Goku)

I think we may have discovered your real-life power, BA - the ability to tie yourself to trickster archetypes.

[robkelk]

Huh, I'm coming up blank for water dog mythology.  Plenty of dogs associated with fire, electricity, and the woods, but nothing in the doggy paddle.  I might be forced to go with "This is Spring of Drowned Dog.  One day, dog fall in Jusenkyo spring and die, very sad."

There's always Real Life to draw on. "Portuguese Water Dogs are originally from the Portuguese region of the Algarve, from where the breed expanded to all around Portugal's coast, where they were taught to herd fish into fishermen's nets, to retrieve lost tackle or broken nets, and to act as couriers from ship to ship, or ship to shore." Not the most glamorous power set to build from, but still a good set of support abilities that complement many of the Aria Company's skills. And the Wikipedia page says they've made it as far north as Iceland, so the Norse might already be aware of them. (There is the downside of being mistaken for a poodle, of course.)

And uh, I made a research failure on one published story, the old Pacific Electric train tracks weren't on Abbot Kinney Boulevard, they were one street over.  So I need to decide if I want to have her walk down to Electric Avenue, or maybe use the old tracks right next to the apartments?  Uh, I hate retcons.

Tell me about it. I'm going to have to do a minor retcon on my sidestory where the Host attack Mii - as I have it written now, Rob and Ruiko run right past the fight in order to get away from the fight. Oopsie.

[Norgarth]

Huh, I'm coming up blank for water dog mythology.  Plenty of dogs associated with fire, electricity, and the woods, but nothing in the doggy paddle.  I might be forced to go with "This is Spring of Drowned Dog.  One day, dog fall in Jusenkyo spring and die, very sad."

And uh, I made a research failure on one published story, the old Pacific Electric train tracks weren't on Abbot Kinney Boulevard, they were one street over.  So I need to decide if I want to have her walk down to Electric Avenue, or maybe use the old tracks right next to the apartments?  Uh, I hate retcons.

well, there's the term 'Sea Dog' (a sailor or pirate/privateer)

as for the train tracks, Electric Avenue was always a nice song   



Hmm, a I recall, I was born in a year of the Tiger (does some quick research), ah, I'm a Wood Tiger (but not Tiger Woods )

huh, found a listing of the animals+elements and translations of the Chinese phrase that corresponds to each combo
https://www.yourchineseastrology.com/zod...-names.htm

My own Wood Tiger is 'Tiger Descending the Mountain'
Water Dog is 'Sleepy Dog'
Metal Monkey is 'Monkey in the Fruit Tree'

[Labster]

Yeah, research has been fun.  Venice is the site of the original Gold's Gym at Muscle Beach, and thus the start of the whole bodybuilding trend.  Venice High School was the location for Grease.  And like Sakura's old school, it has a statue of a beautiful woman out front, except this time it's Myrna Loy.  (My own high school had a nude statue out front with giant hoops just like the Sakura manga, but it was a dude, bearing the cryptic expression "ATOMS FOR PEACE".) Anyway <3 Art Nouveau.

Actually what started it was this pic:

  elec-ave.jpg (Size: 39.51 KB / Downloads: 108)
And then I thought, hey, there's gotta be a real Electric Avenue somewhere...  d'oh, there's one in Venice that I've even walked on ... wait, Pacific Electric Railway ... there's a lot of narrow parcels here... imma need a retcon.

The route by the apartment was hard to find information about, but it was the Lagoon Line, a short line between Del Rey and Venice stations, that ran between the Ballona Lagoon and the Pacific.  Except that now, most of the lagoon is a harbor with a much wider entrance, so it really can't be a route now.  The bike bridge on the south side might be original to the train, but the Lagoon Line closed a good 20 years before Marina Del Rey was dug out.

So, don't want to do that, don't want a service competing with gondolas, right?  I think the least disruptive change would be moving it to Pacific Avenue downtown rather than Electric Avenue, because I described that as in the pavement, and I think the train had its own right-of-way next to Electric Avenue.  I could even use the old stop at Windward and Pacific.

[Labster]

Sup Dartz!

I've got a few things to ask you now that I'm caught up on BGC, or at least caught up enough to comment.

First of all: I'm enjoying your stories about Name and Lout and Lew, but maybe they need a little editing,
You wanna read back through, or do you want me to send you some edits?  

Your characters are effectively all original -- they had one episode down to one scene of screen time.  Add onto that that they're effectively alien intelligences, at it makes it very hard for anyone else to write at your characters.  Until you flesh them out more (pun intended), I don't really know how to include them in your story.

I feel like I know the least about Meg.  This might be true about Brent too -- I'm not sure -- but Rob has a lot of characterization.  Can we get backstory on her human side... or any of them, really?  Anri seems underused, which is funny that she probably got more canon screen time than any of them.

The writing itself is spare in a really cool way, I realize now that I've read it a few times.  It lets a lot of the exposition take place in subtext, which dang, I gotta learn how to do that.

I doubt my SI will talk to them that much, he's had a thing against robots ever since that encounter with a venomous half adder.  (OK not really)

This thread needs a star and a title tag.

[Black Aeronaut]

Fixed.

[Norgarth]

Had a bit of an idea for Labster's crew (you're the one in LA, right?)

One (or more) of your tenants get home after driving somewhere, and mention they got a flat on the highway, but this nice man stopped and helped them.

A guy described as a well muscled black man with a mohawk, several gold chains, driving a van with black and grey paint, and who introduced himself as B.A.

Spoiler

I figure if the A-Team manifested in LA, they'd be able to get by on their own, even if they are trying to adjust to the time shift. Or maybe the movie version instead.

Another idea for someone popping up, a new Youtube sensation; a cosplaying J-pop artist who goes by Minmei and sings the old songs from Macross as well as some new songs that fit her "inspiration's" style.