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

[Dartz]

What'd I do?

I'm still trying to figure out the girls myself, beyond a few basic cardboard cuttout elements.

Sylvie wants to be the leader and in control. She's optimistic, but with a ruthless streak
Lou fights back. She's also smart.
Meg does something of a tsundere redhead thing.
Anri is an office lady.
Nam is an Ayanami expy ( and was voice by the same VA). She playus the innocent type - nervous and afraid.

[Labster]

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.

So they're on the way to the see a performance, and then they get a flat.  Someone sees Tomo on the side of the road, and pities the fool.  Call it "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to The Forum".

Well, unless the were going to the Kaleido Stage.  There's only one burg named after Mary in California, and it's full name is El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles.  Of course, it might help if I had seen any Kaleido Star at all.

I'm still trying to figure out the girls myself, beyond a few basic cardboard cuttout elements.

Sylvie wants to be the leader and in control. She's optimistic, but with a ruthless streak
Lou fights back. She's also smart.
Meg does something of a tsundere redhead thing.
Lou is an office lady.
Nam is an Ayanami expy ( and was voice by the same VA). She playus the innocent type - nervous and afraid. 

That last list sort of confirmed my lack of Anri comment, lol.  Were you trying to say Anri is an OL?  And can I point out that Megu-chan also voiced Ranma and Linna Inverse.

A lot of the personality will emerge from writing.  But what I really want to know is: Are Meg's memories of you, or someone else?  Did she change sex by moving into that body?  Did she also change gender, or is gender more of an arbitrary concept in a non-human body?  Other than Lou and Meg, are they aware of how much their programming affects their behavior?  We're all nature and nurture, but can they rewrite their nature, and would they want to?

I'm pretty sure this is the first time I've ever said this, but I feel like an X-rated scene would improve characterization.  I mean, like, they're designed to have sex, right?  So like, wouldn't they also be more expressive in bed too?

Meanwhile, in my own writing, the current scene I'm working on has Tomo trying to convince Yomi it's time to try defying gravity; Yomi thinks Tomo is having delusions of grandeur.  I haven't really shared any scenes where there's just the two of them yet, but there's less performance and more intimacy.  They've known each other long enough to have two simultaneous conversations, one on the subtext channel.

[Dartz]

Yeah... I've been drinking for most of the day.

X-rated stuff is something I just don't do well, and far more funny to hint at.

>Are Meg's memories of you, or someone else?

Mathematician's answer applies. Ultimately yes, but at the same time there's been some 'work' done. And at some point prior Meg has shared memories with the Girls. In general, I'd say the Girls are as aware of their programming as humans are. Sometimes you can catch your own cognitive biasies, but normally they just fall into being part of who you are and how humans naturally function and you'd never notice them unless you were specifically told.

[robkelk]

Well, unless the were going to the Kaleido Stage.  There's only one burg named after Mary in California, and it's full name is El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles.  Of course, it might help if I had seen any Kaleido Star at all.

Would you care to guess which show I started re-watching this weekend? Go on, guess. (Seriously, I'm two DVDs into the first season.)

EDIT: Further along in re-watching. In the episode where they take part in a competition in Vancouver, the show acknowledges "Cape Mary" is somewhere in L.A.

---

Something that I just realized, although I suspect my subconscious remembered and tossed the idea out when I started writing here. SI-Rob's building is called "Blossom Apartments" because that's the name of the road it's on... but, until Mamoru showed up, it was also filled with lovely blossoms of young womanhood (and one weed, to steal one of Bob's jokes).

[Black Aeronaut]

Okay, this has been bugging me for a bit, so I wanna get this out there to get people's thoughts on the matter.

Lifting entire cities along with some of the accompanying hinterlands is all great space opera, but we're trying to keep things a bit on the deconstruction side.  Which means that if that's what happens, and with more than one or two major metros, then some serious shit is going to hit the fans, even with all the other stuff going on.

So, here's an alternative idea.  What got this idea started for me was the thought that towers erected during a World Fair/Expo look very much like they could be command towers or something of the sort.  Towers like The Tower of Americas in San Antonio, the CN Tower in Toronto (not a World Fair structure, but still...), the Space Needle in Seattle, the Observation Towers (1964 NY World Fair), and so on.

So, what if a suitable Mad Science type decided that he was gonna make off with all these towers by converting them into starships right under everyone's noses?

Who and how?

Well, I just had an idea about that.

What happens when you get Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz and have him find a coffee can full of Handwavium? (Honestly, I can't think of anyone more perfect.)

So, what does everyone think?

[Mamorien]

What happens when you get Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz and have him find a coffee can full of Handwavium? (Honestly, I can't think of anyone more perfect.)

So, what does everyone think?

...will that internets be carry-out or delivery?

[robkelk]

... the Observation Towers (1964 NY World Fair), ...

I though that already was a pair of spacecraft.

[Black Aeronaut]

What happens when you get Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz and have him find a coffee can full of Handwavium? (Honestly, I can't think of anyone more perfect.)

So, what does everyone think?

...will that internets be carry-out or delivery?

Delivery, please.  And make sure they know to leave it with the building manager's office.  Folks around here have a nasty tendency to shadow parcel trucks.  :V

... the Observation Towers (1964 NY World Fair), ...

I though that already was a pair of spacecraft.

Well, yes~.  Why do you think I thought of them?

"Heh!?  What is this?  This...  THIS IS ALREADY A SPACESHIP!?"

*Strolls off whistling the theme music from the first MIB movie*

[Labster]

Just a small note.  While reviewing Sakura's powers for the wiki, I was reminded that The Twin made a copy of an apartment building in canon.  So if anyone's running out of space, I might have a solution.

And I've already noted in my story how much the LAX Theme Building looks like a spaceship.  Despite being in the middle of an airport, it's currently unused.

[Black Aeronaut]

Huh. Now THATS interesting.

Okay, note for everyone: It doesn't have to be a tower to be made into a spaceship by Doofenshmirtz. Any sufficiently 'Looks like a spaceship' building will suffice.

And I just came up with his motive.

With aliens being the real deal, and Handwavium being able to make shit into space ships with very little capital investment, it would only make sense that he be Earth's first 'Used Starship Salesman' once more ET's start arriving.

[Dartz]

"Breaking News: Building flies into Airliner"

[robkelk]

Just a small note.  While reviewing Sakura's powers for the wiki, I was reminded that The Twin made a copy of an apartment building in canon.  So if anyone's running out of space, I might have a solution.

SI-Rob looks at SI-Brent, looks at the two storage rooms converted to apartments and the half-dozen more apartments in a Washuu-supplied pocket dimension, then starts wondering whether the church just down the street from Blossom Apartments really needs that large a parking lot...

And I've already noted in my story how much the LAX Theme Building looks like a spaceship.  Despite being in the middle of an airport, it's currently unused.

Not much in the way of spaceship-style buildings in Ottawa... but we have a glass pyramid. (Just up the road from the building that looks like a cubist Sphinx. The Department of Foreign Affairs doesn't need a headquarters in the story universe, do they? )

[Rajvik]

There used to be a saucer house down on the beach about halfway between PCB and Navarre beach. Don't know if it survived Ivan though

[Dartz]

While I'm still drinking what about the crimson permanent assurance

[Labster]

"Breaking News: Building flies into Airliner"

Seriously, the tower would have to be fucking blind to let that happen.

If we're sharing bizzarchitecture, we also have Randy's Donuts.

[robkelk]

...
So, here's an alternative idea.  What got this idea started for me was the thought that towers erected during a World Fair/Expo look very much like they could be command towers or something of the sort.  Towers like The Tower of Americas in San Antonio, the CN Tower in Toronto (not a World Fair structure, but still...), the Space Needle in Seattle, the Observation Towers (1964 NY World Fair), and so on.
...

Did somebody say "Cylon Tower"?

What?

"'Skylon Tower'?"

Oh. Guess I'm all wet...


EDIT: Public Domain photo:

[Black Aeronaut]

@robkelk

Saw this over on SV's funny picture thread and thought of your girls.  This should make for a great moment for reminiscing.  

http://zettais.tumblr.com/post/141438917516

[robkelk]

Ah, yes.

Now, replace Rei with Mikoto, and the other four senshi with 9968 clones...

[robkelk]

I'd sort of like for the Girls to be the reason the cat gets out of the bag. Because they're the only specifically non-human individuals we have....

Once the cat is out of the bag, and the average citizen knows about the Metacontinuity (or at least that there are "fictional characters" amongst them), we can start with some of the more fun crossovers...


They looked up. They looked at each other. They looked up again.

"Rob ..."

"Yes, Mikoto?"

"What is that?"

Kazari looked up from her laptop. "Wikipedia says he's called 'Ultraman Belial'."

"An Ultraman. Great. Just great. Should I call San Antonio?"

"No need, Rob. I've fought a toku monster before."

Everyone was distracted by the sound of Ultraman Belial stepping on yet another parked car. Kuroko took the opportunity to teleport in front of Mikoto. "A small one! And Ruiko's mind was in it, holding it back!"

"Actually, I was just along for the ride. And there were thousands of other minds in that thing at the same time --"

"Exposition later, Rui-chan!"

Suddenly, from behind them, somebody said, "Leave him to me!"

Without turning around, Mikoto asked, "And who are you?"

"Ginormica - but my friends call me Susan." The 49-foot-and-11½-inch-tall woman carefully stepped over Rob and the espers, then tapped Ultraman Belial on the shoulder with one hand while pulling back the other in a fist.

[robkelk]

Just added to the Halloween Party wiki page, so that other writers can add to it:


"But you'd be a great undine! You have a family name related to water and a given name that begins with 'A'!"

Aika looked cross. "It takes more than that to be an undine, Tomo."

"And I would much rather be a doctor," Ami added.

[robkelk]

Looking for images for the wiki, found this official art, and thought Labster might be interested (if you haven't found it already).

---

I was just going to pull back images of the Aria characters that already had wiki pages, but the very first image that appeared in the search was too perfect not to download... so I've created stub pages for Alice, Aika, and Akira.

[Labster]

I like the fashion in the first pic... and pretty much everything about it except Alicia's face.  Not sure if it's the eyes, or if I see her with more pronounced cheek bones that would make those glasses in totally the wrong place.  But it captures the off-work clothing well: Athena's attire is more masculine, Athena's is more feminine, and Akira is more high fashion.  Anyway, this is my current desktop picture:



The background of that is the Rialto Bridge, which is famous enough to be on the city logo for Rialto, California (which is in the desert, of course, because people here love irony).

And well, maybe I found my reason for making my residents not want to defect to the real Venice: https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/venic...index.html

Sorry about not making all of those pages right away, but I try to make the wiki pages part of my writing routine.  When I write one, it means I have a good enough handle on how I want to protray the character and their story arc.  This has been slower for some, because undines don't seem to generate much conflict.  Four of the azumangakko will generate conflict just out of boredom, bless their hearts.  And the Cardcaptor crew, well, they all have huge goals in addition to growing up, so that's easy.

I've watched the first series of Ai Yori Aoshi which means I've seen as much as Tomo has -- she knows anime very well, but only up to Spring 2003. My thoughts can be summed up with: yeah, I can work with that. Plenty of characterization available.  At first I was worried about having damaged people around more joyful people, but it'll be fine, as everyone will be able to pitch in on the group therapy.  Aoi will probably be the hardest, but she's lucky -- imagine if she had grown up with an arranged marriage to Akio Ohtori instead.  Kaoru's been getting better just by having family, Taeko just needs to hang out with Athena a bit, and Miyu was probably caught before it got too bad.  Tina won't look like a gaijin in L.A., although she runs the risk of being a #MeToo subject.

I don't really have any plots yet, but had a few ideas:

• Athena and Taeko fall down the stairs together and switch personalities (don't worry, Sakura has Change)
  
• Nadeshiko actually did fall in love with a commoner -- and Sonomi let her parents decide.  Sonomi will be very sympathetic to Kaoru and Aoi.
  
• Chika becomes a Pair -- e-hee!
  
• Miyabi + Sonomi + Alicia need to run some sort of company together, for serious
  
• Maybe Tina would be interested in vet med along with Sakaki?
  
• Taeko: Tomoyo finds another victim to dress up (the good news about Tomoyo is that you won't be a fashion victim, just a victim of fashion)
  

[Black Aeronaut]

Argh. Trouble is I don't know anywhere nearly enough about Aria, Azumanga Daioh, and Cardcaptor Sakura to really comment much on this.

But I will say that the image you got up there is somehow borked.

[Labster]

Image is fine, danbooru just doesn't allow cross-linking. Go to View Image, get a 403, then reload the page. I'm too lazy to reupload and pixiv is even worse to work with.

Honestly I'm mostly commenting at Rob, who has seen all of these, and was the one who asked me to include Ai yori Aoshi in the first place. At this rate, pretty soon he'll be asking me to throw in some season fairies. I am aware that my taste in anime is a little strange.

[robkelk]

... At this rate, pretty soon he'll be asking me to throw in some season fairies.  I am aware that my taste in anime is a little strange.

Well, I wasn't going to, but since you've mentioned them... They'd probably get along well with a certain little yellow duck who's also from a Germany-analogue.