[OOC][SI][Multi-Xover] Calling All Writers - There's Nothing Better

[Black Aeronaut]

Alright, I've had this idea kicking around for YEARS.  Almost a decade even!!!
I may have even mentioned it a few times on this board.

After all this time, I have decided that the only way to provide this story with the kind of scope that it truly deserves...  Is to make it into a semi-open writing project.

It works like this.

Every author is an SI.  You do not have to use your name or actual residence.

The Esteemed Lord Ciel Phantomhive and his ever-present butler, Sebastian, have purchased an apartment complex in your area.  You are to be the building manager for said apartment complex.  Why?  Because your knowledge of the fictional characters that will be staying there will give you an ample edge in how to deal with them.  You will be provided with budgets for maintenance and repairs, as well as other resources to help keep your tenants.... in line.

However, be warned that this is not some simple fix-fic fantasy.  The stakes are far higher than you can ever imagine...

General plot is as follows:

Plot Arc 1
Arrivals
The Yggdrasil/Nidhog system has crashed, locking the entire multiverse down into stasis and creating  a new universe where everything is being dumped - The Metacontinuity.  But can our SI-Heroes help stymie the encroaching chaos so the Goddess can repair the damage?

Plot Arc 2
Crisis on Infinite Earths
Heroes, villains, and everything in between are appearing in Metacontinuity in rapid succession.  Nations are established and epic wars are fought.  But can peace be attained with so much chaos?

Plot Arc 3
Good News Bad News
It seems that things are looking up.  Metacontinuity is stabilizing, but signs of a deeper concern are lurking in the background.  Villainous elements have been mysteriously disappearing and that cannot be an actual good thing.

Plot Arc 4
Apocolypse Everywhere
Salem, Kyubey, and the rest of her minions trigger an apocalyptic event that winds up triggering apocalypse scenarios throughout the multiverse.  Can this systematic annihilation of all life in all universes be stopped?

After Story - Tales of the Metacontinuity
Short stories or series about life in the Metacontinuity after the 'Matastability'.

More details:
The basic idea is that you can bring in some of your favorite characters.  However, 'Duplicates' aren't allowed - if an Author calls dibs on a certain character, then that must be honored by the others.  However, alternate versions are allowed, such as American Dub Sailor Moon and Japanese Manga Sailor Moon.  Or, for another example, Harmony Gold version Rick Hunter, or the original Super Dimension Fortress Macross version: Hikaru Ichijyo.

Your charges are not going to be content for the most part.  They are going to be upset, and rightfully so.  It is up to you, the Author/Avatar-SI, to quell their concerns and keep people from hurting each other in general.  If you can also keep them from causing too much collateral damage, the our boss, Lord Phantomhive, would greatly appreciate it.

Lord Phantomhive is assisting the cause at the indulgence of the Daimakaicho, Mistress Hild.  Given severity of the situation, Heaven and Hell are setting aside their differences to make sure we all get out of this in one piece - Hell is simply in charge of this part of the operation because professional graft tends to get things done much faster in our world.  Therefore, we are not beholden to the Demonic cause, nor to the Heavenly one as we are actually working for both parties in mutual cooperation.  That said, let's not go out of our way to displease Hild or the Almighty.

The Goddess Relief Network will be on speed dial to handle most issues.  If things get far too out of hand, however, their Demonic counterparts will gladly step in while the Goddesses will work to minimize the collateral damages.

Finally, anything and everything is fair game.  Even Warhammer 40k is open....  Just not until Arc 3 or 4, please.  As we progress through the arcs, the scope will change and shift from simply just characters arriving in our midst to entire worlds and empires showing up in our universe.  Yes, this will be incredibly messy, and that is entirely the point!

As things go along, our Author/Avatar-SIs will become more than simple 'apartment managers'.  Our lot is to be leaders of heroes.  Will you rise to the challenge?  Will you retreat?  Or will you fall, be it noble or ignoble?

The choice is yours.

So, who's in?  Think anyone else would be interested?  Refer 'em!  Ideally, I'd like to get at least two or four more writers involved in this.

Even if you're not interested in joining up, I'd love to hear ideas and concerns.

Here's a list of settings I'd love to see characters from:

Tenchi Muyo
Sailor Moon 
Nanoha
RWBY
Neon Genesis Evangelion
Full Metal Panic!
Full Metal Alchemist
Puella Magi Madoka Magica
A Certain Scientific Index
Bakemonogatari/Nisemonogatari
Utawarerumono
Katanagatari
Kill la Kill
Trigun
Outlaw Star
Cowboy Bebop

Firefly
Stargate
Halo
Destiny
Star Trek
Star Wars
Metroid
Studio Ghibli
Final Fantasy (all games)
Portal
Bioshock
Dishonored
Lord of the Rings
Super Mario Bros.
Star Fox
Forgotten Realms

And pretty much anything else you guys can think of.  

Well?

[Rajvik]

Alright, I'm sorta in. You know my BROBd story, and I think Wolf and Kirche should come at least for a little bit
 

[robkelk]

Sounds like fun! Sure, I'm in.

---

They gave me a co-ed high-school dorm. Oh, joy. That's what I get for having experience running a multi-unit residence.

I checked the list of boarders that had been assigned to my building. The first four names caught my eye.

Lum Invader.

Makoto Kino.

Ororo Munroe.

Mikoto Misaka (and Kuroko Shirai was listed fifth - can't have one without the other, it seems).

I think we aren't going to suffer if there's a blackout ... although I suspect that's going to be offset by the repair costs I just know will be coming. And if this is who's at the top of the list, whose names will I recognize when I get to the boys?

---

Despite my SI's forebodings, these five are the only metas that I'm planning on having in my building... although I'm still considering who to have as a female RA (got that list narrowed down to a few, but I won't yet say who in case somebody else wants them in their buildings). Can't have a middle-aged male dropping in on the girls' dorm after hours.

EDIT: And that's original Mikoto, not any of the Sisters.
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

[Seraviel]

In!

I'll have a rob-esque intro segment as soon as I get enough time at work to write it.
-People may die, but ideas are forever. Je suis Charlie.

[Black Aeronaut]

Wow! Didn't expect people to jump on this so quickly!

Okay, so before we get TOO carried away, little bit more info.

Basically, this is all Washu-chan's fault. Something that she is NEVER gonna quite live down!

She was investigating something when she discovered that her home universe was getting some sort of energy feed from two other - one acting as a source and another acting as a distribution point.

We'll call the first Earth Prime (The IRL World) and the other Yggdrasil/Nidhog. And yes, this means that the Ah! Megami-sama world is central to the whole operation.

By trying to access the Yggdrasil/Nidhog system without actually knowing what she was doing, Washu essentially screwed up the entire system and put it on lockdown.

Now, normally when something like this has happened in the past, a temporary pocket-universe known as a metacontinuity would open up to receive visitors. Instead, for Washu a full-scale universe is created with randomized copies of people, places, and things showing up at random timeframes and locations.

This is what becomes The Metacontinuity - a universe that can truly act as a go-between for Earth Prime and the rest of the Multiverse. (Not that it matters in the first arc because everything was in lock-down.)

Now, just a few more things here...

I'd like to keep characters grouped together by their cliques at the bare minimum. For example, if you get Tsukino Usagi, you get either the rest of the Inner Senshi, or you get Mamorou Chiba. Not only does it make sense from the standpoint of destiny tying bonds to close friends, family, and allies, but it would also make things a bit easier to handle as no one will feel totally alone. And we've seen how dangerous that can make some characters in other stories.

Secondly... Let's do this all organized? Like, brief write-ups of your Author/Avatar-SIs, where you'll have shop setup, and what characters you want to be saddled with.

We can do the actual writing later, but probably on an In-Character thread. It'll keep things a bit more manageable.
As for how that'll look...  Well, let's just say that all of you get job offers for... something...  at an apartment complex in your towns... and only then when you arrive do you discover what's going on and how deep the rabbit hole is.  (There will be a character from Ah! My Goddess (be they Demonic or Heavenly - your call who it is) waiting to brief you.)

Oh, and by the way?  These characters?  They're NOT WAITING AT THE APARTMENTS!

You will be cut a break by having your first group of 'refugees' show up soon after you arrive for work.

You need to go out, find them when they do show up... and then convince them to come with you!

Sound like fun?  ^_^

---

Name: Benjamin Rhodes
Age: 36
Height: 5'7" (170cm)
Weight: 180lbs (81.6kg)
Location: San Antonio, Texas, USA
Ethnicity: Multi-Ethnic
Has been accused of looking like: Johnny Depp (or even Jeff Goldblume's lovechild)

(This next bit is a basic mental capabilities thing on a 0 to 5 scale, since we're not going to be trusted to rely much on our physique!  This is NOT a hard and fast measurement to be used for systems.  Suggestions welcome.)

Charisma: (###==) (Duh)
Inteligence: (####=)  (How much general knowledge you possess)
Wisdom: (##===)  (How effectively you can employ that knowledge)
Sanity: (###==)  (How much insanity-enducing BS you can endure before you lose your shit.)
Fortitude: (####=) (Kinda like how many all-niters you can pull before you really start losing it.)
Mech: (####=) (Mechanical skill)
Tech: (##===) (Computer/IT skill)

Macguiver: (#####)  (How effectively you can pull some bullshit out of your ass and actually make it work!)

Applicable Skills:
Mechanic
Building Maintenance
A/V Setup
First Aid for Trauma
Janitorial

Ben's had little luck with things over the past years, with his family dumping their issues on him and all.  He has few friends and absolutely no girlfriends - he simply works, eats, and sleeps with the intent of just getting to the next day and paying off the bills he's racked up.  Maybe that will change with this new job?  He hopes so.  It pays a lot better than the last two jobs he's had.  Combined!  :p

Characters:
Tenchi Masaki (And his Harem)
Team RWBY (If someone else want to get the other teams, please do!)
Nanoha Takamachi
Fate Testarossa
Yuuno Scrya
Arf

[robkelk]

Ah. Okay, there will be a few more metas at my building, then.

As for finding them when they show up... hmmmmm... I might need to borrow somebody from some other apartment.
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

[Dartz]

"I'm Nam,"

"I'm Lou,"

"I'm Meg,"

"I'm Anri,"

"I'm Sylvie,"

"I'm in trouble," I said.
________________________________
--m(^0^)m-- Wot, no sig?

[Rajvik]

OK but I'm taking the NGE crew and Firefly/Serenity.
 

[Bob Schroeck]

...River and Rei, together again for the first time...
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

[Seraviel]

Feel free to point out anything wrong with what I wrote out.
###########################################
I wasn't four feet out the door of my (former) workplace when the email hit. Job offer, paid more than well? For administrating a single building?
It even included a six & a half for me and my girlfriend; just the thing, given that space was starting to be an issue.
It was too good to be true.
The rest of the pitch, given by a statuesque lady in a tight red dress once I got there, didn't help the case: hefty budget for repairs and 'extras', a better location than my old place, and closer to my girlfriend's workplace. It even had a garage included.
Still, it wasn't like I had much prospects. Big city meant a lot of people with the same set of references than I did, and having not gone to university didn't help my case. And it wasn't like I didn't need a salary like that.
So I discussed it with my significant other, and we both went and looked at the place. It was even better than advertised; the rooms were huge compared to what we were used to, and there was even a signing-in bonus for buying furniture. Only issue was that the contract proposed had serious penalties for leaving the job, enough that, if I signed, I was pretty much stuck for the duration.
Still, an opportunity like this one didn't happen any day, and both my girlfriend and I didn't feel like passing on this one. I signed, and we were moved it the next day. The next week was spent buying more furniture, more computers, and more screens.
Then, not ten days after signing, I got a file full of new 'renters' by the mail, and they even had photos with that.
"So, let's see who I have to deal with!" I said to myself, looking at the first set of papers.
Then the second. Then the third and fourth.
Tossing the folder away, I ran for my phone. I'd been given a contact number, just in case of something being wrong, and those names clearly were.
The phone rang twice before someone answered. "Goddess Relief Hotline, Vár speaking. How can I help you?"
I froze. I'd read enough Ah Megami-Sama fanfics not to say anything stupid when the words 'Goddess Relief Hotline' came up. And I knew who Vár was, after my failed attempt at a DanMachi RP.
"Hello?" the female voice on the other side of the line asked.
Ok... I'm either going insane, or not awake. I took a deep breath to calm myself. Let's see where that ends up.
"Sorry about that," I answered. "My name is Terry, and I'm calling from Montreal..."
"Location 3487 Parc, yes," the woman answered instantly. "Building 52. How can I help you, mr. Chambly?"
At least this wasn't a false number. "I'm having some questions about my first batch of tenants... Like, how is this possible?"
"Didn't your signer go over the details of your work?"
The lady had been gone the instant I'd signed. "Didn't get any of that."
"Let me pull up your file..." she said. "I should have known it was her." She sighed, and I could hear the tension in her voice. "Are you available right now to go over that?"
This was my job now. "Sure."
"Be there in a moment." The line then went dead.
I didn't have time to ponder on that when the file rose from the ground, papers going everywhere as if grabbed by a miniature tornado. A woman then stepped out of the papery blur, and the folder resorted itself in her hand. "Sorry for the delay."
I couldn't help but bow. Between the tattoos on her face and the way she'd appeared, I clearly had a goddess before me. And it wasn't the time to make a bad impression.
She shook her head. "None of that," she replied, and I rose back up. "Now, the Goddess Office is very busy these days, so there's not time to waste."
Then she went right into the explanations.
Turns out something put Yggdrasil and Nidhogg (Yes, they exist) in lockdown. Standard scenario is creating a temporary pocket universe to manage things until everything is fixed.
Only this time, more than one universe was affected.
Meaning, there's dozens of people from various universes going around this 'Metacontinuity' place, and some people need to manage them.
People like me.
That's why the contracts were so good, and the penalties so high. The gods (and devils, also) needed this pronto, and they clearly stacked the deck to make sure they weren't going to be getting a 'no'.
Still, that didn't explain the hand I got dealt.
"That's all well and fine," I said once she was done speaking. "But that doesn't means this makes sense!" I grabbed the file, and withdrew a couple of images.
Artoria Pendragon. The servant better known as EMIYA. Herakles. Medea of Colchis.
"I have all the servants here!" I said angrily. "Who had the bright idea of putting seven fighters of near-godly level who are, under normal circumstances, trying to kill each other, in the very same place? Along with their masters?"
"Unfortunately, given the master/servant bond, the two cannot be separated," Vár explained. "And, given all the servant must exist in the same radius for maintenance purposes, all must be in the same region, at the very least."
"You do know that's a recipe for disaster, right?" I asked.
"We did give you healer support to balance that," she pointed out.
Healer Support? I quickly leafed through the rest of the file, quickly skipping by the Fate/Stay Night characters.
Only to reach another set of fighters, from someplace completely different. Especially including one specific addition. Alluka Zoldyck.
"And I have a runaway wish-engine too," I forced out through clenched teeth.
Vár simply nodded, unsure of what else to do.
"That's my healer support?" I asked, already certain of the answer.
"Yes."
"Great. Someone who might simply kill me simply by being around, in a house full of people hunting for wishes. Clearly, that's the best plan."
"Actually, simulations show that's one of the best possible scenarios for this particular group of..." There was a ringing tone, and Vár brought up a screen with a move of her hand. She then scowled. "I have to go, there's an emergency with my name on it."
"But..." I started uselessly.
Vár grabbed the folder from my hand, tossed it in the air, and vanish though the resulting cloud of paper. Still, at least, the folder reorganized itself when it hit the ground.
I grabbed it. "Well, it was too good to be that easy," I said, turning toward the door. Based on what Var had said, my tenants would have appeared somewhere around here by now. "Might as well make the best of it."
#################################################################
Name: Terry ChamblyAge: 34Height: 5'10" (179cm)Weight: 175lbs (79.4kg)
Location: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Ethnicity: French Quebecer/French
Charisma: (###==)
Inteligence: (####=) 
Wisdom: (###==) 
Sanity: (###==) 
Fortitude: (####=)
Mech: (###==)
Tech: (####=)
Macguiver: (####=) 
Applicable Skills:
ITVarious ContactsGeneral Hardware SetupSome knowledge/talent for psychologyJanitorial skill
Characters:
Emiya Shirou - Artoria Pendragon - Tohsaka Rin - Emiya Shirou (Servant) - Matou Sakura - Medusa - Souichirou Kuzuki - Medea of Colchis - Kojirou Sakaki - Illyasviel von Einzbern - Heracles - Bazett Fraga McRemitz - Cú Chulainn [Fate/Stay Night]Gon Freecss - Killua Zoldyck - Alluka/Nanika Zoldyck - Kurapika Kurta - Leorio Paradinight [Hunter X Hunter]Ramza Beoulve/Lugria - Alma Beoulve - Delita Hyral - Ovelia Atkascha - Agrias Oaks [Final Fantasy Tactics]Ageha Yoshina - Sakurako/Abyss Amamiya - Frederica Tenjuin - Van Tenjuin - Kyle Tenjuin - Shao Tenjuin - Marie Tenjuin [Psyren]
-People may die, but ideas are forever. Je suis Charlie.

[Black Aeronaut]

robkelk wrote:

---

Ah. Okay, there will be a few more metas at my building, then.

As for finding them when they show up... hmmmmm... I might need to borrow somebody from some other apartment.

There'll be a Goddess-moderated BBS so Managers can vent their frustrations and ask other Managers for help.

Dartz wrote:

---

"I'm Nam,"
"I'm Lou,"
"I'm Meg,"
"I'm Anri,"
"I'm Sylvie,"
"I'm in trouble," I said.

Heeh-heh-heh-heh.

I look forward to this bit of trouble.  

And look at it this way - later on you can add Nono and her friends to the fun.  

Rajvik wrote:

---

OK but I'm taking the NGE crew and Firefly/Serenity.

Bob Schroeck wrote:

---

...River and Rei, together again for the first time...

Hooooo boy.  This is gonna be interesting in the ancient Chinese sense of the word.

And Bob, will you be joining us?  I'd be ecstatic if you did.  

Seraviel wrote:

---

Feel free to point out anything wrong with what I wrote out.

Nicely started.  Though I'm not terribly familiar with a lot of those characters, I at least know enough about Nasu-verse that you're definitely gonna have your hands full.  :p

Alright, I'll be starting the IC thread soon.

One thing I would like is that all IC posts be timestamped.  Later when all this gets posted in someplace like FF.Net or AO3 everything can be arranged into appropriate order.

And before anyone posts in the IC thread, I'd like to see writeups for your Author/Avatars.

[Bloodfox64]

I'm Black Aeronaut 's youngest brother, so I'm gonna be working with him in all of this fun that we have put together, so here is my addition to the melting pot:
--- ---
Name: Jacob James
Age: 21
Height: 5'10" (177.8cm)
Weight: 320lbs (145.15kg)
Location: San Antonio, Texas, USA
Ethnicity: Multi-Ethnic

Charisma: (###==)
Inteligence: (####=)
Wisdom: (##===)
Sanity: (###==)
Fortitude: (##===)
Mech: (##===)
Tech: (#====)
Macguiver: (####=)

Applicable Skills:
Puzzle skills
Observant
Janitorial skills
Decent Cooking skills

Characters:
SG-1 (O'Neill, Carter, Jackson, Teal'c, Jonas, Mitchell, & Vala) [Stargate]
AR-1 (Sheppard, McKay, Teyla, Ronon) [Stargate]
Team JNPR [RWBY]
Ed, Al, Winry [FMA: Brotherhood]

[Black Aeronaut]

Okay guys! It's up!

Just bear in mind that Tenchi's group is the pilot group, so you might want to set your timestamps a day or two after mine.

Thoughts? Concerns? Criticisms?

[robkelk]

Black Aeronaut wrote:

---

robkelk wrote:

---

Ah. Okay, there will be a few more metas at my building, then.

As for finding them when they show up... hmmmmm... I might need to borrow somebody from some other apartment.

There'll be a Goddess-moderated BBS so Managers can vent their frustrations and ask other Managers for help.

Ah, good.

After a night's reflection (and sleep) on how I misunderstood what the premise was, I've decided to change the cast list in my apartment building. As much fun as a group of electrokinetics would be, having their friends along makes things a bit too hectic.

So... No more Urusei Yatsura or X-Men. I'll keep the "Sailor Team", but the Outers and Tuxedo Kamen live somewhere else (they are the Sailor Senshi's outriders, so it's reasonable for them to be elsewhere - besides, this allows for crossovers when Usagi visits Mamoru or vice-versa). As for the Academy City girls - sure, let's have the entire 177th Branch Judgment office move in. That's ten characters, which I think is plenty for good stories.
EDIT: Oh, yes...

Name: Rob Donaldson
Age: 52
Height: 185cm
Weight: er... too heavy
Location: Ottawa, ON, Canada
Ethnicity: WASP

Charisma: (###==)
Inteligence: (####=)
Wisdom: (###==)
Sanity: (####=)
Fortitude: (###==)
Mech: (##===)
Tech: (###==)
Macguiver: (##===)

Applicable Skills:
Navigating bureaucracy
Technical writing, creative writing, and public speaking (and a bit of "summer stock" acting)
Multi-unit Building Administration
First Aid - "immediate response" level
"Social chameleon" - able to fit in almost anywhere
Wide range of contacts

Characters:

• Mikoto Misaka
  
• Kuroko Shirai
  
• Ruiko Saten
  
• Kazari Uiharu
  
• Mii Konori (who will quickly be appointed "den mother")
  
• Usagi Tsukino
  
• Ami Mizuno
  
• Minako Aino
  
• Rei Hino
  
• Makoto Kino
  

--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

[Seraviel]

Where do we put corrections to stuff in the IC thread? Here or there?

(Because there's an error that's blatantly hurting my eyes)
-People may die, but ideas are forever. Je suis Charlie.

[Bob Schroeck]

And Bob, will you be joining us? I'd be ecstatic if you did.

I'd love to, but I have enough problems with my existing writing projects. I think I'll sit back and watch this one, thanks.
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

[robkelk]

BA, one bit to swing by you before posting it in the story thread. Is this within the bounds of how you imagined the setting?

Rob turned to his companion. "Okay, it's happening. I suppose I have you to thank for that." After a pause with no reply, Rob continued, "But this is only four impossible things. Give me two more to believe, and then I can have breakfast."

"Lewis Carrol."

"The books are eminently quotable."

His companion nodded. "Quotable, or referenceable. Here is a fifth 'impossible thing.'" He handed Rob a box. "Translation devices. Not quite real-time - they do need to hear a sentence before translating it. Wear them the way you would wear Bluetooth headsets, which, by the way, they double as."

Rob opened the box and took one of the headsets out. It was lightweight and stylish, assuming your style tended toward white with red trim. He noticed a maker's mark at the earpice end - a hammer inside a circle.

Rob blinked. It was still there.

"Okay, I've read Bob Schroeck's stories. Either this is a joke, or ... No, that's the impossible thing here. These were made by somebody who I thought was a fictional character."

And so far, all I've established about SI-my companion's identity is that he's male. Any suggestions, anyone?
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

[Rajvik]

before i post this to the main thread i would like to have your approval, Rei will be arriving at the condo about the same time the group walks to the front of the building, along with Toji Hikari and Kensuke

Time/Date: unknown
Location: unknown
James cracked his eyes open slowly before looking around the hold of the Firefly class transport Serenity “Is everyone alright,” he asked? The ship was completely shut down and the main hatch was open with light pouring into the ship from it which meant that they had made landfall somewhere, the question though was were.

“Hai, I think so,” came a teenage male’s voice. That was Shinji, he Misato and Asuka had left their Earth and home to travel with him and Kirche until they found someplace that was safer than a world that had been forcibly turned to orange soup.

“Someone had better tell Wash to run like the hounds of hell were on his ass, cause I’m gonna kick it when I catch him.” Asuka’s voice growled from the same direction as Shinji’s. The pair had been a couple since they had finally admitted their mutual attraction in their home timeline. Keeping their guardian occupied had at first required getting her old boyfriend Kaji back into her picture, but the idiot’s scheming had gotten him killed and broken her heart before their world had been brought to an end. Since shortly after their arrival in the Firefly universe, Jayne of all people had been the one to help mend that problem, the brash, loud mouthed gun nut had been an anchor for the distraught woman, and had helped her understand that the universe no longer revolved around her charges.

“Cockpit is good,” I heard Mal’s voice call from up front. “Let’s not do that again alright. Kaylee, how’s the ship?”

“One-minute captain,” the ship’s engineer said as she slid around to the diagnostics screen to the engine and started tapping away. “Ship’s looking good, engine shutdown was as it is supposed to be and we are reading as on a standard planet, atmo and gravity.”

“So’s anyone know where we are?” Jayne asked as he and Misato came out of the galley with Simon and River. It was at that point in time my phone beeped indicating that I had a message. Looking I saw that it was an email from my ROB “Bobby”, opening it I read.

--Wolf—
So here’s the deal, there’s been a small problem with inter-dimensional travel that is causing several groups to be shunted to a temporary existence/world. Some people on this world are being asked to take a supervisory role on the living arrangements, act as resident managers in other words. I have been asked by the Yggdrasil/Nidhog system administrators to have someone watch over a group so I have agreed to have you watch over those you have as well as a few that have been tacked on. Fear not, you will have an ample repairs and maintenance budget and the extra people you will have added to your roster will not be unknown to you or your companions.
Sincerely: Bobby

There was a couple of emergency contacts as well as an address as to where we would be roomed and I would be acting as the live in manager and maintenance man, lovely. Suddenly I looked at the location again, “No frackin way.” I said out loud as the entire group finished filing into the hold and were about to walk down the ramp.

“Something you would like to add to our general knowledge base there Wolf?” Mal asked looking at me as he fingered his pistol.

“We’re home,” the look the group gave me was one of mixed wonder and fear. “I mean I’m home, Pensacola, Florida, United States of America, planet Earth.”

“So what’s that mean?” I heard Jayne ask.

“It means that we don’t have to go out armed, nobody here is after us,” Kirche answered a smile tugging at her mouth as I wondered down the ramp.

“And it means that,” I looked around at the glowing white sand in the noonday sun, “everyone is safe.”
 

[Black Aeronaut]

robkelk wrote:

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BA, one bit to swing by you before posting it in the story thread. Is this within the bounds of how you imagined the setting?

Rob turned to his companion. "Okay, it's happening. I suppose I have you to thank for that." After a pause with no reply, Rob continued, "But this is only four impossible things. Give me two more to believe, and then I can have breakfast."

"Lewis Carrol."

"The books are eminently quotable."

His companion nodded. "Quotable, or referenceable. Here is a fifth 'impossible thing.'" He handed Rob a box. "Translation devices. Not quite real-time - they do need to hear a sentence before translating it. Wear them the way you would wear Bluetooth headsets, which, by the way, they double as."

Rob opened the box and took one of the headsets out. It was lightweight and stylish, assuming your style tended toward white with red trim. He noticed a maker's mark at the earpice end - a hammer inside a circle.

Rob blinked. It was still there.

"Okay, I've read Bob Schroeck's stories. Either this is a joke, or ... No, that's the impossible thing here. These were made by somebody who I thought was a fictional character."

And so far, all I've established about SI-my companion's identity is that he's male. Any suggestions, anyone?

Honestly, if you want THE Doctor, I'd be fine with that.  Just bear in mind a couple of things:

1. The TARDIS is grounded and will not be traveling anywhere in physical space or time - at least not until the climax for Arc 1
   
2. He'll figure out a way to get around anyhow.  He'll get wanderlust - enough that he'll be seen around the other apartments, getting acquainted with the other Arrivals (hint-hint).  But he'll stick around enough that he can be a regular character for you.
   

Also, Translation Convention is in effect, and we'll be lampshading the hell out of that mother in a bit.

Rajvik wrote:

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Time/Date: unknownLocation: unknown

Arrrghhh...

Rajvik, you have my humble apologies.  If I had realized what you had in mind sooner, I would have warned you in advance.

The thing is that I wanted characters to be showing up, pretty much out of the blue, with barely more than the clothes on their backs (The Doctor and Washu-chan being exceptions because they have massive dimensional spaces they more-or-less carry with them).

The main idea is that we put them here in our world, see how they manage, and have others show up along the way that they have to get along with.  Sometimes, things will work out great - you'll have characters in one group that have a calming/moderating affect on characters from another group.  At other times... there'll be fireworks.  Very spectacular fireworks.

More details:

Arc 1 - character show up with barely more than the clothes on their backs.  Bags of Holding and similar dimension-warping personal spaces are allowed.  (IE: Washu-chan's lab and The Doctor's TARDIS.)

Arc 2 - Space vessels, stations, colonies, and even individual worlds start showing up.  (Worlds will be relatively 'stand-alones' in the political circles of the story they come from.  Examples are Pandora from James Cameron's Avatar or Cybertron from Transformers.)

Arc 3 - Entire nations begin showing up; pretty much anything goes here.  What'll be really funny is seeing how the galactic map suddenly 'shifts' to accommodate a new arrival.

Note on 'Bad Guys': Yes, they're out there.  And someone right now is rounding them up.  Why?  *Evil grin*  Why spoil the fun?  Just know that given whoever is brought over, an appropriate 'opposition' will be brought over as well.  More will be revealed as Arc 1 progresses.  You have been warned.  (^_^)

[Rajvik]

BA that's why I put it here first instead of the story thread as I wasn't sure. Give me a day or two too think and I'll have something more appropriate. Maybe just have them all find themselves on the beach instead, or start from scratch. Suggestions welcome.
 

[Black Aeronaut]

robkelk wrote:

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Black Aeronaut wrote:

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robkelk wrote:

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Ah. Okay, there will be a few more metas at my building, then.

As for finding them when they show up... hmmmmm... I might need to borrow somebody from some other apartment.

There'll be a Goddess-moderated BBS so Managers can vent their frustrations and ask other Managers for help.

Ah, good.

I'll need to talk with Bob, though.  Having an in-universe BBS for the Author/Avatars to kvetch is something I want to have as apart of the story - it would be very much like having The Hero Union BBS manga as a canonical side-stories thing for this project.  If this is popular enough, the whole project may warrant a sub-forum or even a forum of its own, much like Fenspace.
But at any rate, I think you got a good feel for how this is gonna go, so go ahead and start posting in the IC thread.

Seraviel wrote:

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Where do we put corrections to stuff in the IC thread? Here or there?
(Because there's an error that's blatantly hurting my eyes)

Errr...  Here, I guess?  I mean, the only post in the IC thread I know of is mine.  Please, what did I do wrong?  O_o;

Bob Schroeck wrote:

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And Bob, will you be joining us? I'd be ecstatic if you did.

I'd love to, but I have enough problems with my existing writing projects. I think I'll sit back and watch this one, thanks.

Darn, almost had him.  

At any rate, Bob, what do you think of the idea of actually having an IC BBS for the Author/Avatars?

[Black Aeronaut]

Rajvik wrote:

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BA that's why I put it here first instead of the story thread as I wasn't sure. Give me a day or two too think and I'll have something more appropriate. Maybe just have them all find themselves on the beach instead, or start from scratch. Suggestions welcome.

Just start with one group at a time, and give them about a week or so between new people showing up.  I'd start with getting setup with your apartment complex, then have the Serenity Crew just show up.  Though what they'd get up to?  I'm at a loss.  Though I imagine that they'd be in for some serious culture shock suddenly finding themselves on Earth That Was.
But then, later, when Team Evangelion shows up...  I bet that'd cause a bit of a stir, particularly for River.  Her being a mind reader, she'd know that there is something horribly wrong with the kids, especially Rei.

[robkelk]

Black Aeronaut wrote:

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robkelk wrote:

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BA, one bit to swing by you before posting it in the story thread. Is this within the bounds of how you imagined the setting?

Rob turned to his companion. "Okay, it's happening. I suppose I have you to thank for that." After a pause with no reply, Rob continued, "But this is only four impossible things. Give me two more to believe, and then I can have breakfast."

"Lewis Carrol."

"The books are eminently quotable."

His companion nodded. "Quotable, or referenceable. Here is a fifth 'impossible thing.'" He handed Rob a box. "Translation devices. Not quite real-time - they do need to hear a sentence before translating it. Wear them the way you would wear Bluetooth headsets, which, by the way, they double as."

Rob opened the box and took one of the headsets out. It was lightweight and stylish, assuming your style tended toward white with red trim. He noticed a maker's mark at the earpice end - a hammer inside a circle.

Rob blinked. It was still there.

"Okay, I've read Bob Schroeck's stories. Either this is a joke, or ... No, that's the impossible thing here. These were made by somebody who I thought was a fictional character."

And so far, all I've established about SI-my companion's identity is that he's male. Any suggestions, anyone?

Honestly, if you want THE Doctor, I'd be fine with that.  Just bear in mind a couple of things:
The TARDIS is grounded and will not be traveling anywhere in physical space or time - at least not until the climax for Arc 1[*]He'll figure out a way to get around anyhow.  He'll get wanderlust - enough that he'll be seen around the other apartments, getting acquainted with the other Arrivals (hint-hint).  But he'll stick around enough that he can be a regular character for you.
Also, Translation Convention is in effect, and we'll be lampshading the hell out of that mother in a bit.

I wasn't asking about The Doctor, actually. "Rob" is me, the mentioned companion - not Companion - is the local so-far-nameless representative from Nidhogg. (You've already called dibs on the Black Butler. I don't want Senbei or Mara/Maller.)

What I was asking about was the tech. Since Translation Convention is in effect, that isn't an issue... but now I need a fifth "impossible thing before breakfast"... hmmmmm... Or I could keep them anyway and discover they aren't needed. That means a much longer than planned first installment, though.
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

[Seraviel]

Black Aeronaut wrote:

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Seraviel wrote:

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Where do we put corrections to stuff in the IC thread? Here or there?
(Because there's an error that's blatantly hurting my eyes)

Errr...  Here, I guess?  I mean, the only post in the IC thread I know of is mine.  Please, what did I do wrong?  O_o;

Like I said in my character page, I'm a literal French Canadian of French descent. As such, my first language is French.

Because of that, the phrase 'ja ne sai quois' is physically painful to look at (and my girlfriend agrees). The actual words are 'je ne sais quoi' (I don't know what), and they don't have a plural form (or at least that's what I supposed you were trying).

If anyone else has need of French translations, just contact me. I'm not an actual translator but I'll do my best; and it wouldn't be the first time, given I did quite a bit of that at work.

robkelk wrote:

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I wasn't asking about The Doctor, actually. "Rob" is me, the mentioned companion - not Companion - is the local so-far-nameless representative from Nidhogg. (You've already called dibs on the Black Butler. I don't want Senbei or Mara/Maller.)

As an FYI, for those interested, Terry's contact is the Devil from Bedazzled (whose gonna come back in story after being yelled at quite a bit by her bosses for abandoning him without instructions) and Vár, who is my favorite Norse goddess. Her incarnation is from a scenario I had for a DanMachi RP; I'm pretty sure she can be both that and someone in the goddess relief office at the same time.

Rob, what are you looking at in term of personality for your demon assistant? I can try going over the devils I know, just to see if something matches.
-People may die, but ideas are forever. Je suis Charlie.

[Bob Schroeck]

At any rate, Bob, what do you think of the idea of actually having an IC BBS for the Author/Avatars?

I'd be happy to set up a subboard for you -- just let me know if you want a whole area for the project, like Fenspace with a subboard for the IC BBS, or just a subboard here in Fanfiction.
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.