Quote:ClassicDrogn wrote:You know, the funny thing is I never really thought of it that way. Dealing with prickly cacti and poisonous euphorbias are a daily thing for me - in fact, I have got that Trigona sitting next to me on my desk right now as I type. Bit of a pain in the ass when it goes dormant because my cat likes to try and eat the dead leaves after they drop off. (He already gets the idea that leaves on the plant itself are bad to eat - fortunately the fresh leaves trigger vomiting pretty quickly and leave a horrible taste in his mouth... not so much with the shriveled up dead ones that he finds on the floor - not as virulent and they're not connected to the plant.)
Connecting with Ayeka... over cacti. Long lived plants that are tough and prickley, but which flourish and flower beautifully if given the proper care. No symbolism there, certainly not
So anyhow... Cacti and Euphorbia are kinda my specialty... and it only made sense to introduce them to Ayeka as they would make up the vast majority of Garrick's garden. (Don't worry - there'll be a 'cool side' to the garden to help balance it out, and it will be representative of my time living in Pennsylvania and Washington State. Lots of ferns, annuals, other stuff that likes cool, wet, mountainous/volcanic land. Ironically*, this will also be the part of the garden that has most of the Jyurai-native specimens Ayeka introduces Garrick to.)
*Ironic because I hate cold, wet climates and I figure that the Jyuraian plants would thrive on it - us not knowing anything about Jyurai's climate and all...
Quote:ClassicDrogn wrote:Precisely. Seto has thrown down the gauntlet and wants to see exactly what Garrick is made of. Of course, bear in mind that this is just caring for the seedling, and not being bonded to it. Near as I can grok, that sort of thing is entirely up to the tree. But Seto probably figures at this point that if the seedling does decide that Garrick is the guy to bond with, then it's a pretty clear sign of his character. (I also strongly suspect that it's something that can even happen without any outside influence - and at times even without anybody noticing until it's all said and done.) If not, and the seedling thrives regardless, then it at least shows that he is a responsible and trustworthy person.
And seriously, a second generation seedling? Holy crap. Welcome to High Expectations, population you.
The fact that it was Yosho's tree that produced the seed... pure convenience for Seto. In all reality she probably could have taken it with her and hid it away somewhere until she can make it appear in the Royal Nursery in an inconspicuous fashion... but this is less trouble for her and and an excellent litmus test for Garrick - kills two birds with one stone.
Quote:ClassicDrogn wrote:Yeah. Garrick does notice and figures that either Washu or Sasami had a go or two at her. Remember that Washu is pretty good at pushing Ryoko's buttons... and it would not surprise me in the least if Sasami, Adorable Little Imp and Junior Princess Manipulator, excelled at putting on the Guilt Trip.
Ryoko actually opened up a bit fast, I think - I'd have expected quite a
bit more denial about caring for anyone there but Tenchi, though I
suppose "You want to tell Sasami that?" is a strong counter-argument.
(Aside: Sasami-chan has hidden depths of bad-ass. You would know if you ever saw OVA3 where she faces down an elite GP enforcer with a smile and a wave.)
Anyhow, Ryoko's pretty easy to understand. She's pretty much lived under the heel of Kagato for a good part of her life, then spent a god part of the rest of her life sealed up and only able to float around that cave as a ghost.
Now that she's free to do as she pleases, she just wants to kick-back and not live up to anyone's expectations. It's the whole, "I've been through hell already, so buzz off." attitude. If she could, she'd bag Tenchi and disappear to some uncharted paradise planet and live out the rest of her days at ease and make babies for Tenchi.
Unfortunately, that wouldn't really make Tenchi all that happy, so she doesn't do that.
And then along comes Garrick - positively radiating hurt and world-weariness that rivals her own... and he just brushes off the whole broken neck thing as a stroke of bad luck, wrong place wrong time, nobody's fault, life just sucking as usual, so let's forget about the whole damn thing. By the way, let's get stone-drunk.
And at that point, Ryoko is thinking, "Hot damn, now you're talking my language!"
As for Garrick's final shot at her... Yeah, I don't take prisoners when I think someone's being stupid and I want to save them from themselves. My blunt, brutal, no holds barred honesty helps in situations like these where someone needs that sort of slap to the face. *BOOM* Headshot!
Quote:Dartz wrote:Argh... yeah, that is problematic. The anime has been so popular here in the US and elsewhere that rehashing some of the underlying story tidbits will quickly become tedious to most readers... but at the same time, I don't like the idea of scaring off people like yourself, Dartz...
The
only issue I'm finding is more to do with me.... I'mnot that familiar
with Tenchi due to it both never been shown over here, and thus never
getting that 'must see' intro to fandom cachet. Irish anime fandom began
only in the last 10-15 years. (I was at the first Irish anime con, in
fact). That, and I never had Cartoon Network.
What if I included in-stream links to appropriate wiki articles? It might break the flow of the story a bit, but it seems to work on FiMfiction.net stories.
Quote:Dartz wrote:Thanks. I went back and forth a bit on this point, seeing as it could potentially be inflammatory to some readers. But then, once I started writing Yosho's thoughts on Garrick's dilemma I realized just how much truth his character was speaking through me. And so, I decided to keep it - thus proving that the best stuff happens when you let the characters drive.
I like how the story touches on spirituality in a way that very few do.
I've heard that particular description of Hell before, especially with
regards to the First Circle in Dante's Inferno. Makes a nice change from
the comedy Flame and Sulphur variant, replacing it with something that
might be a little bit unsettling. Especially with how it's described.
Quote:Dartz wrote:Errr.... Using direct-drive wheel-motors on this one. So long as the generator setup can recharge the batteries faster than they can be expended, then the throttle can be set and one fixed point (or maybe vary between two set points). That, and turbines are kinda... hard to come by. Kinda the same problem my dad is having with something of his own. He needs an intrinsically safe pump to pressurize hydrogen gas... but on a small scale. Stupidville expensive.
And I'd argue you're better off using a gas-turbine driving the electric
generator in your truck. Better for multifuel ability... and
gas-turbines are really efficient running at a constant speed, while
using the throttle only to vary the torque output to meet demands from
the generator to maintain constant speed with respect to load. With
proper baffling, it'll run smoother and quieter with no real lose in
efficiency because all your power is going through the shaft, not the
thrust. And you get a fantastic de-mister, with less warmup time.
Umm.... not that I ever sketched up an idea for something similar if I
ever managed to buy an old chopper turboshaft, no....
Quote:Dartz wrote:Anyone else think so as well?Quote:“Because, you adorable little imp, shonen manga is not how real relationships work.”I'd argue that that should be left as is.... although Shounen
relationships work markedy different from Shoujo ones, it still fits and
can be funny in a different way.
Coming up next, horrible pain for Garrick, followed by whole lotta feels. It's gonna be a shorty-but-goody.