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

[Black Aeronaut]

> Alisa
> Alicia
> Amy
* Labster double-checks Arf's eye color

You're not planning on opening a competing gondola company, are you?

Pfft.

Though to be honest, that sort of thing might actually be a big hit on the Riverwalk.

Alicia has tested well enough to place into third grade, but at Benjamin's advisement, she is placed with the 1st grade instead where it is likely that she will be much happier.  Nanoha and Fate are in 3rd grade despite testing well enough for 5th - again, on Ben's recommendation.  Although he does say that it's not a bad idea for the two to be in the same class together as that will greatly reduce the likelihood of bullying.

But Nanoha wouldn't bully anybody...

Nanoha: *Laughing her own wicked little laugh*

Thing is, this thing is all the worst possible things that Alicia could have been - greedy, vicious, jealous... it wants to eliminate it's two 'sisters' so that its 'mother' will come back and love it like she is supposed to.  A perfectly innocent desire twisted into something horrific and ugly.

That's not something I have the skills to write... but I don't mind seeing something like this in the Metacontinuity.

The great thing about this project is I get to write a whole bunch of things that I didn't have the skill to write until I wrote it.

A history of being abused tends to give you an inside perspective on these things.  Learning to write about it simply brings it all into focus.  It's just one of those things that comes with the territory - that you learn to recognize the common, every-day versions of these monsters for what they are, even if you haven't experienced the very worst of them, like David Pelzer has*.  This is probably why all the greatest horror writers had some kind of psychological trauma in their lives we are very well aware of what the monsters in human skin look like.

*A man that suffered horrific abuse at the hands of his alcoholic mother, and wrote a book about it called A Child Called "It".  At the very least, he was put into a foster home when he was twelve.  While my abuse was not as severe, I was not so fortunate.

Up until then, the Masaki family and Urzu Squadron have been tying up the Wolkenritter with a combination of skill and numbers.  And now, Lindi, Chrono, Gil Graham, and Lotte and Aria have just shown up to the party.  Between that and Ben's Antimatter Surprise, the Wolkenritter retreat, leaving the others to perform damage control.

And for the Good Neighbor system to trigger. I don't care if it's in a pocket dimension, it's still a frakking matter/antimatter explosion!!!

These happen a lot more than you think.  I don't want an alarm every time a nearby virtual particle pair self-annihilates.

To be honest, it would probably be triggered the moment the opening salvo went off.  Shamal's abilities notwithstanding, the Wolkenritter don't really do 'subtle'.

(As a side note, Ben can tell that Fate is being squicked out by having to fight horrible perversions of her sister, but she's being a real trooper about it.  All the same, he makes a note to make sure Fate and Alicia have some cuddle time later.)

Somebody might think of the Misaka Sisters here... but what they went through wasn't anywhere near as bad as this. (The clones only had to experience their sisters dying - they never had to actually kill each other.)

I think that even so, their empathy would be appreciated.  Even if they have a hard time communicating it.

....  D'oh gawd.

THEY'RE A BUNCHA ASPIES!!!  HAH!  

"Is Alisa condemned to being... not to put too fine a point on it, a soulless abomination?"

"Hey! She has a soul! It's just, well, not in her body."

"Like the star seeds weren't in the Sailor Senshi's bodies at the end of Sailor Stars?" asked Sasami.

Everyone went quiet for a brief moment. Then there was a mad scramble for cellphones - Ben had his out first.

Five minutes later, Usagi ... Sailor Moon's face was emotionless. "Who did this to her?"

"We'll fill you in later. Can you help her?"

"I think so."

The analogy may be closer to the Pure Heart Crystal (although I think these are functionally the same thing, or closely related because something something Sephirot).  Minako could actually move with her heart in her hands, which is a bit closer to the puella magi, although much more hilarious.  Usagi and Hotaru can both wear their heart crystal outside their body.  And I'm planning to use this as a plot point a little later on with one of my magical girls.

I only know the very broad strokes of Stars, and I only know S a little better, so guys will have to fill me in here.

It's also decided that Hayate will stay there as well.  Washu has already repaired her body and Hayate is taking great glee in being able to walk, run, jump, and dance.  And then she causes a bit of ruckus and teasing by kissing Ben on the cheek for the help he's been.

Hayate stood up and, for the first time in years, stood on her own two feet without Reinforce's assistance.

Her smile lit up the room.

Then she fell over.

Sasami grabbed her before she fell onto the floor. Hayate frowned and said, "I guess I'm a little out of practice."

"That's all right. I'll help you get used to having working legs again."

Washuu almost told Sasami that Hayate's strength would be returning quickly, but she changed her mind. Better for the two girls to have this reason to become friends, and to learn that it's all right to need to rely on somebody else or be there for somebody else to rely on her.

Eh.  Sasami would probably be her friend and help her out regardless.  If Washu were to, for some reason, suggest that Sasami leave her alone, Sasami would have looked at her like she just grew another head, Zaphod Beeblebrox style.

Cellphones are great and all, but someone's going to have to teach us how to kythe.

Kythe?

* Black Aeronaut Googles that word...

Some kind of telepresence?