NanoSteps Brainstorming 3 - And a Step to the Right

[Bob Schroeck]

"It's dangerous out there. Here, take this." <grin>

[robkelk]

"It's dangerous out there. Here, take this."

Well, sure, but what was I supposed to do with a ring with the letter "S" on it? I'd seen this movie - I knew the ring did bupkus.

Spoiler

Spaceballs

[Skyfire2020]

I wonder how Doug would react to the Queen of Wands/Special Circumstances universe. Especially if Doug arrives in the world to find Mrs Everette is waiting for him (possibly with an invitation to the next FLUF meeting).

[Bob Schroeck]

I'd have to check it out and get familiarity with it before I could possibly speculate.

[Skyfire2020]

Basic summary - FBI has team of warrior priests and priestesses from various religions to fight demons.  The 2 book series is decent enough but I'm not sure how wide an appeal it has outside genre fans.
The Tv tropes page is a good a summary as any: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/L...cumstances
Mark

[Pyeknu]

Quick question: Has there been a snippet with Worm yet?

[robkelk]

Quick question: Has there been a snippet with Worm yet?

I think this one's from that story...

After 6 weeks, I thought I'd started to settle in. Sure this world had it's differences, it's quirks and it's abominable horrors, but something about it just felt right, like I could close my eyes and almost be home. I heard footsteps outside and almost expected Hexe to walk through the door to the workshop. It had the dynamic. It had the heroes. It had the villains. It had the vigilantes lurking in the night. It had that sublime, turn-the-amp-to-eleven feel that only worlds with true metahumans could hope to match.

Parahumans, I corrected myself.

They called them Parahumans here.

[Bob Schroeck]

Yes, that one is Worm. It's number 209 in the combined list thread.

Also from that list:

Number 166:

Doug leaned on his motorbike.

"Another day, another world."

He looked at the nearby city, which appeared to be a normal American port city - that had been hit by several bombs and a tidal wave.

He looked at the nearby sign. "Welcome to Brockton Bay."

"Time to hit a library." he muttered as he casually brushed a fly from his neck.

(by Jinx999)

[Bob Schroeck]

I paused on my way out of "The Dump" to shake my nominal boss's
hand. "I'm calling it a night, Godfrey," I said.

He shot me a quick smile. "Good evening, then, Doug, and thank
you for all your help getting the place ready for tonight," he
replied, gesturing to the newly-opened club.

I returned the smile. "Anything for a friend. I'll be back in
around noon to help clean up and prep for tomorrow night." I
glanced across the room where Irene stood surrounded by her
family, and his gaze followed mine. "I suspect you're going to
be busy."

He chuckled. "Quite."

"You sure about what you've gotten yourself into?" I asked.
"Irene seems like a nice girl, but after spending ten minutes
with her... well, there's an old German word that fits her
perfectly: *ditz*." I glanced again at the exuberant blonde.
"I wouldn't've thought it'd be your type."

Godfrey's smile turned wry. "If you had asked me a year or two
ago, I would have agreed with you. But she isn't as shallow as
she appears, and even so still has an endearing innocence about
her."

I shook my head. "If you say so, Godfrey. As long as the two of
you are both happy."

Spoiler

-- My Man Godfrey

[robkelk]

I shouldn't complain - after all, the Warriors are used to dealing with weird things happening on a regular basis, and a world with both technology reasonably close to what we have back home and public use of magic is pretty rare. But this particular weirdness could end up killing an entire city full of people, so I felt that I had a right to complain - if only I knew who I should be complaining to. Worse, both the company president and our best spellcaster were missing.

In their absence, our onmyoji was in charge. I cornered him in a quiet spot where the girls couldn't overhear us, being careful not to disturb the wards that he had hastily put up earlier. Quietly, I asked, "Ren, what the hell's going on out there?"

Just as quietly, he replied, "As I told the others, Doug-san, I couldn't begin to guess."

I didn't buy that when he said it earlier this evening, and I didn't buy it now. I'd learned a bit about misleading statements over the decades -- his had all the hallmarks of an attempt to get people to stop asking him questions. "I'm not asking you to guess. I'm asking you to tell me what you know."

He sighed quietly. "You've only been here a few weeks and you already know me that well. Itsuki-san was wise to hire you. We're facing a dragon."

"Really?" I suppose the mist blanketing the city could be some sort of breath weapon, but otherwise this wasn't like any dragon that I knew about. "Remind me after all of this is over to tell you about the time I punched out a dragon in Romania."

The barest hint of a smile played on Ren's face. Considering the gravity of our situation, that was the equivalent of a wide smile at any other time - except that I can't remember Ren ever smiling widely. "This is a different sort of dragon; a more metaphysical one."

A metaphysical dragon. I couldn't just walk up to an idea and punch it... although it might be interesting to try. "Tell me more."

---

Spoiler

Rental Magica, episodes 22-24

[Bob Schroeck]

Another one I have yet to see...

[robkelk]

Another one I have yet to see...

I strongly suggest you track it down. There's a flashback story set at a-magic-school-that-isn't-Hogwarts that might give you a few ideas for the Harry Potter step (which is why I referenced said step in the snippet). Heck, the rest of the series might give you some ideas for that step, too.

Right Stuf has the license.

[Bob Schroeck]

It was a good thing that being such a seasoned traveler, Grandpa
Potts was immune to seasickness and motion-sickness of all sorts.
Otherwise the swinging of his hut under the double-dashed flying
craft would surely have occasioned a moment of digestive
unpleasantness by now.

Of course, making sure he didn't fall when the hut's door --
lacking, as it did, an internal latch -- inevitably swung open
with its motions was a sufficient distraction.  He could be
excused for his preoccupation with his safety, and for being
surprised -- and double-dashed surprised at that -- by the
*knock* upon the door almost as soon as he'd finally secured the
blasted thing.

Pushing open the door's hinged window, he leaned out over the
shelf that formed its sill.  "I say, who's knocking at *this*
altitude?"

A young man -- or so it seemed -- in grey with an absurd helmet
rose into view, riding upon some manner of contraption Grandpa
wouldn't have been surprised to see come out of his son Caractacus'
workshop.  Grandpa glanced down -- no ground there, quite.

"Excuse me," said the young man, "but the manner of your travel
gave me every impression that you might be in the process of being
abducted.  If that indeed is the case, I just wanted to offer any
aid that you may be in need of."

Grandpa doffed his pith helmet.  "I'd be much obliged."

Spoiler

-- Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

[Pyeknu]

Ah, a definite classic there, Bob!

[Shepherd]

That was nice. It also makes me wonder if this forum's videos thread covered Abney Park's steampunk cover of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. A 'search' didn't turn up anything, but it wouldn't necessarily have, if the video link didn't include a description.

[Bob Schroeck]

That's been posted on the forums before -- might be in The Game -- I remember seeing it. But thanks!

[classicdrogn]

Hmm... I wonder if the name "Potts" was a subtle reference one way or the other with Iron Man's Pepper - she's been around for a fair while in the comics, but I honestly have no idea how old the movie is or if it was adapted from something. Should Be or Should Not Be, ya think?

[Inquisitive Raven]

Per Wikipedia, the movie was made in 1968 based (loosely) on a 1964 novel by Ian Fleming (yes, that Ian Fleming). Roald Dahl was apparently one of the script writers. Somehow, I think it's unlikely that Fleming or Dahl would make any kind of reference to American superhero comics.

[robkelk]

The "unequal match", Child Ballad 109, is named "Tom Potts" after one of the characters in it. I suspect all of the fictional Potts characters are named after Tom either directly or indirectly.

[Bob Schroeck]

Yeah, "Potts" is a genuine and not exactly rare name. And given that the original Chitty book is more of a spy story than the fantastical excursion the movie became (as befits a work by Ian Fleming) there's no reason for a superhero reference. Plus, as Raven just noted the book was published in 1964 -- the character of Pepper Potts first appeared in 1963 and was little more than a token "Lois Lane" (in the Silver Age manner) for Iron Man at the time, and not necessarily a character to throw a shout-out at. (Plus I'd have to check, but I suspect that Iron Man comic books weren't being (re-)published in the UK at the time so it would be unlikely for Fleming to have even encountered the character in passing, not that he'd have an interest in comic books. This is 1964, remember. Comics were for kids and only kids.)

[Dartz]

"2X2L Calling CQ"

Silence.

"2X2L Calling CQ"

Silence.

A voice, growing weaker with each attempt, begging for an answer. In a moment, I knew where and when I was, and even the time to the minute; Just after 8:32 pm, October 30th, in some 1938.

"2X2L calling CQ, New York. Isn't there anyone on the air?"

"Isn't there anyone on the air?"

"Isn't there... anyone?"

"2X2L calling CQ.... "

At the moment where I expected the show to break and remind the audience it has all been a radio play by Orson Welles and The Mercury Theatre on The Air - having reached its planned intermission only a minute after the Police had had some strong words with Davidson Taylor and revealed the depth of panic the previous half-hour's programming had unleashed as they annihilated the world before the world's very ears and destroyed the CBS.

At that moment, only a long silence silence answered.

"2X2L calling CQ.... will somebody please respond?"

"2X2L, calling CQ."

The chances of anything coming from Mars, had to be a million to one - but still they came.

Spoiler

The War of The Worlds, (1938)

[Bob Schroeck]

Oh, I recognized that first line as soon as I saw it... as well as the final one. Nice job, and a world I'm sure Doug wouldn't enjoy being in for a few weeks...

EDIT: The interesting question is, would he have the patience to sit things out, or would he say "the hell with this" and go all guerilla wrath-of-god on the Martians while they were still around to be attacked?

[robkelk]

One thing that Doug cares about no matter what timeline he's in is other people's lives. Go save some lives, Looney!

If Eimi's there, she also wants to know how a tripod walks.

[Bob Schroeck]

I have to admit on more than one occasion visualizing Doug swooping down on his motorcycle to help the HMS Thunderchild in its battle...

[Dartz]

Thanks.

As I said, I'm surprised it took this long. It wasn't my first attempt, either. I just happened to listen to it again last night - just to make sure I remembered something right, elsewhere.