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

[Labster]

I think I can manage a little bit of writing here, sure.

--------

Brent pulled a tissue out of his tux jacket pocket, and blew his nose.  "Dammit, every time I come to East Texas my allergies get terrible.  Must be some plant that hates me."  He sneezed again, and once again attempted to clear his nose.  "Wish I could get rid of these allergies."

He saw a spike of red hair swiftly weave its way through the crowd, eventually revealing Washuu, "I couldn't help but overhearing, but I have the most fascinating immunological theories I've been wanting to test out in humans.  Interested in being my guinea pig?"

"Um, well... yes?"

[Black Aeronaut]

Well, if I'm going to be the coordinator, I guess I can coordinate an invitation for Labster to come back and write with us again.

How about it, Labster?

---

Speaking of writing... Another scenelet for the Halloween Party thread.


"Have you seen some of the stories that people here have written about us?"

"Donaldson-san doesn't like it when we go looking for such things," replied Kuroko as she shook her head.

"Not that sort of story." Tessa frowned. "Well, I suppose that sort of story as well," she continued, "but that wasn't what I meant. Apparently, some of us have much more adventurous lives in this 'fan fiction' than we do back in our home worlds."

"Did somebody say 'fan fiction'?" Yomi joined the conversation instead of heading back to her apartment-mates and friends. Putting a plate of chili rellenos down on a nearby table (seeing whether she could get Osaka to try one would have to wait) she continued, "What's with some of those? I can understand the ones where one of us falls in love with somebody she just met -"

"You can?" While her tone was polite, Kuroko's expression was clear; she didn't believe a word of it.

"It's wish fulfillment. Who wouldn't want one of us as a girlfriend?"

And Kuroko was enlightened. "Ah. Of course. Please continue."

"The ones I can't understand are where we get into adventures of some sort."

"For some of us, it's understandable," Tessa interjected.

"If you're in charge of a mercenary unit, or you're a powerful esper, sure, it's understandable. But I'm talking about stories where somebody like me or Tomo ends up saving everybody's lives while causing millions of yen of property damage -" (Halfway across the quad, Brent sneezed.) "- or somebody like the Sailor Senshi get into fights with some super-martial artists -" (At poolside, Rob sneezed.) "- or somebody puts together a harem that's also a strike force." (Near the buffet, Ben sneezed.) "Who'd even write things like that? And why is everybody suddenly sneezing?"

They all realized who just sneezed. They looked at each other for a moment.

"No, they couldn't have."

Cue someone asking Ben about it later, because he's probably regarded as the face of brutal (though polite and tactful) honesty about about these matters.

---

Ben shrugged in a way that clearly communicated his helplessness in the matter.

"Think of it this way - who would you trust with your wellbeing?  Some rando who is probably a really decent fellow, but doesn't know what kind of trouble they're in for?  Or the person that knows exactly what you need, when you need it, and only because stories, unlike real life, have to make sense?  I haven't said much about the matter because it's gauche, and I've even gone so far as to delete all my stuff."

"You deleted it?" asked Kaname archly.  "All of it?"

Ben gave her a deadly serious look.  "Yes, Kaname.  All one-million words of cumulative fanfiction that I have written.  Gone and never to be recovered again."

It was a good thing she hadn't been drinking anything.  Kaname hadn't thought that it had been something that big.

"How the hell could you write that much!?"

Ben sighed.  "I have ADHD as well as Clinical Depression.  The depression on its own is bad enough, but the ADHD also skews your sense of reward.  I spent time on it not because of some misguided purpose, not because I wanted to shut myself off from the world, but because I couldn't connect to it.  Do you have any idea of what a life like that is like?  That there are people around you that can enjoy a normal life, but you can't because everything about you is so radically different?  Your paradigms, your mentality, your ethics and morals, the way you look, act, and talk?  And the few times someone does try to be nice to you, it doesn't work because it just feels...  Not so much insincere, but more like they don't get it.  And really, they don't.  They can't and never will, because they're not wired like you are."

Ben stopped himself because he found himself on a rant, and needed to cut to the core of the matter.  "I wrote stories about you guys because I felt there just wasn't enough of the story told, or I felt that your characters weren't being done the justice they deserved... and because part of me wanted to escape from this life.  Writing fanfiction was the closest I could come to that."

"And what did you write about me?" asked Kaname, her tone softened, but a hard look on her face just the same.

"I wrote you as a friend.  A friend to someone you got along with because he was an American boy alone in Japan, just as you were a Japanese girl alone in New York.  He knew what it was like because he was living it, and he also got the jokes and the pop-culture references that you picked up during your time in America."

"And Tessa?"

Ben sighed.  "A childhood friend that had seen first-hand how unfair life can be to just one person.  Something that she used as the driving force to propel her through MITHRIL, so that she could pave the way for a better world.  One where people like her beloved friend wouldn't have to hurt or suffer."

"Its accurate," said Teletha with a slight blush.  "I was so lonely back then - I would have jumped at the chance for a friend - even... no, especially one like Benjamin.  I might have even fallen for that person.  Sousuke would have only reminded me of him.  But Benjamin was never there.  We never met.  And instead, I fell for Sousuke.

"You've seen it yourself, Kaname.  How he has always been so respectful towards us.  He's only come out about his feelings with me because I asked him point-blank.  And no matter how much he wanted to, he could never try to influence us.  It's not right at all.  We couldn't even be proper friends because of it - it was absolutely critical that he remain professional at all times.  ...I cannot even begin to imagine what that must be like - I can't even fully manage myself around Sousuke.  For him to maintain that level of self control says great things about Benjamin."

"I'm nothing special," said Ben, shutting down that thought right away.  "I simply keep reminding myself that it's not only wrong, but that nothing would possibly come of it anyways.  At least, nothing good."

Part of Kaname wanted to crow about that last part - that he was absolutely right and that he had little business with them at all.  But at the same time, she could see how much it had weighed on him.  And he'd been right on the nose about her time in New York.  Even though she had enjoyed herself... it was also the loneliest time of her life - which had only been underscored when she returned home, only to live alone in an apartment big enough for both her and her father.

She had to keep herself from shuddering at the idea of living her entire life that way - of being so far outside the norm that meeting someone that could relate to you was a nigh-infinitesimal chance.

And Kaname found that she simply had nothing to offer at all as Ben politely excused himself, and began making his rounds once more.

---

I'm just beating the hell out of the poor guy, aren't I?

[Labster]

Actually that's pretty good, Ben. Good deconstruction; loneliness is hard to share.

[Dartz]

"Technically," said Meg, "I'm the person the story was written about,"

[Labster]

Well, I do have a little bit of a story to share. It's a little bit out of sequence as I'm still writing a major action story just prior. And sorry about the whole chapter of cute girls doing cute things and eating food and saying "oishii", I'll do better next time.

[Black Aeronaut]

"I know, but…" Yomi sighed. She finished reading the post. "Where the heck did she get those rose-colored glasses?"

"Oh, I think Elton John gave them to her as a tip."

Yomi chuckled, "I wouldn't put it past her."

Pfffft! Nice one.

[Labster]

Oh, good, I'm glad that joke at the end worked.  I was a little iffy on it.

Also, bonus points to anyone who can figure out the identity of the mysterious passenger in Passage 3.  There's some information there, hopefully enough for someone to figure it out.

[robkelk]

I have an unfair advantage (having been prereader of that story), so I won't play. I'll just say that I think there's enough hints for everyone else to figure it out.

EDIT: I count roughly a dozen obvious-to-me hints.

[Dartz]

I'm dense as fuck.

It doesn't matter. T'was still a nice comfy thing to read on the bus.

[Norgarth]

I was thinking Tsukino Usagi using the disguise pen

[robkelk]

Usagi has blue eyes, even in her disguise forms.

[Black Aeronaut]

Well, she's a native to LA, so that should narrow the field considerably.

EDIT: After going through IMDB's list of Top 30 Actresses under 30, I think we can boil it down to two...

Shailene Woodly and Blake Lively.

Blake was Born in Tarzana, which is just west of Encino, and Shailene was born in Simi Valley, though that's far enough out that some might not consider it part of the greater LA metroplex.

EDIT2: Whoops. Scratch Blake - she's been happily married to Ryan Reynolds for quite some time now - she's had two daughters with him, and a third child is on the way.

Shailene is still a possibility. The man she's dating is a professional rugby player, so I can see how the relationship would be complicated by trying to find time to be together.

[robkelk]

Hmmmmm... (consults Wikipedia) Ms. Lively is a blonde, and I wouldn't call Ms. Woodley "skinny".

EDIT: Also, the line was:

"Don't worry about it. I used to live here when I was a kid, and I learned a lot about the town."

She wasn't necessarily born in LA.

[Labster]

I'm just going to say that you may not want to consider Akari's opinions too strongly.  Yomi and Tomo aren't able to figure it out from the primary source either; the duck and the ghost are what capture their attention.

[robkelk]

I'm tempted to just re-post the clues in the scene... but (a) that would be rude, and (b) it's more fun to play Holmes to everybody else's Watson, pointing out clues that were missed, one at a time.

[Black Aeronaut]

Oh, Duck I noticed. If she's around, then Fakir's not far behind, I would assume.

Now there's a character that Ben would be envious of.

"Okay, stupid question, maybe, but I haven't really sat down to watch the story. That said, if you're Drosselmeyer's descendant, and can therefore create your own reality, then why haven't you made one where Duck can be a human girl again, and then you two go off and have your own little happily ever after?"

[Labster]

Oh, Duck I noticed.  If she's around, then Fakir's not far behind, I would assume.

Well, your guesses aren't so good today.  It's going to be a long time.  She wants to see him, but she's just an ordinary duck again, and is Fakir far away, East of the Sun and West of the Moon.

Now there's a character that Ben would be envious of.

"Okay, stupid question, maybe, but I haven't really sat down to watch the story.  That said, if you're Drosselmeyer's descendant, and can therefore create your own reality, then why haven't you made one where Duck can be a human girl again, and then you two go off and have your own little happily ever after?"

That's not a stupid question at all, but the answer is rather complex.  The first issue involves being careful what you wish for.  And then, the power seems to not create a new reality, but to modify the existing reality.  But the biggest issue is: what does the ability to write true stories even mean in the context of the Metacontinuity?

But when it comes down to it, the choice was already made in the anime.  Two returned to the story to live happily ever after, but Fakir and Entchen chose to be in the real world.  They have more story to tell.

Oh right, her name is Entchen, which is just German for "duckling".  It's how Fakir writes her name in canon.  I have no idea if other authors have done it -- I guess at some point I should read some Princess Tutu fics.  But since our characters really do speak different languages, I don't think we should use a translation.

[Black Aeronaut]

Oh, Duck I noticed.  If she's around, then Fakir's not far behind, I would assume.

Well, your guesses aren't so good today.  It's going to be a long time.  She wants to see him, but she's just an ordinary duck again, and is Fakir far away, East of the Sun and West of the Moon.

<surfer>Whoah. Bummer man.</surfer>

Now there's a character that Ben would be envious of.

"Okay, stupid question, maybe, but I haven't really sat down to watch the story.  That said, if you're Drosselmeyer's descendant, and can therefore create your own reality, then why haven't you made one where Duck can be a human girl again, and then you two go off and have your own little happily ever after?"

That's not a stupid question at all, but the answer is rather complex.  The first issue involves being careful what you wish for.  And then, the power seems to not create a new reality, but to modify the existing reality.  But the biggest issue is: what does the ability to write true stories even mean in the context of the Metacontinuity?

Suddenly I got this mental imagery of Cobra Bubbles from Lilo and Stitch... "I am the one they call with things go wrong. And things have Indeed. Gone. Wrong." Though I'm sure that Fakir is nowhere nearly as physically intimidating as Cobra, I believe he would be the one they'd call on in the event of a worst case scenario.

But when it comes down to it, the choice was already made in the anime.  Two returned to the story to live happily ever after, but Fakir and Entchen chose to be in the real world.  They have more story to tell.

Natch.

Oh right, her name is Entchen, which is just German for "duckling".  It's how Fakir writes her name in canon.  I have no idea if other authors have done it -- I guess at some point I should read some Princess Tutu fics.  But since our characters really do speak different languages, I don't think we should use a translation.

I believe I've seen you use it a time or two before. It didn't take me much to figure out that Entchen was Duck, aka Princess Tutu.

[robkelk]

...
But the biggest issue is: what does the ability to write true stories even mean in the context of the Metacontinuity?
...

My first answer to that brought forth a Crossover That Should Be.

[Bob Schroeck]

Lovely little piece, Brent. I quite liked it. Although I'm completely at a loss for the identity of the actress, as well.

[Labster]

It appears I need to give a few hints. I assure you, there is enough information there for most readers to figure it out.

I'm kind of a fan of the mystery genre. I used at least two of the common techniques used in mystery stories to obscure information.

After explaining a few of the sights along the waterline, Akari couldn't stand the suspense any more. "Are you a movie star, miss?"

She giggled a little. "I guess I can say I've been in a few movies," she said enigmatically.

[Bob Schroeck]

Yeah, the way that's phrased makes it sound like she's not exactly a performer, or at least not one in the foreground... but at the same time earlier she is called a famous actress.

Still stumped.

[Labster]

Wearing the big straw hat, Akari assumed she must be a movie star.

Akari assumed she must be considering a location shoot, far, far away.

Yomi ... ordered the fish tacos, which she assumed was one of the healthier options on the menu.

It was not a good assumption -- it turns out the tacos were tempura fried.

[Black Aeronaut]

Seeing a movie star in LA is like seeing a hawk in the forest. Not all that common as they value their privacy, but altogether not unexpected at all.

As for distant location shoots... Again, not uncommon these days. It used to be that it was less expensive to simulate locations in a studio. But now? Tourism commissions of various cities and countries have twigged to the fact that location-shoots are massive revenue generators - not only during the duration of the shoot, but also forever afterwards as people love visiting these places if the film was successful.

Therefore, studios get all kinds of tax breaks and other stuff just for coming to film on location. And modern technology has made filming equipment that can handle being exposed to the elements much more affordable.

Sooooo yeah. Unless she's going someplace isolated like the Desolation Islands or Rapa Nui...

EDIT: Also, knowing where on-location filming is going to happen before the actors even sign the contract is (to my knowledge anyways) usually very privileged information, as they don't want the locations to become unmanageable with a sudden surge of tourists or even people trying to score their fifteen seconds of fame.

[robkelk]

Yeah, the way that's phrased makes it sound like she's not exactly a performer, or at least not one in the foreground... but at the same time earlier she is called a famous actress.  

Still stumped.

Better double-check that, Bob and BA. We're told that Akari thinks she's an actress.