[I/OOC] Incidental Bits

[Labster]

The scene also requires a non-Japanese male who can communicate with ghosts...

Ummmm.... uh...  Shaggy from Scooby Doo?  Who else?  Donald Duck... you probably meant male human.

Huh.  This is hard.  I can think of like 500 characters in Bleach alone who can see ghosts, but in Western works?  Okay, looking... Harry Dresden?  Most of these characters are female for some reason, probably an empathy role.  There's only the one ghost in Slings and Arrows.  Maybe Fakir, he's German?  Peter, Winston, Ray, and Egon, of course.

EDIT: Oh, of course: just about anyone from the Potterverse.

[Dartz]

The kid from the 6th Sense?

[Black Aeronaut]

Wait.

Tannim from the SERRAted Edge series by Mercedes Lackey and Ben Dixon.

He's like a more hot rods and rock and roll version of Harry Dresden (in fact, I would dare say that he might have been the inspiration for Harry Dresden), and while he does deal with the occasional ghost, his primary job is tracking down runaway teens before the Unseelie can get to them.

[Bob Schroeck]

Oh, I like that idea.

[robkelk]

You're going to force me to read something - anything - by Mercedes Lackey, aren't you? Mark him as a tentative.

And Kuroha isn't as nasty as I implied in that snippet; she's just Japanese in a world where Japan still has some of its old prejudices.

[Black Aeronaut]

You're going to force me to read something - anything - by Mercedes Lackey, aren't you? Mark him as a tentative.

*Mutley Snicker*

And Kuroha isn't as nasty as I implied in that snippet; she's just Japanese in a world where Japan still has some of its old prejudices.

Oh yeah, kinda figured that.  Now I just wished that I knew where that one article was - where a Japanese sociologist or historian or something sees an old American training film for the military that is supposed to teach American servicemen the basic gist of the Japanese psyche during WWII....

....And, to his abject disappointment, he proclaims that they as a people have not changed.  At all.

"Look, I know it's bad.  Because it is, right?  But that's the thing.  People like us?  We actually care enough to point this out to you, because we want you to be better people.  As Charlie Chaplin once said in a film made on the eve of that horrible war, we want to live by each other's happiness, not by each other's misery."

"Who was Charlie Chaplin?"

*Grins*  "Kuroha, my dear?  You are in for a treat."

Oh, and relevant:

[robkelk]

Wrote this for the raid-on-the-Unseelie story, then realized that there was no place to put it that wouldn't slow down the story. But it could still happen...

---

"Sgt. Sagara, what are you wearing, asks Niiko Misaka in an attempt to pass the time."

"Fumoffu."

Jayne bitch-slapped Sosuke, then winced because he'd slapped an armor plate. "Use the radio Washuu gave you, ya idiot."

[Labster]

"So basically, we were all on a TV show this whole time? Cool," Abed concluded. "Cool cool cool."

[robkelk]

Silly idea got stuck in my head. I had to write a short scene to let it out.

---

Blossom Apartments, Ottawa, Ontario
November 26, 2016


"I want to be an actress when I grow up!"

Rob smiled. Last week, Chibi-Usa wanted to grow up to be a nurse. The week before, she wanted to be Prime Minister... until Rei pointed out that Usagi was going to be Queen, so she'd be working for her mother. "Why an actress?"

"Because I can pretend to be everything I want to grow up to be," she replied matter-of-factly.

"That makes sense. But some actresses do specialize in particular kinds of roles."

Minako turned from her conversation with Niiko to look at Rob and Chibi-Usa. "That's called 'typecasting'," she commented.

"Hey, maybe I want to be typecast!" Chibi-Usa shot back. "I have the right name for it."

Rob was puzzled by her remark - what happened to being able to play any role? Niiko didn't seem to know what Chibi-Usa was talking about either, although it was difficult at the best of times to guess how Niiko reacted to things. Minako, on the other hand, seemed to know exactly what she was talking about. "In that case, I'll help you learn how to act, but you'll need to get somebody else to help you with the martial arts."

"Makoto-oneesan could help me there."

"If you ask her politely, maybe she would," Rob replied.

"Oh, Niiko finally understands, Niiko says. Niiko can help teach you how to use a pistol, Niiko offers in friendship."

Chibi-Usa grinned. "Yeah, that'll help. Thanks, Niiko-neesan!"

"I'm not that much older than you are, Niiko complains under her breath."

Then it hit Rob. He was so used to thinking of her as "Chibi-Usa" that he'd all but forgotten her name was "Usagi Chiba" ... or, in English, Bunny. Of course she had the right name to become an actress specializing in martial-arts movies. "If that's what you want to do with your life, I'm sure that we'll all support you. Just remember that it'll take a lot of work to succeed."

"I'm not lazy like my mother was when she was my age," Chibi-Usa replied.

[Bob Schroeck]

<snort> I'll say this, Rob. I can usually tell from the Recent Changes page at All The Tropes exactly when ideas like this struck you. <grin>

[Black Aeronaut]

Huh, that's odd.

Poking around on the interwebs, there's no mention of her ever taking her father's surname. Which is a shame because it works on so many levels.

For example, Chibi-Usa, while denoting her as a miniature version of her mom, is also a perfect shorthand for Chiba Usagi.

[robkelk]

Hmmmmm... Let's just say that, whether it's canon or fanon, "Usagi Chiba" is the name that Washuu-chan put on her ID cards here. Hence, it is the name that belongs to her.

[Bob Schroeck]

Of course if she does use "Bunny Chiba" as her stage name for martial arts films, there will be screams echoing around the world. <grin>

[robkelk]

Assuming she actually becomes an actress. She is nine years old, after all, and still making up her mind what she wants to do with her life.

[robkelk]

At the start of the our story she's 135cm, but her growth spurt will really kick in this year.

Which means she won't fit into her second-year culture festival outfit any more. Sakura-chan might be disappointed...

[robkelk]

A quick scenelet. Arc 2, after the Sol system gets the rosette of "theme Earths":

---

The shuttlecraft dropped me off in an open meadow a couple of hours' walk from the nearest city - a walled city, from what we saw on the approach. It was just me - there's too few of us and too many places to go look at for us to be in groups, and I have experience surviving even in a magic-rich environment. My only real concern was whether the Starfleet Universal Translator in my earpiece would work. I started walking.

An hour later, I sat down on a rock beside the road, grabbed my packed lunch, and dug in. Until I was interrupted a few minutes later. "Excuse me..." Looking up, I turned to see a petite - and cute - girl wearing clerical robes, which made me a bit homesick. It looked like she'd come from the city I was walking toward. "I know that you don't know me, but my god Mylee said I'm to adventure with you now. My name is Anna, and Mylee told me in a revelation that the Hero I'm supposed to serve would appear from the sky, so when we saw your flying box land and let you out, I knew you were the one I was to serve during your adventures."

Aw, crap. And she even pronounced "hero" with a capital H. Well, at least now I knew which story this part of this world was from, and maybe she was friendly. On the other hand, another girl in my life. Just my luck.

---

Spoiler

For those who don't recognize Anna, she's a anime-only background character from Rune Soldier Louie. And mister "just my luck" who misses home when he sees a petite cleric is obviously Touma.

Hmmmmm... I just might actually use this in a real story, once we finally get this far in the Metacontinuity.

[Black Aeronaut]

A quick scenelet. Arc 2, after the Sol system gets the rosette of "theme Earths":

---

The shuttlecraft dropped me off in an open meadow a couple of hours' walk from the nearest city - a walled city, from what we saw on the approach. It was just me - there's too few of us and too many places to go look at for us to be in groups, and I have experience surviving even in a magic-rich environment. My only real concern was whether the Starfleet Universal Translator in my earpiece would work. I started walking.

An hour later, I sat down on a rock  beside the road, grabbed my packed lunch, and dug in. Until I was interrupted a few minutes later. "Excuse me..." Looking up, I turned to see a petite - and cute - girl wearing clerical robes, which made me a bit homesick. It looked like she'd come from the city I was walking toward. "I know that you don't know me, but my god Mylee said I'm to adventure with you now. My name is Anna, and Mylee told me in a revelation that the Hero I'm supposed to serve would appear from the sky, so when we saw your flying box land and let you out, I knew you were the one I was to serve during your adventures."

Aw, crap. And she even pronounced "hero" with a capital H. Well, at least now I knew which story this part of this world was from, and maybe she was friendly. On the other hand, another girl in my life. Just my luck.

---

Spoiler

For those who don't recognize Anna, she's a anime-only background character from Rune Soldier Louie. And mister "just my luck" who misses home when he sees a petite cleric is obviously Touma.

Hmmmmm... I just might actually use this in a real story, once we finally get this far in the Metacontinuity.

Pffft.  Once Ben hears about this, he's gonna want to buy Touma a drink at Callahan's.  (Yes, he's under age, but Ben figures they're more or less making the rules now, and he's gonna be taking Touma home afterwards, and DAMMIT, POOR GUY NEEDS A DRINK.)

[robkelk]

I was looking at a local map, trying to figure out where in Ottawa to put the local Callahan's, when I noticed who the apartment's next-door neighbours are. Maika wouldn't have gone this long without noticing... so this has already happened in-story.

---

"Rob!"

He turned to Maika, wondering why she was so obviously worried that she would shout at her employer. "Yes?"

"Why didn't you tell me that the Roman Orthodox Church was right next door?"

He sighed. "First, they're not Roman Orthodox - they're Roman Catholic. As far as I know, they don't use magic at all, not even in the offices of the archdiocese - you know, that building that's just on the other side of our back fence. Second, you're the spy - I thought that big spire was a giveaway."

"Oh... right."

"Look at it this way - you have somebody to spy on who isn't us. Speaking of us, how's the laundry coming along?"

[Labster]

" they're Roman Catholic. As far as I know, they don't use magic at all, not even in the offices of the archdiocese"

Bro, they’re doing transubstantiation all the time. At least my church keeps the magic down to consubstatiation.

[robkelk]

" they're Roman Catholic. As far as I know, they don't use magic at all, not even in the offices of the archdiocese"

Bro, they’re doing transubstantiation all the time. At least my church keeps the magic down to consubstatiation.

Don't forget, my SI's shtick is to get things wrong on occasion. (It helps to keep him from being a Marty Stu.)

---

While looking for Chobits fanart for the wiki, I stumbled across a non-Chobits image that might be of interest.

Do schools in Venice Beach have culture festivals? Because uniforms for a cafe.

[robkelk]

Free to a good home in NJ:

---

"What are you listening to?"

Yui looked up while taking her headphones off. "I think it's a song about somebody asking my little sister out on a date." She switched on the stereo's speakers.

Bob listened for a moment, then said, "Considering that song was written in 1959, I doubt it's about your sister." Enunicating carefully, he continued, "Besides, he's saying 'Ooo-eee', not 'Ui'."

[Bob Schroeck]

Heh. <applause>

[robkelk]

Arc 2, once Starfleet gives the Crystal Millennium a couple of starships

---

They walked into the USS Brattain's captain's cabin, which was just as clean and tidy as all of the other cabins had been. Too clean and tidy in Rob's opinion, considering the ship's history.

"Well," Rob commented, "this is your new home away from home." They both looked around - all things considered, it was a pretty nice place. But Starfleet had always been generous with the size of their ships' crew quarters, Defiant-class ships notwithstanding.

Even the captain's safe was open and empty. Instead of a tumbler knob, there was a small keyboard inset in the bulkhead above the door.

"I suppose I should put the commissioning paperwork in here, Misaka Hoshi comments." She did so, then tried to close the safe's door. It closed, but wouldn't stay closed.

The computer - who of course sounded exactly like Majel Barrett - announced, "Type in a pass phrase to lock the safe."

Hoshi thought for a moment, then typed in ten keystrokes. The safe's door locked.

Rob smiled. "And of course everybody in the Misaka Network knows that combination now."

Hoshi nodded. "It was Misaka Nana who suggested it, Misaka Hoshi replies. Correction: Misaka Hoshi-Issa replies."

"Ah, yes - congratulations on assuming command of the CMSS Brattain, Captain Misaka. I don't suppose you'd be willing to share the combination with me in my capacity as consort-apparent to Sailor Mercury, would you?"

She looked at him flatly. "That is insufficient need-to-know, sir. But Misaka Nana says you should be able to figure it out yourself, Misaka-Issa adds."

He thought for a moment, remembered that Nana was the first of the Misaka Sisters to develop a sense of humour, then remembered a rather famous SNL sketch. He walked over to the safe and said the characters as he typed them in. "G-E-T-space-A-space-L-I-F-E."

The safe opened.

He re-closed the safe, turned back to Hoshi, and commented, "You really should pick a password that isn't so easy to guess." Then, after a moment, he added, "And make sure commander-in-chief Aino or somebody on her staff knows what it is."

[Dartz]

"Himemiya's Curry House. Want to try it?"

"I like to mix things up a little...."

----

[robkelk]

After Valentine's Day, but still in February 2017:

---

"My name is Lotte Lieze, I'll be your instructor in unarmed combat while my sister Aria is busy teaching magic to your apartment-mate Mimi. I understand that one of you is a complete novice, so we'll start with one of the hardest things in martial arts: falling."

Rob sighed. In a monotone that rivalled the best that the Misaka sisters used, he provided the line that he knew was expected of him: "But, sensei, there isn't anything hard about falling."

With matching grins, Lotte, Shiage, Makoto, and Mii replied in unison, "Sure there is! It's called 'the ground'!"

"You three have been spending too much time in New Jersey, you know that." He turned to Shiage. "I don't know what your excuse is for taking part in that old joke."