[I/OOC] Incidental Bits

[robkelk]

OOC:

Quoting from All The Tropes:

Sebastian Michaelis from Black Butler is a demon who owns the soul of the main character and will collect it someday, and has a huge soft spot for cats. Especially black ones.

I don't recall whether he's met Luna yet...

[Dartz]

I posted this in the Discord a while back - something likely from Lou...

"I'm in a room with women, and they're all talking about things, and I don't understand them. They're talking to me and I don't know the answer because I've never experienced or felt the same things. I don't feel the same way they do. I.... I'm created in their image but I'm not really one of them. I'm somebody else's warped idea of what they are, to fulfil the sort of desires that they couldn't or wouldn't. It feels like I'm a caricature - like this whole part of what I should be that's been cut out of my life. "

I amn't entirely sure what I'm getting at ---- maybe something about the 33-S being designed and built for men, to an image or something.

It's important to note that the other four aren't programmed the same way Meg is --- Meg's programming is counter-acting her original human identity - the others simply don't know any different.

There's a bit to much 'yikes' in that though....

[Dartz]

"You buy me a beer, a watch, a nice outfit - you take the right path and make me feel special, and I'll make you feel special. Sylvie warms to those who want to rebel, who want to stand up in front of an audience, who want to do things. Anri likes her manager, who comes to work in a suit and expects her to do her duty - her boss who gives her orders. Nam wants a big brother - someone to care and nurture her and make her feel protected and safe. Lou, needs to be forced, needs to be made to give up - you have to beat her down.

That's how we work.

We work that way, because real people don't. You think you can sit down beside someone and maybe say the right things and they'll be okay, or start to like you, like a dating simulator. Real people don't work that way. There's no guided path to opening the door to a real person's heart. You can't just say the right thing, and people won't always be grateful when you do.

Thats thing I need you to understand.

Oh, and the girls know their built-in triggers. They'll know if you're trying to exploit them. And they'll never forgive you if you do."

[robkelk]

OOC

Who was it who told me about Project Binky? Oh, yes - somebody who goes by "Looney Toons" on All The Tropes.

(It's a 36-episode series (EDIT: so far - the car's still not completely put together yet as of the end of episode 36), and the episodes get longer as the series goes along, so set aside 18 and a half hours if you're going to marathon the first 36 episodes of series.)

The tl;dr: Two chaps are putting a Celica engine and drivetrain in a Mini shell. Yes, it is as crazy an idea as it sounds.

Why mention it here? Well, if I recall correctly, Sora Hasegawa drives a Mini or something else the same size... She doesn't have to be making an overpowered street machine in disguise, but she could be restoring a stock Mini. Until she discusses the project with the gearheads at Westwoods, of course -- then the "overpowered street machine in disguise" starts taking shape. A project this size, even with Washuu-chan rapid-prototyping the structural parts instead of Sora making them out of sheet steel, would explain what she's been doing in her free time while the rest of the characters are having adventures.

Thoughts?

[Black Aeronaut]

OOC

Who was it who told me about Project Binky? Oh, yes - somebody who goes by "Looney Toons" on All The Tropes.

(It's a 36-episode series, and the episodes get longer as the series goes along, so set aside 18 hours or so if you're going to marathon the series. As of this posting, I've made it through episode 9.)

The tl;dr: Two chaps are putting a Celica engine and drivetrain in a Mini shell. Yes, it is as crazy an idea as it sounds.

Why mention it here? Well, if I recall correctly, Sora Hasegawa drives a Mini or something else the same size... She doesn't have to be making an overpowered street machine in disguise, but she could be restoring a stock Mini. Until she discusses the project with the gearheads at Westwoods, of course -- then the "overpowered street machine in disguise" starts taking shape. A project this size, even with Washuu-chan rapid-prototyping the structural parts instead of Sora making them out of sheet steel, would explain what she's been doing in her free time while the rest of the characters are having adventures.

Thoughts?

OOC:
Ben wouldn't mind.  One of the things he'll be doing is converting some of the carports into full-fledged shop spaces.

Once San Antonio lifts off at the end of Season 1, motorsports will become a big deal in the city as those big, mostly empty expressways with their high-speed interchanges will beckon in a most alluring manner.  And Ben will move into an actual shop, of which several dot the frontage road near the apartment complex.

There used to be a Formula 1 event here, but not ever since they changed the main streets in the downtown area to cobblestones.  My character would try to do something bring that back, though.

We still have a drag strip, though.  The Alamo City Motorplex is small, but it is an International Hot Rod Association member facility.  There is also the Alamodome, which is more than capable of hosting, and has hosted in the past, monster truck rallies, tractor pulls, and motocross events.

[robkelk]

Mimi nodded. "Good, good... Can you hold that last syllable for two seconds?"

Azusa did so, then smiled. She'd finally sung Mao's new song without any mistakes, albeit with some help from two of their visitors from Ottawa. But she'd watched reruns of Sailor Moon when she was younger; she knew from episode 114 that they were both better singers than she was.

"Now all you need to do is sing while you're playing, and Bob's your uncle," Minako added with a smile of her own.

Azusa looked puzzled. "No, Bob's my landlord."

[Black Aeronaut]

Pffft. Someone cracks a Minakoism on Minako. Brilliant!

[Bob Schroeck]

<rimshot>

EDIT: I also like that Minako used a British idiom. That's something I'll be doing later in DW-S because it only makes sense her English would be British-flavored.

[robkelk]

A little something, because Ben isn't the only one who needs to come up with not-a-Barrier-Jacket. Maybe we can tie my immediately-preceding snippet in with this one and turn this into an actual story.

---

Blossom Apartments, Ottawa, ON, Canada
January 7, 2017
2:18 pm


"Trenchcoat, fedora, and mask?"

"If you want to look like that guy from the Kato show, sure," Mamoru replied. It took Rob a moment to realize he meant the title character from The Green Hornet. "Personally, I've found you can't go wrong with a tuxedo, top hat, and mask."

"You're the only one here who can make that look work. Remember the Halloween party?"

Mamoru grimaced. "I still say I'm not that campy."

At this point, Hyoga walked into the common room, noticed the two men, and headed over to them. "What're you talking about?"

"Costumes," Rob replied.

"Specifically, something for Rob to wear now that he can join us on the front lines."

Hyoga hummed in thought as she sat down beside Rob. "A nice, tight, spandex bodysuit. Mmmmm..."

"I do not have the figure for a tight bodysuit, no matter what you think."

"Hat, jacket, pants and boots in a camouflage pattern?"

Rob shook his head at Mamoru's suggestion. "Make the camouflage pattern CADPAT and you just described the current Canadian Army uniform. I don't want to go to jail for impersonating an officer."

"Who's impersonating an officer?" asked Mii from the common room's doorway. "You can end up in jail for five years for that."

"Nobody," Rob replied. "And we were talking about military officers, not police officers."

"We were talking about something for you to wear when you're on the front lines with us," Mamoru interrupted. "Don't change the subject."

"That's easy enough," Mii replied as she walked over to the group. "Wear what you always wear. If you can't fight in your usual clothes, you can't fight."

"Mii has a point," Hyoga agreed.

"We were hoping for something that we could add some armour to," Mamoru replied.

Mii smiled. "That's easy enough, too. Ballistic nylon has been around since World War II."

"As long as you don't mind wearing black," Hyoga interjected.

Everybody turned to look at Rob, who was wearing shirt, slacks, socks, and shoes all in black. "Well, I'd have to think about that," he said with a grin.

"Riiiiight." Mamoru thought for a moment. "If you get a black evening jacket and pants, you're halfway to a tuxedo."

"That's your look." Hyoga turned to Rob. "What would you think about a black trenchcoat?"

"That's what he suggested just before the two of you came in," Mamoru replied.

"Rob's the one who'll be wearing it," Mii pointed out. "And it's easy to add Twaron or Kevlar inserts to a trenchcoat."

"Add a fedora and a mask -"

Mii interrupted Rob. "No. None of the rest of us wear masks."

"Except for Mamoru," Hyoga countered.

Mii ignored her. "If you want people to trust you, don't hide behind a mask."

Rob sighed. "You're right. Can I at least have the fedora? I've been told that I look dapper in a fedora."

"It's a bit old-fashioned, but you're a bit old-fashioned sometimes," Hyoga answered. "You may as well."

Rob nodded as he stood up. "Anybody else want some tea? I'm going to make some Earl Grey."

"I'll have some," Hyoga replied. The others just shook their heads.

"Okay, I'll use the small teapot. While I'm doing that, does anybody know where to get an armoured trenchcoat and fedora?" Rob walked into the kitchen, leaving the door open.

"Washuu-chan could make them," Mii offered.

"I owe her too many favours as it is."

"Could Tomoyo do it?"

"That's a possibility - maybe I should ask when she's here next weekend, assuming the canal's open for skating by then and she decides to visit." Rob had no way of knowing just how hectic the next weekend was going to become.

Just then, Ruiko walked into the common room. "Hi! What're you talking about?"

"Where to get custom clothing," Mii replied.

"The people in New Jersey might be interested in a commission," commented Ruiko immediately. "There's at least four people there who make their own cosplay outfits."

"Right - Reiko and her friends," Rob replied. "I'll have to ask them. After my cup of tea."

[Bob Schroeck]

Nice. And I like seeing Douglass Gardens showing up in other peoples' thoughts, even if I'm so close to nonproductive I'm almost deleting words from the project.

[Black Aeronaut]

Trenchcoat, fedora, and a mask?

Call me old skool, but that sounds to me more like Darkman or The Shadow than Green Hornet.

Although in The Shadow's case, that's more like a scarf rather than a mask. Which might actually work if you're going for a happy medium - stylish, dashing, mystifying and covers a good portion of the face, making identification difficult. And yet more trustworthy than a mask since you can clearly see their eyes. Bonus: no one that far north is gonna question it much, given how cold it is most of the year, especially at night.

(One of my brothers can tell you - he knows first-hand how bad it can be over there after having experienced a few winters in Chicago. He once got a mild ice-burn on his face from being exposed to a winter storm's wind for only thirty seconds. Scarfs are essential!)

[robkelk]

Trenchcoat, fedora, and a mask?

Call me old skool, but that sounds to me more like Darkman or The Shadow than Green Hornet. 

Go older-school and you'll see that H. G. Wells used the outfit in The Invisible Man. Even older, allowing for sartorial evolution, and you get Odin's usual travelling garb (although he dispensed with the mask). It's a time-honoured ensemble.

I was thinking Mamoru might know of The Green Hornet because of the TV series with Bruce Lee as Kato. (Hence "the Kato show".)


For those who don't know the look: Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, The Green Hornet.

[robkelk]

<rimshot>

EDIT:  I also like that Minako used a British idiom.  That's something I'll be doing later in DW-S because it only makes sense her English would be British-flavored.

A resource for you: A-Z of English Idioms: 150 Most Common Expressions, from a UK educational site. HTML and PDF.

[Bob Schroeck]

Nice, thank you.

(After a quick review of the site): Mm. That's obviously a site for the non-native speaker to learn from. Interestingly, it's a mix of British, American and shared idioms, not strictly British.

[robkelk]

So, saw this tweet with a Hololive character...  Impishly going, "I'm a Zoomer!  Watch!  Can a Boomer do this? ..."

The 55-C standing beside her bursts out of its skin, opens its mouth, and shoots her with its frikkin' laser beam. "I don't need to. Nothing's faster than light."

At which point Mahoro and Mikoto dogpile on the Boomer...

---

If Yue/Yukito ever visits Blossom, Rei Hino just might ask whether he'd like to match his skills against hers. No powers - instead, target shooting at the archery lanes at the RA Centre.

[Black Aeronaut]

Pedantic reply: nothing may be faster than light, but she doesn't have to be. She just has to be faster than the Buma's target acquisition system. Which is doable, otherwise the Knight Sabers would have never had any success at all.

You'll have to remind me: which Yue/Yukito?

[robkelk]

You'll have to remind me: which Yue/Yukito?

As far as I know, there's only one - Sakura Kinomoto's brother's boyfriend.

If you meant "Yue or Yukito", it'd have to be Yukito who visits the archery lanes - Yue's wings are difficult to hide.

[robkelk]

"If I'm not around, everybody in her group looks to Tomoe-san for advice."

"Yeah, I can see why. She's got a good head on her sho- Ack! Sorry!"

Mami just sighed.

---

Yeah, I went there.

[Black Aeronaut]

And Bebe/Charlotte would be blushing and looking down at her shoes.

[robkelk]

Did somebody say "trollololols"?

Arc 3 at the earliest, I'd expect.

---

It had been a ceremony unlike any other in the Metacontinuity, as far as anyone present knew. But now it was time for the reception speeches - starting with the one given by the best man.

He cleared his throat, and began. "Mawwiage. Mawwiage is wat bwings us togeder today. Mawwiage, that bwessed awwangement, that dweam wifin a dream… "

"Say 'man and wife'!" Tomo shouted.

"I object! I love her and she's carrying our child!"

"Tomo..."

"Just be happy she said it at the rehearsal."

[Bob Schroeck]

... Did I ever mention that was how our best man and matron of honor started the first speech at our wedding reception?

"Mawwiage", I mean, not Tomo's lines.

[Black Aeronaut]

I think you did.

It could possibly happen to my character. By this point, it'd be well known that even as often as he's got his serious-business-is-serious game-face on, he's got a mischievous streak a mile wide and can definitely take that kind of joke on his wedding days.

[robkelk]

I see that the calendar on the wiki now says the students in residence at Douglass Gardens attend Rutgers or "a local high school", with Belldandy hand-delivering the enrolment forms. Looking at the maps on the wiki, I see three high schools near Douglass Gardens, and (of course) Wikipedia has pages about all three of them.

New Brunswick High School

Wikipedia says "The school was the 287th-ranked public high school in New Jersey out of 339 schools statewide in New Jersey Monthly magazine's September 2014 cover story on the state's "Top Public High Schools""
40° 28′ 50.02″ N, 74° 28′ 54.01″ W


New Brunswick Health Sciences Technology High School

"a magnet public high school focused on health sciences", according to Wikipedia
closest high school to Douglass Gardens, but they don't let students take more than the one music course legally required, courses that prepare students for health-services careers are heavily emphasized, and students need to maintain better than a 3.0 GPA. OTOH, their graduation rate is 100%.
40° 29′ 36.6″ N, 74° 27′ 4.68″ W


North Brunswick Township High School

Wikipedia says "U.S. News & World Report in 2014 ranked North Brunswick Township High School 42 out of 385 schools in the state for their Best High School Report"
40° 27′ 6.31″ N, 74° 28′ 4.13″ W


If I was Belldandy, I'd have the students enrolled at North Brunswick unless somebody wants to become a doctor. Just saying.

[Bob Schroeck]

Peggy would insist on it -- that's where she went. It would take paperwork finagling, but after everything else involved in setting up the Metacontinuity that's trivial. And they'll need to commute to the school, but IIRC a couple of them are old enough to have full driver's licenses in NJ, or they could carpool with Sawa-chan. (Hm. Note to self: remember to add communal van to residence page...)

I should probably have done more research before just picking a nice-looking place I knew of, but the original idea was to be close to Rutgers, not a good high school...

[robkelk]

Okay, NJ isn't as small as it looks on the maps. It takes most of an hour to go from Douglass Gardens to the Quick Stop where Jay and Silent Bob hang out.