Drunkard's Walk Forums

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Tennie Wrote:
Bluemage Wrote:Yeah, this is a distinct error on my part- specifically, me-as-Imma.
Well, hopefully it's not too late to rectify that, which is something that I heartedly recommend that you do.

Why? It was a character's error, not a writer's error.
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

ClassicDrogn Wrote:...
Aside from that - for shame! Not even in double digits for physical age, nor facing protagonist level enemies, and Imma's crawling (okay, teleported) into a bottle! How does he ever expect to make it to the canon JS Incident, let alone more universes, over his head in the drink like that?

You know what's worse? Another upgrade, maybe two, and Imma's hormones are going to start kicking in... and he's surrounded by pretty girls who are only "sisters" in name.
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

Quote:robkelk wrote:
Quote:ClassicDrogn wrote:
...
Aside from that - for shame! Not even in double digits for physical age, nor facing protagonist level enemies, and Imma's crawling (okay, teleported) into a bottle! How does he ever expect to make it to the canon JS Incident, let alone more universes, over his head in the drink like that?
You know what's worse? Another upgrade, maybe two, and Imma's hormones are going to start kicking in... and he's surrounded by pretty girls who are only "sisters" in name.

ZING!
This is gonna go from 0-to-AWKWARD!!! the moment this happens. So what do you do?
Maybe....
DEFEAT AWKWARDNESS WITH MAXIMUM RIDICULOSITY!

robkelk Wrote:Why? It was a character's error, not a writer's error.

I was saying it to the character, rather than the author. I probably should have made that clearer in retrospect, but oh well.

blackaeronaut Wrote:*Snip pic*

Good thing I wasn't drinking anything, or you'd be owing me a new keyboard and monitor! Big Grin

...I'm just now getting to the part where I start to deal with the Quattro issue, and it's a busy part. I have to set up the problem (more than 'couldn't talk to her, so left a bad first impression') before I can start to fix it.
...the same way Tony Stark does it, CD. High technology, and even more bottles. ^^
Hate to say it, guys, but I can't really write romance. Luckily, I don't have to.
1. I'm an odd combination of iron self-control and almost solipsistic romantic obliviousness. Like, I just realized LAST MONTH that a girl might've been hitting on me SEVEN YEARS AGO. Yes, I really am that bad... and I'm just as 'good' at not being physically attracted to people I don't emotionally love.
2. The oldest of the Numbers is chronologically nine. Physically, they're all over the map, from early teens to late twenties. Intellectually, I'd say a lot of them are half child, half professional fighter... and the ones that aren't are emotionally stunted. I'm mentally 28ish at this point, so this is all sorts of squick on so many levels.
3. The other side of the equation is (to varying degrees) emotionally repressed, totally clueless about relationships of any kind, batshit crazy, prepubescent, and/or physically stuck in puberty for... you know what? Screw that.
4. Cyborg puberty doesn't work quite the same way human puberty does. Less hormones-over-time, what with the way it causes growth, and more hormonally-driven accelerated growth in the tanks, while unconscious. Hormones aren't really an issue; I was able to ignore mine as a human, so my current levels are easy, and the girls are getting just enough to not screw up their bodies, but not the raging storm you'd expect.
5. After long enough thinking of them as sisters, the few Numbers I'd even consider viable options will end up sister-zoned. That should never have had to be a thing, and I blame you all for it.
**********
Looks like I was right. I am ten again... though I was never this fit the first time.
When I'd been released from the jar the last time, my highest priority had been to get myself cleaned up, down to the practice room, and testing my magic. This time, I was more worried about my body.
After finding myself back in my room, the first thing I did was to rez up a mirror, and give myself a looking over. Looks like I'm... let's call it a bit over an inch taller. Shoulders are a bit wider, proportionate to the height gain... same with muscle volume and arm length. Face looks a little more mature. Yep, he aged me up a touch.
Heh. Two years ago, I wouldn't be caught dead in front of a mirror like this. Now, here I am. Says something that I had to get turned into a skinjob to be comfortable in mine.
I frowned at that thought, looking down at my right hand, and made a fist, listening to the servos in my hand as they worked. They'd quiet down in a few more days, when I'd used them enough, but for now, they served as a reminder of what I'd become. No, not even a skinjob. I'm a toaster in a human suit... but you know what? That doesn't bother me.
Doesn't really matter what I am physically. As long as my body can do what I need of it, that's good enough for me... and it's not like anybody else cares. I've likely alienated most of the Numbers... the doctor just keeps me around to be a soldier... and I'm not even sure the TSAB will let me go free after I take down Scaglietti.
Why should I even bother stopping him, anyway? They did it themselves in canon, and I doubt I've made enough butterflies to stop that. If anything, giving Lindy the series should've kept Nanoha from crippling herself, putting Riot Force 6 in a better situation than before... so why do they need me?
That's what it's all about, isn't it? Being needed? I could've just sent the TSAB a copy of StrikerS, found some nothing of a job, and settled in to watch the fireworks. Instead, I joined the closest thing this setting has to a supervillain... because I just HAD to be involved in events. I had to be special. I'm such a fool.
If I'd just learned to be a people person, none of this would've happened. I wouldn't be hurting Quattro, bothering Uno or Tre, or screwing with the timeline. I probably wouldn't even be in this world- I'd be happy, and back home.
I had to laugh at that thought. That's really it, isn't it? Sending happy, well-adjusted people to different worlds wouldn't be *interesting*, so they take the ones who can't fit in- the ones with something to prove- or the ones they can screw up until they fit the mold.
Here's hoping all the Qwaars out there in the multiverse make it. Nobody should have to deal with that.
I gave the mirror one last look, and then turned around to get my clothes. Time to get a hold of myself. All this moping isn't getting me anywhere. First priority is to remain alive, sane, and healthy- for now, that means continuing to be Imma.
Second priority is freedom. Given what I am, I'm not going to be truly free until the TSAB has a chance to look me over, and the only way I'll risk that is after I deliver them Scaglietti's unconscious body... or at least arrange for it to be a short-term certainty. I've been setting that plan in motion already, so I just have to stay the course.
Once I'm free of the Bureau and the doctor... I'll figure something out. Magic opens a lot of doors in this society. For now, I should probably go out and face the music.

My Unitarian Jihad Name is: Brother Atom Bomb of Courteous Debate. Get yours.

I've been writing a bit.

... hoooo boy. Not good. Not good at all. Huge mistake to abandon family, even if they are a bunch of dysfunctional misfits - they are YOUR dysfunctional misfits!

Edit: Never mind me, I think I may have gotten time mixed up again.
--
"Anko, what you do in your free time is your own choice. Use it wisely. And if you do not use it wisely, make sure you thoroughly enjoy whatever unwise thing you are doing." - HymnOfRagnorok as Orochimaru at SpaceBattles
woot Med. Eng., verb, 1st & 3rd pers. prsnt. sg. know, knows

That's the thing, BA: I'm sort of in an odd middle ground. At this point, I consider Sein and Cinque family, but the rest? I don't know what to make of Quattro, but I'm carefully keeping Tre and Uno at arm's length, emotionally; I know they're more loyal to the doctor than to the rest of their family, after all. Doctor is firmly in my mental BBEG slot, so that sort of taints them by association.
This is less me actually wanting to leave the lab and everybody there, and more me having a pity party for a bit/the depth of what happened to me finally sinking in/disguised exposition on how different cyborgs are from unmodded humans/frustration at how divided the whole group is. Oh, and a few other things, too, but those four are big motivations and/or themes.
I'm not really all that good at feeling like part of a group, feeling welcome, or feeling like myself or my work is good enough, so there's that, too... and a bit of meta-commentary. To be honest, I'm not sure if I wrote this because I was down on myself IRL at the time, or if my mood just informed the writing I was already going to do. Either way, it's pretty much honest commentary.
I hope you've noticed that certain things I'm thinking don't get discussed in the journals, and some parts of events just don't get mentioned. SI-me is sort of paranoid, you see...
**********
Entry 44 (Day 780)
Well, nobody's killed me yet. That's a start.
It's been thirty days since my last entry (as anybody who can do basic subtraction already knows), and the subject of Quattro hasn't come up. At all. Sure, I was gone for about a day of that, and in a jar for another 26 days, but I was sure these last three weren't going to go well.
Instead, life has gone on exactly as before... and I mean that in every sense of the word. Nobody's acting any different, nobody's changed their routines... and I've not so much as sensed Quattro anywhere nearby. Unless I miss my guess, she doesn't really have any stealth abilities; given that, she's either been keeping to parts of the complex I don't frequent, or actively avoiding me.
Fair enough, I guess. I've got other issues to deal with at the moment... most notably, the reason I was in the jar in the first place.
In the time between seeing Quattro and getting into the jar, I registered myself as a bounty hunter, and tried my hand at the profession. It didn't go well. It could definitely have gone worse- and I'm quite thankful it didn't- but it wasn't great, and the problems were my own darn fault.
In the time that I've been a mage, I've designed a suite of passable combat spells. I've practiced casting them and controlling them. What I haven't done is learn how to conduct myself in combat- when and how to move, how to keep aware of my surroundings, and when and what to cast.
Like an idiot, I charged in, letting my enemies choose when and how to fight, and giving up my greatest advantages at the same time! Then I let them control my focus, leaving me blind to a surprise attack... which I didn't have the protections up to negate.
I need to learn to mind my surroundings. To expect the unexpected, counter the unexpected, and unexpect them right back... without taking my eyes off the expected. That's the end goal. I've already made the first step, by spending the last three weeks working on tactical sims. Now I just have to figure out Steps 2 to Final - 1, and dear gods I just figured out Step 3 this is going to suck.

My Unitarian Jihad Name is: Brother Atom Bomb of Courteous Debate. Get yours.

I've been writing a bit.

Ooh, more combat training! Of course it's going to suck, you have someone simulating enemy action, and if that didn't suck they wouldn't be called "Enemy."
--
"Anko, what you do in your free time is your own choice. Use it wisely. And if you do not use it wisely, make sure you thoroughly enjoy whatever unwise thing you are doing." - HymnOfRagnorok as Orochimaru at SpaceBattles
woot Med. Eng., verb, 1st & 3rd pers. prsnt. sg. know, knows

Heh. ^_^
So I'm starting to write Due and Quattro interaction into this version. The scene I just wrote is going to happen earlier in SB than in this version, if only because it's a plot thread I wasn't properly weaving into the design- things kept coming up, you see.
That, and it's bloody hard to write. Hits me in a weak point of mine, you know?
**********

Existence snapped back into shape, and I released my dimensional transfer spell. The instant I let go of the spell, Tre and I dropped about six inches, landing on bare dirt.
We'd returned to P3J-992- specifically, to the ruins of the Krepani Syndicate base we'd assaulted on our last trip here. According to Tre, the Syndicate had rather quickly evacuated what remained of the base shortly after we'd left. Nobody had been back since- not that the doctor's sensor net could detect, anyway.
Once the two of us were standing again, having landed in crouches, Tre looked over at me, and said three words. "Thirty seconds. Go."
Halfway through the sentence, I was off running. Three seconds later, I'd invoked Air Comet and was flying low to the ground between piles of rubble, making for the section of the compound I'd not demolished. Within twenty-five seconds, I was hiding in the seventeenth floor of a disused administrative building, halfway across the base from where Tre and I had appeared.
At the thirty second mark, I gave a mental command. Sixty-four Argus balls rose from where I'd made them, right around the halfway point of my mad dash for cover, and began to spread themselves across the compound. I'd tinkered with the distribution a bit, so they'd keep lower and favor the less ruined areas; with any luck, I'd be able to keep a fix on Tre wherever she went.
Speaking of Tre, there she is. On cue, the Argus AR displayed a dot. It flickered for a second or two, going from gray to purple and back again, before finally settling on purple. Okay, looks like I need to work on the magical detection and IFF... no, just the IFF code. The magical detection code is pretty much standard- I doubt it's the problem....should her dot be moving around like that? [Malleus, give me a top-down view. Entire compound.]
As I said it, a map appeared, just below the window I was looking through at the time. Right. Given what's in that area, Tre has to be flying. Need to add height indicators to map view for Argus 2.0.
Looks like she's flying a basic search pattern- probably trying to narrow things down by clearing out the demolished zones first. But what's with that sudden movement? Every few seconds, Tre's icon on the map jittered for a bit, bouncing back and forth for a bit before settling down- a good bit away from where it'd been. It's not a lost lock. I know what those look like. Maybe lag in the triangulation function? Position uncertainty? Or maybe- wait.
[Malleus, take Sphere A027 off the network for, oh, three seconds.]
As I watched the results, I couldn't help but smirk. Going sphere hunting? Clever girl. Are you doing it to blind me long-term, or for short-term tracking disruption? Suppose it's a question for the AAR.
Idly, I created another two dozen Argus balls, and laid in a course for them. Around the central wall, out a distance behind rubble, then loop back around and go into the wall. From there, skirt around the fortress to the trench I dug, go down the bottom of the trench, and spread out from there across the open areas. Don't really need to be this sneaky, but it's a good habit to be in.Still grinning, I eased myself out of the building I'd hid in, floating down a road to the other end of the non-destroyed part of the base. With a sweep of my arm, the Malleus on my right wrist extended out to shooting form, my Air Comet powered down, and I planted myself in a firing position.
Okay, still got enough telemetry for a position fix on Tre. Second group of Argus spheres come online in twelve seconds- should be enough. Elevating Mal to 50 degrees... charging multiple Arcane Blast... g-mana tap at ballistic levels...
Just keep flying around for another three seconds, Tre. Almost ready... almost ready.........crap.

My Unitarian Jihad Name is: Brother Atom Bomb of Courteous Debate. Get yours.

I've been writing a bit.

Spheres, cannons, 3... 2... 1... ENEMY ACTION! Big Grin

--
"Anko, what you do in your free time is your own choice. Use it wisely. And if you do not use it wisely, make sure you thoroughly enjoy whatever unwise thing you are doing." - HymnOfRagnorok as Orochimaru at SpaceBattles
woot Med. Eng., verb, 1st & 3rd pers. prsnt. sg. know, knows

...very droll, Minister. Tongue

**********
I turned my head- very carefully!- to see Cinque standing behind me. So that's where this knife came from. I'd wondered.
"Hey there, Cinque. I suppose you'd like me to power this thing down, eh?"
She nodded, the ghost of a smile on her face. "If you'd be so kind."
Think I could make her laugh if I hammed it up? Let's find out. Shift mental gears to 'stereotypical upper-class twit' impression, aaaaaaaand... "Milady, I'd be delighted to!" I looked down (as much as I could, with a knife at my throat), looking abashed. "There's only a slight problem with that- rather embarrassing, really- but I'm afraid I've quite neglected learning how." With a smile, I preempted her response.
"Would you mind terribly letting me point it someplace else? I'm rather attached to my throat, you see- been like that since I was born- and I'd hate to lose it over a little misunderstanding-" taking my left hand out of bracing position to gesture grandly at my charged spell "-like this."
I could see the corners of her mouth twitching, but Cinque managed to keep her aplomb. She raised her arm- the one not holding the knife- and pointed off to one side.
Good of her to shift the knife, too. That makes it easier. I turned in that direction, made a quick calculation, and took aim. "Awfully nice of you, dear lady. This might get rather rough... please step back a bit."
[Go.]
The ball floating in front of me began to pulse slowly. A brighter layer of power separated itself from the ball, even as the turbine-like sound of the attack picked up; every half a second, when the mana ball pulsed, it'd double in diameter, only to shrink back almost to where it began. On the seventh pulse, the sound and the brightness reached their peak, and the spell fired off.
Over the next two seconds, the ball spat out no less than eight Arcane Blasts, before exploding into motes of light. The eight Blasts, each given a slightly different path and speed, reached apopetros all at once, hanging in the air for a split-second... before barreling straight downward, at several times their original velocity.
[Break!]
At my command, all eight Blasts stopped short of hitting the ground. Instead of rolling into a ball, the tip of each Blast just turned into a sphere, growing to absorb all the mana stuffed into it, before exploding. My timing wasn't perfect- the spheres of annihilation just brushed the ground below, leaving five craters, two divots, and a bare spot in the eath below- but it was pretty darn close.
Looks like the spread compensation worked perfectly... and the beam-to-bomb conversion was definitely faster than before. Still not good enough, though. Maybe if I form the sphere before arming the blasts?
Timing was good, though. I'll keep that part of the math. That, and the explosions. And the spacing. If I'd let that hit ground, it would've been a perfect saturation-
"Imma, prepare a transfer chain. Seven links, one loopback, ending at our base. Debriefing will commence five minutes after final arrival."
Well, crap. Tre's not too pleased with me, and I can see why. That was embarrassing.

My Unitarian Jihad Name is: Brother Atom Bomb of Courteous Debate. Get yours.

I've been writing a bit.

So is this going to get Imma a title? Say, "Big Brother Atom Bomb of Courteous Debate," considering his attitude after capture, and the effect when his spell went off...

Wink

Titles? Numbers aren't big 'bout titles, methinks. Maybe I can get a title going once I stop failing at bounty hunting. If not then, once the JS Incident kicks off, I'm sure it'll happen sooner or later. Oh, and ten points and half a cookie if you know the reference from my last post.
**********

"Explain yourself, Imma. I want to know every action you took, why you took them, what you know you did wrong, and what you think you could do better, from the beginning of the exercise to the end."
I looked over at Tre. Still professional, but visibly irritated. Best to placate with blunt honesty, I think.
"My first priority, from the moment the exercise began, was to put distance between the two of us. Your close-quarters combat capability exceeds my own, just as my long-range capability exceeds yours. Expanding the engagement distance is to my benefit.
I couldn't fly off just anywhere, though. Your IS makes you faster in the air than I am. Given that my greatest strength is at range, I needed to ensure that you'd stay at range; the easiest way to accomplish that was to get out of your field of vision, and stay out of it. With that in mind, I ran off into the rubble, and then began to fly around the compound, towards the most developed surviving area.
Along the way, I stopped long enough to release a set of sensing globes on a time delay. Once I was hidden, I commanded them to begin dispersing themselves into a search pattern, weighted towards the surviving portions of the base. I was under the assumption that you would seek to close distance, and wanted greater coverage of the urban environment."
Tre raised her hand, palm out, and I stopped. "Your reasoning, at this point, is sound. If I had been on my own, I would've sought to draw you into that environment, and use the buildings to cover my attacks. Disguising your location was also a reasonable move, and reasonably well-executed. Why did you not simply create more sensor globes to cover the open areas, though?"
I smiled, just a bit. "My normal deployment pattern is just that- normal. Average. In a less congested area, I can easily spread them out a good bit further without losing performance." That, and their true range is higher than I've shown to date. Not letting you know that- not unless I have to. I shifted to a frown. "...that, and I didn't expect you to stay out there. The globes I'd assigned to the open areas weren't much more than a precaution."
She nodded. "Acceptable. Continue."

My Unitarian Jihad Name is: Brother Atom Bomb of Courteous Debate. Get yours.

I've been writing a bit.

Sorry about the short posts this week. I've been feeling a bit under the weather. It's been affecting my writing speed.
**********
"The first sign of trouble was when you started flying a search pattern, out in the open. Looking back on it now, I can see that you were acting as a diversion for Cinque; at the time, I believed you were either confirming that I'd gone to ground before entering my area, or attempting to narrow down my location more precisely.
Then I noticed that you were destroying my sensors- a sensible move, but not one that I'd considered when I designed the spell. It wasn't built to recognize the possibility. It took me some time, and a bit of experimentation, to realize what you were doing- once I had, I created another set of sensor globes, sent them on a circuitous route to disguise my position, and decided to make the first strike."
I rubbed my chin with one hand, thinking. "That reminds me. At the time, I thought you were destroying sensors to blind me- either by removing all the globes in the area, or by spreading them thin enough to create gaps in the network." Not an easy thing to do, but why let them know the reacquisition code needs work? "You weren't actually trying to accomplish either of those, were you?"
Tre inclined her head a bit- almost a nod, if I were feeling generous. "I was attempting to keep and hold your attention. It seems that it worked."
I couldn't help but chuckle at that. "That it did, Tre. That it did. It had me panicked enough to take the offensive. First mistake- never let the enemy dictate your actions.
Anyway, I found myself a spot near the far edge of the area, and began to charge my attack. I'd made sure to leave a building between you and me, selected a wide-area bombardment spell, and planned to fire it in an arc over the building. I was just over one second from firing when Cinque got to me."
Seeing Cinque begin to scowl, I sighed. "I can see three major mistakes, right there. First, I shouldn't have been out in the open. Should've found a firing position that you couldn't sneak up on me from... not to mention something less blatantly obvious. I know I should always act as if there's an enemy looking for me- I just haven't trained myself to act on it yet."
Cinque snorted. "You have no room for 'yet' or 'I know'. In combat, the only question asked is 'Are you good enough?'" She turned to Tre, and sighed. "Sister, I believe I've heard enough. Imma needs to be taken off of the combat roster for the time being. He's not ready."Well, that sounds reasonable. I'm certainly not... wait, what?

My Unitarian Jihad Name is: Brother Atom Bomb of Courteous Debate. Get yours.

I've been writing a bit.

'Wait, what?' indeed. Smile

I have a few bad habits... ones that Garrick might find rather familiar. They hadn't come up before. ^^
**********
"I said that you're not ready for combat. You aren't aware enough of your surroundings." Cinque paused for a second. "You understand, don't you? If you were to accompany us on missions, we would have to spend time and effort keeping you safe. That would put all our lives at risk."
It's not like I can argue with her. I'm sure trying would get me locked inside the complex until I shaped up- and I do have to shape up on that. She has a point. Better to go along for now.
I hung my head- pretty much for dramatic effect- and sighed. "You're right. I don't like it, but you're right. Until you both," I said, waving at Tre and Cinque, "agree that I'm ready, I'll stand down, and focus my efforts on learning awareness."
That should mollify them- now to keep privileges. "I'm not restricted to the base, am I? I was hoping to spend some time in civilian society in the next few weeks... and now that I think of it, a large crowd is just about the best way to train situational awareness short of an actual battle..."
I could see Cinque thinking it over. Finally, she turned to Tre. "I don't see any problem with that. Do you?"
Tre just looked at me, staring into my eyes. "You will not instigate a confrontation. If you are attacked, you are not to activate your Device, nor are you to use magic. Is this understood?"
She's SCARY when she wants to be! "Yes, ma'am!"
Tre held her stare for a few moments more- making sure I'm serious, if I'm not mistaken- before blinking, and averting her gaze. "Good. Inform one of us before you leave the base, and maintain transport discipline."
...do I have to be good, and call if I'm out past curfew?
"Understood. Am I dismissed?" The only answer I got was a nod; I took that as my cue to leave.
Entry 45 (Day 784)
I should've started with the tactical sims.
The day I got out of the tank, I approached Tre about getting some combat training, citing how I was caught unawares in the fight with Lada as need. She approved of the idea, agreed to help, and set the date for a testing exercise- earlier today.
The first half of the exercise went well. The second half, less so. I screwed up- didn't pay attention to my surroundings, letting Cinque close enough to take me out.
Sure, I didn't know she was there, but that's no excuse.
Anyway, the two of them decided that I'm not to be allowed to fight until I learn to mind my surroundings. No ifs, ands, or buts about it- I'm Not Allowed to get into a single fight until they say so.
I'd've thought that foolish, but Scaglietti and the Numbers have access to more intelligence than just about anybody else short of the Bureau. If anybody could track my current state, it'd be them. Odds are that any attempt to work my way around their ban would just get me into actual trouble.
Besides, I don't want to. They're right. I did slip up, it would've gotten me killed if it happened in a mission, and I'm a danger to any team I fight with- or to myself, if I'm alone in a battle. I already lost an arm- what more proof do I need?
Priorities now are simple. Learn situational awareness. Advance my civilian goals. Train. Getting stronger can wait until I've got the skills to use it... and until I've got this Sein off my head.
Wow! Now I see what Little Big Sis meant! You just wait, little brother- Ambush Sein is on the cas346456767usdfhgn44u5tbgbsdifvzia4k..............
First priority? LEARN HOW TO SEIN-PROOF MY JOURNAL. Seriously.

My Unitarian Jihad Name is: Brother Atom Bomb of Courteous Debate. Get yours.

I've been writing a bit.

Oh, well you should be perfectly safe now, Genki Oneechan is on the ca-

Oof!
--
"Anko, what you do in your free time is your own choice. Use it wisely. And if you do not use it wisely, make sure you thoroughly enjoy whatever unwise thing you are doing." - HymnOfRagnorok as Orochimaru at SpaceBattles
woot Med. Eng., verb, 1st & 3rd pers. prsnt. sg. know, knows

...you know, I just went back over my progress so far on this story. It started in the middle of 0059, MSLN-wise. I'm currently up to late 0061/early 0062.
I have, to date, written 173 pages in Wordpad... not counting the rewrites, added scenes, and editing work for the SB version. For reference, my only previous fic clocked in at 111 pages, plus some side-stories and part of an unfinished sequel.
I'm scared. O.oAlso amused. I enjoyed writing this montage bit- Sein is fun as heck to write, and the montage format was a fun experiment. Let me know how it works for you, please; I was trying to keep events clear and easy to follow, with a minimum of actual description.
**********

"WAKE UP, LITTLE BRO!"
"....uggggghhh... sein? Wha? What's going on?"
"Didn't see me coming, did you? You need to work on that!"
"...sure. Later. When it's not the middle of the night. Sleeping now."
THUMP.
"...well, he's no fun; he fell right over!"
*****
...I really didn't expect the doctor to have such an impressive kitchen. I have to wonder- is it a food synthesizer, or an actually robo-chef? I mean, the one is practical, but the other fits how he wants all the thi-"BOO!"
THUMP.
"Sein, dear? Could you get off of me maybe? That sort of hurt."
"...what? Oh, right!"
*****
...can't sleep- Sein will get me. Can't sleep- Sein will get me. Can't sleep...
"You don't look so good, Little Brother."
"Oh, hey Sein. I stayed up all night. Thought you were going to ambush me."
"Oh? You should've just gotten some sleep- I gave you last night off!"
THUMP. THUMP. THUMP. THU-
"You really shouldn't be hitting your head on the wall like that, you know? It's not good for you!"Cruelty, thy name is Sein.

My Unitarian Jihad Name is: Brother Atom Bomb of Courteous Debate. Get yours.

I've been writing a bit.

What? No chanting in ancient Latin? Big Grin

EDIT: Tried finding the appropriate clip from the movie, Real Genius, but to no avail. Sad

Nah. She's a cuter form of horror than that. ^^
Also, notice how most of my shooting spells start off with the word "Arcane" to Nanoha's "Divine"? When that fight comes up, I couldn't help but plan to have her comment on it... and I think I have a response figured out.
"I don't claim to be a cleric, Miss Takamachi, and I ain't no favored soul. I'm more of a plaything than a paladin to whatever gods might be out there... so why should I dedicate my spells to them?"
**********
*****
Okay, so she likes to show up right here. I just have to wait here, and...
"RAWRRwha?"
"Come on out of that floor, Sein. I got you this time."
"Hey, no fair! You don't get to lay in wait like that- it's against the rules!"
"...really? There are rules?"
"......well, no. But how are you going to learn to deal with surprises if you plan ahead for them?"
"..."
"Imma? What're you thinking about?"
"Your last sentence. It makes no sense... but somehow, I understood it completely. Am I crazy?"
"Nope! Now go back to what you were doing, so I can surprise you!"
"Right, right...Oh, wait! Before you leave?"
"Yes?"
"Try popping in somewhere else in the room next time. You've used that spot three times in a row."
"I have? That's not right. Thanks!"
*****
SMACK.
"...Sein, I distinctly remember telling you you'd launched the same ambush three times in a row."
"Mhm! That's why I did it again!"
"What."
"Well, I'm trying to catch you by surprise, right? If I wanted to surprise you, I couldn't do anything surprising. You'd expect it. Soooooooo, I tried to catch you by surprise by doing something not-surprising, and it worked! Surprise!"
"..."
"...Imma...?"
VWORSH... THOOM.
"Sein, care to explain why the room under mine is full of fluffy cushions and stuffed animals?"
"Eheheh... I sort of figured I'd fall through the floor at some point, so I set this up to break my fall!
...I just wasn't expecting it to be from a hug."
"...surprise."
"Wait a second. You can swim through anything. Why would you need to break your fall?!"
"...huh. Never thought of that."

My Unitarian Jihad Name is: Brother Atom Bomb of Courteous Debate. Get yours.

I've been writing a bit.

Oh God, Sein is just too freakin' adorable here!

D'awwsome

...tell me about it. She tends to steal any scene I write her into. It's beginning to scare me.
**********Something doesn't feel right. Movement behind me?! SEIN!CRASH. PLOP.
"Oof! ...wait, Imma? How did you?!"
"Sent my chair flying backwards, jumped forwards out of it, and snatched you as you fell out of the ceiling.
Now I've got you in my clutches. Do you surrender?"
"Never! I, Sein, will fight on to the e-hahahHAHAHAAAA! Stop it! IMMMMMMAAAAAA!"
"Give up now? Or do I need to tickle you some more?"
"I give! I give!"
*****
...so I've got AV recordings of a number of enemy types. I could set Mal up to add them to my AR in random places at random times, and then just add a scoring sys-"Owwwwww.... That hurt, little bro!"Couldn't she have just- yes, I'm sure she could've phased... if she'd seen it coming. That means-
"...I'm hurt, Sein. Didn't you expect me to dodge?"
"Not really. I sort of thought you'd catch me!"
"Well, if I'd known that, I'd've tried. As it was, I thought you'd just- you know, sink into the floor, or something."
"Well, I didn't! I hit my head on the floor! As an apology, I demand... hmmm... a piggyback ride! Around the complex!"Really? Yeah, sure- I'll play along.
"Yes, Your Highness. Right away, Your Highness."
"Quiet, steed! Horses don't talk!"Well, excuuuuuuuuuuuuse me, Princess!
"Let us never speak of this. To ANYONE."
"Well, if you care that much about it, Little Brother... nope!"
"Hey! Get back here!"
*****
Something feels off. Breeze shouldn't be here. Air moving... there!
"Got you!"
"No- NEVER! You'll never... oh, all right. You got me. Happy?"
"...please don't pout at me like that. I'd rather be pounced on than see that pouty face of yours."
"Okay!"
*CRASH*
"...Sein... table... digging into (ow!) ...my back!"
"Oh! Right!
That better?"Why did I give her an opening like that?
"...much."
*****
"Don't even try it."
"...you never let me have any fun! Can I get out of the wall, at least?"
"I wasn't talking to you. I was talking to Cinque."
"!"
"Yes, I know you're behind me. Back away. Sein, you can go ahead and come out."
"...ah. Much better!"
"Good. Now, Cinque. Were you trying to test me, or did you have some other business?"
"I came to find you merely to ask how you were doing. I would've already done so, but I suspected Sein was about to pounce, and wished to see how you handled it.
...I'll also admit to some... curiousity... as to whether you'd notice me, and how long it would take."
"Well! I suspect you'd be pleased to know that I noticed you about two minutes ago. I would've spoken up sooner, but I had a feeling-"
"-You saw me coming, too?! A-am I really that predictable?"
"Only to us, Sein." We live with you- if anybody would get you, we would.
...wait. I know that stance. Brace for iiiiiiiiit...
*POUNCE*
"...you didn't fall over?"
"Nope. Saw that coming, too."

My Unitarian Jihad Name is: Brother Atom Bomb of Courteous Debate. Get yours.

I've been writing a bit.

I'd say "get a room", but (a) Imma's still too young, and (b) adopted-brother-adopted-sister. I assume (a) will resolve itself over time, but (b) will always be there...
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

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