Okay, I'm going out on a limb and guessing that "Angel Baby" is probably going to take place between the seventh and twelfth Angels. (Asuka's debut and the Sea of Dirac, respectively)
Obviously, Doug isn't going to fix up Asuka and Shinji. That would be typical SI behavior in EVA fics, unless the author goes after one of them him/herself. Trust me on this, I should know.
However, I do see Doug giving advice freely if asked. I think the Loon would make a better paternal figure than Kaji...
''We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat
them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary.''

-- James Nicoll

Lots of activity on the prereaders' list last night as a lot of little tweaks got bandied about. Plus a lot of comments along the line of "you've hit one out of the park," which I think bodes well for my readers' enjoyment.
Unless something big shows up when I get home from work, the whole chapter goes in for final preread tonight. Which, yes, means that (again, unless something goes wrong) a week from tonight, the last chapter and the epilogues for Drunkard's Walk II will be released.
In the mean time, I'm working on the concordance entries for the new material, and deciding if I want to write some more omake...


-- Bob
---------
There's no wrong way to eat a Rhesus.

Girl:
Hey! Listen now it's coming so close
I'll let the rhythm surround me
I'm getting itchy and I'm ready to move
I'm mighty glad that you found me
There's a drummer going at it way down in the core of my soul
There's no escaping the music and I'm psyching up my feet
And they're telling me we're ready to roll
There are times when I can fight it but now's the time I want to give in
Sooner or later we'll get around to love
But now's the time to shake it
Oh Baby let the party begin
Baby let the party begin
When I woke up this morning and I looked out my window
I could see the sky was cloudy and gray
There was a chill in the air and a pain in my heart
And the thunder it was coming my way
Oh, it was looking pretty bad and I was so alone
And there was any place to go
But now I'm out of the blue, I know what I got to do
And something in me's starting to grow
I can feel it in me starting to grow...grow...grow...grow...
I got dance in my pants
Every time I feel the power in a radio wave
I turn it up all the way
I got dance in my pants
Every time I see the glory of a good-looking face
Well I just got to say:
"Hey now, don't you worry baby, everything'll be fine
We got nothing but the best and we got nothing but time
And there'll always be a time when they'll be waiting in line
To be dancing, dancing..."
You don't say nothing all week, you're getting ready for
Dancing, dancing
And now your body really knows how to speak, you're getting ready for
Dancing, dancing
You don't say nothing all week, you're getting ready for
Dancing, dancing
Now your body really knows how to speak, you're getting ready
Come on, take a chance
You got a whole lotta style and a load of romance
And me, me, me... I got dance in my pants...
I got dance in my pants...
I got dance in my pants...
Boy:
I'm a lover not a dancer
I'm a lover not a dancer
Don't want to be on my feet when I can be on my back
Don't want to be on the floor when I can be in the sack
I'm a lover not a dancer
I'm a lover not a dancer
I'm just a little bit tired if you know what I mean
Don't want to be in a crowd when I can be in a dream
I'm a lover not a dancer, Baby
Baby let me prove it to you
Baby let me prove it to you
Girl:
We can rock it really hard or we can roll it really slow
We can lift it really high or we can dip it really low
We can hold it in tight or we can let it all out
Or we can work up a sweat and really stomp it and shout
Let me pull you so close and then we'll break away fast
We'll be the best on the floor we got the cool and the flash
We'll make a dangerous turn but we'll come out of it fine
I know the best of the moves we'll get them right every time
Boy:
I'm a lover not a dancer
I'm a lover not a dancer
Don't want to be on my feet when I can be on my back
Don't want to be on the floor when I can be in the sack
I'm a lover not a dancer
I'm a lover not a dancer
I'm just a little bit tired if you know what I mean
Don't want to be in a crowd when I can be in a dream
I'm a lover not a dancer, Baby
Baby let me prove it to you
I don't care what you say
Ain't nothing going to get me out on that floor...
Girl: Oh baby, you know there may be some moves, that you haven't even seen yet
Boy: No way, Jose!
Girl: Well, I got a new step for you -- Made it up all by myself. I bet you never tried this before.
Boy: Oh, jeez.
Girl: Come on.
Boy: Oh, jeez.
Girl: Come on!
Boy: Oh, jeez!
Girl: Now that you know how it's done, it's only a matter of practice
Boy: Well, I could sure use some of that practice
Girl: Now that you know how it's done, it's only a matter of practice
Boy: Well, I could sure use some of that practice....
(sings)
Grow, grow, grow, grow... grow, grow, grow, grow....
I got dance in my pants
Every time I feel the power in a radio wave I turn it up all the way
I got dance in my pants
Every time I see the glory of a good-looking face
Well I just got to say:
"Hey now, don't you worry, baby, everything'll be fine
We got nothing but the best and we got nothing but time
And there'll always be a time when they'll be waiting in line
To be dancing, dancing..."
You don't say nothing all week, you're getting ready for
Dancing, dancing
And now your body really knows how to speak, you're getting ready for
Dancing, dancing
You don't say nothing all week, you're getting ready for
Dancing, dancing
Now your body really knows how to speak, you're getting ready
Come on, take a chance
You got a whole lotta style and a load of romance
And me, me, me... I got dance in my pants...
I got dance in my pants...
I got dance in my pants...
Girl:
I'll crank it up all the way
They'll never get me to stop
I gotta stay in motion 'til the moment that I finally drop
When they decide that I'm gone
I know they're gonna try to put me to rest but I won't be afraid
Because I know, I know there's dance after death
Boy:
Oooh, I know there's dance after death
And I don't ever want to be rescued
I don't ever want to be saved
I got a feeling that I'm gonna be alive forever
Dancing on the edge of a grave
Dancing on the edge of a grave
Both:
And I don't ever want to be rescued
I don't ever want to be saved
I got a feeling that I'm gonna be alive forever
Dancing on the edge of a grave
Dancing on the edge of a...
Dancing on the edge of a...
Dancing on the edge of a grave
-- Jim Steinman, Dance In My Pants
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

A modern-day warrior
Mean mean stride
Today's Tom Sawyer
Mean mean pride
Though his mind is not for rent
Don't put him down as arrogant
His reserve, a quiet defense
Riding out the day's events
The river
What you say about his company
Is what you say about society
Catch the mist, catch the myth
Catch the mystery, catch the drift
The world is the world is
Love and life are deep
Maybe as his skies are wide
Today's Tom Sawyer
He gets high on you
And the space he invades
He gets by on you
No, his mind is not for rent
To any god or government
Always hopeful, yet discontent
He knows changes aren't permanent
But change is
And what you say about his company
Is what you say about society
Catch the witness, catch the wit
Catch the spirit, catch the spit
The world is the world is
Love and life are deep
Maybe his eyes are wide
Exit the warrior
Today's Tom Sawyer
He gets high on you
And the energy you trade
He gets right on to
The friction of the day
-- Rush, Tom Sawyer
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

Have you ever considered "When you wish upon a star" from Pinoccio?
-----------
Writer: Leigh Harline; Lyrics: Ned Washington
When you wish upon a star, makes no difference who you are
Anything your heart desires will come to you
If your heart is in your dream, no request is too extreme
When you wish upon a star as dreamers do
(Fate is kind, she brings to those who love
The sweet fulfillment of their secret longing)
Like a bolt out of the blue, fate steps in and sees you through
When you wish upon a star, your dreams come true
-----------
It does have potential ... though it's probably too powerful to use, really. Unless it fulfills wishes unorthodox kind of ways tus making wishing dangerous at times -- 'take me home' could take Doug to any place he called home once, for instance.
-- Cal

I have once again had to learn the hardest lesson one must learn to be an author: when to cut the passage that you think is unspeakably cool and perfect, because it ruins the rest of the scene. I had this chunk about about 2K, maybe less, which I wrote literally years ago. It was the axis around which Doug's departure scene was planned. And in going over that scene, which I wrote this weekend, and which I was editing and revising last night, I realized that it just no longer fit. The passage pushed the whole scene far, far over the top. So I had to get rid of it.
'Scuse me whilst I huddle in the corner and weep for what might have been...


-- Bob
---------
There's no wrong way to eat a Rhesus.

Quote:

---

Americanime
Revenge for "Japanimation".

---

At the very worst, it would stretch a rubberband between LT's feet and acrossed his nose...
At best, grant LT Stretching Powers...
In all likely hood, summons the image of a short, fat man that does exactly what the song says he does, causing every one else to stop and stare...
Artist: Spinners Lyrics
Song: The Rubberband Man Lyrics
Hand me down my walkin cane
Hand me down my hat
Hurry now and dont be late
'Cause we aint got time to chat
You and me were goin out
To catch the latest sounds
Guaranteed to blow your mind
So high you wont come down
Hey, yall prepare yourself
For the Rubberband man
You never heard a sound
Like the rubberband man
Youre bound to lose control
When the Rubberband starts to jam
Oh, Lord, this dude is outta sight
Everything he does
seems to come out right
Once I went to hear them play
At a club outside of town
I was so surprised, I was hypnotized
By the sound this cats puttin down
When I saw this short fat guy
Stretch a band between his toes
Hey, I laughed so hard cause the man got down
When he finally reached his goal
Hey, yall prepare yourself
For the Rubberband man
You never heard a sound
Like the rubberband man
Youre bound to lose control
When the Rubberband starts to jam
Got that rubberband
Up on his toes
And then he wriggled it up
All around his nose
(Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo)
Guaranteed to blow your mind
(Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo)
Playin all that music, yet keepin time
(Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo)
Where in the world did he learn that, oh, Lord
(Doo doo doo doo doo)
Lord, help him get away
Hey, yall prepare yourself
For the Rubberband man
You never heard a sound
Like the rubberband man
Youre bound to lose control
When the Rubberband starts to jam
Doo doo doo doo doo
Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo
Doo doo doo doo doo
Rubberband man, Rubberband man
How much of this stuff do he think we can stand
So much rhythm, grace and debonair from one man, Lord
And then he had nerve to wiggle his left toe
To his knee, got the feelin in his head, yall
Ah, come on, baby
Hey, yall prepare yourself
For the Rubberband man
You never heard a sound
Like the rubberband man
Youre bound to lose control
When the Rubberband starts to jam
Rubberband man starts to jam
Movin up and down across the land
Got people all in his ways
Everything about him seems out of place
Just a movin, just a movin, just a move-move-movin
Just a Rubberband, Rubberband man
Just a movin, just a movin, just a move-move-movin
Just a Rubberband, Rubberband man
Get down
Oh, get down lover
Uh-huh

While turning some of my cds into MP3s i ran across this song and it occured to me it could give Doug a minor power.
L.L. Cool J. - "Mama Said Knock You Out"
lyrics at www.thesonglyricsworld.co...ouout.html
The way this would work is that a small figure of a little old lady (about 6in tall) would sit on Doug's shoulder. Before Doug went to throw a punch the little old lady would said "Knock'em Out". This punch would only knock out the person punched. I just can't help but chuckle every time I see this in my head.

Shawn Earl

I've finished the last whole scene I needed to write. (I have half an epilogue scene yet to do.) I've got to reread the initial draft of the scene, fix any problems, and post it to the prereaders yet, which I should be able to do before the end of the weekend. If all goes well, the entire chapter will be submitted for final prereading maybe by the end of the week -- which means chapter 15 and epilogues should be out in two weeks.


-- Bob
---------
There's no wrong way to eat a Rhesus.