This is something one or two fanfic authors have made use of, and I can't believe it is a product line that Genom would ignore...
Can't you just see this Buma Puppy (TM) looking up at Doug with those, big, big, puppy dog eyes, and him not being at all sure what to do about it?
Of course, once you Adopt A Puppy, your life can get so much more interesting!
Is this the sort of strategy that Madigan might try? [evil grin]
...
"Buma Kitten! Even if it does get flushed down the toilet, half an hour in the washing machine on 'plush', and it will be as good as new! Guaranteed never to burst out of it's fur in a grusome but effective fashion!"
[grin]
--
"It is the business of the future to be dangerous" - Hawkwind

I suspect that Doug wont be doing any hacking to the Ysigdril (sp?) system, as that might be considered a bit too typical SI.
However, if he _did_ gain serious access to the system, what do you think he would do with it?
Just trying to start a maybe interesting thread...
--
"It is the business of the future to be dangerous" - Hawkwind

OK...
As per recomendations I have read the first manga "Kodocha", and may watch the first anime episode or two.
On the basis of reading the manga, I am not sure that I am happy with Doug interacting with that world.
Sure, there are some funny bits (hairdos and chipmunks), but I really don't like the school society shown (reminds me a bit too much of the "fun" I had with bullies in schools, and the seeming inability of anyone to do anything about it).
Also there are overtones in the author's side-panels that set off at least faint alarm bells in my head, to do with where she got her characters from, and how she handles them. It sounds... unhealthy.
I can see what Doug might do, or how he might join the list of adults manipulated by Sana, "for their own good", but I am not sure I am happy with this.
Am I the only one who feels unsure/uncertain about this?
Or, should I invest in a load more therapy sessions! [grin]
Maybe the lack of high tech or magic, or a style of humour that I am happy with, in Sana's world has something to do with it...
--
"It is the business of the future to be dangerous" - Hawkwind

Does Doug realize that he is, potentialy at the very least, A Paladin?
Does he realize that he might get home faster if he prayed to Wetter Hexxe? At the very least it would provide a Signal Beacon for his goddess to home in on.

...for the first time in what I guess must be 30 years. Clyde Beatty-Cole Brothers circus, three rings under a geniune canvas big top. Peg and I met up with Kat "Kat" Avins and Joseph "Dwimanor" Avins and their daughter Nina "I'm only three, I don't have a code name yet" Avins. And we all had a great time.
And I got to remembering the old book/Disney flick "Toby Tyler", and all the other stories about kids who run away to join the circus, and realized, there's a Step in there somewhere. Doug would be a natural in a circus.
I don't know when/if this will blossom into a story, but I don't think I'll be letting go of this idea any time soon.
Just wanted to share, that's all.

-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

So titled because, of course, Asuka really isn't.
Now, I was reading a bit of Evafic (Step Beyond the Abyss, by N. T. Martin - reccomended, BTW) and had a... hmm. Revelation? Epiphany? Whatever.
Each of the Eva pilots has certain problems with the way they interact with the rest of the universe, and the way they view themselves. It's interesting, and probably a comment on Anno's state of mind, that the 'internal' problem is much the same - a lack of self respect bordering on hatred. They differ from each other so widely because of the way their 'exterior' damage proceeds from the 'internal'.
Asuka's external problems aren't brattiness or anything... it's just that she only has one tool for dealing with other people - a hammer - so she turns all her problems into nails.
This doesn't mean that she's -happy- about it, but that displeasure over her own actions feeds back into her own self-loathing, which in turn boils over into more "Hammerbitch" and so on in a vicious cycle that she can't escape on her own.
Blessed be.
-n
(This is tangentially related to my biggest problem with Anno - his apparent conviction that personal growth is inherently destructive.)
===========

===============================================
"V, did you do something foolish?"
"Yes, and it was glorious."

She had hair like Jeannie Shrimpton
Back in 1965
She had legs that never ended
I was halfway paralyzed
She was tall and cool and pretty and
She dressed as black as coal
If she'd ask me to I'd murder
I would gladly lose my soul

Now I lie in bed and think of her
Sometimes I even weep
Then I dream of her
Behind the wall of sleep

Well she held a bass guitar and
She was playing in a band
And she stood just like Bill Wyman
Now I am her biggest fan
Now I know I'm one of many
Who would like to be your friend
And I've got to find a way
To let you know I'm not like them

Now I lie in bed and think of her
Sometimes I even weep
Then I dream of her
Behind the wall of sleep

(bridge)

Now I lie in bed and think of her
Sometimes I even weep
Then I dream of her
Behind the wall of sleep

Got your number from a friend of mine
Who lives in your hometown
Called you up to have a drink
Your roommate said you weren't around
Now I know I'm one of many
Who would like to be your friend
And I've got to find a way to
Let you know I'm not like them

Now I lie in bed and think of her
Sometimes I even weep
Then I dream of her
Behind the wall of sleep
Behind the wall of sleep
Behind the wall of sleep
Behind the wall of sleep
-- Smithereens, Behind the Wall of Sleep

Dedicated to Doug's memory of Shadowwalker

(Edit: Minor corrections to lyrics)

-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

Here we are.
Born to be kings.
We're the princes of the universe.
Here we belong.
Fighting to survive.
In a world with the darkest powers.
And here we are. We're the princes of the universe.
Here we belong. Fighting for survival.
We've come to be the rules of your world.
I am immortal. I have inside me blood of kings.
I have no rival. No man can be my equal.
Take me to the future of your world.
Born to be kings.
Princes of the universe.
Fighting and free.
Got your world in my hand.
I'm here for your love and I'll make my stand.
We were born to be princes of the universe.
No man could understand.
My power is in my own hand.
Ooh. Ooh. Ooh. People talk about you.
People say you've had your day.
I'm a man that will go far.
Fly the moon and reach for the stars.
With my sword and head held high.
Got to pass the test first time - yeah.
I know that people talk about me I hear it every day.
But I can prove you wrong cos I'm right first time.
Yeah. Yeah. Alright. Watch this man fly.
Bring on the girls.
Here We are.
Born to be kings.
We're the princes of the universe.
Here we belong.
Born to be kings.
Princes of the universe.
Fighting and free.
Got the world in my hands.
I'm here for your love.
And I'll make my stand.
We were born to be princes of the universe.
-- Queen, Princes Of The Universe
Words and music by Freddie Mercury
From the album "A Kind of Magic"
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

A micro-Step might be a brief encounter with Dr. Harold Shea, Ph.D., and his lovely wife, Belephebe. Or perhaps Dr. Shea's mentor, Dr. Reed Chalmers and his lovely wife, Florimel. Both characters are from "The Compleat [sic] Enchanter" by L. Sprague de Camp and Fletcher Pratt (later stories by Christopher Stasheff), and are the original cross-literature fiction. Shea and Chalmers, being people of the 50s-60s, would recognize the concept of "comic heroes" and probably find Doug fascinating from a psychological point of view (both of them are psychiatrists). Their method of travelling between universes is conceptual (i.e., if they believe they're in a universe logically, they can perceive it and be transported there), and might be able to give Doug some tips on controlling his steps. Or send him spinning off in the completely wrong direction.
Ebony the Black Dragon
Senior Editor, Living Room Games
www.lrgames.com
Ebony the Black Dragon
http://ebony14.livejournal.com

"Good night, and may the Good Lord take a Viking to you."

This is an EPU Spectrum Green Pattern Alert!
All hands! Brace for Angel attack!
For those of you who haven't checked yet, there is a new terminal at the Neo Exodus Evangelion website.
Neon Exodus Evangelion - The Movie - Apotheosis Now...
Is being posted TOMORROW.
Further details at the Eyrie Productions website.
Incoming! AT fields at maximum output!
(Yes, I know it's a cross post from general. But this is Evangelion related, and a lot of fans of Bob's work are EPU fans as well. If you see it first, here, answer in the General section only, please.)