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| Something from Miracle of Sound |
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Posted by: Norgarth - 07-10-2017, 05:59 PM - Forum: The Game Everyone Loves To Play
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not game/movie inspired, but rather about moving on from broken relationships
Lyrics in the description
Could make for a good gatesong
___________________________
"I've always wanted to be somebody, but I should have been more specific." - George Carlin
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| [RFC] Being You is Deculture |
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Posted by: Black Aeronaut - 07-09-2017, 02:15 PM - Forum: Hangar 13
- Replies (281)
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Hey guys. Been awhile, I know.
So, good news-bad news.
Obviously, some good news - this thread as well as new material. And I know for a fact that some of you have been awaiting this one eagerly. 
Bad news - this is actually all old material. It's from the original Brothers Grimm project my brothers and I were working on, but got left by the wayside because of the whole thing with life happening. :p
However, I think that some filling, sanding, finishing, and polishing... it's worthwhile material to reuse.
Now, I know what some people are thinking. "What about Being You is Convalescence?"
Well, for whatever reason I haven't really been feeling that one lately. That and I think that I REALLY need to take a step back and plot that one out more carefully. I will get to it, but it's just been such a drag lately and I honestly feel a lot more up to writing Macross.
Some other things to keep in mind:
1) When I wrote the original material, I did so using the old Harmony Gold Robotech dubs as a reference because I didn't have access to the original Japanese version, Super Dimensional Fortress Macross. Expect to see snippets of dialogue and verbal ticks taken from that context.
2) This is still very much a work in progress, and I'm going to be filling out scenes that I bumrushed through before. However, any thoughts or ideas about how to fill things out will be very much welcome.
3) I have done some initial work - mainly changing the names of characters to reflect their identities from the original version of the source material. Granted, I know that the reconstruction of ASS-1 was a multinational effort, but with the island being so close to Japan, I feel that a strong Asian presence in general was unavoidable. So, as far as I'm concerned, it fits.
4) Please let me know if I got something wrong. The annoying thing about writing fiction is that, unlike real life, it has to make sense. :p
Have you ever landed flat on your ass? It's not like landing on the part where you have all the fat and muscle to pad your fall. Instead, you land right on the bottom side of your of your pelvic bone and you feel your guts slamming against the tissues that hold them in place. Not a pleasant sensation, let me tell you.
I didn't get much time to pity myself, though, because somewhere some idiot had opened a door into a hard vacuum.
"HOLY SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!" I screamed as a grabbed ahold of a pipe. Fortunately, it was firmly attached and I was able to lever myself against the current and hook an arm over it.
Fight-or-flight had already set in, and by God, I had no choice but to fight. I knew that vacuums of any kind were dangerous things. God only knew what I would find if I let myself get carried away, but chances were pretty good that it would be fatal in the extremely short term. I only hoped that this place didn't run out of air or else I'd really be in trouble.
There was a sudden crashing sound, accompanied by whirring motors from some distance...
And like a light gone out the air stopped moving... and I fell onto my ass once more, this time wrenching my arm painfully as I did so.
"...uuuuuuuuugggghh," I managed to vocalize after a few minutes.
Gar-kun! Are you okay!? came Katherine’s voice in my head.
Yeah, just peachy, I replied. Just... gimme a moment here.
I just laid there for a while, blood hammering through my arteries as though being forced through by a huge whizz-bang pump. I could already feel the headache coming on from all that blood pressure and began to hope that maybe somewhere I might find a first aid kit with some aspirin or something.
After a long moment, I finally got back to Katherine.
Okay. Feeling a bit better now. What do you have for me so far?
Well, we’re not home. Sorry gar-kun.
It’s okay. I wasn’t expecting that so soon. Any idea where we’re at?
I can’t tell. The sea of space-time here is all... wonky. It’s like someone just did a cannonball through the fabric of space.
There was a noise in the distance. Something clattering, followed by voices.
With some pain I began to push myself up. Pain is good, I remind myself. Pain reminds you that you're alive. Also, you need to make sure you keep on moving because more often than not it helps keep you from getting stiff.
Wincing and limping, I made my way down the corridor while I kept Katherine in the back of my mind.
What do you think, Sprout?
Two people. Not sure what’s up, but I don’t think it’s dangerous.
I came to the source of the noise. It was some kind of aircraft, suspended upside-down in the over head with some assembly of hooks and chains. Apparently this was some kind of workshop space. The canopy had been opened and in the cockpit were two people. A girl dangling from the arms of the guy still strapped into the seat. Suddenly the two fell into a heap together, then looked at each other and cracked up laughing.
"Hey, you guys okay?" I called out as I began to make my way over to them.
"Hey, who's that?" said the girl in Japanese as she pointed at me. I got my first good look at her then. She was definitely Asian, and most likely Chinese. Here voluminous hair was a bit of a mess, but I could tell that it was supposed to be in an oriental style that was supposed to accentuate her cute-factor. She was also pretty small - most likely because she was only sixteen or seventeen years old.
Small performance plane in the ceiling.
Cute girl in the cockpit with the pilot.
Strange industrial setting where I almost got sucked into God knows what.
Most likely the vacuum of outer space.
Oh boy... Katherine! I think we're in Super Dimensional Fortress Macross!
Alright, accessing your anime archive... Whoooo! This is some fun stuff, Gar-kun! So whatcha gonna do? Huh? Huh~?
Well... I guess I’m gonna start by seeing how well the magic of friendship works here.
Are you gonna keep me a secret?
Just for now, Sprout. These guys might have a bad reaction. You already went through all those episodes, right? You noticed how vile the politicians got before they all got wiped out?
Okay, I see your point. We’ll play it low key then.
All that conversation had gone on in just barely more than a second, so I was able to go on without really missing a beat.
"Just some poor sorry civilian," I said, switching into Japanese with ease as I reached down to help them up. Regular use as a private language between myself, the Royals, and the Main Six had kept it from going rusty. "How about you? Are one or both of you guys actually with those guys in the crazy fighter planes?"
"Ah, kinda," grunted the guy as I pulled him up. He was Asian as well, something of an everyman, with thick dark-brown hair and, oddly enough, blue eyes. Probably had an American parent. He was young, too. Either eighteen or nineteen if I had to guess. "I was flying one but I'm not one of them."
I helped the girl up next, who said, "Yeah, it was all a mistake."
"Do you know how to get out of here?" he asked.
Now, here I faced a major decision point. I could try and convince this guy that I was a dimensional traveler, but I was pretty sure that would go over like a lead balloon, especially once we are discovered later on by a search and rescue party.
Or, I could play it off like I'd been around all along. Besides, if I had a feeling that there was a passport in one of my cargo pockets that would help solidify any and all claims of citizenship.
I shook my head. "Nah. I was taking a tour of this place when I got separated from my group and then everything went to hell. What's been going on out there?"
"It's an alien invasion!" piped up the girl. "These machines came and destroyed our town!"
I played up the clueless, blinking and looking to the boy. "Did she bump her head, or did she just get too much sugar this morning?"
"HEY!" fumed the girl and the boy laughed.
He then sobered up quickly, then said, "It's true. I don't know what they want, but they did come and wreck the town."
"Unreal," I said, playing up the shock a bit. I then sighed and kicked it into business mode. "Well, look. Either way, we're lost and we need to get out of here, maybe find some help. Is your radio working?"
"Hmm. Lemme check." The boy poked his head up inside the cockpit and cursed.
"What's wrong?" asked the girl.
"The radio's broken."
I wasn't gonna be deterred that easily. "Do you got a survival kit in that plane of yours?"
"Yeah, but it's not much. Just some rations for one person for a few days."
"Does it have an emergency beacon?"
The boy blinked. "Yeah, it does! I can't believe I didn't think of that!"
"Well, let's activate it."
"Sure. By the way, what's your name?"
“I'm Garrick Grimm. How about you two?”
"I'm Lyn Minmei," said the girl. "But please just call me Minmei."
"And I'm Ichijyo Hikaru. But you can just call me Hikaru."
"Nice to meet both you guys. Well, Hikaru, it's your plane. I dunno where you got that kit stashed at."
"No problem," said Hikaru as he stuck his head up in the inverted cockpit. Soon enough, the emergency beacon was active, we ate the first three of nine ration tins, and began to figure out what all we had.
Poor Minmei, due to her circumstances, had nothing.
Hikaru was little better off. All his gear was meant for survival in a wilderness setting. He did have a gyrocompass built into his watch, though, so we could at least maintain our orientation. However, he did have a small tool kit that he could use to do emergency repairs to his plane. That would come in handy.
Me, on the other hand...
Katherine, do me a favor?
Sure thing, Gar-kun. Whatcha need?
Drop all my multi-tools into my backpack. And scrounge up my iPhone just in case. I might actually be able to use it a bit. Oh, and the emergency charger, too.
Now, I know that some people wouldn't think that an iPhone could be used as a survival tool, but there these people would be wrong.
The iPhone itself is, in all reality, a microcomputer with more processing power than any desktop machine in the early 90's. It has digital accelerometers. The seventh generation model (which I had) has three cameras - one on the face and two on the backplate. And it was fairly water resistant. If you had a drawing app you can create crude maps and save them to memory. You can record an audio log using the built-in app. And with frugal usage, it can go several days without a charge.
The C-pod was of even more use, but there lie the crux of the matter. I could open a door into my C-Space and we could relax in comfort, but that would blow my cover in an instant. I simply wanted to blend in. Fortunately, Washu had left apps that were very useful, such as a highly accurate inertial navigator and a radio application. Only trouble is, though, that I didn’t know what frequency to use.
Using the tools I had on hand, I gave us even odds on finding a way out back to... well, something resembling civilization.
All done, Gar-kun.
Thanks, Sprout.
I quickly dug into my bag and laid out what I had.
Laptop computer.
Four Leatherman tools.
A 3-AA Cell LED Maglite.
My emergency tie-down kit.
And the iPhone with the emergency crank-charger.
Hikaru whistled. “I guess the laptop won’t be much use, but those multitools sure look like they’ll come in handy... You have an iPhone?”
“Yeah. It could be useful.”
“Maybe. I mean, it’s only a Seven. Nowhere nearly as nice as the iPhone Nine.”
Take notes, Katherine. My stuff is behind the tech curve here.
Roger-dodger, Gar-kun.
We made a plan to take turns between exploring the area and keeping someone behind at what I had dubbed Base-Camp. Minmei was left behind for the first shift, but not without an important job.
"Minmei, do you know the morse code for SOS?"
"No, I don't know any morse code at all."
"That's okay. Pretty much the only thing I know is SOS. Here, let me show you." I got a handy chain link that was lying around and tapped it against the deck.
Tap-tap-tap-tap...tap...tap...tap-tap-tap.
Tap-tap-tap-tap...tap...tap...tap-tap-tap.
Tap-tap-tap-tap...tap...tap...tap-tap-tap.
"You see, it's three short, followed right away by three long, and then three short again. And you keep on repeating that sequence."
"Sure! It's pretty easy to remember."
"Yup. They made it like that on purpose - anyone can at least do SOS if they know what it is."
When we left, Minmei was eagerly tapping out the sequence for SOS. I knew that wouldn't keep up for long. She'd get bored in no time and I knew that a bored Minmei was not a good thing.
Once we were out of earshot I started going over everything with Hikaru.
"We can't leave her by herself for long. She's just a kid still."
"Minmei's just a kid?" said Hikaru suddenly.
I snorted at that. "Relax. I know you're actually barely older than she is. Probably a just a few years at the most."
"How can you tell?"
"I know I don't look like it, but I'm actually thirty-seven."
"What?” cried out Hikaru. “You're pulling my leg here! You don’t look any older than I do!"
I grinned at Hikaru. "Heh. Nah man. It runs in my mother's side of the family. We age VERY gracefully." It was a little white lie. And I do mean ‘little’. The fact of the matter is that I never looked my age at all, even before I made my bond to Katherine.
Hikaru whistled. "Lucky."
"Same to you, you're still young,” I replied with a grin. “Anyhow, here's what you and I are gonna do here. Since this corridor is the only way out of that place, we're gonna look for doors, other corridors, and stuff like that. We also wanna keep an eye out for two very important things: food and water. Without that, we don't survive."
"What about air?" he asked.
"I don't think that's gonna be an issue for a while. With just the three of us in this big space I think our oxygen supply will last a while. Besides, this space was open to vacuum earlier. I think the life support systems in this area are working just fine if the air pressure was maintained. But for Minmei's sake, let's keep this session short and sweet. You or I can stand to be alone for extended periods of time. Or at least I know I can. Minmei... I don't think so."
"Right then."
##
Between Hikaru and myself we chatted amiably, getting to know each other. He asked questions about my family, and I automatically told him a sanitized version - that I was an orphan that had made a huge impression on what used to be a noble house of Japan and they had taken me in, all but adopting me in name. Pretty sure that even here Masaki was the name of a Samurai General at some point in time.
In return, I learned about Hikaru’s family, which operated a flying circus. I knew about the circus, but I just didn't know what all that entailed.
Parachutists, wing walkers, aerobatics, hot air balloons, antique planes... it was basically an airshow on crack. It sounded like a complete blast.
Hey, don't look at me that way. I'm just a big fan of aeronautics.
Anyhow, conversation aside, we moved quickly enough that we soon found the very large chamber that had the Zentreadi-sized airlock in it. Of course, I didn't say it like that to Hikaru.
"This is perfect!" I said excitedly, and I was too, because something obvious had occurred to me.
"Why?" asked Hikaru.
"Think aerospace. As in spaceSHIPS, kid. I know how these things work. Someone up there has to have some sort of computer monitor that tells them when an airlock somewhere is being opened up. It's a safety thing. You want to know exactly who is using your airlocks and when they're using it in order to prevent accidents."
Hikaru blinked as that sunk into him. "So if we keep on cycling the airlock someone is gonna come and investigate!"
"Exactly! Let's go get Minmei and gather up what we can. This place is our new base-camp!"
##
There was a 115 volt outlet nearby that had been jury-rigged by whatever work crew had been in this area, so I plugged in my laptop and plugged my iPhone into the powered USB port. I was so glad for that because I would be able to record every fragging little detail.
In the original timeline, Hikaru had a tool kit, but no multitool. But here and now I had brought all my Leatherman tools with me, so there wasn't a single cargo container in the space that was safe from me.
"Okay guys, all clear down there?"
"Yeah, we're good!"
"Alright then. Bombs away!" With a kick I shoved loose the access panel. It probably weighed a good two-hundred pounds and made an impressive noise once it hit the deck. After the first one, Hikaru, Minmei and myself knew to keep our ears covered for this part.
"Okay, what can you guys see from there?"
"Hmmm," said Minmei. "Looks like more of those giant-size space suits."
"Damn. Okay, let's try the next one." The last two had been something that looked like giant pistols and then the space suits mentioned earlier. Both useless to us because we couldn't even lift the things.
Fortunately, the containers were fairly easy to open. Whoever these people were, they weren't big on internal security. A few quick cuts with the diamond file in one of my Leatherman tools and I could easily push off an access panel.
And pop! Another panel fell away to make a truly thunderous racket down below.
Minmei looked inside and scrunched her face up cutely. "Hey, Garrick? I think you may wanna take a look at this."
"Oh?" I asked as I began to jump from one container to another. I was starting to feel like Arrietty Clock in this place. With a bit of work, though, I got there and saw that the container was full of packages sealed in what looked like white plastic wrappers. Each was, disturbingly, about the size of a body bag.
"Huh. Let's see what's inside one of these," I said as I tugged on one experimentally. It didn't want to give. "Hey Hikaru, give me a hand with this?"
"Sure." Hikaru came over and grabbed ahold of the other end of the wrapper and we both tugged on it to no real effect. "You know what, let's try doing it on three," Hikaru finally said.
"Sounds good," I replied. "One... Two... Three!" We both tugged sharply and the plastic wrapped object came flying out... along with what must have been about half of the rest of the container!
"GYAH!" we both cried out as we tried to avoid getting buried alive. Hikaru got the worst of it and Minmei practically fluttered to his side, helping him get out of the mess. I was able to pull myself out.
"Well... that was interesting," I grumbled sarcastically.
"Let's not try that again," Hikaru said.
With no more to say on the matter, I pulled one of the packages loose and cut it open with my Leatherman.
"Well?" asked Minmei anxiously.
My eyebrows went up as the scent hit my nose. "Smells like a ration bar." Experimentally, I carved a piece loose and tasted it. "Tastes like a ration bar, too."
"Well what do you know," said Hikaru excitedly. "We have food!"
"Alright!" cheered Minmei.
##
With the food issue resolved, all that left was water. I fixed it by carving a small hole in a fresh water pipe in the nearby corridor with my file. That gave us drinking and washing water. We weren't worried about flooding since it all seemed to drain away somewhere. Hopefully it wasn't messing anything up.
We used Hikaru's parachute to pitch a tent. It was my idea to make pitch it against the big window so we could sleep by the stars. The window was a bit cool, but not freezing. By the second day I found a way to control the light level in the room and that really added to the effect.
We passed the time getting to know each other. Minmei sang songs now and then, and I played a few songs from my iPhone. (Minmei really took a shine to Gwen Stefani and Florence and The Machine.) Honestly, hearing Minmei's voice, her real honest-to-God singing voice was a shock to me. It was nothing at all like Robotech dubs. She had the voice of an angel and her lyrics flowed smoothly and sweetly.
Messing with the airlock got the crew’s attention relatively quickly. It was only one week until a maintenance crew came to check on the airlock. Weren't they surprised to find us living there like we owned the place!
The pipe was patched and the space was tagged urgent for reevaluation, because hey! Giant food bar rations! And we were commended on our resourcefulness.
I was given the hairy eyeball. However, once I fed them my story about being separated from my tour group and losing my pass in the mayhem that ensued, I was forgiven. Right away, Katherine got to work creating credentials for me, so I was even able to supply a passport as proof. The electronic paper trail wouldn’t matter much until we reached Earth.
I was issued an ID card, given a ration stipend, and told to make my way in what was quickly becoming Macross City rebuilt.
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[IC][Story][Arc 1]Greetings |
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Posted by: Dartz - 07-09-2017, 03:18 AM - Forum: The Attic
- Replies (4)
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We loose ourselves in the rythym of the crowd and the beat of the music, pitching, tuning, shifting ourselves to match, riding that exhilarating crest of electric energy. The crowd feeds on us feeding on then, building the music to an ecstatic climax.
A thrill rolls through my body. I glance at Sylvie.
Her white teeth shine. Her sweet-sheened skin shimmers under the spotlights. Her voice carries on from mine mid-sylabble while my fingers carry the melody on the guitar.
My body plays on.
My mind carries above the crowd, hundreds of eyes gaze enraptured. A thousand bodies, enthralled, existing only for us.
Anri giggles behind me.
Lou takes over from Sylvie.
My body shivers as I soak in the heat of the moment and the steamy atmosphere. Pressure in the room, building to burst. Bodies push against the stage, reaching up. Security pushes back. A riot threatens.
My turn in the round robin once again.
The passion is artificial. The thrill is real. I can't imagine doing anything else with any life I've ever had. To exist for nothing more than being the most important thing in the world to a thousand begging people.
The words are our own.
Yearning for freedom into the thrill of escape and the desperate struggle.
It's not a story that has a good end.
My mind wanders into the girl's memories, looking at myself or my sister as she cradled...
And then...
Here we are.
I...I
The air in the dressing room steams as we cool off. Wet sweat clings to our bodies. The atmosphere hangs around us, charged with pheromones. We languish in our stage clothes, letting the last of the energy uncoil from our bodies.
“I didn't think it could be so much fun,” Nam breathes, her voice quivering.
“Better than sex?”
Lou takes the words from my mouth
“Oh,”
Sylvie cocked an eyebrow. An invite to participate in an experiment. She glanced at the pair of us.
“No mess to clean out,” Lou smirks. “And I need a little variety.” She shoost me a glare as the one to blame.
“It's dangerous to attract attention,” says the rust-haired sexaroid who goes on stage in skin-tight leotard. Four pairs of unamused eyes stare, the air spicy with hostily. “The wrong kind of attention.”
Lou pursed her lips into a pout. “The one who says we need to stay under cover, is the one who seems to adore the attention.”
I placed my hands on my chest as the most visible difference from my previous humanity. “This is all new to me,”
Anri just smiled. “I cant even imagine what it was like for you to be an ordinary human. Your memories are so strange...”
My eyes glared.
“She couldn't help it, Anri,” Lou cut in. “That's such a nasty thing to say. Humans can't help what they are,”
I couldn't tell if she was doing it on purpose or not. My middle finger gave them both my answer.
Their grin rewards with a flash of simulated endorphins. Just teasing.
My body drops into a wicker chair, weight shifting across my chest. My mind drifts through the eidetic memories I'd been given, wandering through each moment of their lives., along with every millisecond of my own since waking up.
A knock on the door quitens us all. The air stains with tension.
“I'll get it,” says Sylvie. Lou's ready to guard. I'm on my feet. Anri and Nam slip to the back of the room. Again the air turns hostile, ready to meet whatever comes through the door.
The door opens.
“Greetings,”
I recognise the voice immediately. I recognise the pale skin, the golden uniform, and that always-curious look worn on his face as if the whole of existance served to just puzzle his cybernetic brain.
Lou gasps in shock, stepping back from him “I can't sense you?”
“I am a like you,” he assures.
The tension ripples through the room from the girls.
“A male sexaroid?” Anri asks, her voice barely above a whisper. The prospect thrills her.
Sylvie slips out of the fighting stance she'd adopted. I had to admit, even the idea of an android partner sets my mind tingling.
“An artificial lifeform,” For a moment, he even seems put out by the idea. “My name is Data,”
We stare.
The girls are faced, for the first time, with a humanoid they cannot read and a mind they cannot comprehend. Their unease weighs heavy on the air, pressing down on my body. I'm faced with my next tenant.
The door closes behind him as he surveys all five of us. Myself, Lou and Sylvie standing between him and Nam and Anri.
“I take it, I am not the only anachronism here.”
“What gave us away?” I ask.
“Your playing. No human is capable of such precise and accurate fingering.”
He is patently unaware of his use of innuendo.
--
________________________________
--m(^0^)m-- Wot, no sig?
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[IC][Story][Arc 1] It's All Relative |
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Posted by: robkelk - 07-08-2017, 10:59 PM - Forum: The Attic
- Replies (6)
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OOC: Rob's sidestory #3, set between "House Call" and "Thermal, er, Culture Shock"
Prescott, Ontario, Canada
October 15, 2016
1:21pm
Rob had brought his tenants on an afternoon trip to a small town an hour's drive south of Ottawa, to show them Fort Wellington - a fortification that was intended to defend British North America from invasion by the United States. He thought that they might like to see something that Canadians thought had a long history, just so they would better understand the difference between Canadian and Japanese ideas of "old and storied."
The girls were exploring the fort. Rob was relaxing in the parking lot, re-reading one of Terry Pratchett's novels. He justified it as research; with so many people from alternate universes having shown up in the last month, they had to be ready for anything.
Then he noticed a familiar-looking school-uniform-clad girl walking along the road between the fort and the St. Lawrence River. He put a bookmark in the novel, crossed the road, and walked toward her. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't you wearing a different outfit earlier?"
She turned to him, and he saw the odd ... heads-up display, maybe? ... she was wearing, pushed up to her forehead. "Misaka has no reason to explain her choice of clothing to a stranger, replies Misaka with mild annoyance."
Rob noticed that she'd described what should have been her internal monologue, she referred to herself by her family name, she referred to him as a stranger, and the monotonous delivery of her statement. He mentally added that to her school uniform and HUD.
Down at the river bank, a small flock of birds walked, swam, and quacked like ducks.
Rob sighed. It was happening again. "Which Sister are you?"
"I do not understand, replies Misaka with the hope that you will go away."
Rob grasped at the only straw he had, and hoped he remembered it correctly. "ZXC74 1ASD 852QW E963."
"That code expired with Sister 9982, states Misaka firmly," she replied in that same monotone. "How did you get that code, asks Misaka with concern."
Rob shook his head. "Answer my question first."
After a moment, she replied, "I am Sister 10339, answers Misaka against her better judgment."
"Thank you. I was given your sister's code by Misaka Mikoto."
"When did you receive this information from the Original, asks Misaka with a glimmer of hope."
"October 11, while speaking with her in her residence - a building that I manage."
"What is today's date, asks Misaka for clarification."
Rob carefully did not show any emotion to learning that either she had lost track of the date or she hadn't been in this world long enough to learn it. "October 15."
"Please come with me to meet my Sisters here, asks Misaka with both apprehension and hope," she replied in that same monotone.
Rob almost agreed, then thought that discretion was called for. "If any one saw us leaving here together, our age differences would make them wonder what my intentions were toward you. I'll remain in this park for a half hour, down where we can't be seen from the fort across the street."
"That is acceptable, agrees Misaka, showing a willingness to compromise."
1:42pm
"Mr. Donaldson."
Rob didn't look up. "How did you know I was here?"
"Let's just say that I'm one hell of a butler."
"That isn't much of an answer."
"All right. That little debugger you like so much told me."
Rob narrowed his eyes. "I think I liked not having an answer better than hearing a veiled insult."
"Then we're both annoyed with each other." Sebastian coughed politely, then passed a box to Rob. "You'll know what to do with these."
Rob opened the box to find cellphones just like the ones he had been given the day the Academy City girls had arrived. "Mikoto's clones can't stay in my building. Kuroko shouldn't know about their existence." There was no reply. Rob looked up to see that he was alone. "I hate when you do that," he whispered.
1:50pm
Rob was wondering how he was going to open the conversation without any of the resources he had at home - especially his copies of the "Railgun" stories - when he noticed a group of people approaching. Four of them looked like they were Mikoto's identical sisters, and were dressed identically. The one in front appeared to be their younger sister, running along with her arms outstretched. (Rob thought he could hear her making airplane noises.)
The sixth person ... was male, so pale he looked to be an albino, and was being supported by two of the Sisters.
"Aw, crap," muttered Rob.
The younger girl raced up to him and smiled. "Hello, mister, says Misaka Misaka with a grin. How did you meet Misaka Original, asks Misaka Misaka with wide eyes?"
She did have wide eyes, too. Rob wasn't surprised; he knew that the final clone in the "Sisters" group was the only one that had received the upgraded personality information that made it easy for her to express emotion.
"As near as we can tell, she teleported in from your home universe to this universe."
"Misaka was right! This isn't our home world, cried out Misaka Misaka triumphantly!"
"Keep it down, brat," the lone male in her group said as they all reached the bench where Rob had waited for them. "You're annoying me with all that energy."
Rob sighed. "And we don't want to annoy the man who killed so many of your sisters, do we?"
"I was told they were things, not people! And how do you know so much about us, anyway?"
"Last Order," (Rob nodded toward Misaka Misaka), "was right when she said this isn't your home universe. Here, you're fictional characters."
"Bull."
"I knew a code string from the Level 6 Shift project. I recognized 10339-san as one of the Sisters after she said one sentence. And I know your code name is Accelerator, but I don't know what your birth name is; it was never mentioned in the books."
"I don't use it anyway. I don't even remember it any more."
"I know that I'm risking my life by annoying you. And I know that, if it wasn't for these young ladies who are helping you move, you'd be paraplegic and mute. I know somebody who might possibly be able to help you recover."
"Again, bull."
"She rebuilt my nervous system less than a week ago. Oh, but I'm ignoring the young ladies."
"You have already talked with Misaka Misaka, says Misaka 13577 in an effort to set your mind at ease," said one of the sisters who was supporting Accelerator.
"Since you know who and what we are, you know that we all know what she knows, says Misaka 19090 in an attempt to explain more fully," added the Sister on Accelerator's other side.
Rob shook his head. "You may share memories, but that doesn't mean you're the same person." He looked at the other sisters, and noticed that one of them was wearing a necklace. "I believe you're the only sister here who has not spoken with me yet, miss. Based on what I recall from the story, would you be Misaka 10032?"
"I would be, confirms Misaka."
Rob nodded. "And were the four of you already living as a household before you came to this universe?"
"Them, the brat, and me," Accelerator confirmed Rob's statement.
"Right. No surprise there. The last I saw of Misaka Mikoto - the Original - she was going in there," Rob gestured over his shoulder toward Fort Wellington, "along with some of her friends who are NOT cleared for the Radio Noise or Level 6 Shift projects. When that building closes up in a couple of hours, I'm going to have to take them back home to Ottawa, about an hour's drive away at 100 kilometers an hour. Where are you six living, and how can I get in touch with you?"
"We can't tell you that, because we just got here, answers Misaka Misaka sadly."
Rob slapped his own forehead. "Right - I just got these to give to you." He pulled a cellphone out of the box he'd received less than a half-hour previously, flipped it open, and saw that it had its new owner's name on the screen and was pre-programmed with both his and Mikoto's numbers. He passed the phone to Misaka 10032, pulled the next phone out of the box, checked it, passed it along, and continued until there was only one phone left. Flipping it open, he noticed that it was not pre-programmed with Misaka's number. "And this one's for you," Rob said as he passed it to Accelerator.
"About time."
"Did you need to call somebody?"
"I don't like your tone."
"Please don't fight, pleads Misaka Misaka!"
"Whatever."
"I apologize, to both of you."
The other Sisters let our the breath that they had been holding.
2:44pm
"Thanks for coming on such short notice, Washuu-chan."
"I told you I don't mind being your on-call doctor. Who're the patients?"
"All of them. The females are forced-growth clones with artificially short lifespans and shared memories. The male is being assisted by the females just so he can walk."
"They're five of the Misaka Sisters, including Last Order, and Accelerator. Say it that way next time - save us both some time. Hello, kids. Your conditions aren't something I can treat in the field."
"They need a place to live anyway."
Washuu ignored Rob. "I'll put you up until you're cured. After that, I'm kicking you out."
Rob nodded. "By then, I might have found a place for them to stay. Keep me posted, please." He turned to the newcomers. "Before you go -"
"We haven't agreed to go anywhere."
"Accelerator, she's forgotten more about medicine than the best doctors in Academy City have ever learned. If you want to walk on your own again, you're going with her. Not a threat, not a promise, just a statement of fact."
"Fine. whatever."
Rob turned to the youngest Sister. "Before you go, I want to take a photo of the two of us together. Is that all right?"
"You have to let Original Misaka see it, insists Misaka Misaka."
"That's exactly why I wanted the photo in the first place."
5:06pm
"That was soooo boring! Why do you keep dragging us to these places, Rob-san?"
"You never know what you might learn in a place like this, Usagi-san. Would you rather be learning these things from a book?"
"That's homework. No, thanks."
"Then we go to the museums."
"So what did you learn today, Rob-san?" Ruiko asked as she climbed into the minibus.
"I learned that the radio in this minibus doesn't blank out static if you tune it to an unused frequency. You actually get radio noise."
Usagi and Mikoto both looked at Rob, who winked so that only the two of them could see it.
"Can we stop on the way back for groceries?" Makoto asked.
"How about we get dinner out tonight? Rob asked in reply.
"Did something special happen today?" Kuroko asked.
"We've been invited to a Halloween party. I'll tell you more over dinner. Right now, I have to drive."
As the girls chatted with each other, Rob wondered where he was going to find a place for six more people to live where they would be close by, but not so close that anyone other than Mikoto would notice them.
to be continued...
OOC
Something that occurred to me on vacation, away from almost all of my resources: How would IC-Rob handle a similar situation?
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| Sudden Changes |
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Posted by: TheTwisted1 - 07-08-2017, 07:11 AM - Forum: General Chatter
- Replies (14)
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Has anybody else had the appearance of this forum suddenly change? And the RSS feeds stop working?
"If you
wish to converse with me, define your
terms."
--Voltaire
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| Tapa talk + ads |
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Posted by: Dartz - 07-07-2017, 07:10 PM - Forum: Forums
- Replies (51)
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Well this is shite
Ask for cash back methinks
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--m(^0^)m-- Wot, no sig?
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| It's That Time of Year Again, Again... |
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Posted by: Bob Schroeck - 07-07-2017, 04:09 PM - Forum: General Chatter
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Our annual week in Long Beach Island starts tomorrow. Between smartphone, tablet and other devices, it is unlikely that I'll vanish from the forums, but I figured I'd let folks know, as usual.
-- Bob
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Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.
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| I guess it's time to give up SeaMonkey as my browser... |
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Posted by: Bob Schroeck - 07-06-2017, 03:23 AM - Forum: General Chatter
- Replies (3)
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It's started crashing all the way out to Windows if I just click in a textbox, like the one in which I am entering this message (on IE) or in the ATT forums.
I'll have to see if Firefox suffers from the same problem... I know Chrome doesn't. Guess I'll have to get Thunderbird so I can still access all my saved mail, too.
-- Bob
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Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.
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| A request for writing advice |
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Posted by: TheTwisted1 - 07-06-2017, 02:30 AM - Forum: Other People's Fanfiction
- Replies (19)
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While not exactly "other people's fanfiction", this subforum seems the best place for this. This is a topic involving writing, and my poor attempts at it, that I've conversed about elsewhere to little gain, and am seeking more input.
A recurring element of advice and statements about writing fiction is "letting the characters drive". In other words, that the actions of the characters must be foremost a product of their own personalities and, well, character, rather than the demands of the plot.
The question I have is simple: how do you figure that out? How do you determine what character X would do in situation Y? The writing advice that I've read seems to take this for granted.
"If you
wish to converse with me, define your
terms."
--Voltaire
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