Local date: September 22, 199X
I had a free class period to myself, so I decided to watch Madam Hooch's broom instruction, which today was a joint first-year class of Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff.
Many of the "ickle firsties," as the Weasley twins referred to them, were taking to their brooms with gusto. Some were having difficulty yet slowly improving, but one student, Emily Windham, was crying softly as the broom seemed to flinch away from her with a grinding noise. An idea came to me and I approached the instructor.
"Rolanda? Do you mind if I try to help miss Windham?" I asked with a soft grin.
She raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure, Douglas? She's been having trouble since the start of term, and I cannot figure it out."
"Trust me," I said as I walked over to Emily.
I provided the young Ravenclaw with instruction on meditation and told her to take her free period and meditate with her broom under a tree whose leaves had turned. After that she was to try again tomorrow.
The next day, Madam Hooch approached me, beaming. "However did you know your meditation was what Miss Windham needed to learn how to fly?"
My grin turned shark-like. "Well, many students have trouble learning to fly stick, but just about anyone can fly a broom with an autumn magic trance mission."
''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

Pretty much what it says on the tin.  I would like it if everyone posted the wrietups for their Author-Avatars in here, along with hard date about the complex they're in charge of (number of buildings or wings, if applicable; breakdown of number of units by how many bedrooms and baths they have; list of amenities such as swimming pool, laundry facilities, and parking; etc.), as well as short writeups of their tenants in order of appearance.

Welcome to the board for "There's Nothing Better" a shared-world megacrossover collaborative writing project.  For information on what it's all about, see this post.

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

http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/facebook-n ... -1.3754796

Note: the photo itself may be disturbing, or NSFW depending on the W.

I have to agree with the people who are upset about this. Refusing to admit historical acts happened makes it more difficult to make sure they don't happen again... and, whether Facebook likes it or not, they're a major depository of the cultural memory now.

EDIT: The article has been updated - Facebook has changed their minds after a public outcry.
--
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

Happy birthday, Star Trek!

For your reading enjoyment, four stories on The Register:

• http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/09/07 ... the_films/]Star Trek film theory: 50 years, 13 films, odds good, evens bad? Horta puckey!
  
• http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/09/07 ... _the_odds/]Forget Khan and Klingons, Star Trek's greatest trick was simply surviving
  
• http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/09/08 ... rns_fifty/]Star Trek's Enterprise turns 50 and still no sign of a warp drive. Sigh
  
• http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/09/08 ... ts_beyond/]Hello, Star Trek? 25th Century here: It's time to move on
  

San Antonio, Texas, USA
September 7th, 201612:34pm

The City of San Antonio.  Home of the Alamo.  The River City.

Others may turn their noses at the bustling urban center.  It has neither the same je ne sais quoi as New York or LA, but it also lacked a lot of the same problems that plagued those cities.

For Benjamin Rhodes, this place was Home.  Despite growing up so far away, it still resonated in him - in his bones it still felt like home.  Maybe it had something to do with over fourteen generations of family history on the very soil he stood on.  While he may be fond of other places, San Antonio will always call him back, like a gentle song on the wind.

That was why he was here now.  He could have gone any place else, but he wanted to establish his own roots irrevocably in the place he felt in his blood he'd do best in.

Although at the moment, he was starting to doubt his choice.

He held the letter back up to reread it again, as though not certain that he was in the right place.

Westfield Apartments.

Job as building managers.

Good pay and benefits.

Ample budget for repairs, upgrades, and maintenance.

But the look of this place belied the letter.  It was a wide, squat building - only two floors.  All painted white with streaks of dirt and mildew and broken windows.  The yard outside was a mess of scraggly weeds and the pavement was decades old.

"Well, at least we will be able to pay for the repairs."

Ben gave his brother, Jacob, an aghast look.  "Dude, I think the cost to restore this place is gonna be an order of magnitude greater than what Mr. Phantomhive had in mind."

"Then he should've looked at the place before he had us fix it up," he sniped back.

"I dunno.  That Sebastian guy looked WAAYYYY too sharp to me.  I think someone else fucked up here.  Well, wanna go see how bad it is?"

"Might as well, it is what we are here for after all."

"Hold on a sec," said Ben, putting a hand to his brother's shoulder, bringing him up short.

Jacob gave him a raised eyebrow, "Oooaky?"

"Don't look too hard, but this place has people in it.  We got squatters."

"Well, fuckle berries, this just gets better and better."

"Yeah, let's just back away for now and make some phone calls.  Police first and then Mr. Phantomhive."

Now, they're mainstream enough that a dependable way to figure out if your dice are honest or not merits a video on MSN.
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/ha ... -1.3748832
--
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

Alright, I've had this idea kicking around for YEARS.  Almost a decade even!!!
I may have even mentioned it a few times on this board.

After all this time, I have decided that the only way to provide this story with the kind of scope that it truly deserves...  Is to make it into a semi-open writing project.

It works like this.

Every author is an SI.  You do not have to use your name or actual residence.

The Esteemed Lord Ciel Phantomhive and his ever-present butler, Sebastian, have purchased an apartment complex in your area.  You are to be the building manager for said apartment complex.  Why?  Because your knowledge of the fictional characters that will be staying there will give you an ample edge in how to deal with them.  You will be provided with budgets for maintenance and repairs, as well as other resources to help keep your tenants.... in line.

However, be warned that this is not some simple fix-fic fantasy.  The stakes are far higher than you can ever imagine...

General plot is as follows:

Plot Arc 1
Arrivals
The Yggdrasil/Nidhog system has crashed, locking the entire multiverse down into stasis and creating  a new universe where everything is being dumped - The Metacontinuity.  But can our SI-Heroes help stymie the encroaching chaos so the Goddess can repair the damage?

Plot Arc 2
Crisis on Infinite Earths
Heroes, villains, and everything in between are appearing in Metacontinuity in rapid succession.  Nations are established and epic wars are fought.  But can peace be attained with so much chaos?

Plot Arc 3
Good News Bad News
It seems that things are looking up.  Metacontinuity is stabilizing, but signs of a deeper concern are lurking in the background.  Villainous elements have been mysteriously disappearing and that cannot be an actual good thing.

Plot Arc 4
Apocolypse Everywhere
Salem, Kyubey, and the rest of her minions trigger an apocalyptic event that winds up triggering apocalypse scenarios throughout the multiverse.  Can this systematic annihilation of all life in all universes be stopped?

After Story - Tales of the Metacontinuity
Short stories or series about life in the Metacontinuity after the 'Matastability'.

More details:
The basic idea is that you can bring in some of your favorite characters.  However, 'Duplicates' aren't allowed - if an Author calls dibs on a certain character, then that must be honored by the others.  However, alternate versions are allowed, such as American Dub Sailor Moon and Japanese Manga Sailor Moon.  Or, for another example, Harmony Gold version Rick Hunter, or the original Super Dimension Fortress Macross version: Hikaru Ichijyo.

Your charges are not going to be content for the most part.  They are going to be upset, and rightfully so.  It is up to you, the Author/Avatar-SI, to quell their concerns and keep people from hurting each other in general.  If you can also keep them from causing too much collateral damage, the our boss, Lord Phantomhive, would greatly appreciate it.

Lord Phantomhive is assisting the cause at the indulgence of the Daimakaicho, Mistress Hild.  Given severity of the situation, Heaven and Hell are setting aside their differences to make sure we all get out of this in one piece - Hell is simply in charge of this part of the operation because professional graft tends to get things done much faster in our world.  Therefore, we are not beholden to the Demonic cause, nor to the Heavenly one as we are actually working for both parties in mutual cooperation.  That said, let's not go out of our way to displease Hild or the Almighty.

The Goddess Relief Network will be on speed dial to handle most issues.  If things get far too out of hand, however, their Demonic counterparts will gladly step in while the Goddesses will work to minimize the collateral damages.

Finally, anything and everything is fair game.  Even Warhammer 40k is open....  Just not until Arc 3 or 4, please.  As we progress through the arcs, the scope will change and shift from simply just characters arriving in our midst to entire worlds and empires showing up in our universe.  Yes, this will be incredibly messy, and that is entirely the point!

As things go along, our Author/Avatar-SIs will become more than simple 'apartment managers'.  Our lot is to be leaders of heroes.  Will you rise to the challenge?  Will you retreat?  Or will you fall, be it noble or ignoble?

The choice is yours.

So, who's in?  Think anyone else would be interested?  Refer 'em!  Ideally, I'd like to get at least two or four more writers involved in this.

Even if you're not interested in joining up, I'd love to hear ideas and concerns.

Here's a list of settings I'd love to see characters from:

Tenchi Muyo
Sailor Moon 
Nanoha
RWBY
Neon Genesis Evangelion
Full Metal Panic!
Full Metal Alchemist
Puella Magi Madoka Magica
A Certain Scientific Index
Bakemonogatari/Nisemonogatari
Utawarerumono
Katanagatari
Kill la Kill
Trigun
Outlaw Star
Cowboy Bebop

Firefly
Stargate
Halo
Destiny
Star Trek
Star Wars
Metroid
Studio Ghibli
Final Fantasy (all games)
Portal
Bioshock
Dishonored
Lord of the Rings
Super Mario Bros.
Star Fox
Forgotten Realms

And pretty much anything else you guys can think of.  

Well?

Just came across this on Pottermore, and thought some here would be interested:

Quote:The three eBooks will be released on 6 September – just in time for a
new term at Hogwarts – and each explores a different Hogwarts-related
theme.
Hogwarts: An Incomplete and Unreliable Guide
dives into the nooks and crannies of the beloved wizarding school
itself, unfurling everything from details about the Hogwarts ghosts, to
what happens when the Sorting Hat can’t decide on a student’s house.
Short Stories from Hogwarts of Power, Politics and Pesky Poltergeists
explores the darker roots of the wizarding world. You’ll learn more
about the troubles that faced the Ministry of Magic, the horrors of
Azkaban prison and enjoy an entirely new original piece of writing by
J.K. Rowling on Horace Slughorn.
Finally, in Short Stories from Hogwarts of Heroism, Hardship and Dangerous Hobbies,
Pottermore celebrates the colourful staff of Hogwarts. There’s more to
discover about Care of Magical Creatures teacher Silvanus Kettleburn, as
well as another new piece of writing from J.K. Rowling on Minerva
McGonagall, and her involvement in the second wizarding war.