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| [Teaser][WIP] Maybe if it was a bit on the dull side... |
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Posted by: Black Aeronaut - 06-22-2021, 09:59 AM - Forum: Hangar 13
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One of the funny things about writing yourself is that if you pay close attention, it tends to shine a light on your flaws and why they exist.
For a long time, Father's Day has bothered me. Nothing serious, just that I felt uncomfortable about it. Of course, the reason is now obvious, but me being me I never realized it for a long time.
I happened to be listening to NPR the day before Father's Day, and there was a short bit on there with a woman talking about a family heirloom: her father's mint-green Ford F-100 pickup truck. Hearing her talk about the truck got me to thinking about the truck that I no longer have.
It got towed, and I had no means at all to get it back. It's now in the pick-and-pull. I know because I saw it there. And whatever is left of it now will probably soon be crushed, melted down, and then sent to China as recycled metal.
Keep in mind, not only was this my first vehicle, it's the one I learned to drive stick-shift in. It also very likely saved my life in providing me with shelter for the time I was homeless for a few months. This was the vehicle that I wanted to have become my own heirloom to pass through the family.
Except that's obviously not going to happen now.
And not only because that vehicle is gone and never to be brought back home again. But also because I know that I'm never going to be a father. I'm too screwed up emotionally, I can barely hold down a job, I can barely make ends meet, and I can't even stay in a good relationship because I can't find anyone who is mentally healthy enough to deal with me, let alone anyone at all who'd want to deal with me as their significant other.
And it was then that I realized it. I hate Father's Day because I'm forced to honor the man that made me the person I am today - into someone who is fucked up enough that he can only barely function in society.
So, it was with the above mindset that I wrote this scene. Where Benjamin destroys Gauron. Not simply by beating him. But by telling him: You're only pretending to be a monster. I was raised by one.
"Railgun. Accelerator. Nice of you two to show up," said Benjamin with a calm, polite, and oddly friendly tone.
"Not like I wanted to be here," sneered Accelerator.
"Oh, but you do, trust me. These guys? Imagine the Kihara clan, only as a paramilitary force bent on reshaping the world as they desire."
Accelerator had heard about AMALGAM and had seen the parallels between them and Academy City, but he had never had it put to him quite like that. With that, his desire to be left the hell alone warred intensely with his desire to turn these people into blood smears.
"... Fuck you," was all Accelerator managed to get out.
"You'll need to get in line for that one," said Ben off-hand. "In case you haven't gotten the memo, I'm getting fucked over all the damn time. Where are the others?"
Mikoto answered, "Belldandy said they shouldn't come along. I'm starting to see... BEN! LOOK OUT!"
In a flash, Gauron had broke cover, taking advantage of Ben being distracted, and gut-checked the smaller man with a Ka-Bar knife
It happened so fast that not even Accelerator could react fast enough. No matter what he said about Benjamin, he did respect the man enough to try and save his life if it ever came to that. And for a moment he worried about what Mimi would say to him about this lapse.
Benjamin barely reacted at all and for a long moment, everyone was frozen in shock.
But that was nothing compared to what came next.
Benjamin's hand moved and then gripped Gauron by the throat, forcing the mercenary off of him.
And then Ben smiled.
"Better men than you have done far worse to me, Gauron."
The mercenary's eyes bulged as Benjamin applied a firm and unyielding grip. Gauron tried all that he knew to break his grip. Striking Ben in nerve clusters. Trying to gouge his eyes. Even trying to force Ben's hand open. The only time Ben reacted at all was to grab the wrist attached to the offending hand going for his eyes.
And then came the snap of bone giving away under intense pressure.
Mikoto audibly swallowed.
And all the while, the knife stayed firmly planted in his torso where it had undoubtedly hit something vital, as evidenced by the blood that was steadily streaming from around the blade.
"Do you honestly think I feel that?" said Ben in an oddly conversational tone. He then negligently pulled the knife out. There was a brief spurt of blood, but then no more. It was as though he had somehow turned a valve off to stop the flow. "Maybe if it was a bit on the dull side," said Ben as he examined the blade, "but guys like you always like to keep your knives nice and sharp." The then tossed it aside and refocused his attention back on Gauron. "You know, I've had my appendix burst on me. Had no idea. I didn't find out until later on when I got to the hospital. Oh, I knew something was wrong. Horrible cramps, chills, fever, bowels had all-but voided themselves, and all that nice jazz. So what do I do? Do I do the sensible thing and call emergency services? Oh no. Instead, I got my things together, got into my car, and fucking drove myself ten goddamned miles to the VA Hospital. With a burst appendix. Oh, and the highway was closed because of construction, so it took me a few extra minutes of waiting through traffic lights." Benjamin then sneered as he said, "And all because I was taught better than to wuss out over mere illness. I was taught that no matter how much I was hurting, even if I was puking my goddamned guts out, it didn't matter. There were things I was supposed to do. The chores that were required of me were far more important than little things like my health. Mostly because they were not going to be done by anyone else but me. And all because he said so."
With that, Benjamin's wrist flicked and Gauron was sent flying through the wall.
Gauron wasn't put off too much by that, though. He got up into a ready stance to grapple Benjamin - even though his right arm was useless to him at that moment.
"What the hell are you, you freak!?" snarled the man.
"Just a freak," said Ben casually as he began to bear down on Gauron. "An idiot. A loser. A tenth of a job. A moron who fucks up everything he touches."
There was a blur of motion. It ended with Gauron bent in half over Ben's knee. Backwards, that is. The sound made even Accelerator feel queasy - anytime he did something like that to anyone else, it happened so quickly that there usually was no sound -- at least, nothing that was intelligible enough to recognize as the sound of bones breaking. With the sound, though? It made the experience visceral in a way that he had never felt before.
And then there was the scream. The horrible, agonized scream that tore itself out of Gauron's throat. Accelerator spared a sidelong look at Railgun. He had to admit, she was taking it like a trooper, but she had still turned so green that he was sure that any more would cause her to lose her lunch.
He really hoped she didn't. That was just nasty.
As the man's scream of agony died down into a whimper, Ben leaned over and spoke in that conversational tone once more.
"You think you know what it means to be a monster, Gauron? You think that it means that you make others suffer for your own gain, don't you? Or even that a monster hurts people just for the fun of it. The fact of the matter is, though, that you know nothing about monsters. You merely pretend to be one. I was raised by a true monster."
Gauron took a feeble swipe at Ben, but he parried the blow with contemptuous ease. And then, as if to say "Let's do something about that, shall we?", Ben then jabbed his fingers into Gauron's ribs, gripped, then twisted. Yet another snap of bones breaking was elicited, along with an accompanying scream.
That did it for Mikoto and she ran for the nearest bush. Accelerator, despite his own discomfort, rolled his eyes. At the very least she had the decency to do it out of sight.
"Because of that, I know what a true monster is like," continued Ben. "And true monsters take no joy in what they do. They simply do as they do, motivated by whims both inane and Machiavellian. I was but a mere nuisance to him. Something that absolutely refused to fit into what he expected of the world. Nothing more than an erstwhile nail that needed to be hammered. And dear God did he hammer on me. Double standards. Lies. Impossible expectations. Brutal and disproportionate punishments. And all while maintaining a thin veneer of a civilized upbringing, because God forbid I ever make him look bad in public."
Benjamin then hoisted Gauron upwards into a sitting position, ignoring his scream of pain as what was left of his lumbar vertebrae ground together.
"That is what it is to be a monster, Gauron. No passion. No joy. Simple necessity. No more, no less. Isn't that why you always appreciated Sagara? That you secretly understood that he was far closer to being a monster than you ever could be? Only because he does what needs to be done, with all the passion of a man washing the dishes? And I was raised by a man like that. One that only cared for me inasmuch I pricked his ego by merely existing. Older than any of his other sons. Fawned over by my mother. Undeniably intelligent. But nothing at all what he thought a human being should be."
Benjamin then lifted the man's head, forcing him to look into Ben's eyes.
"Thus, I am a freak. A weirdo. Someone who doesn't fit in, no matter how hard he tries. Everything is pointless for me. Someone who can't even do the simplest tasks without screwing up. I don't even qualify as a human being because I'm just so terrible at getting things right the way a good little boy should. There is no place in the world for the likes of me. I should just give up and die - stop sucking up perfectly good air someone else can be breathing. But there is one thing that I know I certainly can do before I let myself end. And that is to remove trash like you from existence. Except I'm not gonna do that. I've got something better for you in mind. Sebastian?"
At once, the sharply dressed demon-lord-turned-butler appeared. "At your service, Mr. Rhodes."
"That was awfully fast, even by your standards," said Ben in a mild tone.
"We've been watching," said the demon with a smile. "Lady Hild is... rather entertained."
"Indeed," said Ben. "Well, I apologize for the interruption, but I think you and yours have wonderful things in store for this man."
Sebastian's smile grew a bit wider. "Of course, Mr. Rhodes." With a snap of his fingers, Gauron was gone. "Before I leave, though, please allow me to say how much I look forward to working with you in the future, Mr. Rhodes. You have a je nais sais quoi that I feel has been lacking in the rank and file in Hell. Brutal, yes. But so very much to the point in how you go about it."
Ben snorted. "In other words, you like how I don't beat around the bush."
"If one were to put it so plainly, then yes. If you will excuse me, though, I must ensure that your gift is properly delivered. Good day and happy hunting, Mr. Rhodes."
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[IC][Short][Season 1] An Interlude on Saturnalia |
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Posted by: Black Aeronaut - 06-21-2021, 07:12 AM - Forum: Hangar 13
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So, where's she been hiding at? Wonder no more.
Inspired by the song from Sleeping At Last, "Atlas: Four".
Legal YouTube upload available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uO6AsjSloDg
And as always, the embed so you can listen along while reading.
19 December 2016
130 Farrel Drive
Springvale Subdivision
San Antonio, Texas, USA
130 Farrel Drive is a quiet place. It is a single-family ranch-style house, tucked behind a terracotta privacy wall. The property itself is nestled in the lower-middle-class neighborhood of Springvale, tucked in between Loop 410, Lackland Air Force Base, a church and a middle school. Built during the prime time of the military's presence in San Antonio, the early 1960's saw many servicemen and women with money to spare who needed good houses as close to the bases as possible. Thus, this was once considered one of the nicest neighborhoods in town when it first sprung up. Nowadays, with two bedrooms and nine-hundred square feet of floor space on a lot of nearly eight-thousand square feet, it is a very modest little house.
Vacant and abandoned, it was the perfect place for a young girl to lay low while in hiding.
The girl was utterly beautiful. She was Japanese, and built with a frame that was slender and petite even by that country's standards, which made her budding adolescence stand out far more than it would have on most other girls her age. Her dark eyes, colored in a deep hue of indigo, sparkled with an intellect that was out of proportion to her apparent age. Her jet-black hair was kept in a short hime-style bob. Her skin was as pale as the moon, but not in an unhealthy way - there was the faint hint of nutmeg color to it that all Asian women had, no matter how hard they tried to avoid the sun. At the age of twelve, she appeared to be an early bloomer, but this was because of that elfin build of hers. So small was she that even the slightest budding of her adolescence had made her look like a girl two years her elder.
The young lady was in one of the two bedrooms of the small, somewhat dilapidated house. In front of her was a sheet of vellum on an easel. She had been drawing a face and had been making good progress, but hit onto a snag, and was now eying her work critically. What it was, she wasn't quite sure - she couldn't put her finger on it, but there was something that was ringing false about the image.
Comically, she'd forgotten that she had charcoal all over her fingers and had smudged it around her face.
"Hotaru-chan?" came a woman's voice, weak from illness, from the bedroom down the hall.
Right away, the girl put down her stick of charcoal, wiped her hands with a slightly damp cloth, then went quickly to the room.
In said room, a tall woman with dusky skin and a regal face rested in a bed. As of late, she hadn't been doing much of anything aside from sleeping. But at that moment, her eyes were open and alert - albeit a groggy kind of alertness.
"Setsuna?" she said quietly as she entered the room. "Are you alright?"
"...yes, for the moment," said the woman quietly. Despite her ill condition, she smiled at the girl. "You've been trying to draw him again, haven't you?"
Hotaru blushed. "How did you know?"
Setsuna's smile turned mischievous. "You have charcoal all over your face again."
Hotaru made a despairing cry and ran out of the room. When she came back seconds later, the dark smudges had been cleaned from her face. Setsuna chuckled.
"You know, some girls would be more embarrassed about being caught drawing pictures of the boy they like."
Hotaru sighed at that. "I can't possibly feel that way about him. Not with the memories I now have. I only wish that I had known him before... all of this. Are you really okay, though, Setsuna?"
"As I said, I am for the moment. The time streams have settled somewhat, but I'm not counting on that to remain so for long."
"Can you tell me more about what is going on? It was good that you were able to create the documents we needed so I can sell my art on the Worldwide Web, but..."
"It's alright, Hotaru-chan. I know how you feel. But first, I have a gift for you." Setsuna then pulled a figure out from under the bed covers. It was a doll made from scraps of fabric, but a person would not be able to say so right away because the craftsmanship was exquisite. Though made of scraps, each one was carefully and painstakingly measured, cut, and stitched together to look as beautiful as possible.
The doll itself was a girl clad in a white seifuku with an indigo skirt and colar and wine-red bows. There was an indigo chocker with a star on it. The hair was black and styled in a hima-bob and her eyes were indigo and cat-like.
"It's... ME!" said Hotaru in surprise.
Setsuna chuckled. "You probably don't remember. It's the nineteenth of December -- the traditional day of gift giving of Saturnalia. And giving dolls like this was a popular and traditional gift. Io Saturnalia, my dear."
"Oh Setsuna!" said Hotaru joyfully as she cradled the doll like a priceless gem in her hands. "How did you ever manage this without me seeing it?"
The woman smiled merrily despite her tired state. "I have my ways. Though I do wish we could do the reversal of roles for Saturnalia like you and I used to all the time. Those were fun times. But that will have to wait. For now, I will give you another gift. I will tell you what I know of what is going on, and how your fate is tied into the events transpiring here."
As Hotaru gazed at Setsuna intently, absently letting her fingers play with the doll, Setsuna sighed before plunging along.
"I'm still not certain as to what happened. It's almost like something grabbed up all the temporal causality in all of the universes to have ever existed, and even those that never have existed, and threw it all together in one huge mess."
"What does that mean, though?" asked Hotaru.
"It means, my dear, is that this boy that never existed before? He did exist. He *does* exist. Just not in the past that is most familiar to you. He is from an entirely different timeline, with entirely different outcomes.
"In that time line, he was your beloved. He and he alone was able to see past the stigma around you. Not only that, he had a very special, very powerful gift. One that made it possible for you to defeat Pharaoh 90 without sacrificing yourself."
"The Nullifier," said Hotaru, a slight chill running up her spine. The thought of someone who could so effectively cancel magic of any kind, rendering a person's defenses and enchantments utterly moot and pointless, was frightening. However...
As Hotaru thought about it, the memories slowly began to coalesce -- of a boy her age in the grip of a righteous fury -- he was so full of anger! And yet, she felt no fear of that anger because she knew that even if she did do something to upset him, he would never turn that ire against her.
The rage of Hino Ichiro was against something else entirely: his own father, and the trappings of a society that made them man what he was -- a cold and ruthless politician whose only goal was a Japan free of all outside interference.
Hotaru swallowed as she remembered one of the few things he ever had to say about the man.
"The bastard might as well have 'Hirohito did nothing wrong' as his campaign slogan."
And Pharaoh 90 and its minions had made the mistake of upsetting him -- of waking a sleeping giant within him and incurring its wrath. And that wrath had indeed been swift and terrible. It started when he purged Mistress 9 from her body and soul with his Nullifier ability and began to learn of her plight. He then went and laid low the Witches Five, bringing them to repent for their sins. He confronted and fought Sailor Uranus and Neptune to a stand-still -- the look of awe in their faces when they learned that all he wanted was for them to stop trying to hurt Hotaru and apologize to her was incredible.
And he would not stop there. He was utterly incensed and he would not be satisfied with anything less than total victory -- every bit the younger brother to the Princess of Mars. Fueled by this outrage, he smote Kaolinite, driving the evil daemon out of her, though it unfortunately left her as a mindless wreck as she had all-but completely given herself over to evil. Not satisfied, he went and rid her father of the foul Germatoid, leaving him dumb for a short time. And then, at last, he came for Pharaoh 90. Like a force of nature, he stormed the evil creature's gates. He practically wrung it's metaphysical neck. He laughed in its face as it begged him to at least let it return to its home so it may perish in peace.
He told it in return that it should have thought of that before coming to Earth.
And with that, he left the wretched being completely open to Hotaru to finish with ease.
At that moment, Hotaru had known without a doubt that she was his everything. He would give all of himself to her. Her happiness was his happiness. Her joy was his joy. So far as Hino Ichirou was concerned, as long as Hotaru was happy, then all was well with the world.
And on top of that, there were the far more distant, fainter memories from the Silver Millennium Empire. She couldn't recall much, but she did remember that there was someone. A man who was close to her. Someone who had filled the emptiness she had felt so acutely in that time.
The more literal interpretation of that phrase applied as well, and had kept her awake on some nights, flustered at the very idea of doing something that was both so romantic and so erotic.
Setsuna read Hotaru perfectly and laughed softly.
"So, you've had those sorts of recollections as well?" she said, gently teasing the girl and making her flush brilliantly. She then soothed Hotaru, saying, "It's alright to have those thoughts, my dear. You're the right age for it. More importantly, though, it's part of your very nature as Sailor Saturn. Remember always that you're not only the specter of death. You're the agent of life's renewal. It is part of who you are to desire the genesis of new life." She then grinned with a sleepy sort of mischief. "It's one of the few things we women actually need men for."
"Oh, please don't tease me so much!" said Hotaru, mortified.
Setsuna chuckled and gently brushed a lock of Hotaru's hair aside. "I'm sorry my dear. But it is no less true. It is part of who you are to seek out someone to start a family with, because you will eventually give your role over to your own daughter. What previously was gives over to what is to come. It is your very essence, and it has been the way for all bearers of the title, Guardian of Saturn.
"Remember always, Hotaru-chan: we are all nothing more than dirt and and stardust, collected and formed into these mortal coils. For only a moment we are glorious, like ice sculptures bathed in colorful lights, like sand castles built between the tides. Even now, you wear it on your sleeve - the insignificant side by side with the sacred and unique. Very much like my gift to you. Something beautiful made from the meanest of scraps.
"I know that right now, you feel that you have fallen in love with a ghost, and it has knocked you off balance at a time when you need it the most. But the pictures you draw of him are proof that he exists. Even if you don't know what they mean, he is real. He is out there. He is broken-hearted and alone, yearning for your company.
"But for now, you're in hiding, swimming in the shadows for both our sakes. Eventually, though, you will need to surface for air. At that time, you will seek him out -- a metaphorical flashlight in your hand, determined to find something that only poetry can even begin to describe.
"On that day, you will find what you are looking for, Hotaru-chan. And in that time, you will discover that all this time, you are already what you have been dying to become. You will shed a light on a man, and show him the magnificence that lay hidden inside of him. And the reflection from that magnificence will reveal your own hidden treasure as well."
"Is... is this an oracle?" asked Hotaru uncertainly, for Sailor Pluto did not often give out glimpses into the future. The future was always an uncertain thing, after all.
"It is an absolute," said Setsuna quietly. "You two are meant to be together. The only reason why you were not before is because he did not exist in your time, nor you in his. But otherwise, whenever you both are present in the same timeline?" Setsuna chuckled. "Even your birthdays are a perfect fit. He was born three months before you, right after the Autumnal Equinox where Summer gives way to Autumn. And you were born after the Winter Solstice -- symbolic of the promise of new life when death reigns supreme. And thus, you compliment each other. Where you represent death and rebirth, he represents progress and change.
"I remember back then, before Queen Beryl unleashed the monster, Metalia, upon us. He was not simply a warrior, but he was a builder as well. He built a summer home for you on Titan. It was a beautiful, rustic farmland retreat where you could bask in the warm albedo of Saturn. He wanted it to be the place where you raised your children. A haven from politics and intrigues and only your closest friends would know of.
"That said, my dear, you will find him, or he will find you. One way or another, you will come together. And when that day comes, you will at last feel at peace because you have finally found the part of you that was missing."
Setsuna then yawned, covering her mouth as she did so. "I'm sorry, Hotaru-chan. I'm so very exhausted."
"It's alright, Setsuna. Please, rest. I'll do what I can to keep you comfortable. But how much longer will this go on for?"
"As long as it takes, Hotaru-chan. But don't worry. It will pass eventually. It has to. The situation as it is now cannot keep forever. And there are agents at work that are actively trying to further destabilize this situation. Be it for good or ill, it will pass."
The woman said nothing more as she had suddenly slipped back into sleep.
Hotaru sighed and laid her hands on Setsuna's head. The cool, white glow came as she used her healing powers on the woman, renewing and sustaining her so she could sleep for however long she needed to.
That done, Hotaru retreated back to the room she was using and eyed the easel once more.
"Different timelines," she said thoughtfully to herself. The person she was trying to draw had a face that always seemed to elude her. Every time she thought she had it right, there was suddenly something different.
Like he suddenly became a different person.
"That's it!" cried out Hotaru in joy. "He has a different face in each time line!"
And with that, Hotaru tore the sheet of vellum away and started anew.
This time, there were three faces.
One was of a grown man, but filled with youthful vigor. His features were strange and exotic because this one had been the younger brother of the Princess of Mars. He had been the lover of her past-self, and now that his face was coming into focus, more memories from that time were being dredged up.
However, those would have to wait.
The next was of a youth. He was lean and elfin in build, very much like her. He had a smile on his face and a spark in his eyes. This youth had Japanese features, for he had been born as Hino Rei's younger brother - once again, the younger sibling to the Princess of Mars.
Fond memories began to surface from this other timeline as well, and they were such happy ones that she couldn't help but to pause and reflect. It wasn't just those of the time Ichiro and Hotaru spent together. It was the other times as well. Like how he and his sister would playfully tease each other - saying outlandish things that would always devolve into bouts of roughhousing, but always with happy smiles plastered over their faces.
It made them all laugh uproariously whenever the brother and sister got into it. While to most Japanese such antics would be disconcerting, there was simply no way to feel anything negative about it. The siblings were incredibly close with each other, having banded together to face the world once they were bereft of their parents.
In fact, he had quickly became the Little Brother to them all. Which had actually upset Usagi's own little brother, Shingo, to some degree. Enough that he even got into a few fights with Ichiro. Fights that Ichiro had won quite handily as the boy also practiced Okinawan Karate with Makoto. And then he'd admonish Shingo to instead try being a better brother to Usagi.
Hotaru finished the drawing and stood back to look upon the face of Hino Ichiro, causing the warm memories to bubble up in her head like a merrily burbling creek.
And then she started again, this time drawing the third one.
Long, thick, wavy hair. Dark, brooding eyes. A narrow face. High cheekbones. Tall forehead. Sharp nose. A goat-tee mustache and beard.
But it was the eyes that entranced her the most. Despite having such gorgeous eyes -- eyes with long, thick, luscious lashes; irises like darkly stained, lacquered, and finely polished mahogany wood; and brows that somehow managed to be elegant despite being so thick and heavy -- they were full of a profound and lingering hurt.
That hurt made Hotaru's heart quail in empathetic compassion.
*Why does he look so sad?* she thought to herself. *What has happened to him?*
There was another issue as well. If this was the person she was supposed to find, then there was no way they could be together. He was so much older than her... that is, Hotaru herself, and not the Hotaru who was the Princess and Guardian of Saturn.
But then yet another face came to mind. It was the face of that same man, only so much younger. And instead of those eyes full of hurt, they were absolutely sparkling with mischief and joy.
Hotaru didn't know what to make of this new development... but she was happy to be able to clearly visualize him.
At last, this is what her beloved looked like.
Now she only wondered about how she would find him.
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| Remember the old "funny character I saw" threads? |
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Posted by: Bob Schroeck - 06-19-2021, 04:03 PM - Forum: The Legendary
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Here's a new one. I was in Atlas this afternoon and ran into a dark-haired muscular fellow, olive skin, little mustache, in the closest you could come to a sailor fuku with male costume parts.
He was Sailor FreddyMercury.
I grabbed a couple screen shots, and when I have a chance I'll crop a shot of him and post it in this thread. Right now I'm waiting for an MSR to start. <grin>
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| In search of eloquence |
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Posted by: classicdrogn - 06-17-2021, 11:37 AM - Forum: General Chatter
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What's a word for that feeling when the thing you dropped bounces off the side of your hand and flies off under the couch, or as you realize that you tore the tab off instead of opening the can?
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| Final (?) Teaser from Chapter Four |
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Posted by: Bob Schroeck - 06-07-2021, 08:19 AM - Forum: Drunkard's Walk S: Heart of Steel
- Replies (17)
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As I approach the end of this chapter on an asymptotic curve, it seems to me that it's time to dangle yet another tantalizing treat before your eager eyes. So here's what I hope is the final teaser for chapter four.
Thursday, May 21, 1992, 6:30 PM. Joy Fit.
"Okay," I said. "One last thing before we call it quits tonight
and I let you get to that dinner your mom's keeping warm."
"And what's that, sensei?" Usagi was sitting crosslegged on the
mat, after finishing her magic exercises for the evening. She
didn't look a bit tired, which was great because I'd started her
on simple conjurations -- basic shapes, single materials, easy
concepts -- and if you're not up to it that can take a lot out of
a person. But she was still clear-eyed and energetic.
Which meant she wasn't spazzing out over her test scores, which
were coming out tomorrow. I figured the more I could give her to
focus on, the less anxiety she'd suffer. And it seemed to be
working. But just to be sure, I had one more thing to impart
that evening. I settled in, sitting crosslegged on the mat, too,
a meter or so away. "Tonight's final lesson is an introduction
to banter and trashtalking the enemy."
Usagi tilted her head quizzically. "I thought you told me not to
give speeches while fighting," she said.
"No speeches, that's right," I replied. "But banter is something
else entirely. It's an emotional and mental attack -- not in the
sense of the psychic, but meaning intellectually. You engage the
foe in a conversation that you control, forcing them to spend
some of their concentration on reacting to you rather than on
their tactics."
"Really?"
I nodded. "Really. It doesn't even matter *what* you say,
sometimes. You can insult them, bewilder them, try to undermine
their confidence -- whatever seems like it'll work. Just the
fact that they'll respond to you will interfere with their
ability to fight."
She leaned forward, her elbows on her knees and her chin propped
up on her fists. "I don't know, sensei, that seems too easy."
"You'd be surprised," I said with a laugh. "Yeah, there are
always opponents who are too disciplined to respond, but it's
amazing how often even enemies you'd think were too smart to fall
for it can be drawn into the most ridiculous conversations while
fighting. And once they do, they're yours. With the right words
you can practically lead them by the nose. And if you can rile
them up, sometimes they'll abandon all their tactics and strategy
just to get you to shut up."
Usagi gave me a flat look. "That doesn't sound good. Usually
I'm trying to keep from being hit. I don't want to get them even
more eager to hit me!"
"Ah!" I held up a finger. "But the more emotional they are, the
less likely they are to think about what they are doing and
trying to accomplish. They'll be prone to stupid mistakes,
giving you openings you wouldn't have had otherwise. And if you
can get them *reacting* to you instead of acting, then you have a
measure of control over them and can lead them. But there's
another benefit, too," I added.
She looked at me doubtfully. "What's that?"
I smiled slyly. "Part of banter is nicknaming -- giving your
foe a name that's insulting or belittling. Again, useful to rile
up the enemy. But for mages like us -- especially for a mage
like you, who uses 'Will and Word' -- names have *power*. And
giving a name to your foe that is both true and *limiting* in
some way *will* diminish your enemy if you put enough force and
belief into it."
Usagi's jaw dropped. "You mean I can just *talk* someone into
being easier to beat?"
I laughed. "If you're good enough, yeah."
She sat up straight and looked me in the eye. "Please grant me
your wisdom, sensei," she said earnestly, but with a wicked
little twinkle in her eye.
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| The Faking Hoaxer is back! |
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Posted by: Bob Schroeck - 06-04-2021, 07:02 PM - Forum: General Chatter
- Replies (5)
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For those of you going "who?", the Faking Hoaxer was a YouTuber back about ten years ago who, using commercially available digital tools, turned out some amazing videos of things that weren't real, but looked like they were -- UFOs, space shuttle accidents, a shattered moon -- and showed how he made them. His stuff was so good that some UFO believers would steal his videos, blur out his logo, and claim that it was genuine footage. He was so well-known in certain circles that even Discovery Channel contacted him for a minifeature about how easy it was to fake UFO footage.
Anyway, five or six years back (maybe a little more? I don't remember now) he abandoned YouTube and took down all his videos; I don't recall if I ever found out why. But I just discovered this afternoon, as the result of a totally random search, that apparently he re-established his channel in 2019, re-uploaded all his videos and posted a couple new things.
Anyway, I just wanted to share this in case anyone was interested. His new channel can be found here.
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![[Image: O7Op5cs.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/O7Op5cs.jpg)
