Thinking of doing a DW fanfic...

[robkelk]

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I like, Rob! Can't wait to see more. But I need to send you some material from DW5 Chapter 2 to maintain continuity in the way the bike's grav tech works.

---

Thanks, and thanks.
This is just a first draft, so I went with current (pseudo-)scientific theory about gravity nullification. If you have something else, I can work it in.
(Oh, yes - how many spare parts does Doug carry for the grav unit? Unless you rule otherwise, there's going to be an interference effect between the grav unit and some systems on Red Noah, and I need to know whether I can get away with burning out some of the bike's systems. It makes a bit of a difference later in the story...)
-Rob Kelk
--
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

[Foxboy]

Y'know, I think perhaps that "Drunkard's Stagger" makes a good term to seperate the unofficial DW fics from the steps that Bob has had a direct hand in.
So we have:
DS: Blue Skies, Blue Water: Nadia by Robkelk
DS: A Family Affair: The Addams Family by Yours Truly
DS: Knight Moves: Knight Rider also by Yours truly, after I find more scripts to pull a "new" plot from...
meh. I am way too creative for my own good. (Slinks back to stare at the first word of the rest of IWATDP chapter 13)
''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

[robkelk]

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***** Depending on when H.G. Wells came up with Cavorite, this might have to be changed...

---

Ah, drat - The First Men in the Moon was written in 1900...
While I could leave it in as yet another anachronism (to go along with Grandis and Nadia's bikinis and the song Happy Birthday to You, amongst others), I'd rather use a reference that actually existed in 1889. Any suggestions, anyone?
-Rob Kelk
--
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

[classicdrogn]

Well, there's the old chestnut about trapping dew in a hollow metal sphere, so that when it rises toward the sun it lifts the sphere and whatever craft is attatched into the air. I'm prety sure that one comes from the ancient Greeks.
- CDHow many times have you stared mournfully into the coleslaw and thought "Gee, I wish I was a cabbage."
SERVO: Loook *deeeeply* into my eyes... Tell me, what do you see?
CROW: (hypnotized) A twisted man who wants to inflict his pain upon others.
--
"Anko, what you do in your free time is your own choice. Use it wisely. And if you do not use it wisely, make sure you thoroughly enjoy whatever unwise thing you are doing." - HymnOfRagnorok as Orochimaru at SpaceBattles
woot Med. Eng., verb, 1st & 3rd pers. prsnt. sg. know, knows

[robkelk]

One more time, fixing the technobabble, adding another scene, and including the beginnings of the Concordance (with an entry for a scene that's later in the plot)...

Local date unknown, Local time unknown, Location unknown

Once again, I opened my eyes and didn't see the face of the woman I wanted to see more than anyone else. Was I ever going to get home?
"He's waking up!" That was a child's voice, and she was speaking French.
I sat up and looked around. I was on a tropical beach, my cycle a few yards inland. I could have arrived in a worse place; hell, I *had* arrived in worse places in other worlds. A young girl and two teenagers (a girl and a boy) were looking at me with concern. "At the risk of sounding cliched, where am I?"
"I wish we knew," answered the older girl. "We just washed up on this shore a couple of hours ago."
"And then you showed up out of a ... hole in the air," added the boy. "What scientific principle allows for movement of that sort?"
I smiled at the boy. "That's a long story, lad, and we have other things to do if you just washed ashore. I assume you survived a shipwreck; where's your lifeboat?"
"It isn't a boat," said the younger girl. "It's the captain's cabin! I want to see him again."
"So do I," whispered the older girl.
The boy pointed out to sea. "It's caught on that reef, sir." Sure enough, there was a metal pod caught on a rock at the edge of the atoll. "I was going to build a boat and try to salvage what I could from it, but we decided to wait until you were awake before leaving you alone. Did I do the wrong thing?"
"You should have left one person here while the other two started salvaging what you needed ... but I'm glad you stayed to watch over me. By the way, we should introduce ourselves. My name is Douglas Sagnoir, but my friends call me Doug."
"I am Jean Ratlique," replied the boy, "and these are my friends, Marie Lowenbrau and Nadia."

DRUNKARD'S STAGGER: BLUE SKIES, BLUE WATER
By Rob Kelk
Based on the "Drunkard's Walk" fanfic cycle, created by Bob Schroeck
and "Fushigi No Umi no Nadia", directed by Hideaki Anno

M. Sagnoir stood up and walked over to his odd vehicle. I quickly followed him. "Excuse me, sir ...?"
"Jean, call me Doug, please."
I nodded. "What manner of vehicle is that? It looks like it could be a motorized bicycle, but I've never seen a bicycle shaped like that before."
"You got it in one, Jean; this *is* a motorcycle. It can do a few other things, too." He opened one of the cases and withdrew a helmet, then tossed it to me. "Put that on, get on, and we'll go take a look at the captain's cabin."
"But, sir ... Doug," I quickly corrected myself, "there is no road-way from here to there for your motor-cycle."
He smiled, then spoke in English. "" He seated himself on the motor-cycle, started its engine, then toggled a switch, which caused the vehicle to lift slightly into the air.
"Incredible! How does the motor-cycle fly, sir?"
Doug smiled. "Happy thoughts and pixie dust, Jean."
"That is *not* a scientific answer, sir. You may as well have said that it's because the motor-cycle is coated with cavorite."
He stopped smiling. "I'm sorry, Jean. You really want to know, don't you?" He went on after I nodded. "There's a device in here that creates a standing graviton wave, which supports the motorcycle against the Earth's field. Before you ask, the emitter tilts the standing wave to provide the pseudo-thrust that moves the bike when it's flying."
"I think I preferred the pixie dust explanation, Doug. At least I could understand that."
He smiled, in that "I'm an adult and you're not so it's okay" way that I hate so much. "I guess I shouldn't have expected someone your age to be familiar with this. It's far in advance of Einstein's gravitational theories ... What is it, Jean?"
"Who is this M. Einstein?"
"Who is Einstein? Okay, I suppose I deserved that for my joke ..." Doug stopped speaking as he looked at my face. "Jean, have you *really* never heard of Albert Einstein?"
"No, sir."
He looked puzzled. "But ... that pod ... Jean, exactly what *is* today's date, including the year?"

* * *

Sunday, April 27, 1890, 4:30 PM. Location still unknown.

Once I had used the bike to tow the entire pod off the rocks and inland far enough that it wouldn't be washed away, Jean and I tied it down as best we could. "That'll have to do, Jean."
"Yes, sir. Doug."
"Where did the girls get off to, while we were doing the heavy work?" I smiled to let him know I wasn't too worried about having to do the heavy work. I doubted any of the others were as strong as I was, so I *should* be doing the heavy work.
"I think they wanted to explore the beach."
"Can they take care of themselves if there's trouble?"
"I think that Nadia can take care of both of them."
I noticed the hesitation in Jean's voice. "All right, then. Let's get this opened up so the water can drain out, then start walking after them."
Jean looked puzzled. "Aren't we going to use the motor-cycle, Doug?"
I shook my head. "Nope, and for two reasons. First, I don't know if I can refuel it around here, so I'm hoping to use it only when necessary. Second, we can't all fit on the seat."
"Ah, I see. That makes sense. Will you help me up, please?" One quick hug and lift, and Jean was on top of the pod. "Thank you!" He slid into an open hatch on the pod's top. A hatch at one end of the pod opened a moment later, revealing Jean and quite a bit of water.
I pulled a towel from one of the bike's panniers, and handed it to Jean. "Shall we go find the others?"
~~~~~~~~
Concordance
"I am Jean Ratlique," replied the boy, "and these are my friends, Marie Lowenbrau and Nadia."
Jean gives his full name many times during "Nadia" (including episode 1), while Marie only mentions hers once at the very end of episode 39. At this point (near the end of episode 23, if you hadn't figured it out), Nadia still doesn't know her family name.
Why start at the beginning of the much-maligned "Island arc"? First, so that Doug doesn't have the chance to learn very much of the setting's super-science; if Bob wants Doug to get that kind of knowledge, he'll write the scene himself. Second, and more importantly, so that Doug's intrusion on the plot doesn't derail any of the important relationships; they had all been formed by this point (with the exception of Ayerton's interaction with the Grandis Gang). Doug won't be taking anybody's place in the show's "relationship chart".
"M. Sagnoir stood up ..."
"M." is short for "Monsieur", the French equivalent of "Mister". (And that's the only language note I'm including here. I hope.)
""
Doug is fond of popular culture references; in this case, he's quoting the movie "Back to the Future".
"Happy thoughts and pixie dust, Jean."
And this is a "Peter Pan" quote.
"You may as well have said that it's because the motor-cycle is coated with cavorite."
Cavorite is a fictional anti-gravity material created by H.G. Wells for his novel "The First Men in the Moon". In our world, Mr. Wells wrote that book in 1900. In Nadia's anachronism-filled world, who knows when it was penned?
"... the people I had met along the way - Dee, Leese, Sana, Buckaroo, Megumi, Misato, and the others."
The intent here is to name the people who've made the greatest impressions on Doug during his travels, keeping in mind his aversion to deities. A few are educated guesses; the last is a W.A.G. ... Also, the people who are, and are not, on this list shows that this happens after "Drunkard's Walk VI: Angel Baby", but before the Utena, Sailor Moon, and Legion's Quest Steps.
~~~~~~~~
-Rob Kelk
--
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

[Bob Schroeck]

I think that last citation's for a line that wasn't included in the segment posted, Rob. Otherwise, it's looking good. A bit more abrupt to start than I expected, but I can't wait to see more.-- Bob
---------
Chaos isn't really chaos if it isn't Lawful part of the time.

[robkelk]

How did that get past me? Ah, well... (The next scene in the story is from Nadia's POV, then comes the scene where Doug and the children tell each other about their travels.)
As for abruptness, that's part of the problem with starting in the middle of a story. I'll see whether I can do something about it.
-Rob Kelk
--
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

[robkelk]

I'm stalled on writing from Nadia's POV (which I pretty much need to dofor the next scene in order), so I took Bob's advice in a different thread and wrote a completely different scene. This is from much later in the story - it's the start of the climactic battle.
Minor spoilers for Nadia follow...

---

"About time you showed up, Sangnoir."
"I had to explain a few things to Jean, Sanson. And to Nemo; Jean's going in the second boarding party." I started looking through my helmet's database for a particular song's code.
"The second party?"
"Yes, senorita. Jean and Nemo are going in to rescue Nadia if we don't succeed." I had the code that I needed; I tapped it in on the keypad, but didn't hit go. One jump got me to one of the Gratan's top hatches, and I slid partway in. "Now we wait for the signal."
"What signal?"
The lights blinked twice. At the end of the second blink, I hit the go button. "That signal." My helmet started playing and I felt the power flow ...
"
--
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

[Bob Schroeck]

Very cool. I like -- and what a pleasant surprise to encounter one of my "abandoned" ideas resurrected like this.
A couple more details that I left out of the summary in the other forum area, which might help you. First, space permitting, the balloons swirl around him in a miniature "twister" until he releases them. And second, he does have the option of sending a few at a time -- in fact, given the limitations of the game, that would normally be all he could do without seriously unbalancing things; the monster salvo, though, is just too cool for words and should not be abandoned. Hm. Can we make them Robotech on their way to their target? -- Bob
---------
Chaos isn't really chaos if it isn't Lawful part of the time.

[Bob Schroeck]

---

Yes, I know the lyric is "Everyone's a super hero / Everyone's a Captain Kirk", but the term "super hero" doesn't exist in Warriors' World. These lyrics were written in 1983 - is that too early for the Warriors to be in the public awareness? (The FAQ only says "early 1980s"...)

---

It's borderline. You could use "metahuman" instead -- it scans better than "Warrior" and has the benefit of being a bit closer to the sense of the original lyric.
Oh, and...

---

""

---

"I'm sorry, Dave, I can't do that..." -- Bob
---------
Chaos isn't really chaos if it isn't Lawful part of the time.

[robkelk]

("super hero")

---

It's borderline. You could use "metahuman" instead -- it scans better than "Warrior" and has the benefit of being a bit closer to the sense of the original lyric.

---

Good idea, thanks.
("" )

---

"I'm sorry, Dave, I can't do that..."

---

I'm glad somebody noticed the (mis)quote...
-Rob Kelk
--
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

[robkelk]

---

the monster salvo, though, is just too cool for words and should not be abandoned.

---

Thanks. It's also very much necessary, considering the scale of the combat.

---

Hm. Can we make them Robotech on their way to their target?

---

Why not? Every other attack in that battle does... (It's a Gainax show - what did you expect?)
-Rob Kelk
--
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

[Bob Schroeck]

---

I'm glad somebody noticed the (mis)quote...

---

I'd've had to turn in my pop culture reference merit badge if I'd missed that one!

---

Thanks. It's also very much necessary, considering the scale of the combat.

---

---

Quote:Hm. Can we make them Robotech on their way to their target?
Why not? Every other attack in that battle does... (It's a Gainax show - what did you expect?)

---

Ahhhhh, of course.
And of course, Doug's never seen this behavior -- it's a world-level axiom that doesn't apply to WW -- so it baffles the hell out of him: "They're gonna miss! They're gonna miss! They're gonna... all turn suddenly and hit the same dime-sized point?" "Okay, that works for me."-- Bob
---------
Chaos isn't really chaos if it isn't Lawful part of the time.

[robkelk]

---

---

They're on sale directly from ADV, for the rest of this week only - each box is $19.99. (Plus shipping, of course.) Act fast; once they're sold out, they'll disappear from the page.
www.advfilms.com/Sales.asp
-Rob Kelk
--
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

[Bob Schroeck]

Done! Thank you for the heads-up!
I am so glad I procrastinated on the buy now. I noticed, btw, that I got absolutely no shipping options from ADV -- just Fedex for $6. I'm presuming this is Fedex Ground -- aka "We speedwalk instead of run to get this to your door" -- so I should get it middle of next week or sooner.-- Bob
---------
Chaos isn't really chaos if it isn't Lawful part of the time.

[chibipoe]

Yeah, I did a very bad thing last night when I saw that. Judged that I could afford to get that(at that price, it's hard to pass up!) and purchased both sets. 45 dollars instead of 70-80(which is what getting the two sets collectively in stores would cost) is a sweet deal.
"This hand of mine glows with an awesome power. Its burning grip tells me to defeat you....
Shining FINGER!" -Domon Kashuu, Mobile Fighter G Gundam

[Bob Schroeck]

Mm. Just browsed that sale page again and got to the very bottom for the first time -- I won't be seeing those disks next week, according to the info there:

---

Most DVD orders will be processed and shipped within seven (7) to ten (10) business days. *Exceptions are noted below.
...
*EXCEPTIONS INCLUDE:
1. ALL SALE ITEMS. Please allow 1 - 4 weeks for processing and shipping due to high sales volumes.

---

Oh, well, it'll give me something to watch next month, then.-- Bob
---------
Chaos isn't really chaos if it isn't Lawful part of the time.

[Bob Schroeck]

Oh, and it just got here yesterday, so so much for the four week end of the shipping time...

-- Bob
---------
It's spelt "Frodo Baggins" but it's pronounced "Throat-wobbler Mangrove."

[chibipoe]

Well, the money has been taken out from my account, so I'm hoping mine will show up soon as well, with that bit of info.
"This hand of mine glows with an awesome power. Its burning grip tells me to defeat you....
Shining FINGER!" -Domon Kashuu, Mobile Fighter G Gundam

[Bob Schroeck]

My account got dunned right away, so that's probably a good sign.

-- Bob
---------
It's spelt "Frodo Baggins" but it's pronounced "Throat-wobbler Mangrove."

[chibipoe]

Likewise, but I really would have appreciated having a tracking # emailed to me. Especially since I, on a whim, checked the apt office today to find mine had arrived. No idea how long it had been there, either.
"This hand of mine glows with an awesome power. Its burning grip tells me to defeat you....
Shining FINGER!" -Domon Kashuu, Mobile Fighter G Gundam

[robkelk]

---

Oh, and it just got here yesterday, so so much for the four week end of the shipping time...

---

I think that the high end of the estimate is for us Canadians, who have to wait for an extra week for Customs to get around to looking at the box and adding in the applicable taxes.

Oh, yes - the 'fic. Leafing through Doug's "Arsenal" (which was posted on 24 March)...
Does "I'm Alive" heal food poisoning? Would Doug recognize food poisoning?
Just how big are the holes created by "Break On Through (To The Other Side)"? Specifically, are they big enough to drive a tank through?
As far as "Help!" is concerned, what's the definition of a Warrior? Will any random ally qualify, or is there some sort of minimum time limit or required induction ceremony? (And once you've seen the show, does Sanson count as a training-enhanced metahuman?)
Has Doug ever run through his entire arsenal in one combat? (The final battle just might end up being that long, although I hesitate to use any of the simulacra songs for lack of knowledge of the characters and lack of permission to use them...)
-Rob Kelk
--
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

[Bob Schroeck]

---

Does "I'm Alive" heal food poisoning? Would Doug recognize food poisoning?

---

Hm. Strictly speaking, poison in V&V would do hit point damage, so yeah, I suppose it would. And is the question "would Doug recognize the symptoms of food poisoning?" If so, maybe. Doug's got some basic first aid training somewhere in there -- in a game I'd have him make a roll against Intelligence. Which means yeah, he'd probably recognize it.

---

Just how big are the holes created by "Break On Through (To The Other Side)"? Specifically, are they big enough to drive a tank through?

---

I quote from chapter 8 of DW2: By the time Yankowy and Shimura regained control of their craft,the cylinder of light had vanished and dozens of people wererunning out of a five-meter-wide hole in the back wall of thePalace.Some tanks I've seen would fit through that. Those that couldn't could probably widen the hole as needed. I couldn't tell you about Grandis' polymecha thing, as after only three episodes I'm still not quite sure how big it really is.

---

As far as "Help!" is concerned, what's the definition of a Warrior? Will any random ally qualify, or is there some sort of minimum time limit or required induction ceremony?

---

In the most significant example of its use in game, it pulled in all active members of Alpha and one member who had just submitted his resignation -- but no one in Beta and no other former members, and no other heroes. As for "induction", I would say anyone who is considered a full member, even if they are in their probationary period. It is specifically fellow team members from Alpha who are summoned by the song -- and only them, and only if they are in the same timeline. (There has been one exception to that last stricture, but the circumstances were extraordinary and unreproduceable.)

---

Has Doug ever run through his entire arsenal in one combat?

---

No. Doug in play has a tendency to pick a song (usually "Lightning's Hand" ) and stick with it all the way through a fight. Then again, most Warriors combats end in 15 or 30 seconds (one or two rounds); I don't think we've ever been in a combat that lasted long enough to exhaust a song. As far as running out of songs is concerned, well, that's why there are 3000 songs in the helmet -- not every song he can use is in the "arsenal" list; hell, many of the ones used on the Walk have yet to see game play.

-- Bob
---------
It's spelt "Frodo Baggins" but it's pronounced "Throat-wobbler Mangrove."

[robkelk]

("I'm Alive")

---

Strictly speaking, poison in V&V would do hit point damage, so yeah, I suppose it would. And is the question "would Doug recognize the symptoms of food poisoning?" If so, maybe. Doug's got some basic first aid training somewhere in there -- in a game I'd have him make a roll against Intelligence. Which means yeah, he'd probably recognize it.

---

Yes, that's the question I thought I asked. Okay, one change for the worse because of Doug, not than anyone present will notice.
("Break On Through (To The Other Side)")

---

Some tanks I've seen would fit through that. Those that couldn't could probably widen the hole as needed. I couldn't tell you about Grandis' polymecha thing, as after only three episodes I'm still not quite sure how big it really is.

---

I doubt the animators were sure how big it was, either; the silly thing seems to share interior dimensions with a TARDIS. I think 5m is plenty wide enough.
("Help!")

---

In the most significant example of its use in game, it pulled in all active members of Alpha and one member who had just submitted his resignation -- but no one in Beta and no other former members, and no other heroes.

---

Okay, that idea's out. Not an insurmountable problem; I'll just write a few other things differently earlier.
(Has Doug run through his arsenal in one combat?)

---

No. Doug in play has a tendency to pick a song (usually "Lightning's Hand" ) and stick with it all the way through a fight. Then again, most Warriors combats end in 15 or 30 seconds (one or two rounds); I don't think we've ever been in a combat that lasted long enough to exhaust a song.

---

The final confrontation, even as depicted in the anime, is more a series of short engagements than a pitched battle. Since Doug can only use any one song once a day (I assume that means "use it and wait 24 hours to use it again"), that means he'll be using more than one song. He'll definitely be using "Lightning's Hand", but will probably end up using quite a few other songs as well. (Heck, he might even find a combat use for "76 Trombones", if only out of desperation+looniness...)
-Rob Kelk
--
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

[Shader]

Ooooo
Me look foreward to read this story. Me definately wanna read dis story!
"76 Trombones" in combat - if done right, I definately would want to see that!
MicroHue