Thread Rating:
  • 2 Vote(s) - 4.5 Average
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
[RFC] Being You is Deculture
[RFC] Being You is Deculture
#1
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. Smile

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.
Reply
Re: [RFC] Being You is Deculture
#2
Oooh, neat. Definitely following this one. And YAY for choosing Macross over Robotech.
--
Sucrose Octanitrate.
Proof positive that with sufficient motivation, you can make anything explode.
Reply
Re: [RFC] Being You is Deculture
#3
Giant Rat-bar size of a body bag... Hello, Cardboard. You have more flavor.
Reply
Re: [RFC] Being You is Deculture
#4
wrote: Wrote:Oooh, neat. Definitely following this one. And YAY for choosing Macross over Robotech.
Yeah, as much as I love Robotech, there's just so many issues with it - mainly from all the plot holes that arises from cramming three different franchises together the way Harmony Gold did.

Though I kinda wonder if I frighten off Robotech fans by going with Macross instead. I hope not. Sad
wrote: Wrote:Giant Rat-bar size of a body bag... Hello, Cardboard. You have more flavor.
I figure that, yeah, Zentraedi ration bars aren't very good tasting. But I also figure that they would be very filling and packed with enough protein, carbs, and nutrients that a few bites will be enough to sustain them for several hours. I mean, after all, the Zentraedi represent the ultimate military mindset. They cannot afford to have their soldiers being hungry or at all malnourished. So while utterly bland tasting, Zentraedi ration bars are probably top-shelf stuff otherwise.
Reply
Re: [RFC] Being You is Deculture
#5
I guess I oughta pour a little more fuel on the fire...

Keep in mind, still very much a work in progress, and I intend to fill it out a bit here and there.

Suggestions, as always, welcome.



Macross City.

The city inside the Super Dimensional Fortress.

It was quickly starting to take on all the aspects of a military town.

What homes could not be salvaged from the ruins of the original city were rebuilt. Minmei's family had been lucky in that their home, complete with the restaurant, had been salvaged. Reclamation had been a simple matter of producing the homeowner's deed which had been locked in a fireproof safe.

Hikaru and I had no homes to call our own in Macross City, so we stayed at Minmei's house for the time being. Her Aunt and Uncle were more than happy to host us because we had taken care of Minmei. The fact that we insisted on paying a regular rent only helped.

This wasn't a problem at first. Hikaru wasn't sulking too badly because I had effectively derailed any romantic interest between the two. With any luck that would make things a lot simpler for the poor guy once Misa Hayase started noticing him in that special way.

However, there was one thing that he was still moody about, and I honestly couldn't blame the guy.

"Damn," I grunted as I pushed myself out from under the racer. "I'm sorry Hikaru, but I think your girl here is a total loss."

"I know," moaned Hikaru. "The entire frame got warped. It's easier to list what isn't broken."

"Hey Hikaru!" called out a voice. "Now, where’s this junk pile you wanted to show me?"

"What junk pile?!" snapped Hikaru. "Listen, buddy. This is the racer that I won eight international championships in and you call it junk? I oughta knock your block off."

Ladies and gentlemen, the one and only Roy Fokker.

When he and I met the first time we began to size each other up. Roy treated Hikaru like his little kid brother, and I was just now starting to look at the poor guy like that myself. But then I opened my big mouth and kicked off the snark-off to end all snark-offs. I only wish I had recorded the whole damn spiel because it was the stuff that legends were made of. Poor Hikaru and Minmei couldn’t stop gawking. The only reason Roy and I stopped was because we were worried that flies would start flying into their mouths.

"My eternal rival returns," I intoned. "Hey, Roy, lay off the kid, will ya? He's distraught enough as it is."

Roy rolled his eyes. "Yeah yeah. Look, you two guys are getting stressed out over something you can't do anything about. Why don't we go for a walk? The exercise will be good for you."

I knew what was coming, but I made a show of looking to Hikaru. He simply sighed and shrugged his shoulders at me.

"Whatever," I said. "Can't hurt at this point."

##

About twenty minutes later, we found ourselves at the Grand Observation Deck. I went ahead and broke the ice first.

"Well, I'd heard about this, but seeing it is something else altogether. DAYUM, that is one big mother of a carrier!" Seriously, it was. The carriers that I was more familiar with can only fit two aircraft abreast at the forecastle. This one looked like it could accommodate six, but only had catapults for four.

We watched as a pair of Valkyries were brought up to the flight deck, moved into position, and then launched out into the wild black yonder, their engines flaring star-bright.

"Hey, those fighters!" said Hikaru, excitement and wonder creeping back into his voice at last. "How can they fly in deep space?"

"Those Valkyrie fighter engines are built on an Overtechnology reactor design," said Roy with a salesman's persona. "With that kind of propulsion, believe me, you can go anywhere!"

"Wow, terrific!" said Hikaru, completely in awe.

Roy grinned and placed his hands on Hikaru's shoulders, saying, "How'd you like to fly one again?"

"Huh?" said Hikaru.

I just snorted. "So that's what you're up to! Surely that offer isn't open to just Hikaru."

"You wound me," replied Roy blithely. "Of course they'd be interested in you, having prior service and all." That had taken me by surprise. Apparently Roy had looked into my background, just because he was concerned about where the hell I'd come from and why I was hanging around his brother.

Katherine, did you do something with the computers?

Uhn! I went ahead and made a facsimile of your military service record. I think it’s really cool that Gar-kun was in the US Navy. Especially the stuff you did! Guns, Mount 5-1 - bore clear, five rounds expended, no apparent casualties. SO COOOOOLLLL!!!


I had to fight to keep a straight face at that.

So Roy found my old military records... from when I was in the US Navy... But how accurate was Katherine’s facsimile? Time to test the waters.

"Even though I was just a technician that fixed a gun?" I asked archly, referring to my old posting.

"A technician whose scores were top ranked and whose performance was nothing short of spectacular," countered Roy, referencing my test scores back at gun school. But that wasn't all he had. "Not to mention a perfect score for your workcenter on INSERV when you were the only maintenance tech? I've seen how they do business. That is beyond impressive."

"Maybe, but you conveniently forgot that the US Navy didn't want me back afterward." I had... issues... dealing with the politically charged environment.

"This is UN Spacey. We could hardly care less what that bureaucratic mess that is the US Navy thinks."

Hikaru looked a little lost. "What are you guys talking about!?"

"Your friend here's been omitting details,” replied Roy blithely. “He's prior enlisted."

"So, I did my four years and then got out of that political rat race. And it turned out that the feeling was mutual. What if I don't want to deal with that again?"

"Hah! Kid, this is entirely different. For one thing, you're going to be a pilot, which means you'll get a little more leeway around here. Of course, rank does help, but around here people tend to advance fast."

He sure as hell didn't mention why.

This would be funny if it weren't real. Here he was, probably expecting Hikaru to be the hard sell, but it was me that was giving him the shyster treatment. But it was tempting. Oh so very tempting. Valkyries. Wonderful Overtech goodness.

But then.... I'm living here now, aren't I? If I'm gonna be living here I might as well fight for it. Only Tsunami knows when I'll jump again.

"I'll give it a shot," I said. I then held up a hand to stop him from going off on congratulating me. "But if I'm not jiving with the UN Spacey, then I'll put in my time and get out."

"Fair enough," said Roy. He then turned to Hikaru. "What about you? You gonna let action man here have all the fun?"

Hikaru looked a bit uncertain though. So much for me being the hard sell.

"I... just need a bit of time to think about it," Hikaru finally got out.

Roy sighed. "Okay, I guess that's all I'm gonna get out of you for now. But really Hikaru, think about it. Even if you do fix your racer it's not like you'll be able to fly it around out here."

"Ugh, don't remind me," replied Hikaru as we all sauntered off together.

##

"Hey, Hikaru?" I said as we made it to the outskirts of the city.

"Hmm?" replied the airshow pilot noncommittally.

"I'm gonna walk around on my own for a for a spell. Are you heading back home?"

"Yeah, why?" asked Hikaru, perking up a bit.

"Let them know not to worry about me."

"Oh, sure thing."

Hikaru went on his way. He had a lot on his mind for certain, but he wasn't being as apathetic as he had been in the original timeline. Thank God for small miracles. Maybe that way Minmei won't wind up fawning over him so much.

I wandered aimlessly for awhile, not really caring where I was going.

A Valkyrie pilot in the UN Spacy? Should I really do it? Would I be any good at it? And would I really have to deal with the same political merry-go-round I had to face in the Navy?

It really weighed heavily on my mind. I knew that I'd probably make for at least a decent pilot. My vision, while nothing spectacular, was slightly better than average and I had better night vision than most people. That, and I had an eye for detail - I knew, almost on an instinctive level, when something was out of place. And my spatial awareness was pretty good, too. At least, as long as I was paying attention.

Then there was the bonus factor in that I knew what was coming. For sure, there was the butterfly affect and temporal momentum, but I wasn't going to give it too much thought. So much of this timeline depended on the reactions of the Zentraedi that I didn't see my actions diverting things too much until we got to Earth.

But there was still the politics to consider.

I hate politics because it means picking your battles wisely... and I've never been the best at that, let me tell you. When confronted I'm a hot-head at worst and litigious at best, as we've already seen. But for some reason... I don't know why, but Captain Global, for some reason, let's shit like that slide. Maybe he's just that much more understanding of the situation we find ourselves in. He certainly seems unhappy about it all, that's for certain, though he does tend to keep a somewhat cooler head about it.

Or maybe the guy secretly finds it all amusing.

... Naaaaaah.

Before I knew it I found myself on some sort of engineered bluff that overlooked a good portion of the newly reconstituted Macross City. I just sat there and stared out into space for a while, kinda admiring the view. But then there was something at the back of my mind trying to warn me about something.

I didn't get to think on it too hard because I heard Minmei's voice coming up from behind me.

"GARRICK!" she yelled as she ran up the backside of the bluff. "There *pant* you are *pant*."

"Minmei," I said in surprise. I don't think I'd ever seen her really exert herself like that before. "Is something wrong?"

Minmei waited a short moment to catch her breath, then said, "I just wanted to find you. With everything that's been going on we haven't had a quiet moment alone."

Uh-oh. Danger Will Robinson! Okay, Garrick, stay calm. This may be nothing.

"Okay, so there's something you wanted to tell me that you didn't want others hearing?"

Minmei gave me a look as though to say, 'Well DUUUUH!'

Instead, she said, "I just wanted to thank you for everything you did back there. If it had been only Hikaru and myself I don't know for sure what would have happened. But you thought of things to get us out of that situation. That thing with the airlock was brilliant."

"Well yeah," I said, "we already went over all this. With the SAR teams, the debriefing teams, and your aunt and uncle until we were all blue in the face. What's different now?"

Minmei gave me a glare. "Are you really that dumb when it comes to girls? I guess I oughta spell it out for you."

I didn't really have much of a chance to react without hurting her. She suddenly grabbed me by the lapels and pulled me into a very spirited kiss.

Sweet Tsunami, I'm kissing Minmei!

Whoah what!? came Katherine’s voice in my head. Okay, this was NOT in the script I read!

Quickly but gently, I pushed her away. She was still giving me an indignant expression, as though she were an impatient student demanding that the professor tell her, right now, where her grade stood in the rankings.

"Okay," I began, "first off I didn't know you had a thing for me because I wasn't even looking for the signs. I'm old enough to be your father!"

"Only if you started having kids, like, right in the middle of college," said Minmei piously. "Besides, there’s plenty of couples around with large age gaps."

Granted, some people teased my original mother by calling her a cradle robber. That was because the age difference between her and my step-father when they were married. But that was that and this is this. Besides, I already went through this whole song and dance with Yuki!
"Minmei, even if you did wait it's not gonna be some difference of a few years. This is gonna be twenty years! People are gonna ask some really uncomfortable questions!"

"Ask me if I care!" she dared me.

"I'm not asking you, I'm asking myself," I shot back. "And the answer is 'Whiskey-Tango-Foxtrot shipmate! What are you thinking!?'"

Minmei suddenly smiled suggestively. "I dunno. What are you thinking?" She was so good at that that it was scary. It was no small wonder she was bound to become a pop idol sensation.

I blinked, then recollected myself. "I am thinking you are a very pretty, very talented, and very YOUNG girl who should be dating boys and not grown men that are considering military service."

That made her pause. "You're joining the Spacy?"

I nodded. "You know I've always wanted to fly a fighter jet. The Spacy seems to be taking just about anyone that'll pass the preliminary exams, so this is my chance."

"That's great though! You'll have a good job and prestige and being married to me will look great because when we get back to Earth I'm gonna be a famous singer!"

Oh boy. I was starting to think I knew where all this was coming from. For better or worse, Minmei spent a good part of her young life in Japan, and what was worse her family is mostly Chinese nationals. In Asian cultures, especially Chinese, it wasn't unheard of for a pretty girl like her to get married off to a man my age because he had a position of prestige. It wasn't even so much that the family was trying to climb the social ladder, they just wanted the best for their little girl - the best being a husband with a guaranteed salary that could cover her expenses and that of the children that would come later. And, during the time we were missing, Minmei did say that one of her dreams was to be a bride.

Shit.

This girl was absolutely determined to get herself married and she saw me as the best man for the job - nevermind that she would have to wait a few years. I'd hate to break her heart, but then again she just wasn't taking no for an answer. This was Yuki-chan all over again! Maybe I can weaken her resolve by stalling her a bit.

"Look, Minmei..." I sighed and ran a hand through my hair, pushing loose strands that were tickling my face back into place. "I don't know about this. I really don't. Let's just take some time to think on it. And I mean really think on it. If anything happens to me out there would you want to be the widow of a fighter pilot?" At that she grabbed me by the lapels once more, hauling me down to her level.

"Don't even think about it, flyboy, or else when I come to heaven I'm gonna kick your butt so hard that your ancestors will wince in sympathy."

... Okay, that DEFINITELY wasn’t in the script. What did you do Gar-kun!?

... I went out and acted like a man.


Really? she replied in the same deadpan reserved the the flat what trope.

Really.

I knew Minmei had a fire all her own, but this was something else entirely. Where was this coming from?

At the moment, a siren began to wail in the distance, accompanied by the words, "Air raid warning!"

Oh SHIT!

"What's that?" asked Minmei.

"I'm not sure," I said, playing up the clueless factor, "but I think it might be a good idea to get back home, and fast!"

She didn't argue the point with me. We just took off at a jog. However, before we left the bluff entirely, she turned and said,
"This isn't over."

I decided to let that go for now. Hopefully with all the excitement we were about to have she'd forget about this... for a little bit.


Poor bastard. :p
Reply
Re: [RFC] Being You is Deculture
#6
Cue Minmei's (canon) song, "My Boyfriend Is a Pilot"... <g>
--
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
Reply
Re: [RFC] Being You is Deculture
#7
*snerk*
Hear that thunder rolling till it seems to split the sky?
That's every ship in Grayson's Navy taking up the cry-

NO QUARTER!!!
-- "No Quarter", by Echo's Children
Reply
Re: [RFC] Being You is Deculture
#8
wrote: Wrote:Cue Minmei's (canon) song, "My Boyfriend Is a Pilot"... <g>
Well, since we're doing the original version...



Yeah, her Japanese VA is so much better than her Harmony Gold VA. (Oddly enough, when Viz somehow got the okay to redub it, they somehow got her Japanese VA to reprise her role... IN ENGLISH!)

Although given how dated the musical style is compared to nowadays I wonder what a contemporary version of the song would be like.

EDIT:
Oh wait! Ranka Lee covered it in Macross Frontier!



Hmmm... Seems she kept it pretty old school, though.
Reply
Re: [RFC] Being You is Deculture
#9
Viz picked up the rights? (My seven-disc set with Mari Iijima as Minmei in Japanese and English was released by ADV before they went bye-bye.)
--
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
Reply
Re: [RFC] Being You is Deculture
#10
Oh, right! ADV - Not Viz! :p
Reply
Re: [RFC] Being You is Deculture
#11
Oh, you know I've been waiting for this. Now it's finally here, and to celebrate I shall show my love by nitpicking it to death!

Quote:Super Dimensional Fortress Macross
This one was in dialogue so it can be excused easily enough, but the title is usually romanized as "Dimension" with no -al, for that extra Engrish appeal.

Quote: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.
should get rid of the "if"

Quote: Tap-tap-tap-tap...tap...tap...tap-tap-tap.
While I can see what you meant, this would probably be better rendered as tap-tap-tap tap ... tap ... tap tap-tap-tap, both for clarity and to avoid getting auto-filtered out on sites that cull URLs like FFn. I don't know if you plan on posting there, but with the way things have been going I wouldn't put it past tapasuck either.

Quote: "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.
I suggest "The life support systems in this area must be working just fine since air pressure was restored." Again, dialogue, your SI character, but it makes more sense that way. During the arrival event, you could also mention pain in Garrik's ears from the sudden pressure drop, and hope that they won't burst because being deaf would suck even if it would be temporary until Katherine healed him back up.

Quote: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.
You've either got an extra carriage return in there, or are missing one. Also I agree, I want to see the Ichijyo Flying Circus too. Landing with them would make an interesting insertion point pre-series, while getting into the first episode mess could be justified by one of the parents-uncle-pseudo-adopters-whatever-I-forget telling the SI to shadow Hikaru's plane to South Ataria Island for the event to keep him from pulling some damn fool stunt like he always does... with about the results you'd expect.

Quote: "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.
Shouldn't Garrick be able to budge them along if he needed to, maybe prop one up somewhere to fire if needed? He would of course not want to show that off, but might include it in the narration. With the way the things are shaped, it might even be possible to just roll them along on their side like a wheel, at which point even Minmei could probably provide meaningful amounts of help in directing it. Hooray for simple machines!

... that might even be intentional, since the Protoculture were human-sized and even the Zentran may be micloned if it's needed for some reason, like cleaning the cosmoline out of the crannies on a space gun that's been in storage for a few dozen thousands of years.

Quote: 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.
Later on when the SDF-1 was about to dickpunch Kamujin's cruiser with an assault ship full of destroids, the shoulder joint shorted out and locked up. Good job breaking it hero! Tongue In the meantime, though, you have an extra "pitch" in there.

Of course, you do actually address the first part a few lines later. Spoil my joke, why don't you? Grr.

Quote: So while utterly bland tasting, Zentraedi ration bars are probably top-shelf stuff otherwise.
That just means you use the little bottle of hot sauce! Poke around in the locker some more, it's not a rat-pack without one, and a single bottle should be enough to supply an entire restaurant for a year. The Macross might even get permitted to loiter in the American southwest for a while if you can bribe them with alien hot sauce strong enough for a man fifteen feet tall!

On to the next story post!

Quote: "Hah! Kid, this is entirely different. For one thing, you're going to be a pilot, which means you'll get a little more leeway around here. Of course, rank does help, but around here people tend to advance fast."
sould cut the first "around here," though again, it's dialogue.

Quote: Roy sighed. "Okay, I guess that's all I'm gonna get out of you for now. But really Hikaru, think about it. Even if you do fix your racer it's not like you'll be able to fly it around out here."
I get what you mean, (fly it around) (out here) but it would probably be better without the "around."

Quote: Then there was the bonus factor in that I knew what was coming. For sure, there was the butterfly affect and temporal momentum, but I wasn't going to give it too much thought.
--
"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
Reply
Re: [RFC] Being You is Deculture
#12
... okay, is there some heinously short post length limit now or what? The story parts worked just fine... Anyway, continuing:

Quote: Then there was the bonus factor in that I knew what was coming. For sure, there was the butterfly affect and temporal momentum, but I wasn't going to give it too much thought.
effect

Quote: I hate politics because it means picking your battles wisely... and I've never been the best at that, let me tell you. When confronted I'm a hot-head at worst and litigious at best, as we've already seen. But for some reason... I don't know why, but Captain Global, for some reason, let's shit like that slide.
The doubled "for some reason" works as repetition for emphasis, but I shall smite thee if you do not eradicate the apostrophe in that "lets" used as "allows" rather than "let us."

Quote: "This isn't over."
Well I certainly hope not! And yes, while Reba West did the role no justice, original Minnei is at worst a cute girl with a lovely voice and a typically teenage entitled attitude, not the shrieking harpy of fanon and memes.

I still liked Claudia better, though, and Milia or any of her kids during appropriate age ranges are the gold standard.
--
"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
Reply
Re: [RFC] Being You is Deculture
#13
wrote: Wrote:Oh, you know I've been waiting for this. Now it's finally here, and to celebrate I shall show my love by nitpicking it to death!
Oh, thank you soooo much. As you've probably seen it's in dire need of it. :p
wrote: Wrote:
Quote:Super Dimensional Fortress Macross
This one was in dialogue so it can be excused easily enough, but the title is usually romanized as "Dimension" with no -al, for that extra Engrish appeal.
Fixed, though later when not referring directly to the anime, Garrick and others will use 'Dimensional' because you can only push Engrish so far in real life. (The reconstruction was a multi-national effort, which means the Lingua Franca of Macross Island would probably be English, with at strong presence of Japanese and Tagalog.)
wrote: Wrote:
Quote: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.
should get rid of the "if"
ARGH.

That was actually a remnant of the original version of this story that I missed. We're probably gonna see a few more of these. But anyhow, consider this fixed as well.
wrote: Wrote:
Quote: Tap-tap-tap-tap...tap...tap...tap-tap-tap.
While I can see what you meant, this would probably be better rendered as tap-tap-tap tap ... tap ... tap tap-tap-tap, both for clarity and to avoid getting auto-filtered out on sites that cull URLs like FFn. I don't know if you plan on posting there, but with the way things have been going I wouldn't put it past tapasuck either.
Fixed.
wrote: Wrote:
Quote: "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.
I suggest "The life support systems in this area must be working just fine since air pressure was restored." Again, dialogue, your SI character, but it makes more sense that way. During the arrival event, you could also mention pain in Garrik's ears from the sudden pressure drop, and hope that they won't burst because being deaf would suck even if it would be temporary until Katherine healed him back up.
Fixed, though I don't think I need to go as far as that. As big as the hole was, even a space that big would have depressurized fairly quickly if it was sealed off from the rest of the ship.
wrote: Wrote:
Quote: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.
You've either got an extra carriage return in there, or are missing one. Also I agree, I want to see the Ichijyo Flying Circus too. Landing with them would make an interesting insertion point pre-series, while getting into the first episode mess could be justified by one of the parents-uncle-pseudo-adopters-whatever-I-forget telling the SI to shadow Hikaru's plane to South Ataria Island for the event to keep him from pulling some damn fool stunt like he always does... with about the results you'd expect.
Hmmm. Not seeing it on my end... Might be because the original document is single spaced with indents, but the indents don't copy over so I have to double-space them here in the forums. :p

As for the flying circus... I'd like to, but that'd be quite a few characters I'd have to pull out of my ass who we would likely not see very much of later on. -_-;
wrote: Wrote:
Quote: "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.
Shouldn't Garrick be able to budge them along if he needed to, maybe prop one up somewhere to fire if needed? He would of course not want to show that off, but might include it in the narration. With the way the things are shaped, it might even be possible to just roll them along on their side like a wheel, at which point even Minmei could probably provide meaningful amounts of help in directing it. Hooray for simple machines!

... that might even be intentional, since the Protoculture were human-sized and even the Zentran may be micloned if it's needed for some reason, like cleaning the cosmoline out of the crannies on a space gun that's been in storage for a few dozen thousands of years.
Errrr.... Got a picture of one?

Besides, Garrick would know that they are, without any doubt, within friendly territory. Besides, if he were to find himself in a situation where he'd need more gun that what he has on hand, then he'd just jump into his C-Space and drag Hikaru and Minmei with him. :p
wrote: Wrote:
Quote: 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.
Later on when the SDF-1 was about to dickpunch Kamujin's cruiser with an assault ship full of destroids, the shoulder joint shorted out and locked up. Good job breaking it hero! Tongue In the meantime, though, you have an extra "pitch" in there.

Of course, you do actually address the first part a few lines later. Spoil my joke, why don't you? Grr.
Snrk. Keep in mind, Hikaru and Minmei originally busted open AN ENTIRE FREAKING PIPE.

Garrick, instead, carves a small slit into one using a diamond file. Big difference, I think. :p

And I fixed the repeated word.
wrote: Wrote:
Quote: So while utterly bland tasting, Zentraedi ration bars are probably top-shelf stuff otherwise.
That just means you use the little bottle of hot sauce! Poke around in the locker some more, it's not a rat-pack without one, and a single bottle should be enough to supply an entire restaurant for a year. The Macross might even get permitted to loiter in the American southwest for a while if you can bribe them with alien hot sauce strong enough for a man fifteen feet tall!
Snrk. Maybe in the omake...
wrote: Wrote:
Quote: "Hah! Kid, this is entirely different. For one thing, you're going to be a pilot, which means you'll get a little more leeway around here. Of course, rank does help, but around here people tend to advance fast."
sould cut the first "around here," though again, it's dialogue.
Actually, that's the actual line from the HG English dubs. :p

I'll review the conversation from the original Japanese version and see if I should tweak it to make it fit better.
wrote: Wrote:
Quote: Roy sighed. "Okay, I guess that's all I'm gonna get out of you for now. But really Hikaru, think about it. Even if you do fix your racer it's not like you'll be able to fly it around out here."
I get what you mean, (fly it around) (out here) but it would probably be better without the "around."
Again, same as above. :p
wrote: Wrote:
Quote: Then there was the bonus factor in that I knew what was coming. For sure, there was the butterfly affect and temporal momentum, but I wasn't going to give it too much thought.
effect
Fixed.
wrote: Wrote:
Quote: I hate politics because it means picking your battles wisely... and I've never been the best at that, let me tell you. When confronted I'm a hot-head at worst and litigious at best, as we've already seen. But for some reason... I don't know why, but Captain Global, for some reason, let's shit like that slide.
The doubled "for some reason" works as repetition for emphasis, but I shall smite thee if you do not eradicate the apostrophe in that "lets" used as "allows" rather than "let us."
Snrk. All fixed. I swear my brain acts like auto correct when I'm typing fast enough. :p
wrote: Wrote:
Quote: "This isn't over."
Well I certainly hope not! And yes, while Reba West did the role no justice, original Minnei is at worst a cute girl with a lovely voice and a typically teenage entitled attitude, not the shrieking harpy of fanon and memes.

I still liked Claudia better, though, and Milia or any of her kids during appropriate age ranges are the gold standard.
I think that in reality, Minmei is a lot less 'entitled' than her Americanized HG version seems. I mean, think about it - she's a Chinese national raised in Japan. If anything, the cutesy behavior she puts on is probably her version of fully fledged teenage rebellion!

One of the interesting little derailments I will perform is that Lynn Kaifun (Lynn Kyle in Robotech) will not be coming to the SDF-1. Garrick will be chosen to be the one to fly Minmei to Yokohama, and when Kaifun tries to bully his way in... Well, Garrick will have several things to say about that!

"Look, I simply cannot take him with me and I will explain why. First of all, I shall reiterate a critically important and already stated fact: Your daughter is not supposed to be here! This is little visit is completely clandestine, and Captain Global is only allowing it because of how special Minmei is.

"Secondly, I've done my homework. Kaifun openly supported the anti-unification faction - and it doesn't matter how he dresses it up, those people were terrorists, plain and simple. And yes, I am allowed to do that. I'm a paygrade O-3 line-officer of the UN Spacy. This is my operation. I went through your entire family's records the day before I was to come here so I could be absolutely certain that you can be trusted.

"Finally, my orders were to bring her here, and then bring her back. No more, no less. I am not about to jeopardize my career over some snot-nosed kid who supports terrorists in the name of peace! He is not going, and if he tries to report us to the authorities here then your daughter will not be released into your custody. Instead she is going to be detained, then returned to the Macross, and I seriously doubt they'll let you see her in the meantime, because according to the UN: We. Do. Not. Exist. We all died at Macross Island six months ago. And they are gonna do whatever they can to make sure that everyone keeps thinking that."

It will not only bar a nuisance from coming into their lives, but also reiterate how dicey the situation is.

Thoughts?
Reply
Re: [RFC] Being You is Deculture
#14
wrote: Wrote:Snrk. Maybe in the omake...

Did someone say "omake"?


--
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
Reply
Re: [RFC] Being You is Deculture
#15
....  Ironically, it has much better animation than the original.  :p
Reply
Re: [RFC] Being You is Deculture
#16
Black Aeronaut Wrote:....  Ironically, it has much better animation than the original.  :p

Well what do you expect, the Artists, and Animators were having Fun!.
Reply
Re: [RFC] Being You is Deculture
#17
I'm slowly working on the next bit, filling it out with a 'letters from home' session.  Really, once I do all the letters, that will practically be a chapter all in and of itself.

There will also be hints of developments that occurred in the MLP step, so you guys will start getting an idea of what insanity he's been up to between here and there.  And also, the time differential will become more clear.

Finally, there will be clue-hammers of big things to come in the future, but they won't happen for a few more books - it needs a bit of time to develop, and there are certain things I want to have take place before this big turning point happens.
Reply
Re: [RFC] Being You is Deculture
#18
Okay, I found a nice sounding remix of My Boyfriend is a Pilot. Tell me what you guys think.



Well? Thoughts?


While I'm waiting for you guys to notice, I might as well pitch some ideas that pertain to this world.

The biggest thing is gonna be the disappearance of Megaroad-1.  They are INCREDIBLY vague about the fate of Megaroad-1, just that they lost track of it and that was it, and it's one of the great mysteries of the Macross universe, much like Jimmy Hoffa, the Lindbergh Baby, and Amelia Earhart.

Now, not that Garrick has anything DIRECTLY to do with it....  Because I'm having him pop out just before hand.  BUT!!!  Minmei will have been left with one of Katherine's seeds.  Not a seed for a 3rd Gen, mind, but one of her 'emergency backup' seeds like the one Tsunami gave to Tenchi to bring back Aeka's Tree, Ryu-oh.  (This, BTW, is the same type of seed that has been alluded to being left in Twilight Sparkle's possession.)

Thing is, Garrick becomes a Big Damn Hero - right after Hikaru, anyhow.

And after he disappears, Minmei pretty much outs the whole thing to the public.  (After some time, Garrick does reveal his nature as a slider, but the UN hushed it up.)  And at that point, public opinion onboard the Megaroad-1 SWINGS!  Nobody gets left behind!  They want to go after Garrick!  Besides, it's not like anyone was planning on going back to Earth anyhow.  :p

Anyhow, with some shenanigans with tying in the seed that Minmei had into the dimensional space fold systems in hopes that it will pull them to Garrick...  Well, it works...  Kinda.

Basically, they get pulled into the Tenchi-verse instead of to wherever Garrick is at.  Whoops.

(Really, having them show up in the Van-Dread universe would have been utterly game-breaking.  :p  )

Eventually, what will wind up happening is that Washu-chan WILL get the transmat system up and running.  She kinda has to go God Mode for a bit (even though it galls her a bit that she has to resort to that), and Tsunami helps as well (it's her bond to Katherine and Garrick they're messing with anyhow), but she does it.

At first only inorganics can pass through...  Then food stuffs... then People.  Of course, only one or two at a time at first, but then more later.  (Of course, the harem he left behind are on the highest priority... and Yuki is gonna commute as needed.)  Until later on they they manage to send him the entire freaking Megaroad-1.

Why?

Because:
1) Mission is not accomplished yet!  (Bring Him Home!!!)
2) Some people feel Garrick needs a ship.  Megaroad-1 will suffice.  :V
3) The citizens of Megaroad-1 still intend to colonize somewhere.  Getting to choose from different universes just makes things that much more interesting.


One of the things we miss by skipping over the MLP-step for the moment is when Garrick faces off against Tirek, he manages, like Kenshi in War on Geminar, to manifest a single Lighthawk Wing.  Immediately afterwards, he can't summon it up again (just like Tenchi is unable to do so at will at first) but it's a huge sign that things are changing.

Once he reports this to Washu-chan, she of course let's Seto know what happened.

Seto practically shits a platinum brick and she couldn't be happier about it.  As per Garrick's recommendation, no one else knew about what was happening except Tsunami, Washu, and Tokimi.  But actually pulling that off changes the situation: Seto would HAVE to be notified!

With this new wrinkle, it becomes abundantly clear: Garrick Grimm is in a class that is only occupied by Tenchi (at the time - Kenshi is barely even a gleam in his mother's eye right now) and therefore worthy of his own house among the Royal Houses of Jyurai.

It wouldn't be official, of course, until Garrick finally arrives back in Tenchi-verse...  But when he finally does, his household will already be setup - he will have his staff, his wives, and even his children.  All that will need is the official recognition of the other Royal Houses... Although House Amake will undoubtedly cause some ruckus about it.  They always have when it involves House Masaki.

Thoughts?
Reply
Re: [RFC] Being You is Deculture
#19
Disco Atashi no Pilot is kinda nifty, and very listenable for disco in general.

Didn't Megaroad-1 head toward the galactic core and vanish? I thought the official explanation once Frontier got underway was that they found/wee found by/fell afoul of the Vajra, and investigating it was how Mao's bunch wound up going that way and sparking off the events leading up to F. Not that not getting people interested in poking the giant murderbugs that even the Protoculture stood in awe of and left alone isn't fine too, and you know the Megaroad colonists will be bouncing-off-the-walls ecstatic to defold over a green, living Earth with all its people and culture intact. Even if it's not exactly theirs, they saw their earth burn.

They'll probably be fanatic about creating defenses for it that could make Boldolza shit his pants and cry for his cloning vat, too, because never again. What's that you say, they have Ryo-Ohki protecting it, who once ripped straight through the most powerful navy in the known universe like a honey badger through a bees' nest? That's not a bad start, but it needs more layers of patrols and sensors station, more defense platforms, just plain more. The Earth is blue and green and if they have to paint the sky with lasers it will never be ashes again.
--
"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
Reply
Re: [RFC] Being You is Deculture
#20
That's an angle I hadn't considered.

Although, I had also been considering derailing events such that the Rain of Fire never occurs.  If Garrick is ever to come out as a slider then he would need to do everything he can to keep that from happening, otherwise he becomes a pariah.

EDIT: Adding on now that I'm not at work and I can sit down in front of my laptop.

Megaroad-1 showing up (probably someplace nice and tame like Lunar Orbit) is gonna make a bunch of people shit bricks all at once.  Of course, the GP is gonna be on the scene like white on rice, followed shortly thereafter by Seto's anti-piracy squadron because Garrick's name got dropped.

Basically, the messed up part is that the citizens of Megaroad-1 are gonna be barred access to Earth...  for a time, anyhow.

And also, Earth's protection is more than just Ryo-Ohki.  It's also pretty much the entire Jyuraian Navy and a trio of Goddesses... Oh, and don't forget about Tenchi.  Wink

Essentially, the bureaucrats are gonna be fighting the Megaroaders because they see no reason at all for them to want to upgrade Earth's defenses when it's already a closely watched protectorate/colony world of the Jyuraian Empire.  However, this is where I see Seto stepping in.

Seto will state that, technically speaking, these people are natives of Earth and it would simply be gauche (literally that word!) to deny them their home.  But this is just the public boilerplate.

In reality, Seto wants to see what will happen.  It's that whole thing with her tossing rocks in a pond to see what the ripples will do.  And Seto expects that these people are actually gonna give Earth's technology base a shot in the arm.  In fact, she's hoping that with the highly unique Overtechnology, Earth will swiftly become a power unto itself to be reckoned with - and one that will in all likelihood be tightly allied with Jyurai as they facilitate their escalation from a protectorate to a nation unto itself.

What will be doubly interesting is that the implication I get from the source materials is that Earth is actually right at the edge of Jyuraian territory, bordering on the territory of the Galaxy Federation.  Which means that Earth has incredible importance as a potential gateway for trade.  And having that trade hub be able to protect itself effectively in exchange for a modest tariff?  Worth it.

And budding nation states is nothing new in Tenchi Muyo.  Most are actually well established and highly successful pirate guilds that go legitimate by brokering trade through their established territories.

So what would wind up happening would be about half the colonists will go down to Earth with a hefty amount of knowledge of Overtechnology - enough that soon several different versions of VF-0's and ARMD Platforms are gonna start popping up everywhere.

Also, because they want to eventually go after Garrick, Megaroad-1 is refitted into a proper Super Dimensional Fortress, complete with a civilian city tucked away inside, just like the original SDF-1.  It's really not quite as difficult as it seems because under the ship's skin, she is still an SDF.  The hardest part is coming up with all the armor plating that requires, but the Jyuraian Empire is sponsoring the refit because they want their new House Head back home and in one piece.

Imagine, if you will, their reaction when they land in Space Battleship Yamato.

They are gonna fucking blow their stacks.  It's going to be like in the game, Homeworld, when you hear those horrifying words: Kharak is burning.

Dessler will never know what hit him.
Reply
Re: [RFC] Being You is Deculture
#21
Well, I'd take it as read that he does everything he can to prevent that from happening anyway, just because he's not that much of an asshole, but changing the SOP of a millions-strong xenophobic alien spacy that you have (at best, if part of the group captured and taken to see Boldolza) something like five minutes of contact with, is one seriously hard trick to pull off. The sad part is that changing the Zentran is probably actually easier than trying to deal with the NUGgits (hehehe, I just though of that, as in "New Unity Government gits," but I love it!) back on Earth. Thinking about it, warning people about the Rain of Fire is probably what will make Garrick fess up to his origins - he knows it's coming if he doesn't somehow change things in a big way, and if all else fails he can get himself out of any lab they try to stick him in if worse comes to still-not-as-bad-as-letting-earth-die-without-trying.

On a semi-related note, with Lynn Kaifun getting left behind, will Garrick and his Jurai-powers being taking over as wuxia hero Shao Pai Long? If he can pull out a Light Hawk Wing or two on his own by then, he can actually do stuff fairly similar to what little we see of the movie with no SFX needed.
--
"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
Reply
Re: [RFC] Being You is Deculture
#22
Yeah, I can certainly see things going down like that.  He will niether be able to stop things from the Zentran end, nor from the NUGit side.

What he will be able to do, on the other hand, is get the word out by way of Minmei's father. He operates a very up-scale restaurant in Yokohama, and I would not be surprised if certain government officials dine there now and then.

Garrick, unlike Misa, will manage to come away with footage courtesy of his iPhone and C-pod. And he'll be handing that over to his girlfriend's dad in order to spread the word and start a grassroots effort to build more shelters and preserve Earth's ecology and culture.

And it will be on Global's say-so, too. Once he sees the footage himself and then the NUGits stick their heads in the sand, hell know that they need to go behind their backs.

As for Garrick taking Kaifun's place... Well, he still wont be able to summon up his lighthawk wing at will, even after he leaves Macross. It's one of those things that just isn't as easy as it looks.  So no 'I do all my own special affects' here.

However, the wuxia film is gonna take on a slightly different flavor with Garrick in the main role. After all, if the main character is gonna an American, then it will certainly have to be different for him to fit the role. :p
Reply
Re: [RFC] Being You is Deculture
#23
Oh, @ClassicDrogn

Something you might be interested in - someone made a nice article on the VF-4 Lightning III

http://anaheimjournal.blogspot.com/2014 ... g-iii.html

He's got some other cool stuff in his blog, too, like the control layout for the VF-1 Valkyrie.
Reply
Re: [RFC] Being You is Deculture
#24
Shit.  Double post because of a MySQL error.  What the hell.  :p
Reply
Re: [RFC] Being You is Deculture
#25
Okay you guys, here we go!  Presenting the Letters From Home segment!


Minmei was not as badly shaken up by the experience as I thought she'd be.  After we rearranged every thing, cleaned up the oil from the friers, and made our reports to our section's Shelter Officer I then went to my room just to relax.

There was a knock at my door.  No rest for the weary.

"Come in," I called out, not bothering to lever myself off my bed.

Hikaru poked his head in.  "You okay, Garrick?"

"Yeah, I'm alright.  Just a bit drained from that experience."

Hikaru scoffed as he came into the room and shut the door behind him.  "No kidding."

There was a moment of uncomfortable silence.  I was just about to break it when Hikaru spoke first.

"Were you serious back there?  About joining up with the Spacy?"

I sighed at that.  No point in refuting it now.  "Yeah, Hikaru.  I'm gonna give it an honest shot.  Whether it works out for me or not..."  I let that hang, but he knew perfectly well what I meant.

"Yeah.  So.  You were in the Navy."

"Not an experience I'd recommend for the faint of heart.  I had to deal with so much crap that it'd make a sanitation worker blush."

Hikaru laughed at that.  "I'll take your word for it.  But for the Spacy... If you're joining up, then I will too."

"Really?" I asked.  I was honestly worried that he wouldn't, given that he didn't have Minmei needling him along this time.

"Yeah.  Someone's gotta be your wingman, you old fart."

I snorted at that.  "Only old enough to know better."

"Old enough for me," Hikaru shot back.

"Must be, I don't even see any peach fuzz on that face of yours, kid!"  At that, we started into some spirited, brotherly fisticuffs.  Soon enough, though, Minmei knocked and poked her head inside.

"What are you two doing?" she asked archly.

I gave her my best innocent look.  "Why, we're settling a difference of opinion in the time honored tradition of men."

"Oh, is that what this is?" asked Hikaru blithely.

"Coulda fooled me," said Minmei.  "You both look like you're acting like a couple of kids."  Before we could retort, she added, "Despite the excitement, evening board is ready.  You guys may wanna come down and eat with us before it gets cold."  And with that she shut the door behind her.

"Dunno about you, Hikaru, but this is the best I've eaten since my time in the Navy.  Let's go get some."

"Sure thing.  Age before beauty," teased Hikaru.

"Good thing I got both, kiddo."

##

Once everyone had settled in for the night, I called up the door to my C-Space and, after double-checking no one was lurking about it the hall, I ducked inside and made my way to my garden.

GAR-KUN! came her voice happily ringing in my head as Katherine set to beaming radiant rays of light excitedly all over the garden, making me smile at her exuberance.

“Hey there, Sprout,” I answered.  Though I really couldn’t say she was a ‘sprout’ anymore now that she was only a sapling by the technical definition.  The years we spent in Equestria had been good to her as she had not only drank up the stipend of power she drew off of Tsunami, but also the ambient magical energy of the world we had previously occupied.

It was no surprise that the top of her canopy was now just over my head.

I wondered what had become of the seed she gave to Twilight?

I pushed the thought aside as I went methodically through the purely ceremonial process of checking Katherine over for parasites or signs of disease.  More than anything else, it was simply a show of affection from me to her.

Oh, another batch of letters came in, Gar-Kun.  You wanna read them?

“Oh, please!  Thank you!”

Of course!

Right away, a portfolio folder materialized in my hand by way of the C-Pod’s book app and I laid down in the moss around Katherine’s trunk as I opened it up.

Quote:Garrick,

So you wound up in Macross, huh?  Of course, you realize now that I want to know everything about their so-called Overtechnology.

Get cracking, boy.  I’m grading your ass on this one.

Also, I want you to be careful about what you do over there.  While you can use your C-Space as a bunker in the event of a worse-case scenario, there’s still the collateral damage to consider.

And yes, I’m talking about provoking the Zentradi.

That’s a very delicate situation.  From what I’ve seen of the anime, Breetai seems like an extremely reasonable man, and incredibly intelligent as well.  But that can only go so far.  Don’t force that man’s hand, Garrick.

In fact, I’m hoping that you’ll smooth things out somehow.  Not quite sure how you’re going to do it, though - you’re always so delightfully unpredictable in that way - so keep me posted.

I’ve been making progress on the transmat idea.  The Doctor was right - if we can send energy and a signal through the connection, then we should be able to send other things through.

Maybe even people.

It won’t be a solution for you.  There, of course, we kinda run into the chicken and egg paradox - the same reason why the door to the C-Space needs to be anchored at all times in real-space whenever you’re occupying it.

However, if we can send people through...  I’m pretty sure I don’t need to spell it out for you!  Wink

Anyhow, you got letters from all the usual suspects in this batch, and they’re all eager to hear more from you.  Take care of that before getting back to me on anything else - I know how you are when you get caught up in a project.

Sincerely,
Washu-chan
(The greatest teacher in the multi-verse!)

Quote:YOU BEAUTIFUL MAGNIFICENT CHILD!!!

Garrick, if you were here I would kiss you!

You have single-handedly caused the biggest uproar I have ever seen in the Emperor’s Court!

Bigger even than when the previous head of House Amaki was found guilty of treason.

Bigger than when my son-in-law brought home little Funaho.

And bigger than when my darling daughter told everyone where to shove it and how far when she abdicated her right to being First Wife.

With you being vetted by Katherine as having created your own Lighthawk Wing, these fools have all been running around, confused, angry - some of them are cursing your name already!  (Your parents, on the other hand, are utterly ecstatic and proud of your achievement.)

I have never had such entertainment during a state function, and I have you to thank for that, my darling, beloved, chaotic grandson.

I am certain that Washu-chan already gave you the broad strokes, so I will explain some of the finer details for you.

First of all, a power such as yours cannot be permitted to go free.  You would be a security threat to the Empire if you were in anybody else’s hands but ours.  And since we can’t very well force you to stay and be loyal, we do the next best thing.

We make you into the head of your own clan among the royal clans of Jyurai.

Of course, this is going to upset the entire dynamic of the Royal Council.  Oh, you have no idea how satisfying it is to see Kumato Amaki seething at the very thought of you, a ‘foreign upstart’ gaining so much power so suddenly - and at that thought that his power is going to be diminished with us having to add another seat to the Council.

That smug bastard has been a thorn in my side for so long - and I just know that he was party to his father’s treachery.  I just don’t have any evidence for it.  But the look on his face at his sister’s funeral told me everything.

And now I get to rub his nose into this!

WONDERFUL!

And now Washu-chan tells me that she is working on a means to transmat to your garden where little Katherine is planted!

Oh, this is going to be so wonderful!  Especially once we can start sending people over!  We need to get you married to those wonderful women of yours... and properly engaged to that beautiful little dear, Yuki.

Oh, I cannot hide it!  I am so smitten with her!  She’s as lovely as Funaho, but with a fire in her belly like my Misaki.  Some of my girls have already started calling her the Mistress of the Forge because of her passion and diligence.  After all, it’s no secret that you, the Forgemaster of the Throne are taken with her.  We could all see it in the way you looked at each other.

Anyhow, Washu-chan has briefed me about this new world you’re in.  Needless to say, I find myself fascinated.  Had such a thing happened in our world...  Well, granted, the response would be swift and decisive.  But I believe that we would become quite involved before these Zentradi could have a chance to glass Earth.

At any rate, my darling grandson, be strong.  I won’t tell you to ‘stay safe’ because I already know you’re gonna find the biggest hornet’s nest out there and poke it with something explosive.

Have fun and tell me all about it once the dust settles.

Love,
Grandmother

Quote:Dear Garrick,

Well, it’s official - I’ve entered the second trimester!

Mom gave us a thorough examination yesterday and has pronounced that Hikari is doing just fine and that all signs point to her being strong and healthy when she’s born.

Mom credits the excellent genetic material for that - and not just mine.  In fact, she says that, aside from hair and eye color, she is probably going to have a lot of your features as well as a predisposition for math and engineering.  (You should have seen her face - she was absolutely giddy.)

Yuki was hovering EVERYWHERE during the examination.  Poor girl is absolutely envious.  Yes, she understands that she’s not really ready for it.  But, like mom said, girls will be girls.

The new house is coming along slowly.  I was surprised at how thorough the survey had to be, especially that they even did a few core drillings to make sure there would be no surprises once we started digging.  But now, in retrospect, it only makes sense.

At least now the foundation has been laid - complete with a basement that will act as a storm shelter as well.

I’m still a little disturbed that the people here make nothing of living in a place where a sudden storm can drop something that destroys homes with such frightening efficiency with little or no warning...

...Well, some warning.  A lot more than you get for a seismic event, at least.  Your meteorologists are an admirable bunch.

Stay safe for us, Gar-kun.  I love you and I miss you every day you’re not here.

Love,
Minagi

Quote:To My Own:

Your daughter, My Own, is a nuisance.

A pregnancy for me should only take five months - our young develop relatively quickly in the womb.  But our child has apparently decided that she’s going to take her sweet time and go the entire nine months.

To say the least, I was not expecting this.

Don’t you dare laugh.

Fortunately, my maturation has finished, so that is one less hassle for me to deal with.  I’ll make certain to send pictures once Washu has figured out the communications protocol for it.  I am fairly certain that you will not be disappointed.

As for our Hotaru, she is doing well.  Washu extracted a genetic sample and has checked for any potential issues.  There have been a few - some faulty protein sequences that would have left our child incapable of surviving outside my womb.  Fortunately, though, your genetic material is remarkably malleable - Washu was easily able to shut down the troublesome genes.  She will still carry them and when her own time comes, we will need to carefully monitor Hotaru’s pregnancies.

However, at this time all signs point to her becoming a fine daughter for us.

I’ll have expectations of her - mainly that she excels at what she does.  I’m very much aware that she may be like you in your youth - a dreamer with her head lost in the clouds.

I would not mind, to be honest.  I was my own sort of dreamer in my youth.  I will simply have to seed ambition in her psyche so she will pursue her dreams instead of watching them pass by.

But I need you to be there for her.  She cannot truly be your daughter unless you are there to help me mold her mind.

Come back to us soon, my own.  We are waiting.

-Yume

Quote:Dearest Garrick,

Pregnancy is weird.

My hormones are all over the place and I was getting really bad morning sickness.  The worst part is that Washu-chan can’t do much for me.  The swings in my hormones are so sudden and extreme that it’s hard to counteract the effects.

The best she’s been able to do for me is to create an extract from several species of mint in order to quell my morning sickness.  Oddly enough, your favorite varieties seem to be the most effective.

I think Akatsuki is trying to tell us something.

Little brat.

I know I’m gonna love her without any reservation, but I can already tell that she’s going to be the troublemaker of the bunch.  But then I guess that only stands to reason.  I was the black sheep of my own family, rejecting the culture of my birth, barely doing any better for that of my father’s, and basically turning into a hot and sexy tomboy that likes to break shit and ruin the bad guy’s day.

And then there’s you, Mr. Dangerous Mind.  Our Lord of ‘Let me see what sort of devious and diabolical ways I can come up with to maim and frighten my enemies today’.  He who completely derails everyone’s expectations.

Our child is going to be an unholy terror.  I can’t wait to turn her loose on Seto.

My own health issues aside, Washu-chan reports that everything is fine.  Akatsuki is growing as she should be and my body, despite the hormone shifts, is handling the pregnancy well.

But I’m sure as hell not looking forward to the part where my bladder all but disappears.  I’m already starting to feel the squeeze down there!

Get your ass home as soon as possible.  I am not raising her without you.

Besides.  I want you to do that thing again.  This time without getting me knocked up.  Wink

Love and Missiles,
Achika

Quote:My Gar-kun,

I thought maybe things might be easier once Washu-chan helped me test-out of school.

I was kinda right... but still so very wrong.

I guess this is like when I stowed away.  I got ahead of myself and now I have to work harder than ever.

But it’s okay.  Actually, I think I like it this way much better.

Even if I am working much harder I get to be much closer to my family now.  I wake up with Sasami-chan every morning and we make breakfast for everyone together, and after I help her clean up, I spend the rest of the morning with Minagi-onee practicing my sword drills.  I then help Sasami-chan in the kitchen again to make lunch, then afterwards I spend the afternoon with Washu-chan.   Or, I should say Washu-sensei.  She is a tough sensei... but fair.  And even when she’s being tough on me, she still manages to be kind.  Sometimes I wonder if I’m her favorite student ever, but that’d be presumptuous of me.

And then dinnertime comes, everyone helps in the kitchen (We still call it Gar-kun’s Rule), and I spend a couple of hours talking with Yosho-dono and Ayeka-onee, learning about becoming a noble woman of Jyurai.

Everything is changing so much.

Minagi and Achika haven’t started showing their pregnancies yet, but you can see it on Yume - even though her body matured, she didn’t really grow much taller.  But she is very pretty.  I can’t wait for you to see her pictures!

I’ve been growing, too.  I’ve gone up by two centimeters since we left Earth - Washu-chan tells me that I’ve been on a growth spurt ever since then.  I didn’t believe her at first, but then she showed me the pictures you had been taking.

I was so surprised!  At first I was like a little girl, and then suddenly my body starts changing shape!

...

Washu-chan also tells me this is why I wanted to get all kissy with you before.  Stupid hormones.  Even now, when I went with my sisters for their examination with Washu-chan, I caught myself wondering what it would be like to be pregnant!

That caught me by surprise so badly that the others noticed and Washu-chan had to explain to me that it was alright for me to have thoughts like that.

I thought I had changed before, but this... well, I guess I should not be surprised.  I’m still growing, after all.  But that won’t last forever.  Someday soon, I’ll be grown up, and there will be no one that can stop me from being your wife.  (Well, the Emperor and his wives can, but we already know they have given their blessings.)

I miss you Gar-kun.

Sometimes I cry at night, thinking about you, and Sasami-chan has to hold me until I go to sleep.  Sometimes even through the night.  She says that she doesn’t mind... but I can tell that it makes her sad, too.

One of your favorite authors once said, “Shared pain is lessened, shared joy, increased...”  I know that now that I am not alone... but it still hurts so much without you here, Gar-kun.  I know the others won’t say it, so that leaves me to be the brutally honest one.

I miss you so much that it hurts.

Love,
Yuki

I had to stop reading there for a moment.  Knowing that my ladies were all hurting, and having it put so vividly by Yuki...  I had to take a moment to let the emotions ebb while Katherine comforted me gently.
Quote:Dear Brother,

I can’t believe it’s only been three months for us, but already years for you!  Washu-chan says the time differential might vary from one world to another, but it still worries me.

And what’s this I’ve heard about a ‘magic sword’?  Did you actually do something with the Hielzein-S ingots the people on Yatsuka gave us?

And to say nothing of the Lighthawk Wing!

DETAILS, DEAR BROTHER!  GIVE US ALL THE DETAILS!

Now that that is out of my system...  I miss you.  As I have told you before, I love Lord Tenchi with all my heart, but you are like the brother I never got to have.  More so than Yosho - he I only saw as my future husband.  But you I love so dearly as I love Sasami-chan.

I miss having you around with your infectious smile and your teasing and your cajoling.  I miss your manic little songs you sing as you go about your day.  You make home seem more like home.  But without you here it is like there is a cold and empty hole in the places where you’d stand among us.

When you finally come home I will wait my turn.  But when that turn comes, I don’t think I’m going to let you go for a long time.

From your sister with love,
Aeka

Quote:Dearest Onii-sama,

I know you’re safe.  But I know you’re sad a lot, too.  I can feel it through Tsunami, who feels it through Katherine.

And the rest of us can tell you’re sad, too.  I know you try hard, but it shows anyhow.

But it’s okay, onii-sama.  Someday we’ll all be together again.  I know it.  Especially if The Doctor’s idea works.  It’s practically the only thing Washu-chan works on now.  She’s hardly ever left her lab and I always have to bring her meals.  I also use that as an opportunity to check on her.  Washu-chan doesn’t know it yet, but Mihoshi accidentally got me an account in her computer so I can use it to keep an eye on her.

Really, she’s doing okay.  She does take care of herself - not that she really needs much.  Washu-chan is waaaayyy outside from being baseline.

But really, she’s just putting on a brave face in her own way.  She just has a lot more experience at it than the rest of us do.  A lot of it has to do with the work she does.  Like I said, she’s really throwing herself into it.  But at least it’s not just work for the sake of working.  She’s genuinely making progress.  Sure, she has setbacks.  She’s not afraid of complaining about them whenever I’m around.  But she’s still making progress, and for her that’s what helps the most - she knows she’s getting closer and closer to the solution.

Out of everyone here, though, I think Yuki-chan has been hit the hardest.  She cries herself to sleep on my shoulder almost every night.  Her connection to you is really profound, onii-sama.  It’s not like she depends on you, but without you here it really is like part of her is missing.  Everything she does has an almost robotic quality to it.  It’s not so bad as everyone else notices, but because I’m so close to her it’s obvious for me.

Though I think Yume has noticed, too.  It explains why she tries to spend as much spare time with Yuki as possible, and I know Yuki appreciates that.

Anyways, I heard about what happened with you and Tirek.  That was so awesome onii-sama!  It’s amazing that you were able to create your own Lighthawk Wing.  You’re definitely gonna be like Tenchi-kun, and that makes me really happy for you!  In fact, Seto told me that this means you’re gonna get your own clan.  That’s so cool!  Tenchi-kun is really sweet, but Gar-kun is the cool brother!

Really, I think that when you get back, you and Tenchi-kun are gonna make an awesome team together.

Get strong, onii-sama.  We’re all counting on you to get home.

Love,
Sasami

Quote:Yo!

You know I’m not good at this kinda thing, so I’m gonna keep it short and sweet, as usual.  You know me, after all.

Really, it sucks not having you around.  You’re one of the few guys around here that can hold his liquor better than Yosho can.

Otherwise... It hasn’t hit me as hard as it has with the others.  I mean, it’s not that I don’t get it.  Really, I do.  All I have to do is imagine that if it had been Tenchi instead of you...  Yeah, the less I think of THAT, the better.

But I think it’s for the best, anyhow.  While everyone else has their moments, I get to be the one that cheers people up.  Oh, I know what they think.  ‘It’s just Ryoko being Ryoko.’

And I’m fine with that.  I don’t need any extra recognition or anything like that.  As long as Tenchi loves me, then I’m happy.

So anyhow, you take it easy out there, buddy.  I want you in one piece when you get back.  Because if what I’ve been hearing is for real, then we might be able to have a little fun.

I dunno if you realize it, yet, but I could never really spar with the others... at least not on the level I’d like to.  It takes a bit for me to get the blood pumping, ya know?
Hurry it up, man!  I’m getting bored over here!

-Ryoko

The next letter was another wall of text - several pages of uninterrupted eidetic memory playback - from Mihoshi.  Which I won’t inflict on anyone that doesn’t deserve it.

Katherine, on the otherhand...

Sprout, you think you can do something about this?

Sure thing, Gar-kun.  It’ll take me all night, but I can summarize it for you.  Want to keep the original text, though?

Yeah.  There might be something hidden in that mess that a summary would cut out.

Got it.  Should be ready in the morning,

Thanks, Sprout.

Anytime!
Quote:Dear Garrick

Well, after three months I think it’s safe to say:

Things are REALLY different without you here.  I don’t just mean the way everyone is missing you.  I miss you, too, but...

You once said I have a nasty habit of fading into the background.  I didn’t really believe you then - I felt that with everyone dragging me into strange situations that I never really had much choice in the matter.

But ever since you left, everyone’s eyes have been on me more and more.  It’s only now that I realize what you did around here.

It’s strange.  Even though you were so bold and up front about things, you never really made a big deal about it.

As weird as it sounds, you had become not just our leader, but the head of our house.  You made sure that things got done, and not really by bossing people around (though you did often make suggestions).  Instead you called people out on bad habits and behaviors.  Like how you got all of us on letting Sasami do all the cooking here without doing much to help her besides peeling vegetables.

And I allowed it to happen because I didn’t want that job.  I just did whatever jobs needed to be done and let things run on autopilot.  And then you showed up and once we trusted you, there were suddenly rules and structure.

Sasami isn’t allowed to be alone in the kitchen.

Nobody gets to hound Ryoko after she’s done her fair share of work.

Nobody is allowed to mess with Mihoshi’s guidance beacon.

Bath time is family time.

Washu-chan must come out of her lab at least two times a day.

And more.

We still follow all of these rules, but that’s mostly because I had to step into your shoes and remind everyone about them.

I never told you about this before because I knew you didn’t need to hear about it on top of everything else you were going through, but things were bad here the first week you were gone.  Everyone was so angry and upset, and no one knew for sure what to do.  We had no way of finding Professor Clay (I think that made Washu-chan more upset than anything else) and no way to bring you back home sooner.

And then I noticed that everyone was breaking the rules you made.  So I started reminding people about them.  It was kinda hard at first.  Ryoko actually yelled at me, saying what good was it that you weren’t here anymore.

Minagi came to my rescue.  She told Ryoko that she was acting like you had died.  She said you were just lost and that when you would show up that you’d be really unhappy with everyone if we were all acting like this.

Things changed after that.

We all pulled together and made things as normal as we could... and it worked.  It was still kinda strange.  Without you here it was a little like how things were before you came.  But then, there was Minagi, Yuki, Yume, and Achika all hanging around.  Sometimes even Minaho and Tennyo come over.

Which is really great because now I get to spend time with my sister and get to know her.  She’s really fun, even if her pranks do get a bit out of hand.  Grandfather tells me that she’s a lot like how my mother was, and Tennyo has also been telling me lots of stories about how she grew up with mom.

And Minaho...

...Uhm.  I think I have another fiance now.

I wish you could have warned me about this...  You did know about it, right?

But... I think it’s alright.  Minaho and I have been spending time together.  I guess you could say we’ve been dating.  And Minaho’s really a very nice person when she’s not working for Seto.  Sure, she can be very tough and sometimes scary - she has a lot of scars!  But so far, she’s... different from the others.

Unlike everyone else, she actually came and said that she likes me and said that she wanted to see if we fit together.  There were no crazy situations, no hidden agendas, no weird plots.  It actually felt... normal.

In fact, she even warned me that Seto might actually force someone else into the picture - while having Minaho, Aeka, and Sasami as my brides might look good, Seto might feel better about my odds if there was another bride from Jurai.  One that nobody could possibly mess with.

Could you give me a hint, brother?  Please?

Sincerely,
Tenchi

Quote:Garrick:

Noboyuki here.  I’m glad you agreed in your last letter to let me take charge of your holdings on Earth.  The others, while well-meaning, honestly have no idea what the markets here on Earth are like.

Really, I’m quite surprised that you had amassed so much liquid assets in the time you’ve been here.  It almost makes me wonder if I got into the wrong profession, but then again computer hardware of that caliber here on Earth is obscenely expensive.  You were fortunate to have those machines of yours when you arrived.

At any rate, your money is in good hands.  There is a stock brokerage in Tokyo that has had the implicit trust of the Masaki family for as long as Japan has had a stock market.  They’ve put together a portfolio for you that looks pretty good.  However, any input on where to invest in the future would be welcome.

With this you’ll be independently wealthy when you return.  At least, on Earth you will be.

As for your holdings among the Empire...

You may remember Mimi Tatsuki Jurai.  It turns out that she is quite an accomplished merchant and economist.  I’ve advised Achika to task her with managing your wealth and she took it.  Mimi has been doing an admirable job thus far; she has developed a portfolio for you that is making some modest returns.

As soon as I am able to, I’ll send you annotated spread sheets detailing all of your holdings and assets and what returns you’re gaining.  If anything is not to your liking by even an iota, then by all means let me know.

Sincerely,
Noboyuki Masaki

And that was all they wrote.

With a sigh, I closed the portfolio and dismissed it.  I’d go back and reread it later before writing out my replies.

Seems like everyone is doing as well as they can over there, huh?

Yeah, seems so, Sprout.  So we’re gonna have to do the same.

I stood up and affectionately went over Katherine, once more performing the all-but ceremonious check for signs of disease or parasites.  No sticks for me to collect yet, but the very first ones I got I would make into hair ornaments for my ladies.

So, if you’re gonna be in boot camp, aren’t you gonna need a way to hide your bracer?  It’s... kinda showy and I made it so it doesn’t come off... it being attached to the C-Pod and all.  There was a slightly nervous chuckle at that from Katherine.

It’s alright, Sprout.  I don’t mind.  It just means that no one can take it away from me.  But that is a problem in this case...  think we can disguise it with a hologram?  Like Yosho’s and Noboyuki’s disguises?

Sure!  I’ll get it on it right away.  It should be ready in the morning.  I’m pretty sure that will be soon enough for you.

I snorted at that.  Yeah, that should be fine.  Thanks, Katherine.  I don’t know what I’d do without you.

Hey, the feeling is mutual.  After all, mother made me just for you, so I wouldn’t exist if you hadn’t shown up.

I smiled at that.  Touche, my Sprout.  Touche.


This concludes this Letters from Home segment.  I'll put more up later tonight.  Right now, I'm about to drop dead.  :p
Reply


Forum Jump:


Users browsing this thread: 2 Guest(s)