[FLUFF] The Omake Challenge
Bill Martin
Second, any fic must be in before January 1.
Third, even if you haven't submitted a team to tackle this challenge,
you may assemble a team after this posting to tackle it, if you wish to.
Fourth, good luck.
----
It was Halloween again, and I was looking at a familiar face.
The Master: Well, with no one stepping up last year, you certainly did
well on your own.
Me: What do you want this time?
The Master: Before you recalled the mirror, I did make one final
mirror image, but I wish it had been with the master summoner, not the
standard issue one.
Me: You mirrored Rob Kelk? Well at least I'll see the first
anti-meganneko website...
The Master: No you impertinent twit, I mirrored you. I was off by a
year, and only got the one with a normal summoner, but like your master
summoner, it's been modified to allow non-traditional and non-Challenge
characters as well. You'll be off facing your mirror, hope you'll be
having fun tracking him down, but there's something else you must know
about.
Me: Great, what's the side dish for this s*** sandwich?
The Master: Such language! Well, if you must know, I've summoned 3
creatures in search of a Philosopher's Stone, also I've told them that
the one of them that creates the most chaos in your world will actually
get one. I believe you might be familiar with this stone of mine.
Me: (eyebrows) They thought that lump of Jethric was the Philosopher's Stone?
The Master: Well, they only saw it briefly enough to identify it as a
glowing stone.
Me: Okay then, who are the stone fanatics?
The Master: Oh, they're some of the nastiest, most vile creatures I've
ever met...
Me: ... and considering the source, that's saying something.
The Master: HEY! (adjusts his collar) I'll let that one slide. First
there's a nasty wizard called the Rezo, the Red Priest. I took the
real one before he acquired his stone.
Me: Crap.
The Master: Then there's this body-switcher called Dante. She's from
that series with the living armor.
Me: Living armor? Wha... oh... FMA... double crap.
The Master: Finally, there's this no-nosed freak, a nasty wizard who's
a very capable manipulator, I took him from the 6th book of his series,
since the 7th one is the final one where he is no more.
Me: No-nosed? Don't tell me, Lord Voldemort.
The Master: Well, my work is done here, I've no reason to stay, but I
shall watch with great humor your attempt to defeat your doppleganger.
(The Master leaves & I send out a Challenge summons)
----
Okay, Rezo, Dante, and Voldemort have been let loose in our world, each
one working against the others to create the most chaos. You and your
team's job, should you choose to accept it, is to stop the trio by any
means necessary. If you need clarification on anything, feel free to
ask.
Starcade
> Okay, Rezo, Dante, and Voldemort have been let loose in our world, each
> one working against the others to create the most chaos. You and your
> team's job, should you choose to accept it, is to stop the trio by any
> means necessary. If you need clarification on anything, feel free to
> ask.
Oh... My... Lord...
Mike
Rob Kelk
<bill_r...@hotmail.com> wrote:
<snip>
>The Master: Before you recalled the mirror, I did make one final
>mirror image, but I wish it had been with the master summoner, not the
>standard issue one.
>
>Me: You mirrored Rob Kelk? Well at least I'll see the first
>anti-meganneko website...
>
>The Master: No you impertinent twit, I mirrored you.
Oh, drat. I *know* how to neutralize that Rob Kelk guy... (Give him a
full copy of "Endless Eight" - being my reverse-personality mirror,
he'll be entranced by it and won't bother making any trouble.)
<snip>
>Okay, Rezo, Dante, and Voldemort have been let loose in our world, each
>one working against the others to create the most chaos. You and your
>team's job, should you choose to accept it, is to stop the trio by any
>means necessary. If you need clarification on anything, feel free to
>ask.
Okay - one difficult, one "who?", and one... maybe easy, respectively.
I'll have to figure out how well wand magic goes up against card magic.
--
Rob Kelk Personal address (ROT-13): eboxryx -ng- tznvy -qbg- pbz
"There's always somebody who's going to hate your work, no matter
how good it is. DON'T LET HIM CHASE YOU AWAY FROM WRITING, BECAUSE
THAT WAY HE WINS." - Robert M. Schroeck, 18 July 2006
Sea Wasp (Ryk E. Spoor)
> On Sat, 31 Oct 2009 19:44:51 -0500, Bill Martin
> <bill_r...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> <snip>
>
>> The Master: Before you recalled the mirror, I did make one final
>> mirror image, but I wish it had been with the master summoner, not the
>> standard issue one.
>>
>> Me: You mirrored Rob Kelk? Well at least I'll see the first
>> anti-meganneko website...
>>
>> The Master: No you impertinent twit, I mirrored you.
>
> Oh, drat. I *know* how to neutralize that Rob Kelk guy... (Give him a
> full copy of "Endless Eight" - being my reverse-personality mirror,
> he'll be entranced by it and won't bother making any trouble.)
>
> <snip>
>
>> Okay, Rezo, Dante, and Voldemort have been let loose in our world, each
>> one working against the others to create the most chaos. You and your
>> team's job, should you choose to accept it, is to stop the trio by any
>> means necessary. If you need clarification on anything, feel free to
>> ask.
>
> Okay - one difficult, one "who?", and one... maybe easy, respectively.
> I'll have to figure out how well wand magic goes up against card magic.
>
Dante is the Big Bad in the first FMA sequence. A terrifyingly powerful
alchemist with a penchant for making Sin-based homonculi. She's the
equal of the others, I assure you.
--
Sea Wasp
/^\
;;;
Live Journal: http://seawasp.livejournal.com
Bill Martin
> On Sat, 31 Oct 2009 19:44:51 -0500, Bill Martin
> <bill_r...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> <snip>
>
>> The Master: Before you recalled the mirror, I did make one final
>> mirror image, but I wish it had been with the master summoner, not the
>> standard issue one.
>>
>> Me: You mirrored Rob Kelk? Well at least I'll see the first
>> anti-meganneko website...
>>
>> The Master: No you impertinent twit, I mirrored you.
>
> Oh, drat. I *know* how to neutralize that Rob Kelk guy... (Give him a
> full copy of "Endless Eight" - being my reverse-personality mirror,
> he'll be entranced by it and won't bother making any trouble.)
Well, my doppleganger is supposed to be what keeps me busy until the
new year when I issue THOSE challenges.
> <snip>
>
>> Okay, Rezo, Dante, and Voldemort have been let loose in our world, each
>> one working against the others to create the most chaos. You and your
>> team's job, should you choose to accept it, is to stop the trio by any
>> means necessary. If you need clarification on anything, feel free to
>> ask.
>
> Okay - one difficult, one "who?", and one... maybe easy, respectively.
> I'll have to figure out how well wand magic goes up against card magic.
Rob, I think you may be the first one to ever say Lord Voldemort was
maybe easy to defeat.
Bill Martin
Sometimes the things I dream up for the challenges frighten me as to
what evils I could unleash if I were capable.
Sea Wasp (Ryk E. Spoor)
Team Grandfather Clause, AKA Returning Munchkins, wouldn't find them an
issue. :)
I haven't had time to decide what group I'd want to use this year,
assuming I get the chance to write. I wasn't able to last year and I
don't want to waste your time unless I'm sure I'll be able to get to it.
My prior Team Technomagic -- Cutey Honey, Ed Elric, and Bulma Briefs --
would be able to take 'em, but it'd be messy.
Rob Kelk
<bill_r...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>On 2009-10-31 22:19:41 -0500, rob...@deadspam.com (Rob Kelk) said:
<snip>
>> Okay - one difficult, one "who?", and one... maybe easy, respectively.
>> I'll have to figure out how well wand magic goes up against card magic.
>
>Rob, I think you may be the first one to ever say Lord Voldemort was
>maybe easy to defeat.
That's because JK Rowlings has no grasp of tactics...
(I did cover myself by saying "maybe", right? Good.)
Bill Martin
<sea...@sgeinc.invalid.com> said:
It's not like I sit down and say, "How can I make this a challenge for
Goku, Locke, and Kaos?" It's more of "What kind of situation can I
put the characters of a team in that they won't be prepared for?" for
the regular challenges, and for the omake, it's "What three characters
with something in common can I put together that I can turn into
something that any three schoolgirls from a regular series not defeat
on their own?" That's why the first Omake was against Team Pervy
Sages, last year's against Team Mirror (which was pretty much more like
Blade & Rob's Omakes in terms of serious responses), and this year's
Team "I Want A Philosopher's Stone"
Besides, my local library and bookstores don't carry your books, Sea
Wasp, so the internet is about the only place I can read your fine work.
Sea Wasp (Ryk E. Spoor)
> On 2009-11-01 20:25:44 -0600, "Sea Wasp (Ryk E. Spoor)"
> <sea...@sgeinc.invalid.com> said:
>
>> Bill Martin wrote:
>>> On 2009-10-31 21:11:59 -0500, Starcade <darkst...@gmail.com> said:
>>>
>>>> On Oct 31, 5:44 pm, Bill Martin <bill_r_mar...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Okay, Rezo, Dante, and Voldemort have been let loose in our world,
>>>>> each
>>>>> one working against the others to create the most chaos. You and your
>>>>> team's job, should you choose to accept it, is to stop the trio by any
>>>>> means necessary. If you need clarification on anything, feel free to
>>>>> ask.
>>>>
>>>> Oh... My... Lord...
>>>
>>> Sometimes the things I dream up for the challenges frighten me as to
>>> what evils I could unleash if I were capable.
>>>
>>
>> Team Grandfather Clause, AKA Returning Munchkins, wouldn't find
>> them an issue. :)
>>
>> I haven't had time to decide what group I'd want to use this year,
>> assuming I get the chance to write. I wasn't able to last year and I
>> don't want to waste your time unless I'm sure I'll be able to get to it.
>>
>> My prior Team Technomagic -- Cutey Honey, Ed Elric, and Bulma
>> Briefs -- would be able to take 'em, but it'd be messy.
>
> It's not like I sit down and say, "How can I make this a challenge for
> Goku, Locke, and Kaos?"
That would be a difficult one in many ways, and often would also lead
to "And then what are all the OTHER teams going to do?"
It's more of "What kind of situation can I put
> the characters of a team in that they won't be prepared for?" for the
> regular challenges, and for the omake, it's "What three characters with
> something in common can I put together that I can turn into something
> that any three schoolgirls from a regular series not defeat on their
> own?"
The basic rule is that three schoolgirls trump anything except maybe
four or five schoolgirls, so your villains are screwed!
That's why the first Omake was against Team Pervy Sages, last
> year's against Team Mirror (which was pretty much more like Blade &
> Rob's Omakes in terms of serious responses), and this year's Team "I
> Want A Philosopher's Stone"
Maybe we could just GIVE each of them a Philosopher's Stone and they
can go home happy?
>
> Besides, my local library and bookstores don't carry your books, Sea
> Wasp, so the internet is about the only place I can read your fine work.
>
Have you registered your displeasure with these local institutions, and
told them that they have two chances next year to make up for it?
Starcade
> Okay, Rezo, Dante, and Voldemort have been let loose in our world, each
> one working against the others to create the most chaos. You and your
> team's job, should you choose to accept it, is to stop the trio by any
> means necessary. If you need clarification on anything, feel free to
> ask.
Several points to ask about before I begin trying to figure out how
two acrobats, a goofy physical trainer, and an Internet Hellraiser can
do this:
-- So they are working individually, but they can be aware of what the
others are doing and try to stop them from creating chaos. And if
they know one of the other two are doing so, they will try to stop
them first ("each one working against the others").
-- Enemy locations and actions are at my discretion (both in trying to
create the chaos and stopping them from doing so), correct?
-- This challenge has nothing to do with you and your mirror -- that
you will "take care of", and be assumed to win, right?
-- Voldemort is at the end of Book VI, the other two are with maximum
known information?
-- What the "winner" gets is NOT the Philosopher's Stone (and Rezo
does NOT have it, only a fake), but a cheap lump of glowing rock?
I'll come up with more, but this for a start.
Mike
dot_wa...@hotmail.com
Fortress 2. (Say, would that be a legal series to pull characters
from? *grin*)
----
I wake up to see two vague blurs, one blue and one purple, surrounding
my bed. I groan and throw an arm over my eyes. Is it that time of
the year already?
"Wakey wakey, Miss Authoress! No time for sleep, you've got a world to
save!" Xelloss presses my glasses onto my face and levitates me out of
the cocoon that is my blanket. "Leggy-kins, would you do the honors
of getting our Fearless Leader into presentable clothes?"
That gets me to full alertness in a hurry. "I don't need his help!
Just give me a second!"
In record time I'm up and ready to tackle the latest challenge. The
rest of the team is already in the living room helping themselves to
breakfast, making small talk, or doing research on our opponents.
Sakura relinquishes her seat in front of the computer to show me
what's going on. "It doesn't look good, Dot-san."
I skim through the challenge and wince. "Ooh, yeah, it's not gonna be
pretty, but maybe--" I stand on the chair and raise my voice. "Okay,
guys, listen up!" once I'm sure I've got everyone's attention, I
continue: "We're up against some serious, god-level firepower here,
and some damn crafty minds to boot, but we also have two major
advantages: first, the enemy will be fighting each other as much as
they'll be opposing us; second, they won't have access to the minions
or resources they have. Now, then, as to the specifics:
We might not even have to fight Rezo the Red Priest--he's actually a
decent enough guy, just a little too intent on getting his sight back
no matter what the cost. What he doesn't realize is that a shard of
Shaburanigdo--a mazoku in a class above Xelloss'--is sealed into his
eyes. The only problem is I'm not sure how we can prove this without
unleashing a freaking Dark Lord on the world. Still, he is where I
think the Strategists have the best chance of negotiating a truce, if
nothing else.
Any fight we start with Dante needs to be done somewhere the damage to
living things--people, animals, plants, whatever--can be kept to a
minimum. I'm going to assume that she can do her Alchemy here on
Earth, so anything that dies will end up as fodder for a real
Philosopher's Stone. Hard-hitters, keep your eyes open when fighting
her, since she can use anything in the environment--and I do mean
ANYTHING--against you.
Voldemort, besides from being a powerful wizard, is a bully and a
sadist besides. He won't hesitate to use deadly force, but has a
penchant for toying with an enemy if he thinks they're too weak to
threaten him or if he has a personal vendetta. On top of that, he's
not able to use his most devastating magic without his wand, so that's
the first thing that needs to get taken out. He's also vulnerable to
the Power of Love--yes, capital P Power, capital L Love, I am _not_
making this up--and that's a pretty damn weaksauce weakness if you ask
me.
On top of all this, all three are highly intelligent, charismatic, and
manipulative. I can't emphasize enough that you shouldn't
underestimate them, even if you have a legitimate advantage over
them."
The briefing over, everyone separates into their respective groups to
plan. I listen in on each of them from time to time, offering what
advice I can (and bringing up relevant pages on Wikipedia whenever
necessary). Then we all wish each other well as each team take their
tuns in kicking ass and chewing gum.
So how does my new roster end up performing? Let's look at each team
in order, shall we?
Team Sugar
Sakura's Light-based magic carries the team to an easy win, though
Kirby's ability to spit back what the enemy dishes out and L's supreme
tactics do their part as well. Of all the groups, they have the
easiest job convincing Rezo to give up his quest (it helps that the
"Philsopher's Stone" turns out to be nothing more than a shiny rock);
with Sakura acting as distraction, Kirby sneaks up on Dante and eats
her (she gets spat back out unharmed afterward); and old Voldy doesn't
so much get a single spell off.
Team Unfair Advantage
Kongming's silver tongue brings Rezo around after a few rounds of cat-
and-mouse, his taoist magic backed up by Doraemon's gadgets (ah, the
benefits of science so advanced it may as well be magic) means that
team not only isn't curbstomped, but can fight any of the three
opponents to a standstill. The fight against Dante is a bit tougher,
wreaking havoc over a good chunk of the world, but Rezo intervenes at
an unexpected moment and vaporizes her; again, with Doraemon's help,
the damage is undone just as fast. Voldy? He is reduced to tears by
Doraemon's "turn farts into inspirational speeches" device, Soujirou
disarms him (and strips him naked for good measure), and Kongming
fills him with lasery dearth.
Team Pyrrhic Victory
The threat of possible world annihilation by a party that isn't him
causes Xelloss to behave himself for once, imagine that! He darts
between the three groups, offering his services and subverting them on
every opportunity while somehow still proving to be invaluable enough
to not get rebuffed by any of them. Legato, who as usual doesn't care
who wins as long as he gets to kill stuff, throws his lot in whoever
will have him, pretending to be against Xelloss on principal. In her
debut Flonne handles herself just fine, giving long, rambling speeches
about Truth, Justice, and Love as she's dishing out the pain. (She
also tries to infiltrate the enemy base once. Hilarity ensues, to the
tune of Yakety Sax.) True to their name, Team Pyrrhic Victory wrecks
most of the world, but hey, nobody but the bad guys died this time
because Flonne's also a healer! That means something, doesn't it?
Summation - The bad guys are stopped, the new roster is awesome, and
Team Fortress 2 is sucking up all my free time. Now, then, if you'll
excuse me, there's some control points that need capping...
Bill Martin
<sea...@sgeinc.invalid.com> said:
They would put their head between their knees and kiss their butt goodbye.
> It's more of "What kind of situation can I put
>> the characters of a team in that they won't be prepared for?" for the
>> regular challenges, and for the omake, it's "What three characters with
>> something in common can I put together that I can turn into something
>> that any three schoolgirls from a regular series not defeat on their
>> own?"
>
> The basic rule is that three schoolgirls trump anything except maybe
> four or five schoolgirls, so your villains are screwed!
Generic schoolgirls, like the ones in Peach Girl, Azumanga Daioh, or
any other normal girl show. The other kinds are what provides the
basis for your rule.
> That's why the first Omake was against Team Pervy Sages, last
>> year's against Team Mirror (which was pretty much more like Blade &
>> Rob's Omakes in terms of serious responses), and this year's Team "I
>> Want A Philosopher's Stone"
>
> Maybe we could just GIVE each of them a Philosopher's Stone and they
> can go home happy?
If you can find three Philospher's Stones, yes, but good luck on that.
They're rare in the works they come from, much rarer here.
>> Besides, my local library and bookstores don't carry your books, Sea
>> Wasp, so the internet is about the only place I can read your fine work.
>>
>
> Have you registered your displeasure with these local institutions,
> and told them that they have two chances next year to make up for it?
My library has given me the "You want his stuff? Go to a bookstore."
The other store, which is more a video, games, and book store, can
special order them, but I'd like to sample the works before I special
order anything. Yes, I am the kind of guy who'll flip through a
magazine off the rack before buying it, if possible.
Bill Martin
> On Oct 31, 4:44�pm, Bill Martin <bill_r_mar...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Okay, Rezo, Dante, and Voldemort have been let loose in our world, each
>> one working against the others to create the most chaos. �You and your
>> team's job, should you choose to accept it, is to stop the trio by any
>> means necessary. �If you need clarification on anything, feel free to
>> ask.
>
> Several points to ask about before I begin trying to figure out how
> two acrobats, a goofy physical trainer, and an Internet Hellraiser can
> do this:
>
> -- So they are working individually, but they can be aware of what the
> others are doing and try to stop them from creating chaos. And if
> they know one of the other two are doing so, they will try to stop
> them first ("each one working against the others").
They each know the others are trying to create chaos, but they're of
the mindset of "if I try to stop one, the other will win, since neither
I nor the guy I stopped created enough chaos to be a contender."
> -- Enemy locations and actions are at my discretion (both in trying to
> create the chaos and stopping them from doing so), correct?
Yes, but they have general knowledge of society, and have ideas of
where to strike. If your fic has them somewhere relatively harmless,
like a elementary school during recess, that would be bland.
> -- This challenge has nothing to do with you and your mirror -- that
> you will "take care of", and be assumed to win, right?
Correct. Just setting up some pre-info before I settle into the
setting up of the New Year's Hard challenge, probably.
> -- Voldemort is at the end of Book VI, the other two are with maximum
> known information?
Yes, Voldemort is from the end of book 6. Rezo would be from Episode
7, or the start of Episode 8, before he got his hands on the stone from
his universe. Dante can be either before or after she transfered to
Lyra's body, but must be before (ROT-13) Tyhggbal xvyyf ure. (End
ROT-13)
> -- What the "winner" gets is NOT the Philosopher's Stone (and Rezo
> does NOT have it, only a fake), but a cheap lump of glowing rock?
Yes, but they won't know it's not the stone until they inspect it.
> I'll come up with more, but this for a start.
Hope I helped.
Sea Wasp (Ryk E. Spoor)
> My library has given me the "You want his stuff? Go to a bookstore."
They will KNEEL before Wasp! (after, of course, they Kneel before ZOD!)
And with me having gotten such a nice review from School Library
Journal, too.
> The other store, which is more a video, games, and book store, can
> special order them, but I'd like to sample the works before I special
> order anything. Yes, I am the kind of guy who'll flip through a
> magazine off the rack before buying it, if possible.
>
You can sample any of my works -- either at Baen's Free Library, or the
more recent ones on my LJ. I'm currently posting snippets of Grand
Central Arena, two or three a week; just started this week.
Bill Martin
<dot_wa...@hotmail.com> said:
> Kind of half-assed this one. Too busy trying to not suck at Team
> Fortress 2. (Say, would that be a legal series to pull characters
> from? *grin*)
Basic rule of thumb, is it Japanese in origin or a Japanese adaptation
of an existing idea into a new format. For example, if there was a
Japanese adaptation of The Bible, Noah would be legal. If there's just
a Japanese translation of The Bible, he's not. (I'm pretty sure I
don't remember Superbook covering Noah, but I'm too lazy to google it
right now.) I'm pretty sure Team Fortress 2 isn't legal, but I'm open
to arguments that they are.
Yeah, she might just forget about the competition and start work on her own PS.
A shiny rock that in the right hands could buy an armada of spaceships...
> with Sakura acting as distraction, Kirby sneaks up on Dante and eats
> her (she gets spat back out unharmed afterward); and old Voldy doesn't
> so much get a single spell off.
>
> Team Unfair Advantage
> Kongming's silver tongue brings Rezo around after a few rounds of cat-
> and-mouse, his taoist magic backed up by Doraemon's gadgets (ah, the
> benefits of science so advanced it may as well be magic) means that
> team not only isn't curbstomped, but can fight any of the three
> opponents to a standstill. The fight against Dante is a bit tougher,
> wreaking havoc over a good chunk of the world, but Rezo intervenes at
> an unexpected moment and vaporizes her; again, with Doraemon's help,
> the damage is undone just as fast. Voldy? He is reduced to tears by
> Doraemon's "turn farts into inspirational speeches" device, Soujirou
> disarms him (and strips him naked for good measure), and Kongming
> fills him with lasery dearth.
Yay, you remembered the microphone...
> Team Pyrrhic Victory
> The threat of possible world annihilation by a party that isn't him
> causes Xelloss to behave himself for once, imagine that! He darts
> between the three groups, offering his services and subverting them on
> every opportunity while somehow still proving to be invaluable enough
> to not get rebuffed by any of them. Legato, who as usual doesn't care
> who wins as long as he gets to kill stuff, throws his lot in whoever
> will have him, pretending to be against Xelloss on principal. In her
> debut Flonne handles herself just fine, giving long, rambling speeches
> about Truth, Justice, and Love as she's dishing out the pain. (She
> also tries to infiltrate the enemy base once. Hilarity ensues, to the
> tune of Yakety Sax.) True to their name, Team Pyrrhic Victory wrecks
> most of the world, but hey, nobody but the bad guys died this time
> because Flonne's also a healer! That means something, doesn't it?
Nice resolution... and thinking of Flonne made me remember, I need to
save up for a PS3 so that I can play Disgaea 3.
> Summation - The bad guys are stopped, the new roster is awesome, and
> Team Fortress 2 is sucking up all my free time. Now, then, if you'll
> excuse me, there's some control points that need capping...
The teams passed, but hopefully you'll have more time around the first
of the year for fully-fleshed fics. So, good luck on your gaming.
Starcade
Groups acting up again...)
On Nov 5, 2:30 pm, Bill Martin <bill_r_mar...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> On 2009-11-03 11:44:27 -0600, Starcade <darkstar7...@gmail.com> said:
> > -- Enemy locations and actions are at my discretion (both in trying to
> > create the chaos and stopping them from doing so), correct?
>
> Yes, but they have general knowledge of society, and have ideas of
> where to strike. If your fic has them somewhere relatively harmless,
> like a elementary school during recess, that would be bland.
Well, it depends on what you might declare as a "strike"...
For example: Let's say one of them decides to set up shop somewhere
and does something that society would declare "good", but that we all
know would create absolute mayhem once the masses found out what was
going on... Would that qualify under your rules as sufficient
"havoc" (since, with "general knowledge of society", a corrupted
person with divine capabilities of doing "good" would openly create
such a havoc-wreaked situation, even if only by doing good...)?
> > -- This challenge has nothing to do with you and your mirror -- that
> > you will "take care of", and be assumed to win, right?
>
> Correct. Just setting up some pre-info before I settle into the
> setting up of the New Year's Hard challenge, probably.
Might play into my "larger fanfic project" for this year's
Challenges...
> > -- What the "winner" gets is NOT the Philosopher's Stone (and Rezo
> > does NOT have it, only a fake), but a cheap lump of glowing rock?
>
> Yes, but they won't know it's not the stone until they inspect it.
So we cannot tell them that there's no conceivable way that the Master
Summoner would sanely grant _them_ the Philosopher's Stone, knowing
that would probably result in the death of the Master Summoner???
Mike
Bill Martin
> (If you get three copies of this, I apologize in advance. Google
> Groups acting up again...)
>
> On Nov 5, 2:30 pm, Bill Martin <bill_r_mar...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>> On 2009-11-03 11:44:27 -0600, Starcade <darkstar7...@gmail.com> said:
>
>>> -- Enemy locations and actions are at my discretion (both in trying to
>>> create the chaos and stopping them from doing so), correct?
>>
>> Yes, but they have general knowledge of society, and have ideas of
>> where to strike. If your fic has them somewhere relatively harmless,
>> like a elementary school during recess, that would be bland.
>
> Well, it depends on what you might declare as a "strike"...
>
> For example: Let's say one of them decides to set up shop somewhere
> and does something that society would declare "good", but that we all
> know would create absolute mayhem once the masses found out what was
> going on... Would that qualify under your rules as sufficient
> "havoc" (since, with "general knowledge of society", a corrupted
> person with divine capabilities of doing "good" would openly create
> such a havoc-wreaked situation, even if only by doing good...)?
Yes. Like in Babylon 5 when the one person was going to give out the
secret formula of immortality, when one of the ingredients would've
required the taking of another's life, that kind of havoc is acceptable
for the fic.
> -- This challenge has nothing to do with you and your mirror -- that
>>> you will "take care of", and be assumed to win, right?
>>
>> Correct. Just setting up some pre-info before I settle into the
>> setting up of the New Year's Hard challenge, probably.
>
> Might play into my "larger fanfic project" for this year's
> Challenges...
Whatever...
> -- What the "winner" gets is NOT the Philosopher's Stone (and Rezo
>>> does NOT have it, only a fake), but a cheap lump of glowing rock?
>>
>> Yes, but they won't know it's not the stone until they inspect it.
>
> So we cannot tell them that there's no conceivable way that the Master
> Summoner would sanely grant _them_ the Philosopher's Stone, knowing
> that would probably result in the death of the Master Summoner???
Oh, I can summon the Philospher's Stone (several, in fact) with my
Master Summoner. If you're referring the the Summoner that the
Master's crony (my mirror) had access to, it's capable of summoning a
Philospher's Stone that some anime character was carrying at the time
of his or her summoning. You'd have to convince them that 1) The
Philosopher's Stone they were shown as a reward was a fake, 2) There is
no current Philospher's Stone in this universe, 3) The device that
summoned them there cannot summon someone else who happens to carry
one, should they track down my mirror with his device, 4) that they
just can't work together with Dante in light of all the previous
convincing, since she can create one with enough cost of life, and 5)
convince Dante to not create her own stone/stones so that she can rule
this universe.
With enough time, you might be able to convince Rezo to give up his
quest, but Voldemort and Dante are incarnations of evil. Even if you
convince Voldy & Dante of the first three I listed above, there's still
a very evil wizard on the loose, and Dante would just set about making
one on her own.
--
Please note, I have blocked most gmail addresses. I can still be
reached by e-mail, and if you are a legitimate poster, I can make an
exception in my killfile rules to allow me to see your posts. I do not
like the spam when it doesn't come from those tins.
Bill Martin
<sea...@sgeinc.invalid.com> said:
> Bill Martin wrote:
>
>> My library has given me the "You want his stuff? Go to a bookstore."
>
>
> They will KNEEL before Wasp! (after, of course, they Kneel before
> ZOD!) And with me having gotten such a nice review from School Library
> Journal, too.
My library's rather hit or miss when it comes to certain books/authors.
If the series is popular enough with the Teen Advisory Board or the
Senior Advisory Board, it'll be picked up lock, stock, and barrel,
otherwise good luck if they get two in a row of a five part series.
> The other store, which is more a video, games, and book store, can
> special order them, but I'd like to sample the works before I special
> order anything. Yes, I am the kind of guy who'll flip through a
> magazine off the rack before buying it, if possible.
>>
>
> You can sample any of my works -- either at Baen's Free Library, or
> the more recent ones on my LJ. I'm currently posting snippets of Grand
> Central Arena, two or three a week; just started this week.
I shall try to do that soon.
Starcade
> Yes. Like in Babylon 5 when the one person was going to give out the
> secret formula of immortality, when one of the ingredients would've
> required the taking of another's life, that kind of havoc is acceptable
> for the fic.
Consider: What would happen if that person were to give out the
secret formula of immortality, _regardless of what the formula is_,
but only a certain number of people would ever be able to access it or
clamber their way to the front, what have you?
I'm thinking _riot level_ here... But, if that counts, it's just a
matter of figuring out strategy execution -- that game plan would be
in place.
> > -- This challenge has nothing to do with you and your mirror -- that
> >>> you will "take care of", and be assumed to win, right?
>
> >> Correct. Just setting up some pre-info before I settle into the
> >> setting up of the New Year's Hard challenge, probably.
>
> > Might play into my "larger fanfic project" for this year's
> > Challenges...
>
> Whatever...
Just something I might have in mind. :)
> > -- What the "winner" gets is NOT the Philosopher's Stone (and Rezo
> >>> does NOT have it, only a fake), but a cheap lump of glowing rock?
>
> >> Yes, but they won't know it's not the stone until they inspect it.
>
> > So we cannot tell them that there's no conceivable way that the Master
> > Summoner would sanely grant _them_ the Philosopher's Stone, knowing
> > that would probably result in the death of the Master Summoner???
>
> Oh, I can summon the Philospher's Stone (several, in fact) with my
> Master Summoner. If you're referring the the Summoner that the
> Master's crony (my mirror) had access to, it's capable of summoning a
> Philospher's Stone that some anime character was carrying at the time
> of his or her summoning. You'd have to convince them that 1) The
> Philosopher's Stone they were shown as a reward was a fake, 2) There is
> no current Philospher's Stone in this universe, 3) The device that
> summoned them there cannot summon someone else who happens to carry
> one, should they track down my mirror with his device, 4) that they
> just can't work together with Dante in light of all the previous
> convincing, since she can create one with enough cost of life, and 5)
> convince Dante to not create her own stone/stones so that she can rule
> this universe.
The question I was asking, though, is that how could whoever's in
charge of this noise justify giving one of these characters a
Philosopher's Stone, with the knowledge that they would be evil enough
to take over this universe.
It would seem obvious to me that the first action I would take if I
had the Philosopher's Stone, and were such an evil bastard, would be
to kill the entity who gave it to me (and the Master Summoner) and
rule ALL universes!
And why's Dante even playing this game if he can make his own
Philosopher's Stone, especially if the level of mayhem required forces
mass loss of life??
Rezo sounds quite doable -- it's just a matter of strategy.
The other two will need more of a look...
Mike
Bill Martin
> On Nov 13, 2:01�pm, Bill Martin <bill_r_mar...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Yes. �Like in Babylon 5 when the one person was going to give out the
>> secret formula of immortality, when one of the ingredients would've
>> required the taking of another's life, that kind of havoc is acceptable
>> for the fic.
>
> Consider: What would happen if that person were to give out the
> secret formula of immortality, _regardless of what the formula is_,
> but only a certain number of people would ever be able to access it or
> clamber their way to the front, what have you?
>
> I'm thinking _riot level_ here... But, if that counts, it's just a
> matter of figuring out strategy execution -- that game plan would be
> in place.
Yeah, that counts. I just didn't want people to think minor stuff
would be acceptable.
The Master (from Doctor Who), no matter the incarnation, was an evil
b*****d who schemed and manipulated many, sometimes just for his own
amusement.
> It would seem obvious to me that the first action I would take if I
> had the Philosopher's Stone, and were such an evil bastard, would be
> to kill the entity who gave it to me (and the Master Summoner) and
> rule ALL universes!
The Master tried ruling everything once, as the Keeper of Trakken. It
didn't work out well for him.
> And why's Dante even playing this game if he can make his own
> Philosopher's Stone, especially if the level of mayhem required forces
> mass loss of life??
Well, SHE, can make one, but if someone's willing to give her one after
a little competition, why work hard if you don't have to?
> Rezo sounds quite doable -- it's just a matter of strategy.
>
> The other two will need more of a look...
>
> Mike
Well, good luck.
Aje.RavenStar
"Bill Martin" <bill_r...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:2009103119445116807-billrmartin@hotmailcom...
> First up, any New Year's-legal team may enter.
> Second, any fic must be in before January 1.
> Third, even if you haven't submitted a team to tackle this challenge, you
> may assemble a team after this posting to tackle it, if you wish to.
> Fourth, good luck.
> Okay, Rezo, Dante, and Voldemort have been let loose in our world, each
> one working against the others to create the most chaos. You and your
> team's job, should you choose to accept it, is to stop the trio by any
> means necessary. If you need clarification on anything, feel free to ask.
I woke with a strong impression of something nibbling or nuzzling my neck or
ear, quickly shook it off, and regretted doing that. My own fault - shouldn't
have indulged in so many tricky treats of the liquid sort the night before,
even if it was my favorite holiday, Halloween. Made a note to myself that
zombies were not desirable company for Halloween, not the liquid kind at
least.
"Glad you're finally awake Bubba-san," someone said quietly.
"Painkillers are right next to you, with some water. I left them in the
bottle so you could make sure I got the right thing."
"Appreciated," I croaked, sliding out of bed on the opposite
side after grabbing some gear. "And you are?"
"Maaka Anju."
I got my eyes in focus, nodded. "Ah, right, right, I contracted
with you for assistance with this year's side problem." I went to the
kitchen, started coffee. "I guess it's about ready to begin?"
"Already begun, and hopefully in a few more minutes complete.
It seems you set the summoner device, as you call it, to bring us in as soon
as you got notice of a problem. The other two determined pretty quickly you
were well out of it. I'm used to taking charge in situations, so I read
through the problem description, took advantage of your computer being on -
too bad about your being disconnected from your game, though - researched
with the other members of the team, set strategy, and implemented it."
"Quite all right, happens with WLO more often than not." She
was the most mature of her family, I remembered. We were quiet until I got
about half a cup in me, then I requested, "Ok, bring me up to speed. What's
the deal?"
"Some individual called 'The Master' introduced three people
obsessed with an object called a 'Philosopher's Stone' into your reality. A
bit like searching for a unicorn - mostly myth, and those who find one can't
really use it. And if they do, they cause more problems than they solve."
"I always thought the unicorn was more an allegory for - ," I
began, then cut myself off. Mature as she acted, this was still a young
gal. "Ignore that, too heavy a thought for this early, and not relevant to
the current situation. So who are these three? And where are Kamura-san
and Hazuki-san?"
"In a moment," Maaka said, poorly hiding her impatience. "I do
compliment you, however, on assembling an all-vampire team. Being one
myself, though not fully awaken, I already knew what our capabilities were
and that saved quite a lot of time."
"Proceed, then," I said humbly, mollifying her. "Oh, and may I
start some tea for you?"
"That would be nice, for all three of us," she nodded. I dashed
back to kitchen, put a pot of water on, returned. "The three in question
are, first, Rezo the Red Priest."
"I've heard of him, don't know anything about him."
"Here are prints of my online research." She handed me several
sheets. "Next was someone called Dante, a body switcher - ."
"Full Metal Alchemist. Quite a bit more trouble than the first
one."
"I thought so. Last, is a wizard with no nose, said to be a
capable manipulator, from a seven book series."
"Voldemort?" I guessed. She nodded. "Biggest problem of them
all," I sighed.
"After reading up on him, I judged him the easiest," Maaka
corrected me. "So I assigned him to Hazuki-san. His weakness is he has
delusions of dignity and importance. Hazuki-san struck me as the sort
accustomed to bursting such bubbles. Usually without even intending or
trying."
"Hmm, could be," I admitted. "I suppose Rezo-san was assigned
to Kamura-san then?"
"You guess correctly, and I hope she and Hazuki-san will return
within the hour," Maaka nodded. "Actually thought they'd be back by now,
but they've not checked in or called for help. I told them the summoning
thing would make that easy. My guess is they're having a bit too much fun."
"Very possible," I agreed. "So you're taking on Dante?"
"Already have, and prevailed, with Boogie-kun's help," Maaka
said patting her doll's head. "I'll give you the details once the others
have returned. Meanwhile, let's discuss reward."
"What would you like?" I asked warily.
"I'm not a full vampire yet, so blood is out," she assured me.
"I expect the other two have their own intentions on that. After careful
consideration, I decided I want to take advantage of being away enough from
home that I don't have to worry about anyone I know, Onee-san or Onii-san in
particular, seeing me. I want to do something that is supposed to be normal
for someone my age. I cannot handle full sun, though, but your country has
a facility of the sort I'm interested in that will be safe in that regard.
I want you to take me there and treat me to a full day's activity. I'll
give you details after I make my report."
"I'll wait, then," I said. The summoner beeped.
"That's the return signal we arranged," Maaka told me. "Bring
them on back." I did so, pulling Kamura through just ahead of the signal
from Hazuki. Once both were back at my headquarters, we had bowed to each
other, and tea was served (Kamura taking charge of that, and proving well
versed in classic ceremonial presentation), Maaka informed the other two, "I've
given Bubba-san the basics. Hazuki-san, I suggest you report first."
"All right," Hazuki nodded. "To start, as our research
indicated, while this Voldy is in a society of magicians and magical
creatures vampires are not really a major element of it. They don't think
of our kind much or have any real regard for us. So especially for a
stuck-up snob like this Voldy, we're so unimportant he didn't have the
slightest clue what we were capable of - and I don't believe he'd believe it
if he saw us in action directly. Our timing couldn't have been better
either - he had just failed either at acquiring or creating one of these
stones, and was already distressed.
"So after changing myself into a bat and concealing myself in
the rafters of his dwelling, I began dropping wash pans on his head
randomly. After a couple of hours of that, I began taking control of the
snakes, mice, and some rats that were present. The snakes started acting
oddly, none showing any normal regard for him. I then had mice chasing
snakes around in his line of sight, while the snakes displayed mortal fear
of them. For extra fun, I made sure he was the only one who saw any of this
at first. I also let him, only, catch occasional glimpses of me in mirrors
and pictures, laughing or making faces at him."
"That was considerably risky," I told her sternly.
"Not that much since it was strictly illusion, but some of the
best fun of the entire day," she retorted. "He really hates being laughed
at! Then I had the biggest snake bite him and seem to speak to him. Things
like, 'I'm tired of you badgering me all the time', 'I'm tired of crawling
around on my belly all the time, I want to be flying with the eagles,' 'I
want to be running with the lions.' All the things you suggested,
Maaka-san. Once his screaming for his people brought several into the room,
I had the snake head butt him in the chest and go slithering out the door.
Last I saw Valdy, he was crying hysterically on the shoulder of some
scarecrow name of Snape, who whispered to the others over Valdy's shoulder,
'Anyone ever again mentions philosopher stones to the master, I'll make him
wish he had said something nice about Harry Potter instead."
"That should do it," I smirked. "Well done, Hazuki-san."
Aje.RavenStar
"Those will be discussed after all the reports are in, in case follow up
action in needed," I interrupted. She looked displeased. "If any is, that
will justify your asking for more," I noted, calming her immediately.
"Thank you. Kamura-san, how did things go with the Red Priest?"
"After discussing the matter with Maaka-san, I took a more direct
approach and diverted him rather than drive him to distraction," she said,
arranging her posture and fuku provocatively. I showed no outward sign of
noticing, but she smiled sardonically and continued, "It was not easy to get
him to trust me, being a yokai in the form of a young female. It seems he
has a strong disposition against attractive young ladies who smell of
magic."
"He would," I nodded. "What did you do?"
"He also was strongly obsessed with the philosopher's stone, so I
utilized that," she answered. "With some difficulty, I brought the subject
around to it - difficult, because I had to push him into raising the subject
on his own, since he would not trust anything volunteered by myself. Once
he had, I quirked my lips, but made no comment. This inspired Rezo to start
dragging the story out of me, while I played along 'reluctantly'.
Eventually, though, I told him everything I felt he ought to know about the
Royal family, how I am attached to Hime-sama, and how the blood of the Royal
family seemed to be a form or variation of the legendary philosopher's
stone, with power of granting life."
"That's how you put it?" I asked after a moment's silence.
"Hai."
"So you left out the part of needing to be dead in the first
place?"
"Hai, Bubba-san," she smiled widely, winking. "I was too busy
running down what members of the Royal family I knew about, where they could
be found, and which ones might currently be in need of servants or
retainers. He was very, very interested in that, even took notes. Then he
paid the bill at the place we had been conversing - over very odd, seemingly
burnt, coffee - and took his leave, saying he had a bit of a journey ahead
of him. Several dimensions over, I believe."
"Hopefully," I nodded. "And if he can't find his way on his
own, I'm sure he'll have no trouble talking Inverse-san into sending him
into another dimension well away from her. Well done indeed. Maaka-san,
your turn."
"Hai," Maaka said in her dry tone. "My research into target
Dante indicated that she was the most dangerous of the three and that she
would perceive me as the least threatening of the team, so I assigned her to
myself. I had no intent of letting her perceive me, of course. Locating
her current position and body of residence, I discussed the matter with
Boogie-kun before sending us there.
"On arrival, I delayed while I found a safe place to work from
and assembled a team of the local bats. Keeping her under tight
surveillance, I determined her current target of interest and location of
possible allies, then using the bats, shielding powers, and Boogie-kun as
bait - he being a spirit locked into an inanimate object, rather like one of
her main enemies, he was irresistible to someone obsessed with philosopher
stone magic - I drew her into a trap and cornered her, having Boogie-kun and
the bats attack her with knife, claws and teeth until she was weakened to
the point of needing to shift bodies. The only living bodies present being
my bats, she headed right into one of them, which I immediately took control
of, locking her in and freezing her ability to move instantly. Boogie-kun
has her in hand even as we speak. I promised him a snack later. Do you
have any hot sauce?"
"Yes, but are you sure you can handle her?
"When you checked me out before summoning me, did you not learn
about my grandmother?" she countered.
"I stand corrected. Gomen. So what do you plan to do with her
from here?"
"If I don't let Boogie-kun eat her? I'll tend to it after you
give me my reward." She smiled slightly. "Here's where I expect you to
take me." She handed me some more print outs. "One thing I didn't mention
is that I expect you to win me a doll from one of the booths there. I'll
let you know which one. I'll need it before you send me home."
I looked at the pages she had handed me, a web page guide to
Mall of America's Indoor Amusement Park. "Got you, the doll's to serve as
housing, like Boogie-kun. And possibly his companionship?"
"Something like that," she demurred.
"Anything else?" She shook her head "Your turn, then,
Kamura-san."
"Well, I am a bit thirsty after all the talking I had to do
today," the high school student smiled.
"You're not serious. I'm not your type."
"But change is good every so often. And I already had a sample.
That's how we knew you were going to be out of it for awhile after we
arrived. Good thing, too, I was able to warn off Hazuki-san before she had
a taste - she's far too young for such beverages."
"While you're just slightly too young. Or have you begun
picking up bad habits from Hime-sama? I can't imagine, even then, old tired
blood like mine would appeal to you at all."
"Ouch," she grimaced, quickly smiling again. "Very well, you
figured me out. For my reward, then - I got on your computer earlier and
placed an order from one of the online manga - anime shops you have
bookmarked. I didn't complete it, I'll let you do that."
"Meaning I pay. How bad is it?"
"I do not know anything about currency exchange," she shrugged.
"I wasn't talking about that. Hentai? Yaoi? Yuri? What kind
of customer profile am I going to have afterwards?"
"Just be grateful I didn't use the one you shop at most," she
laughed. "Anyway, complete the order, and when you receive it, just send it
to me with your summoner thing."
"Very well. Hazuki-san, your wish?"
"Now that you're safe for someone my age, to ease my thirst and
let me make you my slave."
"No you don't, not that last," I told her. "Kouhei-san would
not approve, and since his powers - still untapped - are the strongest in
his family, I don't care to put myself in position to cause them to awaken
with me as their target."
"Aww. But he'll never know."
"Yes, he will. You'd tell him the very next time you get
annoyed with him. My best guess is no more than ten minutes after you
return to where he is."
"Well," she hedged. "It's not my fault he's a big poopie head!"
"Now, I didn't say I wouldn't allow you drink," I told her,
getting a clean glass and a kitchen blade that never liked me, and tapping
from a finger. "Just no direct contact or biting. Anything else?"
"I'd like to take back a gift for Grandpa."
"I have just the thing." Going to the closet where I keep stuff
for donation, I pondered, picked two promising old, halfway decent looking
items and boxed them up for her. "He's an antique dealer, so might find
these of some use. If nothing else, he can consider it a challenge to find
a way to sell them."
"That will work." She accepted them and the glass. I bandaged
my finger, then sent Hazuki and Kamura home.
"Ready, Maaka-san?" I asked.
"I'll need some jeans and a shirt, but we can take care of it
there. Ano - ."
"Yes?"
"You know Kamura-san noticed that you reacted to her, even if
you didn't appear to?"
"I figured she - and the rest of you - would. You are vampires,
after all. I would be surprised if none of you had noticed change in heart
rate."
"Hai." She was quiet a moment. "I wish Onii-san had your
self-discipline sometime."
"Be patient, he'll acquire it," I assured her. "Everyone learns
it in their own time. Soon as it becomes important, he'll figure it out."
"Soka," she nodded after a moment. "Let's go."
Bill Martin
Nice, well thought out, neutralized each of the threats, and funny in
certain places, good enough to earn a win.
Aje.RavenStar
> [snip]
>
> Nice, well thought out, neutralized each of the threats, and funny in
> certain places, good enough to earn a win.
Thank you. I giggled most during the Voldemort part - wonder if anyone will
catch certain references there? <BAG>
Starcade
On Nov 5, 2:30 pm, Bill Martin <bill_r_mar...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> > -- Voldemort is at the end of Book VI, the other two are with maximum
> > known information?
>
> Yes, Voldemort is from the end of book 6. Rezo would be from Episode
> 7, or the start of Episode 8, before he got his hands on the stone from
> his universe. Dante can be either before or after she transfered to
> Lyra's body, but must be before (ROT-13) Tyhggbal xvyyf ure. (End
> ROT-13)
Dante: Does Dante HAVE a Philosopher's Stone in her possession
("gear") now?
Voldemort: What gear, other than his wand, does he have?
Specifically, does he have at least one Horcrux with him?
If I can figure out any way to try to even write a possible victory
for those three, I'll write it out. Rezo was rather easy (I'd call it
about High Medium), Dante will be some work, and Voldemort... Oh...
my...
Mike
Rob Kelk
>On Sun, 1 Nov 2009 19:01:27 -0600, Bill Martin
><bill_r...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>>On 2009-10-31 22:19:41 -0500, rob...@deadspam.com (Rob Kelk) said:
>
><snip>
>
>>> Okay - one difficult, one "who?", and one... maybe easy, respectively.
>>> I'll have to figure out how well wand magic goes up against card magic.
>>
>>Rob, I think you may be the first one to ever say Lord Voldemort was
>>maybe easy to defeat.
>
>That's because JK Rowlings has no grasp of tactics...
>
>(I did cover myself by saying "maybe", right? Good.)
And it's been six weeks with me having no chance to actually write
anything... <sigh> At this rate, I may as well not enter the main
Challenge this year.
Ah, well. Short-short form: Team Lovely But Dangerous gives them what
they want - or, at least, seems to. Once Chisame's tracked them down,
Sakura's "Illusion" card gives them the happy fantasy of actually
receiving a Philosopher's Stone. When they discover they don't actually
have one, it's too late; Sakura's already Erased their magical
potential. Then they get a choice: give up, go home, and get their magic
back, or get the Mother Of All Papercuts from Yomiko. (That won't kill
Voldie, but a missing body will put a crimp in his plans.)
Bill Martin
> But I do have a couple questions:
>
> On Nov 5, 2:30�pm, Bill Martin <bill_r_mar...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>>> -- Voldemort is at the end of Book VI, the other two are with maximum
>>> known information?
>>
>> Yes, Voldemort is from the end of book 6. �Rezo would be from Episode
>> 7, or the start of Episode 8, before he got his hands on the stone from
>> his universe. �Dante can be either before or after she transfered to
>> Lyra's body, but must be before (ROT-13) �Tyhggbal xvyyf ure. (End
>> ROT-13)
>
> Dante: Does Dante HAVE a Philosopher's Stone in her possession
> ("gear") now?
No.
> Voldemort: What gear, other than his wand, does he have?
> Specifically, does he have at least one Horcrux with him?
He does not, but the links still exist, and there's nothing stopping
him from making more.
> If I can figure out any way to try to even write a possible victory
> for those three, I'll write it out. Rezo was rather easy (I'd call it
> about High Medium), Dante will be some work, and Voldemort... Oh...
> my...
>
> Mike
Good luck.
Starcade
> > Dante: Does Dante HAVE a Philosopher's Stone in her possession
> > ("gear") now?
>
> No.
So she cannot jump at this time. (She needs a Philosopher's Stone to
do so.)
(I have sent you a private e-mail with probably the only proposed
tactic I could come up with, and it will need significant rulings --
on both character and philosophical-to-the-Challenges -- before I can
write it out.)
> > Voldemort: What gear, other than his wand, does he have?
> > Specifically, does he have at least one Horcrux with him?
>
> He does not, but the links still exist, and there's nothing stopping
> him from making more.
But, as we all do know, it is very difficult to do so, and he's [rot13]
nyernql perngrq frireny, ng terng pbfg gb uvz. Naq gur cebprff gb qb
fb vf IREL qvfthfgvat.[/rot13]
> > If I can figure out any way to try to even write a possible victory
> > for those three, I'll write it out. Rezo was rather easy (I'd call it
> > about High Medium), Dante will be some work, and Voldemort... Oh...
> > my...
> Good luck.
I do need it.
Mike