Subject: So that makes my little comic completely correct? Neat! (nm)
Author:
Posted on: 2022-06-03 17:28:40 UTC
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Happy Dragon Boat Festival! by
on 2022-06-03 08:30:49 UTC
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Today is the Dragon Boat (or Duanwu) Festival, which is a day of warding off bad luck (the 5th month of the Chinese calendar is supposed to be unlucky) as well as commemorating BL1.
Since one of the traditions is boat racing, I have to ask: your agents are in the same boat in an All-HQ Boat Race. How do they fare?
(For example, we know the Disentangler and the Agent won't actually get much rowing in...)
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Oh~ by
on 2022-06-09 20:29:37 UTC
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I'm too short on time to make a proper story right now (plus most of my Nursery kids would be around 20 years old by 2022, and I have other adult agents I haven't properly introduced yet). But as for my main pair: Vania would try to get competitive over it, but Doc would refuse to put his book away, and only has 40% of his mind on paddling, and DEFINITELY isn't watching where the boat is going.
—doctorlit wonders where SkarmorySilver's agents are; they tend to do well with foot-related activities
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A bit late, but thoughts by
on 2022-06-05 02:14:54 UTC
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If we're including all the characters I've written for the PPC? Ocotillo, being a dragon, would sink the boat immediately. Without her, though, the rest of the group would do... not great, but okay, I guess.
Charlie's an enthusiastic sort and would probably end up doing most of the rowing work. Jiwon would tire in minutes if the sun was out, Matterhorn's more likely to lose focus and start rambling, and Dr. Glocktopus would probably be too busy for rowing.
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Oh wow I missed this. by
on 2022-06-04 14:16:47 UTC
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Horribly. K doesn't like rowing, David Null would probably be the only one rowing, Paye and Matt would flirt with one another, Kitty would be too scared to row, Natalie Green didn't even show up on that day for whatever reason, Crow would be fasinated by the water, and O'Ryan would try to get Crow/Paye/Matt/K to row with little success.
Would they come in last place? Maybe. Would the boat ride be a chaotic type of funny. Most likely!
If Matt somehow didn't show up, Paye would be rowing as well. If Paye didn't show up while Matt did, Matt would be rowing as well.
This is why my agents shouldn't all come together to do anything outside of missions lol.
-kA
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While it’s still the day... by
on 2022-06-04 00:23:25 UTC
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I’d say that if Carlisle and Mina were to be put in a boat race together, Mina would probably lose interest halfway through, and Carlisle would yell at her for it.
I’ll try to write it in a bit, I’m in a bit of a rush.
—Ls
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Here’s the text: by
on 2022-06-06 13:49:23 UTC
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“MINA!” Carlisle screamed. “WHY ARE WE ON A BOAT?”
The two of them were on a small pedal boat on the shore of a river.
“Well,” said Mina. “there was a poster, apparently there’s some Chinese festival that has boat races, and I thought it’d be fun, so I opened the portal to New Caledonia—”
“THIS IS NOT FUN!” Carlisle continued. “I HATE WATER! IT’S GOING TO KILL ME!”
He moved towards the side of the boat, trying to jump off it. Unfortunately for him, in doing so, he tipped over the entire boat, landing both himself and Mina in the water.
((I guess Carlisle has an issue with water. —Ls))
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He’s a very shouty middle-aged man, isn’t he? by
on 2022-06-06 14:41:50 UTC
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I’m picturing him yelling at kids to get off his nonexistent, Generic Surface lawn.
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Oh, he would totally do that. Carlisle’s just being a Grumpy Old Man early. by
on 2022-06-06 14:46:45 UTC
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Swanships [Illian-Sims family] by
on 2022-06-03 17:51:44 UTC
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"I get the black one!"
Constance Illian-Sims rolled her eyes tolerantly as Jasmine ran pell-mell for the further of the two pedal-boats. "Definitely our daughter," she said sidelong to her husband.
"Definitely a future PPCer," Dafydd said, his tone one of complete agreement. "I'd probably better go after her...?"
Constance laughed and ruffled his hair. "Obviously you get the black one too." She glanced over at the swan pedalos and pursed her lips. "Although... are you allowed to use swan-shaped watercraft?"
"Only if I promise not to set them on fire," Dafydd said gravely. He looked up and down the Muéo River; this early in the day, its customary clouds of mosquitos hadn't yet formed, so it was a pleasant setting for the All-HQ Boat Race. "And we're a bit far inland for Uinen to show up and start making waves, so I should be all right."
"That depends who's driving your boat," Constance murmured, as Bella raced after her older sister. "We should probably separate those two."
Dafydd patted her arm. "It'll be fine," he said, "I'll keep an eye on them." Then he was off and running too, Ilwion the bronze fire-lizard cutting through the air above his head.
"Because you can definitely be trusted to be the sensible one," Constance said to her own fire lizard, Hera. "That was sarcasm," she added over her shoulder to Tanfin.
"I understood, amillë," the boy said with all the gravity of his fifteen years. He turned to his youngest two siblings and put on a smile. "Are we happy with the white swan, wini?"
"That's fine," Daphne said quietly, but Oleander - eight years old and feeling every minute of it - put on a scowl.
"I wanted the black one," he said, glowering after his father and sisters.
Constance fought not to roll her eyes again - or worse, laugh. "But Jasmine and Bella are already in the front of that one," she pointed out. "You'd have to sit in the back."
"So?" Oleander folded his arms, the lines on his face intensifying as he prepared for battle.
Daphne leant over to her little brother. "There's no pedals in the back, Ol," she whispered.
Oleander processed this, his face gradually un-creasing. "Bella could swap?" he suggested, but without much hope. "Jas, atto, and me all have black hair, see?"
"If you want colour-coordination, you need to move to Gondolin," Tanfin said, but waved off Oleander's baffled look. "Never mind; canon stuff."
"Oh." Oleander pulled a face, and then shifted gears in a heartbeat. "So are we going or what?"
"We'd better if we want to keep up with your dad," Constance said, shepherding the trio towards the remaining (white) swan-pedalo. "Littles in the front, all right?"
"Fine by me," Tanfin said, taking hold of the boat to let his siblings climb on board. "It'll be nice to let someone else do the driving."
Constance paused in the middle of helping Daphne into the swan. "Have you been out driving, Tanfin?"
Tanfin put on his blandest expression - the one he only pulled out when he'd been caught doing something he really shouldn't. "I meant the ponies," he said hopefully. "School sometimes takes us riding, and they're very hard to control."
"That is definitely not what you-" Oleander made a valiant attempt to go headfirst into the boat, and Constance had to scramble to catch him. "We'll talk about this later," she threatened as she levered the small boy into his seat. "For now - sit."
Tanfin meekly took his place, and Constance clambered into the last chair. A little further up the bank, Dafydd and the girls had cast off and were spinning in surprisingly rapid circles as they tried to control their black swan.
"Right," Constance said, making sure Hera was securely perched on her shoulder. The little golden queen was watching her mate, who was flitting through manic spirals above Dafydd's boat, but thankfully showed no inclination to follow suit. "Daphne, can you reach the rope? Thank you. Both of you, one hand on the tiller please."
"That's the stick in the middle," Tanfin said, leaning forward to Daphne. "It's how you steer the boat."
"I'm not sure I want to know how you know that, either," Constance muttered as Daphne nodded her thanks. "Okay... pedalling slowly, please, take us out into the river."
It took a little while for Daphne and Oleander to figure out how to control the swan. At first they went too fast, then too slow, then got stuck going right when Oleander tried to hog the tiller. But at last they managed a straight line, and were pedalling sedately out towards where the race was lining up.
... which was when Constance heard her husband shout something frantic in Quenya, and looked round just in time to see the black swan careen into the side of theirs.
There was a terminal-sounding crunch, and their stricken boat spiralled away into the current. "Sorry, Connie!" Dafydd called as Hera flapped her wings in alarm. "Jasmine, I told you to let your sister steer as well..."
Constance grimaced, massaged her temples for a moment, then looked over the side at the giant hole in the white swan's side. "Tanfin," she said, "see if you can flag down someone to help us. Daphne, Oleander - turn us back to shore, please, and start pedalling again." She felt water splash over her feet, and pulled her legs up against her chest. "And quickly."
Dafydd is of course a badfic copy of Maglor, son of Feanor, who has a bit of a history with swan-shaped boats.
The Mueo valley is mentioned in the Guide to New Cal, down in "Out of the Sinkhole: West". It sounds very nice, apart from the mosquitoes.
hS
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That was a fun read! by
on 2022-06-03 18:01:23 UTC
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Though now I'm wondering if anyone actually reached the finish line... I mean, I think Team Turbo still could, rowing while perched on the capsized boat, but surely not at a competitive pace. But if everyone else managed to sink/get lost/beach somewhere they might actually still have a chance.
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The Black Swan might still be in the running. by
on 2022-06-03 19:42:52 UTC
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It's entirely plausible Dafydd would stay in, and specifically not go back to shore even to collect another child (because Constance would make him dock and get out). They probably spend the entire race sending increasingly sardonic messages by fire lizard.
Given that they're being steered by Jasmine, I'm pretty sure they still won't win.
hS
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Gallifrey Floats would probably go wildly off course. by
on 2022-06-04 13:56:02 UTC
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Eledhwen, Christianne, and Liu Siyuan in a boat together might actually be quite competitive? I could see them being a respectable contender. Not the winner, though. I feel like Derik and Gall would win, for some reason.
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They might... by
on 2022-06-04 19:25:52 UTC
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... if not for three-year-old Gadrik deciding to try grabbing something shiny in the water and pitching head-first overboard before anyone can catch him. Derik dives into the river after him, leaving Gall to pedal her boat by herself. She does, because everything's fine and there's a race to win (for family pride!), but she probably doesn't have a chance by herself.
Jenni, Jacques, Henry, Simon, and Cai, now... That's a team that might have their act together. Unless, of course, Henry decides to try giving them a magical speed boost that works incredibly well... in the wrong direction. {= D ... Can I call the boat the Bonny Robin? {= DD
~Neshomeh
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I don't see why not re: Silly Boat Names. by
on 2022-06-04 23:15:00 UTC
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Liu Siyuan would name theirs the Eight Immortals, except the only actual immortal in the boat is Eledhwen. Also, the addition of Muriel and John means the
One and a HalfEight Immortals would get too competitively fast, and so the IO probably intervened and caused them to accidentally spring a leak or something halfway to the finish line :'D -
Dafydd's is of course the Black Swan... by
on 2022-06-05 07:10:42 UTC
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... or rather Alquamorë in Quenya. Constance's was originally just the White Swan (in English), but if she gets it operational again she's naming it Galadriel's Revenge just to troll Dafydd.
I have realised that technically, the question wanted all my agents in one boat, but that boat would be too big. :(
hS
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And technically, the dragon boat festival involves dragon boats, which by
on 2022-06-05 08:21:48 UTC
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are pretty long and much bigger than the average rowboat. For example:
Two boats is fine, though! An elongated swan boat would also be kinda funny.
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I can do a Dragon boat. by
on 2022-06-05 10:05:24 UTC
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Obviously D&C aren't even agents any more, but also I figure the All-HQ Boat Race is far from limited to dragon boats. Swan pedalos are fair game, though I suspect there's a hard "Muscle, wind, and water power only" rule in force.
But if I'm going to put all my active agents in a single boat, it's going to have to be a dragon. I have, uh, 66 active agents, not counting Chiaroscuro from Legal (because Legal Doesn't Socialise). Yeah, that's a bit too much for one boat.
But, a regulation dragon boat has exactly 22 crew, so I can put in three!
Boat 1: For Science, You Monster
- Norlossë, Aleksei, Maria Celeste, Ned, Atlas, Alembic, Sunniva, Mandy, Wei-ting, Dr. Niamh, Yasmeen, Laduquac, Durand, Joan (DAS)
- Penny (DMS/DAS)
- Takua, Jareth, Huinesoron (DOGA)
- Terri (Personnel)
- Kaitlyn, Selene (Floaters)
- Rāmwē (SIELU)
Rāmwē turns out to be a surprisingly good drummer, and Joan is great at steering! Unfortunately she's also an entire steam engine, so to get the boat to float the scientists have had to heavily redesign it. It's basically a barge now.
Boat 2: Dagger
- Hild, Allie, Steve, Nyx, Tango, Althea, Oriana, Starwind, Estelnar, Morgan, Alex, Sam, Jared (DMS)
- Maethorwen, Maly, Dagger (DOOCH)
- Mortic (WhatThe)
- Elanor, Nita (Operations)
- Dassie (Medical)
- Tia, Tona (DIC)
Agent Dagger is convinced the boat is named after her; the Assassins aren't willing to upset her with Maly glaring, well, daggers over her head. Morgan has time-looped herself so she can be here as well as in Gallifrey Floats.
Boat 3: Cute Animal Friend
- Sandra, Freckles, Kayleigh, Salamander (DBS)
- Mmrrowl, Tracer, Partner (unspecified)
- Monty, Bob, Tod, Deirdre, Kyaris (Intel)
- Hazelhead, Charlotte, Catherine (DIA)
- Rosalind, Haar (DRD)
- Aella, Orinoco (RDR)
- Tequila, CAL (DoDAEG)
- Sambar (Finance)
Someone let Kayleigh name the boat. -_- The three pigeons aren't great at rowing, Mmrrowl is hiding from the water, and the idea of letting CAL drum (because he's a robot, he should be great) fell apart when he refused. They somehow ended up with Haar on drums - he did one beat and then declared the others redundant.
But at least Kayleigh had fun.
hS
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I would be all in for silly boat names if this gets chronicled in, say, a Multiverse Monitor archive by
on 2022-06-04 22:26:35 UTC
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The Team Turbo boat was, as expected, brought in and named by Corolla, and so would be the SS Corolla's New Toy II (Corolla's New Toy being the temporary name the Plot Device got when it was commandeered to get rid of the troublesome Sue that had created it in the first place)
In fact, more than Team Turbo I think it is Team Corolla, since our beloved hyperactive techie signed up her old partners for it without asking them first...
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A disaster, obviously. by
on 2022-06-03 10:23:12 UTC
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And yes, that's canon for Sergio. He can figure out anything that has an engine, including transforming mechas... but give him a sailboat, and he won't be able to make heads or tails about it. Corolla looks uncharacteristically angry here... but she's the very competitive sort. And this leaves the "strtaight man" role to Nikki today, unfortunately.
EDIT: Ops, I had forgotten that, if we assume the race is happening now, there's actually a fourth (very definitely not yet) agent who could be actually there! Here's little Keiko, three years old, who isn't sure what's going on exactly but her dad looks sad so she goes headpats on him.
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Oh, Keiko exists now! by
on 2022-06-03 14:41:43 UTC
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That's actually quite a shock, because she definitely lives in the Far Future that just happens to be... a lot less Far now. o.O
If she's three, she's about the same age as Mark Wentway. He's got Future Protagonist written all over his face too. ^_^
hS
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Well, her spinoff is set "just" 12 years from now. by
on 2022-06-03 14:55:05 UTC
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As the three missions I published with her as the main characters are set in 2034, with her TWWA incarnation coming from one year after that (2035, which actually happens to be Daphne's year of death? I admit that one of the Illian-Sims being somewhat short-lived was a shock to me.) For the record, Keiko was born April 13th, 2019 so she's actually a bit younger than Mark. I guess the big happenings in the Turbo family having their real world parallel dates happening during my leave kinda helped havign them go unnoticed, since I never had any incentive to make short stories about those. Kinda fitting, though, since Sergio and Nikki had retired years earlier and kept little contact with HQ makes sense that they would stay under the radar.
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Not sure how Keiko might factor in, but -- by
on 2022-06-03 15:22:06 UTC
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-- I've been kicking around the concept of a kid-centred sitcom-style spinoff about Muriel Shieh's misadventures in New Caledonia, and would love to have any next-gen or just generally young character who's in HQ or New Cal in 2021. This goes for more than just Keiko, of course -- if anyone has a child or teenage character who'd be of school age and in New Caledonia in 2021, let me know.
~Lily, who definitely wants to write stuff about Sandboxes
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I'm afraid havign Keiko in would go against estabilished canon about her. by
on 2022-06-03 16:44:27 UTC
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Since the universe of the fanfiction Sergio and Nikki are from still existed, they moved there after retiring (in Japan, to be exact) and raised Keiko there. She was completely oblivious to the fact they had been PPC agents until after her own first mission.
My headcanon for the rowboat race (which I assume took place in New Cal?) is that Sergio and Nikki took advantage of the fact Keiko was still very little, and made sure to travel through portals while she was asleep for her afternoon nap. As a child, she wouldn't find even non-human Agents weird, and growing up she shrugged those memories off as her own imagination coupled with maybe some teams taking part in the race in costumes just for the heck of it.
For once, all according to her parents' plan!
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Ahh, I see!! by
on 2022-06-04 13:56:58 UTC
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Well, that must've been quite a surreal dream-memory for her, then, haha
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Not quite. by
on 2022-06-04 17:29:30 UTC
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The idea was mostly to hide the means of transport - the portals - rather than make her believe everything was a dream. For years, Keiko believed that the boat race held by Auntie Corolla's coworkers happened in her world, and that the non-human looking partecipants were wearing costumes for fun.
Years later... "Wait a minute, it was the All-HQ Boat race! The elf guy was really an elf!"
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(I'm assuming New Cal.) by
on 2022-06-03 17:07:05 UTC
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I have a piece about half done which places the race on the Muéo River; it's the closest river to the city, is shallow and crystal-clear, is only swamped with mosquitoes sometimes, and is nicely out of the way (unlike, say, the beaches).
hS
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So that makes my little comic completely correct? Neat! (nm) by
on 2022-06-03 17:28:40 UTC
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D'aww. by
on 2022-06-03 13:07:51 UTC
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Poor Sergio. Have some glutinous rice dumplings and cheer up!!