AnimeSuki Forums

Nanya01 · 2009-07-10, 01:14

Well, this is something that myself, Bissek and Drakensis worked on over on another board. I just thought I'd share here.

Spoiler for Time Loop Information:

Spoiler for Time Looping Vivio:

Page claim for time looping madness!

Satashi · 2009-07-10, 12:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nanya01

Well, this is something that myself, Bissek and Drakensis worked on over on another board. I just thought I'd share here.

Spoiler for Time Loop Information:

Spoiler for Time Looping Vivio:

Page claim for time looping madness!

that's an interesting concept.... I wanna try doing that too *thinks*

AdmiralTigerclaw · 2009-07-10, 13:13

Well, I discovered I still had a Fanfiction.net account I'd pretty much never used for years. I thought it would have been deleted.

Even better, I remembered the login info.

So without further Ado:

MSLN Test Dummies

Chapter One

Title Sequence *Play between chapters 1 and 2.*

Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven

Keep me informed on oppinions.

Nanya01 · 2009-07-10, 13:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by Satashi

that's an interesting concept.... I wanna try doing that too *thinks*

Go right ahead. The more the merrier.

Spoiler for Fused Loop Information:

http://www.fanfiction.net/u/681915/Innortal Innortal's the guy that started them. They're just basically crack, but, have fun with it.

DezoPenguin · 2009-07-10, 16:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nanya01

Well, this is something that myself, Bissek and Drakensis worked on over on another board. I just thought I'd share here.

Spoiler for Time Looping Vivio:

Page claim for time looping madness!

That...was just a giant ball of lol*. Good one!

*Purple, the official color of time looping archmages since 2007! (it's a gag on my avatar, Lillet Blan from GrimGrimoire, if that didn't make any sense...)

In re: Stahl. ch. 25: Negation works on the spell rather than the effect only because if it worked on the effect Vivio would use it as such and be waiting, smiling and waving at Nanoha when the chapter ended and I'd have to rewrite all of Chapter 27 and lose the cliffhanger (okay, to be fair, we all know I'm not likely to kill off Vivio, but that's not what cliffhangers are about anyway). Rule of Drama. I will not that this means that it's while it would therefore work on "artificially-generated" spells such as those from Midchildan military weapons, it (meaning Negation, not the shield itself) wouldn't work at all on nonmagical weaponry (such as Dieci's IS).

And, because I've apparently been eaten by the typing bug this week, here's a little something I wrote on Wednesday. Yes, Fate T. Harlaown gets to be like Encyclopedia Brown in a way other than having a female sidekick who kicks all the bad guys' butts.

Nanoha: Sidekick? Whose name is it in the title, anyway?
Fate: *casually drops the result of basically any character popularity poll*

I'll post the answer in a few days...or sooner if enough people actually care enough to guess.

Spoiler for Magical Detective Sherlock Harlaown:

Nanoha (still grumpy): I suspect the author of screwing up canon by thinking I teach my special magic spells to just anyone!

Satashi · 2009-07-10, 17:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nanya01

Go right ahead. The more the merrier.

Spoiler for Fused Loop Information:

http://www.fanfiction.net/u/681915/Innortal Innortal's the guy that started them. They're just basically crack, but, have fun with it.

XD I can't do crack like that though :3

Rising Dragon · 2009-07-11, 00:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by AdmiralTigerclaw

Well, I discovered I still had a Fanfiction.net account I'd pretty much never used for years. I thought it would have been deleted.

Even better, I remembered the login info.

So without further Ado:

MSLN Test Dummies

Chapter One

Title Sequence *Play between chapters 1 and 2.*

Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven

Keep me informed on oppinions.

I just finished reading this story... I think Crash is my favorite OC at the moment. =X

Nanya01 · 2009-07-11, 01:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by Satashi

XD I can't do crack like that though :3

Aww... But, it's so much fun! And not *that* hard to do...

Spoiler for Hell Loop:

Jimmy C · 2009-07-11, 08:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by DezoPenguin

Negation works on the spell rather than the effect only because if it worked on the effect Vivio would use it as such and be waiting, smiling and waving at Nanoha when the chapter ended and I'd have to rewrite all of Chapter 27 and lose the cliffhanger

So you're saying Negation works on the whole spell out to however far away Nanoha is when she's firing? Vivio, the girl with awesome defense but no decent long-ranged magic?

DezoPenguin · 2009-07-11, 11:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jimmy C

So you're saying Negation works on the whole spell out to however far away Nanoha is when she's firing? Vivio, the girl with awesome defense but no decent long-ranged magic?

I can see the reasons why that doesn't work conceptually for some people, including you. It might help...or not...to envision it like this (remembering that we are dealing with magical spells here, not merely expressions of physical energy and/or matter): When the area of effect (line, missile, sphere, whatever) of spell X interacts with the Negation-enhanced shield, the two spells connect, permitting Negation to affect the spell contacted. From a magical standpoint, Negation's own area of effect is "any spell effect that touches it"* as opposed to "energies that touch it." If, for example, Nanoha had somehow charged one of the Blaster Bits with a delayed-action Divine Buster to fire during the SLB effect (kind of how Chrono double-casted in the A's manga during Fate's test), that second spell wouldn't be affected, since it would fire straight down and not hit the shield--Negation affects the spell, not the caster.

*Come to think of it, I should reverse my stance on whether it affects weapon attacks produced by magical technology. An ANT, for example, isn't an Intelligent Device, so it doesn't "cast a spell" when it attacks. So probably it wouldn't strip out the barrier-piercing effects of a field artillery piece that happened to have that effect.

DezoPenguin · 2009-07-11, 12:02

Possible double post to keep draft Ch. 26 separate from Ch. 25 discussion. Trying to keep our thread clean!

Spoiler for Stahlkönigin--Chapter 26:

Spoiler for Notes:

1. Fate doesn't take the backup team in with her to fight Sonoma because in this case, they'd just get in the way and be genuinely vulnerable to his attacks. No reason to risk their lives when--judging by the available intel--he's nowhere near her level of ability and training. Similarly, she doesn't break out the Riot Blades even though she could very likely take Sonoma at hand-to-hand based on her skill and power because that's where he's most dangerous and she knows he can't match her at a shooting-magic duel.

2. Similarly, they don't attempt an arrest in the crowd for the same reason. Plus they don't know what he looks like so they can't even identify him until he checks in at the ticket counter. In this case, they just empty out one gate and tell the warp computer to teleport ticket X to that particular gate. One implied assumption is that the warp platform can't just send Sonoma to a completely different location (say, a cell in HQ) but can only operate within its implied functions.

3. I invented a new Shift for Plasma Lancer instead of just having her use Genocide Shift for three reasons: "genocide" is actually listed in the charges against Sonoma and using that word in two different contexts in the same chapter is frankly just bad writing; it also sounds too belligerent for Fate to use while she's giving her "I'm going to smack you silly because you're a nasty murderer" speech; lastly, I have a suspicion that it's the lethal version of that spell, since the Book of Darkness wasn't exactly fighting to just knock people out in that battle. I'm doubt if Plasma Lancer: Legion Shift actually hits 5,200 times like the number of soldiers in an Imperial Roman legion, but hey, close enough.

4. And yes, this chapter flags the whole teleportation issue again.

No getting around it, really; while the gate-system teleport is just a narrative device to drop Sonoma unexpectedly into a combat arena, I established that Sonoma is a teleporter way back in the prologue (it's how he gets out of Arraven Naval Air Station with the data) and a teleporter would definitely try to escape using teleportation magic (as we see in MGLN, even a series of short-range teleports can confuse tracking sensors).

Remembered the previous chapters this time:

Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25

Jimmy C · 2009-07-11, 13:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by DezoPenguin

When the area of effect (line, missile, sphere, whatever) of spell X interacts with the Negation-enhanced shield, the two spells connect, permitting Negation to affect the spell contacted.

I can imagine that as touching a conductor to a circut, the electric flow can jump to the conductor. That would let Negation ride along the whole beam shot out by Nanoha. Were you thinking of something like that?

Quote:

Negation affects the spell, not the caster.

That I understood. I was just using Nanoha as a reference point to show the vast area affected by Negation in my previous post. Pretty impressive for someone who otherwise has no long-range capabilities.

Quote:

An ANT, for example, isn't an Intelligent Device, so it doesn't "cast a spell" when it attacks. So probably it wouldn't strip out the barrier-piercing effects of a field artillery piece that happened to have that effect.

That would depend on how you define "cast a spell" and whether its even possible to "add an effect" without casting a spell. This can be done in several ways and how Negation might or might not be able to affect them varies.

itanshi1 · 2009-07-11, 14:24

what concepts x_x

My two cents: http://i30.tinypic.com/2hmegk8.jpg

Come to think of it, I do have complaints about that artwork. Ah, well, whatever. Here's the old artwork, http://gatherer.wizards.com/Handlers...2570&type=card This one actually has 'conduit' aspects. More like diffusing a spell.

Jimmy C · 2009-07-11, 14:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by DezoPenguin

Possible double post to keep draft Ch. 26 separate from Ch. 25 discussion. Trying to keep our thread clean!

Since you're seperating it, I'll follow along. Although I have to admit, I don't think it'll make much difference for us respondents to your posts. Because this board doesn't have Threaded View like I've seen on some other boards where splitting like this is actually replying to different posts in the same discussion.

Quote:

Even failures brought some gains, lessons to be learned for next time.

Good attitude. Not that he'll have a chance to put them to use ever again. Maybe in another universe he can face a mage that uses a fluffy bunny device instead.

Quote:

Sonoma's fiery buster raged its fury against the barrier spell for over ten seconds, then died away, with only a couple of warped spots in the glass to show where any power from the lethal spell had gotten through at all.

I'd have to say it wasn't smart of him to just stand there after casting the fire spell. Had this been a more conventional situation, it would be the villan endangering innocents as a distraction to gain a chance to escape or attack the hero. So why wasn't he running?

Quote:

Plus they don't know what he looks like so they can't even identify him until he checks in at the ticket counter.

I look forward to seeing how they managed to track him down even to the particular airport he was using. Let along that he was this person at the counter instead of another.

Quote:

One implied assumption is that the warp platform can't just send Sonoma to a completely different location (say, a cell in HQ) but can only operate within its implied functions.

Probably a preset that'll take longer to change than they have. It's cheaper that way, and they need to make allowances for future remodelling and expansions.

DezoPenguin · 2009-07-11, 14:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jimmy C

Since you're seperating it, I'll follow along. Although I have to admit, I don't think it'll make much difference for us respondents to your posts. Because this board doesn't have Threaded View like I've seen on some other boards where splitting like this is actually replying to different posts in the same discussion.

Mostly the separation is so someone who's reading the chapters along later (like, a month or two from now) doesn't have to skip past a bunch of discussion from several chained posts to get to the chapter. It's something I didn't do several times in the past, and I would think it would be kind of irritating for someone who's just trying to read the fic.

Quote:

Good attitude. Not that he'll have a chance to put them to use ever again. Maybe in another universe he can face a mage that uses a fluffy bunny device instead.

*chortle*

Quote:

I'd have to say it wasn't smart of him to just stand there after casting the fire spell. Had this been a more conventional situation, it would be the villan endangering innocents as a distraction to gain a chance to escape or attack the hero. So why wasn't he running?

It's a buster-type spell, not an independent projectile. He's actually blasting the spell the entire time that it's in effect. If he stopped to run, the spell would stop, too.

A better question might be, "Why didn't Fate just smack him one while he was using all his focus and power casting the spell," but she probably just wanted to make sure she didn't accidentally slack off on the Defenser.

Quote:

I look forward to seeing how they managed to track him down even to the particular airport he was using. Let along that he was this person at the counter instead of another.

Explanation is contained in the Epilogue.

*pauses to check* Sorry, no, it's in Chapter 27. That's good, because the Epilogue is kind of crappy.

Quote:

Probably a preset that'll take longer to change than they have. It's cheaper that way, and they need to make allowances for future remodelling and expansions.

That works.

RadiantBeam · 2009-07-11, 14:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by DezoPenguin

Possible double post to keep draft Ch. 26 separate from Ch. 25 discussion. Trying to keep our thread clean!

Spoiler for Stahlkönigin--Chapter 26:

Spoiler for Notes:

1. Fate doesn't take the backup team in with her to fight Sonoma because in this case, they'd just get in the way and be genuinely vulnerable to his attacks. No reason to risk their lives when--judging by the available intel--he's nowhere near her level of ability and training. Similarly, she doesn't break out the Riot Blades even though she could very likely take Sonoma at hand-to-hand based on her skill and power because that's where he's most dangerous and she knows he can't match her at a shooting-magic duel.

2. Similarly, they don't attempt an arrest in the crowd for the same reason. Plus they don't know what he looks like so they can't even identify him until he checks in at the ticket counter. In this case, they just empty out one gate and tell the warp computer to teleport ticket X to that particular gate. One implied assumption is that the warp platform can't just send Sonoma to a completely different location (say, a cell in HQ) but can only operate within its implied functions.

3. I invented a new Shift for Plasma Lancer instead of just having her use Genocide Shift for three reasons: "genocide" is actually listed in the charges against Sonoma and using that word in two different contexts in the same chapter is frankly just bad writing; it also sounds too belligerent for Fate to use while she's giving her "I'm going to smack you silly because you're a nasty murderer" speech; lastly, I have a suspicion that it's the lethal version of that spell, since the Book of Darkness wasn't exactly fighting to just knock people out in that battle. I'm doubt if Plasma Lancer: Legion Shift actually hits 5,200 times like the number of soldiers in an Imperial Roman legion, but hey, close enough.

4. And yes, this chapter flags the whole teleportation issue again.

No getting around it, really; while the gate-system teleport is just a narrative device to drop Sonoma unexpectedly into a combat arena, I established that Sonoma is a teleporter way back in the prologue (it's how he gets out of Arraven Naval Air Station with the data) and a teleporter would definitely try to escape using teleportation magic (as we see in MGLN, even a series of short-range teleports can confuse tracking sensors).

Remembered the previous chapters this time:

Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25

...

Angry Fate is angry. Damn, I wouldn't want to be Sonoma at this particular point, he really picked a fight he had no chance of winning!

Glad to see Vivio still seems to be in one piece, though I wonder how she's faring after what she did... especially with the damage Parsifal sustained, that really has me worried. I liked him.

RadiantBeam · 2009-07-11, 14:58

Double-post, but it's worth it... assuming I don't get sniped again.

Anyway... a ViCia omake.

Spoiler for Excuses:

Spoiler for Author's Notes:

DezoPenguin · 2009-07-11, 15:08

New fic!

About two months ago, while I was in major writer's-block mode on Stahlkonigin, I was trying to figure out what to write. For some reason, one morning the phrase "Schoolgirl Lesbian Vampire" got stuck in my head with that irritating, gnawing repetitiveness that one normally associates with songs stuck in your head.

How it turned into a MGLN fic, I'll never know.

I wrote three chapters, set it down, played in the realm of My-HiME for a while, and you've all been pretty much saturated with what I did after that. But now that Stahl. is finished in draft form, I picked up this one again, and thought I'd share some chapters.

Spoiler for Blood and Spirit--Chapter 1:

Btw, it's "Omake Roadshow" instead of "Omake Theater" because for this series the omakes "go on the road" and accompany each chapter instead of just having one at the end. Mostly it's because the chapters are kind of short.

RadiantBeam · 2009-07-11, 15:16

Ahhh, yes, I remember this! You mentioned it a few months ago and sent me the omakes recently, glad to see you got the time to work on it!

Anyway, I love it to bits. It's nice to see a fic focused on Arisa and Suzuka, since they were pretty much left behind during StrikerS (Perhaps your fic will try to explain this?). Arisa and Suzuka are both wonderfully IC, and it's refreshing to get a 'slice of life' kind of chapter... at least until the bad guys show up. Nice suspense right there, poor Arisa.

My only nitpick: 'It soured her moon and her enthusiasm for the coming ride. It made her steel herself and put her head down and march straight across the parking lot.' I think you meant mood, not moon, right?

And as I said earlier, hilarious omake. I get the Mai Hime reference, and all I have to say to Arisa is... participate in Hayate's cosplay fanatasies, dammit! Participate!!

...

Yeah.

Anyway, update soon.

DezoPenguin · 2009-07-11, 15:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by RadiantBeam

Double-post, but it's worth it... assuming I don't get sniped again.

Anyway... a ViCia omake.

Spoiler for Excuses:

Bwa ha ha! I know which comment set that one off, too! (Though you give it away with Nanoha's reaction)

Heh, I always suspected that Fate would have nothing but very poor, badly-stammered excuses if caught out....

2009-07-10, 01:14	Link #14241
Nanya01 Left for TFF Author Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Frozen Hell of the North Age: 41	Well, this is something that myself, Bissek and Drakensis worked on over on another board. I just thought I'd share here. Spoiler for Time Loop Information: Effectively, what this is, is a time-looping fic. Basically, groundhog's day-style fic, but instead of the same day over and over, the characters re-live YEARS at a time. Depending on the series in question it can go from 1.5 years to hundreds of years. Started by Innortal on Fanfiction.Net with Evangelion, Bleach, Naruto and Ranma, there are other series that are used often including Slayers, Star Wars and Harry Potter. Nanoha was recently added to the list of series stuck in time loops. Heaven's computer (From AMG!) is a bit on the fritz, but in order to keep the universe from destroying itself, it's been stuck in an endless loop for many, MANY series. Some characters consider a single lifetime to be short by this point. An Anchor is someone that the particular series is anchored around. They're often times the ones most often aware of what's going on. They can pull others with them, but they aren't always awake. And at times, there are random people awake in the loops. Spoiler for Time Looping Vivio: Jail Scaglietti's face appeared on the screen. The scientist's face showed his usual good cheer and bonhomie... almost. It was a good act, but those who knew him could see an odd note of strain to maintaining the expression. "I have good news, no, excellent news," Jail proclaimed. "Unfortunately, I also have bad - no, make that terrible news." There was a long pause and then: "What's the good news." "The clone of the Saint Regina is right here, I'm sitting within a metre of her right at this very moment!" "That really is excellent news, well done! Uh... what is the terrible news." "She's, heh... haha. She's holding me hostage," admitted the 'rogue' scientist in an embarassed voice. "What!?" The display jerked suddenly to show the close up face of a little girl with one red and one green eye. She looked to be about four, maybe five years old. "I want my mamas!" she demanded, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. "I want Mama-Fate and Mama-Nanoha and Auntie Hayate and if you meanies don't get them right now then I'm gonna be- befnd, befriend this nasty person all over the walls." "...we'll start looking for them right away." (---) "Sir, you can't expect us to believe that you are held hostage by her. She can't possibly have access to her magic." A previously unseen bunny floated up and smacked Jail on the back of the head. "Oww! See what I have to deal with?" Uno could only sweat-drop. "A bunny?" "This bunny has rabies! I swear! OWW! Stop hitting me with... Eh heh heh..." Jail trembled as said little bunny pulled out a giant hammer from somewhere. Vivio was just glad that Kris was with her, though, she had to worry, she hadn't known her device to have weapons like that. It probably got the idea from hanging around Vita and Wendi too much. (---) "I hate to say it, but she's not half bad to hang around." Wendi mentally said to Nove as the two of them were taking the girl, and her bunny, down the street. Though, the both of them were really freaking out from the sight of a bunny that somehow managed to carry a rocket launcher and was pointing it at their backs. "Yeah, that's true. I just wish that bunny didn't break the doctor's legs so hard..." "Or shatter the relics..." "More like blew them up." "Oh right." Nove and Wendi both paled as they saw a very angry-looking Nanoha and Fate glaring at them. "Oh, this just isn't fair." They whined as one. What had they done to deserve this? "Step away from the little girl." Fate said firmly. Nove and Wendi raised their hands, trying to disassociate themselves with any crime in this incident. Their eyes widened with horror as they saw the little girl cheerfully cry out "Nanoha-mama! Fate-mama!" and rush into the arms of two of the most renowned field agents the TSAB had. "We didn't know she was your kid! We didn't do anything to her! We were just trying to get her home!" Nove cried out. "She destroyed all our relics! She crippled the Professor! She threatened to do even more damage if we didn't take her back to her mothers! Could you please just take her and let us go?" Wendi pleaded. "She did all that?" Fate asked, with awe in her voice. Nanoha looked down at the four year old girl. "Alright, little one, let's go home. You're definitely a Takamachi." Page claim for time looping madness! __________________ My fics Due to certain things, I am not here, find me over on TFF.

2009-07-11, 12:02	Link #14251
DezoPenguin Beta by Accident Author Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Maine Age: 52	Possible double post to keep draft Ch. 26 separate from Ch. 25 discussion. Trying to keep our thread clean! Spoiler for Stahlkönigin--Chapter 26: Something had gone wrong. This did not take a particularly drastic leap of deduction on Wilton Sonoma's part. He was alive; therefore the plan had failed. Requiring only a slightly greater level of intellect was the thought that the six-hour period of martial law between two and eight a.m. had had something to do with it. So. He passed smoothly through the crowd, then stepped into one of the lines in front of the correct counter. Things were running slowly this morning, thanks to the delays. The transport ban--presumably so the TSAB could scour the streets for the Nest without worrying about it moving around--had thrown off the plans of many of Cranagan's citizens. They were complaining, surly, and short-tempered. Since there had been no announcement that without those delays they'd all be dead, Sonoma supposed that he couldn't blame them. His own pace was dictated by those around him. He stayed calm, reasonable, professional. He was not happy and didn't hide it--smiling and cheerful would have stood out like a sore thumb--but he wasn't howling and ranting and making a scene, either. And at least unlike the rest of the herd surrounding him, he had good reason to be angry at the TSAB. He wondered how, precisely, they'd gone wrong. Had there been a spy in Solstice's cell or an informant? If not, how had they discovered her? Had they learned the plan from her, and if so how? Had she cracked and told them freely, or been stupid enough to keep a record in written or data form, or had the "heroes" of the TSAB given up their vaunted ethics and used mind probes, if they'd had anyone on hand with that rare skill? Had Pacer's arrangements to bring the Nest into the city been somehow flawed? Had Daimler or Martin given the game away somehow when executing it? Had the Navy been intelligent enough to see through Sonoma's own charade and recognized that he'd really been after scheduling data, then changed its operations so ships had been in position to destroy the Heimdalls before they could fire on the surface? Had they slipped somewhere else? Or was it not so much a case of the Liberation Front failing as of the TSAB succeeding through brilliance or through the diligent application of manpower and technology? Possibilities. Too many different ones. But he'd have liked to know the truth, and not just for the sake of intellectual curiosity. It had been his greatest scheme, what would have been his masterstroke, and he'd have liked to know where it had went wrong. Even failures brought some gains, lessons to be learned for next time. "All passengers awaiting departure for Union Air flights, please be aware that there has been a two-hour delay on all flight times," echoed over the loudspeaker. Mass grumbling and complaints were heard from various points in the crowd. "First half an hour, then one hour, now two! Next they'll say we have to come back tomorrow!" one woman erupted shrilly from the Union Air queue two lines over. Of course, there was another good reason why he wanted to learn what had happened, thought Sonoma. Grand plans produced grand failures, and grand failures were often the killing grounds for the careers of those who planned them. That was true in any industry, and in terrorism the metaphor too often turned literal. When the questions were asked--and they would be--Sonoma wanted to be able to point with confidence and say, "This is why the plan failed, and that person is to blame." Preferably the one or ones identified would be in TSAB custody or dead as a result of their mistakes, or if they'd turned informer be available to receive the just rewards of their treachery. If the story Sonoma told was the truth instead of something he'd had to concoct, so much the better. He was fond of the truth; it could be wielded with all the same cunning and dexterity as a clever lie but didn't break under the strain. It was only thought to be weak because those who believed in it were so often innocent naifs that expected it to prevail on its own without being properly used. It was no different than any other weapon; no matter how powerful, it still had to be employed properly in battle. That thought reminded Sonoma of how his group had failed to use the overwhelming power of the Heimdall satellites and made his frustration and bitterness rise. He didn't bother concealing the emotions; they fit right in with everyone else around him. In a couple of more minutes, he got to the front of the line. The Pan-Midchildan clerk looked like he'd expected: harried and exhausted, without even the plastic smile of the service industry on her face. "How can I help you?" He tossed his fake ID onto the counter with an exaggerated gesture. "I'm here to register my ticket for the 11:15 flight to Verdance," he snapped. "Everything was supposed to be reserved; I didn't expect to have to stand around in line all day." "We're sorry, sir. The transit ban in place this morning has everything behind schedule." "I know. I had to miss breakfast at my hotel because the kitchen staff supposedly couldn't get in to work! If this is how this city is run, then I'm glad to be leaving." She didn't answer, instead just buzzing her fingers over the keyboard. "Your check-in is confirmed, sir. Just present your ID at the baggage clerk and the gate to board. Your flight is scheduled to leave with only a fifteen-minute delay." "There's a small mercy. At least I'm not flying Union." His comment made her stock phrase ironic. "Yes, sir. Baggage check is on this level; just follow the green line. Thank you for choosing Pan-Midchildan." Sonoma scooped up the ID and walked away from the counter, moving through the seething mass of humanity. There were those among his colleagues who would see the fact that he'd set up an escape plan for a suicide mission as a sign of treachery or corruption. This was not just true for his enemies, but perfectly innocent and sincere members of the cause as well, blinded by righteousness to good operational planning. Solstice would be one of them if she was still free; he knew the type. Inevitably it was the young who thought that way. Their elders had learned to plan for success, but be aware of possible failure. Those too foolish to learn that lesson were in prison or a grave. So of course Sonoma had set his escape up in advance. If things went wrong, as they had, he wouldn't be left scrambling. He'd known exactly what to do and where to go, including several fallback steps along the way if need be. His first priority was to leave the city. Leaving Mid was vital, too, but the Cranagan spaceport was too obvious. Better to use a less-traveled route, one located away from the action, and to have all travel plans made in advance so he didn't look like a man on the run. He stopped at the Pan-Midchildan baggage check and set down his one suitcase, then again presented the ID. "Flight A618 to Verdance?" the clerk verified. "That's right." "One bag only?" "Yes." "Any special handling requests?" "No." He let some testiness seep into his voice to preserve the picture of the harassed traveler. "All right. Next!" Sonoma moved on. The suitcase was nothing but a prop, containing business clothing, underwear, and toiletries. He'd actually bought it, and its contents, in Cranagan, for the purpose of preserving the image of a business traveler. Such a person would have luggage; therefore so would Sonoma, but it contained nothing that he needed or had used so that if need be he could leave it unclaimed. That part Solstice would understand. An illusionist understood the importance of presenting a complete false picture, even the unimportant parts, so that the audience's eye didn't rest for a moment on a missing spot and see through the entire game. He stopped at a vending machine and purchased coffee, drinking it quickly but not rushing, using it as an opportunity to observe the crowd. The security presence was increased, but not overwhelmingly so. This wasn't really a surprise, since the TSAB didn't really know what they were looking for, not his face or current identity or even necessarily if he was in Cranagan at all. Closing the airports would have been too much of an economic and public-relations loss in the absence of an immediate threat or solid information. Even presuming that they knew about him at all. So the roads were open, the trains had resumed running, and the air was once more the province of the masses instead of only the Air Force's mage warriors. Meanwhile security was increased and a careful eye kept out for suspicious behavior. Finishing his coffee, Sonoma tossed away the container, checked the time, and strolled towards the gate transports. Rather than have to stream the tens of thousands of passengers through corridors and tunnels, the Cranagan airport used short-range, automated teleporters to warp passengers between the main terminal and their departure gates. The passengers just inserted their ID, their gate was identified automatically, the teleport was calibrated, and off they went. There were ten in the bank, so he just joined the shortest line and waited, making a sham of checking the time every twenty or thirty seconds the way a good half of his fellow passengers were. There was a certain amount of jostling, even a couple of near-fights quickly stifled by security, but for the most part the line moved quickly and Sonoma soon took his turn, stepping into the warp chamber and watching the Mid-style sigil glow brightly on the floor. Then, silence. The teleporter had taken him to a departure gate, but there was no hubbub of voices, no blare of announcements over the loudspeaker, nothing at all. The chairs and aisles were empty, the check-in desk unmanned, no one present at all--other than a blonde woman in a black Barrier Jacket and white cape, carrying a Device that looked like a short-handled axe with a blunt edge. "Wide-area dimensional criminal Wilton Sonoma--" she began, but he was already in motion, his Device dropping into his hand, Barrier Jacket setting up while he prepared a short-range teleport. "Thunder Rage," the axe device said dryly, snapping off the lightning spell at Sonoma. He parried with a quick Protection, but his teleport was disrupted; they'd clearly been ready for it, aware of his capabilities. He was going to have to fight his way past the woman, and from the strength of her spell's impact, he didn't like the odds. It had hit as hard as an A's, even a AA's "big gun," and her Device had tossed it at him offhandedly as a quick way to break up his teleport. Still, as he'd just been thinking a few minutes ago, weapon strength didn't settle fights. The ability to use that strength did. "--you are under arrest for unauthorized use of magic within the city, theft, kidnapping, espionage, murder, terrorism, and conspiracy to commit genocide. Surrender and you will receive the right to defend yourself at the hearing." He charged her while she was finishing the speech, swinging his device in an arc before him, launching fireballs. "Meteor Burst!" "Defenser." The fireballs exploded against her shield. Sonoma doubted that they'd done any damage, but they were mostly light and smoke anyway, a distraction. "Assassin's Kiss!" His hand swept up at her flank, the barrier-piercing spell making has blade as lethal as any Belkan knight's weapon. "Sonic Move." She whirled away from him in a blur of motion, covering a good thirty feet and making sure to keep him at long range where she definitely outclassed him. "Fine, want to play shootout? We can do that." His perception of the scene hadn't missed the gate windows or what was outside them, including a jet loading passengers at the next gate over. "Flames of suffering, come to my hand!" The bright orange Mid-style rune blazed up beneath Sonoma as his device began to burn with a flaming aura, ringed by additional rings of fiery runes like a cannon barrel. "Plasma Lancer!" Six spearlike blasts formed in the air around her and streaked towards Sonoma. He raised his free hand, conjuring Protection again, but two of the blasts got through, knocking him down. Nonetheless he held his focus, keeping the cannon spell charged and ready. "Hades Ignition! Burn!" A raging spiral of flame blasted from the dagger's point, not at the TSAB mage but towards the broad window and the jet with its four hundred or so passengers outside. "Defenser Plus!" The shimmering yellow veil sprang up in front of the window just before the attack hit home. Sonoma's fiery buster raged its fury against the barrier spell for over ten seconds, then died away, with only a couple of warped spots in the glass to show where any power from the lethal spell had gotten through at all. How strong is she? "Plasma Rage." Pseudolightning blew him off his feet and sent him crashing painfully through three rows of chairs. "The law catches up with you, and instead of escaping or fighting for your freedom, your priority is to try and murder innocent people!?" He looked up at her, a little dizzy after taking the hit, and he saw nothing but fury in her expression. "The blood of the innocents of Jarentil demands blood in return!" Sonoma roared at her. "You won't have me for some puppet trial so you can pretend that you have 'mercy' or 'justice'! This is a war, us against every one of you, not just you military lackeys but those people out there who insure that you keep your power. And in war, people die!" "Lightning Bind!" Before he could do anything else, circlets of energy clamped around his wrists, pulling him upright and yanking his arms and legs into outstretched, helpless position. He tried to call up magic, but his Linker Core was blocked. He'd have to fight through the block and break free to do anything. "You're wrong," the woman threw in his face. A runic circle formed beneath her, swelling larger and larger, until the outer edge nearly reached to Sonoma. Lightning crackled along the complex lines and symbols of the rune. "You're not at war. You're just criminals, diseased minds who feel nothing but hate. You have no country to fight for, no population to defend, only your own malice driving you to hurt others." She closed her eyes, holding the device vertically before her body. Tiny sparks of light began to form in the air, swirling into existence, swelling and growing, ten, twenty, fifty, more of them. "The only people who have died so far are agents of one law enforcement force or another, people who have sworn to risk everything for the sake of those innocents you mock." The air seemed to throb with the weight of gathering power. Sonoma fought desperately against his bonds, but made no headway; they held him fast. "They've worked, and they've fought, and they've given their all, sometimes even their lives, and because of it you've accomplished nothing. No one else has died." The motes of light, countless now, began to flatten and extend into arrow-points. The golden orb in the heart of the axe flashed, and the arsenal of projectiles crackled with electricity to match, like a pulsing heart driving blood. "Not the people of Cranagan." "Plasma Lancer." "Not your friends." "Legion Shift." "Not. Even. You!" Fate swept her hand out, leveling Bardiche at the bound terrorist. "Fire!" The storm of Plasma Lancers exploded towards Sonoma. His body jerked and thrashed as they hammered him from all directions. His Barrier Jacket was stripped away almost at once. His device shattered under the repeated impacts, falling to the floor in scraps from his limp fingers. He was unconscious before the spell had expended even a quarter of its force. Finally, it was over, the smoke clearing. Sonoma's body fell with a thud to the scorched carpeting, and there was no sound for a long moment but Fate panting for breath from the exertion. "Long Arch-4 to SIB," she finally opened a communications link to the squad that had come as her escorts and helped coordinate efforts with the airport management. "Target is down. Come on up and get him so the airport can have their gate back, take him back to HQ, and have him booked." "Yes, ma'am. Um, Commodore Harlaown?" the agent asked her hesitantly. "Yes?" "Don't you want to arrest him yourself?" That was all but inevitable, whether the officer was police, SIB, or Enforcement. Fate gave the agent a quick smile and shook her head. "It's all right. Hadn't you heard? I'm just a desk jockey now. Besides, I've got somewhere else to be. My daughter's in the medical wing, and I'd like to spend some time with her instead of the people who put her there." Spoiler for Notes: 1. Fate doesn't take the backup team in with her to fight Sonoma because in this case, they'd just get in the way and be genuinely vulnerable to his attacks. No reason to risk their lives when--judging by the available intel--he's nowhere near her level of ability and training. Similarly, she doesn't break out the Riot Blades even though she could very likely take Sonoma at hand-to-hand based on her skill and power because that's where he's most dangerous and she knows he can't match her at a shooting-magic duel. 2. Similarly, they don't attempt an arrest in the crowd for the same reason. Plus they don't know what he looks like so they can't even identify him until he checks in at the ticket counter. In this case, they just empty out one gate and tell the warp computer to teleport ticket X to that particular gate. One implied assumption is that the warp platform can't just send Sonoma to a completely different location (say, a cell in HQ) but can only operate within its implied functions. 3. I invented a new Shift for Plasma Lancer instead of just having her use Genocide Shift for three reasons: "genocide" is actually listed in the charges against Sonoma and using that word in two different contexts in the same chapter is frankly just bad writing; it also sounds too belligerent for Fate to use while she's giving her "I'm going to smack you silly because you're a nasty murderer" speech; lastly, I have a suspicion that it's the lethal version of that spell, since the Book of Darkness wasn't exactly fighting to just knock people out in that battle. I'm doubt if Plasma Lancer: Legion Shift actually hits 5,200 times like the number of soldiers in an Imperial Roman legion, but hey, close enough. 4. And yes, this chapter flags the whole teleportation issue again. No getting around it, really; while the gate-system teleport is just a narrative device to drop Sonoma unexpectedly into a combat arena, I established that Sonoma is a teleporter way back in the prologue (it's how he gets out of Arraven Naval Air Station with the data) and a teleporter would definitely try to escape using teleportation magic (as we see in MGLN, even a series of short-range teleports can confuse tracking sensors). Remembered the previous chapters this time: Prologue Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25

2009-07-11, 14:24	Link #14253
itanshi1 Writer, Jester, MtG nerd Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Nanoha Used Car Dealership. RERISE!	what concepts x_x My two cents: http://i30.tinypic.com/2hmegk8.jpg Come to think of it, I do have complaints about that artwork. Ah, well, whatever. Here's the old artwork, http://gatherer.wizards.com/Handlers...2570&type=card This one actually has 'conduit' aspects. More like diffusing a spell. __________________ For those that belittle their favorite characters, complain about pairings, complain about oversexed images. Stop, thank you. Fear Anxiety Doubt is but a fad. The life of a fad depends entirely on the willingness to support it. Difficulty is a choice. Determination is a path. Your next great idea after your destination is the true goal. Last edited by itanshi1; 2009-07-11 at 14:53.

2009-07-11, 15:08	Link #14258
DezoPenguin Beta by Accident Author Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Maine Age: 52	New fic! About two months ago, while I was in major writer's-block mode on Stahlkonigin, I was trying to figure out what to write. For some reason, one morning the phrase "Schoolgirl Lesbian Vampire" got stuck in my head with that irritating, gnawing repetitiveness that one normally associates with songs stuck in your head. How it turned into a MGLN fic, I'll never know. I wrote three chapters, set it down, played in the realm of My-HiME for a while, and you've all been pretty much saturated with what I did after that. But now that Stahl. is finished in draft form, I picked up this one again, and thought I'd share some chapters. Spoiler for Blood and Spirit--Chapter 1: "Why are we here?" Racquel Elantra said, her lip curling in a sneer. "This place is as much of a backwater as any other non-administered world. A population of nulls, fumbling with conventional mechanical technology and brutalizing one another with mass-weapons. The only question is whether their towering ignorance is the cause or the result of their lack of magic." Her associate chuckled softly. "Oh, is that what you think? Then I would suggest that you take another look at the materials I provided you. Admiral Gil Graham. Ace of Aces Takamachi Nanoha. The present and only true Master of the Book of Darkness, Yagami Hayate." Elantra waved her hand. "Random sports. Every world has them." "True, true...but what you are overlooking, my dear, is the significance of who--or perhaps 'what' would describe it better--these 'sports' are." "So what's so fascinating, then?" He shook his head sadly. "My dear, haven't you realized? In consulting our records, Non-Administered World 97 has never produced a mage of less than AAA rank." It got her attention. "Never?" "Not that the TSAB has any knowledge of. And consider this: on Midchilda, for instance, at least half the population is magically active to at least a minor degree. Yet what are the odds of two S-ranks being born in the same year in the same city?" He cackled, then, a high, keening laugh as shrill and bitter as the cry of a murder of crows. "Oh, yes, my dear. This world has much to offer, something I think your employer would be very interested in learning." - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "Arisa!" Arisa Bannings turned her head to see Suzuka Tsukimura waving at her from the door to the locker room. "Hey, slowpoke, I was just going to leave without you." The truth was, she'd actually been standing around 'just going to leave' for the past ten minutes, but there was no way she was going to tell Suzuka that. "Sorry; practice ran late. We've got an important match coming up next week; if we win we qualify for the prefectural tournament! Coach is pushing us pretty hard because of that." Suzuka was the high school's girls' sports star. Fate Harlaown was the only one who could regularly even keep up with her in athletics, but Fate didn't play on any school teams. She didn't want to let her teammates down if the Time-Space Administration Bureau demanded that she drop everything to go rushing off to some other dimension to save someone's life or stop a giant monster from eating the universe or something. Arisa gritted her teeth. "Inconsiderate jerks," she muttered under her breath. Suzuka's eyes widened. "Arisa, you shouldn't say that about them! Everyone is working very hard for the team to succeed!" "What? Oh, no, I didn't mean them." Damn. She dragged a hand through her short, honey-blonde hair. "I was talking about the TSAB. They hauled Nanoha, Fate, and Hayate off a week ago on some urgent crisis or another and not a word since. They missed your birthday!" "They're doing very important work..." Arisa snorted. "And they couldn't get someone else to do it? I mean, graduation will be soon enough, and then they get the three of them full-time. Would it kill them to wait a couple of months?" Suzuka smiled, laughter sparkling in her violet eyes, the hue matching her long, silky fall of hair. "You miss them, don't you, Arisa?" "Hey, I'm not an idiot. I know that high school friends go their separate ways after graduation. They go to different universities, get jobs in different cities and end up being just a name on your New Year's card list after a decade or two. But moving to an entirely different planet in a different dimension is pushing it!" Suzuka giggled. "I'm sure we'll see them again more often than you think. But...I'll miss everyone, too. And not just them. You're not running off to another world and I'll still miss you." "What's that supposed to mean?" "Well, you're applying to Tokyo University, aren't you?" "Yeah, but so what?" Suzuka gave her a wry, sad little smile. "Do you really think I can pass the entrance exams?" She had a point. Since grade school, Arisa and Nanoha and later Fate had battled for the top spot in their class. There was no doubt that Arisa would pass Japan's most stringent college entrance exams. As for Suzuka...perhaps not so much. Though ironically she was the most poised, elegant, and ladylike of their group, she excelled in the physical, not the academic. Not even Tsukimura money was going to be able to bend that standard. Damn, Arisa thought again. It was turning into that kind of afternoon, the kind where she ended up swearing a lot in her mind over things that she couldn't control. She hated things that she couldn't control. And the idea of being separated from her best friend bugged her more than she wanted to admit. "Quit talking about such depressing stuff, anyway," she declared firmly. "Are you being picked up?" "Mmm-mm. I knew that practice might run long, and I didn't want to inconvenience anyone by making them wait around for me. I'm just going to walk home." "In that case, why don't I give you a lift?" "On your bike, you mean?" "Sure; I carry a spare helmet." "I'm not sure..." Suzuka said hesitantly. "Are you certain it's safe?" Arisa snorted again. "What, are you afraid of motorcycles?" Suzuka blushed. "No, not really." "Better not be. I'll have you know that I'm a first-class rider!" She looks so cute when she gets all shy and blushy like that. I'm...kinda jealous. "Shy, dreamy, and ladylike" were not words that described Arisa well. She used terms such as "assertive" and "self-actualized," while certain others were more inclined towards "brash," "loudmouthed," "aggressive," and "Hey, dye your hair red so a fellow can at least have fair warning!" That last one had come from the last guy who'd asked her out. It's not like he didn't deserve it, hitting on me with those cheesy lines, she thought defensively. Arisa glanced at Suzuka again and smiled. That was what real friendship was like. The people who loved you liked the you that you were. That's not to say that they wouldn't bring her up short if she crossed a line somewhere--they'd all do that for each other--but they didn't ask her to change who she was. "Arisa? Are you okay?" "What? Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking, that's all." "Oh, good. Well...shall we go?" Arisa had already changed out of her school uniform skirt into jeans for easier riding, so it was clear she was ready herself. "Yep." They set off across the parking lot. "Hey, have you ever ridden a motorcycle before?" "No, this will be my first time." "It's really great. I've got to admit, it was a little scary at first, but...it's like I'm finally getting an idea of what Nanoha and the others feel like when they're flying. It's totally different than in a car. You're out in the open air, wind whipping around you...and I guess I've mentioned this about a million times, huh?" Suzuka giggled again. "Arisa wouldn't be Arisa without her enthusiasm." The parking lot was nearly empty. A cluster of teachers' cars in their reserved end, of course--funny how they always seemed to be working late while the administrators left on the dot every day. There were a few other cars, too, of students like Suzuka with late club activities, mostly used subcompacts. A burgundy Toyota minivan and a cream-colored Nissan sedan had adult drivers waiting at the wheel, no doubt there to pick someone up. And Arisa's red-and-white Yamaha was right where she'd left it. As always, she thought, it looked like it was going a hundred kilometers per hour even just standing still. She wasn't that great with the mechanical side of things, yet, but she loved the bike and hoped Suzuka would come to like riding, too, even if just as a passenger. Except that in a couple of months, she won't be there. Damn. She wasn't supposed to be thinking about that. It soured her moon and her enthusiasm for the coming ride. It made her steel herself and put her head down and march straight across the parking lot. The driver of the burgundy minivan turned the key. Arisa didn't really notice, so she didn't so much as look around to see who was being picked up. Nor did she take particular notice of the Toyota backing out of its parking spot, then driving towards the school, curving around at the far end of the parking lot, and coming back up in a big U. In fact, she wasn't really aware of it at all until it swept up next to the girls and screeched to a halt, its side doors were flung open, and three men jumped out. "Hey, what the--?" Arisa started, the broke off when her brain processed what she was seeing. The three men all wore black suits and dark glasses like movie yakuza, and one of them was carrying a nasty-looking black automatic. "All right, now, come with us," the gunman said, jabbing the weapon at Suzuka. But maybe he wasn't as used to carrying firearms as his appearance made him look, or maybe he just felt overconfident because he was dealing with a teenaged girl. Though he threatened her with the weapon, he didn't make sure to keep it pointed at her while he grabbed for her upper arm with his free hand. Suzuka lashed out, her hand cracking against the gunman's, and the weapon went flying, skittering across the pavement. "Stop screwing around!" shouted one of the others, but Suzuka ripped her arm free from the gunman's hold and shoved him. He went staggering back, but the man who'd shouted stepped in. He was holding a stun-gun rather than a firearm, and before Suzuka could reach he jammed the electrodes against her body. "Hey, get away from her!" Arisa shouted. The third man had primed a hypodermic needle, so Arisa rushed at him to try and keep him from getting to Suzuka with whatever drug was inside. The man with the stun-gun, though, reacted too quickly for her, turning and jabbing Arisa with the weapon. Pain rushed through her body; it felt like she'd been kicked by a horse. She dropped limply to the pavement, barely conscious. "Arisa!" Suzuka screamed. Dimly, Arisa heard the electric crackle of the stun-gun again, then the sounds of scuffling and cursing. "Come on, get that into her!" "I'm trying, but she--" A sharp exhalation of breath cut off that voice, like he'd been hit in the belly. "Help! Let me go!" "Damn it, what if somebody comes?" Gotta get up... Arisa's numbed brain thought. Gotta...help... "There!" Suzuka screamed suddenly. "What's it doing to her?" "Just get her in the van, now!" The girl's cries of pain continued to sound out until the van door slammed shut. Even so, they continued to ring in Arisa's ears though muffled by the running engine and the metal vehicle. Dizzily, she pushed herself to her hands and knees as the van started to move. They were ignoring her, didn't have any use for baggage--and it wasn't like she could tell the cops anything useful as a witness. Witness. A bystander. Someone who could only watch as something horrible happened to her dearest friend. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Arisa and Suzuka's Omake Roadshow! "So you're thinking about getting a motorcycle, Arisa-chan?" Hayate asked. "Oh, Suzuka told you? Yeah, I've been thinking about it for a few months now, and I have my license for it." She dug into her bookbag and pulled out a magazine, then flipped to a page she'd dog-eared. "Here's the one I'm thinking about getting." "Hm, a Yamaha. Nice," Hayate said, then looked at her and frowned. "Still, something seems off." Hayate pursed her lips, thinking it over. "You're a dog person...I know! Have you looked at a Ducati?" Arisa blinked. "I'm not really fond of the European models...wait, why do you think I should get that one?" "Because then all we'd need is a blue wig and to teach Fate some summoning magic." "...leave me out of your cosplay fantasies, Hayate." Btw, it's "Omake Roadshow" instead of "Omake Theater" because for this series the omakes "go on the road" and accompany each chapter instead of just having one at the end. Mostly it's because the chapters are kind of short.

2009-07-10, 13:13	Link #14243
AdmiralTigerclaw Sword Wielding Penguin Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Subspace, Texas Age: 39	Well, I discovered I still had a Fanfiction.net account I'd pretty much never used for years. I thought it would have been deleted. Even better, I remembered the login info. So without further Ado: MSLN Test Dummies Chapter One Title Sequence Play between chapters 1 and 2. Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Keep me informed on oppinions.