I guess Kun-chan really *was* right in calling me 'the lazy writer'...
o.O
Hello, this is Eric, the insane boy who brought you (for better or for
worse), the HitchHiker's Guide to Reality. That, and my other projects
will now probably be on hold for a while, as I find I have somehow
contacted mono. (ah hah, now I have an excuse!!) Don't know how much
I'll be able to write in the next while, but I will be able to check up
on my mail every once in a while (now that I have a modem. o.O) I'd
appreciate any c&c on what I have now, it might give me incentive,
inspiration, and most importantly, ENERGY, to continue. ^_^
So for now, here's what the next installation of HHGTR looks like...
--------------
In the beginning, reality was created. This made a lot of people very
upset,and was generally regarded as a bad move. More to the point, it
was regarded as not going far enough. The powers that be, and the
powers that wanted to be, and even the powers that never would have a
chance of being, but happened to be around at the beginning of time,
were all uniformly dissatisfied, especially since the reality that was
created could hardly explain them as being the Supreme Being.
Naturally, the real Supreme Being (who happened to be named Johnathan
Davies, and whom had lived a rather peaceful and idylic life after
starting the universe, living in a small suburban area of Nebraska,
until he, the state, and in fact, the entire planet, suffered from a
small, minor problem of being uniformly anhailated) had planned it this
way, but instead of listening to an endless eternity of whining,
created the multiple realities. Infinite in scope, and completely
endless in possibilities, the multile realities allowed each power (of
whatever level) to have it's own universe to play with, and the
possibility of new realities being created, making gods out of the the
ordinary joe, if they happened to create a world in their own mind that
enough people believed in.
And if they happened to know how to get there.
Technology to get between realities, of course, is a completely
horrific project, and well beyond the minds of most scientists.
Especially since it took them so long to even think about the fact that
other realities might even exist.
But there is no motivator like money. And when the higher-ups at the
HitchHiker's Guide to the Galaxy caught wind of it, they spent
ludicrous amounts of money to get this technology to be developed.
Imagine, they thought, of making a new Guide, even better than the Mark
II, in which it could skip between all the realities! Infinite
realities means infinite income for selling one copy to every
reality... And there was far more than one person in each.
And so, it was developed in secret, and refined, and after a few years
work and hundreds of dead reality researchers later, they came up with
a fully incomplete version. But no one had to know that.
Unfortunately, the project had been doomed to failure, and the only
version of the HitchHiker's Guide to Reality had laid in a solitary
room, all alone, simply sitting and collecting dust. Until that is, a
certain Ford Prefect picked it up, thinking it might be kind of neat.
Which was why Arthur was now sitting face-down in a koi pond, wishing
he was in fact truly and really dead. He wasn't. But he would be, if
he didn't get out of the water soon.
Unfortunately, Ford pulled him out almost instantaneously. The pair
fell over each other, and onto the rocks beside the pool, on which
Arthur hoped quite desperatly he had caused some kind of internal
bleeding.
Laying there in a daze, Arthur scanned around him. There was a simple
looking house right in front of him, a sliding door open to the pond.
Just inside, a tall man with long black hair and a moustache, and a
large.. panda, were staring at him curiously..
---
The HitchHiker�s Guide to Reality series
part 2 - The dojo somewhere middlish in the the Takahashiverse
---
Soun Tendou watched the two men carefully. By now, he had gotten quite
used to seeing people falling into his koi pond - much to the chagrin
of the koi that actually swam in it -, but he was used to knowing who
it was that had fallen in. These two, however, he had never seen
before in his life. Gaijin, at that. At least they hadn't changed
forms (or so he desperatly hoped) when they had fallen into the
water...
A bad thought entered his head. A very bad one.
"Saotome, your training never took you anywhere near America or Europe,
did it?"
A sweat bead formed slowly on the back of the panda's head. It
chuckled, and help up a sign, which read: "Of course not!"
Soun narrowed his eyes, looking between the panda, and the wet pair of
people, not getting a good feeling at all about this...
---
"Terribly sorry Arthur, I really do have to work on my landings. It's
just that I'm new to this and all..." A few clicks and beeps. Arthur
barly noticed, as he watched with interest as a beat of sweat clung to
the panda's head. What kind of strange gravity was at work here?
Finally, Ford brought himself to face this world. Naturally, it didn't
phase him. "Fascinating, pandas can communicate here?"
Arthur had one of his many bad thoughts, and turned to Ford quickly.
"Look, we can understand them, because of the babel fish, but will they
understand us?"
"It should. I managed to get all around your planet without a hitch.
What's got you so concerned anyways? I thought you wanted to be
dead.."
"I did. But now that I'm not, I'm very frightened for me. What's this
world all about anyways?"
Ford handed him the guide to Realities, which had changed somehow
during the visit, and was now labelled, 'The HitchHiker's Guide to the
Takahashiverse'. Apparently it adapted itself to whatever reality it
was in.
"You can check it up on this," said Ford, "I'm going to talk to the
natives."
Ford got up completely out of the pond, and sloshed his way over to the
man with the panda. Meanwhile, Arthur became immersed in the new
guide...
---
What the Guide has to say about the Takahashiverse is this: The
Takahashiverse revolves mainly around the setting of two high schools,
a boarding house, and a lot of hilly, semi-abandoned saside houses, all
on the planet Earth. Just about everywhere else on earth exists, but
aside from a few choice places in China, some floating islands and the
occasional far-off planet, they seem to be rather vague and undefined.
Anyone leaving the direct area of Japan and China will find themselves
in quite barren places. There are people, but they don�t seem to be
very conscious or aware. This is due to the fact that the
Takahashiverse was created by a female writer who came from that very
same area. Food and housing seem to be free somehow, and gravity fails
to work for about 1/10th of the population. Getting off of the planet
Earth is particularly unlikely, unless you propose to any of the
occasional bikini-clad female aliens that seem to use Earth as a
playground.
The guide also had a gigantic list of related links, but Arthur decided
those could wait. For now, finding a way not to get off of this
person�s property without causing bodily harm to himself seemed like
the wisest course of action.
Unfortunately, that wasn�t the way Ford was going to have it.
�Really? Back where I came from, I never saw a talking panda before.�
he said conversationally, while pondering a move, and moving a shogi
piece, �never met one that could play shogi either.�
The moustached man and the panda both seemed rather amiable, or it
seemed so to Arthur. The moustached man had given up his seat, and now
Ford was having a gruelling match of shogi against the panda. Still
more of those sweat beads were hanging on their heads. What was going
on here?
---
�If this gaijin doesn�t know Genma, then what is he doing in my house?
I have enough freeloaders as it is..� pondered Soun. He eyed Genma
suspiciously. What was going on in his old friend�s scheming mind
right now?
�I hope I didn�t sell Ranma to this man as well. There�s already been
three suitors this week already..� Though Genma, as if on cue. More of
the curious timing that seemed to happen in this world. A shame that
neither Ford nor Arthur could notice it.
Soun kept a friendly expression on his face. �Well, don�t be too
impressed by our.. Pet here. He cheats.�
Genma growfed at that comment, too busy glaring at Soun to notice while
Ford switched the board around. Genma looked back at his pieces, a
little confused at how much he had to change his tactics. Too many
distractions today, he guessed.
------------------
incomplete to say the least, and I really need some help with the
'Guide book parts. I just couldn't think of a Douglas Adams way to
describe the Takahashi phenomenon.. :)
Hmm, also reply to a week-old (at least!) thread of the Alterverse,
and the missing characters... Mikado's mine! I'm already working on
it! ^_^ (natch!)
But as for Ryouga, I didn't think he'd really make a decision to alter
his past, he's too much into the now, IMO. If he had an alterverse
story, my impression is that it'd start something like this:
-------------------
I stumble down the beaten path before me. Where it leads, I don't care.
I never do anymore. Such is my life, wandering ahead, always continuing
on. There is little behind me I care to remember.
I ran away from my home - such as it was - two years ago, when my heart
truly did die. All hope had left me, that year my beloved finally
married... -Him-...
But since then, I have left Japan entirely. There was too much pain
for me to stay. I never said it aloud, my reasons: had to go off and
train more, I said, never once mentioning the name of Akane, the real
reason I had to leave...
Perhaps I was trying to fool myself more than anyone else about why I
left. I didn't like to think, that after all this time, he had
finally won out. Destroyer of my happiness... Didn't he realize how
much I cared for her, wanted to be by her side?
But she is happy now.. A poor condolence, but the only thing that
stopped me from completely exploding with rage.
The announcement was a suprise to everyone- Mr. Tendou cried for days,
as usual. I didn't wait for the wedding. I left Japan without
saying goodbye to her.. My one regret, but in retrospect, it was
for the best.
I'd been through a lot these two years. Nothing as harrowing as
Nerima, though. If I could turn back the clock, however, I'd do
anything to go back to the old days.
I push my way trhough some bushes, and ahead of me, below me, is
a vast cityscape. I turn back to look where I came from.. My
thoughts betray me again.. I have wandered aimlessly again..
I study the city below me carefully, hoping to get my bearings..
When i did, I wish I hadn't. After so long, my feet had brought me
back to the place I left so long ago. Nerima..
Hours pass as I wander through the streets. I'm here, I might as
well see what's happened.. The Nekohanten is still up, though
peering inside, I see no familliar faces. It must have been sold
to new owners. I leave casually, a little dissapointed, and a
little relieved. It's sometimes best not to stir up the past.
My feet betray me once more as I try to leave, passing me by
Uuchan's, still open. Peering inside, I can't help but smile
curiously. Ukkyou is there, as well as Mousse, and Shampoo.
All working, serving food, side-by-side.
Rushing inside, I can't help but notice how little they've
changed- except Mousse, who no longer wears glasses, and his
face no longer looks so hard- he probably has less reason to
be angry these days.
He is the first to look up, an expression of happy shock on his
face. I did not expect this of him.
"Saotome, you've returned?"
----
Ranma 1/2 (Alterverse?) : A wedding for who?!
----
now that, most likely, would be Ryouga's wish, IMO. It started out
as being an 'I Can Hear the Sea' for the Ranma cast with Ryouga
actually being the one returning home (and I have that version kicking
about too), but I liked the twist of Ranma running away and getting lost
more. :) If anyone wants this story, feel free. I have no idea where
to go from there...
well, I'll also toss a few other stories I've written earlier to
the wolves here. I've always wanted some c&c on them anyways...
==============================================================================
|
-Eric "Mikado" Jones | ejones@FineArts.uvic.ca
| http://kafka.uvic.ca/~ejones/home.html
Unwilling Arch-Deacon of the |----------------------------------------
Church of Azusa, Keeper of the |
Bruises, and head of the "kawaii | "No Azusa, those pants are *not* cute!"
people!" department. | -Mikado
-----------------------------------------
Join now, and you get to give up a treasured object of your very own to
the Goddess Azusa! Or she'll kill you!
==============================================================================
"Mostly harmless? That's all it says about me in there?!"
- Mikado, THHGTR