Quoting K'thardin <kthardin@tenchifanart.com>:

First off, I must apologize for the EXTREME lateness of this C&C...I can't

And sorry for not getting to it quicker.  Also, sorry to the others (Aaron
Bergman, Josh Temple) who reviewed the polished NETTG Ch.1 and haven't gotten a
response yet.  It's on the same level as taking a car in to get an oil change
and realizing that it needs an overhaul instead.  So, I'm overhauling
(rewriting) the chapter before re-releasing it.  If I'm going to be doing a
revision, I want it to be just as good as if you were seeing the story for the
first time.

seem to
find the time to do much of anything anymore.  Tis what I get for going to
one con
after the other and try learning to use PHP and college work and regular work
and
video games and even more video games...DEAR LORD THE GAMES!

Oh, I understand the games.  Neverwinter Nights, (with Shadows of Undrentide),
Morrowind (with Tribunal and Bloodmoon), Star Wars: Galaxies... Basically, any
one of these would be a full-time job to try and deal with, and I've been
playing them all.

...

Speaking of which, Stefan Gagne's two module series for Neverwinter
Nights--Penultima--are quite good if you've read anything by him.  It... takes
the horribly dark setting of NWN and makes it... much lighter.  Ah, well, you
know me and parodies.  ^_^  http://www.pixelscapes.com/penultima is where it's
at.  I once considered making an NETTG mod for NWN, but we couldn't quite get
the animation issues worked out for the ArbyFish 3-D models.  Esa got the basic
form worked out, though.  It was about a year ago and then his computer sort of
got downgraded, I think, so work discontinued.  It was a neat idea, though.

Not to mention I stumbled upon several anime series I've found quite
enjoyable...Onegai Teacher being a surprising one to myself, I assure you.
Saw the
first ep of that during Anime Expo and went and got the box set, breathlessly
awaited
the second DVD, and gots me the Manga.  Now I breathlessly await the third
DVD, even
though I couldn't wait and acquired some fansubs (September 2nd for the 3rd
DVD?
How'm I supposed to last that long?)  I must admit:  if one doesn't feel good
after
the 13th ep (or at least aren't rolling around laughing) then one is in
serious need
of a hug.  I personally raised some b33r in salute...several times.  The
women of the
series were quite nice to look at as well.

I saw the first episode of that one and really didn't pursue it more.  But when
I get a series, I tend to want to down it all in one go.  Binge anime-watching,
as it were, and get it over with. ^_^

Somewhere around this I want to start writing fanfiction again. ;_;

It's good that you're busy.  Otherwise, I'd be trying to get you to work on
Galactic Destroyer Maker, the NETTG webcomic, or one of my other crazy projects
that were neat ideas when they were first proposed but everyone except me seems
to get tired of now and again. ^_^;;;

Anyway, without further sharing of troubles on my part, I will start ye ol
C&C.

We've all got problems.  I, for example, have been balancing fanfic rewrites,
video game stress-release, the occasional Dance Dance Revolution song (it's
great exercise if you do it consistently), worrying about the webcomic, and
worrying about the GDM game.  Oh, yes, I've been working almost full-time here
and there, but that's a minor concern in comparison.

And, classes start on the 25th of August for me.

Hey, time's everywhere.  The trick is finding it without mining into the
Sleepy-Time Reserves too much. ^.^

---------------------------------

Once upon a cloud, there was a tiny white spore that flitted about, never
passing
beneath the stratosphere or ever seeing the ground. There, it sprouted and
began to
mature. However, once its primary development phase

<<I'm not going to tell you the mental image I got of a white wriggling thing
flitting about in the clouds.>>

Ah, the lil' spores, trying to mutate properly to suit their respective
environments!

was completed, a small meteorite came unexpectedly from behind and knocked it
down to
the ground. What

<<< <God> Heheheh, let's fuck with the little spit, eh?>>>

Essentially, though in classier terms.  E's gots plans for the lil' spit.

happened then can only be properly described in verse:

Within a crater, a Green ArbyFish did spy,
A tiny White one, its eyes all sly.
Out of the basin Flanburger did take,
A tiny spit, covered in milkshake.

<<< Hey, spits are high in vitamin C!  Good and good for ya!>>>

The orange ones, at least.  They're Citrusy! ^_^

When life gives ya lemons, make orange juice!

The White one was startled.
"DIE!" he shouted, and pulled out a switchblade.

<<< And due to anime and more importantly Arbyfish physics, no one thinks to
ask
where he got this from.>>>

Exactly.  Knives and mallets and such just... have to be there when they're
needed.  That sometimes even applies to dangerous combat situations.

"Die, I repeat," White growled to Flanburger.
"Screams you should make, like right-bloody murder!"
And twist he did his knife,
His red eyes so full of life.

<<< I like Bruce.  Got to respect a guy who says "Kill em all!" and means it.
 Lord
help us if he ever plays Blood Omen.  For some reason I could imagine him
shouting
"Vae Victus!" every 5 seconds as he hacks through more and more sentient
beings.>>>

Heh.  Only if people tried to pick him up and call him cute.

Most White ArbyFish prefer to let people live out their lives--according to the
Whites, people can't suffer if they're dead.  Usually.

With eyes aflame, the spit began to shout,
"Bruce is my name!
For this I shall bring you shame!"
As if to cause more blame, he turned 'round to pout.

<<< I have little talent for rhyming, so I all I can really do here is throw
in the
occasional witticism.  I can only imagine how writing this part must have
been for
you.  On that note, how was writing this part, for you? Hehehehe>>>

A bit of poetry is just what I needed to start off this little side-story.  It
had a pretty simple rhyme scheme, and while nobody would ever shed a tear over
the content, it's sufficiently clever and strange for a chuckle or two.  So, I
enjoyed doing the poetry for this.  ArbyFish lend themselves well to poetry in
a very... Alice in Wonderland sense.  Actually, most of 'em act like they'd be
quite at home there.

But the nature Bruce courted,
Could not quite be thwarted,
And into the books of history we will hear his cry.

<<< Vae Victus!  Let all suffer and die! ^_^>>>

Suffer, yes, die, yes.  Bruce had a traumatic childhood, so he's not
sufficiently stable emotionally to let everyone just suffer and... suffer some
more. ^_^

<<< Wow!  That fits pretty well, heh.  The translation from the game was that
Vae
Victus means "Suffering to the Conquered." Others claim it means something
like ?Woe
to the Vanquished.?  I'm not sure how accurate that is, however.>>>

I haven't played that game yet, though I've heard it gets pretty odd... it might
be a good phrase for Bruce, though.

Thus it was that Bruce, the White ArbyFish, found himself taken from his
natural
environment by an equally natural disaster. He spent his years apprenticed to
Flanburger, the Second One, in order to become a right proper ArbyFish when
he grew
up.

<<< That's almost like a Jedi having a Sith apprentice. ^^>>>

Just about, yeah, and nobody really notices that he's pure evil.

"But... White ArbyFish are pure evil!"

"No, no, they'z NOICE."

Naturally, the only school available was a segregated Green school, which
meant that
all colors would attend in protest. However, Bruce's group tended to consist
more of
yokel Greens from the swamp than of any other group.

<<< All others would attend in protest...and I bet that makes perfect sense
to them,
heh.>>>

They're pretty unruly lil' buggers.  They delight in not doing what they're
told, and they have funny ways of avoiding reverse psychology as well, but
Green ones'll do odd jobs if you ask nicely...

ArbyFish have a Constitutional Anarchy--they all work against each other to
accomplish a common goal.

"They'z cute lil' triplets, they is," Flanburger noted to himself, then
turned toward
the White ArbyFish that had just tried to sneak in. "Mouldey Pants!"

<<< Would he sneak in, or would he bang the door open, stick a knife in the
nearest
student (then receiving thanks for his wonderful gift...yet again,) and then
huff to
his seat, but not before kicking the chair into the wall a few times? >>>

Perhaps... Perhaps he would. Hmm...

	"They'z cute lil' triplets, they is," Flanburger noted to
himself, then turned toward the White ArbyFish that had just kicked
the door in. "Mouldey Pants!"

	Bruce wordlessly hauled his bookbag over to his desk, and then
sat heavily upon his closed reading material in the traditional manner
of ArbyFish learning. He turned to the side and jammed a knife into the
ArbyFish sitting next to him.

	"Oh, 'ello sez Oye ta yew ta me n' Yew back in return," the
impaled 'Fish replied, examining the quality of the dagger.  "S'quoite noice
desoign.  Thank'yew!"

Bruce wordlessly hauled his bookbag over to his desk, then sat heavily upon
his
closed reading material in the traditional manner of ArbyFish learning.
Folding his
flippers, he hunched over to sulk.

<<< My grammar checker says it should be 'desk, and then'  Not sure if that
is
accurate or not.>>>

Yeah, it sounds a bit better with the "and then."

Flanburger cleared his throat.

<<< Hacking up a couple of moldy furballs...>>>

Hmmm... Okay! ^_^

	Flanburger cleared his throat, hacking up a few moldy furballs.
"Oye said: Mouldey Pants!"


Yes, ArbyFish do take cat-baths and such.

"Hey, Oye's a clean 'fish!  Oye licked m'self clean just last week!"

It was a daily ritual. Young Bruce found himself muttering a great deal of
death
threats and otherwise, which everyone else seemed to ignore or take in the
best
possible manner.

<<< probably the only place that would call a High School shooting a cute
little act
of rebellion. ^^>>>

Yup.  ArbyFish are pretty tolerant in that respect.

"I think you all should dry up and die!" Bruce screamed to anyone who would
listen.
"I am going to kill you all one day. Right now, maybe!!!"

<<< <Bruce> Just as soon as I figure out HOW!>>>

That could work.

	"I think you all should dry up and die!" Bruce screamed to
anyone who would listen. "I am going to kill you all one day. Just as soon as
figure out HOW. Right now, maybe!!!"

Flanburger turned away from the smeared mold board and smiled proudly. "Oh,
thank you
very much, Mouldey Pants!"

"It's BRUCE!"

<<<Bruce reminds me a lot of Magnesite from Sailor Moon Expanded.  Here he
is, a guy
who just wants to kill and maim and destroy in an environment of friendly
happy
Arbyfish who take his threats of annihilation in the best possible way.  They
don't
run, cower in fear, or any of that.  It's enough to drive an Arbyfish sane,
I'd bet,
heh.>>>

Indeed.  Bruce had such a traumatic youth, by ArbyFish standards. ^_^

"Well, ya see," Mossweed began in a shrill voice that would have sounded
better on a
Pink, "ya'z gots eight 'shrooms in the noight, n' they moight multiply if
it's real
moist, but they'd need ta munch on stuff ta grow, but since they'z only gots
themselves there, they'd start gettin' inta cannibalism n' such. So, eight
'shrooms
in the noight would get'cha 'ate shrooms in the noight!'"

<<<heheh.>>>

They practice right proper logic here, too.

"Roight. Very good," Flanburger said after a moment. "Next problem." He
scrawled some
more mushrooms onto the board. "'Ere, we'z gots two 'shrooms n' anotha' two
'shrooms." He drew an equals sign. "That will surely equal six. Who can
answer this
one?"

Like a savannah full of meercats, the faces of Flanburger's class
straightened up and
started looking around randomly - anywhere except at the teacher.

<<<  Hell, I'm still trying to figure out what he just asked.>>>

I think he just asked for a proof.  I could be mistaken, however.

If it doesn't make sense, then... Well, welcome to the wonderful world of
ArbyFish. ^_^

Bruce took the 'shroom and examined the complex problem on the board. Pushing
up the
fur on each of his flippers, he took a deep breath and went about solving it.
On the
board, he made various calculations. The notation slowly covered the entire
line,
then another. Soon, nearly the whole board was scrawled with strange
markings. At the
end, he scrawled an equals sign and paused to ponder his work.

<<< strange markings which began to glow an evil red and bled together.
Viscous
tentacles dripping unidentifiable ooze and phlegm emerged from its crimson
depths,
soon followed by a face that should anyone gaze upon its carrion filled
visage,
they'd be instantly driven into the far reaches of Delirium's realm.  A
single horrid
eye focused upon the classroom filled with the simple cat based fish folk of
lore,
and with a gurgling cry that would have caused world wide hysteria should the
being
had been aloud to utter the least of sounds, the great old one said, "Oh,
HELL nah!"
and left with nary a parting word to the somewhat bored populous of the
class.

Par for the course really, when ol' Mouldey Pants was called to the board.

Heh, feel free to ignore, was just musing a bit. ^_^>>>

Hmm... Something like that's just too good to just leave behind. ^_^

	"Good. Now, we 'ave two 'shrooms n' two 'shrooms. Wot will
that make?" Flanburger handed over the drawing mushroom.

	Bruce took the 'shroom and examined the complex problem
on the board. Pushing up the fur on each of his flippers, he took
a deep breath and went about solving it. On the board, he made
various calculations. The notation slowly covered the entire
line, then another.

	Soon, nearly the whole board was scrawled with strange markings
which began to glow an evil red and bled together. Vicious tentacles
dripping an inidentifiable ooze emerged from its crimson depths, soon
followed by a face so horrible that anyone who looked upon its
carrion-filled visage would instantly be driven into the far reaches
of delirium's realm.  A single great eye focused upon the classroom
filled with the simple cat-based fish-folk of lore.

	The students watched it with rapt, amused attention, anxious to
see more.  One adventurous Violet 'Fish hopped up and placed his
flipper around or on the monster while a couple of others snapped
pictures.

	The eye blinked, and with a gurgling cry that would have caused
world-wide hysteria should the being had been allowed to utter the
least of sounds, the Great Old One said, "Er, nevermind.  Just...
nevermind."

	Without another word, Cthulu departed hence and the Violet
returned to his seat, high-fiving his chums.  "YEAAAH!"

	Though this was pretty par for the course when good ol' Mouldy
Pants was called to the board, Flanburger chose that moment to speak
up.  "Roight.  Well? Wot's the answer, then?"

	"I'm getting to that!" Bruce spat back.  At the end, he scrawled
an equals sign and paused to ponder his work.  "Two mushrooms and two
mushrooms will surely equal..."

	Flanburger cocked an eyebrow at Bruce's proof.

	Finally, the White ArbyFish wrote down his answer. "World
Domination!" He drew a box around it with four quick strokes and
faced the class with a rebellious look.

	The teacher stared at the board and worked through the equation
his student had just made. When he finished, he shrugged and said,
"Eh, close 'nough." Straightening up, he added, "Roight! On ta
Biol'gy."

Flanburger cocked an eyebrow at Bruce's proof.

Finally, the White ArbyFish wrote down his answer. "World Domination!" He
drew a box
around it with four quick strokes and faced the class with a rebellious look.

<<<Would it be domination or destruction?  Or is there a difference to
him?>>>

Domination's fine, I think.  If he's feeling up to it, he'll just let people
live and suffer for as long as possible, rather than killing them outright.

The teacher stared at the board and worked through the equation his student
had just
made. When he finished, he shrugged and said, "Eh, close 'nough."
Straightening up,
he added, "Roight! On ta Biol'gy."

<<<Considering where the first Arby came from and where he grew up, this
course would
likely consist of some pretty screwy subjects.>>>

Well, Arby did grow up in a lab.  As such, he has some pretty funny ideas about
things such as how children ought to be raised.

Bruce sat back down and put away his sock, preferring instead to concentrate
on
scheming and plotting for the moment.

<<<Surprising he doesn't pay more attention.  I mean, biological warfare is a
great
way to kill all life on a planet, heh.>>>

He's being generally rebellious.  A long-lived White with all the proper
knowledge and experience can be 100% devious, while Bruce is only up to about
70% devious, I think.

"Not propa'!?" Flanburger cried, rising up above them all. "'Course it's
propa'!
Gotta 'ave the Furry Mushrooms. They'z proime substance for beverages n'
parties!
Else, 'ow'dja get the badgers' eggs ta hatch?"

"Badgers don't lay eggs!"

<<< Well, Terran badgers don't, but the ones on Tau Ceti Three...those bad
puppies
lay em in groups of 12 or more...>>>

"Roight!  They tastes a bit loike robins' eggs.

Flanburger snatched something from a desk drawer. "'Ow'dja explain this,
then?" He
held up the object for all to see. It looked like a white chicken egg, and it
began
to form cracks. Within moments, a fragment had fallen off and the tiny furry
face of
a baby badger popped out, then promptly began to squeak. "There, ya see?"

Bruce was flabbergasted. "But!"

<<< If nothing else this class must be really good at shattering Bruce's
perceptions
on what he thinks reality is.>>>

Most of the more experienced Green ones can confuse anything with being in
blatant defiance of reality.  And if anyone wants to debate the logic of a
situation, watch out!  You're in for an ear-full. (Of fungus n' mushrooms.)

"Rebellious generation," Flanburger muttered, rolling his eyes.

Years of this went on, and it was a slow indoctrination process; one that
never
seemed to have any impact on the displaced White ArbyFish. Also, considering
how long
these 'Fish tended to live, they tended to have very, very slow learning
curves and
easily got set in their ways. To make matters more complicated, Bruce
absolutely
refused to develop certain traditional, mandatory racisms.

<<< He hates everyone equally.  Heheheheheh.>>>

Precisely. ^_^

With a snick and a flip of his flipper, the White ArbyFish whipped out a
switchblade.
"DIE!" Then, he lunged at the other's throat, slashing as long and as deeply
as
decades of honed reflexes would allow. Much to his surprise, Bruce's strike
split
Mossweed's skin, spilling out a puff of white and pink. "Gwaaah!?"

<<<He doesn't by any chance hang out with a psychotic rabbit, does he?>>>

I don't think he's met Bun-Bun, but they'd probably get along like a house on
fire.

"Oh no!" Mossweed cried, trying to hold up the dangling flap of fur and
conceal what
lay underneath.

In some texts, this was the second recorded incident of a White ArbyFish
actually
being in wide-eyed, stuttering shock. "You're a p-p-p-P-"

<<<What was the first?>>>

I think it had to do with the first time someone Pinks were ever discovered.

"Not really," Bruce admitted, regaining his composure. "That was...
unexpected. Well,
not completely unexpected. I thought you were a bit bulky for a regular Green
ArbyFish. But not even one of those distasteful creatures could be nearly as
ugly as
that smudged costume of yours."

<<<Now he kinda sounds like Vegita, heh.>>>

Vegita was pretty evil, come to think of it, yeah. ^_^

"No, it's not. My real name is Ribbons. Ribbons DewBlossom." Through the new
slit,
she slid off the hood of her disguise. Under the dull green facade was a
lovely pink
and white coat of fur that positively sparkled. Cute was a term that was
often used
to describe Pink ArbyFish, often in disdain. However, in this case, "cute"
barely
began to explain the slender creature's appearance.

<<<Stunningly beautiful then?  Though this is an

She'd look pretty cute even to human beings.

odd...............romance............all things considered the Arbyfish are
asexual
creatures from what I've read so far.  Then again, they're also some of the
most
impossible creatures too...so I suppose if it tickles a couple's fancy, more
power
too em. ^^;;>>>

Yup, ArbyFish reproduce by spores.  Usually there's not much to do from a
romance standpoint, since reproduction is really no challenge.  So, ArbyFish
fill their time by being generally strange and debating philosophy and such. 
They just obsess about their hobbies.

Bruce swallowed heavily. "All right, Ribbons. I've got nothing against Pink
ones, any
more than Green ones or Grey ones, in any case. So, why dress up Green,
then?"

<<< <Bruce> In the end...I'm just going to kill you all.>>>

Indeed. ^_^

"I may not have anything against you yet, but watch your language, got it?!"

"Oh, yes, of course, Bruce! Of course!"

<<< True, never tell a purely evil being that he's so nice when he shows the
least
bit of kindness for whatever reasons that might be running through his head.
Said
evil being might just decide to turn stabbity on ya for mouthin' off.>>>

Too true, too true.  Though, Bruce doesn't mind acting nice if he has to in
order to serve the greater bad.

Bruce made a friend that day, though he would never, ever admit it. Ribbons
and he
spent a lot of time together after that, generally being rebellious in their
own
ways. Bruce taught her how to plot and knit, and she showed him how to dance.

<<< To the class of '97...wear sunscreen. If I could offer just one piece of
advice...sunscreen would be...it.>>>

Too many Ozone holes...

Nothing lasts forever, though. A secret plot formed to cleanse the Pink ones
from the
ArbyFish species once and for all. Flanburger and a host of the elder
ArbyFish, armed
with party invitations, ran rampant through Pink strongholds and devastated
countless
numbers of them. By the time the Pink ArbyFish caught on, it was too late.
Only a
handful remained, hunted down by the most powerful death squads of the holy
war.

<<<Heh, they didn't even have the same chance the Autobots had.>>>

Nope.  They really had no chance at all.  Check out:

http://www.simud.org/arbyfish/index.php?p=14
http://www.simud.org/arbyfish/index.php?p=15
http://www.simud.org/arbyfish/index.php?p=16

Employing gravitational and temporal-based powers, Black and Purple ones
terminated
Pinks one-by-one. Perhaps less than a hundred remained when Ribbons
DewBlossom was
finally discovered.

<<< %*It's about this homicidal maniac who finds this cubscout troop, and he
hacks up
two or three in every scene...%*>>>

^_^ Heh.  More or less.

"Please don't hurt me," Ribbons pled, bits of her ruined disguise falling
around her.
She batted her eyelashes in hopes of stemming the assault. Unfortunately, her
reflex
action had the opposite effect.

<<<About to say.  All things considered they subscribe to the idea that all
that is
pink must die...one wonders what they must think of Chibi Usa then?>>>

She has to pass bi-weekly inspections and certify that she carries no Pink
ArbyFish and does not exceed certain limits of Pink behavior.

"Yeech!" Flanburger spat as he and four others approached. Among the prime
death
squad were such illustrious Black names as Frosty McKleinBottle and
FloominWottle.
The Purples were F. Choppins and FluFlaFloggins. "Once we've done away with
your
Pinkness, the una'verse c'n rest peacefully. Until then, we'z gots ta destroy
awl the
Pink!" He held up a recently-published lawbook and slapped it on the ground a
few
times before directing his aides to attack.

<<<Though I wonder why they bothered to publish the law since it seems they
were
going to do it anyway.  Course that probably falls under the term, "Wouldn't
be
propa' to conduct ah Holy War wit'out ah law bein' passed."  My grammar

Yup, they have a funky way of justifying everything they do.

checker also
says that ?recently-published? should be ?recently published.?  No clue
if that?s
accurate or not.>>>

Grammar-checkers have funny ideas about hyphens, in my opinion, but I took it
out just in case.

Ribbons sized up her situation. Bruce had taught her well about relative
power levels
and the need for planning. Those skills had served her well in avoiding
extermination
so far, but there was only so far ahead she could plan. She had run
completely out of
ideas, and now she was about to be crushed into a singularity and sent who-
knows-what dimension or epoch.

<<<For all she knows, this could be the best thing that ever happened to
her...maybe.>>>

You never know.  Where DO Pink ArbyFish go when they die, anyway?

"This hurts you more than us," Frosty McKleinBottle noted honestly as he
began to
compress space around the poor thing.

<<< <Frosty> Come to think of it, this just hurts you.>>>

That's a good line.  I put it in.

However, before any significant effect could take place, a flurry of throwing
knives
came at the death squad, imbedding themselves into their flesh and destroying
the
Purples' devices. The sudden attack effectively disrupted the Blacks'
concentration.

<<< Reminds me of the time Vegita bailed out Trunks in the Bojack movie.
Heh, if
ever there was a damn good candidate for the most badass entrance...that was
it.  He
cut their lines of psychic force, tossed Trunks his sword and sheath (all off
camera), then blew up the mansion under the feet of Bojack?s men.  Only to
rise up
out of that, his arms crossed, his golden aura going, a scowl on his face,
and Super
Saiyan his transformation.>>>

I haven't seen that one yet.  Sounds like a nifty one, though.

When they regained their balance, the space between them and Ribbons suddenly
became
occupied by a White ArbyFish.

"Hello," Bruce sneered, "says I to you to me and you back in return."

<<<About his words too. Heh.>>>

Heh. ^_^

Flanburger blinked a bit. "Mouldey Pants?"

"Bruce!"

"Bruce!" Ribbons echoed, her flippers clasp together and her eyes full of
hope.

<<<I?m not sure what music should be playing here.  The Superman theme or a
song by
Kings of Metal called ?Hands of Doom? considering it?s a White Arby we?re
talking
about.  %*Tonight we strike, there is thunder in the sky!  Together we fight!
 Some
of us will die, but always remember, that we made our stand!  And many will
die by my
hand!  They will die!  By my hand!%*  Tough call.>>>

That last one sounds like a better choice.  More... Bruce-like. ^_^

The Green one brightened up. "Oh, goodie! Lookie 'ere, lads, 'e's foinally
learned
th' tra'itional greetin'! Mouldey-Pants's got it!"

"'Scuse me," Frosty McKleinBottle said to Bruce, "yew's in our way 'ere. We'z
gots a
job ta complete. Ya know, Pink extermination and such."

<<< <Frosty> Terrible messy business, but someone?s gots to do it.>>>

Good line.  I put it in.

"Roight!" Flanburger added. "Away wit'cha. We'll call ya if we needja. This's
n' easy
one, though."

<<<That was almost complimentary.  It?s almost like they put ol Bruce here
into the
realms of a big gun, heh.>>>

Nah, it was just a polite way of shooing him off. ^_^

FloominWottle examined the White's resolute expression. "Eh, looks loike 'e's
not
movin'."

F. Choppins nodded. "He hasn't moved." He turned up his face. "Or won't, or
wot'evah."

<<< <F.> In da end...it?s all da same.>>>

When it comes to Genocide, it only takes a few ArbyFish to carry it out...

...

They have such horrible social problems. >_<;;;

"Nope!" Flanburger denied, then hopped to the side in order to get around
Bruce, who
hopped in the same direction to block him. He tried again, the other way.
Again,
Bruce stood in his way.

"Look 'ere, lad," Frosty McKleinBottle pressed. "It's roight propa' ta get
rid a' the
Pink, n' we-"

<<< Que the ?Dance of Fates?...techno remix! >>>

Heh!

In a flourish, Bruce whipped out a pair of switchblades, one in each
opposable
flipper. "If you want her, come and claim her!"

<<<Actually a pretty cool scene in that movie, I must admit.>>>

It... had nothing to do with the original book, but hey, a nifty scene. ^_^

The members of the death squad blinked, looked at each other, shrugged, then
looked
back at Bruce. "Alroight!"

<<< Hehehehehehehe >>>

ArbyFish are pretty straightforward in their thought patterns.

Anyone who has studied relative ArbyFish power levels will know how absurdly,
obscenely powerful Black ArbyFish are. With the power to manipulate gravity
on any
scale, they can create black holes on a whim and warp space to their hearts'
content.
Purple ones fall close behind with the power to distort, swim through, and
flutter
above, time.

<<< So between the two, they should be able to rip holes into other universes
where
the laws of physics are quite different and pull out things that would be
powerful
beyond belief here in our universe. >>>

Yes, essentially.  They're really tough to beat.  At best, you can hope to
outwit one or two.

Nevertheless, armed only with his own motives and a pair of magic knives,
Bruce
fought long and hard to vanquish them. All the while, Ribbons cheered him on
as he
resisted gravity attacks, mythic weapons, and the experience of his old
teacher.

<<< One of these days I must get proficient enough at 3DS Max or Animation
Master to
see about animating a little of this.  Tried making something simple like an
arbyfish
in 3DS Max and found my skills to still be quite wanting.  I?ll get it
eventually.>>>

I encourage you to go for it.  Pass along some views of the 3-D models for
design refinement if you need to, and there's plenty of source material on the
comic page and other locations.

Huffing and puffing in an attempt to get some air back in his system,
Flanburger
asked, "How? Oye mean... yer flipper... the odds...?"

"Don't you remember?" Bruce growled. "I'm terrible at math!"

<<< <Bruce> Besides...NEVER TELL ME THE ODDS! >>>

The thing is, even if you told him the odds, he'd get the calculation wrong and
decide he'd win anyway.

*SHIIIIIIIIING!!!* One final swoop knocked out the Second One of the ArbyFish
species. He flopped to the ground with a dull thud.

Exhausted at his last expense of effort, Bruce also fell to the ground,
breathing
harshly. "Argh..." He leaned on his one flipper that wasn't broken,

<<< They need to breath? >>>

For effects, if nothing else.  I think it's preferred, or more comfortable to do
so.  White ones need to unless they've made special preparations.

It's a big universe, and though Bruce looked, he never found Ribbons
DewBlossom
again. He spent the remainder of his days plotting and knitting while
studying

<<<  Well, I suppose he could content himself with the knowledge that if he
can?t
find her...likely no one else can either, so she?s safe.  Course who
knows...he still
might look...from time to time.  >>>

He very well might.  Bruce is a helpless closet romantic. ^_^

his specie's history. Of greatest interest to him were tales of a legendary

<<< ?species?? I think.>>>

How about species's?

In his quest to discover why the First One would have given his life for such
an
undignified cause, Bruce unwittingly kicked the bucket in an embarrassing
incident
involving a star, five Yellow ArbyFish, and a sack of clean laundry. It was
the
laundry that finally did him in.

<<<It?s always the laundry.  No one can withstand the power of the
stench!>>>

It was the fabric softener. ^_^

In the end, Bruce met the First One and was surprised by his behavior; he
again
sacrificed himself so that another one of those strange, bald monkey-things

<<< <Gabriel> The universe is full of strange things.  Talking monkeys for
example.>>>

Indeed. ^_^

In any case, Bruce resolved to go there and find out for himself, once and
for all,
what was so special about Humans.

<<< <Bruce> *to Serenity* For a time, I considered sparing your wretched
little
planet of Earth.  But now...you shall witness...its dismemberment!
<Serenity> Oh, go
and help alter Sailor Pluto?s wedding dress!  <Bruce> *brandishing a pair of
scissors* ....FINE!  I?ll...ALTER her dress!  It?ll look great...for this
world?s
FUNERAL! >>>

Yup, that's basically how he'd act.  I might have a use for those lines when the
NETTG rewrite makes it to that part.

Stylin: In today's fanfic, we learned that in a weird, wild world that some
of us
have to live in, sometimes we have to be evil in order to be good, sort of,
if that's
the way we want to do it - it's not always the most popular thing to

<<< Heh, there is a difference between right and wrong, good and evil.  Too
bad it?s
all a matter of perspective.  >>>

On the other hand, rights and wrongs, goods and evils, are easier to spot both
with a close-up view and a very wide-angle view.

 be evilly good or goodly evil - Daddy likes to think that it's all good, so
long as
there's an explosion at the end, and in my story next time, there'll be lots

<<<INDEEED!!!!>>>

Special effects can justify a lot of things. ^_^

of huge explosions, but only after a nice meeting with Katrina and Mina - Oh!
Next
time, Alan from the anime will show up and become a contributing member, and
we'll
also have guest villains of Brian Randall's Reavers, which shouldn't

<<<Zeram?s supposed to show up too, right?  Though I suppose if you REALLY
want them
to get beat down, you could toss in a Zoalord...nah, they can?t win against
something
like that.  Unless they got some Guyver units, but then the idea of a
Guyver-Senshi
kinda scares me.>>>

Heh.  No Guyver Senshi quite yet, but there'll be plenty.  There's an EVA unit
scheduled in there as well.  It's been really tough figuring out how the
scenario's supposed to go, but now that I know, I have to write it out. ^_^

be too tough, right? Daddy said he fought them, so I should do fine, even
though I've
never gone up against them, maybe, but I hate spiders and bugs and vampires,
too,
though I can kinda do okay against them - So, keep an eye out for Codename:
Project
Sailor Stylin' Chapter Four, coming soon to a website or mailing list near
you.

o/PROMO\o

<<<She didn?t breath once through that.  I?m impressed.>>>

I'd just finished watching Excel Saga when I wrote this bit. ^_^

And, I've recently gotten to see the entire Excel Saga series, so that'll
likely
reflect in the next few fanfics I write. Of course, I'm also watching FLCL,
so who
knows how that will affect things.

<<<Whatever shreds of your sanity that remain will be no longer after you see
those
back to back...BWAHAHAHAHHAAHHAHAHA!!!>>

Would you like the next Heart of Sugar to be serious, introspective, parody...
or furikuri?

In any case, thanks for reading!
-------------------------

And thanks for writing.  There really wasn?t much to contribute this time
other than
the occasional witticism.  It was a fun look at a character I?m looking

I was glad to get those witticisms!  Thanks for sending 'em along.

forward to
seeing a lot more of as time goes by.  One wonders how him and Mylar would
play off
against each other.  <Bruce> DIE SEAL!  <Mylar> Oh, would you kind sir?
It?s
terribly depressing.  <Bruce>...shit, now what am I supposed to do?  Heh,

Basically.  Mylar's making his appearance in the next CPSS chapter, and he's
depressing as ever.

anyway, I
also wonder if his search for Ribbons has been abandoned or is simply on
hiatus, and
why he would search for her to begin with (though I suppose his reasons are
his own,
and he?ll kill anyone who asks about it. ^^)  Anyway, overall I enjoyed this

His reasons are his own.  They're understandable in human terms, to a certain
degree, but in ArbyFish terms, they're not really.

look
into the shroomy lives of the Arbyfish...especially from the perspective one
type
each White Arbyfish, they who are evil of the lot.  I?ll see about getting
to your
recent rewrite as soon as I can as well.  Thanks again!

Thank you!  I'll try to get the REAL NETTG rewrite done as soon as possible.  I
got confirmation that the way I was handling it was okay, so I'll try to get it
done within a week or so.  But... don't quote me on that.  Time's very odd from
a creative standpoint.

--
Benjamin A Oliver
boliver@email.arizona.edu

Writings: Fan Fiction
http://rakhal.com/florestica/ben-oliver/index.html

Webcomic: Nuke 'Em 'Till They Glow!! The Early Years
http://nettg.simud.org


             .---Anime/Manga Fanfiction Mailing List----.
             | Administrators - ffml-admins@anifics.com |
             | Unsubscribing - ffml-request@anifics.com |
             |     Put 'unsubscribe' in the subject     |
             `---- http://ffml.anifics.com/faq.txt -----'