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Subject: "Thicker Than Water Omnibus"     Previous Topic | Next Topic
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Conferences Our Witches at War/Gallian Gothic Topic #74
Reading Topic #74, reply 8
Star Ranger4
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2483 posts
Sep-15-20, 03:25 AM (EDT)
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8. "RE: Thicker Than Water Omnibus"
In response to message #0
 
   and here is a massive txt dump because I did, in fact, find out about this late enough that said file was usefull!

> At the same time, he feathered the clutch and started putting on some
> power, trying to convert the hydroplane skid into a sideways slide
> that would, he hoped, flick the Jeep's tail around the girl without
> hitting her.
<snip>
>—something hit the driver's-side rear of the Jeep with an impact like
> a rocket from a bazooka, smashing that quarter of the vehicle to
> pieces.

I guess its just me, but somehow, every time I try and visualize UF-G’s maneuver in this scene my brain keeps insisting the impact would have happened on the Passenger’s side. Obviously I guess my brain is seeing this backwards from what the Muse showed G!

> Hang on. What?

Really can’t blame it for having to acknowledge the cognitive disconnect from being knocked out cold after wrecking a Jeep and now in a bed that is even better than the ones at St. Ulrich (the quality of which I place at the feet of Perrine. I don’t see her as allowing anyone around her to settle for less than the best rest she can aquire for them)

> Gryphon petted him, earning another wag, and mused quietly,
> "Hound dog, I don't think we're in Kansas any more."

To be fair, you weren’t in Kansas before!!! *ROFL*

> "You've had a hard night. Perhaps you would care to dine?"

I don’t know if I’d be as blasé about it, but then again, even my author avatar doesn’t have all of UF-G’s advantages? Either way, yeah, wiping out one’s vehicle in an unsuccessful attempt to avoid hitting a mysterious personage in the middle of a heavy rain totally qualifies as a hard night in my book!

> Gryphon shrugged. "Vampires are people too," he said. "Hell, some of
> my best friends are vampires. One of them even claims—in jest,
> unfortunately!—to be my love slave."

Ah, Poor Remilia. It’s easy to understand how you think he’s trying to yank your chain here. Its because unlike us faithful readers, you’ve yet to be introduced to folk like Saya or Marceline… and I think there is at least one other who’s name is escaping me at the moment.

> "You fool! Dogs are nothing but the poor relations of wolves, weak creatures, easily dominated by—"
<snip>
> "Oh, sorry," said Remilia. She got up from the chair; with a look of satisfaction, Wolfgang hopped into it, then turned around twice, curled up, and went happily to sleep in her place.

Somehow I don’t think that it will matter how often I read this passage, the thought that Remilia doesn’t seem to twig to the fact she’s just been out willed by Wolfgang (Hey, there is a REASON he’s the Lensbeagle!!) just makes it even funnier?

> "Well, good morning, my strange Liberion," said Remilia, snuggling
> down with Wolfgang in the side of the bed away from the window.
> "Sleep well, and tonight we'll discuss your fate."
>
> "I'm not sure I like the sound of that," Gryphon observed mildly, but
> she was already asleep—and snoring, he noticed, adorably in sync with
> the Lenshound.

I dunno. I mean, sure, UF-G has had a less than optimal evening, but I’m not sure he wouldn’t twig to the similarities to “Good Night Wesley” that he used on Mio. Its not been THAT long since New Tricks, I think? Then again, maybe he did but declined to follow up in a way that was apparent to a 3rd person camera?

> "Are you always this formal with women you've spent the day in bed
> with?" she wondered with a tilt of her head.

Pretty sure it depends on the woman. Remilia is inherently formal due to her circumstances, so Uf-G kinda defaults to a matching level.

> "I am a bit," Gryphon admitted. Rising, he paced a short distance
> away, then turned back and added, "I mean, not so much for myself.
> A month of downtime isn't necessarily a bad thing, I haven't had a
> break in... well, a while. But a bunch of people I care about are
> going to be very upset. I don't like that, and I don't appreciate
> that you didn't even ask."

In a lot of ways, this really describes a lot about UF-G, no matter what dimension he’s in. Even during the Exile he honored his commitments as best he could.

> Probably not the time to say, "Actually, have I got news for you,"
> Gryphon reflected internally.

Nope. That will come in Chapter 7. :p

> she spun tales of the glory days of the ancien régime, and of wars
> against monsters of old fought by companies of witches, vampires, and
> other mysterious creatures working side-by-side.

This makes it sound like the ‘Dark Ages’ really were quite dark, with only a thin line of friendly supernaturals holding the line and keeping the ‘mundanes’ alive and well.

> Gryphon met her smile and raised his teacup in return. "You haven't
> even heard the half of it yet, Countess Scarlet."

… Oh goodness. A totally shark jumping thought. I hope they don’t commission her as a Captain when she finally links up with the 501st, however many stories down the line that winds up being.

> Over the years, all the servants who survived left—either taking
> advantage of a full moon to go with their shields, or eventually..."
> She drew a long breath. "... going on them."

For those of you who haven’t read the annotations, go read the one for this now. There is one other facet to this that isn’t clear from the annotations. This phrase started, to my knowledge, with the Spartans, back in the day when a Shield was a major piece of gear, and quite heavy. So, it was the piece of gear that would be discarded first if a soldier broke and ran. So, returning home either bearing their shield or being carried on it showed that win or lose, they stood and fought as honor required of them.

> To have yours wiped out like that, right in front of you... I can't
> think of many things that are worse than that."

But he’s lived through at least one… SonSet, though that in its own way was probably worse, since that was a calculated blow to SHATTER the WDF, in more ways than one, from the inside out.

> Sure, how about Global Thermonuclear War? he didn't reply out loud.
> Something in this girl's eyes, to say nothing of the whipsaw
> changeability of her mood, was ringing all the alarm bells in the
> back of his head.

Cause, yeah, especially since he now remembers being on the receiving end of at least one bullet heck attack, one can totally see how being asked if he’d like to play a game would feel about as wise as telling the Woppr that yes, lets play Global Thermonuclear War!

> Startled out of her gloom, Remilia struggled, her feet kicking and
> wings flapping futilely. "Unhand me at once, you... you libertine!"

> "Stupid," Gryphon murmured into her hair, not relinquishing her in
> the slightest. "You thought I'd hate you for that? What do you think
> I am?"

Well, Techincally at this point she thinks UF-G is a LiberION, though its easy to see why she’d make the jump to accusing him of being a libertine. However, in the near future you are about to find out that UF-G is the ultimate Libertine, not in the form of one who takes uncalled for liberties, but one who takes up the cause of liberating one from the damage bad things have caused to mind and soul wherever he can.

> His zanshin was screaming at him to for Christ's sake make up his
> mind to fight or flee or something other than standing there like a
> dickhead with a death wish, but he pushed it down. No sudden moves,
> now. Smooth. Everything smooth...

Is it just me, or is this the first time in print we’ve heard of UF-G knowing the best course here is not to follow his zanshin? Not saying it’s the first time it has occurred, because it seems like also knowing when NOT to is just as important as what its telling him about the battlefield when one gets to Master level. Just thinking this is the first time we’ve actually SEEN him acknowledge that the instinct is wrong in this particular case?

> He would always let her have those moments without complaint, but he
> remained unmoved by them.

Which is a totally UF-G thing… let a person be who they are but also not being affected by them unless there is a good reason.

> "Well, I don't want to carry a piano down there," he said wryly.

He probably could find a way if he had to, but he’s not exactly a Hoffmanite either.

> "I love her because she's my sister, and in memory of the person she
> once was. You... no one has ever gotten close enough to what she's
> become and survived. How did you do that?"

Isn’t it obvious? He’s BATMA… Err Gryphon. Okay, he was Batman as well once upon a time, but mostly he’s UF-G. His being able to do things like that is what makes him what he is.

> His eyes snapped back into focus, a look of concentrated dismay
> replacing the spacey fascination on his face.

And here we see his realization that listening to his zanshin is the usually the right call. It is just times like an initial encounter with a supernatural that is not quite all there it gets confusing. Also, while it works as a cold open, its really confusing as to how this scene fits in with what follows. Obviously, this is after, but I have a feeling its longer than what the timestamp ‘rewind’ implies, mostly because you initialy expected it all to be wrapped up in one chapter instead of the 3 it wound up taking.

> "How is it," he inquired as Wolfgang led him across to the great
> room, "that if it's for me, you can't be bothered, but you'll run
> errands for her?"

I think it might be part of the unwritten and secret laws of pets. Keep in mind a lot of them were initially written by Cats, of course.

> I call it Try Not to Die!"

Oh Flandre. People have been sucking him into that game for hundreds of years. Its never ended well for them. Right now your only ace is that he doesn’t have access to most of the gear he uses in a game like that.

> She opened her mouth, her fangs extending to twice their usual
> length, and he had just enough time to think abstractly, Oh.
> So that's what it means, before—

Well, I think UF-G was concerned it might be like this all along, really, since he knew what Flandre was. The fact that she was often the child might also have played into it, since he couldn’t be sure, but either way he knew it was a bad idea.

> He didn't dignify that remark with a rebuttal; just stood there,
> staring her down, like a coldly hostile version of the calm look
> he'd used to defuse Remilia so many times.

Oh Flandre, Flandre, Flandre. Even before he became the First Lensman he was in general very resistant to that sort of thing.

> When no answer was forthcoming, Mio turned on her props to see
> Gryphon hovering nearby, his night-vision optics trained not on
> the battle zone to the east, but off toward the western horizon.

Not sure if he just twigged to the temporal connection side of this or not, but you can sure get the feeling he’s wishing he could swoop in and save himself even though he knows he cant because he didn’t.

> "I'd say 'I'm no ordinary man,' but it would be bragging," he
> replied, shaking his head like a punch-drunk boxer. "Oh wow.
> Oh wow."

And now we see that at least alchemy has the same effect on the Detian physiology that Detian physiology has on these Vampires.

> "Who are you?" she asked quietly.

He’s told you WHO he was, and even half-jokingly what he was. A roll of the dice that you desperately needed, even if you didn’t know then. As he’s said, you’ll get the non cliff notes version when you all survive this.

> No, I'm from Maine, I only work in outer space.

Heh. Heh. Heh. I have to wonder if UF-Kirk ever had cause to use that line. Still, its always great to hear the classics from time to time.

> Now, with everything shipshape and squared away as only a work gang
> led by Sakuya Izayoi could make it,

I was about to make a quip about why not Bristol Fashion, but no one but UF-G would have a clue about that; since we now know that Sakuya, despite being very much the definition of a proper ladies maid and senior household servant, probably never set foot in England until after she met up with the Doctor.

Oh, and how it comes to happen she vanishes from the house and eventually winds up as one of the Doctor’s companions is a story I hope the muse explains to you as well.

> Gryphon closed his eyes and shivered theatrically. "I love it when
> you speak Gallic."

I know a lot of the readership is older than one might think, but I have to wonder just how many are old enough (Bob is one, I know) to know where this comes from. Then again, a lot of us have been around the sun more than a few times.

> With his stocky build, he felt certain he must come across like a
> longshoreman cosplaying George Washington,

Well, I suppose the joke here should be better a longshoreman than a LUMBERJACK… But you are from Maine. Then again, there are equal numbers of both there, I suppose.

> Ball's in your court, Van Helsing, he thought, just a tad smugly,
> then dropped away into dreams of candlelight and contentment.

Most questions I’ve had I’ve been able to suss out, either through the annotations or comments or just plain context. But this, I just don’t get… and now wonder if what happens in the next chapter involves one or more of said person’s spiritual decendants.
Either way, time will tell. I can only hope the Muse also explains to you exactly what happens during Sea Trials along the way.

Of COURSE you wernt
expecting it!
No One expects the
FANNISH INQUISITION!

RCW# 86


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 Thicker Than Water Omnibus [View All] Gryphonadmin Sep-02-20 TOP
   RE: Thicker Than Water Omnibus Sofaspud Sep-09-20 1
      RE: Thicker Than Water Omnibus Gryphonadmin Sep-09-20 2
          RE: Thicker Than Water Omnibus zwol Sep-10-20 3
              RE: Thicker Than Water Omnibus Gryphonadmin Sep-10-20 4
                  RE: Thicker Than Water Omnibus Peter Eng Sep-10-20 5
                      RE: Thicker Than Water Omnibus Gryphonadmin Sep-10-20 6
                          RE: Thicker Than Water Omnibus Gryphonadmin Sep-10-20 7
          RE: Thicker Than Water Omnibus Sofaspud Sep-15-20 17
  RE: Thicker Than Water Omnibus Star Ranger4 Sep-15-20 8
      RE: Thicker Than Water Omnibus Astynax Sep-15-20 9
          RE: Thicker Than Water Omnibus Gryphonadmin Sep-15-20 12
              RE: Thicker Than Water Omnibus Astynax Sep-15-20 14
                  RE: Thicker Than Water Omnibus Gryphonadmin Sep-15-20 16
                      RE: Thicker Than Water Omnibus Astynax Sep-15-20 18
                          RE: Thicker Than Water Omnibus Gryphonadmin Sep-16-20 20
                              RE: Thicker Than Water Omnibus Astynax Sep-16-20 21
                                  RE: Thicker Than Water Omnibus Sofaspud Sep-16-20 22
                                      RE: Thicker Than Water Omnibus Astynax Sep-16-20 24
                                          RE: Thicker Than Water Omnibus Sofaspud Sep-16-20 25
                                              RE: Thicker Than Water Omnibus Gryphonadmin Sep-16-20 26
      RE: Thicker Than Water Omnibus Peter Eng Sep-15-20 10
      RE: Thicker Than Water Omnibus Gryphonadmin Sep-15-20 11
          RE: Thicker Than Water Omnibus Gryphonadmin Sep-15-20 13
              RE: Thicker Than Water Omnibus Star Ranger4 Sep-16-20 19
          RE: Thicker Than Water Omnibus Star Ranger4 Sep-15-20 15
          RE: Thicker Than Water Omnibus Star Ranger4 Sep-16-20 23
          RE: Thicker Than Water Omnibus Peter Eng Jan-11-21 27


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