The idyllic lives of cyborgs

by MP5 Tue 23 Feb 2010 - 1:19

Reading "Crossing the bridge" made me want to do a similar story-- except this time, our OC's are in the loop just as much as the girls we know and love.

Somewhere in the 21st century, maybe someday soon, or some years into the future, the Padanian insurgency comes to a halt. Peace is established. Justice is served. what had been wronged by terrorism has been made right. Northerners and southerners are able to make peace with each other and rebuild what a festering civil conflict tore down.

Where does this leave Section 2? Section 1? Or for that matter, the entire Social Welfare Agency?

The dark, secretive side of the SWA is quietly ushered into obscurity. The humane decision to help the cyborgs rehabilitate into normal life was initially a slow process, at times, so detrimental to the health of the cyborgs that they ran into some touch-and-go situations. But they made it. Their conditioning gone, granted a severance package and career options, the girls quietly moved into the mainstream of society, their actions as killing machines never to come to light.

So what became of these girls? What kind of lives are they and their 'sisters-in-arms' leading, several years after the disbandment of Section 2? Allison McDonnell wanted to go find out. Now in her early twenties, a resident of the London suburbs, running her own tuning shop, and in a steady relationship with petrolhead boyfriend Colin Hunter, she embarked on a journey to see her old friends who were so close, they could be family.

Catching up with: Petrushka (They did what?!)

"It's good to see you again, Petra." said Allison as she and Colin sat down on the couch in Petra's apartment in Nervi. Three years ago, Petra had moved here and has since tastefully adjusted the place to her liking.

"Likewise, Allison." replied Petra, setting down two cups of coffee for Allison and her boyfriend. "How's life been?"

"Eh, pretty good, y'know? The new garage is doing well, getting plenty of customers who want more power in their rides, that sort of thing."

"Excellent! See, I figured that you'd be tinkering away, even when we've long since left the old workplace." commented Petra, tying her hair back and putting on an apron.

"It's what I do, you know?" defended Allison, taking a modest sip from her cup of coffee. As she did so, the doorbell rang. "Who's that coming at this hour?"

Petra's eyes lit up. "Oh! He's home already!" With a spring in her step, the redhead bounded to the front door, peeked through the security hole, and with a grin, quickly opened the door and stepped back as a familiar face stepped through the threshold.

"Sono tornato, Petrushka!

Benvenuti a casa, Sandro.

Come stai, mia dolce fragola poco?

Bene, e tu, cara?

Meglio, ora che sono con voi.

Ti amo!

E io ti amo, il miele!"

Alessandro Ricci had come home from work at a security firm to be greeted cheerfully by his wife of four years. Petrushka, on paper, was now Mrs. Alessandro Ricci, and it showed. As the two nuzzled cheeks affectionately and exchanged lovey-dovey gibberish, Allison and Colin sat dumbfounded before the former kind of twitched and spasmed a little while the latter suddenly felt itchy.

"I have the sudden urge to check my blood sugar..." muttered Allison. She then spied a picture frame on the windowsill that gave a view of the waterfront. "Ah, that's right. This actually happened." she commented, spying the diamond ring on Petra's right ring finger.

The picture on the mantle showed Sandro and Petra kissing each other earnestly as the groom carried the bride in his arms on a beach in lovely Aruba, where their colleagues had been invited as guests and witnesses to the pact of holy matrimony between then-32 year old Sandro and 20-year old Petra. As a matter of fact, Kara, Ilaria, Laine, Claes, and Triela were all there as bridesmaids, but it was ultimately and unexpectedly Allison who was there as Petra's maid of honor. As for Sandro, Brian ended up as best man while Michele, Clayland, Danio, Hilshire, and Jose were there as groomsmen. Henrietta had expertly taken the picture as the newlywed Riccis made their way back down the aisle.

That's right! The first scenario that popped into my head for this is the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Alessandro Ricci.

by Professor Voodoo Tue 23 Feb 2010 - 1:47

One of the things that made Danjo's story great was its bittersweet aspects. Not everyone got a happy ending in that piece...which made it true to real lifel.

by **Nachtsider** Tue 23 Feb 2010 - 3:52

Not meaning to rain on the parade, but I doubt Padania are the only foes the girls go up against.

by theprodigalson Tue 23 Feb 2010 - 11:37

I think he just means to engage in a happy hypothetical here. If you really think about it, any kind of your typical happy ending is impossible. You have to contend with conditioning addiction, the fact that the cyborgs are all doomed to die early (even assuming taking them off the drug can give more time), and you cant forget the ridiculously high dollar value attached to them. There is always someone new to kill and no politician is just going to let them retire. What if they wind up being an enemy? No, this is just a story about the peace we all dream about but is impossible to achieve. Ok. Emo off.

by **Kiskaloo** Tue 23 Feb 2010 - 11:52

Well Kara and Michele did leave the Agency behind at the end of Giuoco Pianissimo...

In that same timeline, the current plot of Graduation Day starts with Claes graduating from the University of Milan, influenced by Kara entering the University of Tokyo the prior year and driven by the fact that the rest of the First Generation girls are all dead - either by violence or the conditioning medication - and she wants her life to have had some meaning.

by MP5 Tue 23 Feb 2010 - 18:17

theprodigalson wrote:I think he just means to engage in a happy hypothetical here. If you really think about it, any kind of your typical happy ending is impossible. You have to contend with conditioning addiction, the fact that the cyborgs are all doomed to die early (even assuming taking them off the drug can give more time), and you cant forget the ridiculously high dollar value attached to them. There is always someone new to kill and no politician is just going to let them retire. What if they wind up being an enemy? No, this is just a story about the peace we all dream about but is impossible to achieve. Ok. Emo off.

theprodigalson hit it right on the head. My brain was in the clouds when I dreamt this up, and my goal with this idea is to create an epilogue to the lives of the cyborgs that's both humorous, and when compared to the tone of the series, extremely lighthearted. Granted, it's not going to be as good as Danjo's, not by a long shot (especially since I don't really like writing tragedy), but this is really more of "the girls in a truly ideal world" kind of story. If I wanted to write like Danjo, I wouldn't have put something as silly as Petra and Sandro being the stereotypical lovey-dovey newlyweds in this idea. It'd be a notch more serious, certainly, someone wouldn't have made it out of rehab, and a majority of the girls would be marching right into LE or Military careers primarily because they wouldn't know what to do with themselves.

by funkmachine Thu 25 Feb 2010 - 14:32

i don't see all the girls just stoping and going off to live a happy ever after

but i can see the lack of reson to attack the Padanian insurgency (i.e. some talks)
ending up with SWA brakeing up and the girls being put on long term leave / being sent to help train some groups as a part time thing
it could pay most of the costs and build up other skills.

by Professor Voodoo Thu 25 Feb 2010 - 14:49

funkmachine wrote:i don't see all the girls just stoping and going off to live a happy ever after

I think what Danjo did, and what MP5 is planning on is more of a conjectural piece. If such an organization really existed it would never run out of work...there will always be another enemy.

A note about Danjo's story, for those who've already read it...

Spoiler:

by Danjo3 Fri 26 Feb 2010 - 3:43

When writing CTB, I didn’t want to go for a fluffy fairytale or a Prozac inducing tragedy. What I was shooting for was the SWA’s break up in a real world setting. Triela didn’t become a super hot, international assassin – she’s an MP. Claes didn’t go on to be elected Prime Minister of Italy – she works in a publishing house. Petra didn’t achieve world wide fame as a ballerina – she’s got a boring office job. The abandoned girls are leading normal lives with normal families.(not to mention Pia, who’s a single mother) This scenario is far from exciting or glitzy, but when you think about it, the real world very rarely is.

by MP5 Fri 26 Feb 2010 - 10:05

And with this idea (that's all it is so far, I do need self control, you know Wink

), it's much the same. I would be lying, however, if it meant that all of them would be falling into mundane, pedestrian careers. The idea behind where they lead their lives to is based on a talent they have or doing what they love. In Triela's case, that might be slightly a bit more difficult, but since you went with the police route, I figured I'd do something similar, only it wouldn't be with the Carabinieri or Polizia Di Stato. I had the following ideas for the girls in mind:

Petra- Housewife/Young girls' ballet instructor

Triela- NYPD homicide detective

Henrietta- Professional photographer

Rico- Licensed professional gunsmith

Claes- English teacher

As for our OC's (with the permission of their respective creators)...

Kara- Up-and-coming fashion model (works with Henrietta on occasion)

Allison- Tuning shop owner

Laine- Rookie Tennis pro

Jay- Electronics store owner/repair shop manager (with Priscilla's assistance)

Marisa- Diving instructor for a Caribbean resort (Elio spends most of the rest of his days relaxing/mixing drinks at the bar)

Monty (ironically)- Clerical worker in the Metropolitan Police Service

That's all I could really conceptualize for now.

by **Nachtsider** Fri 26 Feb 2010 - 10:29

Alright, alright. I'll play ball.

I do like Etta ending up a pro photogapher, MP5, but remain surprised you haven't suggested that any of the girls would become a musician, considering most of them play instruments. Rico, I think, would make a badass IPSC competition-level shooter. You know, like Jessie Abbate. And Petra? Housewife? That'll be the day.

by Danjo3 Fri 26 Feb 2010 - 10:41

Nachtsider wrote:And Petra? Housewife? That'll be the day.

I’d put my two cents in on this, but I don’t want to be attacked by the rabid Petra fans. The idyllic lives of cyborgs 684325

by **Nachtsider** Fri 26 Feb 2010 - 11:00

C'mon, Danjo. We all know you like it rough.

I wonder if we should speculate on the deceased. Angie ending up writing/illustrating kids' books would be cute. Bea's a blank slate who could be interpreted any number of ways, although my take on her involves lots of pot-induced songwriting genius. Elsa I can see becoming Italy's answer to Miranda Priestly, privately moonlighting as a high-priced dominatrix.

Time for me to go the OC route. I take devilish glee in envisioning a career in taxidermy for Liesel. Unfortunately, I cannot picture any of the Childville boys adjusting to civilian life. They'd all probably remain with the IDF and associated agencies or drift into wetwork, keeping their killer instincts going until they burn out or die.

by MP5 Fri 26 Feb 2010 - 17:33

Nacht, you could end up having the boys from Childville go into PMC work. It's civilian, but not too civilian.

by Guest Fri 26 Feb 2010 - 19:01

I could see beatrice being working as a demonlishonist or fireworks expert. Something where things go boom.

by **Kiskaloo** Fri 26 Feb 2010 - 19:02

Bice would be perfect as a DMV desk clerk.

by Danjo3 Sat 27 Feb 2010 - 2:18

Kiskaloo wrote:Bice would be perfect as a DMV desk clerk.

She’s got civil servant written all over her.

by Professor Voodoo Fri 5 Mar 2010 - 16:49

MP5 wrote: Marisa- Diving instructor for a Caribbean resort (Elio spends most of the rest of his days relaxing/mixing drinks at the bar)

Reflecting on this, it's probably acurate, but it would be a frustrating compromise for Marisa, who craves the deep, dark & dangerous tech dives of her youth. Making sure tourists tighten their tank straps and don't get tangled in the crossover lines seems more like a job to her than a passion.

Assuming this takes place at least 15 years in the future Elio is in his 70's by now...so physically demanding technical/decompression dives are a thing of his past. Vacationing ladies in skimpy bikinis are not, however.

One thing that intrigues me is, what about the girls' hobbies? What happened to Triela's collection of bears? Did Henrietta keep playing the violin? Did Claes continue painting & gardening?

by MP5 Fri 5 Mar 2010 - 18:23

I never really thought about that, Prof. Voodoo. See, all I have in my head for this idea is mere splashes. I didn't completely think about their hobbies and the like.

by Professor Voodoo Fri 5 Mar 2010 - 19:22

MP5 wrote:See, all I have in my head for this idea is mere splashes.

Yeah, that's usually how writing usually goes...you have a handful of smoking hot ideas, but the real work lies in tying those ideas together into a coherent story. I'm struggling with a 3-episode arc like that myself right now. I've been thinking about it since November, but now that it's time to type it out I'm shocked by how many holes still need to be filled.

by Professor Voodoo Mon 15 Mar 2010 - 23:03

Your idea got me thinking through all kinds of scenarios, and since I don't plan on writing one of these stories myself I just banged out a short chapter for my own amusement.

Spoiler:

Well, if you do write your story feel free to borrow from this, or ignore it and make up your own future. Either way I had fun writing it.

by Guest Tue 16 Mar 2010 - 0:08

Damn Vodoo that was an impressive piece of writting. I can't describe it anymore than that.

by **boomer_gonz** Tue 16 Mar 2010 - 5:49

Nachtsider wrote:Petra? Housewife? That'll be the day.

LOLZ, she'll be a housewife; but not a very good one.

Petra: I'm soooooooo sorry, Sandro.
Sandro: It's okay my love. At least the stove is intact this time.

crazyidiot78 wrote:Damn Vodoo that was an impressive piece of writting. I can't describe it anymore than that.

Agreed, it takes a lot to make me tear up and this one did.

As for my OC's; Crystal and Anton will meet their end in one of my upcoming fics, Retribution.

Nyromi has already met her end at the hands of a young, impulsive, and jealous Jean Croce.

I have an AU fic in mind where Alpha meets his end at the hands of the daughter he never knew he had. However, I also can see him liquidizing most of his assets and retiring to his home in Ticino where he enjoys the boring life of personal finance. On occasion he will send out invitations for amateur martial artists to spend a few months learning under the CQC grandmaster.

-And to add to Nacht's suggestion-
While initially supporting Liesel's professional taxidermy career, she quickly is able of supporting it herself. After a suprising showing at her first appearance at the World Taxidermy and Fish Cutting Championships; her work comes in high demand for private collectors and museums, especially her re-creations. However, she will only accept commisions based on the subject required and here personal interest in the particular project.

by MP5 Tue 16 Mar 2010 - 6:24

If I do get around to writing this thing, I will probably borrow from that, Voodoo. That was an excellent piece of writing, and I was very touched by the way it ended. I will probably be making some changes to it.

by **ElfenMagix** Tue 16 Mar 2010 - 9:35

boomer_gonz wrote:
Nachtsider wrote:Petra? Housewife? That'll be the day.

LOLZ, she'll be a housewife; but not a very good one.

Petra: I'm soooooooo sorry, Sandro.
Sandro: It's okay my love. At least the stove is intact this time.

Why does this remind me of the B-film Cherry-2000?

As for the writing, Voodoo, great stuff. Like Boomer, I have a couple of ending for my OCs. None of them favorable to most. Its hard living the life of a retired superhero, and expect a peaceful end. Even when that end means being on a hospital bed connected to life support to keep you going, there is always somebody out there willing to pull the plug on you.

by Alfisti Tue 16 Mar 2010 - 9:59

Excellent bit of writing Voodoo... I guess there's just some enemies you can't outwit or thump till they stay down huh.

And it's nice to know that, even after a decade and a half some facets of their personalities don't really change.

As to J&M, I've got something of an ending planned for them, not in the completely terminal sense mind you but at least a point where I could potentially end it and then make up my mind "where to next" depending on how I feel at the time. Needless to say it'll be bitter-sweet at best.

by **ElfenMagix** Tue 16 Mar 2010 - 10:43

Well, if you guys read SWA: Diclonius End Game, though the ending in that is not canon to Fernando and his crew, it does provide some potential material to get them back... If it can be done.

As is, it is pretty much the end for the SWA Staff in that story, as heads are going to roll for what happened. Truth be told, its one thing to mess with a Diclonius, its another another thing to mess with a Telepath.

by **Kiskaloo** Wed 17 Mar 2010 - 17:40

Claes’ boots sank into the thick carpeting of the master bedroom of Michele’s apartment in Milan, leaving a visual record of her pacing that morning that only served to reinforce the nervousness she felt. Through the large glass doors the city looked sharp in the crisp November air.

Claes returned to the bathroom and wiped her face before she applied cosmetics and then gave her hair a quick brush. She checked her brown turtleneck sweater and black skirt for lint and added a grey felt six-quarter cap with visor. Once content with the image of herself in the mirror, she made her way to the garage and disarmed the alarm on the pearlescent white Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport which Michele had purchased earlier that year. However, he didn't want to keep it at his place in Dubai as he was afraid the blowing sand would damage the finish. He therefore decided to store it in Milan and replace the Gallardo Spyder.

When Michele first delivered the car and told her it would be her new “daily driver”, she’d been sorely tempted to kick him in the shin, even knowing she’d shatter his tibia. The idea of a €1.250.000 car capable of speeds over 400km/h as a “daily driver” struck her as profoundly ludicrous and another sign of what she felt at times was his habit of showing an astounding lack of common sense. However, when she took it out for the first time, she was amazed at just how docile it was around town. And with similar physical dimensions to the Gallardo, she immediately felt comfortable inside it. While she’d never told Michele, she had in fact taken the car beyond 350km/h on more than one occasion, reveling in the power at her command.

Knowing Michele was a “fresh air fiend”, she removed the carbon fiber roof panel and stored it in the special holder against the wall. She settled into the luxurious and soft white leather driver’s seat and started the car, driving into the heart of Milan and pulling up under the portico of the Park Hyatt Milan where Michele was waiting.

“Thanks for picking me up,” Michele said.

“You know you could have just stayed at the apartment. You do own it, after all,” Claes noted as she pulled out of the hotel and crossed over to the Via Santa Margherita. She pulled onto the University grounds and parked the car and as they walked into the small auditorium, her heartbeat increased as she passed the Head of the Faculty of the Humanities, which oversaw the Cultural Heritage Studies program.

“Excited?” Michele asked.

“More like nervous,” Claes noted. “I’m still not the most comfortable of public speakers.”

“You’ll be fine,” Michele said.

Today, Claes would graduate with an undergraduate degree in Cultural Heritage Studies. Italian universities did not generally hold a collective graduation ceremony and Claes would perform a public defense of her thesis before a board of professors, who would then grade her defense on a scale of 0-100. Each professor could also grant a single “honors” point (for a possible total 110).

While the University offered many disciplines, she’d found “Cultural Assets” appealed to her with it’s emphasis on literature, art and music, theater and film, history, archeology and geography. And she soon found new comrades at University which helped assuage the loneliness.

When fear of discovery made it too dangerous to keep Section 2 intact, the decision was made to cut the girls loose and prepare them for life amongst the general public. With Claes serving as a successful “proof of concept” in artificially aging the girls, all of them were re-made into their mid-twenties and intensively trained for their new lives and occupations.

In Claes’ case, her love of Italian literature and culture instilled in her a desire to work in a role with museums or galleries and this degree would prepare her for such work. She therefore took Michele up on his original offer and enrolled in classes and moved into his vacant apartment at Parco Solari. She quickly realized that the education she’d received in the Agency did not prepare her for University and she enrolled in scuola serale and took private tutoring on weekends. She soon started meeting people at University and while she kept herself closely guarded at first, she started to open up and create a new circle of people to supplement those she’d left behind in Rome.

Everyone settled into their chairs and when it came her turn, Claes successfully and expertly defended her thesis, scoring 873 points.

Claes accepted the congratulations of her teachers and friends and then returned to the Bugatti. Michele took over the driving duties and drove back to the hotel. They walked up to the hotel and entered the suite.

“ただいま！” Michele cried out as he walked in.

“おかえり!” Claes heard Kara’s voice respond from the bedroom.

Claes walked into the bedroom to see Kara leaned over in a chair, zipping up her right knee-high dress boot. Like all of the girls, Kara had been aged into her mid-twenties and Claes had to admit the end result was very beautiful.

“Congratulations,” Kara said as she stood, adjusting the sleeves of her white scoop-necked sweater tucked into a very tight pair of grey wool shorts that rode well up on her legs.

“Sorry I couldn’t make it, but Henrietta just had to discuss the photo shoot next week,” Kara replied.

“Are you regretting getting into fashion?” Claes asked with a smile.

“No, I love it. It’s just Milan Fashion Week is our ‘home’ show so the pressure is that much higher,” Kara replied.

During her time at Section 2, Kara could seldom be seen not wearing something haute couture, especially when not on a mission where casual apparel was called for. She took fashion very seriously, as did her handler, and when it came time to decide on a “life after the Agency”, Michele suggested Kara combine her talents with a young and upcoming fashion designer in Toronto whose outfits Kara had fallen in love with and with whom she’d formed a friendship with. She and Michele flew to Toronto and made their pitch, and the woman agreed to come back to Milan and found an atelier with Kara, who served as the business manager and spent most of her time traveling the world, visiting clients and promoting the brand.

Henrietta, who’d decided to become a professional photographer and who was herself quite fashionable, happily agreed to perform a photo shoot of their outfits and help put together a fashion book for the first show. They’d been mildly successful, enough to get a few shots in some of the major fashion magazines and that served as a foundation that propelled them to, if not a household name, a name spoken as one with a bright future. While she had many clients, Henrietta considered Kara her most important and she exclusively handled her photography needs.

“We ready, ladies?” Michele called from the living room. Downstairs, the valet brought forward a Titanium Grey Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupé and Claes and Kara slipped into the back sofa-seat under a ceiling of black Alcantra and hundreds of fibre optic “stars”. Claes assumed they were going to have dinner at Al Sorriso, but Michele instead joined the A4.

“We’re not having dinner at Al Sorriso?” Claes asked.

“I considered it, but this is your big day so I booked us at Dal Pescatore.”

Claes blinked her eyes furiously. Located in the rustic farm village of Runate 100km east of Milan, Dal Pescatore traced it’s history back a century and two generations of family ownership. Until recently, it held the honor of being the only three Michelin Star restaurant in the entire country.

Michele connected with the A4 and blitzed east towards Brescia at a steady 200km/h. From there, they connected to State Highway 24 and cruised to Runate. They arrived at the restaurant and Claes noticed a few Lamborghinis, Ferraris and Maseratis – all with Milan plates – parked in the lot. A valet came forward with wide eyes and Claes almost expected him to genuflect as he opened the passenger door to let them egress.

The dining room had been divided into a series of small rooms to allow a more private and intimate dining experience. The owner greeted them and showed them to a table. Michele let the chef decide on the meal and the wine and her recommendations were exquisite. After dinner they drove back to the Hyatt and then walked the few blocks up to the Teatro alla Scala where they took in a production of Giuseppe Verdi’s famous opera Rigoletto.

“I’m proud of you,” Michele told Claes as he handed her a glass of port wine on the terrace of his hotel suite that evening. In the distance, the black outline of the Alps towered over the horizon.

“Thank you. I’m glad you could attend,” Claes replied.

“We may no longer be fratello, but I still think of you as family,” Michele noted and Claes both rolled her eyes and blushed.

“Speaking of family, why haven’t you two gotten married yet?” Claes asked, causing Michele to choke down his wine and Kara to shoot Claes a sour look.

“Just because Petrushka and Triela decided to marry their handlers doesn’t mean we all harbor those feelings,” Kara growled.

“Please,” Claes said. “Now that you’re physically closer in age, you can’t use that excuse anymore. You do share a bed, do you not?”

To their credit, neither Michele nor Kara blushed. “Yes, but it’s the same as when we were fratello,” Michele replied.

“Yeah, just two people sharing each other’s warmth on a cold night,” Kara added.

Claes merely nodded sagely and took a sip of her Port.

by Jacen Starslayer Wed 17 Mar 2010 - 18:03

I'm not entirely sure how the P&J Fratello will end.

by Professor Voodoo Thu 18 Mar 2010 - 17:50

Kiskaloo wrote:Claes’ boots sank into the thick carpeting of the master bedroom of Michele’s apartment in Milan,

A very nice conjectural chapter there...very much in keeping with the rest of your work. Interesting how you left us with a little cliffhanger with regards to Kara & Michele's adult relationship.

Jacen Starslayer wrote:I'm not entirely sure how the P&J Fratello will end.

It will probably end tragically because of this.

by **Kiskaloo** Thu 18 Mar 2010 - 18:21

Professor Voodoo wrote:
Kiskaloo wrote:Claes’ boots sank into the thick carpeting of the master bedroom of Michele’s apartment in Milan,
A very nice conjectural chapter there...very much in keeping with the rest of your work. Interesting how you left us with a little cliffhanger with regards to Kara & Michele's adult relationship.

She knows what she wants and she can show patience when she has to. Michele's hung-up about the age difference (he's just north of 40 and she's a bit south of 20), but then I kind of made the Prime Minister a bit of a playboy in Pactio and Michele and Claes played "a couple" during the mission on Sicily ("The Sicilian Defense") even though Claes herself (now) looked 20.

In Graduation Day I planned to give Kara a boyfriend when she started her post-graduate studies at Tokyo University which made Michele's life a bit less stressful.

by Professor Voodoo Thu 18 Mar 2010 - 23:34

Kiskaloo wrote: Michele's hung-up about the age difference (he's just north of 40 and she's a bit south of 20)

Yeah, Michele is in a touchy situation right there...perhaps that's why he's retired to Dubai. In making the ages of my OC fratello so wildly disparate (their age gap is greater than Michele's entire age) I've cut myself off from the ability to follow such plotlines, but at least there's no ambiguity about their relationship.

but then I kind of made the Prime Minister a bit of a playboy in Pactio and Michele and Claes played "a couple"... even though Claes herself (now) looked 20.

That's very "in-character" for him. I think Yu meant for the Prime Minister to be a thinly veiled caricature of Silvio Berlusconi, and that guy has had his share of amours with questionably young girls.

In Graduation Day I planned to give Kara a boyfriend when she started her post-graduate studies at Tokyo University which made Michele's life a bit less stressful.

I would think that would make life more stressful for him, but I suppose Kara can take care of herself. For the record, Elio thanks his lucky stars that Marisa still thinks boys are gross.

by **Kiskaloo** Fri 19 Mar 2010 - 9:19

Professor Voodoo wrote:
Kiskaloo wrote:Michele's hung-up about the age difference (he's just north of 40 and she's a bit south of 20)

Yeah, Michele is in a touchy situation right there...perhaps that's why he's retired to Dubai. In making the ages of my OC fratello so wildly disparate (their age gap is greater than Michele's entire age) I've cut myself off from the ability to follow such plotlines, but at least there's no ambiguity about their relationship.

Well I didn't want to follow the route of having a little girl, but that was more because I didn't have any clue how to write them. But when I did chose to make Kara ~18, I determined up front they would not be in a physical relationship.

Professor Voodoo wrote:
Kiskaloo wrote:...but then I kind of made the Prime Minister a bit of a playboy in Pactio and Michele and Claes played "a couple"... even though Claes herself (now) looked 20.
That's very "in-character" for him. I think Yu meant for the Prime Minister to be a thinly veiled caricature of Silvio Berlusconi, and that guy has had his share of amours with questionably young girls.

Yup, I'm positive Yu used Berlusconi as his model, so I did the same. Smile

by Alfisti Fri 19 Mar 2010 - 10:23

Professor Voodoo wrote:
Yeah, Michele is in a touchy situation right there...perhaps that's why he's retired to Dubai. In making the ages of my OC fratello so wildly disparate (their age gap is greater than Michele's entire age) I've cut myself off from the ability to follow such plotlines, but at least there's no ambiguity about their relationship.

See, I must admit I actually like having the potential for a similar plotline to develop. It's not something I intend to pursue, but it's more a case of what Monty wants vs. what Monty gets. Or for that matter what Jethro has this-niggling-feeling-might-be-true vs. what Jethro thinks-is-morally-correct. Call it a hallmark of two very self controled individuals, and of course it also means I get to play with how they as a pair handle it.

The flip side of that is being able to play the ambiguity up as part of the characters, being almost overtly-covert about it as part of assumed identities... if that makes sense at all. It's been pointed out to me (a couple of times now) that Monty's quite a sultry character. Jethro's plenty aware of that and so often introduces her, particularly at hotels, restraunts, clubs, etc as his "niece". The old joke of course being that, at a gentleman's club (not the stripper kind, but the proper ones) members are allowed one female familiy member to attend during set hours once a month. So all the "gentlemen" bring their "nieces"... with a different "niece" each month.

by **Kiskaloo** Fri 19 Mar 2010 - 11:49

Alfisti wrote:See, I must admit I actually like having the potential for a similar plotline to develop. It's not something I intend to pursue, but it's more a case of what Monty wants vs. what Monty gets. Or for that matter what Jethro has this-niggling-feeling-might-be-true vs. what Jethro thinks-is-morally-correct. Call it a hallmark of two very self controled individuals, and of course it also means I get to play with how they as a pair handle it.

The flip side of that is being able to play the ambiguity up as part of the characters, being almost overtly-covert about it as part of assumed identities... if that makes sense at all. It's been pointed out to me (a couple of times now) that Monty's quite a sultry character. Jethro's plenty aware of that and so often introduces her, particularly at hotels, restraunts, clubs, etc as his "niece". The old joke of course being that, at a gentleman's club (not the stripper kind, but the proper ones) members are allowed one female familiy member to attend during set hours once a month. So all the "gentlemen" bring their "nieces"... with a different "niece" each month.

Unfortunately, Michele and Kara really don't have that option since there clearly is no familial resemblance.

After Sydney 2006, Kara tends to introduce herself as Michele's "girlfriend" - when not in his presence, of course. Wink

by **ElfenMagix** Fri 19 Mar 2010 - 19:16

Kara can always say that she adopted Michele...

by **Kiskaloo** Fri 19 Mar 2010 - 19:21

ElfenMagix wrote:Kara can always say that she adopted Michele...

Kind of like how Annie adopted Oliver Warbucks? Razz

by **ElfenMagix** Fri 19 Mar 2010 - 19:29

exactly

by Professor Voodoo Fri 19 Mar 2010 - 19:40

Kiskaloo wrote: Kara tends to introduce herself as Michele's "girlfriend" - when not in his presence, of course.

I've noticed Claes introducing herself as Michele's girlfriend as well...but only to get under Kara's skin a bit.

by Jacen Starslayer Fri 19 Mar 2010 - 19:42

Michele is a pimp, he just doesn't know it.

by **Kiskaloo** Fri 19 Mar 2010 - 19:45

Professor Voodoo wrote:
Kiskaloo wrote: Kara tends to introduce herself as Michele's "girlfriend" - when not in his presence, of course.

I've noticed Claes introducing herself as Michele's girlfriend as well...but only to get under Kara's skin a bit.

Especially now that's she looks older and is taller than Kara.

by MP5 Sat 20 Mar 2010 - 18:42

Ok, here's what I came up with for Allison and Jay, though this focuses on Allison more:

Spoiler:

Perhaps based on this, Jacen, you'll have an idea of what to come up with.

by Alfisti Sat 20 Mar 2010 - 23:17

...yeah, I'd be a bit dubious about taking an Alfetta right across Europe as well, because no matter how well you maintain it things tend to fall off at the worst possible moment. That's why I generally take another car with me if I'm going long-distance The idyllic lives of cyborgs Icon_wink

That said: as long as everything's hooked up it's a suprisingly comfortable way to travel.

Good start you're making.

by Professor Voodoo Sat 20 Mar 2010 - 23:40

MP5 wrote:Ok, here's what I came up with for Allison and Jay

Now there's a twist we haven't seen before...two ex-SWA agents striking up a post-agency romance. Very well written, I enjoyed it.

As for Stefano, Paolo, & Marcello (Kevin already retired and went back to California in Danjo's tale) I think I have some guesses...

Stefano mellowed out and got married. He had a son, and together with Marcello & Kevin they are teaching him their sacred ways...
The idyllic lives of cyborgs Smk10

Paolo, unfortunately, hasn't changed a bit...
The idyllic lives of cyborgs 12911010

You may have seen him on deh internets...

by MP5 Sat 20 Mar 2010 - 23:49

Well actually, it's a continuation of a relationship they eventually strike up in the SWA. I just haven't gotten around to writing it yet, because as usual, I have ideas that come way too fast.

by Jacen Starslayer Sun 21 Mar 2010 - 0:12

Me too!

by Marder Fri 5 Nov 2010 - 23:05

Adeline ends up moving to America to learn how to build superbikes of 1000cc. The bikes she builds look something like these:

For a few examples.
The idyllic lives of cyborgs 0709_sbkp_07_z+custom_sportbikes+1995_suzuki_gs500

The idyllic lives of cyborgs 0709_sbkp_07_z+custom_sportbikes+1995_suzuki_gs500

http://www.scottscustomcycles.com/images/raginglady.jpg

The idyllic lives of cyborgs 373r

By this point she is age 40 and her shop is upstart and business is quickly starting to roll due to her acclaim from American Chopper. At the age of 25, Adeline adopted a 10 year old daughter named Melinda Dietlinde while living in Germany working for BMW to get a handle on building and designing motorcycles. That same year, she struck up a relationship with a fellow employee resulted in her getting pregnant with two twins, Gianna and Daniel. Her lover abandoned her when he found that he'd have to raise a 10 year old and two children, so she went to America and studied further in the bike business. Among her various destinations of employment in the states was with the famous Teutel family and Orange County Choppers of American Chopper fame. There she learned design and theme techniques and went on later to gain national acclaim for her bike designs (Lets just say she takes the place of Cody on the original American Chopper). With her newfound wealth and fame, she moved out to San Francisco and set up her own shop building the kind of bikes she truly loved, super bikes.

by tremec6speed Sat 20 Nov 2010 - 0:18

If the enemies were to be suddenly defeated, Slavatore would leave with out looking back and Helen and her friend Vinson would live together as brother and sister.

by Alfisti Tue 18 Jan 2011 - 2:12

Honestly, the more I think about it, I can't ever see J+M settling down to an "idyllic" normal civilian life... they'd definately fall into a "And the Adventure Continues" or "In Harm's Way" trope.

Seriously, though I don't think Jethro would even know where to start with a "normal, law-abiding, civillian" life.

by Officer_Charon Tue 18 Jan 2011 - 3:49

So... pretty much Indiana Jones, but more covert, and with Cyborg Swinging Action(tm)? *grins*

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