Sorry. I just was writing a stepping-stone... Please forgive me?

By Margravine (Ranger) on Unrecorded Date:

Geez, I'm not gonna hurt you, just letting you know.

By The One Known Only as (Greyfox) on Unrecorded Date:

Read your post in VAXLandia... This might actually get fun... Jared really doesn't like Mouse--or are we going to ignore that former storyline?

By Margravine (Ranger) on Unrecorded Date:

Nope, the story stands. Mouse is still Mouse... "If you din't want him dead, why'd you leave him with me?" VAXlandia is supposed to be peaceful right? Mouse REALLY won't fit in there too well, will he? Interesting.

By Rigel (Nat) on Unrecorded Date:

Ok, after sitting on my arse for over two months, I think my brain is finally back to normal (happy nat). I've been working on a post for shadowrun and it should be ready for posting in a day or so. Sorry to keep you guys waiting for so long...

By Margravine (Ranger) on Unrecorded Date:

Nat, How are you going to hook Crane and Spyder back up with Dallas and Dawson? Dawson's cell phone? Or are you just going to run a parallel story line for a while?
I only ask because it looks like things are heading for an unavoidable fracas at our end, and you are invited to the shootout if you want.

By Rigel (Nat) on Unrecorded Date:

hmmmm.. choices, choices. Probably a parallel.

By Margravine (Ranger) on Unrecorded Date:

In Shadowrun, I kept the street battle small, GF, but if you want to expand it, I left you the opening.
If things keep going like they're going, Nat, Spyder may get dragged back into the story line so that the two docs can have her data steal. I'm not quite sure where D & D will run to next, but I'm pretty sure that data will come up. :)

By Bryan (Houdini) on Unrecorded Date:

I like the story that is developing in VaxMigrator. Sol, Fred. Darren. Send me email. I'd like to make a post using Harris, but need to understand his motives, background etc.

By Margravine (Ranger) on Unrecorded Date:

Hey, Greyf... a friend (whom you have met) has read our Shadowrun tale and now wants to game with us - we have caught his imagination. I love corrupting young minds.

By The One Known Only as (Greyfox) on Unrecorded Date:

DAMN! Now I really know what suffering from writer's block is like. There are so many good storylines running, but every time I look at one to post, my mind empties out like a sieve... It really does SUCK! Man. Sorry, guys. Maybe I'll be duly inspired by this weekend... Look for VAXLandia and VAXMigrator. Possibly next week for Shadowrun. L8R!

By The One Known Only as (Greyfox) on Unrecorded Date:

ADMINISTRATIVE NOTE: The hatchback Ray was driving was a pizza delivery car, which he was "borrowing". The car Ray owns is a big old sedan, probably registered under a fake ID. Besides, now it's blown up. Just a friendly reminder for storyline consistency...

By Bryan (Houdini) on Unrecorded Date:

oops! Sorry. I'll fix it this evening...

-Houdini

By Margravine (Ranger) on Unrecorded Date:

Ray's a.k.a's are probably deep in the Lone Star data base anyway...
We are just this shy (thumb and forefinger squinched almost closed) of 100 pages in Shadowrun. A stellar effort. Anybody know if our guys are gonna win?

By Rigel (Nat) on Unrecorded Date:

I dunno, I've been putting off writing for the topic because stuff keeps coming up. Sowwy.. I will post something, I've got a whole bunch of ideas buzzing in my head and I've been itching to do some writing, just had no time.

Nat

By Margravine (Ranger) on Unrecorded Date:

I'm on complete creative shut down until well after Oct 1 which is the new fiscal year start up here. Way too much stress around here until then.

By The One Known Only as (Greyfox) on Unrecorded Date:

I still need a log-in at work. Then I can get onto the internet and mebbe you'll see some stuff from me (considering I get like, a free half-hour every morning when I'm the only one in the office). L8R!

By Tony (Sol) on Unrecorded Date:

Ranger,

I know that it was some time since you wrote Nanny Ghost but I wanted to let you know that I just read it and enjoyed it thoroughly. Wow, I enjoyed how it seemed so much like real life, but with a ghost in it. No curses or demons, just an everyday family with a ghost living in their house!

Ranger, how did you come to admire England? You often seem to use it in your stories...

Do tell also, what was your inspiration for this short story?

By Margravine (Ranger) on Unrecorded Date:

Aw, shucks, t'wart nothin. Thanks for the ego stroke, tho' Sol.

England, hmm. Just an old time Anglophile, I guess. I've been there twice and it's like wading through history. Plus I grew up on all those British movies and sitcoms, and I still have cousins over there. I speak both English and American, you know.

I have no idea where inspiration comes from, tho'. It just shows up at its own whim screaming, "write about me! write about me! or I'll f***ing go away!" If any one can pinpoint this demon, we could get rich.

By Bryan (Houdini) on Unrecorded Date:

I've created the matrix topic. We will have to decide on a direction to take the story before we begin posting. Consider where you want the story to begin carefully.

To give you an idea of the kind of stuff you can write about in the world of the matrix. Check out this fan fiction site. It has alot of short stories written in the world of the matrix. Also the official matrix website has a comics section. The cool thing is about the comics is it an example of how you can write a story about a relm and not give away the movie.. at all.

By Tony (Sol) on Unrecorded Date:

I have serious worries about having everyone train under Neo to become another Neo. Let's keep in mind that all characters ALREADY have unbelievavle human powers - like learning how to fly a chopper in 3 seconds. Neo is God... that's the whole point of his character.

What Neo was trying to do at the end of the movie was to free others from the Matrix... and although he wanted others to follow in his footsteps, if any character DID, they would have Infinite power, and would pretty much have to be retired as soon as they were fully "realized."

Neo is almost too cool NOT to write about, but doing so diminishes him, and also diminishes all non-god characters.

Here's an idea: word of Neo's ability reaches a pocket of resistance-fighters previously thought dead... even Morpheous thought so... and they are inspired to seek out and be Neo's disciples...

Of course, if they FOUND Neo, same problem!

ideas? I am also interested in hearing how we could handle a Neo-situation in a reasonable way, if anyone wants to try that route...

By Tony (Sol) on Unrecorded Date:

You know, here's an idea...
this MATRIX fan-fic site, you don't suppose they'd
have anyone there who'd like to contribute to our
LEV forum MATRIX topic? mmm?

By The One Known Only as (Greyfox) on Unrecorded Date:

Okay, I've got my character concept: Fred, a lowly computer tech with a major corporation, starts getting involved in hacking CD-keys for major software developers. He's found by a resistance cell (possibly you guys) and begins to become "awakened". He becomes Greyfox, and starts to become enamoured of the stories he's heard of Neo. He takes the small resistance cell on a Matrix-hunt... Too movie? Mebbe I can re-work it. What do you guys think?

By - (Sol) on Unrecorded Date:

Mmmm... I like it, I like it... although the more I think about it, it may be fun to be under Morpheous... what I DO think is that we should all be in 1 group, not 3 or 4... possible exception... if someone wants to be the Agents, etc

By Carmine (Carmine) on Unrecorded Date:

Quoth Sol:

--what I DO think is that we should all be in 1 group, not 3 or 4... possible exception... if someone wants to be the Agents, etc --

I think that would be beneficial on a variety of levels. Maintaining story continuity is tough enough with everyone going off in a half-dozen directions...

However, I think writing for an Agent *and* a freed prisoner can be quite compatible - and challenging.

I'm split on the Morpheus issue. The cool factor is very high, but then, aren't we limiting ourselves to the setting of the Nebuchadnazzer and the film?

Is it locked in stone that we take up where the film left off? After all, Morpheus had to come from *somewhere*. Everyone has a past - who says it can't be as interesting as the future?

My $.02 as a rank neophyte.

Carmine/Johanna

By - (Sol) on Unrecorded Date:

Carmine, thank you for joining us!

I think we still have a lot of flexibility in where we start off our story or take it. Honestly, I don't think I'm dead-set against anything yet - I would almost DO a story with Neo in it, and the more I think about it, depending on the angle we take, it could be quite interesting.

Here's a basic question to ponder - should our "cell" be devoted to fighting the Agents, or defending against the Agents?

By - (Sol) on Unrecorded Date:

Was the Nebuchadnazzer the only "ship" in the world? For some reason, I got the impression that it was supposed to be the only one.

Carmine, what sparked your interest in the Matrix? Are you an artist in real life? You write very convincingly about the Art-Culture.

I always considered myself to be a citizen of the 'net, and this is probably why I liked the movie so much. I've also had those feelings, like Neo, that there is more under the surface of reality. Probably the combination of these factors, the philosophy, and the non-stop action is fun, too, enthralled me with it.

Hey, why don't we all tell a little about why we like the movie as we discuss direction? Rigel, I'm still curious as to whether or not you plan to join this one. Have you seen The Matrix?

By Bryan (Houdini) on Unrecorded Date:

Welcome Carmine!

To answer your question. Nothing is locked in stone yet. We can do whatever point within the matrix "history" we want. I just think we need some common level of agreement on when that should be.

Sol, now to answer your questions:

What the movie implied was that there was more then one ship and one team hacking the matrix, Morphous's team was reponsible for one particular sector. Here is a quote from the movie.

Tank is trying to explain to Neo why they should "pull the plug" on Morpheus. He says the following:

"Each captain is given access codes to Zion's mainframe, if an agent ever got ahold of those codes they could destroy us."

That says it all. Now, that doesn't mean Zion has a fleet of ships. It just implies that they have more then one.

More about this to follow... have a report to write up for my boss. I can't wait to start writing in this topic! :)

Houdini

By - (Sol) on Unrecorded Date:

Yes, I think it would be interesting to have a Star Wars story that ran during the Original Trilogy. Also, this is the time-frame that most of us are familiar with! The more I think about it, a Jedi Ewok, played seriously, could be quite an interesting character. I already have a name, too - Chaku. He was inspired to train under Skywalker when the rebellion saved Endor from the Imperial Forces. Also he has learned to speak fluent English, and has a Brittish Accent like Obi-Wan. He even has a real lightsabre.

Sol

By - (Sol) on Unrecorded Date:

Oh yeah, if it came up that we did something earlier in the Trilogy, we could have it that Chaku trained under Obi-Wan, or better, was the first apprentice of Anikan... turning away from the Darkness when he realized what his master had become. I don't think I would want him to have trained under Master Yoda, though... that would seem too incredible.

By Carmine (Carmine) on Unrecorded Date:

Hello again.

Asked Sol:
--Carmine, what sparked your interest in the Matrix? Are you an artist in real life? You write very convincingly about the Art-Culture. --

I went to film school a few years ago and picked up enough of a smattering from other artists to sling the lingo well enough...

As for what sparked my interest in the Matrix, well... Initially, I had to get dragged to go see the film, because I decided that anything with Keannu Reeves in it just had to stink. I was happy to be proven wrong...

I enjoy the themes of personal identity, of questioning authority, reality and everything in between. The setting of the grand virtual-reality prison just *begs* to be tinkered with, and the entire premise is so vast as to give people like us more than enough room to write our own stories - or paint our own pictures.

The film "The Matrix" is the child of "Blade Runner" and "1984" - how can a person resist that?

Quoth Brian:
--That says it all. Now, that doesn't mean Zion has a fleet of ships. It just implies that they have more then one. --

I agree. How on earth (or should I say 'under earth'?) can such a resistance be run, if there aren't *many* ships and 'unpluggers' running around. I've always envisioned a few dozen ships, all held together with baling wire and hope, desperately skulking through subterranean tunnels and trying to stay one step ahead...

Meanwhile, the revolutionaries at Zion are doing their damndest to keep everyone fed (hydroponics?), keep everyone *informed*, and help those who have been rescued from The Matrix assimilate into this new (and not entirely hopeful) society...

Ewok jedi? Oh, I'm going to leave that to you fellows....

Hm, work calls.

Carmine.

By The One Known Only as (Greyfox) on Unrecorded Date:

Ummm... No comment. I'm really restraining myself here, but--No comment... Ooooohh... stifles own mouth to prevent saying anything No comment... ;>

By Bryan (Houdini) on Unrecorded Date:

*laughs* Ewok Jedi? Oh boy..... no comment. {:)}