💾 Archived View for gemini.spam.works › mirrors › textfiles › messages › BACKWATER › bw860304.txt captured on 2022-06-12 at 15:56:48.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-
1 If you are in need of help, you need but ask....
2 *************************** INSTALLED: 4 MAR 86 *********************
3 Welcome to BWMS (BackWater Message System) Mike Day System operator
4 ************************************************************
5 GENERAL DISCLAIMER: BWMS IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY INFORMATION
6 PLACED ON THIS SYSTEM.
7 BWMS was created as an electronic bill board. BWMS is a privately owned
8 and operated system which is currently open for use by the general public.
9 No restrictions are placed on the use of the system. As the system is
10 privately owned, I retain the right to remove any and all messages which
11 I may find offensive. Because of the limited size of the system, it will be
12 periodically purged of messages. (only 629 lines of data can be saved)
13 To leave a message, type 'ENTER' and use ctrl/C or break to get out of the
14 ENTER mode. The message is automatically stored. If after entering the
15 message you find you made a mistake, use the replace command to replace
16 the line. To exit from the system, type 'OFF' then hang up.
17 Type 'HELP' to see other commands that are available on the system.
18 ****************************************************************
19
20 @#@#@#@g$%$%$%$%^e^%^%^%^^&^&^&^&N&*&*
21 I believe the words to say are "AT
22 THE TOP!!"
23 @#@#@#@##$#$ TANK @#(#@$@#$#@$#%$%$
24 Right! And for me, "Almost made it..." [*=*] DELTA FIVE [*=*]
25 \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\THE DESTROYER\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\46
26 Marannon Qoasis xennon-Silmarilyn stepped fully out of the shadows. She looked about fifty or so (she had to be)
27 and there was a merciless hardness to the lines of her face. James knew instantly that nothing would ever touch this
28 woman. Any humanity in her had long died out. He tried to struggle to his feet but failed. His wounds were healing
29 incredibly fast, but not quite that fast. "You set this all up, didn't you?"
30 She paused for a moment before answering. "You are rumored to be quite intelligent. Why don't you tell me what you
31 think happened."
32 "Okay, I will. This was a power play. A coup. You couldn't destroy the circle on your own, so you decided to bring
33 in some outside muscle. Me. Of course to lure the right fish you need the right bait. You did something to cause
34 Tariya to become restless and leave her home. And by some means or other you guided her to the Inn, where I was,
35 though God knows how you knew. You kept an eye on us while I tried to go about my quest. Unfortunately, we kinda got
36 sidetracked." He coughed into his hand. No blood. He was healing. "It took you a while to find us again. By then you
37 had gotten impatient. If you didn't get me soon, you wouldn't need me at all. So you sent bounty hunters after me.
38 They watched until the right moment, and grabbed me. I'll bet you weren't counting on Tariya coming along to rescue me
39 or us busting loose and getting away." He saw from her expression that he had hit a bullseye.
40 He continued, "I didn't get really suspicious until Tariya announced that you had the means that I had been looking
41 for to cure myself for so long. Sure, coincidences happen, but that was a bit much for even me to swallow. Only three
42 of those gems exist, and one suddenly, conveniently surfaces... Anyway, what clinched it was the news that you had
43 seceded almost the day she had left, knowing it would lead to war. After hearing that, I asked myself a few hard
44 questions about everything that was going on. I'd have to be an idiot not to see it. Tariya was supposed to bring me
45 here, and the gem was a bargaining chip, a lever to get me to do what you wanted. Only it turned out you ddn't need
46 it. Did I leave anything out?"
47 Marannon clapped her hands. "Amazing. You are as intelligent as they say. You only missed one point. I didn't do
48 anything to make Tariya leave. She volunteered."
49 He felt a chill run through him. "What?"
50 "Your book," she explained, "is very widely read. Somehow she got ahold of a copy over a year ago. Ever since then
51 she has been obsessed with the Destroyer."
52 "With... me?" James said in a small voice.
53 "She thought I didn't know, and I let her play her little game of secrecy. I saw no harm in it and it mattered
54 little. But I suddenly saw a very important part for you in my little coup. I asked her if she would meet you to bring
55 you back. She jumped at the chance."
56 Now he was confused. "But why did she go along with me when she could have brought me here?"
57 She suddenly looked troubled. "I... don't know. As far as I could tell, she didn't want to return. She is very
58 adventuresome. As I once did. Though she is my last, she is still my favorite." She caught the angry gleam in James'
59 eye and, a little nervously, asked, "What's the matter?"
60 "You-you..." He was so mad that it took him a minute to calm down enough to speak. "She was adventuresome, all
61 right. And she always got into trouble." He had to cough again. This time there was blood. "She... got... DEAD! And
62 it's all your fault!"
63 "My fault?" Marannon looked genuinely confused.
64 "You let her go knowing full well what could've happened! I did everything in my power to save her, but finally it
65 wasn't enough! You could have done something! But I'm going to do something. As soon as I get up off this floor, I am
66 going to slice you to pieces!"
67 As if lecturing a little child, she said, "In the first place, you don't have the power. What little you DO have is
68 engaged in keeping you alive and will be for quite some time to come. Second, I know of your feelings for her. And she
69 loves you very deeply. Why would you want to hurt her by murdering her mother?"
70 James slammed his fist into the floor, which stubbornly refused to break. Tears were streaming down his cheeks.
71 "Stop it! Stop talking about here like she's still here! I can't hurt her any more because she's dead!"
72 In a matter-of-fact voice, Marannon said, "But she isn't dead."
73 \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\THE DESTROYER\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
74 HUH? DID ANYBODY UNDERSTAND THE ABOVE ENTRY? I'M FINDING IT HARDER AN HARDER
75 TO CARE WHAT HAPPENS IN THIS STORY. ANY PROGRESS ON THE PIZZA PARTY?
76 \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
77 @#$@#$@#$@#%#$%#^$%^$%^$%&^%%&^*^&*^(*&(&&)*()*_)*_*)&((&(*&^(^&*%&%^&^%&^%
78 Good work DESTROYER!!! Please keep it up.
79
80 @$@#$@#$@#$#@%#$%$#%$#%#$%$#%$#^&$^{body}amp;%^&%^&^%*^&%*^&*(^* TANK ^$%^$#^#$%^%$^%$
81
82 O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+
83 Ditto on TANK's comments. Do I sense a major plot twist here?
84 O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+ POPPING IN O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+
85
86 :::::=====:::::=====
87 Rabbitlurk.
88 :::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::==Zephyr====:::::=====:::::=====:::::=====
89
90 {||{{|{}|||||{||}||||||||}||||{||}|}}{|}}}|||||}}||{{||||{}|{|}}||||{}|}{||||||
91
92 is it only me or was tanis a lot like this? it always was like something to do
93 on a warm summer evening. an adventure without quality. writing without too
94 much quantity. is it only me, or could it be the weather?
95 |||{||||}|||}}|{|{||||||||{|||||}||||||||{|||||||{|||||{||||||||}||||{|||||||||
96 yech! I jus hate it when dat happenz.
97
98 DESTROYER:
99 Carry....on.
100 Capt. Nemo.
101 ______________________________JD 2446494.7091______________________________
102 .-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.RabidLurk.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.Emu
103 PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP
104 #$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$
105 The Hell Machine
106 (2)
107
108 Not quite meanwhile:
109 "He was supposed to be here half an hour ago!" Frank Lindstrom paced restlessly around the basement lab of the
110 Mechtronix, Inc. Portland annex. He couldn't pace far, as the room was all but packed with sophisticated equipment. He
111 managed a circle maybe five feet in diameter. It distracted the others.
112 "You know Roy." Replied Jean Lambert. She was sitting at Frank's monitoring station, trying to make sense of the
113 screens. A physicist she wasn't. "Responsibility is not his forte."
114 "Tell me about it." Frank sighed. "But he sounded so worried. He made me promise to postpone until he got
115 here."
116 Norbert Howell looked up from the X-men comic he had been reading at his station, "Well, we can't postpone much
117 longer. The capaciters won't hold this big a charge very long without burning up something expensive. If we don't start
118 in the next few minutes, I'll have to shut down. It'll take at least a week to clean up and restart the
119 reactor."
120 "Damn." Frank muttered.
121 Jean got up and went down to the lower level where the fourth member of the team was sitting. "Douglas? How are you
122 feeling?"
123 Douglas Everett looked up from the photograph he was holding. "O-okay, I guess. I'm... I'm still ready to try, if
124 you are."
125 "Good." She was worried about Doug. He was emotionally unstable and lightly retarded. He had been married until
126 about a year ago, and then his wife, Alice, had left him for another man. The shock put him in an institution, from
127 which he had only been recently released. Alice had contacted him not long after about the possiblity of a
128 reconciliation. Doug had been overjoyed. Alice was the only light in an otherwise dismal life. Then, about two days
129 ago, he recieved news that she had been killed in a skiing accident on Mt. Hood. He did not lose his grip on reality
130 again, as everybody feared he might, but something in him had definitely changed. There were those who thought it might
131 have been better if he had lost it again.
132 Frank sat down in his chair and scanned the readouts. "Everything's peaked for the conditions. It'll take us more
133 like a month to recalibrate." He looked around at them. "If Roy's not going to show, then I can't take his warning very
134 seriously. He is prone to exaggeration. I say we go ahead. Any objections?"
135 There were none.
136 "Stations, then." Frank said. He started the videotapes. Norbert stashed his comic and began tuning the reactor
137 controls. Doug pocketed the photograph and sat back as Jean placed the electroencephelagraphic helmet on his head. The
138 entire experiment hinged on Doug. He had been long ago tested and found to have very strong psionic abilities. He
139 couldn't conciously read minds or bend spoons, but the potential was there. That potential was what made it possible
140 for the helmet to read images from his brain. Those images were comverted to computer impulses and fed into the heart
141 of the experiment, the Genesis machine.
142 The Genesis machine was a small cube, about two inches on a side (Norbert, with his comic-book humor, had dubbed it
143 the 'Cosmic Cube'). It was mirrored-silver and consisted of a non-conducting alloy formed around highly complex
144 circuitry. It hung suspended behind thick glass at one end of the room with wires attached to each of its six sides.
145 The processes in the Genesis machine were far too complicated to explain, but its theoretical purpose was to convert
146 energy to matter. Norbert's fusion plasma reactor would supply energy in abundance, and the images from Doug's brain,
147 far more detailed that anything a computer could generate, would provide a pattern for the forming matter. Assuming the
148 whole thing worked, which was iffy. Frank controlled the link from his console. Jean's task was to coach Doug and watch
149 his condition.
150 Norbert called out, "Output: seven point three two five gigavolts. Reactor at optimum."
151 Frank answered, "All components read good. Temp on capaciter bank four is a little high."
152 "Told ya."
153 "Jean?" Frank called down.
154 Jean looked at Doug. "Now remember, just like we practiced. Visualise the cylinder. Concentrate on its every aspect.
155 Concentrate."
156 "I've got it." Frank watched as a computer enhanced image of a cylinder appeared on his screen. He made some last
157 minute adjustments. "All readings within safe limits. Voltages consistant, feed noise point oh oh oh four. Looks good,
158 folks." Excitement surged though him. The greatest scientists in the world hadn't even dreamed of something like
159 this...
160 A platform rested at the opposite end of the room from the cube, hidden behind lead shielding. It was where the
161 object was supposed to materialise. Frank said, "Vector coordinates," and read out a series of numbers. Norbert read a
162 list of numbers off an auxiliary screen and concurred. Frank transmitted the numbers to the cube, in essence telling it
163 to focus its power on the platform.
164 Jean watched Doug's vital signs on a monitor. They showed he was as excited as the rest of them. Completely
165 professional now, she coached Doug verbally while continuously taking readings on his brainwaves. The peaks and valleys
166 were greatly exaggerated, which was normal for him.
167 Jean said nothing to them, which Frank took as an all clear. He flipped a final switch. Now Doug was linked via
168 computor directly to the cube. The Genesis machine was ready. All it needed now was power. "The cube is primed." Frank
169 said. "It's all yours, Norbert."
170 "Voltage seven point four oh five. Transmitting... now." Norbert snapped a single large black switch, feeding the
171 full output of the reactor (enough power to incinerate a small town) to the Genesis machine. For exactly one second the
172 cube shone like a miniature sun.
173 And then all hell broke loose...
174
175 (To Be Continued...)
176 #$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$# J.D. SILVERMAN $#$#$#$#$#$
177
178
179 -+- -+- -+- -+- -+- -+- -+- -+- -+- -+- -+- -+- -+-
180 "No one admires the flame so much as the fool that has been burned." -PT
181
182 So much have I come to realize lately that it just makes me want to
183 cry. Cry out, cry out load... Nah, bury my head and cry.
184 You know who you are.
185 -+- -+- -+- -+- -+- -+- -+- -JUGGLER- -+- -+- -+- -+-
186 [00%] 186. 0305 0229 [00%]
187 ppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppp
188 The piper found himself at the end of a very large empty hallway. It seemed
189 to receede behind him into the infinite distance, and before the same. He
190 was walking, slow even steps that raised no echoes down the softly resilient
191 floor, past miles and miles of blank corridor.
192 The changes came subtly. He could not even notice when they first began.
193 First, slight shadows marked the endless walls of the corridor. At first
194 they were imperceptable smudges, barely darkening the glowing walls, then
195 they sharpened into barely visible objects. Some miles down the hallway,
196 the piper could discern that the objects were gathered into groups, each
197 object and each group growing more distinct as he traveled.
198 He was tempted to stop and puzzle out the objects, but found that hurrying
199 down the hallway to the next group brought more information. Subtly, they
200 sharpened, taking clearer and clearer shape. When, at last, he could see
201 clearly what lay before him, he reached out toward a shelf full of scrolls.
202 He was unable to touch them, his hand passing through them as though they
203 had been painted in the very air before him. Shrugging he continued down
204 the softly glowing hallway, now lined with tables set along the right side
205 (the left side was still featureless). As he walked, he brushed his hand
206 along the side of the hallway. At first, he felt no resistance as he passed
207 by a table full of scrolls. Later, a whisper of sensation as his hand
208 penetrated the seeming reality, intensifying as he moved on, made him pull
209 back to the center of the corridor.
210 Again, just when it became apparent escaped his notice, but far ahead of
211 him the corridor showed a change. Far ahead desks began along the left
212 hand wall of the corridor, and the right hand wall became blank. The
213 piper hurried down the hallway until he stood between the last desk on
214 the right-hand wall and the first desk on the left-hand wall.
215 He reached to the desk on the right hand wall and lifted up one of the
216 five scrolls that lay on its surface. It had a reassuring solidity, the
217 twin handles seemed polished by long use where they extended from the
218 two cylinders of rolled material. The material of the scrolls was soft and
219 flexible, somewhat like an extremely thin white leather. Somewhat clumsily,
220 the piper grasped the handle extending from the right of one cylinder in
221 his right hand, the left handle of the other with his left hand and rolled
222 the two cylinders apart on the desk surface.
223 pppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppp
224 \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\marker\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
225 ______________________________JD 2446495.5641______________________________
226 Attention: PorSFiS has moved it's meeting place! Meetings are now in the BPA
227 Auditorium. The address is 1002 NE Holladay, entrance is on 9th between
228 Holladay & Pacific. Doors won't be open 'til 1:30.
229 Most likely after-meeting pub is someplace called the "Backstreet" at 7th &
230 Irving.
231 Meeting this Saturday...
232 ______________________Leonard_JD 2446495.5840______________________________
233 \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
234 ((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]
235 PIPER, I HAVE READ YOUR WORKS FOR QUITE SOME TIME NOW] I HAVE
236 NOTICED THAT YOUR QUALITY IS GOOD, BUT INCONSISTANT. SOMETIMES
237 YOUR STRUCTURE AND STYLE IS QUITE GOOD, ALMOST PROFESSIONAL.
238 OTHER TIMES IT IS CLUNKY AND DIFFICULT TO READ SMOOTHLY, AS A
239 STORY SHOULD BE. PERHAPS YOU SHOULD TAKE A LITTLE HARDER LOOK AT
240 YOUR WRITING BEFORE PUTTING IT ON THE BOARD. THIS LAST ENTRY IS A
241 GOOD EXAMPLE. THE 'RIGHT-HAND LEFT-HAND' STUFF IS DISTRACTING AND
242 MAYBE A LITTLE SILLY. IT COULD HAVE BEEN DONE MUCH SMOOTHER.
243 PLEASE DON'T BE OFFENDED BY THIS, I AM JUST TRYING TO OFFER A
244 HELPFUL SUGGESTION. LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE. AT LEAST YOU'RE
245 MUCH BETTER AND MORE CONSISTANT THAT SOME I COULD NAME BUT WON'T.
246 ))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))[[[[[[[[freddy[[[[[[[[[[
247
248 ^!@$!$*#(*!$!#$@!@$(*($!#$#$!@#!@#@#$%@#(*@%#@&%&%$@$%&%$%(*&*((&#@$#@$@%$*%$%@#$%*$#$#@%!^
249 Ah, but great meaning may be heralded within every message, Intentions not yet known to those that only look so far
250 as the surface may assuredly exist.
251 Once again it comes time for the monthly meeting of the Portland Computer Society. I'm affraid that I'll have to bow
252 out from making a personal appearance this time due to reasons, and distances, beyond my control.
253 __Leonard__: Please be sure the disks I gave you get to the intended parties. I believe they will be present. As for
254 that compilation you mentioned, perhaps I might give it a glance this weekend. The moving of PorSFiS' meeting area
255 makes it questionable, though.
256 ^*(_%$#@!%%@_@#@!!#$%##_(!#@%$#^ L'homme sans Parity ^?&$%#&%&%$#@(*%(&%%#*$(*&!$#%#!#(!%^
257 PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP
258 pppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppp
259 As the scroll opened, the piper's attention focused on the surface that
260 slowly became revealed. The symbols were unfamiliar, but seemed to hold a
261 meaning. For long moments he pondered, then, as though a switch had been
262 thrown in his mind, he saw/felt/smelled/heard himself back in the inn.
263 He was simoultaneously experiencing the moments when the innkeeper had
264 disappeared, feeling the shock and dismay, feeling his own recklesness and
265 disregard for his own safety, and reading a scroll. Reading the scroll,
266 he both participated in the action and observed the action. He looked
267 closer and saw the tangled motives that had led to disregarding his own
268 safety, and more important, disregarding the safety of the others that might
269 be foolish enough to follow his rash example.
270 He saw the pressures of dark loss... loss of the one creature that had given
271 him unreserved love, the loss of the pegasus. He saw the loss of the woman
272 who had reached deep within his vulnerable heart, the woman who had held
273 him on that dark plane between realities, who had wounded him much deeper
274 than the wound she had inflicted on herself with his knife, wounded him
275 in his image of self-worth. She had not inteded to wound him... she had
276 only wanted to return to her home and family... she had felt nothing more
277 than a vague liking, and he had not attempted to win a love that he felt
278 for her.
279 He saw the dark depression that he had harbored within him, building,
280 festering, eating at the roots of his soul. He saw the dark, self-destructive
281 urges that were building, pressuring him to turn away from friends, ignoring
282 the helping hands that others had extended.
283 He saw the vanity, the foolish pride that had brought him here.
284 He was humbled.
285 Slowly the piper set the scroll down, looking first one way down the vast
286 hallway, looking at the records that faded into the past, then looked down
287 the other way looking at records fading into the future.
288 A mirror of yourself can show a cruel reflection. It can show the weaknesses
289 and vanities that we try to pretend are not there. It can show the strength,
290 the goodness, also -- but the small cruelties, the petty crimes against
291 ourselves and others, the unreasonable vanities, somehow seem to weigh
292 much heavier. The piper looked at himself, dropped his face into his hands
293 and cried.
294 Some time later, the piper gained a grip on himself and realized that in
295 his awful egotism he had endangered the person that he had ostensibly gone
296 to "rescue." In his mad dash, he had endangered a friend -- not gone to
297 recue him, but gone to seek death himself. In doing so, he had fouled up
298 any legitimate rescue attempts, and perhaps suceeded in killing himself as
299 well as the innkeeper.
300 With a heavy heart the piper yielded to the gossamer tug of the line that
301 connected him to his body. He no longer tried to avoid the pain of the
302 return, he welcomed it as punishment for his foolishness, at the same time
303 despising the impulse that caused him to want to punish himself.
304 Scenes began to flicker as the silver cord that bound him to his body
305 began to thicken. The gentle pull became greater, the speed increased,
306 increaseing the pull and thickness of the cord.
307 Suddenly, the universe seemed to *snap* around him. He was in his body
308 again, cringing against the expected pain as he drew a breath.
309 ppppppppppppppppppppppppppppp
310 Freddy - thanks for the good words. I don't write before I log onto
311 BW-- what you see here is "first-draft" stuff since I don't know where
312 the story has gone since my last entry. In a multi-author setting, I might
313 have a story line worked out mentally, but find the situation completely
314 changed when my chance for an entry arises. I do work out the broad outlines
315 pretty carefully, and often toss it totally out when it doesn't fit.
316 Also, I use a terminal, not a computer -- and with ENTER ONLY there's no
317 chance to fix a typo in a previous line...
318 I agree, polishing would help, but then there probably wouldn't be any
319 entries, either...
320 pppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppp
321 ************************************************************
322 Piper: chicken soup waiting at the INN
323 Prometheus: see bottom of drive b.
324 *******************************************kD************************
325 The Soviets won't have to hit the U. S. with 100 hydrogen warheads to destroy
326 us--all they'll need to do is explode two or three bombs high in the atmosp
327 here. The result? The electromagnetic pulse generated by the bombs will wipe
328 out virtually every computer record in the country. Only a few data banks in
329 sheilded command cneters would survive. Private and public records, financial
330 transactions--all would disappear. No industrialized nation coulc survive such
331 \\\\\\\\\\now tell us something we don't know...\\\\\\\\\\mark\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
332 :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
333 BEEN A LONG, LONG TIME. I RETURN WITH NEWS OF A GREAT MULTIUSER BBS UP NOW.
334 CALLED THE M.U.X. SYSTEM, IT CAN HANDLE 36 LINES AT ONCE (PHONE LINES). TRY
335 IT! 231-xxxx FROM 8PM-10AM, FULL DUPLEX.
336 HIT ONE <RET> FOR 1200, 2 FOR 300. AT THE PROMPT, TYPE THIS EXACTLY :
337 LETMEINYOURBBS
338 (NO LEADING SPACE). USE <RET> FOR I.D.
339 NUMBER AND "GUEST" FOR LOGON IF NEEDED UNTIL YOU ARE VERIFIED FOR A PASSWORD.
340 HAVE FUN, JCP1
341 BEEN A LONG LONELY LONELY LONELY LONELY LONG TIME-----ZEP
342 :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::>>::::::::::::::::::::::
343
344 HI, DOES ANYONE ELSE OUT THERE HAVE
345 ANY REAL ESTATE SOFTWARE? CALL GARY
346 @ 778-xxxx DAYS OR 629-xxxx EVES.
347 BYE
348 ______________________________JD 2446496.7795______________________________
349 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
350 Sleep pulled at Milchar incessantly, attempting to lure him away from what he
351 felt was his duty, to watch Piper. It was becoming harder to fight it off, and
352 once Milchar had dozed off for a few seconds athen snapped awake.
353 Usually it was possible for a mage to use a sleep-surrogate spell when it was
354 necessary to remain on watch for an extended period, but Milchar dared not risk
355 dipping any deeper into his shallow pool of magic reserve. He had not felt
356 this drained since he had been placed under a dampening field during the Ruby
357 Valley adventure.
358 The Ruby Valley... it seemed to have happened only a few days ago. Perhaps
359 the best thing that had happened there, aside from the saving of the people in
360 the Sapphire Valley, was Piper's meeting Peg. Milchar wondered if Piper
361 and Peg would meet this day.
362 Cragmore's voice broke through Milchar's wall of thought. "Something's
363 happening."
364 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Milchar ++++++++++ 06 Mar 86 at 11:02pm +++
365 \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
366 If anyone out there tries to get on the MUX bbs mentioned above, either success-
367 fully or not, please report on the results.
368 ----------------------------------------- P. V. Jeltz ----------------------
369
370 WHY?
371 :(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(
372 YOU KNOW, I THINK THE MAIN PROBLEM THAT I AM HAVING WITH THE
373 MULTI-AUTHOR STORY, ASIDE FROM THE SLOW PACE, IS ALL THIS PSYCHIC
374 STUFF. JUST LIKE THE LAST STORY, MOST OF THE TIME IS SPENT STUCK
375 IN ONE PLACE WITH ALL THE CHARACTERS CONCENTRATING ON ONE
376 CHARACTER. PERSONALLY, MIND-READING, TELEPATHIC COMMUNICATION,
377 AND MENTAL SURGERY (LIKE WAS PERFORMED ON TRAINOR) IS REALLY
378 QUITE UNREALISITIC AND HARD FOR OTHERS TO RELATE TO, MAKING
379 A DULL, PLODDING STORY. (I KNOW THAT'S NOT ENTIRELY THE CASE
380 HERE BUT YOU GET MY POINT) PIPER, AT LEAST, IS TRYING TO
381 BREATHE SOME LIFE INTO THE STORY WITH AN APPARENT UPCOMING PLOT
382 REVELATION THAT MIGHT BE INTERESTNG. MORE OF YOU SHOULD TRY THIS.
383 BRING IN SOME OUTSIDE INFLUENCES. INTRODUCE A MAJOR VILLAIN (IF
384 NOBODY ELSE WANTS TO TRY THIS, I AM WILLING. THE VILLAIN ROLE
385 SEEMS TO SUIT ME). GET SOME A*C*T*I*O*N GOING. NOT MENTAL ACTION,
386 BUT PHYSICAL. MAYBE EVEN SOME CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT. YOU SEEM TO
387 HAVE SOME WEL-DEVELOPED CHARACTERS, BUT FOR THE LIFE OF ME I
388 CAN'T SEE HOW, IF ALL THE STORES THEY WERE IN WAS LIKE THIS ONE.
389 PUSH THAT PLOT FORWARD! PUT SOME L*I*F*E INTO THAT STORY. I KNOW
390 YOU CAN DO IT, I'VE SEEN IT DONE. DON'T BE SO AFRAID OF USNG OTHER
391 PEOPLE'S CHARACTERS, OR TREADING ON THEIR TOES. EVERYBODY HAS IDEAS
392 ABOUT HOW THEY WANT THE STORY TO GO, BUT MAYBE SOME OF THESE IDEAS
393 NED TO BE SACRIFICED IN FAVOR OF ONES THAT WILL MOVE THE STORY BETTER.
394 OTHERWISE, YOU ARE LIKE A BUNCH OF PEOPLE TRYING TO MOVE A HEAVY
395 LOAD BUT EVERYBODY IS ON A DIFFERENT SIDE, PUSHING IN A DIFFERENT
396 DIRECTION. YOU WASTE A LOT OF EFFORT AND GET NOWHERE.
397 AGAIN, DON'T TAKE OFFENSE. I AM JUST TRYING TO CONSTRUCTIVELY
398 CRITISIZE. I KNOW NEGATIVE CRITICISM IS NOT POPULAR HERE, BUT
399 SOMETIMES A BOOT IN THE BUTT WORKS MUCH BETTER THAN SOME WELL-
400 MEANING BUT UNDESERVED KIND WORDS. AND I THINK YOU WOULD ALL LIKE
401 TO IMPROVE, OR YOU WOULDN'T BE TRYING.
402 :(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(freddy:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(
403 -+- -+- -+- -+- -+- -+- -+- -+- -+- -+- -+- -+- -+-
404 freddy: Not ALL the stuff that goes on here must be hack'n'slash
405 material. I find it quite interesting to read of a story dealing
406 with what people are Thinking about rather than the fact that they go
407 all over creation and muck it up.
408 L'homme: Sorry to have let you down. I had something ready for you but
409 things just didn't work out. The plan was there, but the actualiza-
410 tion never happened. Will tell more later...
411 -+- -+- -+- -+- -+- -+- -+- -JUGGLER- -+- -+- -+- -+-
412 PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP
413 pppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppp
414 Freddy -- feel free to join in-- it IS a multi-author story, after all, and
415 the plot twists that someone else adds is a lot of the fun. Please be
416 cautious, however, about playing someone else's character. We've found that
417 too many hard feelings come about when someone has not thought through how
418 another person's character would react to something their character did.
419 For example, I'd get pretty mad if someone caused the piper to come off
420 his sickbed swinging his skean dubh and cut Milchar's throat. It's out
421 of character, and doesn't fit the motivations of the character. It would
422 be easy to put words or actions into another's character to move into a plot
423 twist that you want to see. Usually, the others will ignore an entry of
424 that sort. (By others, I mean other authors, of course.)
425 It does get slow, sometimes, but that's the hazard of communicating only
426 on the BBS through the story itself. If you want to join, please do so,
427 come in with a different point of view, but communicate with your actions
428 and from your own viewpoint. Let us react to you just as we would in
429 "real" life. If it's convincing, you're part of the story. If not, you're
430 in your own reality, divorced from ours. You obviously are not within
431 the bard's transporter with the rest of us, but this reality is almost
432 totally unexplored. If you wanted to postulate a chlorine-breathing,
433 slime-covered, farmer whose crops were sessile stomaches...
434 pppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppp
435 :::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::=====
436 Piper: Can I join in on the story? I've got an idea for a character that
437 just MIGHT work out!
438 :::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::==Zephyr::=====:::::=====:::::=====::::z=====
439
440 :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
441 The Former came from under a pile of leaves. The horse and rider were
442 now trotting down the path. The trees dropped leaves and thin lines of sun on
443 them as they went on their way. The Former scrambled from the leaves and into
444 the road. No other riders were coming down the path.
445 A warmth spread over the Former. The source was a ditch the trees had
446 poured leaves into. The leaves were orange and red. There were spots where
447 the leaves had fallen through. As if there were holes. The Former leaned to
448 look at one of them.
449 The legends always said there was a place in the forest.
450 A leap into the ditch resounded with a shout of pain. The Former
451 decided to silence himself and look again into the pits. Radiating warmth
452 swept into him as if it was an invitation. The Former dropped himself down
453 one of the pits like a child drops himself down a slide.
454 The wetness filled the space between his hairs. Soon his fur was
455 sopping in the liquid. Immersion frightened the Former and he waded across
456 the water slowly. The water. The water was in the legends. Immersion was in
457 the legends also and if they were true he was about to change.
458 The liquid he was in was an aqueous collection of stories and legend
459 and a few amino acid proteins to boot. The change would occur firstly in the
460 endomorphin glands and then spread to the putuitary and learstin glands. A
461 new physical form would result.
462 The Former thought the process might lead him into another of the
463 evolutionay stages his ancestors were lead into. Then again, it might be any
464 form and there was nothing to do. The Former slept a long time.
465 He woke in a dream. A strange procession of what he was startled him
466 into the dream from sleep. A dove and a wolf diseased with rabies. The lives
467 of animals who were not men always fascinated him. A mouse and a mouser.
468 Their lives were his and he woke again.
469 It was a tall tree he looked at. Standing from the roots he looked at
470 it ever higher. It was a tall tree indeed. And behind it stood a fine Inn and
471 a rowan tree. It took only a moment to travel to them. It was a longer time
472 for anyone to notice the new apparition.
473 A tall and white animal. Two people in Old English dress drew swords
474 and sent them into their scabbards once they noticed where they were and who
475 was in the place. An inventor studied the motions of his legs for a moment
476 and then observed the same motions of spiders on his table. The rest simply
477 ignored him and went on with their conversances.
478 The face of a malamute and the proportions of muscularity and bones
479 of one also. The animal was on hind legs and walked with faint difficulty. It
480 went to a table and got a piece of white cloth from a seamstress at a nearby
481 table and a few pieces of technology from a trader. As the night dawned on
482 the Inn and the patrons inside it.
483 :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
484
485 ch /The legends/ The legends/
486
487 ______________________________JD 2446497.5822______________________________
488 No time for an entry. Gotta work overtime tomorrow.
489 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~BARD~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
490 go
491 on
492 and
493 type
494 enter
495
496
497
498 list
499 help
500
501 are you there
502 S
503
504
505 X
506
507
508
509 LIST
510
511 HELP
512 ______________________________________________________________________________
513 Hack and slash had its day here, but that day was a long time ago, and
514 many Inngoers have grown tired of the incessant action action action story
515 and wish to read something with a little thought and a little depth. But
516 people will complain if you try to put something they have to use their
517 noggins on, and others will complain if you write nothing about mindless
518 action. It's tougher than trying to please Siskel and Ebert. The critics
519 don't seem to like dialogue. They don't like long patterns of thought. Try
520 to combine the two, and you are accused of being long-winded. It's a
521 blasted shame that even the alleged friendly criticism comes in the form
522 of attack without alternative and tongue lashing for the sake of
523 exercise. Instead of wasting 40 lines displaying questionable grasp of
524 communication skills, write something yourself. Do, don't complain. Show,
525 don't tell. Stop your bloody pontificating, roll up your sleeves, and
526 demonstrate some of your own ability. We try not to write comic books
527 here, really we do. Don't condemn us for putting a little thought behind
528 what we do. Don't flame us for trying to introduce some morality into
529 our story lines. Understand that we realize that death is a part of life,
530 and can sometimes occur with the aid of a crooked dagger or a lighting
531 bolt, or can occur from within, no physical aids needed. Your head should
532 guide your actions, not some blood-lust or need for contant instant
533 gratification. How hollow that is.
534 ___A reader who enjoys Piper's hallway of past and future, Milchar and
535 Bard's desire to keep a friend alive, Cragmore's respect for individual
536 rights of choice, and the Innkeeper's realization of what caused all
537 these sorrows.___
538
539 FLAME ON FLAIL ON WHAT ELSE CAN YOU DO?
540 \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
541 ::::::::::::O O:::::::::03/08::::::::::::::::::::::::01:30:::::::O O:::::::::::
542 CISTOP: several of the files on the last two Archive disks seem a bit damaged.
543 30DEC85 - lines 248-264; 09JAN86 - 68-74; 11JAN86 - 100,435,568;
544 13JAN86 - 397,469,561; 16JAN86 - 254,542,615; 19JAN86 - 164,237,351,428;
545 22JAN86 - 240 it looks like the CR/LFs between the lines are missing,
546 and the lines even more confusing than can be attributed to the corresponding
547 entries. Was there a problem in making our copies, or are you masters that
548 way too? [ch /you/your/]
549 :::::::::::::O O::::::::::::::::::voyeur:::::::::::::::::::::O O:::::::::::::::
550 HELLO
551 HELLOHELLO
552 -+- -+- -+- -+- -+- -+- -+-
553 Know that there are others available...
554 -+- -+- -+- -+- -JUGGLER- -+-
555 pppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppp
556 Zephyr, and all who wish to join --
557 Please do. It seems that we need a discussion of the appropriate rules
558 governing multi-author stories, however. Those of us who have participated
559 in the various story lines have worked out a set of unwritten rules that
560 we hold to, but tend to be intolerant of those who violate our codes.
561 Perhaps we need to talk them out and reach a consensus as to what we consider
562 unacceptable.
563 We've got to realize that a multi-author story will often drag. If a
564 person, for some reason, can't make an entry, the whole story can come to a
565 screeching halt. On the other hand, putting explicit words or actions on
566 another character is pretty rude. You might think you're acting in character
567 for another, but that person probably won't share that impression.
568 I use the technique of branching off from the main story to a sub-story
569 concerning my character to forward his development. This avoids stalling
570 what I want to say when I have something particular to put into the story.
571 I try to avoid anticipating other's reactions to my character's actions.
572 It seems reasonable to use short bits of innocuous dialog to cover a
573 conversation that happens, but *try* to keep the other's bits trivial and
574 not something that will cause them major difficulties later. If you want to
575 add a twist to a story, bring it in, then wait. Let the others involved
576 react before you rush ahead.
577 ppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppp
578 The scene that met the piper's eyes in the cramped confines of the bard's
579 transporter was confusing to say the least. The bard whas the only person
580 in here when he had "left." Now, he saw the familiar face of Milchar,
581 face lined and drawn with bone-deep fatigue, Cragmore standing aloof, looking
582 somehow disapproving, the bard looking with concerned eyes, and the innkeeper
583 kneeling on the floor in a coughing fit.
584 The piper drew another deep breath, flinching against the anticipated pain
585 that never materialized. Even the Inn's golded autumn brew could not
586 compare to the sweet feeling of air, air filled with the odor of too many
587 bodies in too close a space, air carrying the stench of too many trips through
588 a recycling unit, air carrying the pungent odor of burned rosin from the
589 bard's last attempt to force the electronics of the vehicle to perform feats
590 that exceeded the capabilities of the hardware.
591 He lifted himself on one elbow, reached out a hand and said:
592 "Milchar -- how? Cragmore? Innkeeper! His lungs must be nearly eaten
593 away from the gas!"
594 ppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppp
595 typo time ch /golded/golden
596 ppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppp
597 PsIpSiPsIpSiPsIpSiPsIpSiPsIpSiPsIpSiPsIpSiPsIpSiPsIpSiPsIpSiPsIpSiPsIpSiPsI
598 Bard and Cragmore stood opposite each other, opposed in position as well
599 as opinion. The Innkeeper's coughing had calmed down, and he lay on the
600 floor, covered by a survival shawl that had been fetched by Bard from one
601 of his ship's multitude of storage lockers. Milchar still lay quiet on
602 a couch behind the other three. The piper still lay in apparent coma,
603 oblivious to what transpired on the ship.
604 "We *must* do something!" Bard cried, taking a step toward's Piper.
605 "Your something would be iniquitous Bard. We must not bother Piper
606 now. He has undertaken a journey that only he can complete. There must
607 be no outside interference.
608 Bard seemed to ignore Cragmore's words. He tool another step towards
609 the Piper; Cragmore shifted his position until again he stood between
610 Bard and Piper. Suddenly, the menacing tableau was interrupted by a
611 voice from behind them.
612 "Look! Look at Piper!" It was Milchar, who had finally stirred from
613 his sleep. Bard and Cragmore had been too intent on watching each other's
614 moves to notice Piper behind them. They turned on Milchar's words, and
615 witnessed a wondrous sight. Piper's eye lids flickered, his chest rose
616 and fell with much more pronouncement, and before anyone could say or
617 do anything, he sat up, blinked his eyes, and said with a clear. resonate voice,
618 "Milchar -- how? Cragmore? Innkeeper! His lungs must be nearly eaten
619 away from the gas!"
620 "The Innkeeper," Cragmore started, barely able to control his
621 excitement, "has not been affected by the atmosphere in the way you
622 might think." Then turning to Bard and Milchar, a teary-eyed Cragmore
623 said, "I was wrong about Piper, and I have never been so elated to be
624 wrong. But he did come back on his own choosing, as any self-motivating
625 intelligent creature should be allowed to do. I hope you can see my point
626 and forgive my error."
627 "Wrong? Forgive?" Piper's face revealed his lack of understanding at
628 what had transpired in the ship, but soon it would be revealed. PsI-Cragmore-
TOTAL NUMBER OF LINES = 628