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FIXION: An Experiment in Virtual Culture
FIXION.FAQ v1.2; (nc) 1993 aleph@pyramid.com
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Q: What, in brief, is the FIXION project?
A: The FIXION project is a multi-media project which has as its
fundamental medium that familiar "e.mail" form. Done in the "Grand
Old Tradition" of round-robin storytelling, FIXION creates an ongoing,
multilinear story which becomes all the more compelling through its
realistic use of the available media of the Net.
Q: Who would be interested in it?
A: Well, hopefully any *reader* who enjoys a compelling yarn will
enjoy the progress of the FIXION. As for those wondering about
working on the project: writers, programmers, actors, and thinkers who
have interests in science-fiction, the works of William Gibson, Philip
K. Dick, Douglas Adams, William S. Burroughs, Timothy Leary, Aleister
Crowley, H.P. Lovecraft, Jorge L. Borges, Robert Anton Wilson and
others are already working on it. Those with experience in MUDs and
Role-Playing Games will enjoy the direct participation, as will all
those interested in such arcane plot elements as "CyberPunk,"
"undergrounds," "mysticism," or "metaprogramming."
Q: Who wrote it?
A: Well, no-one has "written" it; the FIXION may never be
"completed," as it is an ongoing project which is being worked on
right now. People writing resource material and plot elements for the
FIXION come from a variety of backgrounds and interests. Several
Alephians first negotiated the idea into existence, but the structure
is designed to support the addition of any number of "FIXIONeers."
There is no end to the amount of detail that may be added to the
FIXIONal world. Already there are some formative principles in the
plot, but even these are perpetually open to negotiation. FIXION is a
fusion between literature, drama, net.working and role-playing games.
Q: What is the basic plot?
A: As an experiment in writing and cultural exploration, it is an
open-ended plot device at present. The basic idea is this:
"CyberPunk" fiction and science fiction tales in general are
interesting in that they offer ideas on the future and speculate on
things that could be. Their drawback is that they are usually placed
so far into the future that they begin to become distant from our
everyday reality and our concerns. Additionally, the limited, linear
format of the book doesn't allow for relativistic development as real
life (or even virtual life!) does. The Net allows us a new medium to
use for the exploration of ideas. It has also shown many of us that
the future is advancing on the present at an increasingly accellerated
pace. The approach of the FIXION is to write FIXIONal posts and plot
out FIXIONal events that relate the Net to the real world. FIXION
"occurs" on a perpetually-updated date of 24 months from <whatever the
present day is>. For instance, work being done on the FIXION today,
5.27.93, is being written to fit into what is FIXIONally occurring on
5.27.95. As we draw closer to that date in reality, we will be able
to negotiate out the details of the plot and post FIXIONal elements in
the form of posts. That way, when 5.27.95 actually arrives, we will
be all set for a real live net.event based upon the (by then) two-year
old work; a "figure/ground reversal" of sorts. Life meets Art. And
by that time, of course, FIXIONeers will be writing FIXIONal posts and
simulating events occurring on 5.27.97...
Q: With such an open-ended approach, how are you keeping FIXION
internally consistent?
A: The backbone of the FIXION is drawn from a most unusual source.
While still very questionable when applied to its original intention,
it serves as a tremendous guide for a self-organizing and perpetual
body of "fiction." Terence McKenna has created software called
"TimeWave Zero" which he sets forth as a fractal pattern to history
and time. Its premise is that human beings are "novel" and
negentropic creatures, who are inclined to produce more and more novel
things and events. Culture and technology, he postulates, are the
most extreme forms of this sort of novelty; this nicely suits the
needs of social science-fiction, CyberPunk, and in our case FIXION.
What he has produced reads like a chart of peaks and troughs which are
said to measure "novelty." The time-span corresponding to the impact
of an asteroid with the earth, speculated to have wiped out the
dinosaur population, for instance, is characterised by a vast graphic
descent into novelty. The high renaissance is marked by another deep
descent into novelty. The explosion of the first atomic device is
likewise graphed as being very "novel." As TimeWave Zero unfolds, the
patterns of novelty and habit on earth ebb and flow. What is
interesting about TimeWave Zero, and what makes it useful for our
FIXION, is that it projects those trends into the future, based upon
the patterns set in motion by the past. This we can "time out" the
occurrance of a "novel" event in our story-line with an accordingly
extreme descent into novelty in the TimeWave. This allows us to
construct the future of the FIXION as we go along, adding and
negotiating detail as we draw nearer and nearer to it.
Q: It seems, though, like there would be no "dramatic tension" in
such an ebb and flow. How do you plan to make the FIXION interesting
for people to keep up with?
A: One approach will be to create various multi-media stories and
subprojects that, although set within the FIXION, are written just
like any other dramatic theatre piece in that they have conflict and
resolution. But the basic premise of the FIXION, one which provides
built in "dramatic tension," has to do with the structure of TimeWave
Zero. Although it does indeed ebb and flow in its exchanges of
novelty and habit, it is also a wave which has a termination point.
For instance, the asteroid hitting the earth would have been a HUGE
point of novelty, and would have marked off the end of a cycle. The
next cycle, as indicated by TimeWave Zero, was shorter by half than
the one before it. This process continues, until the point at which
the explosion of the first atomic device corresponds in the wave to
the "big bang" in its importance as a novel event. The cycles of time
set in motion by human endeavors and technologies tighten in their
re-iteration of novel events until, according to TimeWave Zero, the
entire wave of culture and time "collapses" at dawn, December 22,
2012. Of course, as a real device for thinking about history, this is
as dubious as anything. On the other hand, as a device for
constructing the FIXION, it provides us with our favored theme of
"what significance is human culture, and what effect is it having on
the world?" which is so important to CyberPunk fiction and to good
science-fiction. Also, TimeWave Zero provides built-in dramatic
tension in the form of the "singularity" of 2012. What could possibly
happen? Will it be some religious advent or apocalypse, perhaps the
product of a self-fulfilling prophecy? Will it be a period of
biological and ecological transformation as the human race becomes
integrated with "Gaia?" Will it be a world war? Does the existence
of the Net herald the possibility of a cultural climax in virtuality
averting catastrophe in reality? Or will the date pass without
incident? These are the themes which adopting TimeWave Zero as the
backbone of the FIXION will allow us to explore, and turn into
compelling reading, to boot!
Q: It sounds interesting; a good idea for a continuing story, if
nothing else. Aren't there any other elements to the plot of the
FIXION? Who are the major characters? Are there any major
organizations?
A: There are indeed several plot devices which are already being
fleshed out. We have Secret Societies, Government Foils, Arcane
Qabalists, Trickster Comedians, Idealistic Aeonians, Dour Physicists,
Artificial Intelligence Engineers, as well as a whole host of other
characters and organizations being whipped up from the flotsam and
jetsam of the whole of humanity's cultural mythology. Simulations are
being prepared, and a new form of virtual performance art is being
created. We can't, of course, reveal the major players in this FAQ
(nor can we do more than jestfully hint at the archetypes being
employed), because that would ruin the surprise for those who would
rather watch the FIXION unfold than work on its production.
Q: Let's say I just want to sit back and watch the show: how do I
know FIXION when I see it?
A: Well, bits and pieces of the larger FIXION story will be released
exclusively to the Net (it's one of the first examples of
net.performance.art!) in the form of simple posts to UseNet
NewsGroups. You will know a post that is part of the FIXION storyline
by two things:
1. Its "SUBJECT:" line will be prefixed with "[FIX]" ... thusly:
SUBJ: [FIX] Press Release: ENYDYNE releases GraviTron{tm}!!!
2. Initial posts will refer to "events" taking place in 1995 in
the FIXIONal story line!
Q: Let's say I want to play the role of FIXIONEER: how do I get
involved?
A: Plotting and brainstorming on the plot-at-large is occurring on
the "aleph" e.list. Send "SUBSCRIBE" to <aleph-request@pyramid.com>
to join. Because most of us are anticipating the fun and excitement
of informational overload in the form of traffic, the flow of plot
elements and discussion may be intense: simply watch the flow and jump
in, asking questions about characters or plot elements at any time.
We're not too worried about our plot ideas "getting out," because they
change so rapidly anyway, and "leaks" will only add to The
Mystique{tm}! There will be an internal FAQ floating around in the
flux, as well, that details procedures on characters and plot elements
for the new FIXIONEER.
Q: When is the FIRST fit of FIXION supposed to come?
A: A mass initial posting is scheduled for Some Time *Very* Soon...
For more details, consult Aleph or your own copy of TimeWave Zero...
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