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Mailing List Logs for ShadowRN

Message no. 1
From: Mike Goldberg <m_goldberg@**.COLORADO.EDU>
Subject: Chicago -- my type of bug!
Date: Sun, 9 Oct 1994 20:01:59 MST
ERRRR..... EXCUSE ME!?!

Hate to break this to you, but don't ya think that something as major as bugs
trashing Chicago should be more than just a one liner in a post? After all, it
is a pretty large event to just sort of -- oh -- gloss over.

Mike

P.S. Not that it truly matters now, but I think it would have been better to
work up to it, instead of just saying it happened.
Message no. 2
From: Mike Goldberg <m_goldberg@**.COLORADO.EDU>
Subject: Re: Chicago -- my type of bug!
Date: Mon, 10 Oct 1994 12:24:41 MST
Inside of me lies abundant turmoil. Reading Tim's post, and
then response to the "Chicago -- my type of bug" post, I was
utterly amazed at the range of emotions that hit me. It ranged
from anger - frustration - irritation - sadness and to a few
others. It's the first time since probably last spring, that I
have felt a pain. That time, I could describe it. I could
rationalize it - work it out. This time, I am amazed to find
myself for a lack of words. In matter of fact, I don't think
there are words to describe what I am currently going through.
For the sake of everyone here, I will try.

Tim, you assumed that everyone on this list knows what
happens in Burning Bright and Bug City. You assumed that everyone
thought it was common ground. If so, why was there a debate running
last week on plot-d about what to do over the whole Universal
Brotherhood last week? Why did it seem at least to me, that
there was a consensus to get people on plot-d to read the book
(in the span of a week or two) and then discuss it?

In addition, why was there on shadowtk characters who were
living in fear of the Universal Brotherhood? Why did Blitzkrieg
and Cerise bring Powerhouse's body to a morgue?

Yes, these are answerable questions. In truth they are
quite simple. As of before your post the following characters
were involved inside the UCAS in trying to expose the Universal
Brotherhood: Blitzkrieg, DragonEyes, Crashkit, Scourge, Vorien,
Claw, Cerise, Raven the Mage, Highlander, Punisher, IBA, KOR,
Macros the Black, WHAT, Brandon Lowe, Fenris, and Akalia. Of all
of those, only three aren't in Seattle -- Craskit, Scourge and
Macros the Black. In London, Scarface and maTrixter inc. were all
fleeing the Universal Brotherhood.

What does all this assume? Only that the events in Double
Exposure and Burning Bright have yet to take place. We were
planning to get the list there, at least I assume, but it was
going to come through planning and timing. To essential elements
that are seemingly missing. However, you in a simple post,
brought the list beyond Burning Bright, which other characters
aren't at. You, in a sense, "widowed" them in time. But what you
accomplished is more than that, and is where anger turned to
pain.

Phil, last major posting, was IBA getting attacked by Insect
Spirits sent by the Universal Brotherhood. In the resulting
attack (in which Phil did a great job), Powerhouse died. In the
aftermath, Blitzkrieg and Cerise bring Powerhouse to the morgue.
And to tell you the truth, all the planning that went into that
is now wasted. Why? Because your posting has meant that he died
in an alternate reality. It is almost completely meaningless.
In your post, you assumed that Universal Brotherhood was no more,
and that UCAS dealt with the UB problem as efficiently as
possible. Phil's last post becomes irrelevant, and Powerhouse's
death is meaningless.

The painful truth becomes then apparent. Phil's last
heralded moment, isn't going to make any sense to later readers,
due to the gap in chronology. This is probably more painful than
the fact that I have just spent a whole summer of trying to
figure out what/how to develop the story line. Blitzkrieg's post
was more than just a character reaching out; it was an attempt
for me to deal with Phil's leaving -- another of the Old Guard
departing. Utterly wasted.

Now what? What to do about all the characters who are now
hanging?

As a last footnote, for those of you who have known me since
I have been here, I have tried pretty hard to avoid getting into
flaming wars. They have always seemed to be a waste of potential
to me. What's even more important to state is that I don't like
whining about things. After all is said and done, I am left
with a bad taste in my mouth. I was told that the list had moved
from its first golden age (the Roman Empire), and that
hopefully, we could move to the Byzantine empire, which while
being less grand outlasted the Roman empire by a millennium. At
this point, however, it looks like often, all we have is being mired
in the power struggles that were the death of the Roman Empire, and
that this whole episode, just proves it. I wish I didn't have
that sinking feeling.



Mike Goldberg

P.S. I'll give a little credit here... some of the comments that I have used
herein, are not my own. They were used in previous postings off list. The
person who coined them to me, should recognize them as such, and hopefully not
be offended.

Further Reading

If you enjoyed reading about Chicago -- my type of bug!, you may also be interested in:

Disclaimer

These messages were posted a long time ago on a mailing list far, far away. The copyright to their contents probably lies with the original authors of the individual messages, but since they were published in an electronic forum that anyone could subscribe to, and the logs were available to subscribers and most likely non-subscribers as well, it's felt that re-publishing them here is a kind of public service.

Thwap!