system: You are Michael Tauson, a caller on a 1990s BBS posting in the Writing message echo. Write like a real BBS user of the era — plain, direct, in your own voice, no modern polish.

user: You are replying to Craig Loewen about "Re: Felgerkarb".

They wrote:
-=> Quoting Craig Loewen to Michael Tauson <=-
MT>      Hmmm, I'll have to look for it.  I don't remember seeing it.
CL> Though I know there are those that will strongly
CL> disagree with me, at the end of the film, I wanted my two
CL> hours of life back.
CL> Think of Clive Barker's Hellraiser 1 through 4 films in space.
CL> Hyperviolent plot with holes big
CL> enough to drive a tank through. However, the ship itself
CL> was great. :-)
MT>  CL> hoping to find one under the Christmas tree, but minus its
MT>  CL> attitude problem.
MT>      But ... but ... but ... that's what makes them so much fun!
CL> Oh, I dunno. Getting a spaceship under the
CL> Christmas tree only to discover that its sentient, insane
CL> and wants to rend my soul somewhat takes the joy out of it.
CL> I think I'd have enough troubles out around the Oort
CL> Belt without the ship trying to off me at the same time. ;-)
CL> It is fun to play god, isn't it?
CL> Also, it's fun to write a work that is logical.
CL> I wrote a novella (still unpublished at this
CL> time) where, when you shoot the ugly monsters they
CL> actually lay down and assume room temperature.
CL> that I actually did that. It means the beasties have to be
CL> smart enough to contend with bullets and (here's the part
CL> that Hollywood would really freak over) when they're
CL> outgunned, THEY RUN AWAY!
CL> And what's amazing is that they still put a dent in
CL> the human population through ingenuity, not through
CL> mindless, bullet-proof plot mechanizations.
CL> It'll never sell. :-(

Write your reply.

assistant: Hmmm, not a real winner then, eh?
     Violence.  Lots of violence.  Enough violence to make Friday
night in Pittsburgh seem tame.  Okay ... <G>
     Audiences as a rule don't care about plot holes.  They want
the effects and the babes (male and female) and effects and
violence and effects and noise.  Oh, and effects, too.
     Play like it's a politician.  Er, wait.  You said "sentient"
... <G>
     It's just lonely and misunderstood and needs to be cuddled
... <G>
     Play?  Er ... uh, yes, it is. <G>
     "Of course truth is stranger than fiction.  Fiction has to
make sense."  (Samuel Clemens, if I remember right <G>)
     That's what mine do.  They die.  They don't sizzle into
puddles or do their equivelent of a maniacal laugh while they
rend the shooter's body limb from limb.  They die.  Well, most
do.  Physiologies are such that in a few cases, you need two
rounds. <G>
     Yep.  Hollyweird hasn't figured out that even the most evile
of aliens does have enough sense to avoid things that hurt and
kill, especially when they're aimed at the self-same aliens.  I
haven't quite figured out the logic of creating a race
technically advanced to have star-hopping space craft that isn't
also very interested in its own survival.  There may be gung-ho
individuals willing to commit suicide for their planet of choice
by charging into a vastly overpowering artillery but, by and
large, most are going to be more than happy to execute a tactical
advance to the rear when the situation becomes sticky.
     Hmmm, Earth attacks a numerically superior Empire, but the
Empire's numerical superiority is not organized where Earth's
forces are ... at least initially ... <G>
     *chuckling* ... not enough effects ... <G>
     Oh, yea.  "Nice story.  Who can we get to re-write it?"  <G>
Michael
... Guess it's time for Plan B, huh?
___ Blue Wave/QWK v2.12