Sir-Toby.Com

Hi folks,

Look. If you're thinking that I'm going to be in a joking mood right now, either you haven't been reading the last few postings of mine or something.

Ah, but frell that. Let's get to the topic.

Why did I ever make the Champions immortal. No, I'm not at all talking about my stated reasons within the story (valid for story telling aside). I'm talking about what *drove*....me to do it.

Good God. Even after all this time it still enrages me....why. I don't blame God. I'm a Christian (don't appologize for it). I'm a good Catholic (I'd like to think). However. I do have to question just why my grandfather had to die as he did! Not the most "fuzzy and warm" kind of guy, but I still loved him. WWII vet and had stories to tell....that I'll never get to hear from him now from his own lips in this lifetime. Never. I tried a few times earlier, but....goodnes...where did the time go? Never was enough for all the tales.

My grandfather died soon after going on the operating table at the VA hospital due to a bleeding ulcer. He'd gone into the hospital to get checked up on the pains before. Well before it should have gotten to this point! And the doctors....misdiagnosed him. Kept checking his heart, despite obvious (in retrospect) signs it was something a little lower than that.

He died soon after going under the knife, too late.... Too late. Got a notice from the Red Cross (whilst based out in Japan) that my grandfather was on life support....and finally when I got a CHANCE to call my mother (who'd been at his side)...I got told that they'd unplugged his life support machine...and leg him die. See, complications had put him in a coma....and....

Damn.

I soon created the Champions as something as a stab against such....a needless death. Yeah, he was getting old...but....

I wrote the Champions because I wanted something...even if only in a fantasy tale....to last.

There. Said it.

Not interested in flame wars, folks. But if you make ANY damn snide comments aobut this I'm going....

Okay, calming down.

Later. Had a...day....

Hi, MSG. I know I've got e-mail from you, but I've been a bit behind on getting through my inbox, and I wanted to respond to this, I guess... First of all, my sympathies. It's hard enough losing someone you care about (unfortunately, I know that too well), but for it to happen like that... Well, there really aren't words, so I won't try to come up with any. And I know my own take on the big theological "why" questions is completely different from yours, so I definitely won't get into that (this is hardly the place, anyway). But I did want to say this:

I've always thought your threads, on a number of levels, had elements of what I guess you'd have to call "wish fufillment." A lot of people look down their noses at that sort of thing (and I'm talking about people in general, there, not anybody at NEQ). But personally, I don't think there's anything intrinsically wrong with that at all. I think it's one of the great things about fiction. It lets you remake the world over the way you want it, if that's what you want to do. If you want a world where people don't have to die (let alone die for stupid reasons), you can make one.

On the other hand, fictional characters will always be only fictional characters, no matter how attached to them we get. (And goodness knows, I get more attached than anybody. I cry at TV shows. It's embarrassing. ) And the great thing about a piece of fiction like NEQ is that no matter what happens to a character on one thread (death, tragedy, sheer bad writing), they can go on in a hundred other threads to live happily (or at least interestingly) ever after. In other words, no matter what anybody else does to your characters, they do last.

And now I'm done waxing philosophical. Really.

I wrote 27811 to provide for three different possibilities - the pride of both parties leads to a breach, Fertal offers an olive branch, and Jenny tries to use her talents to convey to the four a bit of the Champions' background. I was hoping to give the readers distinct choices to make. I was less surprised that there was an episode that took the direction of 28017 than the fact that it occupied the 'olive branch' option. I had 28081 in mind for this option before I tired. I have just submitted it, even though it adds yet another branch to the story. Just ignore it if you do not like it; I will just write another episode somewhere else.

The thread has cob webbed very quickly. Wonder which one will 'prevail'?