A little thing I've always wondered about

[KnightRandom]

In what episode of Game 3 did the purple toaster-headed gorilla first appear? I know he was mentioned in the Silver Door episodes of Game 3, but I seem to recall him being in an earlier episode as well.

And in episode 954, how does Astra know what a toaster is?

[JH]

I pass on the second question. As to the first, Bobo the toaster-headed gorilla was first introduced in the NEQ by either Wolfrun or Y, IIRC, and I wasn't aware that they had any Game 3 connections. Are you sure that Bobo had previously appeared in Game 3?

[KnightRandom]

Well, I did a little bit of digging around and it turned out I was right! He makes his first appearance (though not called Bobo) in Endless Perspectives Episode 54. It was supposed to be an episode written in the style of William Gibson, but instead the guy who extended that option wrote:

You are walking along through the dark woods,picking your nose,and flicking it at chipmunks when all of a sudden,a giant toaster-headed purple gorilla jumps out of a tree and screams in your face. He throws you against a tree trunk.

Then in episode 443 in the Silver Door sequence, he appears as part of the group of characters from inactive storylines, where he's mad at Scott for hogging the spotlight. Finally, he appears in Episode 69457, where he's joined the Abbey of the Story and found peace with himself. He probably appeared in other episodes too.

...You know, I really have no life even by interenet standards.

[Hi! My name is Ib!]

It's okay, KR.

I'm a card carrying member of the 'total, utter, even by internet standards loser club'

The only time I ever encountered the gorilla was 432 in game 3. But I'm glad you did some digging around in the archives.

You know, game 3 was one of the first websites I ever frequented as a kid. It, some old MUD, and some cheesy softcore porn site. lol.

My parents found out and banned me from the computer for about 3 months.

[WolfRun]

Bobo definitely came from Game 3. I, like many others, was coming off of a Game 3 high when I discovered NEQ and introducing the purple ape to Fred's world was one of the first things I did.

As for the name "Bobo", I truly cannot recall whether or not the name came from Game 3 or if I made it up on the spot. Based on KR's research I assume that I made it up.

Not that I actually "made it up". The name Bobo has been around for a long time and has been connected to apes (at least in my mind) for the longest time. But what I mean is that I had to call our refugee from Game 3 something, and Bobo sounded just right.

And after all this time, I still think it sounds right.

Bobo. Bobo, Bobo, Bobo. I love Bobo!

Oh, and as for how Astra could know what a toaster is, I believe that my rationale for the story was simply not to make an issue of it. We know what a toaster is and I didn't want to slow the episode down by dealing with Astra's musings on the nature of the strange metal box/helmet the ape was wearing. And after re-reading the episode, I still like the choice I made.

[Hi! My name is Ib!]

It's WolfRun! Stick around and add a few episodes, buddy! I think you added to one of my recent eps but I never got around to continuing it.

And thanks for summarizing the Shadow War/Cederik thread from way back. That thread just got WAY too complicated and kept jumping around too much like a jack rabbit on crack. Mostly my fault there. God that was awhile ago, wasn't it?

[WolfRun]

I'll stick around as much as I can, which can't be as much as you guys

The Cederik storyline was really great. And I believe my synopsis of it could do with a little update. I hope to get around to that (but no promises). I'm glad you liked it Ib, it was a lot of fun to write it (as well as an incredible time-sink )

There are a lot of really cool storylines I remember. And all of them were awhile ago. But thanks to modern technology (and the great and wonderful Oz, er, I mean Sir Toby) they're still here, ready to be enjoyed all over again and waiting to be added to. I just hope it all doesn't disappear one day like the Horsehockey addventure did.

[Hi! My name is Ib!]

Definitely.

At least make a cameo, once in a while.

Don't go the way of the Dinosaur like so many others.

Well...I guess one day we'll ALL go the way of the dinosaur...huh?

[Ben McClellan II]

Unfortunately, everyone who is active, or has been active here or at NEQ in the past will go the way of the dinosaur.

Sucks, but what can ya do?

[Anableps]

Good question, Ben. It was probably meant to be rhetorical, but one of the things that I do is keep a journal or a scrapbook, and make at least one update a week, even if it is describing something ridiculously commonplace. Document your life.

That might sound weird, but what ends up happening is that - although it is a cliche, it is still true - the past comes alive when I read a well-written diary, or collection of letters, or essays. As my time has permitted, I have been plowing through a collection of letters written by the family of a Georgia plantation owner and pastor from 1854 to 1868 (The Children of Pride). It is fascinating look at history. And it is almost like I *know* this family, although I have never met them. And although I would not always agree with them, or at times even like them, they come back and live in at least one person's memory for a few hours. As long as the letters exists and someone reads them, then they are in some sense still alive.

And, after observing another post here tonight, we all know that any writing that has any sort of emotional depth is going to be personal. Sometimes very much so, and in ways that may not be apparent to the reader. In non-collaborative prose that does not matter as much. The work is the author's and the author's alone, and even if nobody around him "understands", he knows what he meant, and, if he knows that he writes well, he can at least satisfy himself.

What collaborative story-telling, though, if an author makes an emotional investment - and if takes any care in creating an episode, he does make an investment of time, at least - then he is going to risk getting hurt. It could be something as simple as vandalism - someone attaching a cheap, poorly-written episode that is designed to shock. Or could be something as subtle as violating what the author considers to be the "spirit of the character" - especially if the character is a stand-in for the author, or someone he loves. And that is where the hurt feelings come in - a reader may honestly have a radically different interpretation of the author's world based on his own experience, and when he follows up and gets a distressed response from the author, he gets a reply and think "where in the heck did that come from?"

That was probably too much effort to put into answering a rhetorical question.

[JH]

I think the Never Ending Quest is a bit like the Hotel California: you can check out any time you like but you can never leave. By which I mean that those who become regular writers may disappear for a year or two, but they almost always return sooner or later. (Possible exceptions are Ragan and The Traveler.)