Comic Genesis Forums

I'm really glad you brought this up, Diamond. This series has been so enjoyable that I've just been enjoying the ride, never thinking about the 'why' behind the 'what.'<P>I'm having a hard time imagining that Thack or his hardware is behind this. Remember the Hyperman storyline and the FIB's ploy. B-Mod, while stunningly convienant, isn't required to make people act strangely (witness Will and the unintentional/intentional shooting of Rikk).<P>I'd prefer to think that The Ring Trillogy is developing into what Pratchette calls a story node. Fairy tales which become so powerful that reality starts to adjust to follow them. If so, then Will is simply falling into the trap of the story. He should take some lessons from Granny Weatherwax and refuse to play. I guess those LARPing skills are working against him rather than for him these days.<P>I'd actually be very dissapointed if all this madness could be attributed to the B-Mod hack or something similar. Mind control, mind games, and virtual reality prisons, while useful (and VERY well utilized by the creative team of FANS! thus far) shouldn't be over used. There are more than enough sources of weirdness in the world besides these tricks, after all.<P>-Wish
"Hoax. Best to stop thinking about it right away, because it's probably; no, it's definitely a hoax. Gimme an H, Gimme an O..."

I too prefer the idea that for some reason causality has gone all wonky to the idea of a conspiricy going to absurd lengths to make things look like LoTR for no apparant reason.

OK, this isn't "just" a parody of LOTR. The characters sense what's going on. It's too similar to be a co-incidence. The author of this comic is fair about presenting clues to puzzles as things develop (albeit clever enough to suprise us at the same time). <P>So, the big question is: Who or what or why are things being manipulated to follow the plot of Lord Of The Rings? <P>Here's some speculation. Keep in mind who has the power to start it all. The FIB have the power to get all this rolling, but this doesn't feel like them - they're not imaginative enough. Keep in mind what they've done: created this Satan game and directed the actions of the players, as well as drawing in lots of neutral people aligned with the gaming scene into their appointed roles.<P>My guess: The people behind this are the Satan RPG company. They gave the real Ring, sorry I should say True ring to Bill Baux, intentionally. From there on they drove events to simulate LOTR. Why? Well, maybe they are taping Will's struggle and it will become a reality show. Or it's an overcomplex promotional event for MoreCon. Or perhaps a LARP. <P>Keep track of who has been introduced into events by whom. Gone-Ralph was waiting seconds after Bill Baux gave away the Ring. He introduced Will to More-Beer. More-Beer drives across the exhebition game is so crazy it can't possibly be an accident. More-Beer must be an NPC larper bringing Will to the Ball-Hog scriped encounter. Even Will knows it's scripted. Will thinks it's a LARP too, having given up on the virtual-reality theory. <P>Expect Kath to make a deliberate effort to break out of the scripted plot instead of going with the flow and using foreknowledge to one's advantage like Will is. <P>What are some other theories?

Well, from the phone-call from Simon, I suspect that the Chronus parody's back and he's recreating LotR from the dreams of fanboys and girls everywhere.

I say that Thackerabilitus is in here somewhere. Or at least his tech. You saw More-Beer's reaction to himself.

I just enjoyed Morebeer's line: "I was going to <i>hurt</i> him ..."<P></P>Yeah, sure you were, little fella. Sure you were.<P></P>--GB<P></P>"Chainsaws. We need a quote about chainsaws." --former president, WMAS

Nah, T's usually good about maintaining SOME semblance of reality. Or realism, or.... Well, you know what I mean. Maybe PC never whent away? Or! PC+Thack! Could work....

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by wish:
<B>
I'd actually be very dissapointed if all this madness could be attributed to the B-Mod hack or something similar. Mind control, mind games, and virtual reality prisons, while useful (and VERY well utilized by the creative team of FANS! thus far) shouldn't be over used. There are more than enough sources of weirdness in the world besides these tricks, after all.<P>-Wish
</B><HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P>I'm with you, Wish. I'd hate to see things devolve into nothing more than a series of reoccurring villians. Besides, how much effort would this mastermind be going to, any way? They would have even had to switch Shanna's phone...<P>Incidently, shouldn't the Fans be dumping Morebeer into the mall fountain or something?<P>

Clearly I was thinking too small in my earlier post! Consider the significance of recent developments: It's not just SATAN LARPers, it's Saur-on fans, Siren cultists and Sor-ren dressing Startec fans. Clearly, I was wrong when I hypothesized the SATAN rpg publishers were behind this. This is bigger than them.<P>I have an idea, however. Something that feels right. Consider a clue that goes back a ways - some of the casework Skully and Mulder (not sure I spelled the lawsuit-free versions of those names right) was investegating was "Psychic Previews" of Star Warz episode 1 (and there was evidence the FIB had the script for Episode 2). I'm betting those weren't just throw-away references. They're a clue.<P>If Star Warz Ep1 caused Psychic Trailers causing fans to act wierd enough to interest the FIB, what else is is being anticipated with similar zeal? The new Lord of the Rings Movie!! My prediction: The reasons Will's adventure mimics LOTR is that the psychic premonitions of the new LOTR movie is influencing weak-willed people into acting out roles as parts of the LOTR story.<P>That's why MoreBeer was so puzzled why he wanted to jump Will - even he felt he was acting out of type. That's why Morebeer drove across the exhebition field - normally an error so blatant that it couln't be done by accident.

Just a question that's been bugging me, why is the mind control tech called "B-Mod"? Just wondering.

"B-Mod" is short for "behavior modification."

I've said this on another topic, but...<P>I say that PC really did get his head kicked in,(Rikk is supposed to be the top{Read:Most Powerful} fan) so his chosen baliwick (Fandom and such) has gone completly out of whack, due his mumiliating defeat. <P>Pretty sure anyway, wich probably means I'm dead wrong, T has a habit of proving every last prediction wrong somehow.

Will and Bill Beaux seemed to know eachother pretty well. This means that "Bilbo of Hobbyton (and his cozy underground abode)" has been around for more than the immediate past.<P>Ditto Kath and "Treebeard of Fangorn".<P>So how far back in the past does this stretch? This is something Kath is probably thinking about. Will probably isn't.<P>I'm surpriced at the multiple puns for some LOTR items, this indicates a chaotic "natural" process rather than a conspiracy. (in my mind anyway)<P>My guesses as to what is going on: The d23 of power is a possibility, but I have another theory I like better, since it is mine:<P>Remember the god of fandom that Rikk banished? I don't think it went quietly into the night... It just went into hiding. I can't really figure out <I>why</I> it should be doing this, but what the heck, it is a god, gods do these things.<P>------------------
Stig Hemmer, at your disservice.

Has anyone mentioned the twenty-howevermanyitwas sider of power yet? And if not, why not -- like Rings of Power, mystical dice are hard to keep under wraps when they don't <I>want</I> to be... and in the hands of a suitably bored geek, could definately cause this kind of crazyness... <IMG SRC="http://www.keenspace.com/forums/smile.gif"><P>[blatant extrapolation]Be kinda ironic if Will frought this whole thing down ont him self, wouldn't it? Although how the die could have gotten into his possesion is left as an exercise for the reader... (no doubt he 'won' it off some random hobo in a riddle contest <IMG SRC="http://www.keenspace.com/forums/wink.gif">)[/blatant extrapolation]

Well, if you think of the previous plotline as loosely following the Silmarillion, then Sauron usually chose to appear to his enemies with a fair face and offer to help them. That's how he got the Elves to forge the three Rings. Once he was thwarted, he retreated to his stronghold and became the Sauron we all know and love.<P>So perhaps "Passus Chronos" was just Annatar (Sauron's "friendly" alias; literally "gift-bringer," if my memory serves). Sweet-talking didn't work, so now it's war.
<P>------------------
James<P>"Without death there would be very little progress." - Steve Jobs

Tim Mitts, it the comic, called Thack's technology B-Mod Broadcast software. We Fans!^2 have kept the name alive.<P>Nodrog:verb:To theorize or speculate based on seemingly insufficient data and past authorical patterns.

Well most of you seem to miss one vital clue that T mentioned - <P>Alisin's Ring, the engagement Ring, is also important. Meaning there IS a third one out there as well.<P>So Sorren may be a physical person. Could he be Passus Chronus waging war on those he had once called his servant? <P>More likely an entirely new guy.<P>And Sorryman isn't helping.<P>I do have a question though - what's going to happen to the play?<P><P>------------------
Johnny M.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by jmarquis:
<B>I do have a question though - what's going to happen to the play?<P></B><HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P>I expect it'll close about halfway through the overture. <IMG SRC="http://www.keenspace.com/forums/wink.gif"><P>Maccabee, theater critic of <B>DOOM</B><P>------------------
Risus est telum ultimum contra tyrranem. Nullus dictator exercitibus allibus ridiculem vulgi longe resistare potest.

Or maybe it is all a big dream that Shanna is having, starring her "itch." <P>Just a goofy little thought.<P>Ex animo,
m.d

Naw, Shanna doesn't seem the Tolkien type...LeGuin or McCaffrey, maybe.