On stories and tales

I warn, I am in a strange mood tonight, as anyone who was about earlier will know. Call it a melancholic mood.

In the past I have said 'don't look at the days gone by' and 'don't dwell in the past.' These are true things. But there are times when to look back is a good thing. To look and remember the stories of the past, for the elders to pass on the tales to the new bloods.

There have been a lot of amazing characters that have come and gone. A lot of fantastic stories that have been etched into the greater story that is Withmore City. More than a thousand tales at least. Tales from people, from players who have woven a depth and heart into there characters, and then when the times are right, these characters cease to be.

That is one thing a lot of people don't understand. That only the very best of characters get to die. Only the very best get to fade into the greater tapestry of the mix. Only a few get to be the ghosts told to the new faces as they cross through those big, heavy gates into the hell that is trashtown.

There will for ever only be one Lucifer, the morning bringer, the mad man, the criminal who danced and tried to bring law.

There will only ever be one Sathyia, radical, terrorist, dead at the hands of the corporations.
There will only ever be one Astrophel, ladies man and master criminal, dressed in a mohair trench coat.

Only one Devon, cracked and tweaked to insanity by v-202.

Only one Moss, master of the underworld. Only one Chastity, striper, sly face, and unabashed tramp. Only one Rigby, loud mouth saint. Only one Jet Black, rocker and revolutionary who bit off far more than one man could ever hope to chew. Only one Gally, master of blades, tortured by things she did not understand, and a body made of metal and circuits.

These are the true heart and history of Withmore city. The real stories that are here, for ever more. Passed from player to player, growing and changing even after the passing of the person from life. From people who have gained freedom from living in the dome.  Heros. Villains. Scoundrels and Saints.

The true testament and joy of a character, the -TRUE- legacy is not in living the longest, having the most, being the best. It is in burning hard, bright, and hot for as long as you can. It is about going out in style. It is about leaving your mark in Withmore.

It is about passing on, and becoming history.

Ah, but he hasn't.

Nic does not fit into the group he so rightly honored. �This is not to say that Nic deserves no honor.

The characters he mentioned are no longer a physical part of Withmore City, yet, the memory of them is clear, and tales of thier deeds have become a part of the collective consciousness of the city. �They have become legends unto themselves.

In this city of 65 million people, where hundreds if not thousands die daily, and more have thier spirit, thier will, thier very soul broken, to simply be memorable enough to be be remembered, and imitated is parmount to becomming a saint in the eyes of the people.

These are the people that are revered, are honored.

You are cyberpunks.

To live and amass wealth and posessions that sit and collect dust, defeats the purpose. �To die, in a blaze of glory, penniless, but struggeling to right the wrongs that have been forced upon you is martyrdom. �And while dying may not be the goal, righting the wrongs is.

Your's is a stuggle of pain, of suffering. �It is a life no would would want to live, and that's why they burned so bright.

They fought to change it, but not for themselves.

I was lucky enough to play with three of those characters. �There isn't a week that goes by, that I wish for one or the other to be around in any given situation.

There are a few characters today that have the ability to be in this same class, and a few more that are heading in that direction.

I challenge us all, to see the bigger picture, to step up and to burn brightly.

If you want to burn brightly, but don't know how, ask. �If you can't figure out a way to feel wronged, ask. �Because that's the key.

Ask me, ask Iga, ask Kevlar, ask Johnny.

Find those who led the way and learn from them. �A search, for example of King[Fu] on the BgBB will reveal much. �Read and understand the cyberpunk 101 I wrote and the tips thread that has some outstanding tips for starting new, but also holds lessons for burning brightly.

You don't need to have read every cyberpunk book ever written, you don't need to have seen every cyberpunk film.

Believe you have been wronged, and fight back.
Fight back with style
Live on the edge while you're doing it.

Follow those three, and you'll be well on your way to burning brightly, and being honored and revered with the rest of the legends of Withmore.

My favorite description of cyberpunk is the one Max still has for his BgBB signature.

Cyberpunk is .. "An unholy alliance of the technical world and the world of organized dissent"
-Bruce Sterling - Introduction to Mirrorshades.

Organize your dissent.

Thank you, Iga, for that stroll down memory lane, and for passing that melancoly to me.

I came right in at the end of what I call the "Golden Age", aka the Age of Giants. I didn't get to enjoy most of the chars. that have been listed here, though I have been lucky enough to enjoy some of them. And yes, they did shape me, though only in ways I know of.

Nic..others have explained my enjoyment of you already. Always glad to see you, as things are never boring with you around. One of Trancer's most interesting RP events was the show at Carnal, which happened in large part because of Nic..but his personality has affected me far more than that single evening.

Lucifer…you may not think you deserve to be a part of the same echelon as the others, but I say you do. Whether your RP focused on you or not, the way you played affected everyone around you; trust me.

Jet...I actually RP'ed very little with him, but there was actually one evening where we shared in some RP, that developed an aspect in my character that still shapes his actions to this very day, though I'm sure even his player doesn't realize that.

Moss, of course. He'll always be a legend. For far too many reasons than I care to list, and I'm sure there's a thousand more I dont' know about.