h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

*rapturous applause*

Very very nice. (or wicked depending on how you look at it.)

I was, i admit, somewhat worried that we had let old rasputin off the hoo like that just letting him wander in this desert landscape but that puts a rather nasty point on the end off the blunt prodding stick of vengence! Yes I like that a lot.

Give me another week and a bit and all my deadlines shall have passed. (with or without my getting the work done for them ) I shall endeavour to dream up something of my own in that time and get it posted - expect to see something in a couple of days maybe. )

I'll review what we've got and see if i can spot any loose ends (sans cat demon) that need dealing with as well. I think your right though, take 'em back to the Agency for debrief with Guy (no Jill *not* like that! ) then pack them off fior a holidday someplace...

Clive

Thanks clive. I was worried it was a bit esoteric.

What about Mr Smittington, currently residing in a broom closet in his secret lab? Having developed his story earlier in this thread and given him a biography, it would seem a bit remiss not to give him some closure. He got totally sidelined after Rasputin appeared (my fault, my fault ). Maybe Guy could mention him in the debriefing or something.

As for the holiday: Italy is very nice this time of year. Well, I hope so, I'm off there in three weeks

Well he *is* a Cryo-clown now after all. maybe guy should break the bad news that - "we have reports coming in from one of our field operatives that he had been resurrected and escaped the smittington compound. But tracking was lost when he ventured into the London Tube System - we can that re-introducie him into the story whenever it is convienient. A lingering menace , if you see what I mean.

Italy could be good. I'll give it some thought. I'd like to send them somewhere...totally unthreatening but you just now trouble will arrive in their lap when we return to them.

(*just had a rather nifty idea - "arrive in their lap" hmmm...something crashing down from outer space maybe....I'll put that one in the folder marked "cool ideas for later..."*)

and as for blaming you for introducing Rasputin.. - Yes - the blame is entirely yours and I thank you absolutly for it.

We lacked a crrdiable bad-guy after the Red leicester and boy-o-boy, did you give us one.

I think Mr Smittington could have been a good villain for this thread, with Annabel. I just brought Rasputin in 'cause I had finished reading a book on him and he seemed a total bad-ass, just right for a villain, and it would afford me the chance to do little historical in-jokes (yes, I'm a total history ). All's well that ends well, as they say

The interesting thing is, he may not have been such a monster in reality. After the Febuary Revolution, the Provisional Govt set up a committe to investigate Rasputin's influence on the Tsar and Tsarina. They got testimony from his friends and enemies. But when the Bolsheviks came to power in October, they were eager to emphasise how degraded and corrupt the Tsar's court had been, as well as having a dig at the Church, so they stifled the positive testimony, published all the negative testimony and the legend of the Mad Monk was born. Obviously he was no choir-boy; but it's probable that he wasn't all bad either. So the Rasputin in Storytime is more of a caricature of what everyone knows about him, and hence *much* more fun to write

History ?

pfssh!

I'd never have guesssed!

Yeah, some people idolise Beckham - for me it's Bismarck

guy could never ride in blimps, d'y'know that? - that little spike thing on his helmet kept poppin' all the balloons!

That's it, I have no idea what he did during his life - it's the funny pointy helmet that attracts me.

*opens the file marked "good ideas for later"*

The Bismark-Fetishists



*closes file*

ROFL They could be a suburban fan club of bored middle-class accountants and wage clerks who get together on Tuesday evenings to wear long moustaches and pointy hats and speak German at each other. "Mein Durchfall ist dunkelbraun. Wie komme ich am besten zum Bahnhof?"

The new storytime is going to be serialised in the Post, right?, with the cast list going in about a week ahead of the story. At least, that's the impression I got from reading your conversations with the Post editors. When is that going to start? I understand if RL makes it difficult to reach the computer - it can be a right pain like that - I have end-of-year tests to swot for too . In the words of the immortal somebody-or-other, "Don't let the [sons born out of wedlock] grind you down"

God, I hate censorship.

I've got my last essay deadliens this week and next. then revision for exam finals starts. I'll be clear of it all by June 1st.

That's my schedule.

Ideally, I'd like a week or so to just go through the cast list, make some ammendments, but yeah as soon as we feel what we've got in the story is ready to be typed up I can copy >paste it out of the forums and sent across to shazz, she can start with the cast list and then run the segments each week.

Well my dissertation is out of the way - just one more essay and an exam to clear and I'm FREE.

When you jettin' off to Italy? - Have a time. (take notes for the Story, antics for Bob, Jill, etc...)

At some point I'll start writin' all this up and then we'll get it serialised. Here's to a few weeks time... *clink*

How did it all go? Or is that a bad question? Never mind, it's *over*. You lucky sod.

I'm heading off on the 3rd June, after end-of-year exams. The thought gets me through those horrible study sessions - which I'm dossing from now, actually I'm spending five days in Rome and five in Gaeta, just down the coast from Naples

To a few weeks time!

I'm meant to be flying off to Italy tomorrow, but Aer Lingus have grounded all their flights due to a pilot's strike, so we may not make it. It's possible that we may get a flight with Alitalia or some other airline, but not certain. So, I'm not really sure if I'll be around much - if we don't get the flight, the earliest I'll be back here is Tuesday or Wednesday, if we get it it'll be about ten days. Here's hoping...

A pox on all airline pilots Apparently there are 80,000 people unable to go on holidays this weekend because of the strike and lockout. It has become literally impossible to get out of Ireland; other airlines are booked up, and the ferries have stopped taking bookings too. I just want to get out of this hole!

piffle. that's rough.

Well I am now all finished with Uni (Huzzah also.)

I am re-charging my batteries then sometime next week I'll get to writing up the stroy and submitting it then piecemeal over to shazz.

Just to let you know - I'm starting coding the story - writing it up, editing, spelling etc all this week that done I'll move onto the cast list then copy paste the story over to word and start submitting it to Shazz.

Just one little thing... the story isn't actually finished, is it? Are you going to do the Agency briefing bit, then I can do the epilogue? Great to know the whole thing is going ahead.

The tale of how I got to Rome is worth telling. All flights from Dublin with Aer Lingus were cancelled, so instead I had to fly from Belfast to Glasgow to London Heathrow and finally on to Rome. It was a busy day alright, and gave me a fresh insight into air travel, ie. if I never have to do it again it'll be too soon. Oh well... Rome was great. Lots of material for a new guide entry...

*Rushes off to jot down notes, falls asleep half-way to pad*

hee-hee. just caught up on the latest contribution.

Well you'd have to be a half-sane debauched sado-masochist to eat a happy meal. so I can't say I'm surprised.

Anyhoo. Just thought you deserve an update, I have not gotten as far as I would have liked with the write up. (still not yet reached the bottom of the current page.) Knifee's coding was good but it needs work in several places. Progress has been good but slow, I paused at the scene where Rasputin is waiting to catch the plan out of Moscow to the USA to run for the presidency and as of yet have not found the time to do any more.

I leave for my own holiday on Monday and baring finding a quiet half-hour and an internet cafe in deepest, darkest Pennsylvania - shall be unable to do any more for a further three weeks. ()

I will see however if I can't think of something for the agency briefing as you suggest.

At last I am free of all my deadlines so have nothing to distract me from pursuing the story as before.

Glad you enjoyed your holiday at any rate.

Clive.