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

Well, Sonic and Shadow is an iffy comparison (they've shared two games max (unless you count SA2 and SA2: Battle as different games), and aren't always enemies), but you're right about that. However, while a pairing of antithesis villains would make for an interesting story twist, it'd take me a while to rationalize Anti-Affy5 settling for a partnership. It could be done, but it'd have to be (1) a fantastically good deal for him assuming that both sides play honestly, and (2) a fairly easy to manipulate deal that could facilitate future leverage for his benefit.

As for what's in the Clinstar Expanse, I've not sketched that as thoroughly as I have with some of my other CLI things (such as the Althian and Thaltarian home worlds, etc.) I know that the Grand Repository was created as a joint maneuver between the monarch of one solar system who was afraid of losing all of his society's culture, and the dean of a very exclusive University who wanted to create an environment that could act as an all purpose "knowledge pool" for students who needed to research very obscure topics. So you'd probably have at least one ni-Utopian society that's very into the aquisition and containment of knowledge, and an incredibly impressive University of some sort. The latter would probably make the more interesting tourist attraction for travelling adventurers.

It may also be a necessary stop, come to think of it, as a person with a student's pass would have a better shot at getting past the armada of battleships surround the Grand Repository (which is a big space station, by the way. I don't know the shape or size, but it's a pretty big space station).

Now, if you're incredibly fortunate(?) in your travels, you might run into the spaceship/research lab owned by the guy who designed Stupid Little Robot. Stu himself is otherwise busy in the Galaxy, but Stu's twin brother (an assassination robot with a ridiculous degree of intelligence) would probably be there. I've never thought of just where his ship would be, so it might as well be in the Expanse.

Lemme think for a sec....I've got a lot of various aliens/ideas that are in the "CLI Universe" that I've never assigned a specific place and time for that could be used. Serling's Zone Of Twilight might be there, but that'd be a ridiculously difficult and time consuming one to pull off well. You might run into a place where a Perpendicular Dimension intersects with our own, but that's more of a one-liner gag, not so much a scenario....

Oh! You might also meet Gateway, something of a rift to another dimension encarnate. I've never decided one way or the other whether he's a hero or a villain, but he's definitely the type to be found in a seedy Space Bar.

In Sonic and Shadow's case, I meant more within SA2 itself, but yeah. (And also, I believe it's /three/ games they've shared: SA2, Sonic Heroes, and Sonic Battle.)

Also, Ray and AntiAffy5 wouldn't necessarily have to form an alliance; perhaps they could just meet, and indicate that they happen to share a common enemy (Yar), regardless of their goals; another possibility would just be an "I'll work for you if you help me kill this one guy who happens to be opposed to you" kind of thing.

And I asked about what else was in the Clinstar Expanse because I thought there might be some way /there/ to account for Ray's existence in the first place. I suppose he /could/ have existed previously, and joined the University to sift through the Grand Repository's knowledge for his own gain, and happens to meet Anti-Affy5 there ...

Maybe, although it's a pretty eclusive place. Anti-Affy5 wouldn't even have a membership card to the repository if he hadn't taken over a healthy portion of the Galaxy in his own Universe.

That's how he's able to go there freely. The card system is still the same between Universes, so a card from one would work in the place of a card from another.

So yeah, having Ray at the University could work. It just depends on how you want to explain his presence there.

Okay ... I suppose that means I'll have to either come up with a very good reason for them to allow a relative nobody like Ray in, or a way for his coming into /existence/ there to pass unnoticed. (The reason Ray exists will be revealed by him later.)

Well, Ray could conceivably be masquerading as a student who is *really* supposed to be there (but that Ray presumably did something mean to to temporarily prevent him from arriving).

Yes ... temporarily. Right. Exactly.

But anyway ... It looks like it's going to take a while until the guys get /to/ the Keymaker, much less get him to a door he can use to get to the back corridor and from there to the Grand Repository, but perhaps we could at least start a thread for that locale so we can have a conversation between Affy5 and Ray? (Or possibly Ray starting some relatively minor mischief ...)

Yeah, that might be worthwhile. Persephone didn't mean "the quick way" when she said "ze fun way," I guess. Personally, fun for me would be lots of explosions, but that's just me.

Shall I start a thread for just the Grand Repository of Knowledge, or the Clinstar Expanse as well?

Hmmm....I may actually just make a "Clinstar Expanse" page, but then have the Repository conversation within it, come to think of it....

Oh, don't worry, there'll be plenty of explosions. They still have to do the chase scene, remember.

No they don't. You could just get the Keymaker in the next room. Persephone could have him locked away in a closet. After all, you'd think these guys'd learn from their mistakes from the second movie. I'm betting that the heroes won't even make it to the Freeway if they keep following the story.

Yes ... especially since none of them can block bullets like Neo does. Still, /nowhere/ does it say that Merv is required to learn from his mistakes. It'll have some "Enter the Matrix" elements as well, anyway.

Okay, fine. Live the movie.

I'll just rent it, though. And I'll se your story progress over and over and over. On the fourth or fifth viewing, maybe you'll find the keymaker. Who knows?

All right, just for that, I'm throwing in a few twists that'll be nothing like either.

That's all that I'm asking for.

*raises eyebrow*

*watches silently*

What? That's seriously all I was asking for.

... knew I should've E-mailed 'im ...