Return to Unfiction unforum
 a.r.g.b.b 
FAQ FAQ   Search Search 
 
Welcome!
New users, PLEASE read these forum guidelines. New posters, SEARCH before posting and read these rules before posting your killer new campaign. New players may also wish to peruse the ARG Player Tutorial.

All users must abide by the Terms of Service.
Website Restoration Project
This archiving project is a collaboration between Unfiction and Sean Stacey (SpaceBass), Brian Enigma (BrianEnigma), and Laura E. Hall (lehall) with
the Center for Immersive Arts.
Announcements
This is a static snapshot of the
Unfiction forums, as of
July 23, 2017.
This site is intended as an archive to chronicle the history of Alternate Reality Games.
  

The time now is Wed Nov 13, 2024 7:21 am
All times are UTC - 4 (DST in action)		 View posts in this forum since last visit
View unanswered posts in this forum
Calendar
 Forum index » Archive » Archive: General » ARG: Acheron
Very Silly Spec about Baby Billy Bob
View previous topicView next topic
Page 1 of 1 [6 Posts]  
Author Message
choie
Boot


Joined: 19 Sep 2003
Posts: 28

 		Very Silly Spec about Baby Billy Bob
Okay, so something (other than that creepy picture!) is troubling me a bit about Jake & Meg's ummm bouncing baby boy, and I feel like 'bouncing' some weird spec off you all. I tend to be wrong in most guesses so take this with a big container of Morton's Salt. Smile

Here goes. I think we all agree that the kid looks like a cross between Eddie Munster and Rosemary's eponymous Baby, right? But isn't it a little unusual that neither Jake nor Meg seems all that worried -- or even fazed -- about having a DevilBaby?

Sure, according to Meg's blog, she observes that the baby "roars" and has "long fingers," and looks around in a disconcerting way. But she doesn't sound particularly concerned by all this, much less even weirder things such as his black/red eyes and pointy ears! I mean dang, she seems more upset about the lack of email companionship than her apparently having given birth to Satan's Spawn.

And then there's Mr. Starkey. Jake proudly puts the baby's photo up on his blog without so much as a slight reference to its unusual features. Huh?

Even Caretaker, in his recent chat, takes little interest in DevilBaby when one of us directly mentions the kid's odd appearance. In the log, enaxor says something like, "we've seen that weird-looking baby," and all CT says is basically a casual "yes, I saw the blog posting" before moving to a different subject.

That's it? Not "I saw the picture too, and I find his obvious deformities disturbing"? Not "Yes, I saw it, and I don't quite know what to make of this occurance"? Not even "Oy, tell me about it dude, that's one scary looking freak"??

I don't get it. And like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's famous non-barking dog, it's the very absence of these expected reactions that seems (to me, at least) unsettling, if not an outright clue. I admit it could just be a writing flaw by the PMs, but ... maybe not. Maybe not.

So I guess my utterly bizarre and probably easily-debunked speculation is this: Is there any possibility that in this timeline/universe, DevilBabies are normal? For that matter, is EVERYONE a bit ... devilish, shall we say?

For example: why is Meg giving birth already when she only just found out she was pregnant a couple of months ago? There was speculation here to the effect of, "apparently she's been pregnant for longer than OldMeg from the other timeline," but I don't see how that could be, since Jake had been in a coma almost a year even in this timeline, right? <-- (I'm probably completely wrong about this, in which case trout me.) Which I guess is probable, but ... what if here in this universe/timeline, gestation for DevilBabies is normally short?

This is all off the top of my head, and you guys probably already mentioned it in IRC. Since I almost never get to chats I always miss the good stuff! Very Happy Anyway, it's just that as a writer, I pay a lot of attention to characterization in ARGs, and throughout Acheron I've been impressed with how carefully each character's personality and behavior have been developed.

But Meg and Jake (and to a lesser extent CT) seem "off" here. Their reactions are awfully calm, even disinterested, for a bunch of seemingly normal people dealing with a disturbing, monumental event (i.e., having your much-anticipated firstborn child turn out to be ... well, a hideous and scary freak).

Sorry for babbling ... Smile

PostPosted: Fri Feb 13, 2004 4:15 am
 View user's profile Visit poster's website
 Back to top 
addlepated
Unfictologist


Joined: 17 Aug 2003
Posts: 1885
Location: Austin, Texas

 		Hehhehe, y'all ever see that Seinfeld episode with the ugly baby?

I noticed none of the comments left on Jake's blog say anything like "OMG EVIL DEVIL BABY, what in God's name is the MATTER WITH IT??" All those comments were said over here where Jake doesn't read.

Because we just don't say stuff like that, usually. At least not without a healthy dose of alcohol first.

Heck, when my second baby was born she was all swollen up and looked quite a lot like a sharpei puppy. It's not like I was gonna say, "Ew, put her back, she's oogy." Good thing, too, cause she got pretty darn cute when she unswole. Laughing Besides, ain't no way she was going back the way she came, nope.

PostPosted: Fri Feb 13, 2004 5:16 am
 View user's profile Visit poster's website AIM Address
 Back to top 
choie
Boot


Joined: 19 Sep 2003
Posts: 28

 		Hee. Well, yeah, but that's us being tactful. Smile Although actually, the comments were full of "devil" references, so I dunno whether there was much sensitivity involved when writing them, LOL!

But anyway, I'm talking about the parents here ... especially emotional ol' Megan. I mean, if I had a blog in which I'd always felt free to complain candidly about all my marital problems, worry incessantly about my husband's headaches and strange behavior, and generally share every moment of major angst in my life ... wouldn't I be likely to slip in a mention about the fact that my newborn kid is a freakin' DevilBaby!!!!!!!!!!!? Twisted Evil

Instead, Meg whines about how she isn't getting any email. And expresses not a moment's concern or even curiosity about why her sweet little bundle of joy looks like He Who Is Prince of Darkness and Lord of Flies.

Call me crazy, but her priorities seem a bit outta whack! Very Happy

PostPosted: Fri Feb 13, 2004 5:40 am
 View user's profile Visit poster's website
 Back to top 
rose
...and then Magic happens


Joined: 26 Nov 2003
Posts: 4117

 		Chat about the baby
Choie wrote:
Quote:
Even Caretaker, in his recent chat, takes little interest in DevilBaby when one of us directly mentions the kid's odd appearance. In the log, enaxor says something like, "we've seen that weird-looking baby," and all CT says is basically a casual "yes, I saw the blog posting" before moving to a different subject.


In the chat I mentioned Meg and the baby twice to see how CT would react. After he agreed to go check on them, I again made a relatively neutral remark to see what he would say.

He wasn't interested in addressing the "devil-baby" implications, which may have been for a number of reasons that I can spec about:
1. He wants us to focus on Jake and the docs, he patiently restated this three times in the chat: "I have I guy on the inside feeding docs to Baxter."
2. The plot regarding the baby is not "ripe" for unveiling further to us.
3. As a believer in concrete reality, Caretaker is not the type of man who would jump to conclusions about Meg's baby being an (or the) anti-christ. He is only now revealing an inner part of himself that contemplates the nature of reality, we may hear more of this later. (And I confess that my repeated views of the kick-out sites from trying to solve the orb puzzle may have distorted my perspective on this part of the plot.)

As for Jake, I think I understand him a little better now. At the moment he is desperately trying to fix the problems with the timelines, as this is his only chance to have a future with Meg in any timeline. I think it is understandable, that he would not be fixated on the baby. He is getting ready to risk his life in a gamble to get the timelines straightened out and discredit Becker.
_________________
I love this site for being free, in every sense of the word~Spacebass

Mankind was my business, the common good was my business.~ Dickens

PostPosted: Fri Feb 13, 2004 11:02 am
Last edited by rose on Fri Feb 13, 2004 11:12 am; edited 1 time in total
 View user's profile Visit poster's website
 Back to top 
MageSteff
Pretty talky there aintcha, Talky?


Joined: 06 Jun 2003
Posts: 2716
Location: State of Denial

 		Re: Very Silly Spec about Baby Billy Bob
choie wrote:

For example: why is Meg giving birth already when she only just found out she was pregnant a couple of months ago? There was speculation here to the effect of, "apparently she's been pregnant for longer than OldMeg from the other timeline," but I don't see how that could be, since Jake had been in a coma almost a year even in this timeline, right? <-- (I'm probably completely wrong about this, in which case trout me.) Which I guess is probable, but ... what if here in this universe/timeline, gestation for DevilBabies is normally short?


When Meg's blog talked about that fact that the baby was growing at a faster than normal rate,and she did end up on full bed rest, we mentiioned it in chat and a few messages here. Speculation is that perhaps there is a third timeline where she gets pregnant a lot earlier, and the baby's prenatal developement was affected. Meg did mention the problems she was having in getting to see a clergy person or get to church (i.e the nausia (prolly spelled wrong), and vomitting) she did go see her doctor who did worry, and sent her to a place for better ultrasound.

But you're right no one has mentioned the baby's odd looks. Maybe the baby has some sort of mental/mystical hold on them so they don't notice?
_________________
Magesteff
A small group of thoughtful people could change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has. - Margaret Mead


PostPosted: Fri Feb 13, 2004 11:06 am
 View user's profile Visit poster's website AIM Address Yahoo Messenger MSN Messenger
 Back to top 
aiesha_anonymous
Veteran


Joined: 18 Jun 2003
Posts: 101
Location: Australia

 		I think Meg might just be doing her best to love her baby, because that's what you're meant to do. She's mentioned in her emails to me how much he freaks her out, but of course she hasn't out and out said 'oh my god what is that hideous thing'. What mother or friend of the family would?

Perhaps we should start to subtly broach the subject that her baby might not be normal with her. But it's going to be very very senstive.

aiesha

EDITED: because the game's over??

PostPosted: Sat Feb 14, 2004 9:55 pm
 View user's profile
 Back to top 
Display posts from previous:   Sort by:   
Page 1 of 1 [6 Posts]  
View previous topicView next topic
 Forum index » Archive » Archive: General » ARG: Acheron
Jump to:  


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
You cannot attach files in this forum
You can download files in this forum
You cannot post calendar events in this forum



Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group