Introduction to Inanity
When last we left our intrepid hero, Gebohq, he had just faced his most intimidating nemesis -- The Taxman!
Wait a minute, who are you? You must be new here. Allow me to introduce myself. I am the often accurate, sometimes intoxicated, frequently cantankerous, Narrator. I am the one burdened with the onerous task of explaining the story.
What do you mean "what story?" Must I spell out everything? Very well, then. This is what’s known as the NeS. Capital "N", little "e", Capital "S". This is an acronym of The Never-ending Story, which itself is the shortened form of The Never-ending Story Thread1. The NeS is a round-robin type collaborative work, written on an internet forum. One writer composes a section of the narrative, and another writes the next. The Never-ending Story has seen many writers through its 8-year history, with only a few that have remained for the majority of it. Its style can be described as a comedic adventure, meandering from one unlikely situation to the next. Each movement, commonly referred to as a “story-arc,” flows into the next, a new villain appearing before the previous one has been defeated. Quite often it parodies other works, including exaggerated characters from well-known sources, and borrowing plot elements to move the story along.
Despite its humorous nature, over the years NeS has evolved into a compelling epic exploring the nature of fiction itself. The heroes often break the “fourth wall” revealing that they in fact know they are just characters in a story. They will curse the writers, or even me, for the situations they find themselves in, and discuss what story convention to best solve their problem.
As the Narrator, as previously explained, it is my duty to accurately describe the situations the heroes and writers find themselves in. Yes, the writers too. It is a bit odd, I know, but the writers are such a part of the story that sometimes they find themselves wrapped up in it was well. The writers are distinct from the heroes by way of title. For example, Ford the Hero is a resident of The Never-ending Story, whereas Ford the Writer is a resident of the Writers Wrealm. The writers write the story, and the heroes act it out, with myself providing the backdrop.
Ford is an interesting story himself. When he came to the NeS he was reluctant at first, intimidated by the amount of material already written, and fearing that his contributions would interfere with the plans of other writers. His fears abated when it was explained that there was very little planning involved in the writing of the story. And so Ford the Hero was born.
Like most of the other heroes, Ford the Hero is an idealized version of the writer who created him. Longhaired and scholarly, Ford is a master of the arcane arts, who, instead of fighting directly, prefers to outwit his opponents. His sober demeanor is contrasted with his tendency to become surly when agitated. His dry humor and penchant for puns irritates his companions. His creator often wishes he was as quick witted as his character, as in his own life, he often comes up with things to say minutes or even hours after the relevant conversation.
Ford wrote for the story consistently throughout 2003 and 2004, and has slacked off in recent years, primarily due to events in his life. He regrets not having time to write anymore, as it has brought him much pleasure to amuse others and to see the story progress. His own contributions have been mostly minor, often not having much to do with the story-arc, but supplying comic relief instead. When he does supply direction, it rarely comes to fruition because he stops writing shortly thereafter. He is disappointed by this, but feels he is justified in leaving things hanging because he is not in control of events in his own life.
One such plan was to write a sub-plot to the ongoing story-arc involving his character Ford the Hero. In that time a newly elected leader had disbanded the League of Heroes. Having no obligation to save the world anymore, most of the heroes left the business and celebrated their newfound freedom. Ford the Hero went with them, but as the night progressed his conscious plagued him. He finally made a resolution to do something about the war in the outside world. He subsequently got up and gave a speech, and a toast:
I look around me here and I see people who were once so righteous they were willing to do anything to save the world from the forces of evil, now apathetic. Wasting their time in a bar getting smashed, watching films and trying to get each other in the sack. All the while, there’s a bloody war going on out there in the world. None of you seem to care that hundreds of thousands of innocents are being destroyed by the demons and the forgotten characters. Well I care. I'm afraid for the world. I'm so afraid that I’m going out to make any and all difference that I can. So this, friends, is my toast:
To cowardice. May all of you be so afraid for the world that you will do as I am about to.
At this, Ford the Hero exited on a trek to fight the evils of the world from a grassroots level, recruiting not heroes, but ordinary men and women to fight against the oppressors occupying the world. This journey was never described because the writer’s life caught him up, sweeping him from his plans for greatness for his hero.
The story is still active to this day, and Ford still reads The Never-ending Story Thread. His contributions are few and far between, but they move the story along, occasionally offering amusing distractions.
I, myself, find him to be rather obnoxious, airing out my darkest secrets, abusing me for talking back to him, and portraying me as a sloppy drunk. It’s undignified for a disembodied voice of my profession. I happen to be a well composed, if silly, drunk, thank you very much. Still, he’s not all bad. I find his one sided conversations reminiscent of Bob Newhart’s old standup routines.
The Never-ending Story is best described as a community effort though. Many writers, with many styles contribute to its pages. Ford is just one of many. The collaborative effort gives the story a fresh feel with every new segment. But now that you have some idea of what NeS is and how it works, can I get on with the story now?
When last we left our intrepid hero, Gebohq, he had just faced his most intimidating nemesis -- The Taxman!
Wait a minute, who are you? You must be new here. Allow me to introduce myself. I am the often accurate, sometimes intoxicated, frequently cantankerous, Narrator. I am the one burdened with the onerous task of explaining the story.
What do you mean "what story?" Must I spell out everything? Very well, then. This is what’s known as the NeS. Capital "N", little "e", Capital "S". This is an acronym of The Never-ending Story, which itself is the shortened form of The Never-ending Story Thread1. The NeS is a round-robin type collaborative work, written on an internet forum. One writer composes a section of the narrative, and another writes the next. The Never-ending Story has seen many writers through its 8-year history, with only a few that have remained for the majority of it. Its style can be described as a comedic adventure, meandering from one unlikely situation to the next. Each movement, commonly referred to as a “story-arc,” flows into the next, a new villain appearing before the previous one has been defeated. Quite often it parodies other works, including exaggerated characters from well-known sources, and borrowing plot elements to move the story along.
Despite its humorous nature, over the years NeS has evolved into a compelling epic exploring the nature of fiction itself. The heroes often break the “fourth wall” revealing that they in fact know they are just characters in a story. They will curse the writers, or even me, for the situations they find themselves in, and discuss what story convention to best solve their problem.
As the Narrator, as previously explained, it is my duty to accurately describe the situations the heroes and writers find themselves in. Yes, the writers too. It is a bit odd, I know, but the writers are such a part of the story that sometimes they find themselves wrapped up in it was well. The writers are distinct from the heroes by way of title. For example, Ford the Hero is a resident of The Never-ending Story, whereas Ford the Writer is a resident of the Writers Wrealm. The writers write the story, and the heroes act it out, with myself providing the backdrop.
Ford is an interesting story himself. When he came to the NeS he was reluctant at first, intimidated by the amount of material already written, and fearing that his contributions would interfere with the plans of other writers. His fears abated when it was explained that there was very little planning involved in the writing of the story. And so Ford the Hero was born.
Like most of the other heroes, Ford the Hero is an idealized version of the writer who created him. Longhaired and scholarly, Ford is a master of the arcane arts, who, instead of fighting directly, prefers to outwit his opponents. His sober demeanor is contrasted with his tendency to become surly when agitated. His dry humor and penchant for puns irritates his companions. His creator often wishes he was as quick witted as his character, as in his own life, he often comes up with things to say minutes or even hours after the relevant conversation.
Ford wrote for the story consistently throughout 2003 and 2004, and has slacked off in recent years, primarily due to events in his life. He regrets not having time to write anymore, as it has brought him much pleasure to amuse others and to see the story progress. His own contributions have been mostly minor, often not having much to do with the story-arc, but supplying comic relief instead. When he does supply direction, it rarely comes to fruition because he stops writing shortly thereafter. He is disappointed by this, but feels he is justified in leaving things hanging because he is not in control of events in his own life.
One such plan was to write a sub-plot to the ongoing story-arc involving his character Ford the Hero. In that time a newly elected leader had disbanded the League of Heroes. Having no obligation to save the world anymore, most of the heroes left the business and celebrated their newfound freedom. Ford the Hero went with them, but as the night progressed his conscious plagued him. He finally made a resolution to do something about the war in the outside world. He subsequently got up and gave a speech, and a toast:
I look around me here and I see people who were once so righteous they were willing to do anything to save the world from the forces of evil, now apathetic. Wasting their time in a bar getting smashed, watching films and trying to get each other in the sack. All the while, there’s a bloody war going on out there in the world. None of you seem to care that hundreds of thousands of innocents are being destroyed by the demons and the forgotten characters. Well I care. I'm afraid for the world. I'm so afraid that I’m going out to make any and all difference that I can. So this, friends, is my toast:
To cowardice. May all of you be so afraid for the world that you will do as I am about to.
At this, Ford the Hero exited on a trek to fight the evils of the world from a grassroots level, recruiting not heroes, but ordinary men and women to fight against the oppressors occupying the world. This journey was never described because the writer’s life caught him up, sweeping him from his plans for greatness for his hero.
The story is still active to this day, and Ford still reads The Never-ending Story Thread. His contributions are few and far between, but they move the story along, occasionally offering amusing distractions.
I, myself, find him to be rather obnoxious, airing out my darkest secrets, abusing me for talking back to him, and portraying me as a sloppy drunk. It’s undignified for a disembodied voice of my profession. I happen to be a well composed, if silly, drunk, thank you very much. Still, he’s not all bad. I find his one sided conversations reminiscent of Bob Newhart’s old standup routines.
The Never-ending Story is best described as a community effort though. Many writers, with many styles contribute to its pages. Ford is just one of many. The collaborative effort gives the story a fresh feel with every new segment. But now that you have some idea of what NeS is and how it works, can I get on with the story now?
My girlfriend paid a lot of money for that tv; I want to watch ALL OF IT. - JM
