Excellent, good to see so many positive responses...

Just a quick note for any die-hard RPers... the bulk of the crowd that will be there tonight will be ultra-OOC... while it will not be all-out mayhem, if you play 'in-character' 24/7 you may be met with a lot of blank looks...

However our parties welcome everyone regardless of what they do with the rest of their gaming time... so please still pop your head in and hopefully we'll all have a blast!

For anyone unsure where to go:

Co-ords are: X= -270  Y=0  Z=410

The closest Hardline is Shinjuku West Central... When you come out of there, take a left and head towards the cluster of vendors on your map.  An NPC names Cho Shin stands outside the entrance to the House Of Blue Leaves.

Please Note: There are at least one or two other similair bars across the international disctrict, however we will definately be in the one at Shinjuku.

There is also a Clothing Vendor outside which sells GI's

This is the perfect opportunity for you coders out there to come along and sell Gis and Catsuits/Motorcycle suits yourself^^

See you all there!

I'm sure you can Graverose...

And top marks to Digital Reality who have shown up over an hour and 20mins early :smileyvery-happy:

9.1: The Final Act (Chapter One)

So cold... so unbelievably cold...

Shivering under a pile of month-old newspapers, King lay, not quite asleep, not quite awake... a metaphor for his life.  He read the headlines... Hacker exposed at Software Company... this paper must have been down here for at least 3 months, maybe more.... would King be here that long?  Not if he could help it...

He reached forwards with a groan, lifting the torn, browned edges of the closest newspaper to reveal a pair of mint-condition semi-automatic's.... His retribution...Reaching into the depths of his trouser pocket, he effortlessly slid out a studded silver case... with one flick of his wrist, the lid popped open, exposing its contents. Six bullets... each encoded with generic EJP over-ride subroutines... "Kill-Codes"... he had grown more than proficient in dealing with that which he had previously struggled to justify... the consequences borne from their use no longer chilled his blood.

Six bullets... one target... there would only ever have been one target... the greatest threat to this world... Kings betrayer... Kings worst enemy... and he would ensure that failure was not an option.

He slid these lethal equalizers into the chamber, steadfast in his convictions.

What makes a man?

What shapes him?

If man truly is a product of his environment, then it was little wonder King was as screwed up as he seemed.  Torn out of normality into this... hell.... this pit of deceit, of lies, ego's and treachery... where false prophets spur false hope... yes, we were on the other side of the cell... but we had not yet escaped our prison... do they fight for their freedom, or to justify their own willingness to enter the bondage of their respective organisations?  Or is it just because they have nothing better to do... and addiction... a thirst for existence...

I never asked for this life.  I was never destined for this life.  The maniacal self-importance this world spews daily caused my forced awakening... look at what you have done to me.... look at what you have created... Why?

I still serve purpose... I still have a reason to exist.... she is my reason... my love... my Aiyalla...

Against his better judgment, King picked up his cell-phone with an unsteady hand, and held it close to his ear...

"Aiya.... I need you.... I need to see you.... please.... come alone...."

His heart warmed at the sound of her voice, like a nervous teenager preparing for his first date, his stomach turned with excitement... his Aiyalla... she was coming to him...

She would not betray him... she loved him...

Every second of his thoughts danced around the vision of Aiyalla in his mind... every ounce of him burned with uncontrollable desire for her... pure love resonating with every beat of his heart...

Footsteps... she is here...

Before she could turn the corner, King noticed his loaded weapons lying by his side, swiftly he grabbed them both and tucked them neatly into the leather jacket adorning the ground beside his mattress, his eyes darted to the entranceway as a vision of angelic beauty breezed calmly into sight.

My Aiyalla...

Something wasn't right, she... she looked... afraid....

Why would she be afraid... she loved him... didn't she?

"Aiya... I asked you if you love me.... do you?"

Why won't she look at me, why won't she answer me?!

"Like a brother King... only ever like a brother..."

No, she did not know what she was saying, she did not mean it... she loved him... she always has...

"King... you're stronger than this" she whispered through teary breathe, every inch of her fighting back her emotion; "I need you to be strong King.... you can control this... come back to your family King...."

"Aiya I need you.... I need you to be strong for me like you are strong for Espi.... I need you to love me like you love Espi!!"

No sooner had his name left his lips; Espi sauntered through the entranceway, almost on cue, complete fury burning out of his blackened eyes, every step emitting bad intentions.... King rose to his feet in an instant... spurned by the one woman he thought loved him.... betrayed by the one woman he thought he could trust... his blood boiled as he glared in disgust as the creature before him.

Espi's voice bellowed through the abandoned subway, yet his words did not reach Kings ear...  he had heard this song sung a million times... he had memorized the words, even used them himself on his own crew and potential recruits... he was growing too old in the midnight hour to allow himself to fear or be intimidated by this... thing.... this Machine.... who was not even strong enough to save Kings mind... to save his soul...

Narrowing his eyes and arching his back slightly, he looked dead-on into Espi's eyes, meeting his rage with his only fury, burning with equal intensity.... he growled...

"For once in your miserable life Espi... shut the hell up"

He could see his former leaders anger growing... yet still this did not phase him... a man so enamored with his own physical dominance in THIS world.... the gifts that THIS world had given him, could not give up those gifts as easily as he proclaimed.... he lacked conviction.... and thus he lacked strength...

Yet Kings conviction was pure... he had nothing to lose.... he had already taken care of that in the massacre of his bluepill family... his heart sank for a split-second as that thought crossed his mind, before refilling with emotion and adrenaline in the face of his betrayers...

More words... more threats... they fell on deaf ears.... Kings voice and his alone was what mattered now...

"Espi... for Gods sake... this is not about YOU!  This has NEVER been about YOU!! The Masked, The Agenda, The Cause - it is not designed to serve YOU! WE are not designed to serve YOU!!"

His anger, his emotion, bounced back at him as Espi neared closer, withdrawing his bloodied lancet from its sheath, Kings mind switched to the comfort of his concealed Semi-Automatics... yet he fought back his haste as his mind fought through the clouds that it had became engulfed with... one word pierced through... from the mouth of Espi... "Love"....

"You moronic machine..." King spoke as he edged nearer still "You have only the dictionary definition of the word... you have no concept of what it truly means to love..."

"King don't do this!" interrupted a shaken voice, strewn with tears at the scene unfolding before her.... his Aiyalla..... he rested a hand against the inside seam of his jacket... the butt of his Semi sliding under the tips of his fingers as he diverted his attention from Espi to Aiyalla... attuning his senses to Espi's every breath, his every motion....

Overcome with emotion he spoke to her, his voice softening, tinged with despair...

"Aiyalla.... you..... lied to me..."

She shook her head, vehemently, tears gently scattering as she did so

"You.... betrayed me...."

"King no... please.... please don't do this..."

Rearing backwards his expression hardened once more... his greatest love... was all a lie.... this world... a lie... his brotherhood... a lie..... this world and everyone in it had betrayed him....

Taking a deep breath, King could feel his Jack-out protocol's initiating at will, his code dissipating, the remnants of his cold, harsh tears still fresh in the atmosphere as he spoke...

"I will never forgive you for this Aiyalla.... this is all your fault..."

Message Edited by kingcaw on 10-21-2005 12:19 PM

((The event will be a mixture of everything from RP scenarios, to pvp to puzzle-solving etc... obviously I can't give a blow-by-blow account of what is to be expected as that would ruin any potential suprise.

The link contained within the above message leads you to a magazine... if you look through it carefully, it will give you an update of the situation surrounding the event... be sure to look closely for an idea of what needs to be done.

This thread is for any RPers who wish to be involved with the event to post their reactions to this news, and this situation - in preparation for what is to come))

((Apologies Packetburner, seems wires have been crossed.  The 'Struggle For Power' event and the 'Megacity Informer' event are two completely different things.

To reitterate - the event for which this thread was created is NOT the megacity informer event.))

I beleive we did have one here at one point, ran by someone called Darrius I think - however nothing really seemed to come of it - or if it did, then it wasn't publicised much.

I've ran player RP events that have been open to the whole server as have Winterbrood and several others - however it does seem to have died down a lot recently.

You had to actually turn the sarcasm on?

Not sure if thats supposed to be a gripe towards me personally, or just a general snide comment - if its the former, i'm not particularly bothered seeing as how anyone who actually paid any attention to my RPing would know I can't be accused of the same things some other RPers were doing - whereas if its the latter... well, i'm not particularly bothered about that either :robotindifferent:

Message Edited by kingcaw on 01-02-2006 10:03 PM

((Remember, this is open to everyone on the Syntax server, to participate, simply "introduce" your character or group into this scenario within this thread. 

Also, to clarify, the event will commence from Monday 24th Oct, not the 31st as previously stated.

Making your characters reactions to the latest developments in the Matrix as depecited by the featured article will get you off to a good start with the event.))

Thanks to everyone who came and made it such a fantastic night!

Congrats to Anamatronic, m4rb, Spellfire, Euphraxia, Longowner and Machup for winning bucketfulls of $info in our Kill Bill Trivia; TV Themes Trivia; Matrix Trivia; Best Pickup Line and Worst Dressed RSI contests!

Another beautiful sunset washes over the shimmering skyline of the city, so calm, so serene, defiantly masking the panic below.

Baked in the glow of the heavenly ochre sun, a solitary phonebooth stands... small, sharp cracks of air, ripping through the silence as a coded figure apparates into the scene.

Flipping open her cell phone with ease, she dials an unknown number with a delicate flurry of her hand, raising it effortlessly to the side of her soft, fragile face... speaking softly to an unseen friend... an ally...

"I'm in... 17 more reported deaths...Here's hoping there are those amongst us brave enough to heed the call."

She closes the cellphone slowly, thoughtfully, as she stares off into the distance, a glint of desperation firing in her deep brown eyes.

"Brothers and Sisters of Zion... we need your help more than ever right now..."

The corridors are forever laced with sin, writhing, naked, glistening bodies intertwining, drowned with lust...

Every breath fills his lungs with the intoxicating mix of illegal substances, cigarette smoke and the fresh sweat of frantic pleasure...

Paradise...

He stops for a moment to absorb the ecstacy he sees before him, such passion, such heat.... unbridled, unrepenting, unashamed....

Turning himself away he firmly grasps the soft, crisp velvet curtain before him, peeling it back to reveal a small, dimly lit backroom... walls bound with matted leather...

Two figures are hunched over a table in the center of the room, filling their noses with the abrasive flavour of the month, before jutting back hard into their chairs as the substance filters through their bodies... they barely notice him... until he speaks in a voice which alerts their senses...

"Look alive people... don't you read the news?"

The two men both simultaneously struggled to focus their attention, held back by the stifling effects of their recent fix...

"Another power-player is trying to move in on our territory... our esteemed leader is less than impressed... he wants these people stopped.... more importantly, he wants whatever "weapon" they are using..."

Clamboring to their feet, the men saunter silently towards the doorway, pausing momentarily to here his parting words.

"Gather your best men... exiles and human alike... and put a stop to these debutants.  The Frenchman demands it."

For anyone interested, I will be moving the archived story to a little bit of spare webspace I have over the next few days.. I'll be taking that opportunity to update it with the history of linenoise thread, Fygment's "One" thread, as well as starting to add pages from the "Of Tourniquets And Demons" chapter.

If anyone has anything else they would like me to add then let me know...

Also, as with the Evolution Of The Wicked chapter, I will be throwing together my own headers and gfx... If the thread creators want to use their own gfx or banners that they may already have created then please let me know.

I'll also be working on the layout to polish it up, as what was added was pretty much a rush-job to make sure nothing was lost.

Any suggestions or comments then give me a shout or reply to this thread.

So tired of running... tired of hiding... of living on the streets of the Matrix like a common tramp... rotting in the festering wastelands of the Real...

His mind was no longer his own, he knew that now... at least, he thinks that he knew that... doesn't he? He can't quite remember... its all one multi-dimensional blur.... anger.... pain... guilt....

He had tried to train his mind to control itself...

He had failed... but now, for once, he saw the big picture... he could not control his own mind, his own thoughts, but at least now he had come to terms that all was not right in his head... now he could confront it... to overcome it... he prayed that was the truth...

KingCAW.... Madman.

A recent memory burned itself into focus, spatterings of black and white... telling tales of tragedy, of death...

He had read of the Redpill deaths... 37 reported.... 37 slain, rendered lifeless in this world and the Real...

Casting a sideways glance at his set of SMG's, a lump forced itself into his throat.  They would suspect him... they would blame him... he was tarred as being sadistic... of being crazy... a murderer...

Were they right?

He just didn't know anymore...

These stairs always seemed to wear her out… no matter how physically fits she was, no matter how extensively she trained, the cold, hard winding steps always took it out of her.

Glowing with slight perspiration, she finally reached the heavy wrought iron door.  Placing her fingers around the handle, she started at how cold it was… she had spent far too much time in the Matrix as of late, she was beginning to forget how harsh the real world was.

Oh no… “he” was here… something must be wrong, no doubt he had bypassed Commander Lock once again to come storming in of his own accord.

As she walked casually through the crowded room, she felt a dozen eyes boring into the rear of her neck… watching her…. This can’t be good…

And here he was… this rugged and worn mountain of a man, his weathered face still showing the scars of the dock battle all that time ago… a badge he wore with more pride than the chevrons adorning his lapel.

She saluted swiftly… a gesture which he returned with burning anger in his eyes. 

“I must say Deenal,” he began, with his coarse, bristly voice; “I knew you were sloppy, but this really takes the biscuit…”

Sloppy? Whatever had she done now? Or was this, once again, the Colonels bitter resentment towards her swift movement through the ranks rearing its ugly head.

Without allowing her time to answer, the man simply turned his back and thrust his finger somewhat triumphantly down onto a square grey button in the left hand side of the nearby control panel.

Muffled crackling bellowed through the speakers… then music…. She recognised that mus- Oh no… Club Avalon… she had been there only minutes ago, surely this couldn’t?  She pondered no more as her own voice began to fill the room over the recorded track:

Everybody here? …… I’ll begin…… do not have much time.

………………………. an unexplained bout of deaths within the Redpill community.

…………… a break-away group within the Matrix ……….have taken control of an advanced weapon, enabling them to wipe out operatives ………….

…………….. death toll has reached 84 ……………….

………..you have all heard of …………. “kill-codes” that have ………… found their way into circulation…

………….weapon comprises a …………form of these codes, enabling it to be mass-produced ………….. with ease.

………………….. group is attempting to hold …. Matrix at ransom to the highest bidder.

..................................................................................

…………….. this group were using………. exile gangs to ……… manufacture ……this code and ……….. weaponry.

…………. not sure of the form …….. weapon takes, ……… discovered that ……… materials used …….. leave a ……. signature residue on all who handle it.

…………..managed to procure a list ………… points towards the exile gangs involved.

………………………. look into this further… …. determine which gangs …… list refers to, ……..procure evidence …….. that could tie them to …. weapons ………

………… need to retrieve 10 items from each of these gangs.  …. items must be …………. unique to ………. gang.

Once you have done so, …….. notify me using a data-drop ………. disguised as .. ……… e-mail address: ZionDeenal@aol.com

In …..data submission,……. state the names of the 3 gangs suspected, as well as confirmation of which ……. evidence …… secured.

….list can be found through …….. database access point: http://www.mxoretribution.com/events/data0806.html

Once ………. successful, I will be in touch.

Good luck ………… counting on you.

Her face had long since turned an even paler shade of white, her normally bright eyes now dimmed, pointing squarely at the floor.

“Our intelligence officers recovered this transmission loop seconds after you jacked out.  Make no mistake that your incompetence has led to this Intel falling into the hands of our enemies…already we know that the Machines have opened up a contact point: MachR3ct0r@aol.com ... as if that wasn't bad enough... the godd*mn Merovingian's lackies have set one up too.  As far as we know, it is MeroDremus@aol.com ”

She was completely lost for words… struggling to comprehend the gravity of this mistake… how could this happen?

“Deenal… you may very well have sacrificed each and every person plugged in to the Matrix… “

She did not need reminding, yet he persisted, driving the knife even further into her chest… showering her with guilt…

“This is reprehensible… I only pray that our operatives can act on time to ensure they reach the exile gangs before our enemies do…. This is on your head Deenal… I hope you’re proud of yourself.”

His fist slammed down hard on the old oak table, its idented impression tarnishing the previously spotless varnish.

For seventeen years he had worked, tirelessly, in the service of the Frenchman.  For seventeen years he had defended the much criticised Exile gangs of the Matrix, had tried to convice his leader of the benefits of working with these gangs, not against them, and now, he was being made to eat his words.

Dremus clenched his fist once more, raising it in the air, preparing to strike down before the throbbing blister forming at the base of his palm encouraged him not to.

He could not beleive that the very same exile gangs he invested so much faith in would involve themselves in such a prominent power-play within the Merovingians territory... even worse... the pesky Zion caverats we moving closer to getting their filthy little hands on the prize, while his exile understudy's sat with their fingers up their...

He shook his head in distain...

But the rats had slipped up... at least he could always count on Zion to do that...

First the intercepted conversation between some Zion messenger and her foolish minions...

And now this...

He gazed at the static screen before him... that slender body, poised towards the subway schedule, feigning innocence... Deenal... Zion's latest flavour of the month...

Tapping effortlessly onto a keypad, he swiftly uploaded the image before him to the database access point, this CCTV still-screen could very well provide a wormhole to the lastest progress of Zion...

Smiling somewhat smugly, he glanced at the screen once more, before bringing his finger firmly down on the button marked 'Send'.

###COMMENCING DATALOG

###USER IDENT: DEENAL [ZION 8472A2]

###[Header] Interrogation Report

###PROCEED...

Exiles are tougher to break than I had given them credit for.  Several hours and numerous personnel were spent chipping away at their silence, however finally they began to crack.

The head of the Silver Dragons gang was the first to speak.  On hearing this, the remaining two gang leaders followed, simply corroborating his story.

He spoke of the involvement of an Exile who we recently had a run-in with, the Merovingian liason Dremus.  According to their testimony, the ringleader of this group of terrorists heard of Zion's investigations into the involvement of Exile gangs in manufacturing this weapon, and immediately commissioned Dremus to extract his code signature from any and all items these gangs may have came into contact with.

Of course, the greed of an exile is possibly his greatest flaw, and Dremus was no different.  Rather than destroying the code signature he extracted as requested, he stored one item, with these digital "fingerprints" still in-tact as collateral.

Acting on a tip-off from the leader of the Black Tigers, elite Zion operatives Kindall and Bosatsu were dispatched in a search across Richland, hunting down Dremus, who was reported to be making his way to the Exile hideout in which he had hidden the code-signature.

They eventually located him at Bishop's Casino, a well-known exile dungeon which plays host to what are refered to as "unclean" exiles.  Marching him at gunpoint, the operatives cleared a path through all those who may have helped their fellow exile, leading Dremus to the lowest floor and forcing him to open the safe containing this evidence.

In one last attempt to escape, Dremus took the contents and teleported out of the dungeon using a run-down hardline point, running off into the streets with Kindall, Bosatsu and the recently arrived ThreeD in hot pursuit.

Several gunshots later, Dremus was down, about to endure the EJP routine, but not before Kindall recovered a crumpled note from his back pocket.

Unable to determine the contents of the note, Kindall then made contact with me, in the hope that I would be able to assist.  On scanning its contents, I discovered another extremely cryptic formula, the solution unclear and purpose unknown.  I will submit these findings on a seperate entry.

As we speak, operatives and allies of the Knights and the crew of the Ascension are once again working tirelessly to unravel this code.  I have full confidence they will succeed.

Godspeed,

Deenal

###LOG STOPPED

###SUBMITTED TO ARCHIVES

9.2: The Final Act (Chapter Two)

Every night until this day she plagued his dreams, torturing his every thought, taunting him in his minds eye.  He saw her dancing, face full of peace, of happiness and of love... love for him.... love for King.  Eternal.

A cold tear runs down his cheek as his sense slap him harshly back to reality... she did not love him... she could never love him...

Turning swiftly, he reached into the inner pockets of his old, worn leather jacket, grasping at the handles to his SMG's with pure determination... weeks of planning coming into fruition... he stopped and stared down the barrels, an eye at the end of each... those beautiful golden eyes, shimmering so elegantly... he saw his own reflection in her tears... the reflection of a madman.

She was begging... pleading for him to stop... it was too late for that now... his fragmented mind was as set as it could ever have been...  He had to silence his pain...

"You were supposed to love me Aiya... you were supposed to save me..."

This was all her fault... how could she allow this to happen?! How could she does this to him?!

"YOU SHOULD HAVE LOVED ME!!!" he screamed through the onslaught of tears and emotion, filling the hallway with the sounds of sheer desperation...

And then, it happened.

Warmth... complete... forgiving... it washed over him, comforting his soul... easing his torment... the time had come...

Leaning forward slightly he took one last look at those eyes.... so full of beauty... so full of life... overcome by fear at the knowledge of what was coming... of the bullets riddles with "kill-codes"... of the fury resting in the broken down man squeezing his finger ever tighter on the trigger...

My time is now.

With one fluid motion he pulled the guns away from Aiyalla's face, aiming one directly at his left temple, the second at his throat... this was the only way... the only peace...

Staring at her with sadness, his broken dreams spilling out before him, he spoke...

"I hate you Aiyalla..."

Six shots.

Darkness.

The world around him faded out of view as he felt his soul draining itself from his limp carcass... not yet... not over... he gasped for breath, reaching out to grab the wrist of Aiyalla, who was now perched over his body...  he had failed once more... they always said he was a failure, and even in death that fact remained...

The sickening sound of fresh blood curdling as his lungs spilled out air through the hole in his throat, he motioned to the SMG still resting atop his right hand...

Mustering all that was remaining he whispered...

"End it.... end it now..."

He felt the cold steel being lifted from his flaccid hand, heard the leather of her trousers crackling as she rose... her soft black hair brushing against her shoulder as she reluctantly gave a nod...

"All I ever wanted was to be with my family.... now I get my wish..."

...

There was no flash of light... no flurry of life replaying itself before his eyes... no angels singing... no demons chanting for his soul... no heaven... no hell...

Only... Silence.

((Okay, now for the OOC bit... everything hereafter is completely out of character)

Firstly I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has posted in this thread, and roleplayed with me in-game regarding this event.  Even though not everyone was able to take part for whatever reason, the support this event has been given was fantastic.

Secondly, I want to thank Jobi, Am3thyst, Deathblade, Kindall, Bosatsu, ThreeD and CheshireCat, as well as all the members and allies of The Swordfish, Knights and The Ascension who worked tirelessly on the many puzzles, and who put in such an unbelievable amount of hard work and fantastic RP to make this event, and their part in it, a huge success in my eyes.  These people are the ones who truely made this event, and they have, of course, been rewarded accordingly.

Lastly, to those who helped out fulfilling roles for the event.  To Jamicus, a massive thank you for filling the boots of R3ct0r - the Machinist liason... and to Euphraxia and Kanjo, who took on unfavorable odds for the final bang of the event - the Camon Church rescue.

Mentions also go to members of Digital Reality, The Glitch Society and The CodeMasons, all of whom made a big effort to take part, and I hope have seen a positive enough side of the RP community to involve themselves in it even further in future.  Also, a quick mention to Aiyalla for helping to finish King off - it was about time he died!

I've said numerous times to several people over the course of this last week that this event has really shown me just how many fantastic roleplayers we have out there - ones I would definately like to work more with - and it has done a good job of showing me just how much juice the RP community has left in its tank.  With this event, as well as the fantastic Avatar event led by Consequence - I have high hopes for the future of Syntax RP.

Thank you all - and yknow what.... there's no way I can leave this game with so many RP opportunities still out there!!

Thanks again,

Kings Player

Hmm... your first point about death and the repurcussions of killing your RP character is a fairly big can of worms... although I agree that some of these storylines in which its clear to tell that someone has made a rash decision to kill their character - then two days later, comes up with some Dallas-esque BS explanation (Dallas reference to the "...and then I woke up and it was aaaaall a dream") sucks major portions of posterior - I do beleive that the very notion of death in the Matrix in relation to death in the real is such a complex and confounded one that there are a few very legitimate avenues from which your character could return.

By that, I am refering to the very fact that Matrix-related death in the real is entirely placebic - your mind beleives itself to be dead and as such your body shuts down.  However - what always troubled me about that as well as the notion of becoming injured in the real due to actions in the Matrix is that while jacked in, you are no longer the docile "program" of an RSI, you are sentient - aware of the very nature of the reality before you.. would this in turn not also mean that you were mentally aware that death within the Matrix is as false as every other aspect of that world?  If that was the case, then you should not be prone to placebic suggestion - and as such, when your RSI dies in the Matrix, your mind in the Real should be able to grasp its knowledge of the false nature of this "death" and not shut down your bodies systems.

Simply - if someone shoots you squarely in the face while in the Matrix - you know without a shadow of a doubt that a bullet has not entered your cranium in the Real - therefore why would your body react as though it had?  The very concept of the part we play in the Matrix is that we have been able to see past the placebo (Sorry - thats my word of the day) - So how come that when it comes to the issue of death, regardless of the fact we KNOW it is not real - our minds still react as though it were?

When you dissect it further from my own shoddy attempt - if anything it seems as though this was merely a way for the Wachowski's to implement a sense of danger into the films - after all, it wouldn't be half as 'exciting' if all awakened were completely immortal - however as far as I can guage - logically - we should not actually die...

Anyway... I digress in a major way...

Going back to how the subject at hand affects my character.  I do definately agree that coming back as a: 1) Ghost; 2) Zombie; 3) Frankenstein; 4) Reincarnated Poodle etc etc is pretty lazy roleplaying... however....

My characters death was one I had planned from the very moment he became involved with the Cypherites.  The gist of his story as explained through my "Chronicles" was always to be one with a tragic edge - with the overall theme being the destruction that occurs when an ordinary mind is subjected to an extraordinary world...  I thought long and hard about how it would play out, and as such, enacted certain plot threads in-game that provide me with an avenue to legitimately bring my character back - without having to back-peddle or try and change my story in any way.  If I chose to never return King to the story - then where things ended tied up all the loose ends, and I don't feel leave any gaping holes.  If I decide to bring him back, then I know exactly how it will be done and what will happen afterwards...

Now, I apologise for rambling... I have been away all weekend and this is my first post since coming back... all I would say to finish this post off is to anyone who does kill their character... think it through... do it sensibly, don't be rash, and at least have the creativity to give yourself a viable route back to the game should you decide to resurrect your character.