Fresh, Hot Wastes of Time

An article I wrote for PromicinPower.com.

[IMAGE: A smiling woman handing out flyers on a busy sidewalk]

 

Take charge!

 

Helping out in the War Against the War Against Promicin is easy! Our main asset is information. Too many people are being educated about promicin by sensationalist politicians and media. To that end, here are some specific things that you can do to help people understand that promicin is beneficial, not evil:

 

• Talk to people about promicin! Talk to your family, your work mates, your teachers, your pastors, your neighbors – anyone. Find out what they know about promicin and gently and politely correct any misconceptions they have. Make sure they understand that nobody is ever forced to take it, and that promicin abilities have the potential to save enormous numbers of lives.

 

• Write letters! Let your congresspeople know that you oppose anti-promicin legislation. Here is a sample letter for you – be sure to add any personalization you like, and mail it in. Postal mail is much more effective than email.

 

Dear Representative or Senator X,

 

I am writing to you in concern for the proposed legislation that would ban the use of promicin, as well as promicin-related abilities. As you know, those who use promicin are blessed with extraordinary abilities. These abilities could save thousands or even millions of lives.

 

Although there is a risk involved with injecting promicin, I feel that I should be allowed the chance to make up my own mind and be able to take that risk in the hope of making a difference in the world. Prohibiting promicin is short-term thinking in a long-term situation. Denying us the latitude to take promicin is tantamount to denying us the pursuit of happiness. Please consider this when it comes time to vote down anti-promicin legislation.

 

Sincerely,
Your name

 

• Stage an event! A little attention goes a long way. Make some signs, grab some friends, and hit the streets. Include your best slogans and put “PromicinPower.com” if you would like. When people ask you about your demonstration, take that time to educate them about the benefits of promicin.

 

Suggested slogans:

– Promicin is a gift
– I’m pro-promicin and I vote
– Promicin: the world is watching
– Don’t let them steal our future: promicin
– Promicin: change the world
– Give promicin a chance
– Promicin to the people!

 

• Blog it! Let the world know in your words how important you think promicin is. Share your views on a social tagging or social networking site.

 

• Make flyers! We know how creative people can be. Draw up some flyers and hand them to people (but please don’t put them on cars or stuff – we think that’s littering).

 

• Contact the media! Write editorials to the newspaper. Call up talk radio. Make the media do its job of providing impartial coverage to the masses by giving them an articulate, well-educated pro-promicin viewpoint to air.

 

• Above all else! Be a productive and responsible human being. Don’t give the Antis any ammunition to use against us. Don’t let them bait you into being hostile or argumentative. Know that you’re on the right team and no matter what anyone else says to you, they can’t change that.

 

We’re in this together, so let’s make the most of it!

A profile that we used for the Omnifam ARG, which was a fan-created Alias ARG.

From ARGTalk, Dave Szulborski’s Fairy Tale Trail which served as the game finale and starred yours truly as a screaming meemie. At the time, my children thought that Mama screaming in the basement was the height of humor, and they spent that whole evening imitating my poor cries of distress.

P.S. If you wanna cheat, the Unfiction thread can tell you how to solve it.

Mashups of player eyes made to look like the Eye of Rambaldi for the end of the Omnifam ARG.

A logo I made for Chasing the Wish 2, for a bit of the game that never saw the light of day.

The Dread House character brief as originally posted by Dave Szulborski:

Ron Daubert: Ron’s World, Puzzle Cards; current webmaster for TT; lives NYC; found the CDs that Vargas left behind, gets involved in the intrigue from there; becomes suspicious that TT is spying on him; goes underground

 

Charles _____: Cambridge Mental Hospital webmaster. Father was caretaker, then he was. born 1942. Took over CMH 1963. Has disturbing memories, gets confused; his garbled messages spur Ron and Nicole to going to CMH to figure out what’s going on

 

Ed Vargas/Amanda Graves: old TT webmaster, put messages in autoresponders; webmaster for UM; put encrypted directories from DH files on CDs

 

IAI webmaster: male, journalist, ends up connecting TOD and IAI killer to same person; eventually connects to CMH; is at CMH for finale; waits outside to stand guard

 

Dr. Karl Shoemaker: b1940; lives San Francisco; developed DRP

 

R. Weaver/Nicole Teals: DH webmaster; starts out pretending to be male; is researching the DH fiasco because her brother was on the show and disappeared; found some evidence at CMH; outs ronsworld.org; meets up with Ron halfway through and they go from there; receives dream messages and undergoes DRP

 

Reed Singleton: DP webmaster; grandchild of Ann Starling; collected & published the DP content

 

Tara Hutchins: owner of GMH & webmaster; dislikes the negative STF article; uses haunted past to stir up current business; survived an attempt to kill her and her mother because she was not the 7th son

 

Tomorrow’s Talk characters:
CEO/ President – Mark Robinson
VP of Production – Joseph Silver
VP of Operations – Randall Thomas
Director of Corporate Communications (Press Inquiries) – Lucinda ‘Lucy’ Jenner
Director of Human Resources (Employment) – Sandra Brown
Talent Coordinator (Casting) – Lisa Roman

 

Dr. J. David Richardson, M.D., Ph.D: webmaster of godmind.com

 

STF webmaster: publishes an e-zine online with articles on bizarre events

 

UH Webmaster: runs the website for UH

 

SS Webmaster: conspiracy theorist

 

FH webmaster

 

TU webmaster

 

BW webmaster

 

TOD webmaster

 

BOS webmaster

 

non-active characters:

 

Michael: Nicole’s brother, contestant in DH; her motivation for researching what really happened; house destroyed by fire; 7th of 7 sons

 

IAI/TOD killer: actually members of the seventh sons society, many related so similar in appearance; used same alias to further the illusion

 

Old Todd: former custodian on CMH, lives in the ruins, hermit

 

Ann Starling/Beatrice Doe: communicated with the dead and was sent to an asylum; channeled the DP content via dreams

 

Alexander Steward: one of the original GMH owners; was being badly used by SS to breed 7 sons; killed the daughter born in place of the son he wanted

A stalker’s image from the notorious ARGTalk ARG. I did the scrawl and the poem in the lower right. The ARG itself got a lot of bad press for two reasons – one deserved and one not. First, people felt duped when the supposedly legit news site was actually a rabbithole into a game. That was to be expected, and ties in well with many things that people say today about being honest about what is game space and what is not. Back in 2005, however, the water was a lot muddier and people did not want to see anything that took them out of the game, so this was an experiment down that kind of road.

The second reason people dissed the game (and the undeserved one) was the poor production value in the trailhead talk show. That was by design, which people would have realized had they stuck around to figure out how the story worked out in the end. Instead, they left at that point and ridiculed the “Attack by bubblewrap.”

This was a little too edgy for the Battle Over Promicin campaign, but it was fun to write.

[IMAGE: An aerial view of a huge crowd in St. Peter’s Square overlaid with a syringe full of promicin]

 

The Vatican announced yesterday that it was suspending its canonization process due to increasing worries about the effects of promicin. Canonization, or the method by which people are declared saints, requires proof that the subject performed at least one miracle. Church officials say that the abilities granted by the neurotransmitter promicin are indistinguishable from actual, divinely-inspired miracles.

 

Although the announcement had been expected for some time, the global Roman Catholic community reacted to yesterday’s statement with reactions ranging from relief to anger. Many Catholics appear to be falling into two opposing camps regarding the promicin issue.

 

One faction agrees with the Vatican’s decision on both practical and theological grounds. “It says right in Matthew that false prophets will perform great signs and miracles to deceive the elect,” said Fr. Pepe Rivera from Mexico. “How can we tell if these promicin abilities should be considered sacred or profane? We cannot.”

 

Another faction disagrees with the dismissal of promicin by the church. “They have conveniently overlooked the fact that Jordan Collier died and came back to life,” says Fr. Giovanni Vanici of Italy. “Instead, they focus on this promicin. I am ashamed to say that I think the Holy Mother Church is afraid of what this could all mean.”

 

While debate rages, tens of thousands have gathered at Saint Peter’s Square at the Vatican to pray, protest, or get answers. The Swiss Guard, traditional protectors of Vatican City, has been hard-pressed to quell the occasional outbreaks of violence between the pro-promicin and anti-promicin Catholics.

 

The Pope issued a very brief statement this morning asking for “the Catholic flock to reflect and pray in this troubled time,” but no further announcements are expected. Two highly-placed Cardinals, on condition of anonymity, told the press that they feared a schism over the promicin issue was imminent.

 

Services in many local churches have been disrupted or canceled. While bishops attempt to work with their area churches to restore functionality, they ask that those planning to attend mass call ahead to verify there has been no schedule change.