[Issitheus]

So, we're finally here. Phantoms Dream of Kisses-the Writing Stage. Here are the rules:
- Absolutely NO off-topic posts here. Either you write a chapter or you don't post at all (this post excluded, of course).
- Use proper English grammar to the best of your abilities.
- When you want to write the next chapter, make a post saying something along the lines of, "I want the next chapter." Then modify the post so that the original text is replaced with the chapter you have written. You may not write a chapter somebody else has called, unless it is unanimously agreed that the chapter is unacceptable.
- It is not a rule, but it is HIGHLY recommended that you first write your chapter in a word processing program before posting it. This will allow for faster posting and, during the composition stage, it will allow you to simply e-mail your chapter to the compiler, rather than having the compiler go through this entire topic.
- Refer to the discussion topic if you have questions while writing or reading.
- Unless it is agreed upon, no one person will write two consecutive chapters.
- Don't add or remove characters unless it has been agreed upon. You can have SELF-MADE (not from any other work) characters mentioned in passing, but we don't want to break any copyright laws.
- If your chapter goes over the character limit, merely split the chapter and post the next part in the next post. This is another reason why using a word processing program is highly recommended.

It has been unanimously decided that Useful will write Chapter 1. Prepare for an epic tale.

[Issitheus]

Umm... are we going to write this? Useful?

[Ionzorg]

I believe he did have dibs on the first chapter, so I'd give him a few days at least to write it. Whenever you're ready, man. :)

[Useful]

I appear to be ready. Mostly. Here's the first part I hinted at. Obviously I haven't even finished the classroom scene, but that's okay, I can do that tomorrow. For real this time, because I feel like I've got a good start.

Here it is:

Chapter 1: The Teaching Assistant

Most people don?t go to MIT for its psychology department. But then again, most people aren?t Gideon Seele. He knew about MIT?s lesser known but nonetheless excellent psychology program when he got to MIT six months ago. It was one of the reasons he chose it, along with the chance to double major in psych and computer science and get taught by some of the greatest minds in modern science. But it appeared that today was not going to give him that chance.
Today, he had a teaching assistant.
?Oh well? he thought as he walked into the classroom, ?you make the best of a bad situation.?
The TA hurried into the room looking through his notebooks like he was missing something important. He turned to the class: ?Uh, hi everybody. I appear to have misplaced the lesson plan for today? so we?re just going to talk about my research, I guess. Thank God it has something to do with psychology. Oh, right, forgot to introduce myself: I?m Jules Franchest.? He wheeled around to scribble his name almost illegibly on the board.
The TA was new to Gideon. He hadn?t seen in him in labs or on research assignments. He had to assume that he was in a different department most of the time. And to be teaching a psychology class?
As he rushed to get his books in order, Gideon got a better look at this Mr. Franchest. He was in his late 20?s and of middling height. His clothes were normal for a grad student: khakis and a t-shirt with an MIT logo on it. The striking thing about him was his face. He had violently blond hair in long, untamable curls. His jaw was strong and his expression was intense, like someone with a great deal of very important matters on his mind.
?Alright, I?m not sure how much of this all of you are going to get, but I?ll give it a shot? he said suddenly. ?You probably should take some of this down, at least whatever applies to psychology and not to software.?
Gideon?s ears perked up: this might turn out to be interesting! If this grad student was doing research involving computer science too, then it could be right up his ally. He called up his ID and started a new Word document.
?Now you?ve all heard of IDs? he started. ?In fact, looking around I can see that most of you are taking your notes on your own right now. Either that or you?re just playing Counter Strike 4 while pretending to listen to me.?
Most of the class laughed. Gideon heard the guy next to him give an uneasy chuckle. ?Probably playing it right now? Gideon thought to himself.
?IDs, or Internal Desktops, have revolutionized the idea of personal computers. With this unique technology, you browse the internet, watch video, blog, call people, listen to music, and play games right from the safety of your brain. Because it is contained within your skull, the ID connects directly to your visual and audio cortices as well as your frontal lobe to allow you to get complete feedback and interactivity with your computer without ever having to move a muscle. On top of that, at .2 oz. it weighs almost nothing even compared to those ?lightops? of a few years ago that weighed a relatively massive half pound. So what could possibly be bad about this marvel of innovation? Well that?s what I?m going to find out.?
This raised some eyebrows in the class: there?s something wrong with IDs? It didn?t seem very likely. Dozens of psychological tests had been done before its release as well as after, surveys had been done worldwide about reactions to the technology, the FDA had even done a study on it. Anyway, a recall would be unthinkable: with over 5 billion units sold in its first 6 years of existence, ID was undoubtedly the most successful product ever released.
Gideon was enthralled. All of his previous biases towards TAs had quickly been erased by the realization that he wanted to know about this man?s research more badly than anything he?d run into during his past semester at MIT.

[Mawelli]

Ill join prolly, but whats the limit of words in one chapter?

[Useful]

Nothing, really. I'm planning that this chapter will more than double in length before I'm done with it. I have an entire lunch scene to add in, not to mention the rest of the class. So no limit, really.

[Mawelli]

So who has dibs for the next chapter?

[abyssion1337]

that's a good question, since I'm doing most the compiling and editing I should probably hold off on writting (also I'm very busy)

[Mawelli]

I read through the posts on the planning of this novel thread. This sounds like an awesome idea (where have I been when you have planned this :O). Is there a set of people allowed to write this story or are people deemed 'sane' enough, able to pitch in?

[Ionzorg]

I'm all for new recruits. :) I guess it's just up to everyone involved to decide who can help out, so you'll just have to wait for further approval. You seem pretty sane to me though. :P

[Mawelli]

Either everyone is just ignoring me or being inactive these last few days :D

[Ionzorg]

Meh, no one ever posts in the novel threads anymore. After the initial insane flurry of discussion, everyone seems to know the drill and there's not much more need for explanation. Don't worry about it, once the rest of this chapter is posted, the attention will probably return. ::)

[Issitheus]

it took a month to write half a chapter. we're screwed.

[Luppi-tan]

Meh, no one ever posts in the novel threads anymore. After the initial insane flurry of discussion, everyone seems to know the drill and there's not much more need for explanation. Don't worry about it, once the rest of this chapter is posted, the attention will probably return. ::)

Can you post fanfics? And where are the novel threads?

[abyssion1337]

Can we change it from counterstrike to Team Fortress, most of us play TF2 instead of paying attention

[Issitheus]

Meh, no one ever posts in the novel threads anymore. After the initial insane flurry of discussion, everyone seems to know the drill and there's not much more need for explanation. Don't worry about it, once the rest of this chapter is posted, the attention will probably return. ::)

Can you post fanfics? And where are the novel threads?

No, we're all working together to write a novel. however, since we're using an idea from Useful, he's writing the first chapter. We're waiting on the rest of the chapter now. Once it's done, we take turns writing chapters until it's done.

And I just realized: Our story is strikingly similar to Paprika. Think about it. (I'm not going to explain the similarities because not all of us have seen it)

[Mawelli]

Our story is strikingly similar to Paprika.

Ok in some aspects yes. But who cares :D

[Filleffs]

I wonder where useful is..

[Mawelli]

in....hell?

[Issitheus]

Screw it, I'm taking over. I'll try my best to finish up Chapter 1, hopefully it'll rekindle interest here.

The TA, who, it seemed, did not own an ID, turned on the now-dust-covered desktop computer and logged in. He then pulled out a small, handheld device. Someone across the room raised their hand.
"Mr. Franchest, what's that? I don't recognize it."
"This, as some may know, is a PDA. It's kind of like an ID, but it actually has a physical interface."
And, with that, he pressed a button on his PDA and a file appeared on the computer's display, which was projected onto the wall at the front of the room. A slideshow, from what Gideon could gather. "'ID's: Good or Evil?"
"Tentative title, everyone. Sorry."
He clicked a button on the computer and the display advanced to the next slide, which outlined some of the TA's main points.
"Now, as all of us know, an ID connects the user to the Global Network without the user hving to tell it to. What many have wondered about this, is 'If we don't tell it to connect or disconnect, are we ever even disconnected?' I believe that while it ispossible to disconnect, it is incredibly difficult and, as such, many never do."
From a front-row student: "Not even while we're sleeping?"
"Thus bringing us to my next point, ironically. As we all know, or, at least, should know, sleep is not only a time for the body to rest, but the mind and conscious. This leaves the Subconscious free to mess with you. This 'tomfoolery' is commonly known as 'dreaming'. So, I ask, if the conscious is away, that does the ID communicate with... you, there." He pointed to someone is a corner of the room.
"The subconscious, of course."
"Indeed, what I theorize is that the human subconscious communicates with the ID in place of its relative during sleep, or, more specifically, and kind of incapacitation. Now, as we know, the subconscious is commonly called the soul, the true personality, of someone. It shows our true colors.
"Now, while we're awake, we know that there are limits to the information that is communicated between the brain and the network. This limit keeps us from merging with the network on a psychological scale. But, what's to stop the subconscious when one is asleep?"
Then, just as Gideon was really starting to think on the TA's level, class ended. Gideon, quite interested in the subject, pushed against the crowd going out the back of the room to try to get to talk further about the subject one-on-one.
"Dude, where are you going?"
Gideon turned to see his friend Jake trailing close behind him.
"I wanna talk with the TA about the lesson."
"You don't really believe that horse****, do ya? Come on, we were just about to go get some pizza from the cafeteria."
"Just wait up for me, okay?"
"Alright but we're not gonna wait forever. Hurry up."
And with that, Jake turned to leave.
At this point, the room was nearly empty. Gideon looked to the front of the room, trying to find the TA, but he had snuck out while Gideon was distracted. Annoyed, he turned around and jogged after Jake. "Hey, wait up!"
At the college's cafeteria, Gideon, Jake, and a couple of their friends sat down with their pizza. "So, as I was saing backin the room, do you really believe the stuff the TA- er, Mr. Franchest- was saying, you know, about the subconscious and ****?"
"Yeah, I mean, it makes sense, doesn't it?"
"Aw, man, you know I don't understand that stuff! I just signed up because Lillian was in it."
"Then why didn't you drop the class after she did?"
"'Cause I noticed Katelyn."
"So... you're only in the class for the girls?"
Then Jake and the others, save for Gideon, cheered, "Hell, yeah! Girls for the WIN!" And started talking about said girls, giving Gideon a chance to slip away, unnecessarily giving a reason of getting an urgent IM. He honestly didn't know why he hung out with those guys.

That's about it for now, I'll write more when I wake up.

[Odessa]

interest is good. writing a chapter by chapter story soudns fun, but i missed the planning stages... is there a place i can get the information on rules, sign up ,etc? or do i just sign me name here that i'll help out?

[Issitheus]

just write! d a search for "Phantoms Dream of Kisses" -Planning and you'll get the 30 or so pages of planning. yes, 30+ pages. Written in 3 days. We were avid about this.

[Odessa]

excellent smithers. excellant... ( goes into evil pllanning mode).