Okay, here's an idea.

I was thinking of a way to come up with something tangible that could come out of this forum section through some meaningful form of group participation:

A Vote Story, where user posts determine the direction the next part of the story takes =) - anyone who's regularly visited an internet forum before should be familiar with this.

How it Works

I start off with some story. At a point of my choosing I stop at a "junction" where the story could go in multiple directions. Votes will determine which direction the story takes from there for the next post.

ex:

Ron began crossing the street. Out of nowhere-

a) a rip in the space-time continuum began vacuuming people's clothes. Only.
b) ninjas, thousands of them, blackened the sky as they ninja-flew towards Idaho.
c) a car transformed into a giant microwave.
d) he juggled five toasters to the amazement and inspiration of minds and hearts across the globe.

SOMETHING like that =P After enough votes, the next part of the story will be written.

Rules

1) First option to get 3 votes wins.
2) ANYONE can write the next part of the story. If your imagination starts running with the direction the story's going, go with it =) In fact, this rule is highly, highly encouraged.
- make sure you announce this immediately after the vote has been cast (to avoid confusion).
- by default the original author (the one who wrote the first story post) will write the next part if no one volunteers.
3) The original author cannot refuse a volunteer effort.
4) Science Fictional device discussion with respect to the choices offered is also highly encouraged.

---

So that's my idea. I'll have something written here within the next day or so (or right now). But if anyone else would like to start, be my guest =P

My tip (if you want to start before me) is to begin simply. Leave the story open - maybe several or so lines before you lay out voting options. Once enough votes and parts have been cast and written that the story actually starts looking like *something,* longer parts can be written.

Also, those who don't want to write can still meaningfully participate just by casting their votes =) Uh, please read at least the story part before voting, you know, instead of choosing the most eccentric option.

Thanks!

-Wind

In this aspect, I have to agree with Stephen. Who are you? It is very frustrating to read the words without knowing who in class you are supposed to be. Please tell us who you are.

I fail to see how my identity matters - surely an idea can be evaluated/discussed subjectively (without knowing who, exactly, came up with it).

In this respect, I prefer to retain anonymity =P

"Explain it to me again."

"Again?"

"Yeah, again."

A sigh. "I'm a really, really smart ro-."

"You told me that already."

"Four point eight six times, Aren."

"Four point eight s-?"

"You interrupted me just now."

So it had a sense of humor. "Okay, so you can talk."

The little ball in his pocket - always emitting a soft green-white glow - vibrated in response.

"And vibrate."

"I can fly, too."

"So what else can you do?" Aren gave it a friendly tap.

Did it just get warmer?

a) The ball robot artificial intelligence thingy directs Aren into a pool (as in balls and sticks) bar.
b) A giant robot appears out of nowhere and starts stomping everything in sight.
c) Aren sees a hot girl.

Hell, I'll just throw a vote at (a)

>.>

c

Ohh fun!! It's like those "choose your own story" books.

Hehehe I'll pick (c) as well.

I'll go with C as well.
Choose your own stories are fun, you should ask Professor Edlund if you could do one for the final.

"So what else can you do?" Aren gave it a friendly tap.

Did it just get warmer?

---


"I'm really good at math," Kalyx's smooth female voice began to take on noticeable enthusiasm, "and I can access the internet."

Aren rolled his eyes and smirked. "My braces can access the internet."

Kalyx laughed. "You don't have braces."

"So go on."

Aren had been sitting in a coffee shop, sipping on a caramel frap. He'd known Kalyx a little less than four days (she'd started talking only recently) - and with the green-glowing ball following him constantly, he had to go out some time. He quietly continued sipping his drink as Kalyx continued outlining her very many impressive abilities, apparently.

A girl caught his eye.

"Um. Aren?"

He didn't answer.

"Aren!"

He shook himself. "Oh, sorry. What is it?"

"Your hormone levels are off the charts."

He felt himself blush and glanced reflexively at the girl who'd just walked in. She sat two tables ahead of him, head partially buried in a folder. Her hands, soft and delicate, turned page after page as her eyes scanned through lines of text with a focused intensity-

"Your pupils are getting larger."

Something about Kalyx's tone shook him out of it. He almost laughed. "What are you talking about?"

"I was just noticing that changes in your hormone levels were affecting your mental performance. Negatively." she snapped.

He rolled his eyes again and chuckled quietly. "Robots."

"Boys."

"You're jealous!"

Kalyx vibrated. "Of WHAT?"

Aren smiled and shrugged. An awkward silence passed between them.

"You should talk to her." She finally said, sounding sarcastic.

"No, I'm pretty shy."

Suddenly Kalyx moved as if trying to tear straight through his pocket. He had no choice but to stand up.

"Kalyx!" Aren hissed.

And now Kalyx flew parallel to the ground, as if directing him toward-

-the girl?

"KALYX!" hissier this time.

It couldn't be helped - people were bound to notice a morphing bulge in his pocket.

"Okay, okay! Kalyx, I'm sorry!"

She didn't stop.

"You want me to talk to her?!"

She stopped.

"No!" And there was the morphing bulge again. "Fine! Kalyx! Fine!"

"Well?" she said, very smoothly.

"Fine!" He began walking heavy footedly toward the girl's table.

He tried to slip into the opposite seat as inconspicuously as possible. So of course she immediately noticed, and of course she raised an eyebrow - a pretty one - and of course she didn't say anything and made the situation as awkward as humanly possible.

Aren sat there and stared furiously at his hands.

Kalyx vibrated.

"Hi," he said, and paused.

Another vibrate.

"I'm Aren."

Ouch. She could vibrate this hard?

"What's your name."

"Jandracea," the girl replied.

It was Aren's turn to look up and raise an eyebrow.

"But you can call me Jan," she smiled.

Aren really didn't know what to say. Torn between frustration and bewilderment and nervousness, his mental synapses, thought Kalyx, were having trouble accomplishing anything coherent. The boy was terrible at this stuff. She vibrated again - it seemed to help.

"You play the piano?" Aren asked.

There you go.

"A little."

Judging by her pause, tone, and syllabic emphasis, Kalyx knew this meant "a lot." She vibrated.

"A little, huh."

Jan laughed softly. A good sign. "Just a little."

"I have this friend who plays a *lot,* and even he doesn't carry around Schubert."

Kalyx felt a slight temperature increase from the girl. "You play too?"

A little, thought Kalyx. But what he knows he does well.

"I can't read notes," Aren replied, "but I recognize that passage right there." He pointed out a measure partway down the page. "My friend's been trying to master this piece since forever."

"So you play by ear."

"Oh, crap. I've gotta go." Aren said, checking his watch.

WHAT? Kalyx began vibrating furiously. She felt him tap her sharply. Oh. He was being honest. Hell, still a stupid move. She continued vibrating.

"Wait," said the girl.

No way. She stopped vibrating.

"Are you going to be around here tomorrow?"

And now his heart was beating too fast.

"Uh, yeah. Why?"

"I'm gonna be shopping around for some music. Be here at one, okay?"

Kalyx swore his heart would explode any second-

"Sure."

--

"Excited for tomorrow?" she asked.

Aren was practically skipping. "Kalyx, th-"

"I'm also good at social engineering."

---

Very minor spoilers: Okay, Aren and Jan go on their date. But something happens!

a) they take a detour into a pool place (as in sticks and balls).
- I have an idea for this one, which is why I'm still promoting it.
b) a giant robot starts stomping everything in sight!
- continuing promotion just for the hell of it.
c) Kalyx disappears suddenly, but Aren doesn't notice until way later.
d) An assassin robot for some reason goes after Aren.

I'll probably end up mixing two of these together. The one that wins gets the focus, though.

Er, again, anyone can volunteer to write the next part.

I'll vote for b because all through this I was waiting for one of Daniel's walkers to show up. Thump! Thump!

John Edlund

all right, let's see what you've got for (a).

c and d sound sort of morbid.

Well, maybe not d. Mix it with d.

I vote for "a" just to keep Daniel from having a repeat of the Thumpers in your story. You to might butt heads. Besides, the Assassin gig is taken and the disappearing seems totally lame. Therefore, give "a" your best shot.

Yeah, I go for (d) even if it's been done. I want to see more robots in this story. Kalyx is funny!

and a/c combo or a a/d combo is my vote. lets go a and d

I was leaning for a and d also. Sorry professor - maybe giant robots will show up later if/when people are in the mood for them =P

Don't worry Nishel, I'll try to twist the assassin thing originally.

Writing the next part now!

And it'll be up tomorrow some time ^^

Aww... I wanted "b" too. I was interested to see what your walkers would look like... Darn it!
Walkers are awesome!
I don't know about "d" though. It's hard to take a normal person and make them face abnormal challenges like assasins. Just look at Tori, he completely panicked when the walkers were destroying his house. Maybe you want Aren to panic when assasin comes.

I guess I'll continue proposing the option, Multi =P

Update Part 1
---

Kalyx liked Jan - otherwise she wouldn't have bothered setting up the whole thing.

You can tell a lot about humans from their eyes.

Aren's? Sub-par by human standards. He was too lazy to wear contacts and wore his glasses only rarely - when driving, maybe, or when he needed to see something like a clock from across a room. But she liked his eyes, a lot.

Humans, like most animal species, are shallow creatures. However some of them deny it, physical features play unexpectedly large parts in their selection processes.

Aren was different, slightly, because of his eyesight. Physical features were fuzzy for him when it came to comparing people more than 20 feet or so away. Everyone looks the same at that point, so all he had to go by was demeanor through movement, the honesty in a smile, the sound of her voice. Here he had an advantage, because these things are more important than raw chest size and caked eye shadow. Kalyx had detected hormonal changes and pupil enlargement in males observing busty, under-dressed females far too many times while tagging along with Aren. Frustrating how so many humans fail at thinking deeply enough about such an important social function.

And Jan - when Kalyx blackmailed the boy into talking to her, her eyes responded with surprise - expected - as well as curiosity and intelligence. Aren saw both of these traits when she flipped through her music notes. There was also honesty in her voice and truth to her smile. Aren had good taste.

Too bad he's miserable at dating.

"Get a grip, will you?"

Aren splashed some water on his face. "I'm probably boring her like crazy."

"Surprisingly, no. She finds your nervousness disarmingly charming and cute. But luck can only hold out for so long."

"Thanks, Kalyx." he said this with a hint of playfulness and sarcasm.

"There!"

"What?"

"Like that!"

Aren said nothing.

"Be yourself! You're trying too hard to be correct and gentle! Even female AIs appreciate some spunk every now and then!"

"You're a girl?" he laughed. "If I'd known earlier, I wouldn't have let you come into the restroom with me."

"Save it for Jan. You're only 15 minutes into hanging around her, but you need to pick up the pace."

---

Good, good. Come to think of it, he'd be a natural if he weren't so nervous at the beginning.

"By ear."

"Practically. Two years of lessons."

"So you have *some* formal background."

"I learned every song by memorizing my teacher's demonstrations at the end of the lesson."

"No way." Her eyes were locked on him.

Aren smiled. "Not as easy as you'd think - I'd remember the sound but my technique was always behind. I'd plunk out notes for days before it actually started to sound like music."

"That takes passion."

Kalyx wanted to laugh. The girl had thrown in some seduction into her tone of voice and Aren wasn't coping very well because of it. She vibrated.

"I can't play Schubert." He smiled.

Nice.

"Neither can I."

"Playing by ear has its limits. But you can play anything you want to if you set your mind to it."

"So I'll teach you how to read notes."

This was going almost too well.

"Sorry!"

Crap.

Aren had walked headfirst into another male, older than he was.

This one's eyes were small and beady but observant, darting back and forth between Aren and Jan, soaking in every detail. New couple, eh? The kid didn't have the look of a hard gambler - and he could use the girl to his advantage. Easy money.

"Friendly game, kid?"

Kalyx didn't like his tone. Manipulative and greedy.

Aren shrugged.

"Come on Aren," said Jan, "let's just go."

"You owe me for it," the man smirked. "Don't chicken out on me in front of your girl, yeah?"

Kalyx tensed. He had Aren cornered.

"Fine. What's the game?"

Aren's blood pressure was rising. He was getting angry. Heck, why not. The guy was a jerk.

"Pool."

"I'm good at pool."

Kalyx sighed. Sorry Aren, won't work.

"Good enough to put money on it?"

Ouch.

"Can you afford ten dollars?"

Ouch!

The man laughed. "Talk big once you start winning, kid."

---

"Wear your watch on your shooting arm."

"Why?" Aren had taken a quick trip to the restroom before the match.

"He's played a *lot.* You won't stand a chance."

"I'm decent."

"Not great."

"So how will wearing my watch on the wrong arm help?"

"I'm going to create a small magnetic field. When the sum of the magnetic forces about your watch is in equilibrium, take the shot. You'll need to move your arm back and forth to test the amount of force you need. When your motion feels fluid instead of constrained, you're approaching at the right angle and force, got it?"

Aren paused. "In English?"

If Kalyx had hands, her face (if she had one) would be buried in them. "That was about as simply as I could manage."

"Okay, so I adjust to the velocity of... the meta-"

"When it feels right, Aren."

"Fair enough."

---

Aren lost the first game.

"You're losing on purpose!" Kalyx hissed, also vibrating furiously.

The magnetic forces were there - Aren could feel them. But he wasn't going to let some asshole get away so easy. And Jan was watching. He tapped Kalyx gently.

"Another one. Twenty this time," Aren said, slapping the bill on the table.

The man laughed. God, this was almost too easy. How lucky of him to meet some cocky kid bent on impressing his girlfriend.

Aren lost the second game.

"Twenty more!" Aren said, slapping another bill on the table.

"Aren," Jan said, walking up to him and taking hold of his wrist. "It's okay."

"Don't worry," was all Aren replied with.

Aren lost the third game.

"Okay." Aren threw down a hundred dollars. "Double or nothing."

The man burst out laughing. "You sure you don't want to quit? This is pathetic."

"You're scared."

"Better than broke."

"Then put down your money."

"Loser breaks."

Aren took a deep breath and lowered himself towards the table. A tug to the left. He adjusted. Okay, now to test the shot. He slowly moved his arm forward and backward. Quicker? Slower. Here!

A loud crack!. Two sunk.

The man smiled. "Lucky shot."

Again Aren leaned over the table. A tad upwards, towards the right top corner of the cue ball. But this wasn't going to hit anything. He tested the shot -

too slow. An invisible force was pulling his arm forward.

Faster.

Still too slow.

Faster.

Got it!

The cue ball banked off the short edge and slammed one ball into several others, one struck the corner pocket with a loud thump. Two others spun into the middle pockets, and one -

Damn, Kalyx, wasn't this a bit much?

- careened in a perfect arc into a corner pocket. Aren looked up and saw shock written all over the man's face. Jan was also shocked, but a soft smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. Several people had gathered around the table.

Crack!

Okay. Kalyx was just showing off now. He could feel her vibrating happily - softly, as if she was humming.

Several balls slammed into each other twice before banking into pockets, and one spun in a semi-circle before landing.

The eight ball was easy, and the man hadn't even gone his turn yet.

Aren gingerly picked up the money from the table. "Another game?"

"So you got lucky by hitting hard," said the man, putting down another hundred. "I break."

He sunk one ball on the break.

And another on his next turn. He was suppressing a smile.

Missed on his next shot. Despair filled his face as Aren sunk two balls. Shock as he sunk five more. Anger as the kid won the game. The crowd cheered.

---

Part 2 of the update coming up!

Must be really hard on the watch!

John Edlund

The man ripped out another bill from his wallet.

Aren was too busy shaking some hands to notice. Jan held his arm affectionately, congratulating him on his successive wins.

"Kid!" the man yelled above the crowd, silencing them, "another game, you little bastard-"

He stopped suddenly as another man stepped forward from the crowd. A brown trenchcoat draped his body, dark sunglasses glinting in the dim lights of the bar.

"I'll take him," the one in the coat said in a smooth voice.

Too smooth.

WAY too smooth.

"Aren!" Kalyx gasped.

He tapped her softly.

"Aren, run!"

His heart skipped a beat.

"I'm serious, Aren! He doesn't have a heartbeat!"

His temperature dropped significantly, but - boys, damn it - Aren took him up on the offer. "You're on. What's the bet?"

The man in the trenchcoat smiled, his teeth unnaturally white. "Empty your pockets."

Aren froze, finally turning to walk away. "It's getting late. Go harass someone else."

In a second the man had come from behind him and whirled him around. His breath felt like the touch of cold steel. "Empty them."

"Just play!" yelled someone from the crowd. Soon half the pub had joined in on a chant.

"We play," the man continued, "then we talk. I break."

Mathematical calculations flew through Kalyx's central processor. The conclusion was inevitable. Aren couldn't win - he wasn't going first. On top of that, he was too nervous to perform properly in the first place. When it comes to microscopic precision, things like muscles and emotions fail miserably compared to the cold, hard accuracy of raw wiring and metal. The best option was to run.

"Aren," she whispered, "just run. Jan's a meter behind you; grab her and make a break for it."

Crack! He'd only managed to sink one solid ball?

Aren looked up at him, an eyebrow raised. But Kalyx knew this was just the beginning.

Another loud crack. People around the room gasped as the movement on the pool table began resembling a clock. Balls weaved intricate patterns as they glided between each other, colors matching to resemble a kaleidoscope. Slowly, painfully, the remaining six solids came to rest at the very edge of each hole. Dread filled Aren as he realized blowing on just the leg of the table would cause one - maybe all of them - to sink. Everyone else in the bar must have known this also, because it was completely silent.

Show-off, thought Kalyx. She'd already predicted the pattern from his angle, several nanoseconds before the stick had connected with the cue ball. Maybe it was too early to run - all Aren had to do was tap the table casually from a specific point towards the right edge at a 36 degree angle towards the ground. This would move each ball 3-5 millimeters away from each hole, giving him enough force tolerance to strike the cue ball without sinking them all. A simple "jump" over the solids into the pocket would completely negate his strategy. Pretty stuff, Mr. Trenchcoat, but your strategy had a huge flaw.

Or did it? The intimidation factor was taking its toll on Aren's mental functions. If he could just calm himself-

But Aren couldn't do it. He was practically shaking, and blood had begun draining from his hands and head. He was accurate for a human, but still human - and these physical variables made the possibility of success bleak. Run, Aren! Just run!

Good.

Aren and Jan were already out the door.

"Aren!" Jan gasped between her steps. "What's going on?"

"I'll explain later," he panted. "Kalyx, where to?"

Jan drew in another breath. "Kalyx?"

More math. Kalyx loved math.

Better hurry too. The android had already begun shoving people aside to get to them. He didn't have a half-bad processing unit, either. This might even be fun.

---

a) Food court!
b) Parking lot!
c) GIANT ROBOTS WTF
d) As far away as possible! (try to define it, please. the idea the next author likes best will take the cake)

A very good story so far. I really like it.

Giant Robot = War Machines. If you were to do that, you'd have to explain some background for the story. Plus, up until now you've been dealing with precision, small robots. You're in an action streak, so you don't have time for explanation.

I'd go with "d"
Since you have the assasin chasing them, they either need some way to beat him or a change in circumstance. "c" does that, but none of the others do.

How about Aren is captured by the assasin? What if Kalyx meets Jan and they set out to save Aren. What if Kalyx fails to find a way to escape the assasin, which leads her to doubt herself later when they try to save him.

I was thinking of an a/c combo. Kalyx needs to go missing..it's more interesting even if it has already been done!

Multi wrote:

I'd go with "d"
Since you have the assasin chasing them, they either need some way to beat him or a change in circumstance. "c" does that, but none of the others do.

How about Aren is captured by the assasin? What if Kalyx meets Jan and they set out to save Aren. What if Kalyx fails to find a way to escape the assasin, which leads her to doubt herself later when they try to save him.

I was actually thinking that the food court might be good cover for them. This android guy might not want to do anything too public.

It's also worth questioning whether the android is actually after Aren or not. Personally I think it's after what Aren *has,* which is Kalyx. But you could be on to something - failing to capture Kalyx, he goes after Aren instead - to use him as a hostage? And that's assuming he can separate them in the first place. Kalyx seems to have a strong affection for Aren.

I'll hold off on my vote for now (I'm leaning toward a though) because for me it's a standoff between all of them.

Well guys, if there's an idea you're playing around with and you want to see it happen, you can go ahead and implement it into the story.

BY WRITING THE NEXT PART.

I've been doing all the writing so far. >=(

Oh, and thanks Multi. Glad you like it so far. I'm sure any contributions other than mine will also add positively to the story.

I would have already written the next part by now if I weren't already writing my own story. I'd love to help you. It's been so good so far.

A group story looks more like a journey to me. It doesn't have the unifying theme of an individual story. What would you be shooting for with this story, had you planned on writting it on your own?

Bang! The loud shockwave was a clear warning to Kalyx. This android really meant business. If he was willing to go shooting in that crowd of people, there was no telling what might happen. On top of that, Aren would have less of a head start than Kalyx had calculated.

There was also a good side to this. The longer Aren could avoid the android, the better his chances the police would come. Also, since they were in a parking lot, the android would have to chase him around the dozens of 10ft walkers parked there. So long as Aren found his walker, and could get off and running, it would be a simple game of attrition, and Kalyx knew it would be an easy one.

The only problem was Aren did not.

Double Bang! The people were scattering in front of the android as it shot into the air, blowing out a light or two for maximum show. Sparks rained down with each blast, sending shrieks and screams into the air. Jan was among the screaming.

Aren was paralyzed with fear. Hiding behind a column of cement he stood frozen as Jan held his arm, screaming all neural activity out of him. No amount of vibrating would be bring him out of it.

The android rounded the corner with long, deep strides as he came toward them. Aren saw him and ran at 300% of his maximum speed. Jan could not keep up.

She was a smart girl though, and ran screaming in a different direction, forcing the android to choose. It passed her without hesitation.

Aren had reached his walker, a red, two-seater known more for its safety than speed. The problem was he wouldn't have enough time to get in. The android was already weaving between the walkers with super human agility. Then the android stopped, and for a very long nano-second, took aim.

Kalyx didn't even have enough time to calculate the angles. She simply over-heated. She short-circuited trying as hard as she could to get Aren to move!

Aren reached for the last hand hold. Bang! Aren cried out in pain as the bullet penetrated his left shoulder. Kalyx watched in horror as he fell backwards in slow motion. Every microsecond, every frame of video passed in a wave of complicated emotions as the only human she had ever known was now lost. Jan screamed somewhere off in the distance, "Aren!" Nothing anyone could do would save him.

As he revolved slowly in mid-air, he flipped upside down, and Kalyx dropped from his pocket to fall the rest of the way alone.

The android was fast, though. In one great lunge he caught Aren and rolled. He was off and running again, putting as much distance between them as possible.

Kalyx meanwhile bounced off the asphault, and rolled under a walker several spaces down.

--

I picked "d" contrary to popular demand because I wrote it. So the assasin gets away with Aren but doesn't know Kalyx isn't with him. Therefore Kalyx will have to rescue Aren, and the assasin knows that. BTW, this is a short story; it has to come to an end shortly.

1)Jan convinces Kalyx that she can beat the assasin despite Kalyx's calculations (Jan teams up with Kalyx)
a)Kalyx hijacks Aren's walker
b)Kalyx finds a hologram projector
c)Jan has an idea to save Aren
d)You write it (please pick this one)

2)Jan runs for help and Kalyx pulls herself together to go after Aren herself because she doesn't need anyone else
a)Kalyx hijacks Aren's walker
b)Kalyx finds the hologram projector
c)Kalyx tracks the robot without anything new
d)Please write