Random Thought Table

[jeriendhal]

Just thinking about seawasp's Grand Central Arena books.

S

P

O

I

L

E

R

One of the background details is that some decades past a very ethically questionable genetic/social engineering project was begun by a group of intelligent yet remarkably clueless science fiction fans, trying to create Real World versions of classic characters from sci-fi and fantasy literature. Most of the end results were various levels of crazy by the time things broke down, but one of the more remarkable successes was Marc DuQuense, based off the classic supervillain from E.E. Smith's Skylark series.

Now most of the characters from the project seem to be from myth (like the Monkey King) or Golden Age sci-fi. Likely if only to avoid Ryk Spoor from treading on living author's copyrights. But if the Hyperion Project managers went a little further forward I can see one character they'd almost have to try and recreate....

Except I think their version of Miles Vorkosigan would likely be more even nuts than his fictional brother Mark...

Comments

[seawasp]

The ones that we get to have significant interaction with are public domain, yes, or are changed and renamed so that I don't get sued, yes. But there have been mentions or hints sufficient to identify a number of other not-public-domain characters as Hyperions.

And I would expect Miles was one of the Hyperions. One of those who didn't make it, of course.

Vorkosigans

[p-o-u-n-c-e-r.livejournal.com]

I'm hardly sure you can get to Miles without Piotr and Aral, first.

Like the proverb about training an English boy to become an English Yeoman Archer -- you start by training his grandfather. Or the related proverb about the lawns on an English estate. Till, plant, and roll for one to two centuries.

Wasn't backstory in Asimov's _Nemesis_ about dozens or more space colonies all attempting screwy civilizations? Or am I mixing that with O'Neil's _2081_?

Re: Vorkosigans

[jeriendhal.livejournal.com]

The GCA universe contains Matrix-realistic VR sims, which is how DeQuense was raised (it's a plot point when the characters in the first book are trying to figure out if the BDO they landed in is real or something planted in their heads to screw with them). So presumably sims of Piotr, Aral and Cordelia would be provided. The likely results would be very different from what was desired though...

[seawasp]

The Hyperion designs allowed one and only one REAL (i.e., flesh and blood) character to be developed per universe, in most cases (some really big and popular universes might get three or four, but that would be big and popular and complex on the scale of, say, the major comic-book universes with literally hundreds or thousands of characters and many such who would be considered iconic). So Miles would be the only living inhabitant of his environment; he just would have no way to KNOW that, and neither would his companions, allies, and enemies, all of whom would be AI sims.