Let the Music Play, Chapter 37

[wildone]

We have a winner!

 

Congratulations, Wildone! The reason one side of the V is shorter than the other is that it has fewer geese in it.

 

Thanks to all who participated.

 

Wildone's prize is up to CJ. I would suggest an early release of Chapter 38.

 

CJ, what about my prize??

 

I promise to share with everyone

[C James]

Ok... Nobody quite got it, but Wildone and Benji each mentioned parts of it.

 

So, in honor of this, the correct answer to Mike's puzzle, and Jkeeling's birthday (Happy Birthday!) I'll post LTMP 38.

(actually it's already up)

[Tiger]

One of the ways LTMP 37 is a homage to LiS 26 is that the elipsis at the end was copy-and-pasted from LiS 26. I don't want to give any spoilers for LiS 26 here (If you haven't read Living in Surreality, it's complete and superb: it also won GA's Story of the YEar award.) However, LiS 26 is the ultimate cliffhanger, so of course I pay homage to it. and for this reason I also seek to return Shadowgod to his rightful place on his Cliffhanging throne, so he can once again survey his natural realm; the malevolent precipices of eeevil cliffhangers.

 

 

I love LiS, especially Chapters 13 and 26. However, you managed to blow the cliffhanger in LiS Chapter 26 into smitherines with the most evil cliffhanger in the history of this entire site. No one will ever be able to surpass your mastery of evil cliffhangery. That's no offense to Shadowgod. His stories manage to add a level of poetic story writing that no one else can even come close to recreating.

[shadowgod]

OK, a breif summary of the cliffhanger that needs to be resolved;

 

The first problem is the four inbound missiles. However, even without those, they still have a few slight problems; two F-15's with Sidewinders boring in, ready to fire the second it looks like the Sparrows miss. (and the AiM 9 Sidewinder has a darn high success rate) or, the four f-16's ahead, armed with slammers (AMMRAMS, AIM 120's, the world's most effective air-to-air missle).

 

And if they somehow get away from those, there remains the slight difficulty that their plane is crippled. That broken rudder cable makes landing exceedingly hard for a trained pilot, and their pilot is dead. There are also no parachutes aboard, and any kind of air-to-air transfer is unrealistic, confined to the realms of bad movies.

 

So, that's the cliffhanger that needs resolving. It is resolved in 38. Of course, it might be the simplest resolution: the missiles hit, blowing them all to bits. But, it is resolved.

 

BTW, bear in mind that I COULD have had 38 focus on some of the sub-plots, and not get to the issue of Instict at all. However, i didn;t: Unlike Shadowgod, I'm not cruel.

 

 

 

Ahhh, Your Shadowyness! Good to see you, but I must say Im shocked and saddened that you haven't returned to your throne and thus give us the posting of LTMP 38?

 

Oh, I do feel a need to mention that LTMP 37 is in part a homage to Shadowgod's immortal Living In Surreality Ch 26: LiS 26 is, truly, the Mother of All Cliffhangers.

 

One of the ways LTMP 37 is a homage to LiS 26 is that the elipsis at the end was copy-and-pasted from LiS 26. I don't want to give any spoilers for LiS 26 here (If you haven't read Living in Surreality, it's complete and superb: it also won GA's Story of the YEar award.) However, LiS 26 is the ultimate cliffhanger, so of course I pay homage to it. and for this reason I also seek to return Shadowgod to his rightful place on his Cliffhanging throne, so he can once again survey his natural realm; the malevolent precipices of eeevil cliffhangers.

 

 

I fail to see how not straying off into sub plots has anything to do with me being cruel? you'll have to explain that in greater detail.

 

As for this whole "reclaim your throne" business... I couldn't possibly after reading 37, it would just be a shame and a lie. i've always championed the term "let the best goat win" when it comes to this merry go round debate. We will just overlook the fact that I just happen not to be a goat.

[C James]

They say the devil is in the details, so who better than the devil to write them in the details .

 

Ahhem! Wildone! How manyh times do I have to tell you: Shadowgod and I are not the same person, so I cannot possibly be the devil!

 

I fail to see how not straying off into sub plots has anything to do with me being cruel? you'll have to explain that in greater detail.

 

As for this whole "reclaim your throne" business... I couldn't possibly after reading 37, it would just be a shame and a lie. i've always championed the term "let the best goat win" when it comes to this merry go round debate. We will just overlook the fact that I just happen not to be a goat.

 

Well, wouldn't it have been cruel if I posted 38 and it didn't mention Instict's fate, but focused instead on other subplots? In other words, if I'd kept everyone hanging until 39? But, unlike you, I'm not cruel so I didn;t do that.

 

ACk, this is so unfair.. I tired so hard to return you to your rightful place on the cliffhanging throne... and "May the best goat win" come on, that's a frame-up if ever there was one!

[shadowgod]

Ahhem! Wildone! How manyh times do I have to tell you: Shadowgod and I are not the same person, so I cannot possibly be the devil!

 

 

 

Well, wouldn't it have been cruel if I posted 38 and it didn't mention Instict's fate, but focused instead on other subplots? In other words, if I'd kept everyone hanging until 39? But, unlike you, I'm not cruel so I didn;t do that.

 

ACk, this is so unfair.. I tired so hard to return you to your rightful place on the cliffhanging throne... and "May the best goat win" come on, that's a frame-up if ever there was one!

 

perhaps, but I have never done that, Maybe I just waited till the end of the next chapter to give concrete evidence. It could have been worse.

[GaryK]

What made you release 38 early, CJ? I don't recall anyone guessing correctly. Did you simply take pity on us because you saw how much we were suffering? Either way thanks.

[Graeme]

Because two people got half of the solution -- one solved the problem of the missiles and another solved how to get the plane down.

[GaryK]

Ah, thanks. That explains why I couldn't find a one size fits all solution. That still means CJ took pity on us and put us out of our suffering.

[YaP]

Ah, thanks. That explains why I couldn't find a one size fits all solution. That still means CJ took pity on us and put us out of our suffering.

 

Yup, after all CJames is a nice guy (even though he does sometimes hide his nice side behind an evil goat ), and doesnt like to see us suffer for such a long time... and after he even acknoledged the cliff/cloudhanger himself... he couldn't keep us suspended for a whole week .

[Tiger]

Yup, after all CJames is a nice guy (even though he does sometimes hide his nice side behind an evil goat ), and doesnt like to see us suffer for such a long time... and after he even acknoledged the cliff/cloudhanger himself... he couldn't keep us suspended for a whole week .

Yes, he is a very nice guy. I am pleased that he finally admitted to using an evil cliffhanger too.

[AFriendlyFace]

Just wanted to say this was a very good chapter...now I'm off to read the next