Round 1.4 [Liber XII v. Rasputin the Translator]

Ah questions. Do I need them?

Hell yeah! Working, as you said, from the outside in I'm having trouble seeing the plot line continuum in Liber XII story--but, I also think it's funny that you're not seeing it as much in Rasputin--I say funny because it doesn't surprise me that we're having trouble seeing the other person's plot, which tells me that I think there is more imagining going on in our heads that isn't making it to the page here. But, that's okay--that's what this process is for, after all...

Liber XII: In relation to your story, I guess I see it as a more smarty-pants film than you, and maybe that's holding me up. Although I can see that it's man-against-nature, in a sense--a hostile environment, but I guess I don't know why the computer is evil, and that's also holding up the plot for me. I also want to know if its actually possible for a computer to be evil. I mean, some computers can be pretty badass, but are they evil?

Joking aside (Oh wait, was that a joke? I guess they have to be funny to be considered so...), the real deal is this: computers are logic circuits, and if they had a personality it would be an artificial one. Sure, we can get all Star Trek and talk about sentient artificial lives such as Data, but I don't think that's appropriate to the story at hand here. Your plot point is planet goes bad, but how and why? To me, this raises tremendous issues that have to be dealt with before we can figure out plot.

Now, it could be that these issues are a MacGuffin, and frankly all we need to know is that the computer went bad. I can get over myself enough to see that--and, with your description, I'm seeing the scope of the piece better. So, maybe the key to getting this story to work would be putting myself on hold a bit, and just figuring out some big plot points, and then finessing as we go. I can see us doing that, and coming out with an action flick that is respectable. And can include veiled references to both Argentian blind geniuses, and Canadian power trios.

Rasputin the Translator: Here's my x>y>z thang: Bad aliens appear, are bad > Puny human government impotent > Bad aliens marching on Washington (Moscow / Paris / London) > Rasputin appears and stops march > Rasputin wants unbelievable, and unfair, reward for helping humans > Humans have moral dilemma > Aliens bristle > Rasputin plays his cards > Someone wins.

Of course, in between is a lot of politics. I see this primarily as a political thriller, but I think we need a fair measure of destruction-o-thon to make it read as scary and viable. That would make Rasputin more messianic when he appears--and he kind of would be. I think some people would worship him, and some would want to kill him and just give in to the all powerful aliens.

I think, as you said, this one would be harder than Liber XII, but I think that not because the skin of the story isn't there, in my mind, but because we'll be dealing with politics and human condition. But, then I think: How would Altman handle this? How would Cronenberg handle this? I mean--just because it's a political thriller doesn't mean it has to be Airforce One--I can see this getting a bit subversive, frankly. How can it not when the main character is an evil, bearded psychic?