This is not one of my smarter ideas.
I came up with this last night as i opened my third beer. My third beer is not known for being the best beer of ideas. First beer: Great ideas. Second Beer: Decent ideas, LOTS of enthusiasm for them. Third beer: the magic bridge where all the ideas that would normally and deservedly be thrown into the pit of annihilation suddenly get a reprieve and get to come out and dance about in the light of day, and despite being generally idiotic, get to be taken seriously.
And yet here i am the next day, no beer in sight, actually going through with it. Because even without beer, i am still an idiot.
So. Here’s the deal.
Would you like to have a character named after you in the Atompunk Opera? Tell me why the MCG is named as it is. I rarely name things arbitrarily. Soldier 7285, not arbitrary. Hell, even Sollof got his name from that awesome doll designer on the net who i stumbled across back when i was juuuuuuust first approaching the Steampunk Opera and probably the first week i was writing this blog. Everything comes from somewhere and has some significance even if it’s idiotic.
Obviously if your name is Mark Swetz, Kevin Hulburt or Patrick Plonski, you are disbarred. Sorry. I know for a fact i told at least ONE of you. Probably more. Ya’ll are all too privy to my secrety secrets. Besides, technically i named a character after Mark, although he has like, 8 lines with Constance in The Soiree and gets killed immediately afterwards (but he’s her mark… named Mark. Get it? Okay, look, i can’t be clever all the damn time.) Kevin got a pub named after him in New Albion 7… i probably owe them more than that, but….
Why this is a stupid idea:
1. Characters in the operas are given period specific names (or thematically appropriate ones, like Constance). What if your name is…. something crazy? Well, we’ll work with it.
2. WORSE, what if you have a name i’ve already used? I got a comment from a woman named Amelia just the other day. What if she wins? I can’t give two different characters in the same trilogy the same name. What if i use her middle name? Â What if i just let her pick a name? What if she picks the name “Douchebag Jones”? I am not naming a character in this opera “Douchebag Jones” as awesome as that might otherwise be.
Okay then, Look, i will work with ya. We’ll figure something out.
So, this is a standing contest. First person who gets around to the correct answer, their name goes on some character. Could be an insanely minor character. Could be one of the majors! I can also not guarantee the moral fiber of the character. Maybe the character is a weasily, sniffly worm who humps poodles and runs away. Maybe not. No promises. I haven’t written the damn thing (although i’ve got a pretty good chunk of it figured out). I’m still working out the details. Maybe this’ll be solved 2 minutes after i post it, maybe no one will respond. So it goes.
Why MCG?
Let's connect! Here is where you can find me:
The MCG is the McGuffin–the device which moves the plot along. MCG –> MCGuffin.
Hidden things are not so complicated as seems on the first look. But it was a sort of test, no? Nevermind, most of us like puzzles, as well as contests. So was this post a contest or not from the very beginning, that is a question…
)
this actually similar not to think of a white monkeys white as snow
or even of 2nd and 3rd beer (this is a plot device)
A question in a post was MCG itself, yes.
a answer to why MCG is because you needed to think of a question, that’s why, probably not the answer you were thinking of but its A answer
I leave this link here for those curious http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice:_The_Girl_from_Earth
No suggestions, just for fun. Never thought of this before, but this can be called “atompunk” science fiction now.
And yes, its Russian đ
Here’s a little suggestion.
What if the Voodoopunks had a lead priest who secretly plans to take control of New Albion because of a personal vendetta against the rebels for “killing” his daughter?
Family is a pretty important theme in the Operas. This could be a nice addition.
Thanks for the suggestion. The larger plot for the AO is in fact written already. And it’s epic, i assure you.
Apparently there is also an MCG Records there. But I have this sinking feeling it’s goign to be McGuffin.
He just confirmed McGuffin in the next post.
There’s an early childhood accessory company in Serbia called the MCG group, who specifically sell baby monitors and things like that, which seem to be a vaguely similar concept to the MCG device (ok, that’s a stretch, but still), in that a child can tell its parent from another room what it would want.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MacGuffin McGuffin/MacGuffin?
That is a ridiculously good guess.
Well some of these posts are by Paulms, and I assume the S is for Shapera. If the M is a middle initial, and if it’s the M in MCG, are the other two letters middle names of your child and partner? I don’t even know at this point, I should really wait for the hint.
Heehee, don’t worry about it, this is fun. Um, Perhaps Mass Communication Grid?
It stands for Galoris/Counter Mode but backwardssssss? I need to sit back and review my options this is getting sad.
Military Communications Grid? I’m just pulling thematically appropriate words out of a hat now.
There’ll be a hint in tomorrow’s post. I feel bad all of you are trying so hard.
Don’t feel bad, this is fun! đ
I think the better question here is if I can find a way to mail this man some carrot cake, will we get hints?
Moving Coil Galvanometer? It was used in early transatlantic communications if I remember correctlyâŚ
My promise to you all:
1. I will tell you the moment someone guesses.
2. I WILL tell you anyway if no one guesses (it’d be a pretty dick move if i didn’t), but down the line a bit. After i’ve named all the characters. This will be a little while from now, as i’m still assembling the story in my head. The story is… well it seems complicated now, but once i assemble it and streamline it, it’ll be… a little complicated but not too dense.
Ooo Amelia, great guess with “Mind Control Gizmo/Gadgetâ!
I’d like to also guess “microgram” since it’s one of the smallest units of mass…small mass is transmitted through the mcg….? Maybe too far-fetched.
What about: “Morphological Catalogue of Galaxies”?
(Also, juuuust in case I win, my name is “Cynthia” đ )
Well this is just wild mass guessing, but if you do the same number-letter phone thing that you used with Soldier 7285 with MCG you get 624. A google search of 624 led me to a Keats poem “Ode to a Nightingale.”
I usually post as Marz, but on the off chance I win, I would never ask you to name a character Marz, so my real name it is.
Let me guess
http://www.gale.cengage.com/pdf/samples/TOC_9781558628472.pdf
Somewhere from the middle on M letter.. No? đ
McG’s College Ave Burgers & Beer… Too little atompunk here but in connection with crazy beer thoughts looks funny as well as a coffee mill Maxima MCG-1601
That’s all and I think I am out of this contest,
but I vote for Alice as a female name (Alice in Wonderland? American McGee’s Alice?) and maybe this man: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugene_Cernan (Both names are in stylistic I hope).
Good luck Paul,
from Russia with love
Happy listener of your Opera
Multifunction CardioGram?
The obscure rap group McG?
Huge fan of cricket? Melbourne Cricket Guild?
I’m genuinely thinking it might be something along the lines of Multifunction Cochlear Garnish.
(I’m shooting in the dark here…)
Mind Communication Gadget?
Adding âMind Control Gizmo/Gadgetâ to my guesses since after the totally brilliant guess from Damaen I have nothing to lose.
I believe it could have something to do with Mobile Communications Group since the mark, Mark, was holding the MCG to begin with and well the item in question does have something to do with communication between the soldiers.
Needless to say after recovering from the fact that I was mentioned I opened about tow dozen tabs and started looking for any sort of abbreviation or initials that would fit thematically. My first paces I looked were any connection it might have to the Tinker, inventors that contributed to radio, the initials of Lovecraft and Forbidden Planet related individualsâŚ
Currently on my list of possibilities are that either youâre a Joseph McGinty Nichol fan, you rearranged the letters in Media Gateway Controller, or you made up an abbreviation along the lines of MassâŚsomethingorother.
The search continues. And during it Iâve leaned a bit about Magnetocardiography.
To be clear, there’s no limit or any guidelines or anything. First to nail it wins.
Okay, here’s my guess:
MCG stands for Manchester Craftsmenâs Guild who has a Jazz program and is from your hometown. The music for DO is jazzy, so connection there….
Hopefully, we’re not limited to one comment. If I come up with something better, I’ll comment again đ
This would have been my first guess too, so good call!
Maybe, but I guess this is just to obvious to be the solution, MCG named after Joseph McGinty Nichols called “McG”, because you like his work on Chuck,Terminator or Supernatural. I just googled MCG and it was the first hit, so I guess it’s not hard enough.
I have some other Idead, if this is wrong.
Greetings from Germany, and keep the good work, it’s awesome.