We on 'A Bug's Muck' value our puppets very highly, much more so than as just objects or simple programs. In fact, if you were to take a tour of the muck and came across a puppet, you'd most likely not know they were in fact a puppet unless you used an examine program, (ie ex Opal) to know that Opal /was/ a puppet. In fact, great lengths have been made in making our puppets as close to other players as possible. Why, you might ask? Why go to all the trouble when we could just pose or rp in place of them? Well, for starters, it goes back to the previous article. Our puppets have become quite independent of their creators, and so they might not always like to share with us things they would with other players or even other puppets. One was a letter given from Walter to Opal. Don't worry Walter, this was last years letter, not the one you just sent her. The subject of that letter I intend to discuss in the next puppet article. So, does taking such measures bother me? Nah. Actually it's quite to the contrary. And... I'm not the only one. Several of the members of the muck have expressed similar feelings and view points towards the puppets that are their responsibility. I've personally asked two if they would share feelings specifically with me, and in the process of reading the outcome, I've decided that these two generous contributions say in essence to what the subject is, so an additions I felt really weren't needed. So... on with the stuff! This first example was an interview I had with long time member of the muck, Tilly Materson, the Ant. Word has is that this whole unique nature of puppets on A Bug's Muck began with Dave Cloney, clone of Dave Foley the actor, who was made and given to Tilly as a gift of sorts. The Interview: Basil: "Would you like something to drink?" Tilly takes a seat on one of the director's chairs. "Thank you much... a bit of iced tea, perhaps." Basil produces a glass of iced tea and a glass of sprite, then produces a little notepad that holds his questions. Tilly, meanwhile, produces a loopy, squiggly straw and drops it into her iced tea. :D "Wanta squiggly straw, Basil?" Basil: "Yeah, okay. ;)" Tilly hands Basil a red Silly Straw, and holds up her own glass. "Wicked!" ^.^ Basil nodnods. ^.^ "Okay, first question. I'm interested in knowing how Dave Cloney first came into being. You know, how and why he was made, for the lack of a better phrase. ;)" Basil then places the straw into the glass while tracing it's path from the bottom to the other end. o.o ;) Tilly takes a sip of iced tea.. "Oh, geez.. Cloney's making.. where to start.. okay, well. It was over two years ago now... see, I feeling pretty down- can't remember why, though. I was hanging in my room called the Pit of Ultimate Darkness, because the room is for occasions like that.. or it used to be, anyway, 'cause now I use it mostly for storage. Mm, anyway, Azzy noticed my depressive funk and thought she'd cheer me up, so I guess she spontaneously decided to make me a Foley clone. She whipped one up as an object and gave it to me. Foley-Clone (tm), she called it. Did cheer me up, too." ^^ Basil: "Hey, that's nice she did that for ya. In fact, I'm glad you brought that up, because that's a good deal the whole concept behind this part of the article, how we feel about our puppets. Now, I'd like to ask you about Dave himself, mainly about his personality. Has he always felt the same from that point to now? What I mean, is has Dave's personality, his selfness been more or less the same or has he changed since Azzy created him?" (Tilly continues with previous question) Tilly: "I spoofed him for a while, maybe a couple of months or so. I liked him a lot, and I even gave him his own little weapons and stuff. Everyone else probably didn't share my enthusiasm over him.. I guess he was kind of a pain, especially since everyone new how nuts I was about Dave Foley. Heheh. ^^ Then one day, Foley-Clone (tm) (I was calling him Dave at that point) was in a room with me, Dusty, Willow, Luna, and Azzy... and Azzy said I should make Dave a puppet. I'd never made a puppet before, so I wasn't very sure, but Azzy said it would be easy. So I agreed, and she showed me how, and even set some flags for him when I got confused. So he was really Azzy's brainchild." :9" Tilly addresses the next question.. Basil okays. ;) Tilly: "Oh man, since Azzy created him? Absolutely. He has changed drastically, I think. I mean, so much I don't think you'd recognize him now, if you only knew him at the very beginning. I guess you could call it growing up, or developing. He was probably very .. maybe arrogant is the best word. :9 He'd use his weapons on people all the time, and he used to pick on Yet another Flik doll a lot too. Now... I haven't seen him use one of those weapons in a very long time. I've even considered taking them away, since they're obsolete to him anyway. And Yet- well, he's one of Yet's best buddies. ^.^ So I guess I'd say he's grown up and matured. He's kind and smiles a lot.. I'm sure he's a lot more fun to be around than he was in the beginning. And might I add, I'm real proud of him. :)" Basil: "Hey, that's great! I do remember Willow pointed out that Dave used to throw hot coffee at others in the beginning, but later on how he was so helpful to Yet and dealt with Opal's one time experience with coffee very well, even before he knew she was kidding. I've grown particularly fond of Dave myself. ;) Okay, question three: I've noticed that when I talk and spend time with puppets on the muck, including my own, I feel like I'm talking to a separate person, not the owner of the puppet,. Do you feel the same way with Dave, and have you ever felt that his personality has become deeper and more developed, like he feels like more of a person?" Tilly: "Definitely. When I first got Dave, he felt kind of like a neat toy. But as time passed he became so much more, and it just seemed to happen naturally. Now he's my friend, and I know I can go talk to him and he'll listen, and vice versa. So our relationship changed as he became more developed. And definitely deeper; he has feelings and needs like anyone else. He's not me, and I don't feel that he's an extension of me at all. He is a seperate person." Basil: "That's exactly how I feel too. ;) Opal, man she's such a sweetheart. n.n That situation with She and Yet and Dave was so nice. Yeah, very much a different person. And not just Opal, but even Heather, my newest puppet feels that way too. Not so developed, but again, a separate person. ^.^ Okay. I'm pretty sure of what your answer will be on this one, but do you feel Dave Cloney is alot like Dave Foley, the actor from Newsradio or KITH (the name inserted for the readers of the article) who he's patterned after or significalntly different, and if so, how does he feel different?" Tilly hehehs.. "Oh boy.." Tilly: "That's more of a clone question than a puppet question. ;)" Tilly: "But I'll answer.. ;)" Basil okays. ;) Tilly: "Um, well. I'm pretty sure you know the answer. Which is 'yes'. I'd say he is a lot like Dave Foley, meaning they have the same basic personalities and a lot of common interests. And of course, there are differences. So I'd say they're very similar, but of course not exact- I think that'd be kind of impossible. :)" Tilly: "I mean, there are times when I'll be complaining about something Dave does, or did, and the person I'm with will ask 'Which one, Foley or Cloney?' And I'll have to pause for a moment and then admit, 'Both.' :P" Tilly: "But hey, I guess they could be just as similar without one being a clone of the other. Not likely, but hey. ;)" Basil: "Makes sense. ;) For the most part the same, but there will always be differences. ;) The next question I was going to ask I think you already did as his feelings toward Yet changed from hostile to close friend. Does, or has Dave ever talk to you about other players or puppets on the muck, and how he feels about them?" Basil takes a long sip on his Sprite after taking down a few notes and reviewing the next question. o.o Tilly thinks.. "Dave? Hmm.. I'm not sure. Well, yes, actually. There was one time I think another puppet did something that upset him, and he expressed that to me. And he's mentioned missing a player who hasn't been around now and then. Of course, when I want to know how he really feels about a particular puppet, I'll just ask him. ;) But for the most part, I think he likes everyone, so doesn't have anything negative to say. *shrug* " Basil: "That's good. Comfortable in the muck environment and the bugs who live here. Okay, does Dave like ice cream?" Tilly takes a sip of iced tea and watches it travel through the straw. :9 Tilly: "Uh, yeah. Pretty sure he likes ice cream." Basil cools. "I'd ask what flavor, but that might be best left for him to decide. Now, I've heard about this sock puppet he has. O.o Anything you can tell me about that?" ;) Tilly gahs! "You mean Mr. Bunion? Oh, don't get me started! x.x It's just a sock puppet Dave uses, I think for the sole purpose of annoying me, which I haven't seen in a while - so I'll thank you not to prompt Dave to bring him back or anything like that. :P" Tilly pfts. "I guess it just amuses him. The sock is supposed to be a child psychologist, or something. I just find it creepy." Basil O.o's "Okay, no problem. >.< ;) Sounds like I don't want to see it any more than anoyone else. - - Well, if he keeps it to himself, that's all the better. Now, final question. Would you like to add anything about Dave we havn't discussed? Tilly hm.. Tilly: "He's important to me. I care about him very much, so if anyone tries to hurt him- they will get theirs. That is the Tilly guarantee. He won't use his weapons, but I will. >:)" Tilly: "Get it? Good. ^.^" Tilly takes a refreshing sip of iced tea. ^.^ Basil understands. ;) Tilly: "Also, I am not responsible for any antics of his resulting.. bad. Sorry. :P" Basil: "Hey, that's no problem. I don't hold you any more responsible for Dave than any other puppet for their owner. ;)" Tilly: "Cool." Basil giggles, then looks at the ice in his drink, that's mostly diminised by now. "Well, I'd like to thank you for talking to me about Dave Cloney. I've grown quiet fond of him, much like many of the other puppets here on A Bug's Muck, and I'm glad to get to know your insites on him, and for your help in bringing such a wonderful aspect of puppets to us. ^.^" Tilly sips.. it travels through the squiggly straw! "No prob'lm." ^.^ The other individual I asked for his personal experiences is a fairly recent addition to the muck, named Silver. His experience with his first puppet, named Gem, started out as a simple experiment. Little did he know what he was in for. >;) Puppets and Gem "What are you doing, Silver?" Silver glances up from his pad of leaves to find Gem staring at him curiously. "Writing something for Basil." "For Basil? Ooh! Oh! What about? Can I see?" "Well, as a matter of fact, it's about you. Basil is writing a series of papers on puppets--that would be you--and asked me to contribute a few thoughts on the subject. On you, to be precise." Gem hops up and down with excitement. What fun! "Oh good! Let's tell him about my first role-play time! There was this big lake, and I fell in, and Gina--" "Er, no," interrupts Silver. "This is supposed to be about how you came to be." Gem quits hopping about, suspecting this may be one of Silver's dumb projects instead of something fun. "Oh. You mean like how I was born and stuff." "Yes, that's one way to put it. See, when I first came here, I didn't know anything about puppets, but everybody else had not just one, but many. I didn't see a need to have my own puppet, but I was curious how they were made and how they worked." "So you made me?" "Right. I made a puppet. I always bother to describe the things I make, so out of whimsy I described this puppet as a little girl-ant named--" "What's 'whimsy'?" "Hm, that's a fanciful idea, kinda like make-believe." "Oh." Gem considers this for a moment. "You didn't think I was a real person?" "Well, you were just this thing at the time, like a doll. This doll wasn't intended to be a role-play character, or a parody for out-of-character play. It was simply an experiment in puppets. I wanted to learn how these dolls work." Silver decides not to mention he had no plans to keep the 'doll' after exploring puppet mechanics. "But then a weird thing happened." Gem's antennae perk up. A weird thing? "Really? What happened?" "As I played with the doll, moving it around the muck, other people noticed and started talking to it, as if it were a regular player. And you know what?" "What?!" Gem replies, enthralled. "The doll started answering. But it wasn't me talking through the doll, it was the doll talking from her own point of view. And that point of view was a young girl-ant, rather small, very blue, bright and perky." "Me!" "The beginnings of you, yes," says Silver. "So what happened next?" "Well, everyone knew that you were something I created, but rather than talk to you as they would talk to me, they talked to you like they would talk to a seven-year old girl. Now, it wouldn't make much sense if something that looked remarkably like a young ant-girl started talking like me, would it?" "So that's when you decided I was a real person? I mean me?" "Not quite," Silver says. "You see, our personalities are determined in part by experience, experiences that are often shared with other people--" "Like the time Willow dumped the marshmallow dust on you!" "Um--" "Or when Mini-Locus used the magic rock to make you say 'These are not the ants you're looking for'!" Gem giggles. Silver clears his throat loudly. "As I was saying, shared experiences help build your character in other people's minds. For example, I know you're going to constantly interrupt me, because I've seen you do it before. Many times." Gem takes the point and stands quiet. For the moment. "It takes time to get to know somebody; what they like to do, how they react, what their habits are, that sort of thing. And usually it takes more time to decide how you feel about them. So, a character doesn't become believable, real as you say, overnight. It takes time, effort, and a degree of responsibility. I'm responsible for you, in that I'm the one who keeps your personality intact. Part of this is out of respect for others in the muck, because the muck is a continuous product of everyone's thoughtful participation, and part of it is out of respect for the character that is you. There are times when I'm active on the muck, but I keep you inactive because I don't feel I can devote the proper attention or energy required to keep your personality consistent." "Oh," says Gem, as something occurs to her. "That's why I sleep alot, even when you're awake?" "That's right. If I didn't do that, I'd get sloppy, and you wouldn't be you, you'd be a seven-year-old girl-ant mixed with myself and who-knows-what-else. Like dropping dirt in pure water. We could filter the water back to pure, but people would remember the water once had dirt in it. Yuck. It affects their reactions." "Yuck!" Gem repeats. "So some of me is you, right?" "Some of you is me. Some of you isn't me. Some of you is bits and pieces of other people I've known. Some of you is spontaneous and must come from whatever source made me put a seven-year-old girl-ant's description on a glorified data structure. But now, after watching you play with Mini-Locus, or sit in Opal's lap, or be given a flying-ride by Hyacinth, I can see you in my mind nearly as well as I can see most real-world people. When one can imagine an individual clearly, picture that person running around happily with fairy-wings tied to their backside or breathing gently with their mouth open in sleep, and particularly when others can imagine the same, then, who's to say that person isn't real?" "So am I a real person?" "What do you think?" "I think I'm real!" "Cogito ergo sum," Silver says. "Spoken like a true philosopher." "Huh?" "Nevermind." "So what are you gonna write for Basil?" Silver puts his leaf-notes down. "I think we just wrote it." So, to conclude this portion of The Puppet Article Series, I think that these two examples show clearly the feelings we develop for the puppets, these individuals we get to work with. I'd like to personally thank Tilly, Silver and Gem for taking time (albeit for one individual un-expectantly) to share their time and feelings on this very important, and a very significant subject. One other individual deserves my thanks as well, for sharing her insights, as well as many, many hours of discussion with me on puppets, as well as her encouragement in getting this article together. Thanks Willow! Oh, and you helped encourage me to, Tilly. ;)

Home / Updates / Writings /Logs / Characters / About Me / Email / Links / Stuff

All references made are copyright of each of their respective owners. All other's are copyright me! 2002 This page created for entertainment purposes only.