About Project Metaverse

What is ReBoot?
What is Project Metaverse?
Taking Part in This
Writing Metaverse Fic

What is the RPM Mailing List?
Joining the List
Do I have to be a Metaverse author to join?
What can I post to the list?
What *can't* I post to the list?

If you have any more questions, please e-mail me at javaoni@hotmail.com.

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What is ReBoot?

ReBoot is a sci-fi/adventure TV series which takes place in a digital world inside someone's personal computer. (Think "Tron" to the tenth power.) The show's premise and style are so totally unique that it seems to have defined a whole new genre of television programming. It also happens to be the first-ever television show that's 100% computer animated. It is currently being shown on YTV in Canada and on the Cartoon Network in the U.S.

If you're not familiar with ReBoot, you should probably read up on it before you proceed any further into this website. The Links page will direct you to several good sites which will give you a better understanding of the premise behind the show and the universe where it takes place.

What is Project Metaverse?

Actually, there are three answers to that question.

1. Project Metaverse is an experiment in "what-if." One of the most asked and least answered questions in ReBoot is what would happen if sprites and humans actually met face-to-face. What if, sometime in the future, human beings gain the technology to actually enter cyberspace and encounter whatever creatures lie therein? How would the natives of the digital world react to this? Would it be possible for them to co-exist peacefully with beings who have been unwittingly killing them off for years? And what would happen when things broke down? In the ficverse, Project Metaverse is the name of the project that allowed humans, sprites, anthros, and virii to coexist - peacefully or violently.

2. Project Metaverse is a series of ReBoot fan-fiction stories which attempts to answer some or all of the questions posed above. It takes the ReBoot scenario into the far future, to a time and place where humans and sprites *have* made contact with each other--and don't seem to be getting along very well. (Read the prologue to Project Metaverse for the specifics on this.) Originally, the series was a one-person operation by the former maintainer of this website, CyberCat, but it has now been opened up to all aspiring fanfic writers. Which brings us to Answer #3:

3. Project Metaverse is a "shared universe," similar to those used on rec.arts.comics.creative. Unlike conventional fan-fiction where each author's work takes place in its own separate "universe," the Metaverse has several authors building upon a single universe, with each author contributing ideas which are then used by all the others. Thus, each story in Project Metaverse is interconnected with all the others, forming a large body of work by a collaborative effort.

How can I take part?

Just follow these simple steps:

1. Read some of the existing stories to get yourself acquainted with the Metaverse.
2. Read the reference materials to pick up on any tidbits of information you might have missed.
3. Write a story or part of a story, either one will be accepted. However, it would be appreciated if you informed the existing authors whether it's a story you intend to finish or just a "story-starter" to get their minds in gear. And especially appreciated by the Webmistress, so she doesn't have fifty-million "In Progress?" stories.
4. E-mail your story to the Webmistress, and it will be posted on this site. Simple HTML is greatly appreciated. Spellchecking and Grammarchecking is more appreciated. Using a beta other than me is best of all. ^_^ See below for specifics.

And there ya go--you're officially part of the Metaverse. There, was that so hard? ;)

Writing Metaverse Fic

There are a couple "do"s and "don't"s here, but don't worry. They're very reasonable.

You probably already know to read the referance materials and some stories to understand current rules. What isn't said though is the rules of writing. As the maintainer of this site, I must mention that poorly-written fic cannot be added to the Stories area. I could scratch that rule, but it wouldn't be fair to the site readers and other current members. In the past, I've gotten fic submissions where I could barely understand a word of it. "She happy, you is"-type fic can't be allowed to be submitted. That's the way it is. I won't sit there editting poorly-formed paragraphs and grammar all day when I could be updating every other aspect of this site. A few errors are acceptable, as there will always be something in a fic even the writer won't notice. That's fine, I can edit a few mistakes as I'm htmling your fic for you. Everything is acceptable as long as fic is readable. Spelling errors are the least of my worries as long as they're kept within reason. If you have access to any kind of spell check, it is greatly appreciated. Just remmeber there are some mistakes even a spelling scan will overlook. Don't worry, just about everything submitted is put up after htmling, which leads me to my next fic subject.

HTMLing. It's not necessary, but if you're able to html your fic before you submit it, this is increadibly helpful to my read-over, as well as speeding up how quickly your fic gets put up onto the site. Merely adding italics or bold tags where you'd like them on your fic is better than me doing it, as I am not the one who would know exactly which word you'd like extra emphasis on. Still using *asterisks* where you want the extra emphasis does tell me where you'd like italicized text to be, as opposed to normal text.

What is the RPM Mailing List?

The RPM mailing list is the place to get information about the Metaverse *as it is written*. In case you hadn't noticed by now, I don't always have time to update this website as soon as new material becomes available. CyberCat created the mailing list for people to share their stories and ideas about the Metaverse without having to wait for me to update. All the important material on the mailing list will make it to this site eventually, but if you want the most up-to-the-minute information (with spoilers), then the list is the way to go.

How do I join?

Just go to this link. You will be prompted for your Yahoo! account - if ya dun have one, unfortunately you must join. Don't worry, they aren't as bad as Microsoft still... Once that's all taken care of, you should receive a message welcoming you to the list--and you're in. You can send messages to the list through RPM@yahoogroups.com, and you will receive messages from other list members with [RPM] at the beginning of the subject line.

Not at all! I recommend that all those who are writing or potentially will write for the Metaverse join this list, but you don't *have* to be a writer to join. The list is for anyone who is at all interested in Project Metaverse and would like to get information on it as it is written.

What can I post to the list?

• Announcements of new RPM fic stuff you've written. If the section is short enough, you can even post it directly in the e-mail.
• Any questions you may have about any aspect of the Metaverse. (However, you aren't always guaranteed a straight answer--sometimes people may choose not to disclose something to avoid giving spoilers for planned stories.)
• Constructive criticism about fics that people have posted to the list. (Emphasis on constructive. "Here's how I feel this story could be improved" is okay; "Your fic sucks sh*t" is not okay and will get you kicked off the list very quickly.)
• New material for the Reference section of the site.
• Questions about the new reference material.
• Responses to the questions about the new reference material.
• Comments on the responses to the questions about the new reference material.
• Comments on the comments on the responses to...ah, heck, you get the idea. :)

What can't I post to the list?

• Attatchments. If you have a picture you want to share or a fic that's too large to fit into a single e-mail, post an *announcement* about it on the list. Either that, or make a link to the image. Don't send the file itself--it'll just slow down the list.
• Requests for material that has been announced by a specific person on the list. Those should be sent through private e-mail to the person with the files.
• Ecchi fic. Cybercat wanted this place to be clean. Talk to Java for clarification.
• Spamming, trolling, or being a general jack-ass. That will get you kicked, Voodoo Cursed, and further scary stuff.
• Invitations to non-Metaverse lists. And especially when you're insulting the Metaverse while doing it. >_<