Paul S Person <psperson@old.netcom.invalid> writes:
>On Mon, 31 Jul 2023 15:17:18 -0000 (UTC), Don <g@crcomp.net> wrote:
>
>>A twofer!
>>
>>Christian Weisgerber wrote:

>><https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DW3jKnzqCn-E>
>><https://www.kiro7.com/news/local/new-dashcam-video-shows-unruly-crowd-b=
>locking-spd-patrol-car-after-street-race-erupts-into-shooting/CRFWBY2DFFC=
>IRNC5EHCLDAZETM/>
>
>The KING TV article I read had more of an explanation: other things
>were going on, forcing the police to spread out.=20
>
>The real lesson here is that illegal street racing is now /very/
>popular among enough people to create crowds that aren't cowed by the
>police even one little bit. Even when shots ring out.

And it is glorified on reality TV (e.g. "Street Outlaws"). Sad, really.

On 7/31/2023 11:16 AM, Ahasuerus wrote:
> On Monday, July 31, 2023 at 11:17:23 AM UTC-4, Don wrote:
>> A twofer!
>>
>> Christian Weisgerber wrote:
>>> Ahasuerus wrote:
>>>
>>>> Character agency is always an issue in stories/novels set in the modern
>>>> world. Modern civilization is based on complex networks of private and
>>>> public organizations. It requires trained technicians and experts to run.
>>>>
>>>> It's been increasingly difficult to sell "mad scientists" and "genius
>>>> inventors" to the readers since at least WWI and definitely since the
>>>> Manhattan Project. It's no accident that Doc Smith's first series followed
>>>> genius inventors/engineers who were effectively free agents while his
>>>> second series (started 20 years later) followed government agents.
>>>>
>>>> When encountering an unexpected event in 2023, the standard reaction
>>>> is almost always to call 911, which will then route the call to appropriate
>>>> agencies.
>> The non-big "loner science" recently encountered by me include energy
>> extraction inventors and geologists. Both are very cagey about their
>> Intellectual Property. A geologist stupid enough to shoot off his mouth
>> about a decades-long quest may find his claim appropriated as soon as
>> adequate agencies are arrayed against him by those with political pull.
>
> [snip]
>
> The profit motive is certainly one way to give your characters agency. It's
> what the protagonists of Steven Gould's parallel world novel _Wildside_
> (1996) did and it worked reasonably well for then. At least for a while.
>
> I suppose certain subgenres of speculative fiction have an inherently
> easier time with character agency compared to other subgenres.
>
> On the one hand, "War of the worlds" scenarios greatly limit what individuals
> can do on their own unless you go the "resistance fighters hiding in the
> mountains" route.
>
> OTOH, "Portal to another world" and "Portal to a distant past" scenarios
> give you much more flexibility. Your characters can plausibly decide that
> it's a great opportunity to get rich and then you can create any number
> of plot twists as things go wrong: saber-tooth tigers, unknown
> microorganisms, other sapients, discovery by your government or by other
> organizations, etc.

S. M. Stirling's Conquistador book was bringing non-inbred California
Condors in from another universe and selling them.

Lynn

On Monday, July 31, 2023 at 3:55:33 PM UTC-4, Lynn McGuire wrote:
> On 7/31/2023 11:16 AM, Ahasuerus wrote:
[snip-snip]
> > The profit motive is certainly one way to give your characters agency. It's
> > what the protagonists of Steven Gould's parallel world novel _Wildside_
> > (1996) did and it worked reasonably well for then. At least for a while..
> >
> > I suppose certain subgenres of speculative fiction have an inherently
> > easier time with character agency compared to other subgenres.
> >
> > On the one hand, "War of the worlds" scenarios greatly limit what individuals
> > can do on their own unless you go the "resistance fighters hiding in the
> > mountains" route.
> >
> > OTOH, "Portal to another world" and "Portal to a distant past" scenarios
> > give you much more flexibility. Your characters can plausibly decide that
> > it's a great opportunity to get rich and then you can create any number
> > of plot twists as things go wrong: saber-tooth tigers, unknown
> > microorganisms, other sapients, discovery by your government or by other
> > organizations, etc.
> S. M. Stirling's Conquistador book was bringing non-inbred California
> Condors in from another universe and selling them.

_Conquistador_ was one of the books that I had in mind while writing the
last response. It's not just about a "great opportunity to get rich", but it's a
good example of how "Portal to another world" scenarios can give your
characters agency.