Boy it's none too bright in my, admittedly less than popular opinion.

The stories have been getting really thin. Even I, the seeming never edning well of marginally aceptible ideas seems to be drawing a blank. More and more characters are calling it quits. When once you could go away for merely an hour and still have twenty posts to read, now you see the board devoid of new material for days at a stretch.

Is there something we're not facing here? Are we in some sort of denial about the future of this once mighty and wholly recognizable icon of NitCentral? Most of the newcomers lately don't even know what LICC is anymore!

Is it posible folks, that, like Star Trek, the LICC could be coming to a whimper of an ending? I hope not! Sad as it will sound I have to say that the LICC, and NitCentral in general, have been among the few stabilizing factors in my chaotic existence! What would happen to me if the LICC suddenly died?

Maybe because it's degenerated into spaceship battles and jedi stuff...

The silliness and humor have long since gone.

As someone who came to NitCentral having no idea as to what LICC was, I got the impression that so much had been established in the LICC canon (if you can call it that) that for newbies to join in with their own brand new characters would disrupt the very fabric of what had come to pass. In other words, it seemed a little inacessible for newbies. Phantom Returns (or whatever it's called) was perfect for newbies, because it didn't seem to have structure, and people could do what they liked and, in most cases, get away with it.

As a matter of fact, we've been wanting 'new blood' at LICC for a while. I guess some people are discouraged, but we try to make it accessable for newcomers!

I feel I'm partly to blame for that lack of accessability. Sorry.

Seriously, if anyone wants to join LICC, all they really need to do is read the FAQ at the Archive site and/or contact JD. It's as simple as that!

Maybe because it's degenerated into spaceship battles and jedi stuff...

Jedi stuff? I thought that issue was dead. When was the last time a Jedi was mentioned? If I recall correctly, it's been a while.

Maybe JD should put up a notice on the 'front page' of this board - "Want to join LICC but aren't sure how to get by? Read the FAQ!" with a link to the FAQ on the archive site.

And I think things have picked up a bit in the last few weeks.

Speaking as an outsider, I can tell you all that the only reason I haven't joined the fray is because I never could tell what the bloody hell was going on!

Neither can the authors, Sparrow47, but that's never stopped us before!

Maybe after LICC3 winds down we should take a little time of for other projects before starting up LICC The Next Generation (or whatever it is Jon called the idea we had about starting over with the kids/grandkids of the current league). But I suppose we'll burn that bridge when we cross it eh?

For example, (forgot to post this earlier) I'm working on several non-canonical LICC Novellas. One, called The Purge, is the one that's furthest along.

Hmm...several good points being brought up recently.

Heaven knows, new authors would be delightful to have, and things certainly have gotten a bit...stale, recently.

All right, I've got an idea.

I've been wanting to close LICC3 for a while now. Now don't get excited, I want to close it so I can open up a LICC4, which may or may not begin a short while (storychronologically) after the end of 3. Now in addition to granting easier moderation, LICC4 will also allow us to get a fresh start, clear out previous storyline residue, and even maybe start off with a couple new characters, if the authors are out there and wanting to join in.

What thinkest all of you?

I'm already planning on writing out the fighter sqauds (although I'll need approval for dumping Hornet Squad) since starfighters just don't really fit in anymore. The plan me Electron and someone else in Reddochat came up with was, the fighter bay could be destoryed in battle and V.P. Absurd gets the fighter sqauds reassigned to a cushy position somwhere else. Of course, I have NO new characters in mind, so you'd be losing an author in the process, but as I said I'm working on several non-canonical stories for the LICC Fiction area, so it's not a total loss. 'Sides, gives me more energy to focus on Archangel (spekaing of which, Jason where the hell are you? Ahz needs to kill the White Drgon before we can continue and I had hoped to get Rebuild started by February 1st (my 21st birthday), but it looks like it's not gonna happen!). Oh but don't feel too bad. I'm a notorious stickler for Babylon 5/Harry Potter/24 style storytelling, and that just doesn't gel with the LIC motiv. You'll be better off once Lopez, Plevyak, and all of Banshee squad is gone.

BTW, Jon, you should continue with this whole Alex inadvertent-power-grab thing. Then Lopez can kick him off the flight deck, and we can have an excuse for him not being reassigned when the rest of the pilots go.

plan me Electron and someone else in Reddochat came up with was

And I think that's part of the problem as well (not this specific instance), but the planning outside of the story, instead of going with the flow...

But then, we've had that discussion...

Well it wasn't like "OK he's gonna say then she's gonna say" kind of thing. It was more a long the lines of, "Next space battle let's blow up the fighter bay." "Yeah, good idea. I was thinking of dropping my characters anyway."

As I said, "not in this specific instance". But I think that time period when there were major storyline plannings going on was a Bad Thing™. But as I said, we've beaten that horse to death.

We should give LICC4 a proper beginning, rather than just picking up where we left off as if we're just going onto the next board of LICC3.

I agree Paddy. And thusly LICC 3 should have a proper ending as well. Give the people (by that I mean characters) who aren't coming back (like Lopez and Plevyak) a proper farewell. Perhaps that could be the title of the episode. A Proper Farewell. After all, if LICC 4 is going to be a significant portion of time ahead of LICC 3...

Well, after LICC 4 starts up, you may be getting some OLD blood back.....me!

I took a break from LICC because of burn-out, and I was sick of every plot I try to start getting trampled on, which is why I was gone for a long time before I came up with Da Big Ch'eeze.

I haven't followed up on any of the Goudafellas/Da Big Ch'eeze stuff lately, because of two things: writers block and a PS2 I got for Christmas. (I'm taking a break from Everquest because of burn out, too)

Btw, if we do end up doing a LICC: TNG type thing, I'll still use Ojanon, since is race ages pretty slow. I don't want to do a Rocket Ranger Jr.

Good, we might be able to finish off that Celestial Musician thing at some point in LICC4.

At last! I will be able to come out of retirement and dramatically swirl my Generic Evil Cape!

Henchman! Find me some underlings to abuse!

Padawan, the Celestial Musician thing can be finished with one simple post:

Insane takes the fake Cosmic Symphony back to the fake Celestial Musician, who gets his comeuppance when he plays it.

Nuff said.

*Bashes GEV upside the head with a wet noodle....made of titanium alloy!*

I suppose Jackson Tacoman could be in the next series... he's either old, or his immortality kicks in again, or maybe he froze himself or something...
Butrfli could be there, too... from what I understand, half-elves have long lives...
And, of course, Logan and Fran will be there

Um... the 'next series', if by that you mean LICC4, doesn't take place very long after LICC3.

Paddy: What? That's not what I heard. I've been hearing that most of the main charcters will be the adult children of the current crew. I'd already started backgrounds for Noah Kiehart and Sharon Yeager.

I think it's only going to be a few months later or something. Like between LICC1 and LICC2. I don't think we'd want to get rid of all our characters.

I'd like to do LICC: TNG eventually, but for now, I vote for LICC 4.

Maybe we could do TNG instead of LICC 5, THEN do LICC 5!

Re: TNG then LICC5

Why not?

Um, isn't the entire LICC killed off by the all powerful Shirkaron the Everliving 12 years from now?

Oh, wait, I never left the LICC dimention during the Author storyline, meaning all my characthers are still in the void.

(Special Note: That's forshadowing. Expect me to return as the ultimate villian, The Archdemon Mathias, in the far future.)

Um, isn't the entire LICC killed off by the all powerful Shirkaron the Everliving 12 years from now?

No, it was just a really bad dream. Believe me. And now you can take the traditional shower.

Oh, wait, I never left the LICC dimention during the Author storyline, meaning all my characthers are still in the void.

That would explain who the strange skeleton was we found last week in an abandoned storage locker. We sold his clothes and wristwatch as 1000 years old antiques and the head became a Yorick.

Expect me to return as the ultimate villian, The Archdemon Mathias, in the far future.

With the missing "t" you have no chance against me. Mwuahahahaha!!!

Hey! Gimme back my wristwatch! It was a present from my mother!

Where ya' gonna put it anyways, Murray? Huh? HUH? Say, you got the time, Murray old chum?

Yeah. It's 6pm.