»Latest edition of Sentinel from The Matrix Online game«

Folks, you really need to check out the latest edition of the bluepill newspaper The Sentinel from the game The Matrix Online. You can find it here:

two hidden messeges?

Sorry, I should have been more specific. Yes, there are hidden links—three of them, actually. But those are commonplace in The Sentinel. You’ve got one from Zion

the links are empty.

about Decius Wadsworth i must of missed something

Without giving away too much--doesn't he remind you of anybody?

oracle?

Dee, I'd like to say more, but I don't want to spoil it for anybody else who wants to look for themselves. I'll look back on this thread later to see what people are saying.

okie dokie

I can't figure it out..

One way you can look at the messeges Dee, is just by pressing Tab. You'll come accross them.

Not sure about the name. Enlighten me on what you might be coming on to.

Oh, the event for this was pretty lame in my oponion. Only positive end note, was that I got a good feel now for CR 2.0. Other than that, killing NPCs for hours isn't quite an event.

he reminds me of the Merovingian in only a few ways, mostly the chatau no one can reach or knows much about, and he has a mistress, although not a wife. Also... I found it funny that window washers fall from the metacortex building alot, and apparently this guy pretended to be Morpheous to his employee's after Mr. Anderson had his "nervous breakdown" after his failed suicide. He gives off shadow's of other characters, and their might be reason to believe he is not human, but program, or possibly a red pill, but doubtfull.

Anyways, you got me all excited and I didn't find it all that exciting... infact i thought the last one was more interesting, but at least it's new stuff I suppose.

Here's what I gather from this Sentinel edition... I don't know where the confusion (and especially the apathy) is coming from. This edition seems to be handing us information about the Merovingian on a silver platter:

As a child, Wadsworth played pranks having to do with radios, intercomms, etc. In other words, communication. Hmm, wouldn't information trafficking empower someone to control such communication methods within the Matrix?

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Computers need programming, and this became Wadsworth 's passion.

We know the Merovingian is a programmer since he can program a slice of cake.

Metacortex developed a game called "Green Rain". The Merovingian is making fun of humans inside of the Matrix. Metacortex is also apparently the Matrix equivalent of Microsoft - in other words, the world's leading software developer.

Just when Metacortex was almost bankrupt, Ouroboros Corporation (industrial computer and electronics manufacturer) comes along and buys them out. Hmmm, could this software/hardware partnership possibly explain the beginning of robots? Naturally, the Merovingian would want to start or take over such a company since it represents the birth of machines - the ultimate in power and respect.

"Ouroboros" is a symbol in ancient Egyptian culture (and in other cultures too, with a different name) that refers to a serpent biting its tail, symbolizing cycles of the universe: life from death, creation from destruction. Seems to me that this company (through its development of robots and AI) represents the end of human civilization on Earth and the beginning of machine civilization.

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Wadsworth never lost his taste for pranks. After a young Metacortex programmer had a nervous breakdown after receiving a cell phone in an overnight parcel (he attempted suicide by climbing out a window, but lost his nerve), for weeks afterward, Metacortex employees received cell phones in a similar manner, which promptly rang, delivering murmured code words and instructions in a voice that sounded much like Wadsworth's "with the lamest English accent ever," according to one employee.

Suicide would be a pretty sensitive thing to joke about, especially on the part of the President of the company the employee worked for. But as we have already seen in Le Vrai, the Merovingian holds nothing back when it comes to pranks.

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About this time Wadsworth started work on Spindrift, his Xanadu-like retreat in the mountains north of the city. No reporter has ever been there, but workmen speaking anonymously describe an eccentric modernist villa, improbably thrusting out over an abyss, with secret rooms and passages, stairways to nowhere, and an abundance of carved, cryptic symbols. Most of it was fabricated off-site and helicoptered in at a cost estimated to range from 70 to 140 million dollars.

Here we are being handed a silver platter. The article might as well say that Neo worked for the Merovingian before swallowing the red pill. In fact, it's not too unreasonable to speculate that the Merovingian knew who Neo was before Morpheus found him, because being the trafficker of information would certainly make the Merovingian aware of an anomaly summation process that is creating a lot of Matrix information to "traffic" into Neo's code.

We also learn that the Merovingian makes himself a child at the beginning of each Matrix version. This makes sense, as it would be hard enough for bluepills to believe that the Merovingian only looks around 40 years old when he's actually 100. It would be even more difficult to believe if he didn't age at all during the entire course of the Matrix. Presumably, his exiles start out as children too.

And apparently, Persephone's "human disguise" name is Agnes Driscoll.

I'm not sure what the title "Spindrift" (the Merovingian's inaccessible chateau) is all about. Google reports a band, album, research organization, record label, and various other things when searching for spindrift.

Humans in the Matrix are now referring to themselves as Redpills and Bluepills (those not keeping up with TMO such as myself may not know this), and knowledge of the Matrix is creating a separate culture of its own. To be a Bluepill or a Redpill unites and divides people more than being a Democrat or Republican (or even an atheist vs. a Christian, for that matter). And because of this, new political parties will surely form around this new cultural awareness.

My own speculation: I get the impression that the "Piece of Blue Sky" concerts are part of a new political formation... where perhaps the Merovingian will seek a world leader position.

I'm not sure what the connection is between the "Piece of Blue Sky" concerts, the boxes, Cryptos (who I presume is the person or program singing at the concerts) and the blue lights in the sky reported at midnight that lasted 10 minutes.

Feral: is there an archive anywhere of past Sentinel editions? Have you saved any? Thanks for the post. No, you're not the only one here excited to gain new insight into the history of the Matrix. I'm not sure what the apathy is all about...

Did I miss anything? I'd love to hear your comments about this Sentinel edition too.

Surprised, I'm so relieved that you posted that. You're totally on the right track. Not only did you see the obvious connections to Merovingian (as did Hexediter before you), but you thought through some of the implications of what some of these things meant. It's the implications that are the exciting part, because they sort of fly in the face of the superficial expectations many of us have grown to accept and speak more about things that I'm sure Intell would say, "See, I told you so."

There are more goodies to be revealed, and I'm going to start typing a thorough response right now.

Sorry, I forgot to post the places where you can find old copies of The Sentinel.

Hidden within the two articles about Decius Wadsworth in the latest edition of The Sentinel is the entire history of the Matrix up until the sixth version when Neo appeared. For all intents and purposes, just consider Decius’ story a cipher which, once understood, will reveal some very interesting things about how the Matrix came about.

First let’s deal with the obvious stuff, especially since Hexediter and Surprised have already guessed it. Decius Wadsworth represents the Merovingian. I say “represents” because it hasn’t been 100% proven that he is indeed the Frenchman. But once we start seeing how the pieces fit together, it should be very clear that he either IS the Merovingian or his story is revealed as an ALLEGORY of the Merovingian. Either way, we’re going to find out some very interesting things about our favorite baddie from Club Hel.

As we read about Decius Wadsworth, we see a brief comparison with Steve Wozniak’s “US” concerts of the 80’s—the co-founder of Apple Computers. Wadsworth downplays the similarity, but if we explore this a little, it will reveal quite a bit.

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It was a passion for practical jokes that first got Decius “Deece” Wadsworth tinkering.

Steve Wozniak’s nickname is “Woz.”

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[a device] which caused vending machines to vend multiple sodas or candy bars on a single coin landed him before a judge.

This is a reference to the Blue Box, which was sold by Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs. It was a device which allowed people to make free calls from a payphone.

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Soon thereafter, with a couple of friends, he founded Metacortex.

Steve Wozniak founded Apple along with his friend Steve Jobs.

Obviously there are some interesting, albeit not very compelling similarities between Wadsworth and Wozniak. It should be pointed out, however, that the very mention of Wozniak at all is an indicator that these things did not actually happen in the storyline of the Matrix (whether in the Matrix or in the Real), but that this entire background story of Wadsworth is an allegory for something else. But we’ll get back to that later.

Fast forward to Wadsworth’s current shindig—the Piece of Blue Sky concerts. There is actually a reason for the name of these concerts, and it relates to Scientology. There is a book named “A Piece of Blue Sky” written by a man named Jon Atack, who wanted to expose L. Ron Hubbard as a charlatan. The following is a quote from the book.

Jon Atack wrote:

It was 1950, in the early, heady days of Dianetics, soon after L. Ron Hubbard opened the doors of his first organization to the clamoring crowd. Up until then, Hubbard was known only to readers of pulp fiction, but now he had an instant best-seller with a book that promised to solve every problem of the human mind, and the cash was pouring in. Hubbard found it easy to create schemes to part his new following from their money. One of the first tasks was to arrange "grades" of membership, offering supposedly greater rewards, at increasingly higher prices. Over thirty years later, an associate wryly remembered Hubbard turning to him and confiding, no doubt with a smile, "Let's sell these people a piece of blue sky."

Whatever you believe about Scientology, L. Ron Hubbard, or the validity of this quote is irrelevant. What’s important is the idea being expressed. Here you have a man who is trusted by millions, yet admits to being no more than a con artist who believed that people were such suckers that you could sell them something you couldn’t possibly be able to deliver—a piece of blue sky. What is this saying about Wadsworth? He started out like Steve Wozniak, with just a touch of sly craftiness and a lot of creative drive. Now he’s more like a swindler who is lying to the public and using them to further his own machinations and enlarge his empire. The Anniversary Event in The Matrix Online verified that the Piece of Blue Sky concerts were indeed a lie that was designed to put all redpills to sleep and revert them into bluepills. And just as L. Ron Hubbard seemingly spoke about the piece of blue sky thirty years after beginning his empire, Wadsworth has the Piece of Blue Sky concerts thirty years after founding Metacortex. Coincidence? I think not.

So far it’s sounding very much like the Merovingian. When he came to the Matrix, he was like Neo. Like Steve Wozniak, Neo performed a few antisocial antics in his younger days (Neo was, after all, a hacker). But unlike Neo, the Merovingian gave in to his dark side. Now let’s go back to Decius Wadsworth and look at some more juicy tidbits.

One of the first games Wadsworth created was Green Rain. The comparison to the green code of the Matrix is undeniable. It’s also interesting to note that this was merely a game. When the Merovingian’s infidelity is pointed out, he insists that it’s only a game. Seems that the Merovingian has this point of view of life in general. Trying to find the Why in everything in order to have some power is a game he plays.

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But it was the operating system, commissioned in Metacortex's fifth year ("we were more broke than anybody knew ," says Wadsworth ) by Ouroboros Corporation, a leading manufacturer of industrial computers and other electronics, that launched the company into the stratosphere. Within five years they broke ground on their famous headquarters (infamous for the number of window washers who have died outside its complex contours) in Morrill.

In Metacortex’s fifth year, it was purchased by the Ouroboros Corporation. The name “Ouroboros” is important, as well as the fact that it purchased Metacortex in its fifth year. The Matrix Online reveals that there were four versions of the Matrix before the Oracle’s: Heaven, Hell, feudal Japan and pre-1999. All four versions—along with their unique agent prototypes—failed miserably. It wasn’t until the Oracle took over and introduced the idea of granting the option to humans to accept or reject the Matrix that it really saw some success. So the fifth year of Metacortex/Matrix was the first year of choice being introduced. Ouroboros is the symbol of the snake eating its own tail and represents cycles. The Oracle’s version was the first one which contained cycles. The Oracle, therefore, is Ouroboros. Less than five years after the Oracle’s version began, Metacortex built their headquarters. The five years is a reference to the five cycles before Neo.

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Most Wadsworth-watchers agree that he began to lose enthusiasm after the Ouroboros Corporation purchased Metacortex. The change in corporate culture, a new emphasis on integrated product lines and market control, all contributed to his restlessness. He was also rich beyond his dreams. One could hardly blame him for wondering: what next? Wadsworth retired four years ago, living a mostly hermetic lifestyle in his famously inaccessible mountain chateau, Spindrift , designed by architect Giovanni Porta

The Merovingian disliked the Oracle’s version of the Matrix and severed his previous reason for being in the Matrix to become an Exile. The "integrated product lines" is a reference not only to the Wachowski Brothers' beliefs in the integral method, but also the Oracle's belief that the only way to the future is together. Disgusted by this new trend, the Merovingian retired after the first iteration of the Oracle’s version was completed. But we all know about the reloads, and how they wipe out every Exile that is running around in the Matrix. How did he survive?

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About this time Wadsworth started work on Spindrift , his Xanadu-like retreat in the mountains north of the city. No reporter has ever been there, but workmen speaking anonymously describe an eccentric modernist villa, improbably thrusting out over an abyss, with secret rooms and passages, stairways to nowhere, and an abundance of carved, cryptic symbols. Most of it was fabricated off-site and helicoptered in at a cost estimated to range from 70 to 140 million dollars. The cost may yet rise; rumors say Wadsworth , with the blessing of his architect Giovanni Porta , is still adding to the installation.

Spindrift is the Rennes le Chateau, the Merovingian’s lair north of the city. The word “spindrift” is the spray blown up from the surface of the sea during a gale. And while this speaks of the chateau’s ability to survive during the stormy reloads, I believe it might also be a reference to the spacecraft of the same name from the 1960’s sci-fi TV show “Land of the Giants.” In that show, humans inside the Spindrift crashed on another planet that resembled Earth in many ways—including typical American culture of that day—except for the fact that the residents are giants. The way between the two planets was a wormhole, which is what the Spindrift went through accidentally. This speaks of Mobil Ave, the connection between the Matrix and the Machine City.

But who built this chateau? Was it Wadsworth himself? No. It was his architect. THE Architect. And with the Architect’s blessing, the Merovingian hopes to expand his empire even further. This is the real mind-screw. Not only was the Architect the one who built the chateau which enabled the Merovingian to survive the reloads, but he seemingly supports the growth of his empire as well. How insane is that? Even after all this time with the Merovingian messing around with the One and the success of the reloads, the Architect still gives him his blessing. [Intell, are you reading this?]

Let’s look at some more goodies. The names of all the people mentioned in those two articles are all real-life cryptographers. Every one of them. Decius Wadsworth, Pliny Earle Chase, Steve Wozniak (to a small degree), Giovanni Porta (aka Giambattista della Porta) and Agnes Driscoll. Oh yeah, that last one is Wadsworth’s longtime companion. There’s Persephone for ya.

Decius Wadsworth (the Merovingian) was a Colonel in the Ordnance Corps of the United States Army. In 1817 he developed a progressive cipher system based off a 1790 design by Thomas Jefferson, establishing a method that was continuously improved upon and used until the end of World War II.

Pliny Earle Chase developed what is known as the fractioning or tomographic cipher in 1859. I’m not sure who he represents from the Matrix mythology, or if he even does.

Giovanni Porta (the Architect) published a book about cryptography in 1563 titled “De Furtivis Literarum Notis. He was reputed to be the most outstanding cryptographer of the Renaissance, who towers like a giant in regard to bodies of work that can be studied.

Agnes Meyer Driscoll was a United States cryptanalyst who broke a multitude of Japanese naval systems and developed early cipher machine systems.

The word processing program Probable Word developed by Metacortex is a reference to the probable word method, which is used to break ciphers.

Anyway, that should be sufficient to get the conversation really rolling.

Oh yeah, and I forgot the most important thing to point out that I don’t believe has ever been revealed officially before. If Wadsworth/Merovingian is the co-founder of Metacortex/Matrix, then that means that the Merovingian helped the Architect to create the Matrix in the first place. He’s not just a program that came in after the fact with no real knowledge and then grew over time into the powerful Exile he is today. Rather, he’s known exactly how everything operates from the very beginning—both before AND after the Oracle’s involvement. He helped the Architect to create the Matrix, and the Architect is apparently returning the favor by helping ensure that he has the means to keep himself and portions of his empire intact from reload to reload. He’s not a rebel who built his kingdom from scratch all by himself. Could it be that he still serves a purpose? Could it be that Intell needs to get his butt in here and begin sharing his opinion?

few things, The merv has a french accent, and I don't think the architect built the merv's chatauh... any time in the recent past. My own theory has been that both his chatauh and his club are relics from past matrices. Which may or may not be a reference to the "the code is different somehow" comment Neo makes while in the elevator. Quite possibly his architect could have been the keymaker(at least in part), as all of the secret passage ways seem to require special keys to reach.

The Merovingian may have very well helped in the design of early versions of the matrix, or at the very least, was responsible for "knowing". It seems to me his job would have been more Oracle like in that he is trying to take in data from humans to create a better matrix. Except that he never tried to understand them in so far as he could predict. He is still of the mind that choice is an illusion remember, he is not so entirely different from the architect except the architect remains true and pure to his given function and purpose. Satan doesn't build his empire from scratch either, he takes with him those who were also cast out (exiles) and puts them to work, and in the Merv's case possibly saved portions of past matrices as well. I very much doubt that at this point the architect is doing him any favors directly. Furthermore, we know the trainman built the link, the keymaker made keys, it is quite possible that this architect working for the Merv is simply another exile in his service.

Hex, if Wadsworth's architect isn't a reference to THE Architect, then who else do you know of that the Merovingian would require a blessing from in order to make expansions? In fact, why was the word "architect" even used here at all when Paul Chadwick knows good and well how that word is normally used in Matrix mythology? Why not "builder" or "project manager"? And if it's the Keymaker, why not something like "locksmith"? I'd say it's more of a stretch to say it's NOT the Architect than to say it is.

they do refer to the architect as his architect, but the chatau is not a creation of The architect in my opinion. The flying in of pieces also makes me think of bringing in relics from past matrices. People who design big houses or buildings are always called architects, builders and project managers are something else entirely. I see the word choice, but do not be hasty when the match seems to defy all past logic that we are aware of. The merv and the architect simply don't align in their way of thinking, at least in their current states.

Hex, in all fairness, what I'm saying can't be proven since there haven't been any official notifications of Wadsworth representing Merovingian. I'm going off of the apparent coincidences in the two articles.

But let me see if I can come up with a compromise that perhaps we can both agree upon. What if the Merovingian--way back when the Matrix was first created--was working with the Architect and they had the same goals and ideals. The Merovingian was assigned a particular task which he carried out faithfully, even up to the point when the Oracle made her contribution.

When the Architect agreed (or was perhaps coerced into) using the Oracle's suggestion, the Merovingian was still doing his job at that point. Knowing that the new version of the Matrix would now go through reloads, the Architect built the chateau for the Merovingian to enable him to survive the reloads.

Sometime AFTER the chateau is completed, the Merovingian has a change of heart (after being disgusted with the Oracle and her version) and becomes an Exile. He then uses the chateau against the Architect's will to keep himself from being deleted and has survived all the reloads.

How about that, eh Hex?

Sorry to butt into the discussion, but can you verify that The Matrix Online states explicitly that there were four versions of The Matrix prior to The Oracle's creation, and that those four were Heaven, Hell, feudal Japan, and pre-1999?

Thanks, this is a very interesting speculative discussion! Keep it going!

Nous wrote:

Sorry to butt into the discussion, but can you verify that The Matrix Online states explicitly that there were four versions of The Matrix prior to The Oracle's creation, and that those four were Heaven, Hell, feudal Japan, and pre-1999?

In the Matrix Reloaded, the Architect talks about a paradise version and a version that was based on the worst part of humanity, neither of which had choice. Based solely on what we heard in the movies, these were the only two versions anybody knew of that came before the Oracle's version.

The Matrix Online game, via the Pandora's Boxes storyline, revealed two additional versions--the feudal Japan version (with warrior monk agents) and a version that resembled the world several years before 1999 (with soldier agents). Due to the vast amount of players who have verified this information, I'd say it's a very safe bet. I plan on playing the game again soon (I used to play it up until last November), and hopefully will play the Pandora's Boxes myself. Right now there is one player who is giving me official information, but it is slow-going at the moment.

Sadly, it seems the majority of players are more interested in the action in the game than the storyline. Because of that, the game's official forum has less information on the Pandora's Boxes story than it does information on how to beat them. Disappointing, but I hope to help reverse that trend.

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But once we start seeing how the pieces fit together, it should be very clear that he either IS the Merovingian or his story is revealed as an ALLEGORY of the Merovingian.

So, do you think it's an allegory or the real thing? I got the feeling that the Sentinel was telling us more about the Merovingian's current place in the Matrix. Regardless of whether he is the Merovingian or not, the parallels you draw to previous Matrix cycles are interesting. I don't quite know what to think of them yet, but they're interesting. The only thing that is a bit unsettling for me is using 100% pure symbolism to explain plot. I guess it can certainly work sometimes, but when we engage in this kind of interpretation, it becomes dangerous because of the possibility of overinterpretation.

What did you think of my idea that Ouroboros might have existed in actual human history, being the company that spawned the very first AI of machines? We have "MetaCortex", or "EvolvedBrain" (how machines see themselves in comparison to humans). Ouroboros is symbolic of cycles specifically in the way that death leads to life.

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The Matrix Online game, via the Pandora's Boxes storyline, revealed two additional versions--the feudal Japan version (with warrior monk agents) and a version that resembled the world several years before 1999 (with soldier agents). Due to the vast amount of players who have verified this information, I'd say it's a very safe bet.

I don't think anyone doubts the existence of these various themes in past Matrix versions. But what you haven't revealed yet is exactly how one figures out that these previous versions were before the Oracle's model. What piece(s) of evidence leads you to conclude that they couldn't have been Matrix versions 2, 3, 4 or 5 (after the Oracle's version was introduced)? The pieces of evidence really need to be very, very strong, because this seems to contradict what the Architect tells us in M2. I guess the Architect doesn't say that there were "only" two versions, but if there were four, then what he actually said becomes misleading at best.

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The Merovingian disliked the Oracle’s version of the Matrix and severed his previous reason for being in the Matrix to become an Exile. The "integrated product lines" is a reference not only to the Wachowski Brothers' beliefs in the integral method, but also the Oracle's belief that the only way to the future is together. Disgusted by this new trend, the Merovingian retired after the first iteration of the Oracle’s version was completed.

What does it mean for the Merovingian to "retire" given the fact that he still traffics information? What exactly is he retiring from? I really firmly support the idea that while programs can go above and beyond their programming, they still cannot deny their programming - even exiles. Even when they choose deletion, they're not denying programming because the ability to choose deletion is part of the system programming. The keymaker still makes keys, saying something like "We do only what we're meant to", and the Merovingian traffics information and even refers to it as his "job". Why would he even use that word "job" if it were something he were merely choosing to do that he wasn't even created for? A program may have AI but it's still programmed to function in a certain way.

I think it would be more reasonable to say that once the Oracle took over and her model was shown to last many years, she was given the additional purpose of trafficking information, causing the Merovingian to be scheduled for deletion. Think about it - the Oracle is the only other machine (at least, that we know of) that is interfaced with the entire Matrix system, from bluepills to hacker redpills. But she can see further into the future than the Merovingian. It would only make sense for her to replace the Merovingian since she would certainly function as a kind of upgraded version of him.

Not only that, but the Merovingian calls Seraph his little Judas. Clearly Seraph used to protect the Merovingian. Before the Oracle came along, the Merovingian "mattered most" (I would argue this is another example of programs not able to deny purpose - Seraph's original purpose is to "protect that which matters most"). The Merovingian wouldn't have much right to use that "Judas" label (not to mention "Prodigal Son") for Seraph if the cause of this betrayal were actually the Merovingian's retirement. The Merovingian, after all, is the one who believes solely in causality - he'd have to apply his own logic and say that Seraph's betrayal is merely the logical effect of the Merovingian's cause.

The Merovingian's relationship with Seraph makes much more sense if Seraph's switching of loyalty resulted from reevaluation of "what matters most" when the Merovingian was booted out of the system... and to make matters worse, booted out of the system because of a new system he didn't even believe in (choice). No wonder the Merovingian is so bitter toward the Oracle.

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But who built this chateau? Was it Wadsworth himself? No. It was his architect. THE Architect. And with the Architect’s blessing, the Merovingian hopes to expand his empire even further.

At first this seemed like a ridiculous conclusion, but after thinking about it for a while, it makes a bit more sense. I wouldn't say the Merovingian necessarily has the Architect's blessing - I believe the Architect would delete the Merovingian in a picosecond if he could. But by providing the Merovingian with a very inaccessible chateau in the middle of nowhere, the Architect is trying to make it so exiles have as little contact with bluepills in the Matrix as possible so as to minimize additional system rejection. I mean, consider the fact that the Architect HAS to be aware that Mobil Ave. exists. The Architect allows this whole "Merovingian controls exiles" thing to happen. If he must allow it, he might as well maximize the benefits of the situation, right?

Surprised wrote:

Feral Boy wrote: But once we start seeing how the pieces fit together, it should be very clear that he either IS the Merovingian or his story is revealed as an ALLEGORY of the Merovingian. So, do you think it's an allegory or the real thing?

I'd say both. Right now I believe that Decius Wadsworth is a fake name used by the Merovingian. But I also believe it is an allegory for the bigger picture and tells us the Merovingian's complete history. It's just like anything else you see in the Matrix mythology. For example, there is an actual character whose name is Morpheus, but if you do research on his name you will find out that his name was given by the writers for the sake of giving the audience more information about him. There is a connection that the characters have with each other within the framework of the story, and there is the connection that the writers have with the audience THROUGH the story, and through the names they choose for their characters and the events they choose to have happen. So throughout the Matrix you see these two levels operating simultaneously.

Surprised wrote:

I got the feeling that the Sentinel was telling us more about the Merovingian's current place in the Matrix. Regardless of whether he is the Merovingian or not, the parallels you draw to previous Matrix cycles are interesting. I don't quite know what to think of them yet, but they're interesting. The only thing that is a bit unsettling for me is using 100% pure symbolism to explain plot. I guess it can certainly work sometimes, but when we engage in this kind of interpretation, it becomes dangerous because of the possibility of overinterpretation.

Whenever I have a new thought, I always get overly excited about it and often go too far with it. This could very well be one of those times. And your caution is well-founded.

Surprised wrote:

What did you think of my idea that Ouroboros might have existed in actual human history, being the company that spawned the very first AI of machines? We have "MetaCortex", or "EvolvedBrain" (how machines see themselves in comparison to humans). Ouroboros is symbolic of cycles specifically in the way that death leads to life.

You might need to explain this a bit further, because I don't yet understand what you're saying.

Surprised wrote:

Feral Boy wrote: The Matrix Online game, via the Pandora's Boxes storyline, revealed two additional versions--the feudal Japan version (with warrior monk agents) and a version that resembled the world several years before 1999 (with soldier agents). Due to the vast amount of players who have verified this information, I'd say it's a very safe bet. I don't think anyone doubts the existence of these various themes in past Matrix versions. But what you haven't revealed yet is exactly how one figures out that these previous versions were before the Oracle's model. What piece(s) of evidence leads you to conclude that they couldn't have been Matrix versions 2, 3, 4 or 5 (after the Oracle's version was introduced)? The pieces of evidence really need to be very, very strong, because this seems to contradict what the Architect tells us in M2. I guess the Architect doesn't say that there were "only" two versions, but if there were four, then what he actually said becomes misleading at best.

Good point. I don't have any proof. I think there was something that I read on the game's forums by a couple players that planted the idea in my head, but I've already forgotten where I read it. So I suppose for the sake of keeping the Architect's statements as truthful as possible, those "extra" versions could have taken place AFTER the Oracle took over. There are scheduled to be more Pandora's Boxes, and I've heard one player theorize that all five versions of the Oracle's Matrix before Neo were from a different time period and that Neo's was the only one which took place in 1999. Right now I don't have any info on that one way or the other.

Surprised wrote:

What does it mean for the Merovingian to "retire" given the fact that he still traffics information? What exactly is he retiring from? I really firmly support the idea that while programs can go above and beyond their programming, they still cannot deny their programming - even exiles. Even when they choose deletion, they're not denying programming because the ability to choose deletion is part of the system programming. The keymaker still makes keys, saying something like "We do only what we're meant to", and the Merovingian traffics information and even refers to it as his "job". Why would he even use that word "job" if it were something he were merely choosing to do that he wasn't even created for? A program may have AI but it's still programmed to function in a certain way. I think it would be more reasonable to say that once the Oracle took over and her model was shown to last many years, she was given the additional purpose of trafficking information, causing the Merovingian to be scheduled for deletion. Think about it - the Oracle is the only other machine (at least, that we know of) that is interfaced with the entire Matrix system, from bluepills to hacker redpills. But she can see further into the future than the Merovingian. It would only make sense for her to replace the Merovingian since she would certainly function as a kind of upgraded version of him. Not only that, but the Merovingian calls Seraph his little Judas. Clearly Seraph used to protect the Merovingian. Before the Oracle came along, the Merovingian "mattered most" (I would argue this is another example of programs not able to deny purpose - Seraph's original purpose is to "protect that which matters most"). The Merovingian wouldn't have much right to use that "Judas" label (not to mention "Prodigal Son") for Seraph if the cause of this betrayal were actually the Merovingian's retirement. The Merovingian, after all, is the one who believes solely in causality - he'd have to apply his own logic and say that Seraph's betrayal is merely the logical effect of the Merovingian's cause. The Merovingian's relationship with Seraph makes much more sense if Seraph's switching of loyalty resulted from reevaluation of "what matters most" when the Merovingian was booted out of the system... and to make matters worse, booted out of the system because of a new system he didn't even believe in (choice). No wonder the Merovingian is so bitter toward the Oracle.

Holy crap! That makes such total sense! The Merovingian is doing his job, then the Oracle comes along with her Sight and has a better idea of how things should be run. Management hires her and fires the Merovingian. The Merovingian swears revenge and seeks to possess the thing which he believes made the Oracle better than him--her eyes. Brilliant stuff, man! And if that's true, then the first mention of the Merovingian by the Oracle is a very subtle hint that she's his replacement because she had just finished talking about programs getting scheduled for deletion when a better program comes along. See, this is why I wanted people in here talking about stuff!

Surprised wrote:

Feral Boy wrote: But who built this chateau? Was it Wadsworth himself? No. It was his architect. THE Architect. And with the Architect’s blessing, the Merovingian hopes to expand his empire even further. At first this seemed like a ridiculous conclusion, but after thinking about it for a while, it makes a bit more sense. I wouldn't say the Merovingian necessarily has the Architect's blessing - I believe the Architect would delete the Merovingian in a picosecond if he could. But by providing the Merovingian with a very inaccessible chateau in the middle of nowhere, the Architect is trying to make it so exiles have as little contact with bluepills in the Matrix as possible so as to minimize additional system rejection. I mean, consider the fact that the Architect HAS to be aware that Mobil Ave. exists. The Architect allows this whole "Merovingian controls exiles" thing to happen. If he must allow it, he might as well maximize the benefits of the situation, right?

Perhaps I should have stuck with what the article ACTUALLY says, which is that Decius Wadsworth would have to get his architect's blessing before adding further to his chateau. It doesn't say that he ACTUALLY gets that blessing, only that he'd have to get it if he wants to expand. Way to reel me in, Surprised.

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I mean, consider the fact that the Architect HAS to be aware that Mobil Ave. exists. The Architect allows this whole "Merovingian controls exiles" thing to happen.

That may be well beyond the Architect's sphere of influence. He made the matrix and oversees its operation. Programs have the return to the Source or exile choice once they are rendered obsolete. But the Matrix is not safe like home plate. It is more like the cities of refuge in Leviticus. If they are found, it is still open season. Not much of a life, but it is a life. A good lead in finding out why the machine world allows this would be more Deus Ex Machina than the Arc.

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But what you haven't revealed yet is exactly how one figures out that these previous versions were before the Oracle's model. What piece(s) of evidence leads you to conclude that they couldn't have been Matrix versions 2, 3, 4 or 5 (after the Oracle's version was introduced)?

Archie didn't say how many exactly. So either his words can be interpreted as a historical outline or you just have to examine these time periods for which one allows for more than one way of thinking.

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even refers to it as his "job". Why would he even use that word "job" if it were something he were merely choosing to do that he wasn't even created for?

You can choose your job. Or you can "find another" one like Rhineheart told Neo he might have to do (which he did ) But Merv didn't use the word anyway.

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the Merovingian calls Seraph his little Judas. Clearly Seraph used to protect the Merovingian. Before the Oracle came along, the Merovingian "mattered most" (I would argue this is another example of programs not able to deny purpose - Seraph's original purpose is to "protect that which matters most"). The Merovingian wouldn't have much right to use that "Judas" label (not to mention "Prodigal Son") for Seraph if the cause of this betrayal were actually the Merovingian's retirement. The Merovingian, after all, is the one who believes solely in causality - he'd have to apply his own logic and say that Seraph's betrayal is merely the logical effect of the Merovingian's cause.

Likewise, would it be kinda funny for Merv to consider Seraph a traitor for simply following his "programming" if it were mere Cauality behind it.