What Is The Point?

Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that station will be held by anybody else, these pages must show. ~ Opening Line to Charles Dickens’ David Copperfield

INTRODUCTION

It is said that everything has a beginning. Whether that beginning came through a big bang of forces in the universe, or the divine plan of an omnipotent Being, or a lower form evolving over the centuries, there was still that second when it all came into being….

But with the Point we have an exception and, as simple as it sounds, there was once nothing and then the first inkling of life began: mountain ranges, oceans, lakes, vast rivers, pristine countrysides and forests. However, at this time, despite research due to the curiosity of a few, no one is sure who created it and perhaps, even more crucial, why it came about. There it was, but again we are not sure when this occurred, whether it was a century ago or a thousand years ago. No one would have a clue as to its’ enormity, or where the borders started and ended.

HISTORY

To this day, they still call him The Creator, the Real World counterpart/the Kiwi-Australian actor/Oscar nominee/Oscar winner who gave them life, and for them, that was the beginning of how they came to be.

The first was a young World War II Lieutenant named Jack Corbett. Outside of Australia, few would know his name. That was how small his movie was in proportion to what was released worldwide. His arrival there surprised him. His story would be similar to the men who followed, the ‘Brothers’, as they would refer to themselves because it made the most sense considering their shared features and often similar personalities. Jack’s movie came to an end, the screen in the Real World darkened as the lights went up, and Jack was no longer a character but a living, breathing human being in a type of Eden. He found himself strolling along a road until he arrived at a location consisting of vacant buildings. He accepted that he was alone and made the best of it.

That was July of 1990.

When Johnny Ryan drove into this New World after the harrowing experiences of The Crossing, it was October of the same year. Like Corbett, he was unclear as to how he got there, but the two decided to make new lives for themselves. They had an inkling that there was a Creator, that they had lived some other life, and on occasion, they could find a way – a portal to slip back into moments in their movies if they desired, but in the end, they always had to return to this other world.

A few times a year, others arrived, all of varying personalities: Baby-faced Dominic Maloney; Andy the waiter; Kim Barrett, the businessman; Hando, the white supremacist; and the mysterious rider they called The Man, whose actual name was not revealed for years.

It was nearly a year before East Driscoll and Jeff Mitchell arrived days apart. It was almost another year when an American preacher named Cort strolled in, shell-shocked to know that he was his own man and no longer a prisoner.

With Cort, the Creator’s name spread from Oceania to the United States and beyond – only because he was blessed to have been in a movie with an Oscar winner, a box office star and a young Oscar nominee with a bright future. Cort was the one who started to put their New World on the proverbial map.

And based on the varying degree of success of their movies or their character recognition, there were occasions when what might be called ‘fans’ arrived too. None of them were certain how they arrived: they just did, either by accident or through word of mouth.

More brothers arrived – some after achieving success, some after dying, some following life-altering experiences. Whichever the case, most of them had been featured in movies winning awards, in movies nominated for major awards. The Creator garnered more name recognition, more nominations and, eventually, along with the Academy Award for Best Actor, one of the best known of the Brothers made his appearance at the Point: Maximus Decimus Meridius.

Even though some of his predecessors had attracted attention (SID 6.7, Bud White), it was the Roman General and savior of ancient Rome who opened the floodgates. What the earlier Brothers once called the Crowe’s Nest, in honor of their Creator, then began to experience an existence it had never known before. There would be no looking back to those quiet lives the original few once knew. One might find solitude out in the mountains or the countryside, but the original Nest teemed with residents and visitors, expanding, growing, ever changing with each new Brother’s arrival or the coming of someone who would affect that universe in ways no one would comprehend.

The Nest eventually gave way to the name Crowe’s Point. It seemed more apropos, one Brother would later remark. ‘The Nest’ felt cozy, with a sense of confinement, like a birds’ nest; but the Point represented a position, a place or moment, with no dimensions, yet existence – that sense of being somewhere but nowhere. It could not be found on a map. Had someone asked for directions, telling them to go to the ‘second star on the right and straight on till morning’ might have made complete sense. The Point moved beyond just being a place. Some would swear it had become a living being, with its own set of rules and benefits, even if no one completely understood why.

That may not have been too far from the truth…

ORIGINS

The origins of the Point or the old Nest are unknown at this time. We’re unsure who created it or why, and can only imagine how long it has existed; perhaps since the birth of the Creator’s first incarnation or millennia before that. What unknown Power(s) decided that the characters of Russell Crowe’s creation would live there or why? Who created the almost perfect world of the Point? Will it…can it…evolve?

It is likely the residents have wondered ‘who am I?’, ‘where did I come from?’, ‘what is the reason for being?’ Some have even delved into the many books and CD-Rom’s and microfiche and scrolls crammed into the vastness of the library. They have found only hints.

Some of those hints suggest worlds similar to the Point. In Tina’s story By Way of Introduction, she mentions a place where all of a certain actor’s characters existed (up through the year 2000). Because a couple of them had legendary status (one being a certain Corellian smuggler and the other a university professor/archaeologist that hated Nazis), she never got to meet those two because there was always a line and limited access. It has never been that way at the Point, meaning that any visitor can meet these men if they are available (some such as Egan – aka The Man – and Ben Wade tend to stay to themselves). Therefore the Point has a certain intimacy one might not find in other universes.

There have sporadic breaches in access. These are not the more consistent ones permitting the visitors to come and go, but breaches between the Point and other existences, so there is a possibility that with the opening of one of the fluctuating breaches, we may see someone we never expected – but as long as they don’t cause problems they are more than welcome.

GEOGRAPHY

As originally envisioned, the Point consisted of a few locations: the Hotel, the Tavern, some beaches, gardens, a frozen pond, and a few other places mainly related to the incarnations and their ‘movie’ worlds. As more of the guests became regular (or the Point sensed they had a place in that world), their lives became an influence on how the universe continued to grow and expand.

This growth and expansion are key to what makes the Point world. As it exists at another dimensional level, one can think beyond the usual limitations. With the arrival of each new character from the Creator’s filmography, [or] with each arrival of a guest who would make a difference, the dimension expands and readjusts a little more, so that there is no realistic idea of exactly how large the Point is. Although some such as Lachlan have attempted to explore the world to the very “edges,” the ‘boundaries’ have not, at this time, been discovered. It all seems to go on forever.

There is no current map per se to the geography and locations. There are a number of ‘permanent’ places which were either present at the ‘beginning’ or came into being because they are now considered crucial. Some have even expanded beyond what they original were.

The original two buildings were (and have expanded since): The Crowe’s Hotel — several restaurants, from a very formal upscale one to the more casual and a tea room; a fitness center; indoor and outdoor pools; the main kitchen with vegetable and herb gardens; a smaller guest library; complete spa facilities; patios and terraces; massive English and Moonlight Gardens; and suites and rooms that often conform to the interests of their visitors. Many permanent residents have their own suites and apartments here.

The Crowe’s Tavern — the car park sits between the Hotel and Tavern, approximately three or four city blocks apart, with a walkway leading to the hotel, tavern, and main beach area. It includes the main bar, dance floor, pool room, private gathering rooms, ample seating, a kitchen serving bar fare, a beer garden, patio, and cigar humidor. Most Brothers maintain apartments or suites above the Tavern, while some in relationships or marriages have private homes, cabins, and ranches.

Other locations near the main facilities include an airfield with hangars; garage and repair shop; auto racing track; gun and skeet shooting ranges; athletic training grounds; stables and paddocks; horse racing track; PGA-inspired golf course and putt-putt course; ‘Scents, Swords and More’; a state-of-the-art cinema; an elaborate library; archery range; tennis courts; rugby field; baseball diamond; outdoor basketball court; cricket pitch; gymnasium and spa; dance studio; frozen pond; indoor ice rink; medical clinic and lab; veterinary hospital; and Neoclassical and Gothic chapels.

Beyond the Point are Tina and John’s home, Egan’s ranch, Anthony and Stephanie Girardeau’s home, English-like moors and countryside, public parks and themed gardens, boat docks and harbors, the Well of Hope Retreat Center, vineyards tended by Maximus and Maximillian Skinner, an unnamed river, Ashokan Falls, nearby unexplored islands, mountain ranges and hills, prairie land, and white sand beaches.

WRITTEN BY TINA BIEBE

The world of the Point. Ever-changing.