In reply to JohnA1nut (msg # 150):

I enjoy the time with the two funny guys.

Later, at the interview, I tell the editor to send it out now, while interest is high.  My fame, and the recent tsunami should hopefully get this a wide audience.

And they seem to enjoy the time with you. And the rabbit stew is every bit as tasty as Cheech claimed it was.



GE19

You kind of stumble through it. It's not the perfect performance you gave in practice. But you're fairly certain you got the salient points across.

When you finish, as you're leaving, you run into a few people who were from the tsunami town. One of them lost his wife in the flood. He asks why you didn't try to warn them of it. He's placing irrational blame on you.

But you seem to have made your point. People seem to understand.

In reply to JohnA1nut (msg # 152):

"I didn't know." I tell him softly.  And I let him rage, and cry, and occasionally try to murmur comfort along with a repeat of 'I didn't know.'

The guy is in conflict. His rational mind knows and accepts that it wasn't your fault. His irrational mind clearly wants to strangle you for letting his wife die. In the end, his rational mind wins out. Maybe he's thinking clearly, maybe it's the fact that you outweigh him by over 100 pounds. Who can say?

In the end, he asks if you'd like to join him for dinner. He wants you to explain this sun movement to him in better detail. He swears he won't let this happen to anyone again. Once he understands what happened, that is.

OOC) You've not checked your Facebook messages in a while.
This message was last edited by the player at 04:42, Fri 26 May 2017.

In reply to JohnA1nut (msg # 154):

I understand the conflict within him.  I've certainly felt that myself although not to his degree.  So, I don't judge him.  I just be patient, and kind, and behind that a little watchful as he's a bit of an unexploded grenade right now.

I take him to a nice, but quiet place for dinner, and I ask the waitress to make sure we are not bothered.  The bit of cash I give her helps I hope.

Then I explain, and answer questions until I think he's got it pretty good.  Then being cautious I ask him about how he met his wife.  Perhaps he's willing to talk about the good memories.  If not, I back off right away, and go back to explanations.

You give the waitress a week's pay, and she takes you to a section of the dining room that is closed down. Very private. It will just be you, him and her.



You draw some pictures on cocktail napkins and explain. He gets it. He's going to be watching the sky from now on.

As far as how he and his wife met, it was just like you and Carly Rae. They met in Tsunami Town. Decided to hit The Road together. And they agreed that if they made it back to Tsunami Town, they would settle down there. They circumnavigated the entire planet on foot together. Wound up back in Tsunami Town. And got married and stayed there.

He asks what you were doing there. He seems calmer now. The initial shock and everything has subsided.

"Just wandering the Road.  Thought I'd learn some new skills from the locals."

I pay our dinner, and make sure he gets home.  With that done, I spend an hour sitting on my balcony looking out over the city, occasionally praying, and just letting myself relax.  Then its bed, another day, and more signing of autographs.  This could go to a man's head, I think silently with an inner laugh.

GE 21

You wake up, order room service for breakfast, then go down to the autograph room. There you are mobbed by autograph seekers, scientists, astronomers, all manner of folks. You can't get a word in edgewise. They all want you to explain how the sun's movement affected the tides and caused the tsunami. You're trying to talk to 15 different people and sign 20 different autographs at once at any given time. It's exhausting.

Carly Rae quips to you "Welcome to famous life dahling."

OOC) Useless trivia. Zsa Zsa Gabor called everyone "Dahling" because she hated remembering names. So everyone is "Dahling."

In reply to JohnA1nut (msg # 158):

I've ran games in person before, tho' not with that many people.  But I do know how to smile and say 'you, ask your question. You, wait.'  I'm good at imposing a rough order to such situations, and dealing quickly with questions with a smile.  I actually enjoy it, and find it a rush.  Its afterwards that I sit down, trembling, wiping drops of sweat off my face.

I did help in running a small weekly Larp, and half the players were under my judgeship despite some other judges not having anyone.

I might end up annoying the hotel by snagging and repurposing a sign for explanations.

Whilst you're signing autographs, several young women ask you to sign it 'To my beloved.....' a few ask you to sign their faces, and one lady tells you her room number and gestures for you to follow her whilst she's walking away.

But you handle it.

The hotel does give you a sign to post your explanation.

So what else are you doing?

In reply to JohnA1nut (msg # 160):

Not signing 'to my beloved'.  For one reason, that might be all that's needed to get me legally tied.  I don't know the local customs, but I've read stories where if the girl gives you a cup of wine during a dance, you're hitched.  I just put in some bit like 'to the beauty in red' or some such thing.

I don't sign faces, and I force a fixed smile to my face at the room number girl. As soon as she walks away, I ....try not to say anything nasty to the folk still around me.  Say nothing, say nothing....I breathe in and out, and then I look up with a dark fury in my eyes, and a fake smile on my face to greet the next autograph seeker.

After that person jumps back, I apologize, and say I need a restroom break, and go off to the bar to get a Coke or something, and breathe, letting the inner fury out.  Once there, I make a decision.

I go back, be nice, and get a good meal after signing more.  Then I pack up, and leave a note for the hotel and the TV people.

"Thanks. Seeya'."

I grab my staff, slip out back, and hit the Road.

OOC) I was wondering how long famous life was going to last you.

Okay, so your cash situation is you've got 21 months equivalent pay. Down from 24. The suits were expensive, and you ate out a lot. It's paper currency. Toilet paper in the next world.

When you slip out the back, you make it maybe a mile before a walker asks you for an autograph. He tells you "Maan, you're the biggest star since Mage Hammer."

And he walks away before you can ask him anything else.

But you make it to another small town before bedtime. You see a large group of ladies gathering around a guy in a black trenchcoat with a backpack. You might even recognize his face. His name is Mage Hammer. He's a legend on The Road. Amazing skills with all kinds of weapons and hunting techniques. Was a reality star like you. Held onto the fame. Not like you.

When he hears you're there though, he approaches with several of the ladies who were accompanying him. And just extends his hand to shake. He looks you directly in the eye and says very politely "What's up Tadeusz?"

Looking through the trenchcoat, you see he's got a large caliber revolver hanging from a toolbelt. It's not the first gun you've seen. Shotguns for hunting, pistols for defense, mostly.

OOC) Don't worry. He's not going to be a recurring character. Just for a post or two. Unless you want to hang out with him.

(Doing Therapy)

In reply to JohnA1nut (msg # 162):

"I'll give you an autograph if you don't tell anyone you saw me come this way for two days? Deal?"

I push on, deliberately outpacing him.

I speak to Mage Hammer.

"A moment in private....?"  If he agrees, I say 'I'm trying to ditch the fame business.  Any suggestions?'

"What are days maan?"

No need to outpace him. He just walks down a different road.



Mage says "For starters, shave your beard. That'll help. I got a razor right here."

And draws a huge, heavy Bowie knife that would make Crocodile Dundee proud.

He does invite you to hang out with him. Him and the ladies were about to have a barbecue.

In reply to JohnA1nut (msg # 164):

"Never mind." I say, and walk on.

"Slice away, Mage Hammer." I stand very, very still.  After that's done, I thank him, and head on out.  If I see a clothing shoppe open, I'll see about getting some plainer clothing, and a duffel bag.

That way I can put my fancy and noticeable duds up, and dress normally.  And then leave town.

He gives you a shave that's as close as it could be. Doesn't draw blood once. All the ladies watching are impressed by his skill with this blade.

Then he shakes your hand and says "Good luck out there."

There is a small clothing shoppe that's open. You get some clothes. The clerk gives you a discount in exchange for an autograph. But then says "I wouldn't have recognized you if I hadn't seen you get your beard shaved."

So the disguise is working.



So you head out on The Road. Anywhere in particular you'd like to find yourself?

In reply to JohnA1nut (msg # 166):

"Better than I can do with a razor.  See you in another world, mate."

===============

I think a bit, and decide it'd be nice to see some mountains.  I pick the nearest looking, and start heading that way.

"No problem."

He also tells you that not a lot of walkers watch TV. So if you don't want to be recognized, stick to The Road. It's in cities where you will be recognized.



There aren't any mountains in view. But you start wandering.

Something you just begin to notice that has been happening for some time now is that, per waking cycle, you are eating as many times as you normally would in three or four days, and having bowel movements as many times as you would in two or three days.

This has been going on for some time, but you just began to notice it.

In reply to JohnA1nut (msg # 168):

I like eating so this does not particularly bother me.  I take note of it, and wait to see if any more facts change the picture.  Other than that, I keep walking, and occasionally running.

I follow Mage Hammer's advice to stay out of cities.

OOC) Are you ready to verse out yet? I was trying to hold off on that until you at least spent all of your paper money. But let me know when you're ready to verse out.

IC) A few sleeps go by. Still no mountains. However, you do pass by Tsunami Town. What's left of it. As stated, the dirt is changing into beach sand. There's nobody living there. In the exact center of town, right where you buried the chain staff, is a six foot radius area where the grass is lush and green. It's surrounded by beach sand. So it seems the chain staff is healing the ground as you had hoped.

Asking around though, you are told that there is a mountainous region not too far from there.

Two Posts

Something else. With your beard shaved, assuming you shave it once per waking cycle, you will notice that, at the end of the waking cycle, before you go to sleep, you've got 3 or 4 day's growth of beard.

In reply to JohnA1nut (msg # 170):

OOC: Versing out now is fine.

I look at the green circle, and shrug.  Then I head toward the mountains.

OOC) Not yet. I have your next world ready. I just have a few more things I want to show you first. What did you think of this world?



So it takes you a sleep or two to get to the mountains. There's a small town at the base of the mountain. It's not very steep. You could climb to the top on foot.

Going through the town though, nobody seems to recognize you with your beard shaved. However, you do see Carly Rae. She's talking to a woodworker. She doesn't seem to acknowledge you. But glancing around, you do see a hidden camera here and there. Apparently they're filming another episode of the show you were on.

Do my best to slip out of town, attracting no more attention than an uninteresting wanderer.  At the same time, I try to avoid people, but not in a suspicious looking way.

"Oh, Lord, let me be seen as boring." I pray.

Hopefully, I get beyond, and I start the climb.

OOC) I just wanted to see what you would do if you ran into Carly Rae again. Time to verse out!!!!



So you make it out of town. Nobody bothers you.



So you climb the mountain. It's exhausting. But you make it. At the top, the view is spectacular. You can see the ocean, you can see towns, The Road. It's beautiful.

There's another small town at the top of the mountain. Nobody here recognizes you either. But when you're finished doing what you came to do, you sleep. When you wake up, you go to a small coffee shoppe for breakfast and coffee.

And just as you are fully awake, a couple of guys run into the coffee shoppe with guns. It's a robbery. And before you can even think to take any action, one of the robbers decides to prove that he's serious and shoots a random customer.

That customer is you.

Thou Art Dead.