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John 2 John

(497 posts) (4 voices)

Started 2 years ago by M. J. Young
Latest reply from JohnA1nut

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JohnA1nut
Member

Bzzzt. He's only ever known of at most two times it happened, of hundreds of versing events told in tales.

Bzzzt. He's been on thousands and thousands of verses. Not even you know all of the details of all of his verses. It's entirely possible that The Architect himself HAD BEEN zygoted. He might even have done it several times. I think it was a lot more likely than 2 consecutive 3 GE rolls. I'm not arguing the ruling, just making a point.

However, you awaken one day and discover that you can move--that is, you feel the presence of arms and legs, and you can shift them about somewhat.

Can I see my own body? What can I see? I've seen videos of babies in the uterus, and I think I could recognize it if I could see it well enough to make that out.

Am I hearing anything new? Was that a new use on the psionic skill?

Thu Feb 25 2010 3:19 am #
JohnA1nut
Member

Two

I'm being reborn into a completely new body. That means that the plate in my leg will be gone forever, any injuries I've sustained will be gone, I won't have any traces of any mental illness (unless this body is born with them). As far as my body is concerned, it's a completely new, clean slate. Is that correct?

Thu Feb 25 2010 10:15 am #
M. J. Young
Moderator
You do not seem able to focus your eyesight. When you with some difficulty take the action that you interpret as raising your hand to your face, you detect a dark patch, as if the arm were blocking some of the light; but other than the general shape of a somewhat bar-like dark patch, you cannot see any details.

I am guessing that it would be a new use because it is about separating the targeted sounds from the clutter of surrounding noise, and on that basis I would say yes, I don't think you've used it that way before, and give you the advance.
- The plate in your leg is not in your leg at present; it will be part of your equipment for the present.
- There is a significant question as to whether "mental illness" is, in Multiverser terms, in the body or in the spirit, so I can't really answer that--but as I recall you were already cured of mental illness (oh, wait--did you get another on a botch? That would not be treated, but it might have run its course.).
But your body is new, yes.

--M. J. Young
Fri Feb 26 2010 12:04 am #
JohnA1nut
Member

* The plate in your leg is not in your leg at present; it will be part of your equipment for the present.

I'll probably make a knife out of that. What sucks though is it's going to be years for my character before he can even consider picking up and using his equipment. That is, assuming he's human and can use it at all.

* There is a significant question as to whether "mental illness" is, in Multiverser terms, in the body or in the spirit, so I can't really answer that--but as I recall you were already cured of mental illness (oh, wait--did you get another on a botch? That would not be treated, but it might have run its course.).

No, no new mental illnesses. I was just trying to be clear about what I was asking.

What are the scriff vectors doing?

What am I hearing?

Fri Feb 26 2010 2:53 pm #
JohnA1nut
Member

Two

Just curious. You didn't say anything about The Architect having been zygoted. That's a referee's thing, isn't it? You know that he's never been zygoted. I was just saying that the benefit of doubt exists. I think I probably would have given the roll a lot more chance of having worked. If it happened to him, even once, that would probably count as one of his more memorable verses, and I could imagine him relating that story to us. Just my two cents is all.

(Doing Therapy)

Fri Feb 26 2010 8:08 pm #
JohnA1nut
Member

Three

MJ, I calculated the backpack at 4 pounds. You said it was 2 pounds. I'm going with you. That means that the pack only weighs 74 pounds of my allotted 76. Could I add 2 pounds of gear "posthumously" as it were? Perhaps more ammo, or something else of use?

(Doing Therapy)

Sat Feb 27 2010 7:49 pm #
JohnA1nut
Member

Four (come on!! it's been 2 days!!!)

On that Snap to stance skill, I know it isn't likely to come up, I just wanted to be clear on what I wanted. I would still go into raised hands surrender position for a police officer. I've just got a 357 magnum where my wallet would be, if he should ask me to show ID. The snap to stance I'm talking about would be feet planted, crouched, with knees bent. The only thing I would have to do would be move my arms from raised surrender to raised attack stance. I know it won't come into game for a while, if at all, I just wanted to be clear so you could put it on the back burner until it does.

(Doing Therapy)

Sun Feb 28 2010 7:52 am #
M. J. Young
Moderator

It may have been two days, but the fourth post is completely irrelevant at present.

No, you can't add two pounds of gear to your backpack, in part because you added to it while you were on the ship, and in part because the your treatment of the weight limit is assuming that you have perfect accuracy in what you can carry, which you don't.

I think I've zygoted maybe four characters in twenty years, including one in a book, and heard of two others going through it. It's supposed to be rare. It's supposed to be considerably rarer than that. If it's happened to you once in a thousand worlds, that's close to the right odds. IF it never happens to you at all, that's probably closer. I know that the Architect was never zygoted, because that's the way he's presented.

You awaken one day to find that your eyes won't open. You can still see light and dark, and passing shadows, but the eyelids seem to be sealed closed.

Then one day you realize that you have your thumb in your mouth, and you are using your mouth muscles to "suck" on it. It must have been something you did while you were sleeping. You also realize that you are breathing, that is, that your lungs are functional, although you are still submerged in that liquid. You swallow some of the liquid.

You are beginning to feel things with your fingers. One thing you feel is hair growing from your head, but also pretty much everywhere you can touch.

The primary voice still speaks mostly that other language, although once or twice you've heard her talking in English as if to herself. In these times she's telling someone that he or she is going to be very important, and needs to pay attention to what she's telling him or her, but you don't catch what it's about. The equipment vectors continue as before, mostly.

--M. J. Young

Mon Mar 1 2010 3:04 am #
JohnA1nut
Member

It may have been two days, but the fourth post is completely irrelevant at present.

Actually MJ, it wasn't completely irrelevant. You just told me I have arms. I was waiting for you to tell me that. I want to try it right now. It's not like I have anything better to do at the moment. Babies kick, after all. Mom's just gonna have a boxer in her belly for a while. I guess it's also fighting blind, and if this isn't a new use, then nothing is. Practice shadow boxing. Maybe it will keep me awake longer. Try to teach myself that snap to stance trick. I got nothing better to do, might as well exercise and practice.

Oh ya know what? I have that fighting blind echo location right? How does that work here? What can I tell from that? That better be a new use.

No, you can't add two pounds of gear to your backpack, in part because you added to it while you were on the ship, and in part because the your treatment of the weight limit is assuming that you have perfect accuracy in what you can carry, which you don't.

That's totally cool and understood. I just thought I'd ask. No harm in asking, right?

I think I've zygoted maybe four characters in twenty years, including one in a book, and heard of two others going through it. It's supposed to be rare. It's supposed to be considerably rarer than that. If it's happened to you once in a thousand worlds, that's close to the right odds. IF it never happens to you at all, that's probably closer. I know that the Architect was never zygoted, because that's the way he's presented.

I didn't realize that. I know that it's supposed to be done if the character's body is too badly messed up to be restored by normal scriff healing. With some of the botches I've seen, I kind of figured it would be a lot more common.

You swallow some of the liquid.

You're just gonna hate this. What does it taste like?

The primary voice still speaks mostly that other language, although once or twice you've heard her talking in English as if to herself. In these times she's telling someone that he or she is going to be very important, and needs to pay attention to what she's telling him or her, but you don't catch what it's about. The equipment vectors continue as before, mostly.

Keep listening.

The equipment vectors continue as before, mostly.

Mostly. Which means they're doing something different on occasion. What would that something different be?

(Doing Therapy)

Mon Mar 1 2010 3:28 am #
JohnA1nut
Member

Two

once or twice you've heard her talking in English as if to herself. In these times she's telling someone that he or she is going to be very important, and needs to pay attention to what she's telling him or her, but you don't catch what it's about.

Exact words please.

(Doing Therapy)

Mon Mar 1 2010 7:41 am #
Nikolaj
Member

You swallow some of the liquid.

You're just gonna hate this. What does it taste like?

Mark, if you don't like me hacking this thread for this, I'll use the behind the screens for this. But if he is a human baby in a world equal to ours and if the baby develops without deformities/mutations/... of some kind, he would be able to taste in the womb. I'm unclear of at what age though. And I forgot what it's supposed to taste like.

Reading in Dutch (so no link, sorry), I find out that at the age of three months, the baby actually tastes and swallows the liquid. The taste isn't constant but varies according to what the mother/host eats. (As I suspected) What I didn't expect, though, was that it will also, seemingly, taste the emotional mood of the mother/host. So, if mommy is stressed, the child will taste that and become stressed himself!

Mon Mar 1 2010 10:49 pm #
M. J. Young
Moderator

Thanks, Nikolaj--I didn't know parts of that. I would have assumed that because of acclimation the amniotic fluid was "tasteless"--that is, it has flavor, but since he tastes it constantly is senses ignore it (the way you stop noticing the smell of an air freshener when you've been in the room for a while). So that's good to know.

Exact words?

"John...tries to kill...your father...very important...."

It's broken up like that most of the time.

You can't get into stance here because you have no footing. You can try to re-teach yourself your movements, but they're very difficult partly because you're moving underwater and partly because your body really does not respond very well or very quickly to anything you tell it to do. (Let me warn you that the bod bias of this body right now is somewhere around 0@6 and your best relevant attribute for bod is your 1@7 will power, so you might want to go slowly on the new bod skills for a while.) As to the echolocation of the blind fighting, you don't know how to do that, but you're not hearing any echoes per se.

The fluid usually has a flavor of peppers, beans, rice, and corn, with a bit of beef, pork, lamb, or chicken thrown in sometimes. It also makes you nervous as often as not.

--M. J. Young

Tue Mar 2 2010 2:35 am #
JohnA1nut
Member

"John...tries to kill...your father...very important...."

That could mean anything. Not my problem at the moment.

(Let me warn you that the bod bias of this body right now is somewhere around 0@6 and your best relevant attribute for bod is your 1@7 will power, so you might want to go slowly on the new bod skills for a while.)

I appreciate the warning MJ. I think I'll start with some mild stretches and whatnot. Isometric exercises. That's where you send your muscles both directions at once. You try to push your arms up and down at the time time. They stay frozen in one place. It's next to impossible to hurt yourself, since you are the resistance to it. Works both groups at the same time. Try that for now.

(Doing Therapy)

Tue Mar 2 2010 2:50 am #
JohnA1nut
Member

Two

"John...tries to kill...your father...very important...."

I could be John Connor, I could be Kyle Reese, I could be John Wilkes Boothe, Or none of them. Or any of them. Wow, this is cool MJ!!!! Thanks A lot.

(Doing Therapy)

Tue Mar 2 2010 6:06 am #
WilliamTWodium
Member

John the Baptist?

Tue Mar 2 2010 6:10 am #
Nikolaj
Member

@Mark, I read some more about it. It seems that the fluid is most often sweet (and might be the reason why kids favor sweet flavors first), but that it's strong flavored food tasted (like garlic), that come through. They also smell it (and have been proven to be calmer when smelling it after they have been born)

Tue Mar 2 2010 9:38 pm #
M. J. Young
Moderator
Well, if we're going to make guesses about what John it might be, there's
But then, as you say, there's not sufficient information to draw any such conclusions.

I've made a note that you have begun an isometric exercise program.

Your containment is getting smaller. It has flexible walls, and the cord that tethers you from the middle of your abdomen connects to the wall and is sealed there. You float around inside and bump into the walls; the materials on the other side seem to be of varying hardness. Also, if you rest you float in one direction, although whether it is sinking to the bottom or floating to the top you can't be entirely certain. There is a frequent swaying motion which is like being rocked to sleep; it is very comforting.

Sometimes when you bump the walls, the woman's voice responds, sometimes unintelligibly, but sometimes with a sing-song quality to it, something like, "Are you awake in there? Well, I hope you're all right. I know you will be. You're a very special little boy, John."

--M. J. Young
Wed Mar 3 2010 2:38 am #
JohnA1nut
Member

* John Hancock
* John Adams
* John Quincy Adams
* John Little, a.k.a. Little John
* Prince John
* John the Beloved
* John Lennon
* John Fitzgerald Kennedy
* John Walker
* John Bunyan
* John Calvin
* John Cross--wow, you could be your own divergent that would be wild

And since I know how your mind works, I can pretty effectively wipe all of these off the list of possibilities. I hope it's John Holmes, that could be quite cool.

Keep doing what I'm doing. I'm hoping that the isometrics will keep me awake longer so I can listen longer. What am I hearing?

Wed Mar 3 2010 11:04 pm #
M. J. Young
Moderator

The exercise actually tires you faster, but it does seem to be helping your growth. At least, you are growing, and you can tell that you are.

You are now able to tell which way is up, and it is clear that you are settling to the bottom more frequently, although there is still room enough for you to float, particularly when you get bounced upward.

Your eyelids are working again, and your nostrils are open. You find yourself breathing the liquid. Also, your container has gotten smaller--you now find that when you stretch out as far as you can you touch top and bottom and push a bit to stretch the space.

You hear the primary voice taking a room in a place where the clerk speaks English. She gives her name as "Sarah Conway" and says she is paying cash, which is in Mexican currency.

--M. J. Young

Thu Mar 4 2010 6:57 am #
JohnA1nut
Member

You hear the primary voice taking a room in a place where the clerk speaks English. She gives her name as "Sarah Conway" and says she is paying cash, which is in Mexican currency.

If my hunch is correct, and I am John Connor, I should probably tell you that I am extremely knowledgeable about The Terminator. It took years into the war before the infiltration terminators started to appear. The T-600, seen in Terminator Salvation was developed by SkyNet a few years into the war. It went through all of the expected incarnations (T-100, T-200, etc.) The T-600 went through quite a few incarnations. Most notably, the T-600 Reaver. No head, no skin, mono-filament razor blades for fingers. It would kill you veeeeery slloooowly and record and playback your screams. More of a terror weapon, an advantage the humans could never get against the emotionless machines.

Just out of curiosity, what would be my chances of doing that snap to stance trick in this body I'm in? Or even regular boxing, since you probably don't have all of the stats on the snap to stance. A 0@6 bod bias, and my 1@7 willpower. What would be the chances of me actually pulling that off?

Just keep doing what I'm doing. What do I hear?

Thu Mar 4 2010 7:14 am #
JohnA1nut
Member

Two

Sorry, I'm just excited. This is gonna be an awesome world. Combat and weapons training out the ying yang. I might be a match for Adam's character by the time this is over. (Said with pride in Adam's accomplishments.) Just to be straight, do I know everything that I know about The Terminator? I've seen the first three movies (The fourth hadn't yet come out when I versed) I've read the first two books, and all of the website information? Just to be clear on this. Now THIS my friend is a war with which I am intimately familiar. I could certainly tell Sarah things she doesn't know. She might even buy the whole verser story as well. MJ, if you cold hear me speaking, I've got an ear to ear grin. Watch, my luck, I'll verse out botching trying to raise a force field when I'm 10 years old. I just want to get everything straight.

Oh man, the T-1000 is coming for me when I'm 10 years old. Then when I'm in my early 20s, Kristana Loken in that skin tight leather outfit. (That would almost be worth dying for.) Do I know all of this? You picked a REALLY good one MJ!!!

Should I list off some of the weapons and whatnot with which I am familiar? The Silverfish for example? They were cool, they were walking landmines. Then there's the T1MEG. It's the guardian of the SkyNet central core. It's made out of the same stuff as the T-1000, but its camouflage program is limited to appearing to be the support structure to the ceiling, and it morphs into a huge metal scorpion type thing. Even SkyNet realized the massive waste of resources it represented, and so only made the one as its personal bodyguard. The Last Boss in the Game if you will. Should I tell you about all of this?

John Connor's full name is John Kyle Connor, and Kyle's full name is Kyle John Reese. John and Sarah became very popular baby names in the future.

(Doing Therapy)

Thu Mar 4 2010 8:48 am #
M. J. Young
Moderator
I addressed some of your questions about what you know in the Behind the Screens thread; we seem to be close to the same page, but you have to remember that this is the Terminator world as I understand it, and not necessarily completely consistent with every scrap of information that has appeared in every source, even ever so-called "official" source. But you can certainly tell Sarah anything you want about the future--just be aware that she might not believe you can know things she didn't tell you.

That's an interesting note on the names. Those aren't in the movies, though, are they?

Concerning your chance of success at teaching yourself boxing, I won't give you the number. I will, however, give you the math. It looks something like this:

Your bod bias, in this body; plus

your bod BRA, plus

the SAL you once had, as an example, plus

no instructor and no teacher, because you cannot "teach" yourself, plus

the world bias level, level only (e.g., if the world has a 13@3 bias, you get +13),

minus
the bias level of the target skill.

You're free to thumbnail those and guess at your chance of success here. I'm technically not supposed to tell you your chance of success even if you attempt it (although if you were to attempt it I would probably do at least part of the math behind the screens, depending on the roll). But I'll let you decide just how easy this might be.

I'm also getting quite curious as to just how I would handle someone versing out while an embryo. I'm reminded of the painful progression of universes Bob Thomas went through when he was withdrawing from NagaJuice Addiction. I don't know that you'd enjoy the process, but it would be fascinating to watch it happen.

--M. J. Young

JohnA1nut
Member

I'm also getting quite curious as to just how I would handle someone versing out while an embryo. I'm reminded of the painful progression of universes Bob Thomas went through when he was withdrawing from NagaJuice Addiction. I don't know that you'd enjoy the process, but it would be fascinating to watch it happen.

Let's not and say we did, OK? How I personally would handle it would probably be to re-zygote them. If they hadn't learned their situation, probably back into the same scenario. Just my two cents.

Just curious, where did my gear land in relation to Sarah? It would take a day or two from her union with Kyle for me to be actually conceived. Did she wake up one morning with my backpack and clothes sitting next to her and no idea how it got there? Yeah, I know I couldn't know this, but I don't see how it could hurt to tell me. She must think God is helping her. He provided her with 3 guns and 4 laser pistols out of thin air.

But you can certainly tell Sarah anything you want about the future--just be aware that she might not believe you can know things she didn't tell you.

Well, I can also tell her things about the first movie that she never told me. I'll convince Sarah. Oh man, Sarah could become my associate. This is going to be wild.

Keep listening. My character doesn't yet know his situation.

Fri Mar 5 2010 12:51 am #

JohnA1nut
Member

Two

MJ, I will, through the course of the game, give all the details I've read about Terminator and the technology. I've actually seen conceptual schematics of the Phased Plasma Rifles and everything. Up to about the T-600 or T-700, that barrage of shotgun fire that Reese unleashed would have destroyed or seriously crippled it. The T-800 model was a huge leap forward for SkyNet, over the T-700 series. Some of the very early Terminators could actually be engaged hand to hand. SkyNet was making a lot of weak units, and as it progressed, realized it would need to build fewer, stronger units. Even SkyNet's resources were fairly limited. If nothing else, perhaps it will give you ideas as to what to put me up against.

I better force myself to stop. I could prattle on for hours about Terminator. You picked an AWESOME WORLD!!!!!!

(Doing Therapy)

Fri Mar 5 2010 2:54 am #

M. J. Young
Moderator

Everything is going to be wild. But for the moment, you've got a lot of growing to do.

Your lungs are working better, despite being full of liquid most of the time. Also, your brain is clearing, functioning better (which causes you to realize just how difficult thinking has been to this point, and how far you still have to go before it will be fully functional again).

As you listen over this time, you learn that your mother's name is definitely Sarah, and although she keeps changing the last name it always begins with a hard K sound and usually with the syllable "C" (Conway, Connagher, Conniff, Connelly, Conrad, Constance). She is definitely calling you "John". She's also apparently talking to "someone else" for stretches of time, mostly about something called SkyNet which is going to try to conquer the world, and that you are the world's best hope to stop it. She talks about machines called terminators that kill people, and about your father Kyle Reese. This is all in monologue, and sounds as if it is addressed to you, but it is not in the same voice she uses when she's speaking to you--it lacks that sing-song quality, and is more muffled as if she is facing a different direction. No one ever answers her, questions her, and she is rarely interrupted.

She also mentions that the day your father died someone from the future sent a supply of weapons and ammunition and other supplies. She doesn't understand them all, but she assumes you must have sent them like you sent Kyle. She's wearing one of the rings as an engagement ring, which will help now that she's starting to show. You are in Mexico, but she intends to return to southern California in time for you to be born in an American hospital; then she'll return here, where it is considerably harder to trace people. She's been making contacts with people who are off the grid even down here, hoping to be able to learn more that she can teach you.

--M. J. Young

Fri Mar 5 2010 10:19 pm #

JohnA1nut
Member

Oh man, I wish telepathy worked....

She also mentions that the day your father died someone from the future sent a supply of weapons and ammunition and other supplies.

She's free to use them. A 30 roll would be that she has to shoot somebody whilst I'm listening. That would HUUURT!!!!! I'm just curious MJ. You assured me that I would be reunited with my gear on the station before I would need it. Most of the stuff there would be this world's level of technology. All I'd really want to retrieve would be the precious metals and gems, and the guns and explosives. The rest of it can be replaced and probably bettered here. Besides, the clothes won't fit for a while. I wonder how we're going to get that back....

It's getting kind of difficult to separate what's in character and what's out. If she sells my silver and whatnot, that would confuse the scriff senses, wouldn't it? She's disowning it, I'm not. At this point, it wouldn't be disowned by me. I wouldn't mind at all once I learn completely my situation, and I will disown it then, but I'm just wondering what's happened. Even bullets she fired wouldn't be disowned by me at this point. What's happening with the scriff vectors? This is gonna confuse the hell out of him. Is that a willpower battle? Since she's the host, is it her call to disown it? Out of character, I wouldn't mind a bit. However, at this point in character It still belongs to me. How does that work?

If she eats my dehydrated food, I'd have a scriff vector all around me until she went to the bathroom and then God only knows what would happen with it. What's happening with the scriff vectors?

I'm going to look like Edward Furlong when I'm 10. Too bad. Yeah, girls think he's cute, but I can't ever use my driver's license as a fake ID. I wonder if my divergent exists in this world.... This is 1985, he would be 8 years old. Gonna have to check into that.

She's been making contacts with people who are off the grid even down here, hoping to be able to learn more that she can teach you.

And I'm sure I can teach her plenty. I'm gonna have an oedipal complex. I'd really like to teach a young Linda Hamilton a few things... She didn't age well though.

What else am I hearing?

(Doing Therapy)

Fri Mar 5 2010 11:02 pm #

JohnA1nut
Member

Two

The other interesting aspect of the third is that every once in a while it splits, and then there are four, the fourth staying pretty close to the same position relative to you, moving only slightly within that vector, and then ultimately rejoining the other

This was my scriff vectors about 20 or so posts back. I said it was someone removing and replacing the magazine in the 9mm carbine. It was probably Sarah removing and examining the contents of my backpack before replacing it. Eh who knows. It could be either.

She also mentions that the day your father died someone from the future sent a supply of weapons and ammunition and other supplies.

I know how I will prove it to her. I can tell her the exact contents of that pack.

I wonder how it came through. She broke her leg in the fight with the Terminator (an ambulance takes her away at the end.) She might have been in the hospital when it happened.

What would happen with the scriff vectors if she was wearing my clothes? If she put on one of my Pearl Harbor jumpsuits, what would the scriff vectors do?

She found a pair of dirty underwear, socks and boots which wouldn't fit her. Also a pair of jeans and a t shirt which would probably fit in her pregnant state, two jumpsuits, large but wearable and the bullet proof trench coat. She could be wearing my clothes. The scriff vectors are driving him crazy.

I was kneeling with the backpack kind of on top of the pile. It would have come through more or less folded up with the backpack on top, and the 9mm carbine where the right hand would be. Probably dropped right on her stomach.

Or if she was wearing the belt bag. That would be (literally) right on top of me.

I wonder what Sarah is thinking. Did someone from the future know that Kyle Reese would impregnate her? Is that why she got a pair of jeans which were huge (to fit a pregnant woman) and two jumpsuits which would fit just about anyone? I wonder how closely she's examined the trench coat. Has she tried to penetrate it with anything? She would almost certainly be wearing a bulletproof trench coat, if she knew what it was. Too bad the invisibility cloak wouldn't work, she would think it was some kind of weird stealth technology or something. I know, I wouldn't know. I'm just wondering out loud. Maybe Sarah is talking about the equipment on the tapes? The tapes weren't just about SkyNet, they were kind of like her diary during the pregnancy. There could be all kinds of information she's talking about.

And no, I'm not even going to try reading her mind. I don't like that I know how to do that, after my botch where I hurt Mr. Smith's daughter.

(Doing Therapy)

Fri Mar 5 2010 11:48 pm #

JohnA1nut
Member

Three

MJ, I'm having a particularly bad psychotic episode at the moment. Notice I can still type.

I know you said you hate it when the players know more about the world than you do. I don't expect this to be completely consistent with what I know. Consistent with what you know, but not necessarily consistent with what I know. One thing I'm thinking about is trying to move us to Australia. They weren't touched at all in the nuclear exchange, and actually became a superpower of sorts. What I'm saying is that the details I give you I want you to make your own. I'll jibber jabber about it, use that as inspiration. This is going to be cool. Psychotic episode under control. I didn't stop typing the whole time. It's like typing with a really bad headache which is constantly changing intensity. Five years ago, I couldn't think straight, to say the least. I haven't heard from Mrs. Johnson in years. She just came back.

(Doing Therapy)

Sat Mar 6 2010 1:23 am #

JohnA1nut
Member

Four, sorry, yeah, I know there's a lot already.

What I mean by "Take the details and make them your own" is that you probably didn't realize that Sarah was in the hospital, or would have been when the pack arrived. Perhaps she will relay that story to me on the next tape? I'll certainly ask her about it at some point in the story. Take those details and make them your own. How did Sarah hide the backpack from the hospital staff? Right now it's more just food for thought, but I thought that could be helpful and make a really good story.

(Doing Therapy)

Sun Mar 7 2010 10:53 am #

M. J. Young
Moderator

I'm afraid I can't answer most of your questions.

The one that most annoys me, though, is the one about the equipment vector splitting and reuniting, because I remember writing that and that I knew what it was about when I did, but now I'm not certain. (I also remember being surprised that you put it down as the carbine being separated from the gun, particularly since the first separation obviously would be that the gun was separated from the rest of the equipment.) In any case, there is apparently something in all of that which she occasionally uses and puts back with the rest of it--wherever the rest of it is. Or maybe she leaves some of it in the car when she takes some of it into the hotel.

However, I think you can see how if she has

One of your rings on one of her fingers;
A pile of your stuff close at hand that she walks around; and
stuff of yours far away about which she knows absolutely nothing

, combined with the fact that if she turns sharply you tend to lag from the fact that you're floating in the amniotic fluid, that would account for most of the wildly shifting scriff vectors. The hand would be in constant motion when she was awake, the distant vector would be fairly constant except that you turn when she turns so it would seem to swing wildly at those moments, and the pile of stuff that's near would swing with the distant stuff when she pivots but would also move independently as she walks past it.

--M. J. Young

Mon Mar 8 2010 1:22 am #

JohnA1nut
Member

The one that most annoys me, though, is the one about the equipment vector splitting and reuniting, because I remember writing that and that I knew what it was about when I did, but now I'm not certain. (I also remember being surprised that you put it down as the carbine being separated from the gun, particularly since the first separation obviously would be that the gun was separated from the rest of the equipment.)

I think you mean the magazine being separated from the gun. I had that in my hand and the backpack on my back. I assumed of course that the gun was still outside of the backpack.

I'm afraid I can't answer most of your questions.

Have you ever considered what the scriff vectors would do in the case of the mother wearing the zygoted verser's scriff-infected clothing? She would be wearing my trench coat if she knew what it was. Maybe roll an intuition check for Sarah to see if she's figured it out or something. This is supposed to be curiosity.

Have you ever considered what would happen to the scriff vectors if the mother ate the verser's food? I'm asking seriously. If not, this could merit a rewrite of The Zygote Experience. What if she shares the food with someone else? Are they now scriff infected associate versers?

However, I think you can see how if she has

* One of your rings on one of her fingers;
* A pile of your stuff close at hand that she walks around; and
* stuff of yours far away about which she knows absolutely nothing

, combined with the fact that if she turns sharply you tend to lag from the fact that you're floating in the amniotic fluid, that would account for most of the wildly shifting scriff vectors. The hand would be in constant motion when she was awake, the distant vector would be fairly constant except that you turn when she turns so it would seem to swing wildly at those moments, and the pile of stuff that's near would swing with the distant stuff when she pivots but would also move independently as she walks past it.

MJ, I don't think you're giving it enough credit. That pack was designed to be used to survive in the world. Everything you could immediately need to survive. Exactly the kind of thing the Resistance would send to her to get her started. As far as she knows, it was a free gift from her son. She's going to be selling the gems and precious metals. She's going to be wearing the clothes, using the tools, eating the food. What if she uses a piece of duct tape to fix something for someone, then leaves? Is there a scriff vector pointing to that 1 inch piece of duct tape until I disown it? I really hope she doesn't have to shoot one of the guns whilst I'm in here but she could do that. That would be two for each shot with the automatics. One for the bullet and one for the casing. If she shoots the shotgun, that's 12, one for each 00 buckshot pellet. The flares and shredders would burn up, so I guess there's no scriff vector back to that. Or would each particle of ash count as an independent scriff vector? What if the verser was diabetic, and the mother, also diabetic, used the verser's insulin? Where would the scriff vector go to the liquid insulin in her bloodstream? The mother is disowning it, the verser isn't. There could be tons of scriff vectors all over the place. Have you ever considered some of the stuff I brought up? I'm asking in genuine curiosity. I don't expect you to answer most of this, I'm just curious if you ever considered it before.

So, I ask again, (and giggle whilst I type) what are the scriff vectors doing?

(Doing Therapy)

Mon Mar 8 2010 1:38 am #

JohnA1nut
Member

Two

Some of that speaking is Sarah making the tapes to John. Those weren't just about SkyNet. They were like her diary. She might record contacts that she made. "This Enrique character is a cool guy. I think he will be a valuable asset." or maybe it was just her events of the day "Had tacos for lunch, slept, drove. Nothing much going on." What I'm saying MJ is that there is no limit to the information she could be talking about. Maybe I can hear at least one side of her conversations with people? Maybe both sides. A really good roll is a lot of information about where we are. A really bad roll is some really loud noises which hurt me. Maybe Sarah is describing the gear she found. "These guns will come in handy. I think these are laser pistols, but I can't be sure what to do with them. I have no idea what this Red Riding Hood cape is for (the invisibility cloak) but if John sent it, he must think I need it..." I'm just offering suggestions on what I could be hearing Sarah talking about.

(Doing Therapy)

Mon Mar 8 2010 4:04 am #

M. J. Young
Moderator

Thanks for the suggestions. You are right that Sarah views your equipment as something you, or your people, sent from the future to help her--or to help her and Kyle, whom they might not know is already dead. However, she's going to treat that as "emergency backup". She has other resources, and she is going to use them first. These she's going to keep mostly secret until such time as she has use for them.

Regarding the tapes, the information available says that she was not recording anything other than information she wanted John to have for the purpose of fighting the war against SkyNet. These do not contain trivialities about her day, persons she meets, or anything of that sort. Ultimately there will be fifteen to twenty hours of cassette recordings that include everything she can remember from what Kyle taught her and what she learns that will be useful for the fight.

Regarding conversations, she has not yet started learning from anyone. Most of her conversations are about getting a place to sleep or something to eat. It's going to stay like that until after you are born, because 1) I don't see her becoming involved in the sort of rigorous training involved while she is pregnant (a miscarriage would be a disaster), and 2) I don't want to deal with it. So that's all you get. The most you can derive from it is that she's mostly in Mexico (which is why they're usually speaking Spanish).

Regarding the scriff vectors, I realize that these could become very complicated very quickly. They have not done so yet. Usually when people run the Zygote, your on-person equipment is buried near the place of your conception. I thought that a bad choice, because you'd never get it back, so I had it appear where Sarah would take it with her. She wishes she had Kyle around to tell her what it all is, but she's not doing anything with it yet besides having rummaged through it, decided that an engagement ring would help defuse any reaction to her pregnancy, and packed the rest up to keep for when she needs it. The laser pistols in particular are going to be kept safe, as she'll assume the futuristic weapons were sent back to fight a terminator, and thus that the possibility exists that another terminator might be coming.

So let's stick with what is happening instead of all the things you could imagine happening. I'm running this on the KISS* principle, because there is already so much complexity in the story line that I don't want to make it more complicated with game issues. Sure, it would be "interesting" to see what happens if your mother starts scattering your shotgun pellets all over Central and South America, but in a few years you're going to want to find the stash of gear you left on the station, and if you have to track through ever shotgun pellet to be able to find that one vector from hundreds, it's going to make for a very dull game.

--M. J. Young

*KISS principle: Keep It Simple, Stupid.

Mon Mar 8 2010 9:48 pm #

JohnA1nut
Member

Regarding the tapes, the information available says that she was not recording anything other than information she wanted John to have for the purpose of fighting the war against SkyNet. These do not contain trivialities about her day, persons she meets, or anything of that sort. Ultimately there will be fifteen to twenty hours of cassette recordings that include everything she can remember from what Kyle taught her and what she learns that will be useful for the fight.

Yeah, you're right. No trivialities like what she had for lunch. That would be stupid, wouldn't it? I just thought it might make things a little more interesting. When I said "Her diary" I meant that she would record anything useful which could fight SkyNet. I would imagine that would include the locations of contacts she made, good places to get weapons, perhaps the recipe for the Plastique explosive Reese made. (The mixture used in the movie is in no way realistic, for obvious reasons) It would have more than just SkyNet. It would be anything which could help her fight SkyNet as well. Never mind, forget it. I'll just quit while I'm ahead. Go with the KISS program.

So let's stick with what is happening instead of all the things you could imagine happening. I'm running this on the KISS* principle, because there is already so much complexity in the story line that I don't want to make it more complicated with game issues. Sure, it would be "interesting" to see what happens if your mother starts scattering your shotgun pellets all over Central and South America, but in a few years you're going to want to find the stash of gear you left on the station, and if you have to track through ever shotgun pellet to be able to find that one vector from hundreds, it's going to make for a very dull game.

Completely understood. A lot of that was just "What If" questions. Things to think about. But yeah, KISS principle works.

So the gear isn't in space. I hadn't considered that. It could be 20,000 miles away and still on Earth. I hadn't considered that. This is making a lot more sense all of a sudden.

And picking through the scriff vectors wouldn't be as difficult as you think. I know that the gear is tens of thousands of miles away. That could reasonably put it in Africa or Europe. I'm betting southern South America though. All the scriff vectors Sarah would be making would point here, to Mexico. There would only be one which didn't. The Mexico vectors would be "behind" me, and the distant vectors would be "in front" of me. If I passed the gear, it wouldn't be "in front" of me, it would join the vectors "behind me" and I would know to turn back. Just keep that one "in front" and the others "behind" and I'd head straight to it. Or one "in front" and the others "to the side". Interesting. Still though, you're right. It just sounded kind of funny and interesting to think about.

Here's one for you MJ. A true non-involvement player would tell Sarah to get lost. He wants his stuff back and she can start the Resistance without him. I kept telling you that you should drop me into a world which required my involvement. You did. You also correctly assumed that you would get it.

The laser pistols in particular are going to be kept safe, as she'll assume the futuristic weapons were sent back to fight a terminator, and thus that the possibility exists that another terminator might be coming.

And the bulletproof trench coat would be to keep HER safe. I'm in there too. OK, I confess, I reeeaaalllly want to know what happens to the scriff vectors if she puts it on. Come on, give me that one at least. As far as the pistols, I'm going to see if Miles Dyson can reverse engineer one and build more of them. I want him fighting on our side, not to try to kill him.

If there's no more pertinent information to give me, why not skip ahead a little? You wanted KISS? Well, let's get to my birthday in as few posts as possible. (More than one, but less than a dozen)

Tallyho!! On with the game, my lord!!!

(Doing Therapy)

Just a reminder, (Doing Therapy) means I am, at the time of that writing, having a psychotic episode. That I can type at all is kind of a miracle. In other words, don't take everything I say in those posts absolutely seriously.

Mon Mar 8 2010 10:14 pm #

JohnA1nut
Member

Two

The laser pistols in particular are going to be kept safe, as she'll assume the futuristic weapons were sent back to fight a terminator, and thus that the possibility exists that another terminator might be coming.

Ya know, I would have never thought I'd want laser weapons because I would be starting out with a 1@1 SAL. Now I realize I do. These undoubtedly look like toys to most people, and thus would be completely safe for a 10 year old child to openly carry around. I'd cause trouble if someone saw me with a real gun, but with something which is "obviously a toy" I can get away with it. All of this for when I become a 10 year old child, that is. Funny how that works, isn't it?

How long before I can speak I wonder? Part of the reason babies can't speak is because they haven't yet learned the language. I don't have that problem. I'm going to be trying to speak really quickly, and (literally) be potty trained the day I can walk.

(Doing Therapy)

Tue Mar 9 2010 3:28 am #

M. J. Young
Moderator

I don't see anyone putting on a heavy trench coat under Mexican sunshine. Don't hold your breath.

Think of the scriff vectors as three hands on a clock, with you at the center post. Now note that the three hands can be moved somewhat independently--they're more like needles on a compass, but that they are attracted to three different poles. Now put it in three dimensions--remember, if Sarah lies down, everything shifts ninety degrees, and what was to the side before is now to the top, at least until you are heavy enough that gravity has more force than buoyancy (which has by now happened, so when she lies down, "up" changes directions while you're turned sideways, or possibly upside down, depending on what position you were in initially--why do you think babies kick so much?).

As far as the timeline, I think I'm moving you through it faster than I moved the last guy. You'll be born soon enough--provided you don't keep stalling with questions at every phase.

At this point, though, movement is getting restricted. You are longer than the container in which you are housed, and when you stretch a limb or your neck you have to push against the wall and stretch it. This is sometimes answered by something pushing back from the other side of the wall, and that familiar voice you've decided is your mother talking sweetly to you, as if your decision to stretch you leg was an effort to communicate with her.

--M. J. Young

Wed Mar 10 2010 2:03 am #

JohnA1nut
Member

I don't see anyone putting on a heavy trench coat under Mexican sunshine. Don't hold your breath.

If I recall, it also protected against heat. Keeps you cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Of course, Sarah probably wouldn't have figured that out yet. OK, so not the trench coat, one of the jumpsuits. Even my tee shirt. (What? A pregnant woman wouldn't sleep in a huge tee shirt? She would probably think that the scent it has is that of her adult son. Would probably take comfort in it too.) Or just answer me on what would happen to the scriff senses. Come on!!

This is sometimes answered by something pushing back from the other side of the wall, and that familiar voice you've decided is your mother talking sweetly to you, as if your decision to stretch you leg was an effort to communicate with her.

Now I wish I had tried harder to learn Morse code. Oh well, she probably doesn't know it either.

Well, keep growing and keep listening. And yes, even if all I hear from now on is meaningless day-to-day babble, I'm still listening. I might have that skill up a point or two by the time I'm born.

(Doing Therapy)

Wed Mar 10 2010 2:10 am #

M. J. Young
Moderator

A lot of that meaningless day to day babble is in Spanish, which as I understand you don't--understand, that is.

But the enclosure is getting tighter, and every once in a while it squeezes. This is very uncomfortable, and at least the first time or two that it happens you kick back almost reflexively. It also seems that the squeezing is pushing your head down, which is the largest part of your body, making the space at the top too small for it so you'll turn over.

--M. J. Young

Concerning your scriff questions, if you are completely surrounded by one scriff-infected object, one of two things would happen.

It might be as it is when you wear your own clothes: they become part of your immediate presence, and cease to be detected at all.

It might be that being so surrounded means you sense your things in all directions, and it blots out any other scriff vectors (because if two objects are on the same vector they merge into one).

Satisfied?

Thu Mar 11 2010 1:46 am #

JohnA1nut
Member

But the enclosure is getting tighter, and every once in a while it squeezes.

So that's what they mean by contractions. Keep listening.

And regarding the scriff question, yes I'm satisfied. Why was that such a difficult thing to answer?

Thu Mar 11 2010 2:52 am #

M. J. Young
Moderator

You gather from the snippets of information you collect that your mother is very nearly ready to give birth, and is heading to New Mexico so you will be born in the United States at an American hospital.

Those contractions, as you rightly call them, are coming more frequently, and they are very uncomfortable pushing against your head. As you flinch from them, you find yourself being inverted, moved upside down. You can fight this, pushing yourself upright, but it really is more comfortable having the pressure squeeze your legs than your head. Either way, you're bunched up in a tight ball at this point, and can't stretch out without great effort.

There is a feeling in one direction, which is usually toward your back, of something like a pillow. It seems gradually to inflate and grow harder over the course of several hours until it is impinging on your space; then it abruptly deflates in seconds, vanishing entirely, and then over several hours repeats the cycle.

I try not to answer questions that are not relevant to current situations because I don't want to be committed to the consequences of those answers later. If the answer does not need to be decided now, deciding it now only makes things more difficult.

--M. J. Young

Thu Mar 11 2010 9:48 pm #

JohnA1nut
Member

You can fight this, pushing yourself upright, but it really is more comfortable having the pressure squeeze your legs than your head.

I wouldn't even try to fight it. If anything, I'd go with it. I know where and what I am now, and if this is what mommy wants me to do, I'm not going to resist. I was wondering how that happened.

There is a feeling in one direction, which is usually toward your back, of something like a pillow. It seems gradually to inflate and grow harder over the course of several hours until it is impinging on your space; then it abruptly deflates in seconds, vanishing entirely, and then over several hours repeats the cycle.

Her bladder maybe?

I try not to answer questions that are not relevant to current situations because I don't want to be committed to the consequences of those answers later.

I understand. It was just driving me nuts. I would have expected her to examine the trench coat in particular a lot more closely. It's some kind of material she's never seen before. The resistance thinks something is coming for her. Wouldn't it be prudent to send body armor? It's even got a place inside to carry the shotgun, and the shotgun was there when she got it. I would have thought she would examine that and determine what it was capable of doing. If a knife didn't go through it, maybe a bullet wouldn't either, is what I would be thinking.

MJ, I have a personal favor to ask. I hope it's not too much. My birthday really is on Saturday. It would just mean the world to me if he was born on my birthday. I don't know why, it just would. Would it be too much to ask for you to come back and answer the birth post on Saturday? I realize this would be slighting the other players if you only answered me, but consider it a special birthday present. Please??????

(Doing Therapy)

Thu Mar 11 2010 10:08 pm #

JohnA1nut
Member

Two

I must assume that time travel is going to come into this story at some point, likely several points. I'll go with a 2@1 understanding of the temporal theory. How does that work? If I actually know the answer to the time travel issue, I say it, if not, it gets rolled for to see if my character can figure it out where I can't? If I verse before Reese gets sent, this world gets put into an infinity loop. I'll be gone though. How does that work?

Fri Mar 12 2010 6:20 pm #

WilliamTWodium
Member

If I actually know the answer to the time travel issue, I say it, if not, it gets rolled for to see if my character can figure it out where I can't?

Probably you don't get the roll, and here's why: your character hasn't learned anything about time travel theory since versing out, right? Anything your character knows on the subject, you should know, too. If anything, you should have to roll to see if your character thinks of something you know for sure - but that's mean and a little dumb, so we usually don't do that.

Of course, I'm not your ref, but that's the ruling I would expect.

If I verse before Reese gets sent, this world gets put into an infinity loop. I'll be gone though. How does that work?

Wait and see? I highly doubt MJ will answer this for you, especially in light of the fact that your character - having learned time travel theory in a universe where Multiverser(R) did not exist - has absolutely no way of knowing.

And really, isn't it better to have aspects of the scenario you don't know? Hello, fear of death!

Fri Mar 12 2010 7:04 pm #

JohnA1nut
Member

Good points Scott. I just hope I can take Sarah with me as an associate. As I understand Zygote, I'll eventually turn back into me and not be her son anymore. Remember how hot Linda Hamilton was in T2? Need I say more?

(Doing Therapy)

Fri Mar 12 2010 8:31 pm #

JohnA1nut
Member

Two

Scott, what I was saying is that the roll would be made if I couldn't think of the answer, but perhaps my character could. Yes, I have the same knowledge of the theory, however, we have different viewpoints. Perhaps he saw something which inspired him to think about it differently than I did. Something I had not seen. No matter how good the ref is, there's no way the player and character can have exactly the same information. The smallest thing can inspire some pretty heavy thought. He might have seen a tee shirt someone was wearing which inspired him to think about the problem differently than I did. The roll against my 2@1 score would be to see if he could figure out the problem that I couldn't, based on his different knowledge.

(Doing Therapy)

Sat Mar 13 2010 2:18 am #

John 2 John

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