I've never been able to climb a rope, what would I need a grappling hook for?
Start knitting the scarf. MJ, I think that this would count as a new use, because I would have gotten different colors of yarn. Probably 2 lights and 2 dark colors. So I guess probably black, navy blue, white and yellow probably. Plus, it would be quite a bit of practice. (OOC) I hope the verser teacher knows how to knit, too.
(BIC) Skip ahead to day off work. Any new metalworking uses? Doing the same thing with a different bias tool should count as a new use. At least I think so. Welding with a forge and anvil is very different from welding with a blowtorch, ya know? But that is, of course, your call.
How much am I earning/spending? 160 a day, 20 an hour. GOTTA KEEP TRACK OF THE MONEY!!!!!!!
NOTES:
Boxing is OK. Get Smokey to 1@10.
Can martial arts styles be combined? Turn them both into one martial art?
Blacksmithing is OK. Get knitting higher. DAMN!!!!!! Why did I have to get killed there???????? I was SOOOOOOO CLOSE!!!!!!!!!!!!
It's OK. Just a little pissed about that botch in Dancing Princess. God's doing, not mine, so no reason to complain.
Psionics, botches are your fault. Magic, botches are God's fault. Learn magic.
Mistake
I think that when you are working at a job on a regular basis it is better to count it all as practice and measure the time over which you do it than to try to guess what new uses you might have had along the way. Remember, "new use" means you had to think of something on your own, roll the dice to see whether you were successful, and risk the chance to botch. If you didn't play through the actions, there was no new use.
I will give you new use for knitting the scarf--when it's finished.
I believe it is your day off, and you have a martial arts class. There are several time slots during the day, so you can go earlier, in the middle of the day, or later, as you prefer. The question, then, is what else you're going to do, and in what order.
--M. J. Young
RE the new use for metalworking: OK, I didn't know how that worked with practice. Understood though.
I've totally lost track of my credits. If we just skipped 2 days then I'm up by 320. Gotta check back on that.
I believe it is your day off, and you have a martial arts class. There are several time slots during the day, so you can go earlier, in the middle of the day, or later, as you prefer. The question, then, is what else you're going to do, and in what order.
See what Derek is up to. I'd still like to take him to the shooting range. When is Derek working, so I can work around that? I'd like to take the martial arts class when Derek is busy and go shooting with him afterwards.
Is my friend the black belt working today?
NOTES:
John, reconfigure the knife's equipment.
Derek does happen to be scheduled to work today, but as far as that goes he enjoys his job so much that he tends to spend his off time working. He happens to be free in what for you is the morning today, and so you have your shooting trip before your martial arts class.
Derek is quite good with the laser blaster. It fires pulses of photonic energy, is the way he describes it as if he were a physics professor. He's had it for ten years or so, in a world where he had plenty of opportunity to practice with it and a fair chance to use it once in a while--although for that, the compound they established was fairly safe in the midst of a world of danger, so most of the time he had to go looking for trouble if he wanted trouble.
By the end of your two hour training session you have the basic form and stance and some of the theory of the new style, Okydoky Smoky. It operates very much on understanding the vulnerable points of an opponent in its attack modes, but is focused much more on avoiding injury by keeping your own vulnerable points protected. You are given instruction in how to practice over the week ahead in anticipation of the next lesson, and also told to accept advice offered by any of those wearing belts of a color other than your white belt, as part of your training will include the ability to train others. Gradually you will learn the belts adequately to know who are the best teachers, but for now everyone is better than you.
They also teach you how to tie the belt.
Your friend apparently had to leave the station to visit a sick relative somewhere else. No one is sure when he will return.
--M. J. Young
At the shooting range, I'd certainly want to try out Derek's laser gun. I would, of course, let him fire my crossbow. How does that go down?
Are there any punches in Okydoky Smoky that I could incorporate into my boxing? If so, would it be a new use on boxing?
Start skipping time. Knit the scarf for Derek when I have time, go to the shooting range and practice crossbow when I have time, practice Okydoky Smoky when I have time. Work when I have to. Start going week by week, until the verser teacher shows up.
Honestly MJ, I lost track of my credits a LOOOOOOONG time ago. Unless you have some objection, I'd just as soon forget about that. Since I can't take the credits with me when I verse out, as long as I am clearly earning more than I am spending, why keep track of it? Unless you have an objection, that is. If you do object to that, I'll go back through and figure it out.
There will be maneuvers in Okydoky Smoky which you can incorporate into boxing, but you have not yet learned any of these--only the stance and the basic attack and defense concept. If you used those, you would not be boxing (which has a different stance and distinct attack and defense concepts). No, it would not be a new use for boxing to incorporate such a maneuver.
You manage to learn how to use the laser blaster, with a bit of instruction from Derek. It's not that different from a rifle, but in two significant ways. One is that you have to be aware of the charging cycle--something like the strobe on a flash camera, it takes a moment to ready itself before it can fire properly. The other is that it has no kick and fires dead straight.
You begin to fall into the routine of work, practice, eat, and sleep, occasionally catching up with Derek to work at the range together. He does fire your crossbow, incredibly well on the first shot, but doesn't take much interest in it beyond that. He has fired a bow before, but doesn't want to spread himself too thin--he knows that sometimes in combat Lauren hesitates, because she has too many options. He's got his laser rifle, his porcuperson darts, a butcher knife, a chain, and a cast iron frying pan, and he knows how to use them all effectively, so he doesn't have to think too much about what to use when something's coming at him.
--M. J. Young
Did my new 22 rifle, speed loaders and other purchases come in yet?
Since you didn't say anything about not keeping track of the credits, I'm going to assume that that's OK with you.
Keep skipping time. If I spent every waking moment not at work at the Okydoky Smoky gym, how long would it take me to get to 1@10? With instructors and examples and blah blah blah, it shouldn't take too long. That's what I want to do.
Yes, your gear arrives:
- 3 Speedloaders for .357 revolver
- Collapsible .22 rifle with 6-bullet clip, barrel slides into stock, can't fire without extending barrel; rear of stock folds down and up flush over trigger guard, latching in place to either position; clip inserts into rear portion of stock, can be kept in place, but gun will not operate unless fully opened. 0:30 to open gun fully. Uses standard .22 ammo. Barrel does not unscrew but telescopes, slightly wider in diameter in extended end than in stock (shortens range). Think of it in three sections. Center section has trigger mechanism and chamber; stock folds around to cover this, partly hollowed, also has part of feed mechanism to hold bullets and feed them to chamber when in open position. Barrel pops out from other side. Completely collapsed it approaches rectangular, barrel extension flush with side and other side has two relatively flat surfaces (bulge on rear stock meets indentation on the central section, pressure interlocks mechanisms, released by lever on underside). Release button beneath barrel unlatches lower section and allows barrel extension to slide out. It does not store spare ammo. Each section is about fifteen inches in total length, barrel extension shorter (has to stop before the hammer mechanism and have an inch or so inside when fully extended). 48" tip to back. Folded, 15"x~8"x~1.5-2", not perfectly squared in any direction. Floats in water, constructed almost entirely of polymers and plastics with some metal parts, made for survivalist use. lightweight, #3. Does not fire folded because ammo supply is in rear stock, partly intended as safety feature, to prevent weapon from firing when stowed.
I don't mind you not keeping track of the credits if you don't spend them faster than you should be earning them.
After most of a month you improve to 1@3 on the Okydoky Smoky. You are complimented on your rapid progress. At that rate it should take you 175 more days to make 1@10, but only about two out of three students reached this mark as quickly as you did.
(I don't think it unreasonable to say that it would typically take a year to reach professional level at just about any skill, and you're looking at being about a month shy of that in two hundred days if everything works exactly right.)
--M. J. Young
MJ, I hate to nitpick something this trivial, but a barrel with a larger diameter such as this would screw the accuracy, power, and everything else all to hell. Or is this covered under the "Possible with advanced technology" clause? (That covers a multitude of sins in the Sci Fi world.)
I don't think I could get to 2@1 in boxing training by myself, but I would also be doing that, as well as the Okydoky Smoky. I would be trying to turn them into one fighting style. (Hence, asking if the Smoky moves could work with boxing) I would try to turn that into one fighting style. Is that possible?
I don't think I was waiting for anything else. Keep skipping time, if that's OK with you. How's the knitting coming? It's been a month, did I finish the scarf and get my new use?
You made a complete mess of the scarf and had to undo it all and start over.
You should be able to get to 2@1 in boxing by practicing. It should take 100 days if you can design a "double doubled" practice routine--something twice as hard as what an amateur would do in two ways. (One, for example, could be by doubling the number of hours of actual practice in that time from sixty to one hundred twenty; the other could be any technique which arguably makes the training itself twice as difficult.) You don't need a trainer to practice; having a trainer only makes the practice more effective, because he can spot flaws in your technique and guide your efforts to improve.
You can certainly design your own martial arts style, incorporating techniques from Boxing, Okydoky Smoky, and Chow En Lai. However, you could not meld these into one skill, and the result of your efforts would be you would know a fourth style, one of your own invention, in which no one could train you (because no one else knows it).
I would note that Chow En Lai is weapon-dependent, Okydoky Smoky weapon-utilizing, and Boxing weapon adverse. Obviously, whatever style you devised would have to be one of those--it could not be more than one. Also, you've got a fast aggressive, a fast defensive, and a slow defensive style, and you'd have to determine whether this new style was fast or slow. Chow En Lai has +20SM on offense and no defensive mods, while Boxing and Okydoky Smoky both have substantial defensive mods and no offensive ones--but their defensive mods are not identical, Boxing having -15 SM and -15 damage mod, Okydoky Smoky -10 SM and -20 damage mod. Finally, they each rely on very different concepts of damage--Chow En Lai on weapon damage, Boxing on brute force punches, and Okydoky Smoky on anatomical knowledge of weak spots.
On the other hand, you can already see how to incorporate your panoramic awareness, fighting blind, solid punch, and missile catch skills into your new style.
--M. J. Young
Does that still count as practice on the knitting, even though I messed it up?
Is the solid punch part of the Okydoky Smoky? I would be practicing that too.
If I just practice normally, can I get to 2@1 on the boxing, or must I make it a double doubled effort?
Keep skipping, and practicing all salient skills. I want 1@10 Okydoky Smoky.
Anything going on with the metalworking? Any skill advancements from practicing?
I'm also practicing with the crossbow, and I would assume that Derek would let me practice with his laser gun.
Let me clarify: I distinguish between practice and new use. Practice means that you are spending time working on the skills; if it is a skill that produces objects you might produce some objects that fit into the development of techniques. New use means you are not practicing but doing, and you get new use when you think of some way to use the skill that you've not previously considered.
To illustrate, Harry is in the Mary Piper Alpha, working as a pilot. His job constitutes practice. From day to day he does such things as operate sails, pilot ship, operate small boat, use/make maps, use compass, use telescope, and climb rigging. Periodically the practice adds up and he improves his skill ability levels in those skills. He does not get to say that because he never used a sail to tack against the wind he should have new use for having done so--it's assumed that he probably did that as part of his ongoing practice. On the other hand, periodically the ship is attacked. The security team and the deck hands, who among their other duties are constantly practicing weapon skills, respond by using their weapons against the enemy, and although I will roll for success in the fights this becomes part of their practice. He, on the other hand, does not do this often enough to count as practice (unless he makes a point of establishing a practice regimen in addition to his regular duties), and so when he does something with a combat skill that he has not done before, that represents a new use.
So either you are practicing or you are trying to develop new uses for your skills in use. Pick one.
You did not learn the solid punch as part of Okydoky Smoky. I do not recall whether you learned it as part of Chow En Lai or Boxing. However, once you know the maneuver and the style, you can incorporate any maneuver into any style as long as the style does not prevent the use of the maneuver (e.g., you cannot use weapon-based maneuvers in a weapon-adverse style).
Normal practice will not allow you to reach professional level of ability in any skill. To become a professional you must practice like a professional, which is four times as hard as practicing like an amateur.
Derek is not at the range with you frequently enough for you to get three hours a week of practice in on his weapon--particularly since when he is there, he's practicing with his weapon.
Another twenty-five days elapse. A very few of the martial arts students with whom you started are now better than you, but you are still better than most.
--M. J. Young
I would have thought it would still be some practice, because I had to make at least part of a scarf before I messed up and had to start over. However, that is your call. I'm just giving my two cents, that's all.
I learned the Solid Punch from The Architect, before I learned any other martial arts.
Keep practicing and skipping.
Since the Solid Punch is one of the maneuvers in Chow En Lai, it was probably taught to you in connection with that style.
You get a vidphone call the next day at work. Not surprisingly, it's Derek.
"Hey, are you up for lunch today? I've got someone I want you to meet."
--M. J. Young
Since the Solid Punch is one of the maneuvers in Chow En Lai, it was probably taught to you in connection with that style.
I didn't realize that. I think The Architect was just teaching us a bunch of random stuff. Doesn't really matter I don't suppose.
Speaking to my boss:
"Hey boss man, I need to knock off work early today, if that's OK with you. A friend of mind has something he wants to show me."
Assuming he lets me go early, go meet with Derek.
Derek provides the location of the restaurant. When you enter, he waves for your attention.
He's sitting with a woman, mid thirties, slender and well-muscled, long brown hair, who is wearing a scarlet robe with gold trim on it.
In fairness, I am aware that you read Verse Three, Chapter One, and so would probably recognize both the name and the appearance of Lauren Hastings. This is she, and you did read a novel featuring her--but she was not a verser, just a uniquely powered woman who traveled between different planets having adventures similar to those in that book. This woman had the adventures you actually read, but your character did not read those adventures.
--M. J. Young
"Hi there, (extend hand to shake) I'm John. (When she takes my hand, I would kiss it, gentleman style) And who might you be?"
(I would hope that conversation would quickly turn to our respective verser careers. Since I read the book, I see no point in you telling me anything)
"Really? I read a book about a woman who had similar adventures. I've read that anything you can imagine exists somewhere. That the Aliens from the movie of the same title exist, and their horror shows are shows about human beings. So what are we doing? Lunch is on me, unless there are objections."
"Miss Hastings, or should I call you Lauren? I prayed for a verser teacher some months ago, I wonder if you could be the one. At first I thought it was Derek, but he wasn't trained in the kinds of things I've wanted to learn. I've found that some psionics only work on certain worlds. I'm assuming the same is true of prayers and magic. I'd like to learn the psionic skills that work in every world. The TK pulse and mind reading are all I can get to work sometimes. What are all of the skills that work everywhere?"
(In other words, teach all @1 and @0 psionics)
"Lauren", she responds. "Lauren Hastings. Anyway, I've been called a lot of other things, but that's my married name. So, John, how long have you been in the verse?""Hi there, (extend hand to shake) I'm John. (When she takes my hand, I would kiss it, gentleman style) And who might you be?"
(I would hope that conversation would quickly turn to our respective verser careers. Since I read the book, I see no point in you telling me anything)
I actually do see a point in it, and in fact several points. For one thing, the way Lauren would describe her adventures would omit some of what is in the book. For another, she has been to several worlds since then. Further, tit-for-tat as it were, she'll be asking you about your adventures as well. This, incidentally, will be a recurring topic over several days, but the other points of conversation will also weave into it.
"Well, I woke up in NagaWorld, near Michael's Foxhole, and found my way from there to Umak Tek. Have you been there?" You indicate not, I presume. "Well, it's really a remarkable place--it dispelled any illusions I had that I was somewhere else in the same universe, even. I learned the basics there, started on my exercise and acrobatics routine, and made a few things for myself, including my wagon in which I carry stuff.
"Then I found myself in Philadelphia, a few years in the future--2005. I versed out in 2000, when my microwave oven exploded. It was good to meet Paul and Annie, and they explained a lot of what was happening, what was known about scriff and the verse and things like that. Anyway, had I not been in NagaWorld I probably would have been in serious trouble in Philadelphia--I find that God is always preparing me for whatever task he has next for me, don't you? I mean, I learned a few psionic tricks in NagaWorld, and got a couple of really useful psionic weapons, and then I wind up in Philadelphia fighting vampires--I'm getting everything out of order here, aren't I? Well, it's been quite a while since then, but there were vampires in Philadelphia, and working with some of the local hunters and the werewolves I got rid of quite a few, including a major stronghold they maintained. Anyway, it was during a fierce battle with a powerful vampire mage that I versed out--but it was my own spell that did it, created a firestorm so powerful that it took me with it, but I think I got him.
"After that, I was in a very peaceful place for a long time. There were people there who were really like birds, all feathered and building nests and I think laying eggs, but I got there late in the spring after the eggs had hatched and never saw the next spring, even though the seasons stretched for like twice as long as home. I met a couple other versers there--Joe Kondor and Bob Slade, meet either of them?" Again you indicate the negative. "Well, there was a spot of trouble in the fall, and we dealt with it. Joe got killed by an army of birds, but Bob and I survived to weather the winter together. I blew myself up in the spring, trying to fix this psionic disintegrator I broke in a fight with a pterodactyl, or something like it."
"Really? I read a book about a woman who had similar adventures. I've read that anything you can imagine exists somewhere. That the Aliens from the movie of the same title exist, and their horror shows are shows about human beings. So what are we doing? Lunch is on me, unless there are objections."
Derek doesn't mind, and Lauren isn't in the computer yet so she can't really object.
"Miss Hastings, or should I call you Lauren? I prayed for a verser teacher some months ago, I wonder if you could be the one. At first I thought it was Derek, but he wasn't trained in the kinds of things I've wanted to learn. I've found that some psionics only work on certain worlds. I'm assuming the same is true of prayers and magic. I'd like to learn the psionic skills that work in every world. The TK pulse and mind reading are all I can get to work sometimes. What are all of the skills that work everywhere?"She laughs aloud heartily enough that heads turn at other tables.
"John, I'm certainly a teacher, and maybe that's why God brought me here--or at least, one of the reasons. After all, God's plans are always complex. But even after studying for decades with Merlin in Camelot, I'd hardly say that I know all the skills that will work anywhere--I'm not even sure there is such a thing. I remember Paul saying something about worlds with negative bias, where things that always work don't work."
She calms. "But I can certainly teach you some things."
She turns toward Derek. "You, too," she says. "When we were with Starson in that mutant world, there seemed to be something preventing anyone from learning new psionic skills, and magic was nearly non-existent, as far as I could tell. Let's see what it's like here. Of course, we go slowly--don't want to blow ourselves up, or set off psionic shock waves or something in the midst of a population center, and it's not easy to get out into the country around here, from what Derek tells me.
"And you're right--bias is always a challenge. It's not just magic and psionics, either. I found when I was in Camelot that my pistols did not work as well, and I did not rely on my laser blaster when I was in Wandborough teaching Bethany. My martial arts and acrobatics seem pretty reliable, but I've been told that these can fail as well, although not so often."
She ponders the question of what works.
"I've usually been able to read minds, in several different ways. I can bump things around telekinetically, but that's a lot harder than reading minds--you'd have to work up to that. I can shift my sensory processing around to enhance one sense or another--mostly I've done it with sight and smell, the latter because you can smell vampires and ghouls if your nose is sensitized. My pyrogenesis has been really helpful, but I don't think it always works. Force walls are pretty dependable. With the outer powers--sorry, that was the phrase Merlin used to distinguish supernatural magic from mental or soul ability. Anyway, removing fatigue is pretty basic. Creating light--I create a lot of light in a lot of ways, because it was always a good weapon against vampires, and I've fought them three times now, in Philadelphia, in Camelot, and in Wandborough. Oh, and my diversionary invisibility worked when I got here--no one saw me when I entered the computer center looking for Derek."
"Yeah, you've got a problem there," Derek injects. "You erased yourself from my boss's memory, and he's going to have to remember you to create an identity for you."
"Yeah, well, we'll figure that out later. Not sure what else to tell you, John. There are a lot of other skills that I've used in different places, but I don't know what works everywhere because I don't try to use everything anywhere.
"So what do you know already? Do you know any magic, or just psionics?"
--M. J. Young
"There's no such thing as magic. I've had God answer prayers for me on the spot, but I don't really call that magic. If you want to call it that, then it's fine with me. The coolest psionic trick I ever pulled was I went non-corporeal to get out of a hole I got myself pushed into. I've been in the verse for I guess about five years. About 6 months in the first world, where I learned the psionics, a couple years in 1940s earth, a couple of years in a medieval world, and here I am. Psionics works for the first time since I've been anywhere else. I was hoping to learn some more."
"So what does this joint serve?"
"Lauren, you sound like you go out of your way to be a hero. I don't want to be a hero. I did engage several demons in my last world, but that's killing my natural enemy."
"I suppose it's arguing semantics, but really, why are you so upset about a word? Think of it this way. When Moses faced the 'magicians' of Egypt, those 'magicians' were really priests of the gods of Egypt. They called upon their gods to work wonders, and they copied many of the things Moses did using that power. The Bible calls what they did 'magic', but it was clearly calling on a god for power. Now, if calling on a god for power is called magic, why shouldn't calling on the God for power have the same name?"There's no such thing as magic. I've had God answer prayers for me on the spot, but I don't really call that magic. If you want to call it that, then it's fine with me."
"Anyway, I've used enough powers that I can clearly distinguish power that comes from me, power that comes from God, and power that comes from the supernatural world that I direct. If you don't like the word 'magic', then come up with some other word that covers supernatural power in all its forms. This one works."
Knowing Derek, if he picked the restaurant, it's probably either hamburgers or pizza.
"John, my second world--that is, not counting the world in which I was born--was overrun by vampires. The people there needed a hero, and I learned rather quickly that I could become this hero. It wasn't about being a hero, though. It was about using the gifts God has given me to make a difference to other people."Lauren, you sound like you go out of your way to be a hero. I don't want to be a hero. I did engage several demons in my last world, but that's killing my natural enemy."
"And isn't that what our Christian faith is all about, fundamentally? God has not called us so that He can make our lives wonderful or comfortable, so that he can feed our egos and our desires. He has called us so that He can use us in the service of others. Our example is Jesus, who took everything He had, everything He was, and used it to save us and to make our lives better. We aren't called to selfishness, but to selflessness, a giving of everything we have and are to the service of others. Now, maybe you don't want to be that person, that person who gives everything, even his lives, to others; but if not, maybe you need to ask yourself whether you really want to be the person God made you to be, that person who lives for Him and for--well, for everyone else.
"Also, this part confuses me: if you don't want to be the hero, why do you want the skills necessary for the job? I remember someone asking me about my powers, and I told them straight out, don't wish for my powers if you don't want my tasks. God gives us the tools we need for the jobs He gives us. Look at Derek--he's probably the best computer hacker you'll ever meet. It saved his life in the world in which we met, because he was sealed inside an abandoned bunker and was able to figure out how to get its own security system to work for him. Why was he there? One reason is that he opened the doors and let others inside--me, and some indigs I was traveling with--and then we created a school, and he helped expand our resources again by working with their computers, and--well, it's too much now to explain why all of that mattered, but Derek had the skills he needed for the tasks God needed him for. I have the skills for the tasks God needs me for. If God gives you skills, you had better believe and expect that He is going to give you tasks that require them, and those tasks are going to involve making the lives of others better.
"Now, maybe you don't believe that God has called you to make a difference in these worlds. That's what I believe, and I think Derek is starting to see it, too. Fortunately, it doesn't matter to me whether you believe it or not. God will use you in these places He sends you, whether you want to be used or not. Joe Kondor insists that this entire versing experience is just an accident, completely explainable scientifically, and that we wind up in worlds entirely at random. However, wherever he goes he makes a difference. He founded a hospital in Sherwood Forest, and advanced their medicine hundreds of years in maybe a decade. He was a hero in another world, recovering an object the indigs said was the key to their battle against the undead--despite the fact that he did not believe there could be undead, and even when he fought them he kept telling himself that there were perfectly reasonable scientific explanations for these creatures, and he did not believe that the thing he brought back was anything other than a ball of rock. You will be the hero, because God has given you the skills, and having given you the skills He is going to give you the opportunities to use them to help other people.
"So it doesn't matter whether you believe you're called to be the hero or not. You are called to be the hero, and you will play the role when it is thrust upon you. The difference is, if you see this as your calling, you will find the excitement of doing what God has called you to do, and if you do not see it, you will see everything that comes to you as your own bad luck. I'll teach you either way, if you want me to teach you; but I give you this warning. There's that comic book hero that says 'With great power comes great responsibility', and there's wisdom in that. If I teach you skills that make you powerful, God will call on you to use that power in His work. If you never learn the skills, the challenges you face will be considerably easier--not that they will be easier subjectively, because God is also working on making you the person He wants you to be, so you'll face the challenges you need to become the person He wants you to be. But objectively? The greater your ability, the tougher your challenges. They will match. You will always face problems for which your ability is just barely equal, so that you will be fully utilized in all that God wants to do, and challenged to grow to greater ability.
"Sorry--I'm lecturing."
"She does that," Derek injects. "You'll get used to it, and sometimes you'll learn something from it." He smiles. "Actually, Lauren is the one who taught me that school was good, that it was good to learn things, and in fact that I wanted to learn things and could enjoy learning them and knowing them and using them. But I've never known a better teacher."
--M. J. Young
"I suppose it's arguing semantics, but really, why are you so upset about a word?
"Well, if you called a black man an African American, he wouldn't get upset. If you called him a nigger, he probably would. What's the difference? It's just a word. Means pretty much the same thing. Just one is offensive and the other isn't. The word Nigger is derived from the Spanish word negro, which means "Black". So, calling someone a nigger is just calling them black. One is offensive, the other isn't."
Also, this part confuses me: if you don't want to be the hero, why do you want the skills necessary for the job?
I read an anecdote about a scout master who was training the boy scouts to shoot rifles. A female reporter asked him "How can you do that? You're equipping them to become dangerous killers." The scout master looked at this young woman and said "Well, you're equipped to be a prostitute, but you're not one, are you?" Being prepared to do something and actually doing it are not the same thing. The United States stuck its nose in the business of countries all over the world, then we have the audacity to WONDER why someone flies planes into the World Trade Centers? I believe that if someone comes up to me and starts something, I have the right to fight back. However, I'm not going to go looking for a fight if it can be avoided. If someone invaded the US, we have the right to kick their asses. However, if we had kept our noses out of their business, the WTC would still be standing.
As far as God calling me to get involved.... That's exactly what happened in my last world. An angel appeared and told me that the princes were demons. That's direct leading from God.
Almost in unison, Lauren and Derek say, "What happened to the World Trade Center?"
"Sure," Lauren says. "And sometimes you get that. The angel appears to Gideon, Moses meets God at the burning bush, Paul encounters Jesus on the road to Damascus. But then, who told Peter to stand up on Pentecost and proclaim the gospel, or to heal the lame man in the temple court? Who told Barnabas to sell his field and give the money to the poor? God certainly expects us to do what He tells us directly, but He also expects us to do the things that His children would do because we are like Him."That's exactly what happened in my last world. An angel appeared and told me that the princes were demons. That's direct leading from God."
"Deitrich Bonhoffer was a Lutheran theologian in Nazi Germany. At one point he was part of a plot to assassinate Hitler. He wrote from prison that he never said a word when the police came for the Jews, or for the Poles, or for the Catholics, and then when they came for him there was no one left to say anything. All that is necessary for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing--I forget who said that, but it's clearly true. God does indeed sometimes give us very clear and direct guidance, but quite a bit more often He expects us to use the gifts He has given us to figure out how to use the gifts He has given us. In fact, I would dare suggest that if God has to use that kind of direct guidance with you, then it's either because like Paul you're heading into something that's going to be incredibly difficult, or like Balaam you're being blinder than your own ass and can't see what God has been trying to tell you less directly. The very first question I try to ask myself when I get to a new world is, what is it that God wants me to do here? I don't usually get a quick answer to that, but I try to keep it in mind. Now, maybe God has sent me here just to teach you the skills you're going to need to serve Him in the future; but frankly, your attitude about this does not inspire me to believe that my efforts will be well-rewarded."
--M. J. Young
Almost in unison, Lauren and Derek say, "What happened to the World Trade Center?"
"Some terrorists hijacked four commercial airplanes and flew them into the WTC buildings and the Pentagon. My brother heard about the first plane hit on the radio and called me. I turned on the TV just in time to see the second plane hit live. It was pretty freaky. The towers fell. Almost 3,000 people died."
"And ya know what else Lauren? I think that's the best answer I've heard on this in quite a while. I see it as I am a visitor. It's not my problem. Could it be that God is versing us around to fix problems? Kind of like Quantum Leap, except it's Verser's Leap? I don't know. Well, as they say, there's no such thing as bad knowledge, why don't we get started?"
She smiles a moment, then frowns, then says, "Good idea. Of course, not here in the restaurant. And I do apparently have a bit of a problem I have to address, and that rather soon--I need a place to live, and I've made a bit of a mess of things in that department. But I'll get it resolved." She smiles again, and digs into her meal.
--M. J. Young
"And I do apparently have a bit of a problem I have to address, and that rather soon--I need a place to live, and I've made a bit of a mess of things in that department. But I'll get it resolved."
"Actually, if you want to, your housing problem has been solved already. My hotel room was originally for Derek and I, but he got his own place. If the whole man woman living together thing doesn't bother you, that is. Don't worry, I appreciate a pretty lady as much as the next guy, but I have very little interest in anything sexual. It's just the way I'm programmed. You might as well be a 53 year old man named Mark for all the interest I'd have there........ What kind of a mess did you create? You're not one of those people that has an invisible friend named Trouble that follows you everywhere, are you?"
"Oh, it's silly really. When I got here, I got my stuff together, and in the process sensed two other versers. I picked one--it happens that I picked Derek. I grabbed a few things, and secured the rest somewhere out of the way, and then went to find him. It was a populated area, so I used my psionics to cloud the minds of people around me, so they wouldn't notice me. I followed the scriff sense, and it took me to Derek. He was in some high-security computer center, but no one noticed me so no one stopped me, and I walked in and greeted him.
"Well, when I greeted him he was excited to see me, and that called enough attention to me that the people there noticed me. One of them came over and started asking a lot of questions, and he apparently didn't like my answers. My appearance probably didn't help--mud-laden red robe with gold trim, six foot black staff with gemmed tip. Anyway, he wanted to know how I got into his secure room, and I told him--"
"Yeah," Derek interrupts, "that was really cool. It was almost like she materialized right there. She says she can show me how to do it."
"Anyway, he asked why I was here, and I told him I didn't yet know why God brought me here but I would figure it out. He seemed to take great offense at that? It was as if the idea that God had to send someone else into his universe meant that there was a problem he couldn't handle himself.
"Well, I realized that things were taking a bad turn, so I blocked all his memories of my presence. Did the same with everyone else in the room, except for Derek, and told him not to mention me so it wouldn't confuse them. Then I left. But Derek tells me that I've created a problem for myself, because that guy whose memories I blocked is the person who has to create an identity for me in the computer. So I'm going to have to figure out what to do next."
--M. J. Young
That crack that I made that Lauren might as well be a 53 year old man is absolutely true. Part of the reason why Dancing Princess didn't interest me is that it assumes that the player has a modicum of interest in sex. This particular player has no such interest. Therefore, Lauren Hastings would be in no danger of being dishonored by me.
"Well, let's finish up here, head back to my room and get started. Let's see what we can do here."
I would then give her a rundown of every psionic skill that I have, so she knows where to start.
When am I doing my martial arts training again, and did I have any increases there?
The last mention of your martial arts training was in this post, which was yesterday in the game world. You are currently 1@3 at Okydoky Smoky, and have not yet been introduced to any of its related techniques or weapons. The teachers make a point of establishing your ability at each skill before adding another.
As you are headed back to your apartment, she engages you in a discussion of your psionic skills. "So," she says, "begin at the beginning. What did you learn first, and how did you learn it?"
Derek says he has not yet learned any psionic skills, but is looking forward to doing so. Lauren says she'll start him with a couple of mind reading techniques he'll find useful--and you, too, once she knows what you already know in that area.
I know I could simply look up your psionic skills on your character sheet, but I'm really much more interested in which ones you mention and what you say about them, what you tell her you've done with them, and stuff like that.
Here's a disconnect--if you're not interested in sex, why were you so fascinated with lifting skirts telekinetically? You don't have to answer that, but I do find it odd.
--M. J. Young
Here's a disconnect--if you're not interested in sex, why were you so fascinated with lifting skirts telekinetically? You don't have to answer that, but I do find it odd.
Sex and looking at women's panties are two completely different things. I would hope I wouldn't have to explain that to a married man with 5 sons.....
"Well Lauren, the thing that I am the most interested in is what psionic skills work in most worlds? In my first world, I had full psionic abilities, and I had a really good time. Then I landed at Pearl Harbor, and thinking that I still had my full psionic abilities, got into a heap of trouble in a hurry. All I could do was a TK pulse and mind reading. I don't want to be in that kind of situation again, so I want to learn what always works, or at least what you have found to work the most often. I got really good with the TK pulse, but what else always works? (In other words, the @1 and @0 skills)"
"As far as what else I know, I can do some telekinesis, I threw pebbles at the speed of bullets, I went non-corporeal a couple times, the basics I guess. I'm really interested in learning the skills that work most often."
"Non-corporeal? You'll have to show me that one. I've never seen it done.
"I don't think I know the answer to your question. I've been in several worlds where my psionics worked really well, and a couple where they did not work really at all. When they did not work well, I used other skills to avoid trouble. Now, I can teach you the skills I've used, and particularly the ones I've found most useful, but I can't tell you what's going to work in 'most worlds' because I've not been to most worlds. I've been in worlds where they worked well and worlds where they worked poorly, and where they worked poorly I stuck with my best skills and things that were necessary. I know that I couldn't fly or levitate in one world where I light fires and heat rocks, although when I was learning them the pyro skill was a lot harder and less reliable than the telekinetic ones. But let's find out what does work in this world, and will build from there.
"So let's try again: what did you learn first, and how did you learn it? Then what did you learn? Tell me about it. I need to know not only what you know, but how you learn things. Not everyone learns the same way, and if you're the student and I'm the teacher, I need to find the best way to teach you. The best way I know how to do that is to understand what it is you already know, and how you managed to learn it."
--M. J. Young
I keep forgetting that Lauren doesn't know what you know. Let's see if I can figure this out.
Stop walking, and go non-corporeal. Keep trying until I either make it or botch.
Whilst non-corporeal:
"This is non-corporeal. I can walk through walls like this. One time, I used it to escape from a hole I got shoved into."
If I botch, deal with it.
Return to normal:
"A guy named The Architect taught me most of the psionics that I know. I got an idea, how about you teach me the psionics that worked for you most often in the most number of worlds? Seems like as good a place to start as any."
I'm almost positive Lauren would know the TK pulse, but it's about the only thing I'm really good at. I would kind of feel better if I could teach Lauren some tricks as well. TK pulse is probably the only one I'd feel comfortable teaching.
Does my character know Mark Young author and time travel expert, or just The Architect? Did I ever meet you in Columbus prior to versing?
Two Posts
NOTES:
Behind the back holster for the 357. Money no object. Looks like you're reaching for your wallet, and gives them a nice surprise.
MJ, could I have bought that during one of the days we skipped? I'm not keeping track of the credits anymore, but I know I'd have enough for it.
Can that be done? I'd rather not postpone the psionics lesson, if it can be avoided.
And MJ, put me in a world that requires involvement. Seriously. I know you think it's a bad idea, and so I don't expect you to, and I don't want you to tell me whether or not you do. Next world, world after that, whenever. Just for the kicks of it. One that I have not seen in the novel, if at all possible.
If it gets ludicriously irritating to you, I'm sure you can come up with a way to verse me out. Just see what happens. One thing I have learned about this game is that things are very often exactly the opposite of what I would expect. Perhaps this is the same way for you.
Bullet reloading gear? Bullet molds? 1@10 reloading. Never done bullet casting, but I'm sure a blacksmith could do that. Might need silver bullets.
Make silver blade!!!!!! 25 pounds of silver, turn some of it into something practical.
Part of the point of putting you in Columbus with him was because you would recognize him as me. Yes, you knew me before you met him--but he was probably more than a decade younger than the me that you met, and in much better shape physically, and he had never met you.
You go non-corporeal on the first attempt. "Drat," she says. "I missed it. You'll have to show me again sometime. Today, though, I'd better straighten out this whole problem with my identity. Derek, any idea where I can find your boss, not in his office? I'd like to apologize and undo the damage, if I can."
"The Architect? That's impressive. I've seen his work--Umak Tek, he calls it. In fact, my plastic steel armor and kau sin ke and the wagon, I made all of that using the plastic steel he invented. He pioneered a lot of stuff, and I'd have to say that a lot of what I can do--well, even though I never met him, I used his training equipment and learned to use the psionic devices he and some of the others brought back from the Glass City. I have some myself, but I went and got them from the city. His work is really remarkable. I hope you get a chance to see it sometime."
"I missed it," Derek says. "Apparently I was in NagaWorld, but it was the first place I ever went, and it seemed so unreal I didn't even stand up until something killed me."
You can place the order for the holster using the vid computer communications system, if you like. By now you know the store that usually can get that kind of thing. Or you can go order it while Lauren is dealing with her identity problem.
--M. J. Young
Just curious, why can't we just say that I bought the 357 holster during the days we skipped? I would never have used it, I would have most likely just put it into my Verser's Survival Pack. Why can't we just say that I already bought it? Not arguing, just wondering.
BTW, that would function as a left handed draw holster, or as a right handed behind the back holster. They're exactly the same. Sometimes ambidextrous.
"OK Lauren, I guess I did kind of spring that on you. Let's try that again. I'm going to do that one more time. Try to pay attention this time." (Does that sound rude? I don't mean it to. It would be said in a friendly tone.)
Try again. Before I do, I would pray "Please God, let this work." This is not my anti-botch prayer. I'm sure you've prayed prayers like this before trying something difficult, so you know exactly what I would be expecting and what it means.
Go non-corporeal.
After that, ask if Lauren knows the TK pulse. TK pulse something small. I would probably point my finger every time I TK pulsed something, whenever possible. Does that count for any kind of bonuses? Perhaps adding something to the TK pulse ritual?
I would hope that she doesn't know it.
"I got an idea, how about you teach me the psionics that worked for you most often in the most number of worlds? Seems like as good a place to start as any."
"Oh yeah, and about your identity problem. I think you should not get into the system. I think it would be good for at least one of us to not be in the system. Don't ask me why, it just seems like a good idea. Don't worry about money. I make more than enough to take care of your needs. Might even buy you some new equipment if you ask nicely. In my first world, I learned 80,000 reasons to not worry about money as a verser. What do you guys think?"
Does she still have those two 50 caliber revolvers? Might she consider trading?
Do you sleep when you verse? If you were awake for 12 hours in one world, are you still awake 12 hours in your next world? I know you've said that I wake up. Is that because I was sleeping? Just Curious.
Answer: when I am accelerating time, I do my best to give players the opportunity to include anything they wish to do in that time. Once that time has passed, it is to my mind more difficult to make changes to what happens within it. It might be that buying the holster will have no impact on anything--but doing it will require playing events inside the time already past. What would happen, for example, if you went to the store and I rolled a 30 GE roll and decided that there was going to be an armed robbery in the store while you were there? You might not come out of that still in this world, and that would erase everything that happened since; even if you did, it might significantly impact your relations to people and things in this world.
It is ultimately the referee's call as to whether something can be backwritten into what has happened already. My feeling in this connection is that you did not think of it until now, and there is some question of how long it will take for them to be obtained--particularly since you still have not actually attempted to get it. It may be that other events will interrupt your efforts to get such a holster, and I don't want to complicate things unduly.
You do not succeed in becoming non-corporeal. However, Lauren says, "Ah, I see what you're trying to do. That's interesting." She then does it, becoming non-corporeal, passing her hand through the wall and out again, and then restoring herself to solidity. "Yes, I can see where that might be useful."
Information: you did succeed in bonusing your chance of success, but not sufficiently to guarantee success. For what it's worth, it "worked" well enough for Lauren to get the example of how you do it from your attempt.
"Oh, yes, use it [TK Pulse] quite a bit. I remember using it to drop a safe on a vampire, and to try to steer it as it fell, although it did not work as well as I had hoped. I've also used it to help with my jumps, flips, and other maneuvers, as a sort of extra push. It's a good technique. Of course, I can also fly, and I use telekinesis almost too much really--I've several times lifted pens across the room to myself in front of witnesses, and it was not always intentional."
"I don't know," Derek answers to your suggestion that she not be in the system. "I mean, around here you can't open a door unless either the computer recognizes you or you fool the system--and Lauren doesn't know much about hacking."
"No, that's not really the way my generation was. Computers we used, some of us, but not all that much. They were like typewriters with built in adding machines. I should probably learn more, but I don't guess I can learn to hack doors by dinnertime--and I am not staying in an apartment with a man I don't know if I can't close the bathroom door."
She does have the revolvers. She is very good with them now, and has no intention of parting with them and learning to use something else.
--M. J. Young
Do you sleep when you verse? If you were awake for 12 hours in one world, are you still awake 12 hours in your next world? I know you've said that I wake up. Is that because I was sleeping? Just Curious.
Understood about back writing it into the story.
To Lauren:
"How in the hell did you do that? I didn't even succeed, but you got it. You need to show me how to do that."
To Derek and Lauren:
"That's right, I keep forgetting about that. Well, here's an idea. You could just leave all the doors locked and practice your non-corporeality to go through them. Or not. Derek, I'm sure you know more about computers than me. It was just a suggestion."
"Hey Lauren, I'd like to go to the shooting range and fire one of those 50 cal revolvers sometime. What do you think?"
How close am I to the gun store? Could we get there in a reasonable amount of time so I could buy that holster? If so, buy it. It would be either made for behind the back right handed, or left handed hip. They would be pretty exactly the same in design. Some holsters are designed for concealed carry. That's the kind that I would get. Also, you know those belts the cowboys wear, that hold bullets? Some of these holsters have loops to hold (usually) 12 bullets (2 loads of 6) A concealed carry holster with some place to store extra ammo is what I would be looking for.
To Lauren:
"Ya know, I just had an idea. You seem to be able to learn what I do just by me doing it. Can you teach me this skill? I bet we could do this while I show you around the mall."
Then, of course, botches would come into the conversation.
"Well, Lauren, I have a way around that. I prayed for God to not give me any botches. I felt God telling me that I would not botch. I didn't botch, but nothing happened at all. I'm just wondering...... Anyway, God seems to answer prayers a lot more often in The Verse (I would pronounce the capital letters.) If not botching means nothing happens, maybe we can soften the botches? Pray for no seriously bad/life threatening botches, for the purposes of training a Holy Warrior. (I do consider myself that, after killing 5 demons.) No crippling, or permanent injury botches. Nothing worse than Brain Burn (Which I have had once) Soften the botches to harmless and/or annoying." (I know it's a little disjointed, I'm doing therapy. I hope you can understand.)
Oh yeah, just out of curiosity, how many players put together something like my Verser's Survival Pack? I imagine The Architect would probably do something similar.
NOTES:
Backpack
Kabar knife
14 inch hunting knife, and everything that comes with it.
Ronco pocket fisherman
S/W .357 magnum, loaded
250 rounds .357 ammo
three 357 speed loaders, loaded.
Ruger P-89 pistol, magazine currently contains 15 shots 9mm
7 magazines 15 round each for 9mm loaded
250 rounds boxed 9 mm ammo
9 mm holster, with the gun inside.
crossbow, folded up
30 arrow quiver, loaded with 30 arrows
6 extra arrows, 5 in the side holder, one loose, head wrapped in 1 inch plastic bag
1 Pearl Harbor jumpsuit
100 chlorine tabs
2 quart canteen
three days food
10 four ounce silver crowns
20 two ounce gold pieces
20 two ounce platinum pieces
32 1/2 oz shillings (nickel)
32 1/2 oz pence (bronze)
5 BIC cigarette lighters (one sealed pack)
2 glue grenades
2 fragmentation grenades
The plastic ground tarp that I bought.
Gems, some valuable, some not
Dynamo Flashlight
Two balls of yarn
One set knitting needles
AR-7
One brick (500 rounds) 22 ammoFanny Pack
Four 4 ounce crowns (Silver)
Five 2 ounce gold pieces
Five 2 ounce platinum pieces
Four 1 ounce gold coins
Ten 1 ounce silver pieces
32 shillings (nickle)
32 pence (bronze)
Straight razor
5 BIC cigarette lighters
Leatherman multitool in black nylon sheath, on the strap
Gems, some valuable, some not.
Diamond ring, gold setting, $225 original price (B Monster Movie World), fanny pack
Diamond ring, gold setting, $235 original price (B Monster Movie World), fanny packTHIS IS MY ON-PERSON EQUIPMENT AT ALL TIMES!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ya know what? I don't want to lose the Marlin. That's a damn fine gun. I would want to keep the Marlin.
The "sleep" of versing is more like fainting. You have been awake for as long as you have been awake. The more you do it, the less unconscious you will be.
I've run too many people to be able to guess how many have a survival pack. Of course, you've got several different concepts. There are those like Bob Slade and Michael di Vars who make every effort to keep all of their equipment close at all times, and who travel relatively light. (Yes, I know that di Vars has a jeep, but consider that Whisp, whose weight limit is not as high, has a space ship.) You've got people like Lauren who are pack rats, who can't really keep everything close at hand at all times, but whose strength is more in her skills than her equipment. Quite a few of my players have divided their gear such that one small pack would be with them at all times, containing their essentials.
She laughs. "We'll be sure to show you how to watch psionic skill patterns in other people's minds. You might have a bit of trouble watching mine, though, as I tend to keep a defense shield up. I'll try to lower it when I know you're trying to watch."
"I think I'll let them put me in the system. I appreciate your concern, but I don't think having my identity in a computer can compromise me too terribly."
The good news is you're not far from the gun store at all. The bad news is they don't have what you want in stock. The good news is they can order exactly what you've described, in either genuine leather or synthetic leather. The bad news is it will take eight to twelve days to get it, no matter which you want.
Also, Derek and Lauren suggest that they're going to go talk with Derek's boss while you deal with the gun store, and they'll catch up with you later in the day. She says it may be a few days before she takes time to visit a shooting range, but it would be good for her to get in some practice with the pistols and the laser blaster. She has no problem with you trying her guns, if you like.
She's had botches in her time. She figures that they're part of the lesson; they help her measure how good she's been. Sometimes they've been fatal, but that only means that her work is done wherever she was and it's time to start something else. Sometimes they've been painful, but in those cases she figures she's being taught something, even if it's only not to be too cocky about what she thinks she can do.
She frowns. "That's the second time I've failed to contact your mind. I guess I'm just used to working with people like Derek, Bethany, and Merlin, whom I've contacted so much I know their minds really well. Anyway, we'll try again later." Then her words come into your mind directly: Don't worry; I can keep in touch.
--M. J. Young
Spoken "What a minute Lauren? What did you just do? Did you just to read my mind or something? What did you just do? Let's try that again. I think you have to be prepared. Besides, that kind of freaked me out there. Show me again what you just did. Let me pay closer attention. (Is that any kind of bonus?) And another thing, don't do that without warning me first, please."
"Yeah, worst botch I ever had was I knocked a guy out with a TK pulse."
And when she says "How is that a bad botch?"
"Because, I was handcuffed in the back seat....."
I remember you suggesting that I have him ask Lauren about that crash. See if she could figure out what happened, and let my character know. I pretty much understand it now, so do whatever you want as far as typing.
Assuming we don't botch, and I make it this far:
At the gun store:
"Is there any way to speed up delivery of the holster? How much does it cost, anyway? (I wouldn't think more than $50-$100 in 20th century currency) If you can rush ship that, I could pay up to 100 extra credits. Do you have any which are completely synthetic? Like nylon? (Show them the black nylon Leatherman pouch) That's actually what I wanted. Elastic loops and/or a pouch for extra bullets? Oh yeah, and a speed loader belt pack. (A double pouch, which holds 2 speed loaders. Like the cops of your generation) Anything like that?"
It's O.K., her thoughts continue. Just think back to me. I didn't read your mind; I contacted you telepathically. This happens in a different area of the brain--it's kind of like, you have to think what you want to say like you were going to say it, but not actually say it. I connected your mind to mine just in terms of thoughts you intend me to hear, and those I intend you to hear. So when I'm doing this, I'm not reading anything but what you try to send, but I'm also sending at the same time. It's like a conversation, mind to mind.
As far as giving you a warning, I'm not sure how I would do that. I mean, if I'm on another planet, I can link to your mind now that I've found your frequency, as it were; but that wouldn't tell me where you were, and there isn't really any way I can tell you I'm going to do it except to tell you I'm going to do it--and that means doing it. Does that make sense?
Lauren would say that psionic botches are really unpredictable, although not as unpredictable as magic botches. Usually they involve power surges, that you get too much mental energy in the wrong place at the wrong time. That can cause brain burn or a psionic shock wave, or it can overdrive the desired effect or do something completely unexpected. It's a hazard of using psionics, but then, there are hazards to everything.
The holster you describe is available for 20 credits. He can get the speed loader belt pouch from the same supplier. He can't really speed delivery, as it has to come in by spaceship from another star system.
--M. J. Young