Two
Was about to put down an amusing (and utterly pointless) anecdote from the book. Stopped myself, wanted to document it.
Just curious, have you ever run any kind of Terminator scenario before this?
(Doing Therapy)
Three
Just because it's driving me crazy, and has nothing whatsoever to do with the game, I rented T2. The T-1000 pulls up John's information on the police computer.
DOB 2/28/85
Age 10
The second movie takes place in 1995. He wouldn't be 13 until 1998. Not contradicting the game, just clarifying the movie because it was driving me nuts.
(Doing Therapy)
Somehow I can't credit that a kid who is ten years old does what John does in the movie, let alone that he makes out with Kate Brewster in a friend's basement. I wasn't ten in 1985, but it doesn't seem to me like ten-year-olds did that then. I'll go with my timeline. You were born in 1984.
As to "act like a baby most of the time" we have the complication that you are not a baby, so you're going to have to tell me what you're doing that is "acting like a baby" at least in some circumstances--and this is one of them. It appears that when people talk to babies, babies at first listen as if fascinated by the act itself, and then try to imitate the aspect of making noise by making noise back. Then they initiate making noise themselves, to get people to respond. You aren't doing that, because you already understand the concept of speech. When Sarah speaks to you in English, you're babbling back to her because you are trying to answer in English and don't have the phonemes in your articulation. When she is speaking to you in Spanish, it's not clear whether you are attempting to answer her in English (and thus attempting to get her to switch to English), attempting to imitate the sounds she makes (and thus attempting to master the Spanish phoneme set), attempting to babble complete nonsense (and thus looking like a baby but not really doing what a baby does), or keeping silent (and thus trying to get her to speak to you in English, because you respond to English but not to Spanish). So, let's try again: when she addresses you in Spanish, how are you responding?
--M. J. Young
Somehow I can't credit that a kid who is ten years old does what John does in the movie, let alone that he makes out with Kate Brewster in a friend's basement. I wasn't ten in 1985, but it doesn't seem to me like ten-year-olds did that then. I'll go with my timeline. You were born in 1984.
How many times do I have to say it? I AM NOT contradicting the game!! I was telling you about a flaw in the movie series which had nothing whatsoever to do with the game. Of course they had to change his age to 13 to introduce the whole Katherine Brewster angle. Originally, that wasn't part of the story. It's a flaw in the movie series. If you told me I was born in 2026 and the war didn't start for another 30 years, I'd go along with that. I wasn't contradicting the game, I was pointing out a mistake in the movie series. I would in fact be moderately disappointed if this plays out the way I expect. Stretch the brain muscles, don't just go with what happens in the movies. If I'm 13 instead of 10 when the next attack is made, all the better. That means I'll be physically stronger and have 3 years more training. I'm not going to turn my nose up at that. I was just pointing out a flaw in the movie.
Apparently, they changed Sarah's age as well. In T1, she was 19, born in 1965. In T3, on her gravestone, it says 1959, which would make her 25 in the first movie. Just pointing out movie flaws, nothing more, nothing less.
Speaking of mistakes, I am watching T3 again. I was mistaken about the gun that the TX uses. I got a much better look at it this time, and it turns out it is not a Beretta 9mm, it is in fact a Smith and Wesson 4506 45 caliber. Still possible to survive multiple direct hits, although not as likely as the 9mm. If you want to change that on your time travel site, that's up to you, I just wanted to clear it up.
OK, the explanation makes more sense. I want her to speak in English. Don't respond at all to Spanish. Ignore her if she speaks Spanish. Make a point of the fact that I am ignoring her if I can do that. Start crying when she speaks Spanish, and don't stop until she starts speaking English, that kind of thing. When she speaks English, attempt to speak back to her. If I can say "Gonad" on a 3 GE roll, then NO should be a simple skill check. Try to speak back in English. If she asks a yes or no question, try to answer her. I'd have to know what the question was to be sure, but NO would probably be the default answer, just because it would be easier to say. ("Do you want the strained peas?" "NO!!!!!!!" See what I mean?) Hopefully she will figure out that there's a brain in here.
What I want is for her to realize that my brain is capable of communicating with her on an intelligent level. If I can wrap my little fingers around a fat magic marker or a fat crayon, then I can write. I want her to give me a writing utensil and a piece of paper as my ultimate goal. (That won't be for a few posts at least, so we'll discuss it then)
Have I been able to determine if I'm right or left handed yet? I am right handed in real life, but that says nothing about my character.
(Doing Therapy)
Two
I'm just curious. Has nothing to do with the game, I just didn't want to start a new thread for this. If you knew right off the bat that I wasn't going to survive the TerraNova spacecraft the minute I decided to split up, why didn't you try to ensure that we did? If there were 1,000 beasties on it when we're together, once we split up, now there's only 500. We get smaller batches of them per GE roll, that kind of thing? Perhaps Lauren decides that she wants to rejoin us, and sends a message to that effect. Railroading the player is one thing, trying to ensure that they have a good time playing is totally different. Just curious.
(Doing Therapy)
Three
I'm watching Terminator Salvation, and I just noticed something. Marcus signs his body over to Cyberdyne systems. When he is in the SkyNet core, he's researching what happened, and it says in one of the newspapers "Cyberdyne Systems purchased by U.S.A.F." I would assume that means that Cyberdyne was still at least in part responsible for it. Miles Dyson couldn't possibly have destroyed every single shred of research on that chip. They still had a leg up, and it just took them 10 years longer. Sorry if you already noticed this, but I just noticed it. I wonder if I could use that..... I want Cyberdyne to build it. Then we can build into it a weakness.
(Doing Therapy)
Four
I think I know what would happen to the timeline if I versed out before sending Reese back. Since I would be gone, it can't be an infinity loop. My trip is the first leg of a sawtooth snap. The first leg because I will never be here again. The next leg of it will be John Connor. It cannot repeat back to my existence here, since I won't be here anymore. This is the first leg of a sawtooth snap. It would be impossible for my actions to be confirmed in the next timeline, and the odds are infinitesimally small that my actions will confirm the previous. This is how you would break a world out of an infinity loop. My presence cannot be confirmed in the next timeline, so the world starts snapping. If it was in an infinity loop already, my presence just broke it out, since my actions won't confirm the others. If Kyle doesn't come back, next timeline is original father of John Connor.
If not the guardians of the Multiverse, versers ARE the guardians of time travel. If God sends a verser to a world stuck in an infinity loop, that just broke it out. How many worlds have versers saved? God's tools to save us from our own folly of time travel. The verser disrupts the infinity loop, as his presence doesn't confirm anything. It starts snapping after that. He turns the infinity loop into a sawtooth snap which could stabilize.
(Doing Therapy)
You cry when she speaks Spanish, and she gets upset and tries to figure out what's wrong.
For some reason no matter how often you do this, she doesn't seem to get it. She just gets frustrated.
You can make a "naw" sound, but it comes out "maw" as often as not; your efforts at "yes" come out "naa".
--M. J. Young
For some reason no matter how often you do this, she doesn't seem to get it. She just gets frustrated.
She's not going to hit me, I know that. Let's switch tactics. Giggle and laugh furiously when she speaks English. If she's speaking Spanish and I'm crying, the instant she says ANYTHING in English, stop crying instantly and start laughing myself silly. Even if what she says is "WILL YOU SHUT UP??!!!?!?!!?!" Crying for Spanish, laughing hysterically at English. Whenever she speaks English, no matter what she says, I'm as happy as a clam.
I get it MJ. In order to let her know there is a brain in here, (which is what you knew I wanted) you had to put it to the test. Good show old chap!!!!
You must have been short on time. Did you read through everything I put down? Some of it was just movie talk. Sorry about that.
I did want to know why you didn't try to help us through that spaceship though. It's just one of those unanswered questions, ya know? And am I right about the timeline? How would I know? I wouldn't, but who is to say my character hasn't figured that out as well? (Or are you to say?)
(Doing Therapy)
Two
Mistake
(Doing Therapy)
If you have questions about a previous world or game session, start another thread. I don't want to derail your game with talk about what might have happened.
It goes for a couple days like this, and suddenly she looks at you and says, "You like English, don't you? But you don't like Spanish. That's weird. How would you even know that they were different? English has a lot more sounds in it, but there aren't many Spanish has that English doesn't; but it's faster, I think. Maybe you find English easier because it moves more slowly and has more sounds in it. Maybe that makes it easier for you to understand what I'm saying.
"It's funny; they say that a baby exposed to two languages will learn both of them, but you don't seem to want to know Spanish. That's probably not a good thing; there will be a lot of people in your life who speak Spanish and not English, and a lot more who speak both but will use Spanish if they think you can't understand it. But I will speak English to you, and Spanish to everyone else in Mexico, and maybe you'll learn the Spanish anyway."
--M. J. Young
"You like English, don't you?"
As soon as she says that, start laughing and applauding. Clapping my hands. Giving squeals of joy. That sentence just made him the happiest baby in the world, and it's going to show. I want her to know that I understood that sentence.
Now that we have the language issue settled, let's see what I can do about talking back to her. If she ever pulls out something resembling a fat writing utensil, a magic marker or whatever, try to point and signal to her that I want it. If I can wrap my hand around the writing utensil, I can write with it. Use both hands together if I have to. As long as it looks even remotely like "SKYNET" she should understand what I write. Try to make hand motions like I'm writing. I want her to give me a piece of paper and a writing utensil.
(Doing Therapy)
Two
Words to write. Gotta say as much as I can with as little as possible.
Kyle
SkyNet
Verser
HK (She knew what an HK was)
I need letter blocks. Magnetic letter refrigerator magnets or something. That and a metal cookie sheet, I could talk. I've got to communicate with her.
(Doing Therapy)
Your mother sometimes props you in a high chair when she feeds you, particularly on those rare occasions when she stops in a restaurant with you.
At one of these, the waitress puts a child's placemat in front of you and drops three crayons there. You attempt to snatch one up, but your eyes don't seem to be able to tell you where to put your hand for it to be anywhere near any of the crayons, and your hand flies back and forth over the tray, knocking everything on the floor.
Your mother and the waitress starts picking them up, and your mother is saying something to the waitress in Spanish which seems rather stern but is meaningless to you, and the crayons and paper leave with the waitress.
--M. J. Young
Did you want to slow down? You keep saying I'm running through it fast. There isn't really very much I can do at the moment, so I'm just trying to find out how my situation is.
Are we still camping? As far as I can tell, what is Sarah doing for money? If she never leaves me alone, what is she doing for that? Also, she has (in my VSP) a crossbow, pocket fisherman, a knife and fire starting gear, as well as other supplies. The throwing knife was intended to be used as a spearhead. Perhaps Sarah figures that out and teaches herself to use one? (It could happen!!) That pack was designed so that I could attempt to live off the land if need be. Might Sarah be trying to teach herself skills like that? I could imagine. She's hungry, has no money, so she takes my crossbow out and kills a deer, or goes fishing or something. Sarah's training should be starting any time. Teaching herself to live off the land seems like as good a skill as any, given the situation. Just a thought. Is she doing any kind of training? She should have some high 1@ scores at least by the time I'm old enough to shoot.
She's also got that field guide for how to make traps and live off the land. It talked about making snares, anyway. That book could have snares for animals that don't even exist here. I wonder what Sarah thinks of that. Probably thinks they're mutants from the future or something. If the snare was for a 4 pound animal, it would work on any 4 pound animal. Sarah teaching herself to live off the land seems like a good skill to start with. She might want to get some skill with those guns. She's got enough ammo to teach herself to use the 2 9mms, anyway. She would probably train herself to use a gun before she tried to meet up with any militia guys. The militia guy could turn on her. Better to be prepared. Teaching herself to shoot and live off the land seems like a good skill set right about now, what do you think? She's got my gold, silver, and gems. She could buy more bullets. Crossbow bolts are reusable. The crossbow is quiet, wouldn't hurt my ears. Sarah teaching herself to shoot and live off the land? It's out in the Mexican desert. She could probably walk 20 feet off the main road and have a place to shoot a gun. That book probably covers desert survival. (What is that book? A 2@5 example or something?)
As far as Sarah's gun skills, does she have to start at 1@1? Could it be that her father was an avid hunter and taught her to shoot at an early age? This Sarah doesn't have to be like the movie Sarah. She could be a 2@4 with most guns, really. I think her father did have guns. When the T-800 is seen in the aftermath of killing Sarah's parents, there's a shotgun blast in a door. The T-800 only had an assault rifle at that point, so I would assume that the shotgun blast probably came from Sarah's father. It wouldn't have done him any good of course, but it's just a thought. Maybe a really good GE roll, Sarah already has some mad gun skills? It's possible.
I didn't have a tent, but I did have a sleeping bag and 4 waterproof king size bedsheets. I was intending to use those to make a lean-to tent if need be. Sarah may have bought a tent. If she does go hunting, you better believe I'll be quiet, unless I see something dangerous that she doesn't.
Can I try to write in dust? Perhaps she sets me down on a dusty-topped coffee table. I could try to write in the dust.
I wonder if I could pray for a soldier from the future or someone to come to help. It's flatlined, I'm sure, but could there be a way to do it?
(Doing Therapy)
Your hand/eye is not yet adequate for you to control the fine motor skills necessary to make the lines in the dust that you want.
Sarah is examining the gear in the verser survival pack; not all of it makes sense, but of course you already know she's wearing one of the diamond rings. She has also examined all the guns, trying to figure out how to disassemble and assemble them, how to clean them, what goes with what, but she hasn't fired them yet.
She did get a tent from somewhere, and you've been sleeping in your sleeping bag.
She has done some target shooting with the crossbow. She's particularly interested in the laser pistols, but has not used them.
--M. J. Young
She has also examined all the guns, trying to figure out how to disassemble and assemble them, how to clean them, what goes with what, but she hasn't fired them yet.
So I wouldn't know and wouldn't be able to ask if Sarah has any gun skills. Although she could conceivably have them.
She has done some target shooting with the crossbow. She's particularly interested in the laser pistols, but has not used them.
I've had books like the one I have in game. It would have information on edible plants (which is probably useless, since it's from another universe) How to make animal snares, fish traps, where to look for water, how to build shelters, all kinds of things. I would expect she would be teaching herself things like that. She could take me out to set up snares, come back 12 hours later with dinner. Set up fishing traps and whatnot. I think she would be trying this. You don't need a ranged weapon to live off the land.
(Doing Therapy)
Actually, a book on survival for a universe of many habitable planets would probably have ways of identifying edible plants using whatever tools are immediately available. (That can be tricky, though--I don't know any equipment-free field test for edible plants that works for mushrooms, and I know that berries can be tricky if they have seeds. But I'm sure the book has information on such things.)
At present, Sarah has an infant for whom to care, and so she's staying on the fringes of civilization. Staying in the camper she rented seems to be the norm, with occasional forays putting you in either the tent or a hotel when she is on missions you don't really understand.
--M. J. Young
I'm half surprised you replied to this at all.
That can be tricky, though--I don't know any equipment-free field test for edible plants that works for mushrooms
Actually I do. A friend of mine was an army ranger. The test for mushrooms is there is no test. They're ALL poisonous. There's not enough food value in a mushroom to worry about it, so just assume they're all poisonous.
Staying in the camper she rented seems to be the norm
What camper? This is the first mention of it. Tell me more about this camper. In fact, why not give me a break down of everything which has happened. Tell me everything that's been happening lately. I've not heard of a camper before now, so there must be some details we're missing.
Mea culpa. It was in my post of April 16 that I said you were often at this campground with some broken down house trailers and such, and I meant that you were staying in one of those. It's a more simple one, but it does have bathroom facilities and hookups for power and water.
From what you know, you've moved around some, but this seems to be the base at present. Everyone here speaks Spanish.
The problem with the test "all mushrooms are poisonous" is that it doesn't work for a book on survival across many planets. The reason you don't eat mushrooms in the field for survival is 1) many of them are highly toxic; 2) it takes expert knowledge to distinguish the toxic ones from the good ones; and 3) the toxins are such that a twenty-four hour test won't work, but testing them by ingestion will simply kill you later.
Now, here's the problem: on our world, that growth that will kill you later is a mushroom, but what if on Alpha Centauri Three it's a bean, and on Cetus 7 it's a gourd, and on Sirius 2 it's a berry? If you've got a survival book that will enable you to identify edible plants on any planet, it has to provide a low-tech means of identifying the kinds of toxins that are in poisonous mushrooms, because if those kinds of toxins exist naturally they might be in an entirely different kind of food on a different planet.
If you can't field-test for those toxins, you can't know that any plants are safe on any alien planet, because anything might be this planet's "mushroom".
And bear in mind that when you were on TerraNova no one had ever heard of Earth, so that makes this an "alien" planet in terms of the book.
But I'm assuming that there is such a test in the book; we just don't know what it is.
--M. J. Young
So what else is happening?
You are still growing and getting a bit better at everything. At this point you can finally grab an object--you lay your hand flat on it, and then curl your fingers around it, but you don't have the agile use of an opposable thumb and if the object lies flat on a surface it's difficult to get your fingertips under it. You can't hold two objects at once, but will always drop the one when you reach for the other.
You can hold your head upright when propped in a sitting position, and if you are put down on your stomach you can use your arms and legs to roll onto your back, but you can't go back to your stomach again. You can follow falling objects with your eyes, and can focus on objects within about twenty feet, making your world a bit larger than it was a month ago. You are learning to do vowels in slow transition, as in "aaahh---oooo", but not yet doing diphthongs, and your consonants are getting a bit better, but you have no teeth which impedes the sibilances, fricatives, and labiodentals significantly.
--M. J. Young
Can I yet pick up a writing utensil? Still trying to write "SkyNet".
Two
Have a had any chances at all to try that psionic shield again? Perhaps I should do it in front of her. Yeah, I think I'll do that. Try the psionic force shield when Sarah is in close proximity and can witness it first-hand. I want her to know that there's something different about her baby. Keep rolling until something happens. If it doesn't happen this time, it might work tomorrow. Thirty days in a month, thirty attempts if we're going month to month.
After I get that to work, demonstrate TK pulse. After I get her reaction to the shield, pulse something and knock it over. Try to make a show of it. Wave my hand around and point at the object I'm about to pulse. I want her to have no doubt that I did it. What does Sarah think?
In one of the tapes, Sarah mentioned making off-the-grid contacts. Have I seen any of them? Has Sarah done any training? What's happening with that?
And can I tell directions of scriff vectors yet?
(Doing Therapy)
Three
Can I get my hands on a dictionary? Try to look up the word "Cyborg". Try to show it to Sarah.
Words to look up and show, assuming this works (More just notes at this point)
Future Resistance Leader, Terminate Killer, Cyber Dine (probably as close as I could get) Not Son From Multiverse, Cross. (All of the ID she found would say "John Cross" Maybe Sarah would get the picture.) Have Weapons (and point in the direction of the errant scriff vector.)
It might take me an hour to look up and show her a single sentence, but that would be better than not communicating at all.
You can pick up a writing utensil, although your mother still tries to keep them out of your reach because the normal conduct of a child your age is to put all such objects in his mouth.
In any case, your control of your hands is sufficient to grab it and scribble in large back-and-forth lines, a zig-zag which crosses itself frequently.
Usually the only dictionary you see is a Spanish/English phrase book she consults occasionally when her Spanish is insufficient for what she wants to say. She doesn't use it often. But one day she's visiting someone else in the campground, and you see a book on the table. Of course, you can't crawl and you can't walk and you can't really do more than roll over, so all you can do is reach for the book and make noise, which results in Sarah handing you a bottle.
You manage to raise the force shield. Sarah sees it, panics, grabs you from the high chair, runs out of the camper without grabbing any of her possessions, and starts driving away in the jeep with you in her left arm, moving her right between the steering wheel and the shift. She nearly goes off the road at one point in her haste.
--M. J. Young
You manage to raise the force shield. Sarah sees it, panics, grabs you from the high chair, runs out of the camper without grabbing any of her possessions, and starts driving away in the jeep with you in her left arm, moving her right between the steering wheel and the shift. She nearly goes off the road at one point in her haste.
I can say NO correct? Start screaming "NO NO NO NO NO NO NO" over and over. Try to say it so that it actually sounds like someone screaming "NO NO NO NO" and not just a baby babbling. I want her to stop and try to talk to me. Don't stop screaming NO until she does stop. When she stops, raise the shield again. Try to indicate to her that I am doing it.
She does not stop running. She does say, "Hush, John. We've got to get out of here before a Terminator comes through that portal."
--M. J. Young
Try to say "No Terminator" I know I can't say it, but perhaps I'll get lucky. Failing that, "No Mommy." At any rate, keep screaming "NO" over and over. Sarah should realize that I shouldn't be capable of that.
Can I say "No Portal?"
"No Time" (That would probably sound like gibberish, even if I said it correctly)
"No Run"
Try to say all of this.
John 2 seems to be laboring under the delusion that if a baby said no to its mother when she was trying to save its life from an attack from the future she would stop.
As I stated Behind the Screens, how many 5 month old babies would be capable of screaming "NO NO NO NO" at all? I am aware of the situation, and I am capable of speaking. Sarah should recognize that. At least I was hoping.
Is it too late to rewind time? I just realized that I would have have done is try to put the shield between me and her before she can pick me up in the first place. Now that I think about it, the shield would have been raised to stop her from getting to me at all. The roll was 8, so even if you were to retroactively penalize it, it would probably still work. I'll understand if I don't get a new use, but the shield is raised between Sarah and I, floor to ceiling, wall to wall. I think I would realize what she's going to think it is, or that it would have some connection to an attack. My character knows she's paranoid about my botch, he was a paranoid psychotic for 30 some years before versing. He wouldn't let Sarah pick him up. The shield would have been raised floor to ceiling, wall to wall, in between us. She wouldn't be able to touch me. I would raise it so that she couldn't touch me in the first place. The "NO NO NO NO NO" would be the second attempt to stop her if the shield failed. I want her to see that I am in control of the shield. She wouldn't have picked me up, unless I couldn't keep her at bay with the shield.
I rolled successfully, does that mean I can move the shield at will? If so, move the floor to ceiling shield back and forth. Move my hands in sync with it. If I can't do that, try the point and TK pulse. I want her to see that I am doing this on purpose. Unless the shield failed, she would never have picked me up.
I wasn't very clear about it when I posted originally. It never occurred to me (out of character, that is) that my character would probably anticipate this reaction from her. He's seen how paranoid she is. He knows how she would react WAY better that I do. Please don't re-roll it just because I didn't specify that. I got the shield up between Sarah and I. She can't touch me, and it's time for us to have a little chat.
(Doing Therapy)
Two
I'm going to assume that you allow me to rewind time, and raise the shield the way I have now specified. (All this recent talk about assumptions, I feel kind of brazen doing that, but so be it) Sarah is freaking out. I'm sitting on the couch or whatever. Gesture to something. Gesture over and over, then TK pulse it. Do it over and over. Point at something, and TK pulse it. I want Sarah to see that I am in control of the shield, and that I am moving the objects around with the TK pulse. This is my doing. The whole point in raising the shield in front of her was to show her that her baby is far from "normal". How can I show her that if I know she's going to think it's a future attack? Anticipating her reaction, I would have raised the shield to prevent her from grabbing me and running.
You did not anticipate your mother's reaction, and thus you did not set the shield where you intended.
Psionic shields of this sort are "fixed", immovable within their frame of reference, and thus either it stays in a constant position relative to your center of mass or it stays in a constant position relative to the surrounding world. (Note: if you had been in a moving vehicle, there would be the options that it was fixed relative to the vehicle or relative to the world, but in this case the vehicle was stationary so those are identical frames of reference.) "Moving" it involves shutting it down and restarting it in a new position, technically, and requires an additional skill check. You learned the force shield from Lauren Hastings, and her force shields are always fixed to the world (when she used it against you, she was able to move away from it while you collided with it). Thus you have no control over the shield unless you roll successfully again.
Besides, it would take you a minute to make the change, and it will take Sarah less than a minute to be out of the parking lot with you in the seat next to her.
What comes out of your mouth sounds like gibberish even to you.
--M. J. Young
Looks like I'm going along for the ride at the moment.
As soon as she stops and we are safe, raise the shield in a manner so that Sarah cannot touch me. She's going to go to a hotel room or something. THIS TIME raise the shield floor to ceiling, wall to wall and do the TK pulse trick.
This is another instance where what the character knows and what the player knows don't mesh. I honestly, truly believe that I would have anticipated that reaction had I actually been there. I see your point, and I'm not arguing it. I'm just kicking myself. My character certainly would have anticipated her reaction. Out of character, I'm not sitting there. He is. I don't see her. He does. He would have known she would react like that. It's just one of those things that you can know without knowing, ya know? Again, not arguing, just kicking myself.
Dumb question. Why didn't you ask me to clarify what kind of shield I was raising? Is there a standard shield which is the default shape if the player doesn't specify? If there is, you never told me what it was. You never asked me how I was raising it, where I was raising it, or anything of the sort. I just said "Raise shield" and you raised it. What is the default shield that I raised? For all I knew, the default shape WAS floor to ceiling, wall to wall. Why didn't you ask me to clarify, and what kind of shield did I raise? Since you never asked me to clarify it, could I maybe get a redo on that basis? Not arguing, just trying to understand.
Two
To be clear, I am not arguing. If you still stand on your decision, that's cool, but seriously. I have no idea what kind of shield I raised. You just said "You raise the shield and she panics" or some such. How was I (out of character) to know that the shield wouldn't be raised floor to ceiling, wall to wall on its default shape? I mean seriously, why wouldn't that be the default shape? What good would the shield be if the person on the other side could just walk around it like she did? (In my mind, I was sitting in the high chair, and she was on the other side of the room. The shield was raised between us.) Inside, it would be floor to ceiling wall to wall, outside it would be as far as the eye could see in every direction. (Could become interesting for people miles away, but still a valid default shape) I don't know about this shield. Can we rewind time on this basis? My character would know a lot more about the shield than I do. If you still stand on it, that's cool, but I still think rewinding time might be valid on this basis. Your call of course. If you want to re-roll the attempt or whatever that's cool, but how was I to know that the shield I raised wouldn't keep her at bay on its default form? I don't even really know what kind of shield I raised.
(Doing Therapy)
Three
If you should decide to rewind time on this basis, I'm sitting in a highchair, so there's a plate or bowl or something. Raise my hands over my head, point at the bowl, and TK pulse it. I moved it without touching it. That is, if I've got the floor to ceiling, wall-to-wall shield in place and Sarah can't touch me.
(Doing Therapy)
You are not yet old enough that your mother leaves a bowl of food in front of you, although she does feed you strained baby food from jars and warm cereal mush.
The shield you were taught to raise is positioned a few feet in front of you, fixed to the world, and just large enough to block kinetic attacks from that direction aimed directly at you. What good is it if people can just walk around it? It's quite good, if they're shooting missiles at you or charging directly at you. It shimmers in the light, distorting images through it, is easy to overlook but quite obvious if you're looking at it.
You can specify adjustments to that shield, but they will be penalized if they afford significantly more protection than that.
Sarah stops in a gas station to refill the tank, does not get out of the car, and then continues. She drives the rest of the day, and you realize that she's heading into the wilderness.
--M. J. Young
Sarah stops in a gas station to refill the tank, does not get out of the car, and then continues. She drives the rest of the day, and you realize that she's heading into the wilderness.
What does she have as far as gear? Did she leave my VSP in the car? Does she at least have that? How would I know? Well, there would be a scriff sense in the car if nothing else.
Where do we stop? What are we now calling "home"?
Notes:
When we get where we are going, try to demonstrate TK pulse. "Point and click." Show her the shield.
Two
You said we were going into the wilderness. Does that mean that Sarah is going to attempt to live off the land? In that case, I might just give the psionics a rest. Only use them to help her do this.
What about contacts? Are we going to any? Are there any?
What about future soldiers coming back? Sarah thinks that a time portal just opened, so why not open one? A friendly resistance fighter (Derek Reese even) could find her. Doesn't mean there has to be a counterpart Terminator. How would he find her? Simple. Because I would have told him about this in the future. In the book, when Reese was waiting for Sarah to come out of her apartment, he knew the exact time, to the minute, when she was going to come out. John Connor had told him in the future, "And if John Connor said something, you believed it because it was true. No questions." Can we have a resistance fighter come back? I hope she at least has the VSP. If not, I'm going to have to do more psionics. I think it might be best to give that a rest until I can speak at least.
Or could I have told the resistance about this in the future. I wasn't here. This didn't happen in the last timeline. Well still, he could find her.
(Doing Therapy)
Sarah brought only you and the jeep and the clothes on her back. He has a pistol, because she keeps it on her when she's awake and near her when she's asleep. She did not bring so much as the car seat, and she keeps nothing in the jeep because it would be stolen. She did grab her purse, because her car keys were in it, and your diaper bag, which was next to you.
She drives the jeep for several hours, until she pulls up the mountains into the jungles of Mexico. There she finds a clearing, turns on the radio, and pulls up the canvas and plastic covers of the jeep to enclose it.
The announcer is speaking Spanish and playing mariachis; when the voice changes, she turns her attention to it in earnest, but then when it changes back she shuts everything off.
"Well," she says, "whatever it is that came back hasn't made the news--yet. We'll have to give it a few days, though, as there are enough deaths in the campgrounds that a few more aren't going to make news until there's something serious.
"Meanwhile, I've got to find something we can eat here. I'm afraid I didn't have time to pack much, but hopefully we'll make due.
"Be good while I'm gone; I shouldn't be long, and I've got to see what I can find to eat and drink. There's some formula in your bag, but not enough, and nothing for me unless I want to eat your barley cereal--which I might have to do if I don't find something I recognize."
It appears that her plan is for you to live in the jeep, at least for a few days.
--M. J. Young
This post was formerly about using psionics to lock Sarah in the car. That suddenly seems a bad idea. Besides, she could probably get out the window or something. Second post is the game post, this is nothing.
(Doing Therapy)
Two
There's some formula in your bag, but not enough
Are we forgetting that Sarah is a lactating mother? I don't need anything.
He has a pistol, because she keeps it on her when she's awake and near her when she's asleep.
Good typo there MJ.... How many clips does she have? Don't forget that Sarah also has a 44 magnum revolver (shown at the end of T1.) You could kill a bear with one of those puppies. I mention that because she does have a ranged weapon with which to hunt, at least if this Sarah did the same as the movie Sarah and keep it hidden in the car. You could kill a deer with the 9mm, but I'd rather have the 44 for that.
"Meanwhile, I've got to find something we can eat here. I'm afraid I didn't have time to pack much, but hopefully we'll make due.
It's time for Sarah to develop the survivalist mindset. This event would inspire a line of thinking in her, which she (understandably) has not yet developed. I think we should discuss somewhat the survivalist mindset. That's what Sarah should be getting right about now.
I can't believe Sarah didn't think of the VSP for what it was. A pack to help you survive. Things like that are quite common among survivalist types. A "Get up and Go" pack, they call it. Equipment to live off the land at a moment's notice. You can just grab it and walk out the door. I would imagine a lot of the "Get up and Go" packs that people keep closely resemble my VSP. If not in the car, she (should) keep that close by the door so that she can grab it and go. After me, that would be the most important thing in her life. The pack as it was would be too heavy for her to carry, or probably lift without a strength check. She would cut it down, add to it, take out things which she feels she couldn't use, or that were too bulky. The clothes of course, but anything she doesn't want to cut the weight down. She would keep tools in the car. Locked up. Probably have camping gear in the car too. Keep it in the trunk, or otherwise locked up against theft. She would keep enough food and supplies in the car to sustain us for a minimum of 3 days. The gas tank on the car would never go below half-full if not get topped off every day she drives, and she would have a filled gas can or two as well. The VSP would be in the house by the side of the door, ready to "Get up and Go". She would have enough food and supplies in the house to sustain us as long as reasonably possible. Two weeks, minimum. She would also be armed to the teeth at all times (and in this instance, the single 9mm probably qualifies). She might even have her own version of the VSP which she carries. Her purse, my diaper bag, maybe the belt bag, would all have gear inside them, as well as her other things she would normally carry. Sarah has (understandably) not developed this line of thinking, but this event would almost certainly inspire it in her. (And if it doesn't, I'm going to be quite disappointed in her.) There's also a "Less is more" aspect to it. Originally, the VSP had in it a shotgun and that collapsible 22. That particular shotgun would be (practically) useless for hunting, and the 22 would be (practically) useless as an offensive weapon. I changed it to a 9mm carbine and a crossbow, either of which would be usable for both hunting and offensive weaponry. See what I mean? The least amount of gear capable of the greatest number of tasks. Vice grips instead of an adjustable wrench, Leatherman multitools and Swiss Army Knives are a staple of these kinds of packs. One piece jumpsuits as opposed to 2 separate articles of clothing, that kind of thing. She should probably be wearing one of those jumpsuits, actually. That, over her original clothes, means she always has an on-person change of clothes if the fit hits the shan.
If she has to run out into the woods and live in a cave (like she just had to do) she has her own clothes, and a jumpsuit to wash and wear separately. Or just keep the two jumpsuits in the car. The survivalist mindset should be kicking in about now.
Understandably, Sarah has not yet developed this mindset, but this would inspire it in her.
"Be good while I'm gone; I shouldn't be long
So would I be correct in assuming that Sarah is planning to leave me in the car alone?
Is there any indication that she might be intending to go back to the trailer? Maybe she just got out of town for a few days, but is fully intending to go back and see. Especially if she doesn't hear anything new about what happened. I mean, after a day or two of no news, she might dismiss it as stress making her eyes play tricks on her or something.
Where is she leaving me? Not on the seat, I could fall off. She would put me on the floor. Is her purse on the floor too? See if I can get to it. TK pulse the strap over to me. Pull the strap. See if I can get to it, or get it to me, or a combination of the two. I need a pen and a piece of paper. If I can crawl, or belly crawl, pull myself to the purse, or pull it to me. Hopefully it's light enough that I can pull it over to me. I wouldn't fight very hard to get it. If it would be an unreasonable struggle to get the purse, forget it completely. I don't want to get hurt, and she doesn't need any more stress. If I can't do this with relative simplicity, forget I mentioned it. Not more than one TK pulse, and hopefully not even that. If I can't get the strap with one, just sit and practice psionic hearing. When Sarah comes back, if I can't get the purse, I want her to think that the worst trouble I got into was pulling on the strap.
Is she leaving her purse in here with me? She's going foraging it sounds like. She might dump out the contents and use it to hold what she finds. I just need a pen and some paper. If I can get to that without going for the purse, do that. If not, try to get to the purse whilst she's gone. Maybe I will get lucky and she will leave it on the floor with me. Try to get into it. Find a writing utensil and something on which to write. Certainly every woman in the world carries that sort of thing with her.
Write down "I DID THAT NO SKYNET." in block letters. This is one of those things which I would be determined to do. (The writing, that is. Determined to write, but not determined to get the pen to do it with. Is that ironic or what?) if there's any kind of bonuses for being extremely careful, I should get them. I'm talking like it would take me several minutes to write each letter. That's how careful I'm being. The whole note would take a half-hour, easily. She might be gone for an hour or more. I'd have time to be careful. Write the word "SkyNet" first, at the bottom of the page. I might only have time for that.
If the purse is on a seat, I'm not going to try to pull it down on top of me. Crazy, not stupid. I might try to TK pulse a pen out of it if I can see one. That's a big MIGHT though, so ask before I do it.
And if I should happen to get extremely fortunate and actually pull this off, put the note on top of me so that she will see it first thing when she returns.
Can I practice my psionic hearing to listen for when she's coming back? If you're going to roll for it, forget it.
Speaking of which, I believe I have stated some time ago that I have been practicing that since before birth. Is 5 months enough for a skill mark?
Am I learning any Spanish? She doesn't speak it to me, but I would hear it a lot.
Has Sarah read that book on wilderness survival? How would I know? Unless I saw her reading it, I probably wouldn't. Just keep in mind though that she does have SOME training in this area, because I'm sure you're about to roll some dice sometime.
Sarah's got a 9mm and a 44 magnum. Either or which would kill a deer, certainly there's SOMETHING she could employ as a knife, and a car cigarette lighter to start a fire. We will be fine. (I'm just trying to reassure myself)
(Doing Therapy)