WWYCD: Discovering the nature of reality?

[DataPacRat]

Somewhere in the RPG-multiverse, there's a person who's exactly like you, including the RPG-characters he plays and the forums he reads...

 

... except that, upon reading their universe's equivilent to this very post, a swirling vortex appears in front of them - and, lo and behold, it's the very PC that you write about in your WWYCD posts, on one of those interdimensional jaunts that PCs so often journey through.

 

 

What would your PC do upon discovering somebody who seems to have manipulated their life, their stats, their very existence?

 

What would the-alternate-you do upon discovering that a piece of fiction they created was actually real?

 

 

(I leave open to you the question of whether or not the alternate-you can continue to "edit" the PC by editing the character sheet, with or without the GM's approval, and the rest of the PC's universe...)

 

 

And if you want an Extended Variant - how about the rest of that PC's gaming-group PC companions also appearing?

 

 

(Sure, it's a cliche - but it's a /fun/ cliche. )

[jkwleisemann]

Re: WWYCD: Discovering the nature of reality?

 

What would your PC do upon discovering somebody who seems to have manipulated their life' date=' their stats, their very existence?[/quote']

 

Void: Before, or after, he had to be sedated to keep from killing me for putting him through his life? Really, a lot of my characters can say that same thing....

 

Huntress: Hopefully be the one sedating Void. After that, if I was lucky, she'd go through my notes and plans and start 'suggesting' changes. If I wasn't lucky, she'd have to be sedated too

 

Darkchild: After a quick smiting to get back at me for what we've done to her boyfriend in that campaign, see if she could remove a few hassles of hers from existence through selective editing.

 

What would the-alternate-you do upon discovering that a piece of fiction they created was actually real?

 

Me: Well, that depends on whether or not the editing actually worked. If it did, then that means I've actually been influencing/creating their world, and I've got a heck of a lot to answer for. Probably start begging for forgiveness and doing some real fast editing. Being a Tragedian can lead to uncomfortable back stories....

 

If it didn't, then I've at least got plausible deniability that all I was doing was chronicling what happened in their world. Stand behind that, hope that the portal can be opened again before Void's sedatives wear off, give Huntress an apologetic (if uncomfortable) hug for what's probably coming up in her life, and point out to Darkchild that editing isn't really going to help too much.

 

Either way, after that, try and figure out what the heck just happened and if there's any way to check in on some of the other worlds I've been involved with; there are muses I want to try and pull out of harm's way just in time to save their tails and take somewhere safer.

[nexus]

Re: WWYCD: Discovering the nature of reality?

 

Tao would be startled by the revelation but it would explain much about the statistical improabilities that seem to rule her life and the lives of those accqainted with her. She'd probably try to convince "me" to stop endangering others for the sake of fun; but wouldn't attempt violence since if "I" die her she ceases to exist.

 

This is too weird for Shidoku; finding out her life was/mght be a game played by a hopeless geek would drive her into a drinking binge and she'd wake up the next morning convinced it was a dream.

 

Ivy would be extremely angry at some of the problem I've written into her life, but would restaint herself being a fairly non violent person. She'd eventually ask that some of her problems be corrected, such as the issues with her huband and children.

 

Me: I'd try to write happy ending for my PCs out of sheer guilt.

[Robyn]

XP penalty for peeking at the GM's notes

 

Your "nature of reality" WWYCD threads are almost identical to those I'd been planning out for almost a week now. Curse you

[Blue]

Re: WWYCD: Discovering the nature of reality?

 

Audra Blue: "Couldn't you have made things easier? You've put me through hell!" (She would then attempt to strangle me to death, though I'd probably survive that)

 

Anthem: "You're not God. Stop deluding yourself." Utter disbelief.

 

Uncle Slam: "I see what you're saying, but isn't there a chance that you too are being created? That this is all part of a quite possibly endless chain reaction? Someone makes you up, who makes me up, and thus is the nature of reality?" He wouldn't know what to do with the information and I doubt it would impact the way he does things. He's the Uber-Pragmatist. But he'd want to hear more.

 

Me: I'd immediately start writing stories about hot chicks who desire me.

[Marketeer]

Re: WWYCD: Discovering the nature of reality?

 

Blackberry has friends, family, and a generally cheery outlook on life. She'd give me a hug, make a beeline towards the teakettle, then settle down for a long chat.

[Pyre-Archer]

Re: WWYCD: Discovering the nature of reality?

 

Given that PA too has RPG experience himself (Heck, his powers came from writing up an RPG character on a magic scroll!), it could lead to an interesting discussion. Am I controlling what happens, or merely chronicling what his adventures are in his world. And if either is true, is he doing the same to some other reality?

 

I hope it's just chronicling. Because there's some fanfics I've written where I'd be lynched. With my consent...

[Badger]

Re: WWYCD: Discovering the nature of reality?

 

Badger- He is gonna kill me.

 

Frosty Bob- (scratches head) "So, uhh where is the nearest bar?"

[Guest WhammeWhamme]

Re: WWYCD: Discovering the nature of reality?

 

Hrm. What _would_ Rook do if he met me...

 

Well, that CvK is going to be a lifesaver.

 

I mean, I did play a large part in coming up with an apocalyptic future from which he could come...

 

 

I think I'd try to quickly get him copies of the character sheets for as many NPCs and fellow PCs as I can, as something of an apology, and promise to try and make things better... if editing works, I'll promise to undo his bad life events as much as possible as the game goes on (or, if the game HAS died, write fiction in which things go well for him).

[Marketeer]

Re: WWYCD: Discovering the nature of reality?

 

You know...

 

...on the one hand, many of our characters would hate us for what we've put them through.

 

...on the other, how many of them would be even more indignant at the thought of being retconned in some significant way?

[jkwleisemann]

Re: WWYCD: Discovering the nature of reality?

 

You know...

 

...on the one hand, many of our characters would hate us for what we've put them through.

 

...on the other, how many of them would be even more indignant at the thought of being retconned in some significant way?

 

Well, we view retcon as a bad thing here, but think about it this way - from their perspective, having this joker 'fix' things in their lives wouldn't be retconning any more than using time travel to fix something significant to them would be. It'd be fixing the lives that this sadistic/masochistic SOB gave them.

 

So, as long as they were the ones who wanted the change made, I don't see why they'd resent it being made.

[SatinKitty]

Re: WWYCD: Discovering the nature of reality?

 

Wicca would think I was some kind of Goddess in a higher plane of reality. She would shake me and demand to know who and what she was. I would have to refer her to OddHat.

 

Firestorm would ask me to PLEASE PLEASE do something about her uncontrolled activation problem.

 

Mindflair is retired.

 

Cold Mary would ask me to let her stop talking funny.

 

Dragon Jane would tell me to make up my mind already about what would be her job when not Superheroing.

[Robyn]

Re: WWYCD: Discovering the nature of reality?

 

Well, we view retcon as a bad thing here, but think about it this way - from their perspective, having this joker 'fix' things in their lives wouldn't be retconning any more than using time travel to fix something significant to them would be. It'd be fixing the lives that this sadistic/masochistic SOB gave them.

 

So, as long as they were the ones who wanted the change made, I don't see why they'd resent it being made.

 

I can't help but think of The Butterfly Effect.

[Weldun]

Re: WWYCD: Discovering the nature of reality?

 

Whisper - would kill me, no question. Unless Bethany was also brought along. If she was, and Whisper found out that Bethany was my idea, he would want to ensure that my life was one opf eternal torment.

 

The Specter - would ask why the hell I decided to have him nearly sleep with his own daughter. He would then beat the crap out of me when my only answer would be "so I could sick the von Helsing line onto you..."

 

Me - "Oops." And keep going as I have always done. Through adversity, we grow, and any bad stuff I inflict upon my characters is always in backstory. I prefer to play characters from the point of "I'm finally starting to get it together and now have a genuine opportunity at happiness." Okay, in Whisper's case, I am limited by properly playing his psychlims.

[Amused]

Re: WWYCD: Discovering the nature of reality?

 

Vera would be pissed in the, "You can't be control my life only I can be doing that" sort of way. Then I would say maybe her actions were her own, but put into my head after the were done. My gaming group would be playing an echo of her life, not the reality.

 

Then we'd probably get into the why's and hows...

Gwendolyn would probably either not understand or giggle because it made complete sense depending on how it was presented to her. (She is a big, "Everything is a game" sort of person)

[massey]

Re: WWYCD: Discovering the nature of reality?

 

"Thanks for the big schlong and the hot girlfriend."

 

"No problem."

[David Johnston]

Re: WWYCD: Discovering the nature of reality?

 

The Wizard will reason that if he truly is a fictional character then he could not be meeting a real person. That leaves two options. The first is that the person he is meeting has the super power to create a living being complete with false memories. He'll ask that person to try doing what he was doing again, concentrating on another of his characters or perhaps a character from fiction. Assuming that doesn't work then he'll reach the conclusion that this is just one of those infinite number of monkeys coincidences that creates things like mirror universes and universes where everyone has their gender switched. Then he'll ask me what I know about his world that he doesn't.

[dbsousa]

Re: WWYCD: Discovering the nature of reality?

 

Bouncer would ask me "Why didn't you make me a more successful actor? Why am I stuck in this career limbo?" I would explain to him that if I just gave him everything he wanted, he probably wouldn't be real enough to appear before me.

[6-Sided_Buddha]

Re: WWYCD: Discovering the nature of reality?

 

Sable, at this point in the scene, has come to the conclusion that it's another mentalist deciding to use his mind as a playground. "You're not real." Sable would say to the slightly overweight Irish-Italian on the other side of the monitor, "So this whole 'you're in control of my life' thing, yeah, that's bullshit." Sable would be silent for a moment, "Though, on the off chance that this is real, and that Meridian City is actually this messed up by some divine whim or something, I guess it wouldn't hurt to say thanks for .... you know, not having me die, and thanks for, well... thanks for being the other guy who doesn't think I got the bum stone. Now, if you don't mind, Annie-Bell's working tonight, and I can't sit here and talk to some figment of my imagination. When I come back, you better not still be here. Oh, and tell Brainscan he's still a dick."

 

 

As for that slightly overweight Irish-Italian on the other side of the screen, he'd sit there for a moment, wondering indeed if all of his creations were real in some world, and then look through all the horrible monsters and creatures he had made for all of his other games, then shrug, and decide that NOW, that he has begun to hallucinate, that NOW was the right time to go to bed.

[Funksaw]

Re: WWYCD: Discovering the nature of reality?

 

I once played a vampire character and did everything possible to make that character's life a miserable wretched hell. A comedy of errors written by Stephen King.

 

I'd be so dead.

[Sundog]

Re: WWYCD: Discovering the nature of reality?

 

Terminus is pretty much the world's biggest opportunist. He'd figure: This guy is in charge of my world. I am now in charge of HIM. Therefore...

 

I think I'd just make a decision to GM only from here on...

[Kevin Schultz]

Re: WWYCD: Discovering the nature of reality?

 

Jake the Troll - "Dude, you rock!" Jake is a creature of Myth and Legend, and as such would be farily comfortable with the idea of Story as Truth. He also has a good home life, a couple good friends, and the ability to step into alternate dimensions. In fact, one of his hobbies is to FIND dimensions that are works of fiction in his own: so far, he's managed to find Sherlock Holmes and the World of Warcraft (He's started a signigure collection book, and is currently looking for Buffy the Vampire Slayer, 'cuz Faith is hot.) Thus, the idea that his own world is fiction in some other dimension is not surprising to him at all. He'd question why I gave a PC character I was planning to play the ability to turn into a smokin hottie, though. (I'd explain how I was planning on playing someone with the power of a troll, and then modified it to someone who could take the form of any type of troll. He'd still look at me funny for a while, then get over it.)

 

Shinji Miromoto - also has the ability to step into a single alternate dimension, but doesn't have near the experience that Jake does. He'd attempt to incorporate this into some sort of Buddhist dharma sort of thing, but would give up after a while, shrug, and consider it just a contact from some entity deep in the spirit world. (He's japanese enough to swap religions out to Shinto if it suits him.)

 

Icon - would probably go for the 'infinite possibilities, infinite chances' thing, but in a more scientific bent to it. She'd consider the possiblity that she was just a fictional character, which would explain her life more, but then write it off to meaningless navel-gazing. She's teenager enough to agnst about it for a while, though.

 

Me - I'd freak over the possiblities that I was creating and destroying people whenever I created a new character, but then I'd probably go with the idea that Jake has; I'm not creating worlds, I'm just creating a 'key' that matches up with one of an infininte number of worlds....then I'd see if I could get Jake to come pick me up, and see if we could find Star Trek: DS9, or something.

[Threnody]

Re: WWYCD: Discovering the nature of reality?

 

Howdy!

 

All Threnody's powers are physically impossible in the real world, so she's got nothing but punchin' and kickin'. She don't carry, an' I've got me a pistol close to hand, so I don't think I've got too much to worry 'bout.

 

Anyway, Threnody'd want to find out al she could 'fore doin' anything.

 

Course, I'd mostly be like "Hell, when did I flip out? They got me in a padded room yet, or what?"

 

That, an' I'd really wanna get it on with such a hawt chick.

[Drhoz]

Re: WWYCD: Discovering the nature of reality?

 

My wife's response to the question when I read it to her:

 

"We have hot sex. And invite you to join in"

 

 

Vitus's response to the same situation would not be so happy. (for that matter he wouldn't be too happy about 3 messing around with anybody else, either) He's suspicious enough about obvious gods manipulating his life as a tool against great evils, parasitic Apparati, etc. If he found out the truth he'd have me up against a wall by the throat and snarl "You made my life unremitting misery for ENTERTAINMENT??!!"

 

To which my babbled response would be

 

"Nonono, that was the GM."

[Bunyip]

Re: WWYCD: Discovering the nature of reality?

 

I actually tried doing this once.

 

It was a prose piece in which I was trying to get a better handle on the Crown Agents; it centred around me and the campaign's chief mystical threat, Balefire (think Dr. Strange gone to the Dark Side). Balefire found out about me in the course of his mystical researches, came out of his own dimension looking for me, and effectively used me as a kind of living voodoo doll to attack the Agents one at a time, by casting a spell that transformed me into each of the team in succession - each change coming when the last form was killed. Cue insane manhunt through the streets of my smallish (then) home town (pop. 95,000).

 

I didn't finish the story. Mary Sue tales are not supposed to be scary. Sometimes I get ideas that I don't dare follow through on...