Friday, November 9, 2012

Tommy Duran

Tomas "Tommy" Duran, a 45-year-old letter carrier, is obsessed with blogs and vlogs. He follows at least 100 blogs on Blogger and he subscribes to nearly 75 vlogs on YouTube. He is fascinated by other people’s lives and finds them much more interesting than his own. Tommy is even inspired by minutiae. For example, he follows a vlog dedicated to the riding of different kinds of elevators.

     Eventually, Tommy decided to start his own vlog. He bought a Sony Handycam and began filming his day. He made short videos as he drove to work, rode elevators and even as walked through the grocery store. His videos got very few hits at first, but then he slowly began attracting traffic. People began to make comments about subtle touches in the vids that Tommy himself didn’t notice.

     For example, while riding an elevator down to the parking level at the now-defunct Borders in Westwood, the car stopped. Tommy, who always carries his camera, began filming. He talked about his predicament and began pushing all of the buttons to hopefully get the elevator moving again. Hours passed and eventually repairmen got the car going and Tommy was freed. Tommy went home posted a shortened version of his ordeal to his YouTube channel.

     A few days later, people began making comments to the effect of, “Dude, I liked how you defaced the elevator.” or “Ha ha I like how you wrote “You will never leave.”” Sure as anything, when Tommy looked at the video, he saw “You will never leave.” scrawled on the elevator’s door. Tommy assured the viewers that he did not write those words, but no one believed him.

     That incident led to a series of similar events. When driving home one day, Tommy decided to film the Miracle Mile, a stretch of Wilshire between Fairfax and La Brea near his work. The area is notable for the La Brea tar pits and great examples of art deco architecture. When Tommy reviewed the footage, a homeless man was seen standing at the corner of Wilshire and La Brea. A few blocks later, this same man is seen at Cloverdale, then again at Hauser. At a loss to explain the phenomenon, Tommy posted it to YouTube and asked his subscribers to help him figure it out. All he got were comments like, “Nice work with Final Cut Pro, asshole.” or “Dude you suck at Sony Vegas. I can totally tell how you tried to composite that homeless dude.”

     After reviewing his previous videos, Tommy found strange numbers, glyphs, blurry images and unexplainable quirks in almost every one. Tommy is at a loss to explain what is happening to him and he is growing increasingly worried that he’s losing his mind. He's prayed to the Virgin Mary for guidance, but what he needs is someone to take him under their wing, to mentor him and to help him understand that the world is indeed a mysterious place. Instead of being frightened, Tommy might come to accept that spirits exist and that they are trying to reach out to him.

Tomas "Tommy" Duran (57 points)
SM 0 (5’ 10” tall, 180 lbs.);
ST 10, DX 10, IQ 11 [20], HT 11 [10];
HP 10, Will 9 [-10], Per 11, FP 11;
Basic Lift 20, Damage: Thr 1d-2/Sw 1d;
Basic Speed 5.25, Basic Move 5;
Dodge 8, Parry -, Block -;
DR 0. 

Advantages and Perks 
Fit [5], English (native) [6], Medium (Only while using camcorder, -20%) [8], See Invisible (Affects spirits, only while using camcorder, -20%) [12], Spanish (native) [0], Tenure [5].

Disadvantages and Quirks 
Always Carries a Camcorder [-1], Compulsive Behavior (obsessed with blogs and vlogs) (6) [-10], Magic Susceptibility 2 [-6].

Skills 
Area Knowledge (Los Angeles)-13 [4], Computer Operation-13 [4], Driving-11 [4], Professional Skill (Letter Carrier)-12 [4], Urban Survival-11 [2].

Equipment 
Sony HDR-CX190 Handycam, 2008 Toyota Corolla, Blackberry Curve 9300, $40. 

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8 comments:

  1. Do you take letters to Santa? I have a list to send him.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Have you always had the ability to see spirits? Also, can you see them with your eyes or do you require a camera to see them?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No, I have never had these experiences before. I don't know what's happening and I;m not sure it really is. It's weird. Also, I can only see things through the viewfinder or once I've actually recorded something. I don't get it.

      Delete
  3. You see things that no one else can see and they may be ghosts? Ridiculous. Next, you will claim that you have spotted the Tooth Fairy.

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    Replies
    1. You're a sentient robot. That's not exactly normal.

      Delete
  4. I'm glad I'm not the only one who senses weird things.

    ReplyDelete