[voice, private to Dave Strider] backdated to July 8th

[crankyshark]

 Hey, Captain Strider, how have you been? Seems like I haven't seen you around much lately...but I saw ya a few days ago at the race start. Sorry I didn't get the chance to talk to you then, I was running around fighting and stuff. Anyway you got  a few minutes to talk?

[wow he felt kinda awkward doing this. He didn't usually just ask people to talk, but he'd been a bit concerned after not seeing Dave much recently. At least he now knew he was still...alive and on the ship and such.]

Comments

[hollywood_bro]

[Dave isn't the best at relationships, but he doesn't just give up on people. He usually sticks around long after other have given up on him, actually. He likes to believe that most relationships can work even though a lot of his haven't.]

Right. You gotta give in a little sometimes, but you shouldn't be the only one doing it 'cause that's bad. Relationships take a lot of work. They don't just happen.

[Thash's romantic life is the last thing on Dave's mind. He's pretty preoccupied with his own past and trying not to sound like an idiot.]

[crankyshark]

[He nodded thoughtfully, thinking that sounded reasonable. And he was right... already Thash had found it wasn't easy]

Yeah, guess you're right... it's worth it though, huh? You sound like you've had quite a few of them.

[hollywood_bro]

The thing about being a celebrity is that everyone wants to get in your pants. Sometimes it's hard to tell which ones care and which ones are just there for fortune and fame.

[And most of them were form the second group. It just happens.]

[crankyshark]

Oh... never thought about that. That's gotta suck. Well, that's a good thing about Grell I guess... she sure as heck doesn't seem like the type to care about that kinda stuff.

...Just how famous are you, anyway?

[hollywood_bro]

I don't think she has any idea how famous I was. Everybody knew my name. I was as big as Mel Gibson. Almost as hated too, even though I'm not a bigot.

[That gets him thinking though, because it's been different since he came here.]

Most people here don't have a clue, but maybe that's a good thing. I can go places without being mobbed, stalked, or followed by the paparazzi. I can hang out in public without bodyguards or an escort. Fuck, no one has even asked for my autograph.

I thought I would miss all that, but I don't. I just miss the people I used to care about.

[crankyshark]

Wow...sounds like kinda a hassle. Why did people hate you though? [he had no idea who Mel Gibson was of course, but by the way Dave had said he was both famous and hated kinda made him sound like an infamous criminal or something. Didn't seem likely] And yeah, I really like most of the ways that this world is different from mine...but there's only one person I miss, so it's probably harder for you if you have a lot of people at home you love.

[hollywood_bro]

Sometimes it's because they took my ironic sense of humor too literally. You can't take irony literally, that's not how it works. There are offensive elements in my movies because there are offensive things in our culture. I don't shy away from the word "faggot" because people use it all the time and I want them to realize it's fucking stupid. I have a token black character in my movies because everybody in Hollywood does and it's insulting. I use all kinds of degrading terms for women because society views them as sexual objects and it's wrong. If you can't take a joke don't watch my movies.

[That sure was a rant Dave didn't even intend to embark on, but now that he's started he might as well finish.]

The world I come from is fucked up, but there were people in it who were okay. I don't know. They're probably all dead now. My world wasn't a nice place to live, but it was home.

[crankyshark]

[with his own very limited cultural exposure Thash didn't understand much of what Dave was talking about, but he understood the tone of frustration, and the bit about females being viewed as objects]

Yeah, that crap pisses me off too. I got treated badly for a lot of my life... Disrespected, belittled, even bought and sold.... So it burns me to see anyone else treated that way and it seems like rude guys do that to women a lot.

[he was glad to hear Dave's views on that matched his own. He'd always felt like that might be a barrier to him being friends with other guys, but at least that wasn't the case here]

At least you knew some good people...hopefully they're not all dead. Maybe if and when you get back, not much time will have passed? Sounds like time can flow differently in different worlds from what I've heard.

[hollywood_bro]

[It isn't often Dave gets up on a high horse about it. Usually he just leaves his movies up to interpretation, but since they aren't here and Thash can't see them he sort of has to explain himself.]

The society I grew up in idolizes things that are really fucking stupid. Rap culture is totally degrading to women and guys talk about drug use, killing people, and how big their dicks are. Like... I love rap, but I don't love the attitude. Using music to act like you're all that and a bag of chips and everyone else is worthless is just dumb.

And I know I come off that way, like I think I'm the shit. Because I am. I'm fucking awesome, but I don't think I'm better than anyone else. A dude who's truly confident doesn't have to put other people down to know that he's cool. He just is.

[Dave gets so sidetracked that he forgets to reply to the last part of what Thash said. He's pretty sure everyone he cared about is dead anyway. It wouldn't do any good to talk about it.]

[crankyshark]

Wow...yeah, I'd probably hate that kind of music too. There was certainly music with lyrics I didn't like in my world, but I don't think I came across anything that bad...

[he nodded about the confidence comment, also letting the subject of people Dave knew drop]

Yeah, I feel ya there. I freakin' hate it when people act all elitist like they're better than everyone else. As if magical strength or good looks or status in society gives them the right to talk to others like they're trash... I can't get along with people like that at all.

[hollywood_bro]

It isn't all bad. Rhyming and rhythm are cool and a lot of rappers use their music to talk about things that are wrong in our society. Then there are rappers who are complete shit and use their music to make asses of themselves.

[Technically there isn't even a lot of distinction between the two. Most rappers are pretty atrocious regardless of their motives. There are rappers who are out there to express themselves and they don't care who they offend, and then there are rappers who rap specifically to offend. Big difference.]

It ain't even about that. Most of these guys just want to look big and bad because their lives have been shitty, but if you're gonna act like trash then you're gonna get treated like trash.

[crankyshark]

[He nodded] Guess there is that element of variety in any genre of music.

Hmmm. Doesn't always happen that way where I come from. It's more like if there's a rumor going around that you're trash you get treated like it. And if you're in a high position, you can act like a bag of crap and people will still love you.

[hollywood_bro]

That's not what I'm talking about. Sure, there are some trashy people who are still famous, lots of them in fact, but it doesn't change how awful they are. No matter how many people admire them they're still trash.

[Famous people still get away with a lot though. He isn't trying to deny that. Everyone's supposed to be equal, but in reality there's a different standard for people who have money and power. They can get out of almost anything.]

'Course it doesn't really help when your entire world is run by a homicidal alien bitch. Would've been a lot better without her.

[crankyshark]

Run by... what?? How did that happen?

[hollywood_bro]

Slowly and subtly. She snuck into our world, gathered power, used subliminal messages to numb the minds of the masses, and then suddenly BAM! She's Alien Empress of the Earth.

[He might have over-dramatized it a bit, but that's basically how it went.]

[crankyshark]

Dang... that sucks. People still don't realize it happened and want to fight back or what?

[hollywood_bro]

No. Most of them were too brainwashed for that and the ones who weren't got rounded up and sent to concentration camps, so...

[Yeah. it was pretty bad.]

[crankyshark]

Dang. Well, I hope you're not offended by this, but I don't think I'll be adding your world to the list of ones I'd like to visit if possible.

[hollywood_bro]

That is like the least offensive thing I've ever heard. Dude, I don't even want to visit my own world. Why do you think I was happy when left? This place is like a summer vacation compared to there.

[crankyshark]

Hahah...So I'm not the only one who likes this world better than their home world huh? If I could, I'd choose to stay here and never go back.

[hollywood_bro]

I don't know if I'd want to stay here. It's a nice place to visit, but I've gotta go back sometime. Even if everyone is dead.

[crankyshark]

[He frowned a bit, looking confused] I can understand going back to a crappy place for people you care about, but would you really want to go back if you found out everyone was dead? I mean... well, I doubt that's the case anyway. I've heard people say they've gone back to their world and no time even passed.

[hollywood_bro]

I don't mean everyone is literally dead. Just most of the people I care about. I'm sure there are still plenty of people around, maybe even a few I like, but they already killed two of my best actors and I'm pretty fucking upset about it.

[crankyshark]

[he frowned sympathetically at that news] oh, sheesh.... Not cool. I cent believe there's really no way to get psycho alien lady out of power... Maybe you guys need a really good assassin or something to step up. Too bad we can't go freely into each other's worlds, or I bet Kat could help you with that problem...

[hollywood_bro]

Dude, her power level is over 9000. I know you don't get the reference, but that's like... a lot of power, okay? She can communicate with animals, float in mid air, use mind control. She could kill someone with one blow or call up an army of creatures. She could even take control of my brain and force me to kill my own sister if she wanted.