Tag
This evening, while watching Highlander* on TV, Mara handed me a military dog-tag that she had come upon whilst going through some random stuff that needed packing. She said she didn't remember where it came from.
So I turned to the internet. Based on the layout, format, shape, and lack of little notch, it's US Army, post-1980. A quick google search for the name on the tag turned up several results which seem to be all about the same person: a registered plumber and soil tester from Eagle River, WI, who graduated from Northern Pine High School in 1995 and who is now married and has a daughter with amblyopia (lazy eye)**. Judging by the fact that Mara is from up in that area, I'm going to guess that it's his. He is still alive, as far as I can tell (his master plumber's license was updated last year, and he isn't on the casualties lists for any of the recent military actions we've been in), and I even have his address and phone number.
When Mara handed the tag to me, my first thought was "this would make an excellent character concept hook." I really enjoy making characters designed around objects or incidents rather than themes or archtypes. It's fun to build an entire person from something as small as a marble or a figurine or a scene briefly witnessed out a car window. This would work really well for that. I could even use it as my inspiration for a possible Hunter LARP character, if I end up participating.
But on the other hand, I'm a little curious about this guy. How would he react if I sent the tag back to him? I wonder how he lost it in the first place? How did Mara end up with it? Would it be sacraligious (or simply tacky) to base a character on a real person, who is still alive?
What do you think?
* I'd forgotten how awful that movie is. So very 80's.
** Score two points for the internet! It'd be creepy, if it weren't so useful. I mean, I guess it's kinda creepy anyway. This is why I google my own name every once in a while to make sure it's not too easy to dig up info on me.
So I turned to the internet. Based on the layout, format, shape, and lack of little notch, it's US Army, post-1980. A quick google search for the name on the tag turned up several results which seem to be all about the same person: a registered plumber and soil tester from Eagle River, WI, who graduated from Northern Pine High School in 1995 and who is now married and has a daughter with amblyopia (lazy eye)**. Judging by the fact that Mara is from up in that area, I'm going to guess that it's his. He is still alive, as far as I can tell (his master plumber's license was updated last year, and he isn't on the casualties lists for any of the recent military actions we've been in), and I even have his address and phone number.
When Mara handed the tag to me, my first thought was "this would make an excellent character concept hook." I really enjoy making characters designed around objects or incidents rather than themes or archtypes. It's fun to build an entire person from something as small as a marble or a figurine or a scene briefly witnessed out a car window. This would work really well for that. I could even use it as my inspiration for a possible Hunter LARP character, if I end up participating.
But on the other hand, I'm a little curious about this guy. How would he react if I sent the tag back to him? I wonder how he lost it in the first place? How did Mara end up with it? Would it be sacraligious (or simply tacky) to base a character on a real person, who is still alive?
What do you think?
* I'd forgotten how awful that movie is. So very 80's.
** Score two points for the internet! It'd be creepy, if it weren't so useful. I mean, I guess it's kinda creepy anyway. This is why I google my own name every once in a while to make sure it's not too easy to dig up info on me.