His Name Was Michael · 1:02am Jan 12th, 2021
Today I learned that a good friend of mine passed away.
For those of you who don't know, I work in the medical transportation field. This friend of mine is someone I drove for years to personal appointments, doctor's appointments, and all manner of other things. He was one of the coolest people imaginable.
Old school gamer, old school LARPer, Old school punk rock rage-against-the-machine, stick-it-to-the-man kind of guy.
Before COVID we used to sit and talk for hours about gaming, Dungeons & Dragons, and politics. We'd talk about our campaigns, old and current. He was like me, a forever DM, the person that everyone wanted to DM their games because it was all they ever did so they were so goddamn good at it that they never got to play. I promised him once that I'd run a game for him, but then COVD hit and I couldn't see him anymore. Not like that anyway. He was too vulnerable. He had too many things wrong his body to risk that kind of exposure. Soon, the only time I ever got to see him was when I'd drive him to his appointments.
We'd still talk. We'd talk about D&D and the campaign I was running. He'd brew ideas with me; narrative arcs and storylines. I promised him I would tell him how the campaign ended.
I can't now.
People like him get forgotten so easily. He was disabled; an amputee, with a chronic lung disorder. It's so easy to see them and forget that they've lived their lives in ways we can't imagine. They have stories we'll never know about places we'll never be and have seen things we'll never see. Through him, I saw the old LARP scene of LA, back in the days of the Mind's Eye Theater before it exploded into Whitewolf Games. I got to hear about the massive, 40-50 person Vampire the Masquerade LARPs and the huge conventions he went to before his body started failing him.
I might be one of the last people who ever got to hear his stories, and it breaks my heart. He was so much more interesting than that. He had so many more things we could have talked about, and now he's gone, but I remember what I learned from him.
He was my friend, and his name was Michael.
His name was Michael. Remember him.
I’m sorry about your friend Michael.
I'm so sorry for your loss. If you need time, take as long as you need.
I'm very sorry for your loss, man. Take care of yourself, and give yourself all the time you need to remember him.
I'm sorry for your loss.
Sending prayers your way & if there's a way to help out, let us know
Am so sorry about Michael it awesome you keeping his memory alive.
Human lives have worth. Each of us is a reflection of the love that was put in us, the pain we've known, and the beauty we've sought.
This past year has been a bitter time for anyone unable to be with those they care about. I pray that your friend will be at rest.
Make that campaign the best you've ever done. And maybe the heroes may fight alongside a Celestial named Michael before the end.
Thank you for remembering, and sharing stories.
My condolences to you, and I'm sorry.
I'm afraid I'm not sure what else to say.
I'm sorry for the bad news. But that is life, it has an ending. keep on going, for him.