Celebrity billionaire Gus Goodman was notorious for a life and fortune wasted on a string of elaborate stunts. He’d skydived from 150,000 feet, and he’d broken the land speed record in a vehicle of his own design. He’d won a round-the-world race against a line-up of some of America’s favourite comedians, travel journalists, and sports personalities, and he’d even genetically engineered a new species of spicy-beef-producing cow in a bid to impress celebrity chef Nicola Kostopoulos.
Gus Goodman was so rich that he’d even launched his own social media network – Fritter – allowing members of the general public to directly message him with new and absurd ways to fritter away his vast fortune (a venture which had earned him several million dollars in advertising revenues, most of which he’d wasted providing period costumes to geese).
To his fans, he was the god of the improbable, a captain of industry, and a genius born before his time. But for every fan he had two detractors, and many people criticised him for squandering his wealth that could have been used to improve the lives of others less fortunate than himself. None of this bothered Gus in the slightest. You can’t please all the people all the time, and anyway, why the heck would you want to?
But when he successfully met BBN News anchor Chet Chester’s challenge to ride a unicorn on the surface of the moon, even his most loyal fans began to wonder if it was a step too far.
How would you continue this story? What challenges does Gus Goodman face as a consequence of his exuberance? Let us know in the comments below.
Artwork by Jason Odin Heuser (aka SharpWriter) sharpwriter.deviantart.com