Looking For A Lost Friend

[museicalmarty]

Have a confused Marty wandering around the general question area, looking like he's searching for something -- or, rather, someone. "Where the hell -- okay, you know what? Place is for questions -- anybody seen Victor? He said he was going to 'clear his head' about an hour ago, and we thought he'd be back by now."

[For those curious, Victor does happen to be in the Nexus -- passed out on a rather large couch that Marty just hasn't come across yet, thanks to the weird way space and directions work in this place. Maybe it thought he needed the sleep]

Comments

[palmerthing]

Yeah. I might even find things to learn about that aren't biology! *He chuckles.* History and literature and math and all kinds of fun shit. Who knows, maybe I'll try normal food.

I am? What, is it just pretending to be a random person? *That doesn't sound like much of a game to him, even aside from the fact that he's doing it already.*

[museicalmarty]

I thought you did try normal food and decided it wasn't for you? I mean, we're all happy if you want to give it another go. . .

Not really -- it's more of a game about taking care of virtual people. They're called Sims, and you have to build or buy them a house, fulfill their needs -- make sure they go to the bathroom when they're bustin' for it, eat when they're hungry, stuff like that -- get them jobs, make sure they complete their life goals. . .it's basically a "everyday life" simulator. Hell, latest one makes you do laundry if you have the right stuff pack.

[palmerthing]

I tried it a bit, but . . . maybe rare steak, something like that? Whatever's closest to what I usually eat, just so that I can join in with people. Unless you're okay with, you know, the frogs and shit.

Yeah, that sounds slightly redundant. So are games where you play a monster, and I'd rather not play a game where you have to fight monsters . . .

[museicalmarty]

Rare steak probably would be the closest, yeah. That or sushi, that's raw fish. I mean, if you need to get frogs, I'll just look away, but -- yeah.

Right. . .problem is, that rules out most games. [thinking again] You might like Portal? That's a puzzle game, involves robots. Pretty short, but it has a longer sequel.

[palmerthing]

Both of those sound good. At least enough that I can eat them okay, even if it's not very nutritious.

Ooh, yes. Those are fun.

[museicalmarty]

At the very least, you got options for anybody who might be too freaked out by the frog stuff. Though given how the people at the ice cream shop didn't even bat an eye at that. . .

Yeah, some of them get really complex -- makes your brain hurt, but in a good way.

[palmerthing]

You did, though, so I should probably try it. I don't wanna gross you out too much.

Cool! Is there a way to do it with multiple people?

[museicalmarty]

[awkward smile] I tried not to? Sorry, just -- some stuff you still gotta get used to.

First one, no, that's all single player. Second one DOES have a two-person co-op campaign, though! You don't even need to be in the same place!

[palmerthing]

I get it, man. Humans haven't eaten raw meat for a million years or so.

We'll have to do that, then.

[museicalmarty]

And certainly nothing that's still alive as you bite into it. [pause] Except maybe yogurt. Still not sure how that works.

Heh -- if you don't mind me taking a while to solve some of the puzzles, sure.

[palmerthing]

Yeah, yogurt is just plain weird. *He pauses.* Lobsters are alive when you cook them, though, which is kinda creepy.

Hey, I doubt I'll be any faster.

[museicalmarty]

I -- hadn't really thought about that before. Do they HAVE to be alive when you cook them? That seems kind of -- horrible if so. Makes me glad I haven't eaten lobster in a while.

I guess it all depends on which of us gets to grips with the whole 'portal' thing first. [grins] I'll have to play when Doc isn't around, otherwise he'd probably explode from trying not to give me hints.

[palmerthing]

I think they rot really fast for some reason, so you have to kill them right before cooking. Most people don't really know how to kill them, so they just boil them alive because it's harder to botch.

*Palmer laughs.* I feel like that would be fun to watch, though . . .

[museicalmarty]

Huh. That's weird. Now I want to look up stuff about lobsters and see why that is.

[Marty laughs along] Probably would, honestly -- Doc getting twitchy about stuff can be pretty funny. At least if it's small stuff like that. [Bigger stuff, not so much]

[palmerthing]

Lobsters are weird. Not that I'm at all one to talk, but still. They're weird.

Wanna do that next time, then?

[museicalmarty]

Dude, anything you think is weird has gotta be really weird.

Hey, I'm game! Uh, no pun intended.

[palmerthing]

Yeah--thinking like a human probably has something to do with it, but lobsters are still strange to me. And then I remember that I could grow bug legs pretty easily if I wanted to and it's a bit creepy.

Great.

[museicalmarty]

Probably. And hell, you could BE a lobster if you wanted. A giant one, sure, but it wouldn't be THAT hard, would it?

Heh, awesome.

[palmerthing]

Yeah. They need water, so I couldn't do it here, but I could do it.

[museicalmarty]

[jokingly] What, can't figure out how to make yourself a land lobster? Or are they too weird for that?

[palmerthing]

The breathing would be rather difficult, I'd have to rearrange some things. Lungs take up a lot of space, you know?

[museicalmarty]

I -- never really thought about it until this minute. [looks at his own chest] Guess they do for the whole "inflating" thing, huh?

[palmerthing]

It's very annoying, honestly, but oxygen is hard to collect without a pretty broad surface and lungs can be full of little wrinkles for that. Better than trying to breathe through your skin.

[museicalmarty]

Yeah, I don't think that would work out for most things. If only because any time you got any major gunk on you, you'd be struggling for air.

[palmerthing]

It would be hard even just to go out in the rain.