  
 
The idea behind ClubFloyd is that each week at a pre-arranged time, a group of people meet online to cooperatively play a game of interactive fiction. Below is a transcript of Love Is as Powerful as Death, Jealousy Is as Cruel as the Grave, written by Michael Whittington. Love Is as Powerful as Death, Jealousy Is as Cruel as the Grave: A Cambodian Ghost Story was originally released as part of the 2009 Saugus.net Halloween Ghost Story Contest, where it took third place. You can learn more about the game, including how to download it, by visiting the ifWiki.WARNING! Below you will find a transcript of people playing this game, and it goes without saying that the transcript is full of spoilers. So, if you've never played this game, and think you might like to at some point, I do not recommend reading any further. Instead, you might want to return to the interactive fiction page. |
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| Jacqueline asks, "So, last game?" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "quit" | Nitku says, "yeah" | |||
Floyd | | ||||
| Floyd asks, "That game over already? It was just getting good. Wanna play another?" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "load liasad" | ||||
Floyd | Welcome to the Cheap Glk Implementation, library version 0.9.0. Floyd | Floyd | Love Is As Powerful As Death, Jealousy Is As Cruel As The Grave Floyd | Floyd | A Cambodian Ghost Story Floyd | Floyd | by Floyd | Floyd | Michael Whittington Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | (If you are new to Interactive Fiction, type HELP.) Floyd | Floyd | This is how later you would remember these events, almost as if Floyd | reliving them, going over the details again and again, trying to Floyd | recapture the feel of events, putting yourself into them as if they Floyd | were happening for the first time. Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Third World Girls Floyd | Floyd | Cafe Khmer Floyd | This is the dining room of the Cafe Khmer. Floyd | Floyd | There's a thin metal table here that Joe is sitting at. Joe's coffee Floyd | sits on the table. You haven't had coffee in a long time, actually. Floyd | Floyd | Joe is here, chillin'. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Wow, quite different in voice from the last two." | |||
| ParserGirl asks, "Cambodian ghost story, huh?" | ||||
| smartgenes says, "what a name" | ||||
| ParserGirl says, "I forget how to give floyd public commands." | ||||
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "x me" | ||||
Floyd | This is you, Roger West - six feet tall, dirty-blonde hair, and not Floyd | conspicuously out of shape. You are, you think somewhat critically, Floyd | as handsome as ever. Unfortunately that doesn't say much. Floyd | Floyd | "Dude, what's up?" Joe says. Joe has started his own small business Floyd | matching private tutors with Koreans who have money. (There's no Floyd | money in tutoring Khmers.) You heard he was looking for tutors. More Floyd | than anything else, you're hoping he can send some business your way. Floyd | Floyd | (You could say not much, lie and say lots, tell him about girls, or Floyd | ask him about a job, Joe himself, or bring up something else.) Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "f command" | |||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "ask joe about himself" | ||||
Floyd | Joe snorts. "Yeah, whatever." Clearly, he thinks your "himself" Floyd | thing was a dumb comment. Or maybe he just didn't hear you? Floyd | Floyd | > | ParserGirl says, "I don't think I did that quite the way the game wanted." | |||
| smartgenes says (to Floyd), "tell joe about girls" | ||||
Floyd | "There's these two girls I'm trying to figure out." you tell Joe. Floyd | Floyd | "Not surprising" Joe replies. "Who are they?" Floyd | Floyd | "One's a Filipina named Mary. The other's a Khmer girl." Floyd | Floyd | "Whats her name?" Floyd | Floyd | "Paridy. Part-time librarian at the school I work at." And she's Floyd | neat, you think, but she doesn't have the basic idea of organization: Floyd | of alphabetical order, for example. Floyd | Floyd | "Aah. I know them," Joe says. Floyd | Floyd | (You could tell him about Mary, or Paridy, or ask him about a job, Joe Floyd | himself, or bring up something else.) Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "tell joe about paridy" | ||||
Floyd | "How do you know Paridy?" Floyd | Floyd | "Well, remember, I used to work at your same school. Just part-time." Floyd | Floyd | Oh, that's right. That's actually how you met Joe: he was going out, Floyd | segueing into working only as a private tutor for Koreans, just as you Floyd | were coming in. Floyd | Floyd | "I wouldn't waste too much time on her," Joe is saying. "She's a good Floyd | girl." Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "This is... a halloween thing? huh" | |||
| Jacqueline asks, "Not, um, an Erin's entry?" | ||||
| Gerynar says, "it's a ghost story" | ||||
| DavidW says, "It seems to have a nonstandard beginning." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "mmkay" | ||||
| Nitku says, "One of them has herpes. THE HORROR" | ||||
| ParserGirl says, "Curses! Castigating chastity, churl! Cheese it." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "tell joe about mary" | ||||
Floyd | "How do you know Mary?" you ask. Floyd | Floyd | "She used to work at the California School," Joe says. "That's how Floyd | you met her, right?" Floyd | Floyd | "Through one of the teachers there, yeah." Floyd | Floyd | "Yeah, she's hot. And I think she's the kind of girl you need." Floyd | Floyd | A pretty blonde girl walks by, distracting you both. Floyd | Floyd | "What do you think?" Joe asks you. Floyd | Floyd | "French," you reply. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "get coffee" | ||||
Floyd | "Hey, hey - hands off," Joe says, holding his coffee protectively. Floyd | Floyd | "Yeah, so anyway-" Joe says. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "ask joe about himself" | ||||
Floyd | "Hey, man," Joe says, seeming to notice you for the first time. Floyd | Floyd | "No, you had your chance," Joe tells you. "Now I'm going to tell you Floyd | about my new girlfriend." Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| smartgenes says (to Floyd), "ask joe about job" | ||||
Floyd | "No, you had your chance," Joe tells you. "Now I'm going to tell you Floyd | about my new girlfriend." Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "i" | ||||
Floyd | You are carrying your wallet and your cell phone. Floyd | Floyd | "Try to keep up. I know you never have much to say, but this is Floyd | ridiculous." Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "ask joe about girlfriend" | ||||
| smartgenes says (to Floyd), "x wallet" | ||||
Floyd | Joe looks you over. And it's friendly, but it's not. Floyd | Floyd | Joe raises his eyebrows. "HuhWhat?" Floyd | Floyd | A pickup truck, with a rusted cab and a banged-together bed of wood, Floyd | pulls up outside, and a delivery guy props the door open and brings Floyd | some boxes in to the back. Floyd | Floyd | > Floyd | Your wallet is far less important here in Cambodia than at home. Your Floyd | driver's license, bearing the name Roger West, would be useless to the Floyd | police, as most of them can't read English, and no license is required Floyd | to drive anyway. Floyd | Floyd | Like most ex-patriots, you keep your really important stuff - your ATM Floyd | card and your passport, which contains your visa - safely at home. Floyd | Floyd | Cambodians use American money, mostly - paper dollars. They use their Floyd | own currency as small change. 4,000 reil to a dollar. Or sometimes Floyd | 4,400. It depends on which way the transaction is going. Floyd | Floyd | "Why do I always have to do all the work?" Joe demands. "Why can't Floyd | you ever hold up your end of a conversation?" Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "tell me about girlfriend" | ||||
Floyd | Talking to yourself won't accomplish anything. Floyd | Floyd | "I've been dating this girl. She's pretty cool, actually." While Floyd | he's talking to you, he takes out his phone and brings something up on Floyd | it. Floyd | Floyd | Joe the phone out to you, showing you a picture. It's the image of a Floyd | beautiful Asian girl tied and gagged on a bed. She's otherwise naked. Floyd | It's actually quite shocking. Floyd | Floyd | Seeing your expression, Joe laughs. The delivery guy takes his Floyd | paperwork, climbs into the truck, and drives off. A moment later, the Floyd | waitress (who you haven't managed to get the attention of) closes the Floyd | door as she passes through. Floyd | Floyd | (You could ask him about his new girlfriend, a job, Joe himself, or Floyd | bring up something else, or tell him about Paridy.) Floyd | Floyd | > | Fang says, "..." | |||
| Ellison says, "I hope Joe is a better tutor than he is a coffeehouse conversationalist" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "What Fang said." | ||||
| ParserGirl says, "Here's your problem. This waitress is haunted!" | ||||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "ask joe about girl" | ||||
Floyd | "How'd you meet this girl?" you ask. "I can tell you're into her." Floyd | Floyd | "She was a hooker," Joe replies promptly. "Still is, technically, but Floyd | I told her she had to stop while she was with me." | smartgenes says, "were we meant to pay attention to delivery and waitress" | |||
Floyd | Floyd | You say nothing. He reads your expression. "It's okay," he tells Floyd | you. "I had her tested. She's healthy, basically. She has hep. Floyd | That's the only really bad thing. I'm careful." Floyd | Floyd | (You could ask where he met her, tell him about Paridy, or ask him Floyd | about a job, Joe himself, or bring up something else.) Floyd | Floyd | > | Nitku says, "That better not be his tutoring material" | |||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "x photo" | ||||
Floyd | The word "photo" is not necessary in this story. Floyd | Floyd | (If this was an accidental misspelling, you can correct it by typing Floyd | OOPS followed by the corrected word now. Any time the story points Floyd | out an unknown word, you can correct a misspelling using OOPS as your Floyd | next command.) Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "ask where he met her" | ||||
Floyd | "Where'd you meet her?" you ask. Floyd | Floyd | "At the X-pub." Floyd | Floyd | The X-pub is one of the night-life spots in Siem Reap. You've never Floyd | been there. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "ask joe about joe" | ||||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | "No, you had your chance," Joe tells you. "Now I'm going to tell you Floyd | about my new girlfriend." Floyd | Floyd | > Floyd | Cafe Khmer Floyd | This is the dining room of the Cafe Khmer. Floyd | Floyd | There's a thin metal table here that Joe is sitting at. Joe's coffee Floyd | sits on the table. You haven't had coffee in a long time, actually. Floyd | Floyd | At the moment, Joe is talking to you. Floyd | Floyd | "Why do I always have to do all the work?" Joe demands. "Why can't Floyd | you ever hold up your end of a conversation?" Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "ask joe about girlfriend" | ||||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "ask joe about girlfriend" | ||||
Floyd | Joe looks you over. And it's friendly, but it's not. Floyd | Floyd | "Do you want to tell me about your new girlfriend?" you ask. Floyd | Floyd | "I could talk about her all day," Joe says, smiling to himself. Floyd | Floyd | > Floyd | "You're dating a hooker?" you ask. Floyd | Floyd | Joe nods. "When she was a kid, her parents sold her off to work as a Floyd | child beggar. One of the ones who try to sell you stuff when you go Floyd | to see the ruins of the temple-city. It was supposed to be temporary. Floyd | They raped her into it there. She got a boss who liked kids. Liked Floyd | making them hurt. Bad luck." Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "ask joe about girlfriend" | ||||
Floyd | "I don't entirely understand how she got out of it," Joe says, "but I Floyd | know she was out of it for a while. Made friends with the right Floyd | person, I think. Got back into it recently. She wasn't out of it for Floyd | too long - claims to be eighteen. Anyway, there's a few years Floyd | unaccounted for. Man, she's into some crazy stuff." Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "ask joe about girlfriend" | ||||
Floyd | "We have an agreement," Joe says. "She doesn't let any other guy Floyd | touch her. But I can do whatever I want, as long as she's getting Floyd | what she needs." Floyd | Floyd | Joe ponders for a moment. "Or at least I think that's our agreement." Floyd | He laughs. "She speaks broken beggar English, and I speak no Khmer. Floyd | Anyway, that's how I'm running it." Floyd | Floyd | > | Fang says, "hmmmmm" | |||
| smartgenes says (to Floyd), "again" | ||||
Floyd | Joe breaks into a shockingly beautiful smile. "I don't know... I Floyd | just feel so good for some reason, and just here while I'm talking to Floyd | you, I can't get her out of my mind." Floyd | Floyd | (You could tell him about Paridy, or ask him about a job, Joe himself, Floyd | or bring up something else.) Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline considers whether or not she'll be posting this transcript to her site. | |||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "ask joe about girlfriend" | ||||
Floyd | "Sounds like quite a girl," you say. Floyd | Floyd | Joe's smile lingers. He just shrugs. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "I thought we had a no AIF agreement." | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "ask joe about a job" | ||||
Floyd | You say, "I'm really not finding the work here in Cambodia they told Floyd | me I'd find. They told me having my teaching cert would open doors. Floyd | They told me-" Floyd | Floyd | "Aw, man, you are such a whiner," Joe says. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "But here we are." | |||
| Ellison says, "wow, what an odd game to submit to a community contest" | ||||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "g" | ||||
Floyd | You say, "I'm really not finding the work here in Cambodia they told Floyd | me I'd find. They told me having my teaching cert would open doors. Floyd | They told me-" Floyd | Floyd | "Aw, man, you are such a whiner," Joe says. Floyd | Floyd | > | Fang says, "well, this isn't quite AIF yet" | |||
| smartgenes says, "shit man i'm really scared though" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Ell), "Yeah." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x coffee" | ||||
Floyd | That's Joe's coffee. It sure looks good. Floyd | Floyd | "Why do I always have to do all the work?" Joe demands. "Why can't Floyd | you ever hold up your end of a conversation?" Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says (to Fang), "Not... quite. But I don't think this bodes well." | |||
| ParserGirl says, ">. BACK AWAY SLOWLY. AVOID EYE CONTACT." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "ask joe for coffee" | ||||
Floyd | Joe looks you over. And it's friendly, but it's not. Floyd | Floyd | Joe raises his eyebrows. "HuhWhat?" Floyd | Floyd | > | Ellison says, "ha ha" | |||
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "order coffee" | ||||
Floyd | The word "order" is not necessary in this story. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "ask joe about job" | ||||
Floyd | You say, "I'm really not finding the work here in Cambodia they told Floyd | me I'd find. They told me having my teaching cert would open doors. Floyd | They told me-" Floyd | | Jacqueline says, "Then again, maga and I are considering a review of a fairly adult mod to a game we've been playing, so." | |||
Floyd | "Aw, man, you are such a whiner," Joe says. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "bring up something else" | ||||
Floyd | The story doesn't understand that command. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "take coffee" | ||||
Floyd | "Hey, that's my coffee. Get your own." Floyd | Floyd | "Why do I always have to do all the work?" Joe demands. "Why can't Floyd | you ever hold up your end of a conversation?" Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "buy coffee" | ||||
Floyd | The word "buy" is not necessary in this story. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "ask joe about girl" | ||||
Floyd | Joe looks you over. And it's friendly, but it's not. Floyd | Floyd | "Sounds like quite a girl," you say. Floyd | Floyd | Joe's smile lingers. He just shrugs. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | Cafe Khmer Floyd | This is the dining room of the Cafe Khmer. Floyd | Floyd | There's a thin metal table here that Joe is sitting at. Joe's coffee Floyd | sits on the table. You haven't had coffee in a long time, actually. Floyd | Floyd | At the moment, Joe is talking to you. Floyd | Floyd | "Why do I always have to do all the work?" Joe demands. "Why can't Floyd | you ever hold up your end of a conversation?" Floyd | Floyd | > | smartgenes says, "ask joe about the girl in his basement" | |||
| Ellison asks (of Jacqueline), "does that mod also involve 'coffee'?" | ||||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "ask joe about paridy" | ||||
Floyd | Joe looks you over. And it's friendly, but it's not. Floyd | Floyd | "I like good girls," you say. Floyd | Floyd | He shrugs. "You might like them, but are you successful with them? Floyd | There's two ways to get into a girl like Paridy: marry her, or be a Floyd | pimp." He laces his fingers behind his head and leans back. "Like Floyd | me." Floyd | Floyd | (You could zing him about the pimp comment, tell him about Paridy, or Floyd | ask him about being a whiner, Joe himself, or bring up something Floyd | else.) Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| smartgenes says (to Floyd), "phone the cops now" | ||||
Floyd | The word "cops" is not necessary in this story. Floyd | Floyd | > | Fang says, "well, S&M is legal in some places" | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "zing" | ||||
Floyd | "You're a pimp?' you ask. Floyd | Floyd | "You know it,' Joe replies. Floyd | Floyd | Hm. That didn't work at all. Joe remains un-zung. Floyd | Floyd | > | Fang says, "IN THE PLACE WHERE THIS IF WAS MADE" | |||
| ParserGirl says, "hahaha" | ||||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "ask him about being a whiner" | ||||
Floyd | "Well, what do you mean I'm a whiner?" you ask. Floyd | Floyd | "I'll just put it this way - I'm glad I don't work with you." Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "pimp" | ||||
Floyd | That command can't be used right now. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| smartgenes says (to Floyd), "ask joe to come back to my place" | ||||
Floyd | The story doesn't understand that command. Please use ASK ACTOR ABOUT Floyd | TOPIC (or just A TOPIC). Floyd | Floyd | "Why do I always have to do all the work?" Joe demands. "Why can't Floyd | you ever hold up your end of a conversation?" Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "ask him about joe" | ||||
Floyd | Joe looks you over. And it's friendly, but it's not. Floyd | Floyd | "So how're you, Joe?" you ask. Floyd | Floyd | "You know me, man. I'm always good." Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "coffee" | ||||
Floyd | The story doesn't understand that command. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "topic list" | ||||
Floyd | The word "topic" is not necessary in this story. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "topics" | ||||
Floyd | You could tell him about Paridy, or ask him about Joe himself, or Floyd | bring up something else. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "tell joe about paridy" | ||||
Floyd | "I think I have a chance with her," you say. Floyd | Floyd | "And how many girls in your life have you thought you had a chance Floyd | with, to find they'll let you buy them things but you get no Floyd | boom-boom?" (You have to admit, he has a point.) "Don't fight what Floyd | you are. You'll just frustrate yourself." Floyd | | Nitku says, "My professional opinion on Joe is that he's an asshole. But maybe that's just me." | |||
Floyd | (You could ask about frustrating yourself, or ask him about Joe Floyd | himself, or bring up something else.) Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| smartgenes says (to Floyd), "bring up something else" | ||||
Floyd | The story doesn't understand that command. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "ask him about frustrating yourself" | ||||
Floyd | "What do you mean, I'll frustrate myself if I fight what I am?" Floyd | Floyd | "Ah, y'know, man. I'm just saying, leave girls like Paridy to guys Floyd | who know how to get 'em in the sack." Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says (to Ellison), "Sadly, no. But the mod has recently been updated to include drunks in bars, as well as roaming chickens and pigs and goats in the streets, so I'm not knocking it on the no-coffee aspect." | |||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "ask him about joe" | ||||
Floyd | "So how're you, Joe?" you ask. Floyd | Floyd | "You know me, man. I'm always good." Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "tell him about assholes" | ||||
Floyd | Joe raises his eyebrows. "HuhWhat?" Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says (to Nitku), "I'm no professional, but I'd say you're right." | |||
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "slap joe" | ||||
Floyd | The word "slap" is not necessary in this story. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "find waitress" | ||||
Floyd | What do you want to look that up in? Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| smartgenes asks, "joe about something else" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "topics" | ||||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "topics" | ||||
Floyd | You could ask him about Joe himself, or bring up something else. Floyd | Floyd | > Floyd | You could ask him about Joe himself, or bring up something else. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "topics" | ||||
Floyd | You could ask him about Joe himself, or bring up something else. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "heh" | |||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "ask joe about joe himself" | ||||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "ask joe about joe" | ||||
Floyd | "So how're you, Joe?" you ask. Floyd | Floyd | "You know me, man. I'm always good." Floyd | Floyd | > Floyd | "So how're you, Joe?" you ask. Floyd | Floyd | "You know me, man. I'm always good." Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | Cafe Khmer Floyd | This is the dining room of the Cafe Khmer. Floyd | Floyd | There's a thin metal table here that Joe is sitting at. Joe's coffee Floyd | sits on the table. You haven't had coffee in a long time, actually. Floyd | Floyd | At the moment, Joe is talking to you. Floyd | Floyd | "Why do I always have to do all the work?" Joe demands. "Why can't Floyd | you ever hold up your end of a conversation?" Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "ask joe about coffee" | ||||
Floyd | Joe looks you over. And it's friendly, but it's not. Floyd | Floyd | Joe raises his eyebrows. "HuhWhat?" Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "look under table" | ||||
Floyd | You see nothing unusual under the cafe table. Floyd | Floyd | "Why do I always have to do all the work?" Joe demands. "Why can't Floyd | you ever hold up your end of a conversation?" Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "i" | ||||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "ask joe about girl" | ||||
Floyd | You are carrying your wallet and your cell phone. Floyd | Floyd | "So which one are you going to ask out?" Joe asks. "Mary or Paridy?" Floyd | Floyd | (You could say you'll ask out Mary, say you'll ask out Paridy, or ask Floyd | him about Joe himself, or bring up something else.) Floyd | Floyd | > Floyd | "Hey, hey... c'mon, man" Joe cajoles. "After all I told you? You've Floyd | got to answer my question or I'll feel like a dweeb." Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "say paridy" | ||||
Floyd | "I'll ask Paridy out," you say. Floyd | Floyd | Joe considers that. "Well, it's your choice, I guess." Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "oh. decision time" | |||
| Fang says, "oops" | ||||
| ParserGirl says, "I'll get behind Paridy." | ||||
| DavidW says, "shoulda saved" | ||||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "undo" | ||||
Floyd | Taking back one turn: "say paridy". Floyd | Floyd | Cafe Khmer Floyd | This is the dining room of the Cafe Khmer. Floyd | Floyd | There's a thin metal table here that Joe is sitting at. Joe's coffee Floyd | sits on the table. You haven't had coffee in a long time, actually. Floyd | Floyd | At the moment, Joe is talking to you. Floyd | Floyd | > | Fang says (to PG), "IYKWIM" | |||
| smartgenes says (to Floyd), "tell joe to pull down his trousers, i want you, you pimp lord" | ||||
Floyd | The word "trousers" is not necessary in this story. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says (to Fang), "hah" | |||
| ParserGirl says, "Now we can save." | ||||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "SAVE" | ||||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "cf6" | ||||
Floyd | Please select a file in which to save the current position > Floyd | Saved. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "say paridy" | ||||
Floyd | "I'll ask Paridy out," you say. Floyd | Floyd | Joe considers that. "Well, it's your choice, I guess." Floyd | Floyd | > | Fang says, "well librarians are hot" | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "ask joe about paridy" | ||||
Floyd | "I think I have a chance with her," you say. Floyd | Floyd | "And how many girls in your life have you thought you had a chance Floyd | with, to find they'll let you buy them things but you get no Floyd | boom-boom?" (You have to admit, he has a point.) "Don't fight what Floyd | you are. You'll just frustrate yourself." Floyd | Floyd | (You could ask him about Joe himself, or bring up something else.) Floyd | Floyd | > | Fang asks, "does Joe even know his 'girlfriend' 's name?" | |||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | Cafe Khmer Floyd | This is the dining room of the Cafe Khmer. Floyd | Floyd | There's a thin metal table here that Joe is sitting at. Joe's coffee Floyd | sits on the table. You haven't had coffee in a long time, actually. Floyd | Floyd | At the moment, Joe is talking to you. Floyd | Floyd | Frowning, Joe fiddles with his phone. He stands, mutters, "Hey, man-" Floyd | and walks away. Floyd | Floyd | You assume that he was going to the bathroom, or something, but after Floyd | a while you realize he's left. Floyd | Floyd | And that he's left you to pay for his coffee. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| smartgenes asks, "joe for perfidy's number" | ||||
| smartgenes says (to Floyd), "ask joe for perfidy's number" | ||||
Floyd | Joe's not here - he left in a hurry. And, it seems, stuck you with Floyd | the bill. Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | -The conversation didn't seem important at the time, but later you Floyd | would look back on it and wonder. Floyd | Floyd | Two days later, you were out on the balcony near your apartment Floyd | talking to your neighbor, Chuck. Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Contagion Floyd | Floyd | Chuck is basically a good guy - you like him - but it sometimes takes Floyd | him quite a long time to fomulate his thoughts, requiring you to wait Floyd | for him. Floyd | Floyd | > | Fang says, "bastard" | |||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "i" | ||||
Floyd | You are carrying your wallet and your cell phone. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "aw. We didn't drink it?" | ||||
Floyd | The word "aw" is not necessary in this story. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "open wallet" | ||||
Floyd | No need to fiddle with your wallet. Besides, it makes you look Floyd | awkward. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "x phone" | ||||
Floyd | Your cell phone is a tiny, cheap little thing - "cheap" in this case Floyd | being $40. You know you can get them for less, but you weren't able Floyd | to talk the merchant down any. This one keeps turning off for no good Floyd | reason. A good thing to keep with you, even though you have no one to Floyd | call at the moment. Floyd | Floyd | "There was a big fire the other day," Chuck tells you. "Did you hear Floyd | about it?" Floyd | Floyd | "Not really," you say. "Oh!- I smelled the smoke, a few days ago Floyd | around noon, but with Siem Reap so dusty I didn't think about it. Floyd | What happened?" Floyd | Floyd | "I heard somebody died in it, but then I heard that, no, all of the Floyd | tenants got out and were accounted for, so it's okay. Joe was talking Floyd | about it." Floyd | Floyd | (You could ask him about the big fire, or Chuck himself, or tell him Floyd | about Cambodian history.) Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "x chuck" | ||||
Floyd | Chuck is a small, somewhat heavy Australian. He's what some people Floyd | would call 'quietly intense', and others, 'tightly wound.' Although Floyd | he's not looking at you, you know Chuck is giving you his full Floyd | attention. You think he knows it can be unsettling when he looks Floyd | directly at a person - there's just something about him. Floyd | Floyd | > | ParserGirl says, "Chuck has hypnoaussievision." | |||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "ask chuck about the big fire" | ||||
Floyd | "I don't really get it," Chuck says. "Why is Cambodia so poor?" Floyd | Floyd | "Because of Pol Pot," you say. You read up on the history before you Floyd | got here. Floyd | Floyd | "Was there more to that story about the fire?" you ask. Floyd | Floyd | Chuck says, "Yeah, I guess there was." Floyd | Floyd | (You could ask him about the big fire, or Chuck himself, or tell him Floyd | about Cambodian history.) Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "g" | ||||
Floyd | "You talked to Joe?" you ask. "I haven't seen him lately." Floyd | Floyd | "Yeah; he said there had been a fire in New York a couple years ago Floyd | where the parents had been smoking in bed, and the mattress caught Floyd | fire. Then they tried to get the mattress out of the apartment, and Floyd | when they got it halfway through the doorway, well now there was a Floyd | draft, and it burst into flame. So they screwed up." Floyd | Floyd | Chuck considers something, and adds, "He didn't say what they were Floyd | smoking. I guess the media would have considered it an undiplomatic Floyd | question, under the circumstances. Maybe nothing exotic, even." Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| smartgenes says (to Floyd), "hi chucky, wanna play" | ||||
Floyd | The word "chucky" is not necessary in this story. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| smartgenes says (to Floyd), "ask joe about fire" | ||||
Floyd | You see no joe here. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| smartgenes says (to Floyd), "ask chuck about fire" | ||||
Floyd | "The whole family - the parents and three kids - were all stuck in the Floyd | apartment. Everyone else got out of the building safely, but they Floyd | were trapped. No fire exit. Sucks." Floyd | Floyd | Chuck motions. "Anyway, from what I understand, everyone's accounted Floyd | for in this one, thank Christ." Floyd | Floyd | > | ParserGirl asks, "Is this a random story or was there a repeat mattress blunder?" | |||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "ask chuck about fire" | ||||
Floyd | "I wonder where the fire was?" you say. Floyd | Floyd | "I don't know that," Chuck replies. "Somewhere in the neighborhood. Floyd | I imagine if you walk around, you'll notice the burnt-out husk of a Floyd | building somewhere." Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "tell chuck about cambodian history" | ||||
Floyd | "The country was discontent," you say, "because they were under French Floyd | colonial rule. Pol Pot came to power - there was another government Floyd | between the colonial government and Pol Pot - but Pol Pot came to Floyd | power and he had a traditionalist theory that the reason Cambodia was Floyd | having problems was that it had gotten away from its roots. Which was Floyd | farming." Floyd | Floyd | Chuck is listening, but you can't tell how much he is hearing. He Floyd | nods slightly, but it seems almost rhythmic. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| smartgenes says (to Floyd), "tell chuck cambodian history" | ||||
Floyd | The story doesn't understand that command. Please use ASK ACTOR ABOUT Floyd | TOPIC (or just A TOPIC). Floyd | Floyd | Chuck stands. "Well, I'd better go," he says, looking over your Floyd | shoulder at the hall to his door. "Good luck with everything." Floyd | Floyd | Chuck walks out. Floyd | Floyd | You can hear him in the hallway saying something to Ted, who presently Floyd | walks in. His friend George is right behind him. Floyd | Floyd | "Hey, how's it going?" Ted asks as he takes Chuck's seat. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "x george" | ||||
Floyd | George is by far the weaker personality. Mostly you address yourself Floyd | to Ted and let George chime in when he likes. Floyd | Floyd | "So what happened on your date?" George asks, staring at you. Floyd | Floyd | "Paridy didn't show up," you say. "Found out later she claimed she Floyd | didn't understand what the plan was. And that she wanted to hang out Floyd | in a group: so clearly she did understand what the plan was - saying Floyd | she didn't was some kind of face-saving bullshit. She flaked. Turns Floyd | out that Cambodian chicks are still chicks." Floyd | Floyd | You think about what Joe told you: not to fight what you are. Floyd | Floyd | You say, "She didn't trust me, I guess. I dunno, I mean, it's not Floyd | like I'm going to tear her clothes off in Lucky Mall and rape her. Floyd | I'm an id beast, but I'm not that much of an id beast." Floyd | Floyd | "It's part of Khmer culture," Ted tells you, causing George to stop Floyd | staring at you momentarily. "The first couple dates, she needs to Floyd | have a friend there." Floyd | Floyd | -George once told you that he became an ex-pat because the women back Floyd | home "wouldn't give him the time of day." And indeed there is Floyd | something creepy about his manner.' Floyd | Floyd | (You could tell them about dating (to answer George's questions), or Floyd | dating (to get George to stop staring at you), or ask them about Joe's Floyd | new girlfriend, Joe, Ted himself, or bring up something else.) Floyd | Floyd | > | smartgenes says, "i think our culture is a bit different to joe & chucky's" | |||
| Fang asks, "where are these people from?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "All over, I think." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Fang), "You know as much as we do." | ||||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "ask them about joe's new girlfriend" | ||||
Floyd | You have nothing in mind to say on that subject right now. | Jacqueline says, "And... this is not the sort of game I normally play and wasn't what I was expecting, but I'm proud of everyone's diligence." | |||
Floyd | Floyd | > | smartgenes says, "chuck australian" | |||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "ask them about joe's girlfriend" | ||||
Floyd | You have nothing in mind to say on that subject right now. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "This is shaping up to be all conversation." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Yeah" | ||||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "ask about dating" | ||||
Floyd | 'George, you're still staring at me,' you say. 'Was there something Floyd | else you wanted to know?' Floyd | Floyd | 'Not really,' George says. 'What's the follow-up?' Floyd | Floyd | 'She invited me fishing,' you say. There's this pagoda she goes to go Floyd | fishing; she invited me along. Later today." Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "All talk and no boom-boom." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Though possibly there will be some fishing." | ||||
| ParserGirl says, "And pagoding." | ||||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "ask about dating" | ||||
Floyd | You have nothing in mind to say on that subject right now. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "topics" | ||||
Floyd | You could ask them about Joe's new girlfriend, Joe, Ted himself, or Floyd | bring up something else. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "tell george about fishing" | ||||
Floyd | George is by far the weaker personality. Mostly you address yourself Floyd | to Ted and let George chime in when he likes. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "ask about joe's new girlfriend" | ||||
Floyd | Ted gives you a crooked smile. George merely makes eye contact. Floyd | Floyd | You have nothing in mind to say on that subject right now. Floyd | Floyd | (You could ask them about Joe's new girlfriend, Joe, Ted himself, or Floyd | bring up something else.) Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "ask about joe" | ||||
Floyd | "What's the latest on Joe?" you ask. Floyd | Floyd | George says, "I heard the cops want to talk to him. Don't know why." Floyd | Floyd | "Oh, I know why," Ted says. "His house burned down the other day. Floyd | His apartment building. So they need to ask everyone questions, for Floyd | insurance and all that. Can you imagine what a pisser that is?" Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline asks (of PG), "Is it pagoding or pagoda-ing?" | |||
| Fang says, "hmmm" | ||||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "ask about joe" | ||||
Floyd | You ask, "Did Joe lose his passport?" Floyd | Floyd | "Yeah, must've. And that means he wouldn't have his visa so he Floyd | couldn't prove he was here legally. Which is $5 a day they fine you Floyd | for every day you're not here legally. And he's been here for months. Floyd | If they find him before he gets that squared away, he is screwed." Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Twenty bucks says Joe and his girlfriend are into some sort of kink involving fire." | |||
| ParserGirl says, "Pagoding is the preferred term, I believe. The extra syllable was lost some time in the era of Mary Queen of Scotts." | ||||
| Fang asks, "satanism?" | ||||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "again" | ||||
Floyd | "Can you imagine that?" Ted muses. "To lose absolutely everything Floyd | except what you're happening to be carrying at the time? -I loaned Floyd | him fifty dollars. Would've loaned him more, but I'm hard up until Floyd | payday." Floyd | Floyd | > | ParserGirl asks, "Wait, was it Joe or Ted at the coffee shop?" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Joe." | ||||
| Fang says, "that was joe" | ||||
| DavidW says, "It was Joe" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Joe with his cuppajoe." | ||||
| Fang says, "now we're talking to george and ted" | ||||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "x ted" | ||||
Floyd | Ted is an Irishman with what you at first found to be an Floyd | incomprehensible accent. You've since adapted to it, which you find a Floyd | little alarming. He has bad teeth from a lifetime of barroom fights Floyd | and an old face from a lifetime of drinking; but he has a young body. Floyd | He works out, and shows it off with a loose-cut tank top. Ted is a Floyd | cheerful enough guy, but underneath it there's something not at all Floyd | kind-hearted. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "x george" | ||||
Floyd | George is by far the weaker personality. Mostly you address yourself Floyd | to Ted and let George chime in when he likes. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "topics" | ||||
Floyd | You could ask them about Joe's new girlfriend, Joe, Ted himself, or Floyd | bring up something else. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "a fishing" | ||||
Floyd | Ted gives you a crooked smile. George merely makes eye contact. Floyd | Floyd | You have nothing in mind to say on that subject right now. Floyd | Floyd | (You could ask them about Joe's new girlfriend, Joe, Ted himself, or Floyd | bring up something else.) Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "ask about joe's" | ||||
Floyd | You have nothing in mind to say on that subject right now. | ||||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "ask about girlfriend" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | > Floyd | "Have you seen Joe's new girlfriend?" you ask. "Is she pretty?" Floyd | Floyd | "Pretty enough," Ted says, "but she has these little scars on her Floyd | arms. Some of 'em look fresh. You know what those are from? - Floyd | cockroaches." Floyd | Floyd | "Really? They'll bite you here?" You've seen some mammoth roaches in Floyd | your apartment. Floyd | Floyd | "Oh, will they bite you. They'll get you while you're sleeping. Move Floyd | your bed away from the wall and, what I do, I run tape sticky-side-out Floyd | around the legs of my bed, so they can't climb up it. But she's Floyd | pretty enough, yeah." Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "ask about girlfriend" | ||||
Floyd | "I think he really likes her," you say. "He got a tattoo in Cambodian Floyd | that I think might be her name." Floyd | Floyd | "If he really liked her, he'd get it in English," Ted says. Floyd | Floyd | > | ParserGirl says, "There's a real problem with cockroaches here. but enough about Joe's girlfriend!" | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "a tattoo" | ||||
Floyd | You have nothing in mind to say on that subject right now. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "ask about girlfriend" | ||||
Floyd | "It's funny," you say: "With Joe being so good with girls, that he'd Floyd | end up with a hooker." Floyd | Floyd | There's an awkward silence as Ted and George look at each other. Floyd | Floyd | > | smartgenes says, "f tell ted enough is enough... bring out the girls" | |||
| Fang says, "aaaawkward" | ||||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "ask about girlfriend" | ||||
Floyd | "It's funny," you say: "With Joe being so good with girls, that he'd Floyd | end up with a hooker." Floyd | Floyd | There's an awkward silence as Ted and George look at each other. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "ask about joe" | ||||
Floyd | "Where's Joe staying?" you ask. Floyd | Floyd | "With his girlfriend, where else?" Ted replies. "She's Khmer. Must Floyd | live, I imagine, in some rat-infested hole with a dirt floor, in Floyd | common with a few others. No proper door leading out. I don't Floyd | imagine he's enjoying that." Floyd | Floyd | > | ParserGirl asks, "Did we let a secret slip?" | |||
| Jacqueline asks, "Where are the ghosts and vampires and werewolves and stuff?" | ||||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "topics" | ||||
Floyd | You could ask them about Joe, Ted himself, or bring up something else. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "ask them about ted" | ||||
Floyd | "So what's new, Ted?" you ask. "How's school? How's your students?" Floyd | Floyd | "The usual crap," he replies. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| ParserGirl asks, "them about joe" | ||||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "ask them about joe" | ||||
Floyd | "-And when Joe goes to sleep in that that Cambodian household, he's Floyd | very paranoid about where to keep that fifty dollars you lent him," Floyd | you say. Floyd | Floyd | "Yeah he probably is," Ted says, looking a little surprised. "But Floyd | I've gotten so much work from him, and I know he's good for it, so I Floyd | couldn't turn him down, could I?" Floyd | Floyd | "Well, it's about time I got ready for my big fishing date at the Floyd | pagoda. This is dating, Khmer-style." Floyd | Floyd | "Good luck," Ted says. Floyd | Floyd | You stand. Floyd | Floyd | (You could ask them about Ted himself, or bring up something else.) Floyd | Floyd | > | Fang says (to PG), "well, Joe told us pretty readily" | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "bye" | ||||
Floyd | Nothing obvious happens. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "I mean, it's got a plot and stuff, and it's fairly well implemented and such. I'm not knocking it, it's just not what I was expecting." | |||
| ParserGirl says, "So maybe there's something more going on about it." | ||||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "ask them about ted" | ||||
Floyd | Ted gives you a crooked smile. George merely makes eye contact. Floyd | Floyd | "So what's new, Ted?" you ask. "How's school? How's your students?" Floyd | Floyd | "The usual crap," he replies. Floyd | Floyd | You give your regards and go to get ready for your big fishing date Floyd | with Paridy at the pagoda. Floyd | Floyd | When you get to Paridy's door, you heard voices inside. Floyd | Floyd | Dissolution of Concept Floyd | Floyd | You're outside the door to Paridy's apartment. Traffic goes by Floyd | occasionally - motorbikes, mostly. Floyd | Floyd | > | smartgenes says, "have some courage jacqui, go on knock it" | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "listen to voices" | ||||
Floyd | The word "voices" is not necessary in this story. Floyd | Floyd | > | Fang says, "you do it" | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "listen" | ||||
Floyd | You hear nothing out of the ordinary. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "knock on door" | ||||
Floyd | The word "knock" is not necessary in this story. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Um, no. I'm fine watching you guys try to get some boom-boom." | |||
| ParserGirl says, "Oh Paridy, thy smile is as the sun, thy dirt floor is as sackcloth" | ||||
| Nitku says, "Well there was a monster in the cafe..." | ||||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "open door" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "in" | ||||
Floyd | Opened. Floyd | Floyd | > Floyd | (the door) Floyd | Floyd | Paridy's Apartment Floyd | You walk into Paridy's apartment and see Joe and Paridy hanging out. Floyd | Floyd | You see Joe is looking an awful lot at Paridy. Floyd | Floyd | You see that Paridy seems to be paying an awful lot of attention to Floyd | Joe. Floyd | Floyd | It makes you do a double-take. Yes, indeed: Joe, of all people, is Floyd | here, of all places, and he and Paridy are so absorbed in looking at Floyd | each other that they hardly seem to notice you. Paridy is in the Floyd | middle of a story. Floyd | Floyd | "When they are bad, they go to bad place. They get no feed. When Floyd | they come out, they have eat bad feed. If it good they can not eat. Floyd | You must throw it on the ground for dirty, or rot. Rotted?" Floyd | Floyd | Paridy continues, "But they only can come out one day. One day year. Floyd | Very hungry then. If their family not to monks, they can not eat one Floyd | year again. Very very hungry." Floyd | Floyd | "So how does the family know the right day?" Joe asks, speaking Floyd | slowly. Floyd | Floyd | "Oh, yes," Paridy says, laughing. "There are many pagoda in Cambodia. Floyd | If the family go the wrong pagoda, they not get feed. But the family Floyd | talk monks. Monks say what pagoda, what day. Very important talk Floyd | monks." Floyd | Floyd | "That's a well-organized afterlife," Joe says. Paridy doesn't Floyd | understand. "How do the monks know? Do they have a schedule? A Floyd | calendar? Who tells the dead person when he gets vacation?" Floyd | Floyd | Paridy is smiling. "Monks know," she says. Floyd | Floyd | "How about you, Roger?" Joe raps. "You believe in magic?" Floyd | Floyd | (You could say yes or no, or ask him about his girlfriend, or the Floyd | fire.) Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "x door" | ||||
Floyd | It's open. Floyd | Floyd | > | Fang says, "hm," | |||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "ask him about girlfriend" | ||||
Floyd | "How's your girlfriend, man?" you ask. Floyd | Floyd | Joe laughs. He tells Paridy, "Roger is asking about my girlfriend. Floyd | Always asking about my girlfriend. He wants to know because he Floyd | doesn't have one." Paridy laughs. Joe's gaze remains on her as they Floyd | both laugh, but you have the feeling he's looking at you out of the Floyd | corner of his eye. Floyd | Floyd | Down the street, you hear the duck-like squeak of the squeeze-bottles Floyd | beggars use to call for people to bring out their recyclables and put Floyd | them into their two-wheeled hand-carts. Floyd | Floyd | > | ParserGirl says, "Ho snap." | |||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "say no" | ||||
Floyd | Joe raises his eyebrows. "HuhWhat?" Floyd | Floyd | Joe sits on the couch with Paridy. Floyd | Floyd | "Hey, man, have a seat," Joe says. He motions beside him, on the far Floyd | side from Paridy. If you sit there, he's between you and her. Floyd | Floyd | But, you could sit in the big chair, which is kitty-corner to the Floyd | couch, and you'd be sitting almost next to Paridy. Floyd | Floyd | ' Floyd | Floyd | (You could sit on the couch (next to Joe), sit on the big chair (next Floyd | to Paridy), or ask him about the fire.) Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "sit on big chair" | ||||
Floyd | You sit down into the big chair, kitty-corner to Paridy. Floyd | Floyd | As you settle into the big wicker chair, you rock the end table that Floyd | takes up the corner between the couch and the chair. Joe flips out. Floyd | Floyd | 'What the Hell's the matter with you?' he shouts - almost screams, Floyd | really. 'Can't you see I've got a cigarette on there?' Floyd | Floyd | Indeed, on the end table, there's an ashtray, and in the ashtray Floyd | there's a burning cigarette. Probably left there, you suddenly Floyd | realize, so Joe would have a reason to keep reaching around and across Floyd | Paridy. Floyd | Floyd | 'What's your problem?' you ask. Floyd | Floyd | 'My problem?' Joe yells. 'What's your problem, that you're trying to Floyd | burn the place down?' Floyd | Floyd | Paridy doesn't understand what's going on. She only knows that Joe is Floyd | screaming in your face, and you're taking it like a punk. Floyd | Floyd | Joe gets up and walks outside. Floyd | Floyd | > | ParserGirl says, "Joe's a bit skittish about flames at the moment." | |||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "topics" | ||||
Floyd | You're not currently talking to anyone. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | Paridy's Apartment Floyd | Paridy's apartment is remarkably nice, for a Khmer apartment. It has Floyd | a couch and a big chair, a small refrigerator, a countertop with a big Floyd | portable stove - no gas lines in Cambodia - a big oscillating fan that Floyd | most Western-style rooms have, instead of A/C, and a TV. Floyd | Floyd | Paridy is here, looking at you. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "x paridy" | ||||
Floyd | This is the Khmer girl you've been thinking so much of, Paridy. She's Floyd | slender without being thin, pretty without being glamorous. And she Floyd | has a real nice smile. You like her a lot. Floyd | Floyd | Finally, you have Paridy alone! No telling how long it'll last, Floyd | though. Floyd | Floyd | 'I no understaan' this,' Paridy says, putting a newspaper in front of Floyd | you. She points to the headline: Floyd | Floyd | 'Ferry Operator's Fate Still Unknown' Something about the storm in the Floyd | Philippines. Floyd | Floyd | 'What it mean?' Floyd | Floyd | (You could tell her about the newspaper.) Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "tell her about newspaper" | ||||
Floyd | 'A ferry,' you say, 'is a kind of boat. You know boat?' Floyd | Floyd | 'Yes,' she says. Floyd | Floyd | 'But a ferry just goes back and forth, back and forth,' you tell her. Floyd | 'Ahh, yes,' she says. Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | > | ParserGirl says, "You could tell her about the newspaper, or." | |||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "tell her about newspaper" | ||||
Floyd | 'The operator is the man who owns the ferry. The man in it.' Floyd | Floyd | 'Ah, yes. What is fate?' Floyd | Floyd | You think a moment. 'You know karma?' Floyd | Floyd | 'Yes.' Floyd | Floyd | 'Same thing.' Floyd | Floyd | 'Ahh.' She nods. Floyd | Floyd | This is all very approximate, you think, but that's how early learning Floyd | works. Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "x newspaper" | ||||
Floyd | You see no newspaper here. Floyd | Floyd | > | Fang says, "I'm sure the thing she was talking about, about the dead coming back to eat people, is TOTALLY UNIMPORTANT" | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "tell her about newspaper" | ||||
Floyd | 'And unknown means we don't know. So, there was a big storm, and Floyd | people are missing - "Fate of ferry operator still unknown."' Floyd | Floyd | 'Now,' you ask, 'is the man in the ferry alive, or dead?' Floyd | Floyd | She looks at it and makes up her mind. 'Dead.' Floyd | Floyd | 'No,' you say. Floyd | Floyd | 'Eeh? Alive?' Floyd | Floyd | 'No, we don't know. See- it's unknown. So we can hope.' Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says (to Fang), "heh" | |||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "tell her about newspaper" | ||||
Floyd | Honestly, you think she needs a moment's rest on the topic. She's Floyd | still looking at it, but as Gary Larsen once put it, her brain is Floyd | full. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "topics" | ||||
Floyd | You could ask her about the newspaper. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "ask her about joe" | ||||
Floyd | 'I no understaan'' Paridy says. Floyd | Floyd | She seemed to understand Joe well enough. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "ask her about the newspaper" | ||||
Floyd | Honestly, you think she needs a moment's rest on the topic. She's Floyd | still looking at it, but as Gary Larsen once put it, her brain is Floyd | full. Floyd | Floyd | 'What it mean, still?' Paridy asks, pointing at the word in the Floyd | headline. Floyd | Floyd | Joe walks back in. 'As in, "He's still talking with you about this?"' Floyd | He laughs, and Paridy, only understanding that he's laughing, laughs Floyd | with him. Floyd | Floyd | Joe turns to you. 'Hey, man, we're going fishing at the pagoda. You Floyd | can come with us if you have nothing better to do.' Floyd | Floyd | So there you are. Floyd | Floyd | > | Fang says, "oof, burn" | |||
| Ellison says, "kind of weird that our character would be interested in this librarian with broken English" | ||||
| Nitku says, "I wonder if he means Gary Larson" | ||||
| ParserGirl says (to Ellison), "She's marginally attractive, apparently." | ||||
| DavidW says, "We coulda gone with Mary. We made the choice." | ||||
| Fang says (to Ellison), "I envision it as doing it to spite Joe" | ||||
| Ellison says (to PG), "heh" | ||||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "topics" | ||||
Floyd | You could ask her about the fire. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "ask her about fire" | ||||
Floyd | 'Dude, I heard you lost your passport and all your stuff burned down. Floyd | You okay?' you ask. Floyd | Floyd | Joe moves back a bit and looks you over. 'Yeah, I'm okay. Sure, I Floyd | lost a lot of stuff in the fire. It's a hassle. But I'm taking care Floyd | of it.' He winks at Paridy. She giggles. Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | ...and there you went, walking the long dirt road to the pagoda with Floyd | Paridy and Joe, watching them chatting and laughing in front of you. Floyd | A third wheel. Floyd | Floyd | Scales Floyd | Floyd | The three of you come to the corner of high walls that enclose the Floyd | pagoda property. The walls are in good shape, except here at the Floyd | corner, where they have been broken entirely down. Further ahead down Floyd | the road, you can see that the pagoda's gates are firmly closed. This Floyd | is the offical way in, you guess. Floyd | Floyd | As you reach the broken-down corner, Joe and Paridy, giggling, run Floyd | ahead. Floyd | Floyd | > | Fang says, "since Joe's the exploitative bastard, our PC is trying to be the Nice Guy" | |||
| Fang says, "at least in his mind" | ||||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "x gate" | ||||
Floyd | The word 'gate' is not necessary in this story. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "x wall" | ||||
Floyd | You see no wall here. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "topics" | ||||
Floyd | You're not currently talking to anyone. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "S/Nice Guy/Guy Who Gets No Boom-Boom" | |||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | Road by the Pagoda Floyd | The long, dusty road runs east and west. To the southwest is the Floyd | busted-down corner of the pagoda wall. Further west, you can see the Floyd | pagoda gates are closed. East leads a long way back to Siem Reap. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "IN" | |||
| DavidW says, "or sw, I guess." | ||||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "sw" | ||||
Floyd | Inside the Pagoda (corner) Floyd | You are just inside the busted-down corner of the wall enclosing the Floyd | pagoda. The pagoda itself probably comprises about ten acres of land. Floyd | To the west, somewhat past the gate, you can see small, poor Floyd | dwellings, somewhat hidden by laundry hung out to dry. Immediately to Floyd | the south, there is a mausoleum, and some ways beyond that there is a Floyd | lake. A brook runs past the poor houses down to the lake. Floyd | Floyd | It looks like Joe and Paridy went south, to where you can catch a Floyd | glimpse of water. From here you could probably see quite a bit about Floyd | most of these things, if you took the time to examine them. Floyd | Floyd | You hear Joe and Paridy's voices deeper into the pagoda. Floyd | Floyd | > | ParserGirl says, "Mausoleum yay!" | |||
| ParserGirl says, "And we're hinted to examine things." | ||||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "listen" | ||||
Floyd | You hear nothing out of the ordinary. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "x laundry" | ||||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "x lake" | ||||
Floyd | The word 'laundry' is not necessary in this story. Floyd | Floyd | > Floyd | Far to the south, you can see a small lake. It's toward the center of Floyd | the pagoda, well away from the eastern wall. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "x mausoleum" | ||||
Floyd | About halfway down the the east wall, there is a small 'forest' of Floyd | tall tapering tower-like objects, each about the girth of a tree and Floyd | varying in height from ten feet tall to two stories. These, you know, Floyd | are the monuments keeping the ashes of famous and important people, Floyd | built in exchange for a generous donation to the pagoda and the Floyd | understanding that future monks will pray for their spiritual Floyd | progression during future lives. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "x gate" | ||||
Floyd | The word 'gate' is not necessary in this story. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "x brook" | ||||
Floyd | The brook runs from the north, where there are poor houses built on Floyd | either side of it, to the south, where it runs into the lake. The Floyd | brook is small and dirty, and there is a great deal of garbage on Floyd | either side. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "x pagoda" | ||||
Floyd | You are moving around inside the grounds of the pagoda. The pagoda Floyd | walls bound the grounds to the north and east; they break down at the Floyd | northeast corner, where you came in. Against the east wall, there is Floyd | a mausoleum of perhaps thirty stone Eiffel Tower-like monuments. To Floyd | the northwest there are a number of chicken-coop-like dwellings for Floyd | deeply poor people. A garbage-strewn brook runs from those dwellings Floyd | south to the lake. Floyd | Floyd | It is starting to get quite dark. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "x garbage" | ||||
Floyd | Every so often around the pagoda, and especially down by the brook, Floyd | garbage is strewn around. It looks like people have been using the Floyd | brook as a primary dumping ground for years - there are rusted mangled Floyd | pieces of this-or-that, rotting food, bits of clothing - just all Floyd | kinds of trash. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "search garbage" | ||||
Floyd | You can find the same kind of things in the States, on defunct farms Floyd | and industrial parks where the industry has pulled out. Floyd | Floyd | > | ParserGirl says, "I favor going south." | |||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | Pagoda Mausoleum Floyd | you are in a mausoleum Floyd | Floyd | > | ParserGirl says, "wha" | |||
| Fang says, "yikes" | ||||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | Pagoda Mausoleum Floyd | you are in a mausoleum Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "verbose" | ||||
Floyd | VERBOSE mode is now selected. Floyd | Floyd | > | Ellison says, "you are likely to be eaten by a curator" | |||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | Pagoda (empty space near wall) Floyd | This is a wide empy space of rubble and weeds, like an abandoned lot. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "x mausoleum" | ||||
Floyd | About halfway down the the east wall, there is a small 'forest' of Floyd | tall tapering tower-like objects, each about the girth of a tree and Floyd | varying in height from ten feet tall to two stories. These, you know, Floyd | are the monuments keeping the ashes of famous and important people, Floyd | built in exchange for a generous donation to the pagoda and the Floyd | understanding that future monks will pray for their spiritual Floyd | progression during future lives. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "You are likely to be in a room I didn't implement fully." | |||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "listen" | ||||
Floyd | You hear nothing out of the ordinary. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "yeah" | |||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | Pagoda (west of lake) Floyd | On a rock with pigeon droppings nearby - Joe lays his scarf over it, Floyd | lengthwise. 'Sorry, man,' Joe says. 'No room. You'll have to hang Floyd | out over there - more fish anyway.' Paridy has become passive, Floyd | pliant. She almost seems to sleep-walk through this. Floyd | Floyd | They sit down together. Floyd | Floyd | You're left off in what in third grade they called 'goat land.' It's Floyd | not honestly that far away. In a bar, there would be two empty bar Floyd | stools between you and Joe. Floyd | Floyd | You can talk to them quite easily. But also they can ignore you quite Floyd | easily. Floyd | Floyd | It starts getting dark. You look at the bamboo fishing pole in your Floyd | hand Floyd | Floyd | Paridy has her head on Joe's shoulder. Floyd | Floyd | Joe has his arm around Paridy. Floyd | Floyd | > Floyd | With all the terrible parasites you've heard of living in the fresh Floyd | water of Cambodia, you don't want to get your feet wet. Besides, Floyd | there's nothing much on the other side - just some thick, brambly Floyd | grass and different bits of garbage dumped around. Floyd | Floyd | > | Nitku says, "Eh, it's just a plain old Cambodian mausoleum" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "heh" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "fish" | ||||
Floyd | You fish a while... Floyd | Floyd | As your eye tracks the ripples moving out from the line across the Floyd | surface of the brown water, it occurs to you that you could easily Floyd | eavesdrop on Joe and Paridy. Floyd | Floyd | -Well, no bites. You guess a naked hook isn't that appealing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "eavesdrop" | ||||
Floyd | -Ah. Of course. Floyd | Floyd | Joe is telling Paridy how secretly vulnerable he is. Floyd | Floyd | As you listen, Joe says, 'I believe free will trumps fate, but you Floyd | know what trumps free will? That life is random. Stuff just happens Floyd | and there's not any reason or rhyme to it. And people don't accept Floyd | that so they make up fate. But we can accept free will...' Floyd | Floyd | -Literal sweet nothings, you realize: Paridy can't understand a word. Floyd | But it doesn't matter, because it's not the words that count. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Filled with all the people killed during Pot's genocide. I wonder if that backstory was hinted at for a reason." | |||
| djfletch says, "there was rotten food in the stream I think" | ||||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "again" | ||||
Floyd | No, you've heard enough. Floyd | Floyd | > | ParserGirl says, "I wonder if we're going to hear sounds of chomping pretty soon." | |||
| ParserGirl says, "OH HAVE WE NOW" | ||||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "tell paridy about joe" | ||||
Floyd | Paridy has eyes only for Joe. This could be a problem, you think. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "i" | ||||
Floyd | You are carrying your wallet, your cell phone, and the fishing gear. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "x gear" | ||||
Floyd | This is a bamboo pole, with a line and hook attached, for fishing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "topics" | ||||
Floyd | You have nothing specific in mind right now to discuss with Paridy. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "talk to joe" | ||||
Floyd | Joe doesn't look away from Paridy but a funny expression crosses his Floyd | face - like he's snickering. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "And Joe is our friend... beacause..." | |||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "topics" | ||||
Floyd | You have nothing specific in mind right now to discuss with Joe. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "fish" | ||||
Floyd | You fish a while... -Well, no bites. You guess a naked hook isn't Floyd | that appealing. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "er, because..." | |||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "hit joe with pole" | ||||
Floyd | You can't attack anything with the fishing gear. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "i" | ||||
Floyd | You are carrying your wallet, your cell phone, and the fishing gear. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW asks, "Can we find bait?" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "brb" | ||||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "search water" | ||||
Floyd | The word 'water' is not necessary in this story. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "ask joe for bait" | ||||
Floyd | Man-! Joe is freezing you out, and loving it. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | Pagoda (west of lake) (sitting on the ground) Floyd | You are by a lake on the land of a tumble-down pagoda, visible off in Floyd | the distance. Floyd | Floyd | Paridy has her head on Joe's shoulder. Floyd | Floyd | Joe has his arm around Paridy. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "cry" | ||||
Floyd | The word 'cry' is not necessary in this story. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "search lake" | djfletch says, "back in the rubbish in the stream there might be bait" | |||
Floyd | The lake is for fishing only, although you have certain reservations Floyd | whether even that's a good idea. Floyd | Floyd | > | smartgenes asks, "is there really a game here?" | |||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "stand" | ||||
Floyd | Okay, you're now standing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | You can't go that way. Obvious exits lead north, back to the pagoda Floyd | (empty space near wall); south; east; west; northwest; and in. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "It's a different sort of game." | |||
| Fang asks, "in?" | ||||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "in" | ||||
Floyd | There's no way you're getting in that water. Floyd | Floyd | > | ParserGirl says, "I guess we can go romping around." | |||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | The pagoda wall is quite tall and solid, running north and south. But Floyd | there is the rubble-strewn break to the north, where you came in. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | The terrain gets a little rough to the south - all you have there is Floyd | long, brambly grass, and it's not that appealing. You could go that Floyd | way if it were a matter of life and death, and you had some reason to Floyd | - but not otherwise. Floyd | Floyd | > | ParserGirl says, "Hint hint" | |||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | With all the terrible parasites you've heard of living in the fresh Floyd | water of Cambodia, you don't want to get your feet wet. Besides, Floyd | there's nothing much on the other side - just some thick, brambly Floyd | grass and different bits of garbage dumped around. Floyd | Floyd | > | Ellison says, ">ROMP" | |||
| ParserGirl says, "haha" | ||||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "nw" | ||||
Floyd | Pagoda (north of lake) Floyd | You are on the north side of a lake. You can follow the lake around Floyd | to the southeast, or you can walk north along the brook, which Floyd | immediately to the west joins the lake. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Gerynar has disconnected. | ||||
| Gerynar is swallowd up in a bubble of infra-black light and disappears. | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x grass" | ||||
Floyd | The word 'grass' is not necessary in this story. Floyd | Floyd | > | Fang asks, "anyone mapping this?" | |||
| DavidW says, "no" | ||||
| ParserGirl says, "This is the first time we've been given legs." | ||||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | You can't go that way. Obvious exits lead north; south; east; west; Floyd | northeast; southeast, back to the pagoda (west of lake); and in. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | Pagoda (east of brook) Floyd | A small brook to the west of you runs from the north, where it goes Floyd | through the houses, to the south, where it runs into the lake. A Floyd | rotted log here catches your attention. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "x log" | ||||
Floyd | This rotten log rests deep in the mud, riddled with bug-holes. You Floyd | just know if you move it you'll see it teeming with bugs. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "push log" | ||||
Floyd | You move the log with your foot. As you expected, the under-side is Floyd | teeming with bugs that crawl over one another in their efforts to flee Floyd | what remains of the sunlight. Soon all but a few have burrowed away Floyd | under the surface. Floyd | Floyd | > | (from ParserGirl) rotted log says, "HEY LOOK AT ME YOU JERK" | |||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "take bug" | ||||
Floyd | Oooo, it wriggles to get free! Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "one of those bugs might be good for bait" | |||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "put bug on hook" | ||||
Floyd | It's a trick not to harpoon your own fingers (God only knows what you Floyd | could get from a centipede guts innoculation), but you manage it. Floyd | Floyd | > | ParserGirl says, "OOOooo I'm suddenly creeped out." | |||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "i" | ||||
Floyd | You are carrying your wallet, your cell phone, the fishing gear, and a Floyd | centipede. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "x centipede" | ||||
Floyd | This especially plump centipede, you have to admit, kind of gives you Floyd | the willies. On the hook it writhes, occasionally flailing, with Floyd | gradually reducing vigor. Floyd | Floyd | > | ParserGirl asks, "Should we fish or explore the boat house?" | |||
| Fang says, "fish" | ||||
| DavidW says, "fish, of course" | ||||
| Fang says, "we'll show up joe" | ||||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | Pagoda (north of lake) Floyd | You are on the north side of a lake. You can follow the lake around Floyd | to the southeast, or you can walk north along the brook, which Floyd | immediately to the west joins the lake. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | The lake water, even more than the brook, is brown and sluggish. Floyd | There's no way you're getting in there. Floyd | Floyd | > | Nitku says, "Then we can slap him around with a trout" | |||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "se" | ||||
Floyd | Pagoda (west of lake) Floyd | You are by a lake on the land of a tumble-down pagoda, visible off in Floyd | the distance. Floyd | Floyd | Paridy has her head on Joe's shoulder. Floyd | Floyd | Joe has his arm around Paridy. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "fish" | ||||
Floyd | You fish a while - and are jolted out of your contemplation of Paridy Floyd | by a sudden jerk on the line! Floyd | Floyd | You pull it out into the early twilight. It jerks and twitches in the Floyd | air. Floyd | Floyd | You've caught a fish! Floyd | Floyd | Paridy comes running over - not to congratulate you, as it turns out, Floyd | but to hit the fish on the head with a rock until it stops moving. Floyd | Floyd | Despite himself, you can see Joe is impressed. Floyd | Floyd | Paridy turns around from having bludgeoned the fish to death, and Floyd | right into Joe's arms. It just seems to happen. They kiss: a long, Floyd | deep kiss. She seems to begin to melt into him, the rock dropping, Floyd | finally, from limp fingers. Floyd | Floyd | As you watch them kiss, you suddenly feel an intense, crazy jealousy. Floyd | You must do something - just as you must do something when you're very Floyd | hungry, or terribly afraid. Oddly, it doesn't seem related to your Floyd | feelings for Paridy. Rather, it seems founded on the plain fact that Floyd | Joe has a girlfriend - that this is wrong. Distantly, you realize the Floyd | hairs on the back of your neck are standing up, that you have Floyd | gooseflesh along your arms and your spine is crawling. Floyd | Floyd | Still kissing Paridy, Joe's eyes rove, find yours - and twinkle with Floyd | amusement. Then, they seem to focus on something behind you, and Joe Floyd | gapes. A look of naked horror comes across his face. He forgets Floyd | Paridy mid-kiss; the kiss is not broken, but abandoned. Floyd | Floyd | -And the feeling of insane jealousy that had completely overwhelmed Floyd | you just a moment before is gone. You feel only irritation and mild Floyd | disappointment that Paridy isn't interested in you. Floyd | Floyd | Paridy opens her eyes, sees the expression on Joe's face, and recoils Floyd | from it. You look behind you- Floyd | Floyd | Nothing there. Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | > | Fang says, "woah" | |||
| Ellison says, "man, we just had to grab one of the grossest bugs as bait" | ||||
| Fang says, "what the hell do people see in Joe" | ||||
| ParserGirl says, "So we have a fish and Joe has the willies." | ||||
| smartgenes says, "interesting" | ||||
| smartgenes says, "joe has his willy out and we are a wet fish" | ||||
| ParserGirl says, "Or we had such a look of rage on our face that we could peel the paint off a barn." | ||||
| DavidW says, "Something weird happened." | ||||
| djfletch says (to Floyd), "topics" | ||||
Floyd | You have nothing specific in mind right now to discuss with Joe. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "maybe Joe saw a ghost" | |||
| smartgenes says (to Floyd), "x parfidy" | ||||
Floyd | The word 'parfidy' is not necessary in this story. Floyd | Floyd | > | Ellison says, "or demon's wings have sprouted from our back" | |||
| Fang says, "maybe we hulked out" | ||||
| smartgenes says (to Floyd), "x paridy" | ||||
Floyd | This is the Khmer girl you've been thinking so much of, Paridy. She's Floyd | slender without being thin, pretty without being glamorous. And she Floyd | has a real nice smile. You like her a lot. Paridy stays at your Floyd | side, not looking around at Joe, behind you. You can smell her: she Floyd | smells like girl. Very nice. Floyd | Floyd | 'Things are random,' Joe mutters behind you. 'If we didn't have that Floyd | game where I left her tied up while I went out with friends - If I Floyd | didn't take her picture with my camera before I left, so if she Floyd | struggled I'd have a reason to beat her - If I didn't leave the whip Floyd | by the bedside so she could see it while she waited- Who knows? - If Floyd | we hadn't upgraded to me burning her with cigarettes - If she didn't Floyd | struggle so hard - If the cigarette had fallen on the floor instead - Floyd | I'd wouldn't even be here. Random stuff happens. So give me a kiss, Floyd | baby-' Floyd | Floyd | At your side, Paridy ignores him. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "kiss paridy" | ||||
Floyd | You're not sure you should... Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "g" | ||||
Floyd | You're not sure you should... Floyd | Floyd | > | smartgenes says, "hit joe with rock" | |||
| ParserGirl says, "So his girlfriend set the fire." | ||||
| smartgenes says (to Floyd), "hit joe with rock" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "take rock" | ||||
Floyd | The word 'rock' is not necessary in this story. Floyd | Floyd | > Floyd | The word 'rock' is not necessary in this story. Floyd | Floyd | > | ParserGirl says, "Because he was burning her with cigarettes." | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "ask joe about fire" | ||||
Floyd | Joe raises his eyebrows. 'HuhWhat?' Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "x joe" | ||||
Floyd | Joe is a little shorter than you are. He's well-tanned and has the Floyd | soft-muscled look of a man who lifts but has never done manual labor. Floyd | It looks like he has a new tattoo on his arm. Floyd | Floyd | It seems Joe's fighting spirit was drained away by whatever he thought Floyd | he saw. He's just inclined to follow you. And indeed, it is time to Floyd | get going. Soon it will be quite dark. Floyd | Floyd | > | Fang says, "his girlfriend was burned alive" | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "ask joe what he saw" | ||||
Floyd | The story doesn't understand that command. Please use ASK ACTOR ABOUT Floyd | TOPIC (or just A TOPIC). Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "ask joe about ghost" | ||||
Floyd | Joe raises his eyebrows. 'HuhWhat?' Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "ask joe about girlfriend" | ||||
Floyd | Joe raises his eyebrows. 'HuhWhat?' Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "X TATTOO" | ||||
Floyd | You look closer at the tat on Joe's arm. It glistens slightly. Looks Floyd | fresh. It's written in the Khmer alphabet - you can't tell what it Floyd | says. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "ask paridy about tattoo" | ||||
Floyd | Paridy makes no reply, but presses you to walk quickly. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "i" | DavidW says, "They want to leave." | |||
Floyd | You are carrying your wallet, your cell phone, the fishing gear, and a Floyd | fish. Floyd | Floyd | > | ParserGirl says, "So we're supposed to lead them somewehre." | |||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "x fish" | ||||
Floyd | This is a good-sized fish, a shiny white-grey in color. You're Floyd | immensely proud of it and have no desire to eat it. In fact, KFC is Floyd | sounding pretty good. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| smartgenes says (to Floyd), "push joe in river" | ||||
Floyd | The word 'river' is not necessary in this story. Floyd | Floyd | > | Fang says, "er, I think we've hit a glitch or something" | |||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | Pagoda (west of lake) (sitting on the ground) Floyd | You are by a lake on the land of a tumble-down pagoda, visible off in Floyd | the distance. Floyd | Floyd | Paridy sticks close by you, her hand lightly on your arm. Floyd | Floyd | Joe is doing his best to appear composed, but clearly it is a battle Floyd | he is losing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "stand" | ||||
Floyd | Okay, you're now standing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "stand" | ||||
Floyd | You're already standing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| smartgenes says (to Floyd), "push joe in lake" | ||||
Floyd | This would accomplish nothing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | Joe comes with you. Paridy comes with you. Floyd | Floyd | Pagoda (empty space near wall) Floyd | This is a wide empy space of rubble and weeds, like an abandoned lot. Floyd | Floyd | Paridy sticks close by you, her hand lightly on your arm. Floyd | Floyd | Joe is doing his best to appear composed, but clearly it is a battle Floyd | he is losing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "kiss paridy" | ||||
Floyd | You're not sure you should... Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "out" | ||||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "talk to joe" | ||||
Floyd | What do you want to get out of? Floyd | Floyd | > Floyd | You already have Joe's attention. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | Joe comes with you. Paridy comes with you. Floyd | Floyd | Pagoda Mausoleum Floyd | you are in a mausoleum Floyd | Floyd | Paridy sticks close by you, her hand lightly on your arm. Floyd | Floyd | Joe is doing his best to appear composed, but clearly it is a battle Floyd | he is losing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "topics" | ||||
Floyd | You have nothing specific in mind right now to discuss with Joe. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | Joe comes with you. Paridy comes with you. Floyd | Floyd | Inside the Pagoda (corner) Floyd | You are just inside the busted-down corner of the wall enclosing the Floyd | pagoda. The pagoda itself probably comprises about ten acres of land. Floyd | To the west, somewhat past the gate, you can see small, poor Floyd | dwellings, somewhat hidden by laundry hung out to dry. Immediately to Floyd | the south, there is a mausoleum, and some ways beyond that there is a Floyd | lake. A brook runs past the poor houses down to the lake. Floyd | Floyd | Paridy sticks close by you, her hand lightly on your arm. Floyd | Floyd | Joe is doing his best to appear composed, but clearly it is a battle Floyd | he is losing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "ask joe about magic" | ||||
| smartgenes says (to Floyd), "caress paridy" | ||||
Floyd | Joe raises his eyebrows. 'HuhWhat?' Floyd | Floyd | > Floyd | The word 'caress' is not necessary in this story. Floyd | Floyd | > | ParserGirl asks, "So, where should we go?" | |||
| Fang asks, "home?" | ||||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | The Khmer who live there are very poor. You don't belong. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "we still need to go out" | |||
| smartgenes says (to Floyd), "ask paridy about love" | ||||
Floyd | Paridy makes no reply, but presses you to walk quickly. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "n" | Ellison says, "I would say that we try to leave by the place where it was like, 'you'd only try to leave here if you were in a hurry!'" | |||
Floyd | The pagoda wall is quite tall and solid, running west a long ways. Floyd | But there is the rubble-strewn break to the northeast, where you came Floyd | in. Floyd | Floyd | > | ParserGirl says, "I'm pretty sure NE will take us to the hole in the wall." | |||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "ne" | ||||
Floyd | Joe comes with you. Paridy comes with you. Floyd | Floyd | Road by the Pagoda Floyd | The long, dusty road runs east and west. To the southwest is the Floyd | busted-down corner of the pagoda wall. Further west, you can see the Floyd | pagoda gates are closed. East leads a long way back to Siem Reap. Floyd | Floyd | Paridy sticks close by you, her hand lightly on your arm. Floyd | Floyd | Joe is doing his best to appear composed, but clearly it is a battle Floyd | he is losing. Floyd | Floyd | The ending of chapter3. Floyd | Floyd | > | Fang says, "...." | |||
| Ellison says, "yay!" | ||||
| ParserGirl says, "Oh really." | ||||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | Road by the Pagoda Floyd | The long, dusty road runs east and west. To the southwest is the Floyd | busted-down corner of the pagoda wall. Further west, you can see the Floyd | pagoda gates are closed. East leads a long way back to Siem Reap. Floyd | Floyd | Paridy sticks close by you, her hand lightly on your arm. Floyd | Floyd | Joe is doing his best to appear composed, but clearly it is a battle Floyd | he is losing. Floyd | Floyd | Headed to Siem Reap on the road outside the pagoda, Joe collapses. A Floyd | tuk-tuk - a version of the Asian pedicab, powered by a motorbike Floyd | rather than a bicycle - stops and, after a shrewd appraisal of the Floyd | situation, the driver offers to take you to the hospital for three or Floyd | four times the normal price. Floyd | Floyd | Paridy sits as far away from Joe as possible. You see her looking at Floyd | his arm. On his arm, you see a strange white mark on his skin. It Floyd | has an odd shape. It takes you some time to realize it's shaped like Floyd | a handprint, with the individual fingers clearly visible. Floyd | Floyd | Just Visiting Floyd | Floyd | You check Joe in to the hospital. Paridy leaves to do something. You Floyd | stay with Joe. After about fifteen minutes, a Khmer doctor stops in. Floyd | 'Your friend has a fever,' he tells you. 'We're running some tests.' Floyd | Floyd | > | Fang says, "I think this game really needs a betatester" | |||
| smartgenes asks, "did a woman write this?" | ||||
| ParserGirl says, "Ghost hand! nuh nun huh nuh" | ||||
| Fang says, "either that or there could be some problem with floyd" | ||||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "x handprint" | ||||
Floyd | The word 'handprint' is not necessary in this story. | ||||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "x doctor" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | > Floyd | The doctor is a small, fussy-looking Khmer man - small even for a Floyd | Khmer. But he has a proud bearing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "topics" | ||||
Floyd | You could ask him about his fever, or the odd marks. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| ParserGirl says (to Floyd), "ask about odd marks" | ||||
Floyd | 'Doctor, what about these white finger-marks on his arm?' you ask. Floyd | Floyd | The doctor shrugs. 'Suntan lotion.' Floyd | Floyd | 'Suntan lotion?' you ask. 'Look, there are finger marks-' Floyd | Floyd | 'Of course. He applied suntan lotion unevenly; he had a handful of Floyd | it, wiped it on his skin, and did not smear it evenly throughout.' Floyd | Floyd | 'I find that a little difficult to accept -' you begin. Floyd | Floyd | 'Ah, and are you a doctor?' the doctor asks cheerily. 'Excuse me. I Floyd | will be back with his test results.' Floyd | Floyd | The doctor walks out. You look into the hall. Behind you, Joe stirs. Floyd | Floyd | You go over to him. He grabs you, and his grip is weak. He says: Floyd | Floyd | 'Random...' Floyd | Floyd | -and, with a dry, gutteral sound, dies. Floyd | Floyd | It occurs to you that in all the confusion you left the pail with the Floyd | fish you caught back in the pagoda. Floyd | Floyd | *** The End. *** Floyd | Floyd | Would you like to RESTORE a saved position, RESTART the story, or Floyd | QUIT? Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW | Our third entry is by Michael Whittington. Mr. Whittington lives in Cambodia, where he teaches English. | |||
| ParserGirl says, "whaaaaa" | ||||
| smartgenes says, "lol" | ||||
| Fang says, "haha, we suck" | ||||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "undo" | ||||
Floyd | That isn't one of the options. Floyd | Floyd | Would you like to RESTORE a saved position, RESTART the story, or Floyd | QUIT? Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "/undo" | ||||
Floyd | That isn't one of the options. Floyd | Floyd | Would you like to RESTORE a saved position, RESTART the story, or Floyd | QUIT? Floyd | Floyd | > | Ellison says, "leaving the fish behind was the TRUE HORROR" | |||
| DavidW says, "TADS. No /undo." | ||||
| ParserGirl says, "INCOMPREHENSIBLE GAME nuh nun hun huh" | ||||
| Ellison says, "but hey, at least that doctor was cheery" | ||||
| ParserGirl says (to DW), "We did undo earlier." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Oh man." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I am back, have read through everything, and... man." | ||||
| DavidW says, "Undo, yes. /Undo, no." | ||||
| smartgenes asks, "we need to *save* Joe?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I can't believe you people left the fish behind. People, seriously." | ||||
| ParserGirl says, "It was in our inventory!" | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "And yeah. Why do we want to save Joe?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I don't want to save Joe." | ||||
| DavidW says, "I'm not sure what the rest of the story is." | ||||
| Ellison says, "I want to burn down the hospital that he is in!" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "And, um, the author is writing from personal experience? Egads." | ||||
| ParserGirl says, "I'm not sure what any of it was. It feels like David Lynch's fifth grade diorama." | ||||
| Fang says, "maybe it's metaphorical" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Ellison), "Tie him to the hospital bed, then drop a cigarette in the mattress. Exactly." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to PG), "haha" | ||||
| smartgenes says, "i want to make love to his girlfriend and throw cigarettes at him" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Fang), "haha more" | ||||
| Nitku asks (of Jacqueline), "Will you be posting the transcript?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Um, I guess. Yeah." | ||||
| smartgenes says, "interesting psychological study though" | ||||
| DavidW says, "I feel we missed quite a bit, but I don't really want to explore it just now." | ||||
| Fang says, "I think this game could have gone some interesting places" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I guess it was meant to make us horrified, and in that respect it was an undeniable success." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Fang), "By all means, replay." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "If you want to. I will just watch." | ||||
| Jacqueline shakes her head, trying to make the memories fade. | ||||
| smartgenes says, "redo the game with the same name & win next year's Halloween compo" | ||||
| Fang says, "if it was written differently" | ||||
| Ellison says, "my favorite part was when it told me that chapter 3 had ended, because otherwise, the wondering would have killed me" | ||||
| DavidW says, "hee" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "heh" | ||||
| ParserGirl says, "you are in a mausoleum" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Well, wow. This was quite a session." | ||||
| DavidW says, "I'm guessing deadline doom hit." | ||||
| smartgenes says, "(only joking, game author)" | ||||
| ParserGirl says, "chapter3 is here" | ||||
| Fang says, "oh come on, to the author's credit, the setting was at least original" | ||||
| Ellison says, "heh" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Fang), "yes." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Fang), "Very much so." | ||||
| smartgenes says, "and had a psychological effect on you which is rare" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "And it was creepy. Just not in the typical Halloween sort of way." | ||||
| Ellison says, "I'm pretty sure I played a very similar game from 1998 called 'My Weird Ass Cambodian Adventure'" | ||||
| Fang says, "I get the feeling that this was intended to be a longer work, that kinda got chopped down" | ||||
| ParserGirl says, "It needed some comprehensible controls and actually having some of the setting fleshed out in more than six words a place." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Ellison), "YAY" | ||||
| smartgenes says, "no Ellison that was just you on holiday ;-)" | ||||
| Fang says, "yeah, and it felt too much like a procession of conversations at the start" | ||||
| Ellison says, "ha" | ||||
| Jacqueline asks (of Ellison), "Did you ever teach English abroad?" | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "And, if so, did you do anything savage?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "First Cambodia, then the lounge." | ||||
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