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ClubFloyd Transcript:
Sting by Mike Russo
As played on ifMUD on January 16, 2022

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 Sting written by Mike Russo. Sting was released as part of the 2021 Interactive Fiction Competition, in which it took 13th place. You can learn more about the game, including how to download it, by visiting IFDB.

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.

ToyShop & Floyditorium
#ClubFloyd Discussion

Jacqueline says, "I think Sting is the next one that would run on Floyd. I think it might be a sad one, not sure if people are up for sad stuff right now."
Krumar says, "Sounds good to me Jacqueline."
MoyTravis says, "It's not super sad."
Jacqueline says, "I'll upload Sting and then I need to step away for about 10 for a time-sensitive thing. You all can wait or proceed without me. One sec, will upload before I go."
DavidW says, "hm. The description of Sting says it's puzzleless. That's unusual."
MoyTravis says, "Oh dang some mad fool is rewriting all of Quest in JS. Hence, uh, QuestJS."
MoyTravis says, "Sting's a memoir, basically."
Jacqueline asks, "What makes that person a mad fool?"
Jacqueline says, "Never mind."
Jacqueline exclaims, "Upload is ready!"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "load sleepmask sting"
CF ] Back Yard
CF |
CF |
CF |
CF | Port Washington, NY -- 1985
CF |
CF | Mom said you and Liz can play for ten more minutes, because that's how
CF | long it is until lunchtime. Sometimes ten minutes feels very long and
CF | sometimes it feels very short.
CF |
CF | Sting
CF | An interactive memoir by Mike Russo
CF | Release 2 / Serial number 211211 / Inform 7 build 6M62 (I6/v6.33 lib
CF | 6/12N)
CF |
CF | Back Yard
CF | The back yard of your family's house is really big. The garden, with
CF | a pagoda, is on one side, the swing set is on the other, and a fence
CF | runs around it. The back door goes into the kitchen, and you could go
CF | north past the house to the front yard except you're not supposed to
CF | go there by yourself.
CF |
CF | Liz is here, sticking out her tongue at you.
CF |
CF | (Type ABOUT for some general information about the game or CREDITS for
CF | the acknowledgments. If you haven't played interactive fiction
CF | before, you can type BASICS for some of the simple commands used to
CF | play the game).
CF |
CF | > Krumar asks, "Does interactive memoir mean it is one of those where you just kind of go places and talk to people for a while?"
DavidW says, "I don't know. I haven't seen an IF work labelled this way before."
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "credits"
CF ] Back Yard
CF | >
CF | > CREDITS
CF |
CF | Sting was written in Inform 7, by Graham Nelson. It uses the
CF | extensions Basic Screen Effects by Emily Short, and Quip-Based
CF | Conversation and Reactable Quips by Michael Martin, so thanks are due
CF | to them. Thanks too to Adrian Welcker on the IntFiction.org forum for
CF | a clever bit of Inform 6 hacking I don't understand to enable a minor
CF | bon mot. The cover art is courtesy of my wife.
CF |
CF | It's difficult to adequately express my gratitude to my testers, who
CF | put Sting through its paces with great diligence and great sympathy:
CF | Andrew Schultz, Christopher Merriner, Daniel River, J. J. Guest, Peter
CF | M.J. Gross, Travis Moy, and Truthcraze.
CF |
CF | This post-Comp version benefitted from all those who wrote reviews,
CF | wrote feedback, and sent bug reports -- that's too many folks to list,
CF | but if you were one of them, thank you as well!
CF |
CF | > MoyTravis says (to Jacqueline), "Just 'cuz it's a lotta work. That was meant to be a marker of admiration."
DavidW says, "Andrew Schultz must be a testing god."
DavidW says, "He is credited as a tester in so. many. games."
MoyTravis says, "If he tests like he writes his games, he must be."
MoyTravis exclaims, "Hahahahahaha!"
Krumar asks, "I see Travis Moy listed up there, any relation to MoyTravis here?"
DavidW says, "possibly"
MoyTravis says, "Yeah, same person. Also: Andrew Schultz tested my game too."
Krumar exclaims, "Awesome!"
DavidW says, "One of these years, I should attempt to write an Andrew Schultz style game just so he can have the pleasure of playing it."
MoyTravis says, "God. You know, I respect his games, but they are utterly incomprehensible to me."
DavidW says, "I can deal with the wordplay ones."
MoyTravis asks, "Have you played Psyops, Yo?"
DavidW says, "I have, yes."
DavidW says, "That one's quite small, I think."
DavidW says, "And it was broken, if I recall correctly."
MoyTravis says, "I tried it, completely did not understand the premise, looked at the walkthrough and...still didn't understand the premise."
DavidW says, "The winning command didn't work."
MoyTravis says, "Hahahahaha! Well, it was made in 4 hours."
DavidW says, "The commands are the same letters done twice."
DavidW says, ""Psyops, Yo" is PSYO PSYO."
MoyTravis says, "...huuuuuuuuuuh."
DavidW says, "So if you find a hat, you have to try a command like SHATS HAT."
DavidW says, "I forget the actual commands to use, though. You either guess them or are stumped forever."
MoyTravis says, "Hahaha."
MoyTravis says, "Anyways, I'm mostly gonna sit 'round for Sting."
DavidW says, "I'd like to wait for Jacq to return."
Jacqueline says, "I'm back."
DavidW says, "hey"
Jacqueline says, "Just was reading all your conversation."
Jacqueline exclaims, "Sorry!"
Krumar says, "Just an FYI, I did some digging and at comp place 18th, Finding Light, says it is glulx based."
DavidW says, "I think I played Finding Light, but I can't recall which game that is."
Krumar says, "The summary says you are a fox after raiders invade a town."
Knight_Otu says, "I think that's one we started and abandoned - it's where we are a fox? familiar that can turn... yeah."
DavidW says, "oh right. We didn't quite finish it."
Krumar says, "OK, I was just looking for the highest rank one I could with file we could run."
DavidW says, "There was a maze and we collectively groaned and never returned to the game."
Jacqueline asks, "Eep. A real, honest-to-goodness maze?"
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "x me"
CF ] Back Yard
CF | >
CF | > X ME
CF |
CF | You're four (just like Liz, since being twins means you're the same
CF | age). Your hair is quite blond, though that will start changing in a
CF | year or two. You're small, or at least smaller than Liz. You've got
CF | on a yellow (that's a hard word to pronounce) polo shirt and khaki
CF | shorts, both a bit dirty.
CF |
CF | > Knight_Otu says, "That, and it had an mportant but obscure exit in one room."
MoyTravis says, "I think there was a trick to the maze, maybe? but eeeeeh."
Knight_Otu says, "I don't think we ever entered the maze itself in our Club playthrough."
DavidW says, "I'm sure the maze had a trick but we didn't learn it."
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "i"
CF ] Back Yard
CF | >
CF | > I
CF |
CF | You are carrying:
CF | a ball
CF |
CF | >
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "x ball"
CF ] Back Yard
CF | >
CF | > X BALL
CF |
CF | A pink rubber ball, less bouncy than when it was new.
CF |
CF | >
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "bounce ball"
CF ] Back Yard
CF | >
CF | > BOUNCE BALL
CF |
CF | You dribble the ball onto the ground, and grab it back after an
CF | unsatisfying bounce.
CF |
CF | >
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "x swing"
CF ] Back Yard
CF | >
CF | > X SWING
CF |
CF | Wait, there wasn't a swing set yet when this happened -- my mistake.
CF |
CF | > DavidW says, ">FOOF<"
DavidW asks, "Also, when *what* happened, dear author?"
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "l"
CF ] Back Yard
CF | >
CF | > L
CF |
CF | Back Yard
CF | The back yard of your family's house is really big. The garden, with
CF | a pagoda, is on one side and a fence runs around it. The back door
CF | goes into the kitchen, and you could go north past the house to the
CF | front yard except you're not supposed to go there by yourself.
CF |
CF | Liz is here, smelling the flowers.
CF |
CF | > Knight_Otu says, "Memory is a fickle thing."
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "x pagoda"
CF ] Back Yard
CF | >
CF | > X PAGODA
CF |
CF | The pagoda is made out of concrete and looks like a little temple
CF | ("pagoda" is probably the fanciest word you know right now, though
CF | there are lots more to come). It's maybe half as tall as you are.
CF |
CF | >
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "enter pagoda"
CF ] Back Yard
CF | >
CF | > ENTER PAGODA
CF |
CF | The pagoda looks really neat, but it's heavy and the roof comes off
CF | and it can fall over, so Mom says not to play with it.
CF |
CF | >
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "x garden"
CF ] Back Yard
CF | >
CF | > X GARDEN
CF |
CF | It's a nice small flower-garden, with dandelions and snapdragons and
CF | lots of other flowers you don't know the names of yet.
CF |
CF | >
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "smell flowers"
CF ] Back Yard
CF | >
CF | > SMELL FLOWERS
CF |
CF | They're nice!
CF |
CF | >
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "x liz"
CF ] Back Yard
CF | >
CF | > X LIZ
CF |
CF | Liz is a little taller than you are, even though you're older by one
CF | minute.
CF |
CF | >
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "ask liz about mom"
CF ] Back Yard
CF | >
CF | > ASK LIZ ABOUT MOM
CF |
CF | [Use TALK TO to interact with characters.]
CF |
CF | >
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "talk to liz"
CF ] Back Yard
CF | >
CF | > TALK TO LIZ
CF |
CF | You'd rather play than talk right now.
CF |
CF | (If you have a game in mind, you can just try playing it with Liz).
CF |
CF | > Knight_Otu says, "Because one grows so much in a minute."
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "play ball with liz"
CF ] Back Yard
CF | >
CF | > PLAY BALL WITH LIZ
CF |
CF | You call out to Liz and throw the ball to her, but it goes too far
CF | away from her. She rolls her eyes as you trot over to pick the ball
CF | back up.
CF |
CF | >
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "play ball with liz"
CF ] Back Yard
CF | >
CF | > PLAY BALL WITH LIZ
CF |
CF | You call out to Liz and throw the ball to her, but it goes too far
CF | away from her. She rolls her eyes as you trot over to pick the ball
CF | back up.
CF |
CF | >
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "give ball to liz"
CF ] Back Yard
CF | >
CF | > GIVE BALL TO LIZ
CF |
CF | You call out to Liz and throw the ball to her, but it goes too far
CF | away from her. She rolls her eyes as you trot over to pick the ball
CF | back up.
CF |
CF | You're starting to get a bit tired from all this playing.
CF |
CF | >
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "sit"
CF ] Back Yard
CF | >
CF | > SIT
CF |
CF | (on the ground)
CF | You are a little sleepy, but you can't take a nap outside!
CF |
CF | You're starting to get a bit tired from all this playing.
CF |
CF | >
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "in"
CF ] Kitchen
CF | >
CF | > IN
CF |
CF | (first opening the back door)
CF | "I'm done playing," you call over to Liz, then trot to the back door
CF | to go inside. You reach up to pull open the screen door, then drop
CF | your ball and use your other hand to open the regular door. Suddenly
CF | you hear a loud buzzing -- there was a bee stuck behind the screen
CF | door --
CF |
CF | "MOOOM", you sob, as your hand explodes with the worst pain you've
CF | ever felt.
CF |
CF | Your mom hears your wail from inside in the kitchen -- she pops open
CF | the door and scoops you up into her arms. "What's wrong, pumpkin?"
CF | she asks, brow creased with worry.
CF |
CF | [1] "IT HURTS!"
CF | [2] "Ah- ah- a bee."
CF | [3] (Inarticulate with sobbing, you present your burning hand to her)
CF |
CF | >
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "2"
CF ] Kitchen
CF | >
CF | > 2
CF |
CF | "Oh no, a bee sting!" she says.
CF |
CF | Your mom sets you down, then rummages around in the first aid kit
CF | under the sink and finds some cream and tweezers. Liz heard you yell
CF | and ran over -- she's standing behind you, craning her neck to see as
CF | your mom plucks out the stinger. She smears the cream on the sting;
CF | it's cold and feels weird on your skin.
CF |
CF | "You're OK," your mom says, rubbing your back. "Anyway it's hurt
CF | worse than you are. It must have been very scared, because a bee can
CF | only sting once -- then it dies."
CF |
CF | [1] "Oh no, the poor bee! It didn't mean to sting me."
CF | [2] "Good! I'm glad it's dead!"
CF |
CF | > Knight_Otu says, "Uh oh."
DavidW asks, "How do we feel about bee death?"
Knight_Otu asks, "1?"
Jacqueline says, "Yeah, 1"
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "1"
CF | >
CF | > 1
CF |
CF | "I know, honey," your mom says. She kisses your hand, then gathers
CF | you and Liz in for a hug.
CF |
CF | Your hand stops hurting so much after a minute or two, and then your
CF | mom says you can have ice cream even though you haven't had your lunch
CF | yet, so you don't think about it again until after you finish eating.
CF |
CF | "Did it hurt?" Liz asks, and you think for a minute, then nod your
CF | head. "You cried a lot," she continues, and you flush because you're
CF | not a crybaby.
CF |
CF | "I hope you get stung by a bee too!" you say back at her. "Then you'd
CF | cry a lot -- you'd cry even more." She sticks her tongue out, but
CF | then your mom tells you to apologize to Liz, and tells Liz to
CF | apologize to you, so you do, and then you hug her to show you're
CF | sorry.
CF |
CF | (Press any key to continue) Jacqueline says (to KO), "Belatedly, I think a lot of older twins like to talk about who is older, even if it's by mere minutes."
DavidW asks, "ready to continue?"
Knight_Otu says, "So I hear."
Knight_Otu says (to David), "Ready."
DavidW says, "I wonder what flavour of ice cream we had."
DavidW pushes the green 'space' button.
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | Nantucket, MA -- Summer 1995
CF |
CF | "We're going to win this race," Liz says, a mutter only barely audible
CF | over the sound of the mainsail snapping taut. Just as well she's
CF | talking to herself and not to you, because if forced to reply you'd
CF | point out that Ridgie and Emily won the last race, and the one before
CF | that, and probably like 80% of all the practice races the team's done
CF | this summer -- and of course Dave and the other Liz won the remaining
CF | 20-odd percent so the exact breakdown between them doesn't change the
CF | 0.0% chance statistics gives you of winning this time.
CF |
CF | But math annoys Liz in the best of circumstances, all the more so when
CF | it's getting in the way of her competitive streak, so you keep your
CF | mouth shut and your eyes on the jib. Maybe if you're lucky you'll get
CF | second place this time? Second place would be nice.
CF |
CF | > Jacqueline says, "Ten years later"
DavidW says, "I wonder if ghost bees will find us here."
Jacqueline says, "I admit that I am worried that Liz will die of a bee sting at some point."
Knight_Otu says, "Maybe sea bees."
DavidW says, "I know zilch about sailing so maybe someone else should steer."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "win"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > WIN
CF |
CF | That's not an action you've ever really contemplated.
CF |
CF | > Knight_Otu says, "And yeah, I was originally worried we might be allergic, but our sister might be."
DavidW says (to Knight), "yikes"
Knight_Otu says, "Well, now we know why we can't win."
Jacqueline says, "heh"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "get second place"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > GET SECOND PLACE
CF |
CF | I only understood you as far as wanting to get the second buoy.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "sail"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > SAIL
CF |
CF | Yes, that's the general idea.
CF |
CF | > Jacqueline says, "har"
Knight_Otu says, "Haw haw."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "l"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > L
CF |
CF | Nantucket Harbor (in the Russo 420)
CF | You're in a 420 with Liz, inside the harbor. There are three buoys
CF | marking the race course, plus a final buoy across from the Whaler
CF | marking the finish line. You're a couple hundred yards off the shore,
CF | with beach to the east and south and open water to the west and north.
CF | The wind's blowing a moderate breeze.
CF |
CF | The first buoy is upwind to the north, still a good way away.
CF |
CF | Ridgie and Emily are going to win. They're currently in first place,
CF | heading upwind to the first buoy, and they're surprisingly close.
CF |
CF | You might have a shot at beating Dave and (the other) Liz, who are
CF | currently in second -- they're still in the first part of the race,
CF | going upwind. They're not too far ahead of you.
CF |
CF | > MoyTravis says, "This is, technically, winnable."
DavidW says, "> use milkshake to bring all the buoys to my yardarm."
Jacqueline says, "yay"
Knight_Otu says, ">FIRE CANNONS"
Jacqueline asks, "N?"
Roger says, "yeah I'm not sure what it wants"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "n"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > N
CF |
CF | Liz is skippering, so she's steering the boat and you're along for the
CF | ride.
CF |
CF | > Roger says, "oh"
Jacqueline says, "Well, okay then."
Jacqueline says, "Good to know we're useful."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "cheer liz"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > CHEER LIZ
CF |
CF | That's not an action you've ever really contemplated.
CF |
CF | > DavidW says, "So wait or talk to Liz."
Jacqueline says, "It was funnier when that default response was for 'win'"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "talk to liz"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > TALK TO LIZ
CF |
CF | You turn your head back to look at Liz.
CF |
CF | "We're getting close to Dave!" you yell, indicating their boat.
CF | "Steer clear!"
CF |
CF | "Are you driving or am I?" she snaps.
CF |
CF | > Jacqueline says, "dang, liz"
Jacqueline says, "I would rather not drive, btw..."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "z"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > Z
CF |
CF | Time passes.
CF |
CF | "Ready about," Liz calls, and you nod, getting ready for the tack.
CF |
CF | > Jacqueline says, "..."
MoyTravis says, "It really doesn't matter if you win or lose though."
DavidW asks, "Tack means turn, I think?"
Knight_Otu says, "I guess we have a task."
Jacqueline says (to KO), "A tack task, if you will"
Jacqueline says, "Say that three times really fast."
Knight_Otu asks, "Or a tacky task?"
Jacqueline says, "I cannot say it twice."
DavidW says, "well, I bet we have to lean into or away from the tack, but not explicitly"
Roger says, "yeah that sort of thing is common enough"
DavidW says, "and if our jib is glib, then our dab is dibbed."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "lean"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > LEAN
CF |
CF | (out)
CF | You look at Liz and time your roll with hers, throwing your weight out
CF | as she steers the boat through the wind -- the roll helps you turn
CF | that much faster, so you don't lose much speed from the tack. You
CF | flip the jib over to the new leeward side and take your seat on the
CF | new windward rail. "Nice tack," Liz grunts.
CF |
CF | > Jacqueline asks, "Yay I did it?"
DavidW says, "yes!"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "z"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > Z
CF |
CF | Time passes.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "l"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > L
CF |
CF | Nantucket Harbor (in the Russo 420)
CF | You're in a 420 with Liz, inside the harbor. There are three buoys
CF | marking the race course, plus a final buoy across from the Whaler
CF | marking the finish line. You're a couple hundred yards off the shore,
CF | with beach to the east and south and open water to the west and north.
CF | The wind's blowing a moderate breeze.
CF |
CF | The first buoy is upwind to the north, and you've covered maybe half
CF | the distance to it.
CF |
CF | Ridgie and Emily are going to win. They're currently in first place,
CF | heading upwind to the first buoy, and they're surprisingly close.
CF |
CF | You might have a shot at beating Dave and (the other) Liz, who are
CF | currently in second -- they're still in the first part of the race,
CF | going upwind. They're jostling with you and (your sister) Liz for
CF | position right now.
CF |
CF | > Knight_Otu says, "Hm."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "adjust sail"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > ADJUST SAIL
CF |
CF | You haul in on the sheet, pulling it in a few inches and tightening
CF | the jib.
CF |
CF | You see the jib's looking too tight -- the wind must have shifted
CF | slightly without you noticing. "Russo, come on!" Liz shouts in
CF | frustration. "Eyes on the telltale!"
CF |
CF | > Krumar asks, "Should we lossen it?"
Jacqueline says, "I feel like I just did a thing and the game did an automatic thing it would have done regardless of what I had done."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "loosen sail"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > LOOSEN SAIL
CF |
CF | You play the sheet out an inch or two, loosening the jib. Liz sees
CF | what you're doing and adjusts the mainsail to match.
CF |
CF | "Think we should tack?" Liz asks -- you look at the buoy, and yeah,
CF | you're getting pretty far to one side, so you nod. "Ready about," she
CF | announces, and looks around to make sure you're clear of the other
CF | boats.
CF |
CF | > Knight_Otu says, "Sorry game, we missed the sailing tutorial."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "lean"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > LEAN
CF |
CF | (out)
CF | You roll through the tack, keeping up your speed.
CF |
CF | You wind up running alongside Dave and the other Liz's boat. They're
CF | to windward, and you've got the right of way, so your sister tries to
CF | take advantage: "go up!" she shouts, steering into them so they're
CF | forced to head into the wind. They lose some speed, leaving Dave
CF | cursing in frustration.
CF |
CF | > Jacqueline asks, "go up?"
Krumar says, "sounds good."
Knight_Otu says, "That feels less than sportspersonlike."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "u"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > U
CF |
CF | Liz is skippering, so she's steering the boat and you're along for the
CF | ride.
CF |
CF | You surge past Dave and (the other) Liz's 420, taking second place --
CF | Liz grins at you, purely happy, though you know the lead might not
CF | last.
CF |
CF | > Knight_Otu says, "What we just did I mean."
DavidW says, "I don't know what UP means in this situation."
Jacqueline says (to KO), "I think it's call strategy."
Jacqueline says, "But yeah, maybe. Not sure if what Liz did was cool or not."
Krumar says, "This unsportsman like conduct is much better than all the killng we did in previous games."
Knight_Otu says, "It may be strategy. Doesn't mean it's fair."
Knight_Otu says (to Krumar), "True. Very true."
DavidW says, "I have no idea."
SkipperLiz says, "RAM THEM"
Roger says, "Okay what it means is that we have the right of way, so we're telling the other boat they need to 'go up' (into the wind) so point their bow more directly into the wind"
Roger says, "of course, a boat can't sail directly into the wind, so it's a tactical move"
Krumar asks, "can we look at this telltale? would that tell us stuff?"
Jacqueline says (to Krumar), "You make a good point that this is more sportsmanlike than leaving a trail of dead security guards as we did in Dr Horror over the past few weeks. True dat."
Jacqueline asks, "Should I just wait?"
DavidW asks, "sure?"
Knight_Otu says, "I guess."
Jacqueline says, "I said I did not wish to drive but I appear to be ... driving. Except not really. Liz apparently is the skipper."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "z"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > Z
CF |
CF | Time passes.
CF |
CF | Ridgie and Emily round the first buoy, and Emily's spinnaker set is
CF | textbook -- they accelerate, and you know you're never going to beat
CF | them.
CF |
CF | You're getting pretty close to the first buoy.
CF |
CF | > Krumar says, "Earlier Liz said to keep an eye on the telltale, I didn'tk now if that would give us a hint."
Jacqueline says (to Krumar), "oh ah"
Jacqueline asks, "Should I >X TELLTALE or >LEAN?"
DavidW says, "no idea what 'spinnaker' means."
Knight_Otu says, "I would guess it's a type of turn."
Jacqueline says, "According to the internet, Spinnaker is an open source, multi-cloud continuous delivery platform for releasing software changes with high velocity and confidence."
Jacqueline says, "(I suspect I should look for a different definition)"
Krumar says, "spinnaker is a sale for going downwind"
Jacqueline | A spinnaker is a sail designed specifically for sailing off the wind from a reaching course to a downwind, i.e. with the wind 90–180° off bow.
Roger says, "a spinnaker is a big fluffy parachute sail that goes at the front of the boat"
Roger says, "also that"
Krumar says, "I think they are talking abotua software company though guys."
Jacqueline says, "I also have lived in a bunch of coastal communities, and can tell you that 'Spinnaker's' is a common name for restaurants & bars."
Knight_Otu says, "Water is soft, logic checks out."
Jacqueline says, "heh"
Jacqueline says, "It's soft until you hit it."
Krumar says, "Haha"
DavidW says, "okay, I'm imagining the parachute that comes out of the 60's Batmobile somehow at the front of a sailboat."
Krumar says, "The pictures really kind of look like a parachute pulling the boat."
Jacqueline asks, "Annyway, whaddowedo?"
Krumar says, "leaning has seemed to get us this far."
Jacqueline asks, "Anyway, I mean. Whaddowedo, anyway?"
DavidW says, "I don't know. Wait. Talk to Liz."
Jacqueline exclaims, "Let us lean again!"
Knight_Otu says, "I got an F in sailing class. (Not really.)"
Jacqueline clears the save counter.
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "SAVE"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "cf1"
CF | >
CF | > SAVE
CF | %% Enter a save filename to write:
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | > SAVEOk.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "lean"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > LEAN
CF |
CF | (out)
CF | You throw the full 100 pounds of your weight back, trusting the hiking
CF | straps to keep you in but since the boat isn't heeling at the moment,
CF | that doesn't do much.
CF |
CF | You've reached the first buoy, and Liz rounds it nicely, turning the
CF | boat downwind. "OK, get that chute up!" Liz yells, and you nod,
CF | getting ready for the set.
CF |
CF | The jib starts to luff as the wind flags for a moment. "Crank it in!"
CF | Liz shouts, as she tightens the mainsheet.
CF |
CF | > DavidW says, "I've never sailed."
Jacqueline says, "I've sailed a couple of times, but always as a clueless passenger."
DavidW says, "'Jib' starts to 'luff'."
DavidW asks, "Is this game changing languages?"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "set"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > SET
CF |
CF | (the jib sheet)
CF | You haul in on the sheet, pulling it in a few inches and tightening
CF | the jib. "Good," Liz says, "let's keep everything trimmed right."
CF |
CF | Dave and (other) Liz get to the first buoy. Liz gets the pole a
CF | little tangled in the halyards, so it takes longer for her to get the
CF | chute up, but they quickly start making up the lost time.
CF |
CF | > Krumar asks, "Would the command, Crank it in, work?"
Jacqueline says, "HAHAHA suck it, (other) Liz"
Jacqueline says, "Kidding. I am not that person."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "trim"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > TRIM
CF |
CF | (the jib)
CF | You haul in on the sheet, pulling it in a few inches and tightening
CF | the jib.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "z"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > Z
CF |
CF | Time passes.
CF |
CF | You're not sure why, but Ridgie and Emily suddenly seem to be going
CF | faster (maybe if you were a better sailor you'd be able to tell?)
CF | "All -- the -- fucking -- breaks," Liz grunts, keeping her eyes locked
CF | on the buoy.
CF |
CF | > Jacqueline says, "gosh"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "l"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > L
CF |
CF | Nantucket Harbor (in the Russo 420)
CF | You're in a 420 with Liz, inside the harbor. There are three buoys
CF | marking the race course, plus a final buoy across from the Whaler
CF | marking the finish line. You're a couple hundred yards off the shore,
CF | with beach to the east and south and open water to the west and north.
CF | The wind's blowing a moderate breeze.
CF |
CF | You're racing downwind towards the second buoy, with a ways to go yet.
CF |
CF | Ridgie and Emily are going to win. They're currently in first place,
CF | flying downwind on their way to the second buoy, and they're
CF | surprisingly close.
CF |
CF | You might have a shot at beating Dave and (the other) Liz, who are
CF | currently in third -- they have their spinnaker up, on their way to
CF | the second buoy. They're jostling with you and (your sister) Liz for
CF | position right now.
CF |
CF | "Come on, get the spinnaker up!" Liz exhorts you.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "put up spinnaker"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > PUT UP SPINNAKER
CF |
CF | You pull the chute out of the pouch and crank back on the halyard.
CF | It's looking like a good set, but you realize your mistake half a
CF | second before Liz does -- "Russo! You forgot the pole! Fuck!"
CF | Hastily you cram the spinnaker back down, trying not to let the hot
CF | flush of embarrassment throw your head too far out of the race.
CF |
CF | You're back in last place now, with Dave and (the other) Liz's 420
CF | blowing past you. "Not again!" Liz groans.
CF |
CF | The wind starts to flag, getting calmer and slower. "This is the
CF | opposite of fast," Liz groans.
CF |
CF | > Jacqueline says, "Gosh dangit, Russo."
Jacqueline asks, "Should I undo and figure out the pole?"
Krumar says, "jeeze jacq, you forgot the pole."
DavidW asks, "Who's Russo again?"
MoyTravis says, "The author."
Knight_Otu says, "We are."
Jacqueline sticks her tongue out at Krumar.
Jacqueline says, "Russo is the author, but also us."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "undo"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF |
CF | > UNDO
CF |
CF | Nantucket Harbor
CF | [Previous turn undone.]
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "set pole"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > SET POLE
CF |
CF | You pull the pole out of its clip and snap it into place on the mast
CF | -- now you're ready to hoist the chute.
CF |
CF | You're back in last place now, with Dave and (the other) Liz's 420
CF | blowing past you. "Not again!" Liz groans.
CF |
CF | The wind starts to flag, getting calmer and slower. "This is the
CF | opposite of fast," Liz groans.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "put up spinnaker"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > PUT UP SPINNAKER
CF |
CF | You haul up on the halyard and pull the chute out of the pouch as the
CF | rope lifts it up. With the pole keeping it clear of the mainsail's
CF | wind-shadow, the spinnaker catches the breeze with a loud thump -- and
CF | the boat starts going faster, kicking up spray as it cuts through the
CF | waves. "Ugh, that set took forever," Liz complains. "No it didn't!"
CF | you yell back, though you're pretty sure she's right.
CF |
CF | > Jacqueline says, "Okay, one sec."
Knight_Otu says, "I guess we should've started sooner."
Krumar says, "Nice job"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "restore"
CF | >
CF | > RESTORE
CF | %% Enter a save filename to read:
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "cf1"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | Ok.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "lean"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > LEAN
CF |
CF | (out)
CF | You throw the full 100 pounds of your weight back, trusting the hiking
CF | straps to keep you in but since the boat isn't heeling at the moment,
CF | that doesn't do much.
CF |
CF | You've reached the first buoy, and Liz rounds it nicely, turning the
CF | boat downwind. "OK, get that chute up!" Liz yells, and you nod,
CF | getting ready for the set.
CF |
CF | You're not sure why, but Ridgie and Emily suddenly seem to be going
CF | faster (maybe if you were a better sailor you'd be able to tell?)
CF | "Shit -- why do they always get lucky?" Liz spits when she sees what's
CF | happened.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "set"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > SET
CF |
CF | (the jib sheet)
CF | You haul in on the sheet, pulling it in a few inches and tightening
CF | the jib.
CF |
CF | Dave and (other) Liz get to the first buoy. Liz gets the pole a
CF | little tangled in the halyards, so it takes longer for her to get the
CF | chute up, but they quickly start making up the lost time.
CF |
CF | > DavidW asks, "Since this is a puzzleless game, perhaps it doesn't matter how well we do in this race?"
Krumar asks, "now we can set the pole?"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "set pole"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > SET POLE
CF |
CF | You pull the pole out of its clip and snap it into place on the mast
CF | -- now you're ready to hoist the chute.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "put up spinnaker"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > PUT UP SPINNAKER
CF |
CF | You haul up on the halyard and pull the chute out of the pouch as the
CF | rope lifts it up. With the pole keeping it clear of the mainsail's
CF | wind-shadow, the spinnaker catches the breeze with a loud thump -- and
CF | the boat starts going faster, kicking up spray as it cuts through the
CF | waves. "Good set," Liz says, which is a rare nice word from her.
CF |
CF | You come next to Dave and the other Liz's boat, both of you shearing
CF | through the waves as you fly downwind. Your speeds are nearly
CF | matched, and you're only a few feet away. "Nice day," Dave says to
CF | you and Liz, just to make conversation you guess.
CF |
CF | > Krumar says, "I think you got it."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "SAVE"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "cf2"
CF | >
CF | > SAVE
CF | %% Enter a save filename to write:
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | > SAVEOk.
CF |
CF | > Jacqueline says, "I know it doesn't matter, but I want to make Liz happy, DW."
Jacqueline says, "I don't like disappointing her."
Roger says, "Go to Hell, Dave"
Jacqueline says, "Now I'm nervous again. What to do next."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "talk to dave"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > TALK TO DAVE
CF |
CF | "Yeah, nice," you reply, but then can't think of what else to say.
CF | It's a little weird.
CF |
CF | "Russo, can we concentrate on sailing? This isn't the time for you to
CF | come out of your shell," Liz says, then nods to Dave and the other
CF | Liz. "Sorry, he's socially awkward."
CF |
CF | > Knight_Otu says, "Gee Liz."
Jacqueline says, "Dang, Sis"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "undo"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF |
CF | > UNDO
CF |
CF | Nantucket Harbor
CF | [Previous turn undone.]
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "l"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > L
CF |
CF | Nantucket Harbor (in the Russo 420)
CF | You're in a 420 with Liz, inside the harbor. There are three buoys
CF | marking the race course, plus a final buoy across from the Whaler
CF | marking the finish line. You're a couple hundred yards off the shore,
CF | with beach to the east and south and open water to the west and north.
CF | The wind's blowing a moderate breeze.
CF |
CF | You're racing downwind towards the second buoy, with a ways to go yet.
CF |
CF | Ridgie and Emily are going to win. They're currently in first place,
CF | flying downwind on their way to the second buoy, and they're
CF | surprisingly close.
CF |
CF | You might have a shot at beating Dave and (the other) Liz, who are
CF | currently in third -- they have their spinnaker up, on their way to
CF | the second buoy. They're jostling with you and (your sister) Liz for
CF | position right now.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x telltale"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > X TELLTALE
CF |
CF | The telltale is a little piece of orange ribbon is tied to one of the
CF | stays, and shows you exactly which way the wind is blowing -- right
CF | now it's coming from the north. Liz sees you checking it out. "Yeah,
CF | keep an eye on the wind," she says The telltale's at too much of an
CF | angle to the jib, indicating you've got it trimmed too tightly.
CF |
CF | You're not sure why, but Ridgie and Emily suddenly seem to be going
CF | faster (maybe if you were a better sailor you'd be able to tell?)
CF | "All -- the -- fucking -- breaks," Liz grunts, keeping her eyes locked
CF | on the buoy.
CF |
CF | > Roger says, "that's not true"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "undo"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF |
CF | > UNDO
CF |
CF | Nantucket Harbor
CF | [Previous turn undone.]
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "loosen trim"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > LOOSEN TRIM
CF |
CF | You can't see that anywhere around (or maybe you just won't remember
CF | it being there).
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "trim"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > TRIM
CF |
CF | (the jib)
CF | Even putting all your strength into it, the jib won't come any
CF | tighter.
CF |
CF | A gust fills the sails of Dave and Liz's boat, making them faster.
CF | You're not sure Liz notices, but there's not any upside to pointing it
CF | out.
CF |
CF | > Knight_Otu says, "Secret motor on the first boat."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "undo"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF |
CF | > UNDO
CF |
CF | Nantucket Harbor
CF | [Previous turn undone.]
CF |
CF | > Roger says, "I mean, as far as I know, telltales are attached to the sails themselves, not the stays (the wires holding up the mast)"
Jacqueline asks, "I want to loosen the trim. ... untrim?"
Roger says, "ease the jib"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "ease the jib"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > EASE THE JIB
CF |
CF | That's not an action you've ever really contemplated.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "untrim"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > UNTRIM
CF |
CF | That's not an action you've ever really contemplated.
CF |
CF | > Roger says, "fine, loosen maybe"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "loosen jib"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > LOOSEN JIB
CF |
CF | You play the sheet out an inch or two, loosening the jib. Liz sees
CF | what you're doing and adjusts the mainsail to match.
CF |
CF | > Roger says, "(it is called 'easing' though)"
Jacqueline nods.
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "SAVE"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "cf3"
CF | >
CF | > SAVE
CF | %% Enter a save filename to write:
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | > SAVEOk.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "l"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > L
CF |
CF | Nantucket Harbor (in the Russo 420)
CF | You're in a 420 with Liz, inside the harbor. There are three buoys
CF | marking the race course, plus a final buoy across from the Whaler
CF | marking the finish line. You're a couple hundred yards off the shore,
CF | with beach to the east and south and open water to the west and north.
CF | The wind's blowing a moderate breeze.
CF |
CF | You're racing downwind towards the second buoy, maybe halfway through
CF | this leg.
CF |
CF | Ridgie and Emily are going to win. They're currently in first place,
CF | flying downwind on their way to the second buoy, and they're way ahead
CF | of you.
CF |
CF | You might have a shot at beating Dave and (the other) Liz, who are
CF | currently in third -- they have their spinnaker up, on their way to
CF | the second buoy. They're jostling with you and (your sister) Liz for
CF | position right now.
CF |
CF | Ridgie and Emily must have run into a bad current, though you can't
CF | see it -- anyway they've slowed down a bit. Liz leans forward,
CF | wanting to make sure she catches every detail.
CF |
CF | > Knight_Otu doesn't know thetechnical terms.
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x telltale"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > X TELLTALE
CF |
CF | The telltale is a little piece of orange ribbon is tied to one of the
CF | stays, and shows you exactly which way the wind is blowing -- right
CF | now it's coming from the north. Liz sees you checking it out. "Yeah,
CF | keep an eye on the wind," she says.
CF |
CF | Ridgie and Emily pull off a nice jibe as they pass the second buoy,
CF | Emily smoothly moving the spinnaker pole from one side to the other
CF | and Ridgie keeping the boom under control as it sweeps all the way
CF | across the boat.
CF |
CF | > Roger says, "'jibe' is another turning-the-boat thing"
Jacqueline asks, "Do I just keep watching the telltale until we get to the buoy, then lean?"
Krumar asks, "I feel like it didn't tell you to do anythign different so may be you are on the right path as is?"
Roger says, "there's sort of a double-lean manouever, but I'm not sure the game implements that"
Krumar says, "I don't know anything about sailing though."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x telltale"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > X TELLTALE
CF |
CF | The wind is blowing from the north..
CF |
CF | You're closing in on the second buoy -- Liz will be calling the jibe
CF | soon.
CF |
CF | > Roger says, "get ready to duck"
Knight_Otu says, "Quack."
Krumar asks, "Jibe might mean to move the spinnaker?"
Roger says, "no"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "duck"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > DUCK
CF |
CF | That's not an action you've ever really contemplated.
CF |
CF | > Roger says, "I mean it might but no"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "lean"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > LEAN
CF |
CF | (out)
CF | You throw the full 100 pounds of your weight back, trusting the hiking
CF | straps to keep you in but since the boat isn't heeling at the moment,
CF | that doesn't do much.
CF |
CF | "Ready to jibe," Liz calls out as you near the second buoy -- you
CF | prepare to move the pole over and jibe.
CF |
CF | ("Jibe" and "jib" are completely different things, but names that make
CF | sense aren't a major feature of sailing).
CF |
CF | The chute gives a powerful surge as a gust hits you from behind; Liz
CF | is steering you through it, surfing the crest of a wave, but you
CF | should let out the sheets to get the benefit of more wind!
CF |
CF | > Knight_Otu says, "Ha."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "let out sheets"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > LET OUT SHEETS
CF |
CF | You ease the chute out so it catches more of the wind. "Ha, there we
CF | go!" you yell back at Liz, feeling the acceleration.
CF |
CF | You're moving past the second buoy, but you haven't got the spinnaker
CF | pole ready to switch. "Jibe ho!" Liz calls out anyway, impatient with
CF | your delay, and moves the tiller, forcing you to rush to swap the pole
CF | as the boom comes crashing across the boat. You just manage to duck
CF | out of the way, but the spinnaker's been left to luff and it takes you
CF | a while to get the pole clipped back into the right place.
CF |
CF | "Why'd you do that?" you scream at Liz, "I wasn't ready!"
CF |
CF | "You should have been," she shrugs. "I don't want to lose because
CF | you're spacing out."
CF | Dave and (other) Liz do a cautious jibe around the second buoy,
CF | cranking the mainsail all the way to the center of the boat so it
CF | doesn't fly far as it shifts through the wind.
CF |
CF | > Jacqueline says, "I'm glad I don't have a sibling. Particularly one with whom I go sailing."
Roger says, "This is actually captures the experience pretty well, I'll say; sorry if I was sounding negative"
Jacqueline says, "You don't sound negative, Roger. But Liz does."
Krumar says, "Haha"
Roger says, "oh, there's always someone who takes sports way too seriously"
Jacqueline asks, "So, what should I do now?"
Jacqueline asks, "We already jibbed, right?"
Krumar asks, "Did you move the pole?"
Roger says, "we did, but late"
Knight_Otu asks, "Seems so?"
Krumar says, "looks likeit."
Jacqueline says, "Right"
Roger says, "I guess we can look at telltales, or the water, or the other boats, or maybe it'll let us look at the wind"
Krumar says, "we could always lean or look at the telltale."
Jacqueline says, "It's a tad annoying that looing at the telltale takes time. In real life it would be a split second."
Krumar says, "I was wondering if we could look at the bouy."
Roger says, "sure worth a try"
Jacqueline says, "We could also undo and make that last bit better."
Jacqueline says, "Or just roll with it."
Krumar says, "We do want to make Liz happy."
Jacqueline says, "Let me see.."
Knight_Otu exclaims, "I'll be back in a bit. Smooth sailing!"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "undo. undo."
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > UNDO. UNDO.
CF |
CF | That's not an action you've ever really contemplated.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "undo"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF |
CF | > UNDO
CF |
CF | Nantucket Harbor
CF | [Previous turn undone.]
CF |
CF | > MoyTravis says, "I will say that trying too hard on this section really bogs down the game; it's not necessarily meant to be Boat Simulator 2021."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "undo"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF |
CF | > UNDO
CF |
CF | Nantucket Harbor
CF | [Previous turn undone.]
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "lean"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > LEAN
CF |
CF | (out)
CF | You throw the full 100 pounds of your weight back, trusting the hiking
CF | straps to keep you in but since the boat isn't heeling at the moment,
CF | that doesn't do much.
CF |
CF | You're moving past the second buoy, but you haven't got the spinnaker
CF | pole ready to switch. "Jibe ho!" Liz calls out anyway, impatient with
CF | your delay, and moves the tiller, forcing you to rush to swap the pole
CF | as the boom comes crashing across the boat. You just manage to duck
CF | out of the way, but the spinnaker's been left to luff and it takes you
CF | a while to get the pole clipped back into the right place.
CF |
CF | "Why'd you do that?" you scream at Liz, "I wasn't ready!"
CF |
CF | "You should have been," she shrugs. "I don't want to lose because
CF | you're spacing out."
CF | Dave and (other) Liz do a cautious jibe around the second buoy,
CF | cranking the mainsail all the way to the center of the boat so it
CF | doesn't fly far as it shifts through the wind.
CF |
CF | > Jacqueline says, "It seems I either didn't go far enough back or it doesn't matter."
Roger says, "yeah we'll have to take the pole, or ready the pole, or go forward"
Jacqueline asks, "But what if I want to play Boat Sim 2021?"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "take pole"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > TAKE POLE
CF |
CF | The chute will get all messed up if you take the pole down now!
CF |
CF | You're back in last place now, with Dave and (the other) Liz's 420
CF | blowing past you. "Not again!" Liz groans.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "undo"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF |
CF | > UNDO
CF |
CF | Nantucket Harbor
CF | [Previous turn undone.]
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "take spinnaker"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > TAKE SPINNAKER
CF |
CF | You need to get the pole out of the way first.
CF |
CF | You're back in last place now, with Dave and (the other) Liz's 420
CF | blowing past you. "Not again!" Liz groans.
CF |
CF | > Roger says, "well I don't know"
Jacqueline's eye narrow.
Roger says, "this is JK Simmons Teaches Sailing"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "restore"
CF | >
CF | > RESTORE
CF | %% Enter a save filename to read:
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "cf3"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | Ok.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x telltale"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > X TELLTALE
CF |
CF | The telltale is a little piece of orange ribbon is tied to one of the
CF | stays, and shows you exactly which way the wind is blowing -- right
CF | now it's coming from the north. Liz sees you checking it out. "Yeah,
CF | keep an eye on the wind," she says.
CF |
CF | The chute gives a powerful surge as a gust hits you from behind; Liz
CF | is steering you through it, surfing the crest of a wave, but you
CF | should let out the sheets to get the benefit of more wind!
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "let out sheet"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > LET OUT SHEET
CF |
CF | (the spinnaker sheet and guy)
CF | You ease the chute out so it catches more of the wind. "Ha, there we
CF | go!" you yell back at Liz, feeling the acceleration.
CF |
CF | Ridgie and Emily pull off a nice jibe as they pass the second buoy,
CF | Emily smoothly moving the spinnaker pole from one side to the other
CF | and Ridgie keeping the boom under control as it sweeps all the way
CF | across the boat.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "lean"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > LEAN
CF |
CF | (out)
CF | You throw the full 100 pounds of your weight back, trusting the hiking
CF | straps to keep you in but since the boat isn't heeling at the moment,
CF | that doesn't do much.
CF |
CF | You're closing in on the second buoy -- Liz will be calling the jibe
CF | soon.
CF |
CF | > Krumar asks, "When she calls we move the pole?"
Jacqueline says, "I don't think I know the right command."
Jacqueline says, "I think if we move the pole we'll get a comment about how it will mess up the sail"
Roger says, "I think taking the pole is correct, if the timing is right"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "SAVE"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "cf4"
CF | >
CF | > SAVE
CF | %% Enter a save filename to write:
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | > SAVEOk.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "take pole"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > TAKE POLE
CF |
CF | The chute will get all messed up if you take the pole down now!
CF |
CF | "Ready to jibe," Liz calls out as you near the second buoy -- you
CF | prepare to move the pole over and jibe.
CF |
CF | ("Jibe" and "jib" are completely different things, but names that make
CF | sense aren't a major feature of sailing).
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "jibe"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > JIBE
CF |
CF | You unclip the pole from the mast so you're ready to swap it, and nod
CF | to Liz. "Jibe ho!" she yells, and turns you around the second buoy.
CF |
CF | You duck the boom as it rushes across to the other side of the boat,
CF | and clip in the pole into the new windward side, keeping the spinnaker
CF | pretty full throughout. "Ha!" you crow, "that was a good jibe!" Liz
CF | rolls her eyes at you and calls you a dork, but who cares.
CF |
CF | Dave and (other) Liz do a cautious jibe around the second buoy,
CF | cranking the mainsail all the way to the center of the boat so it
CF | doesn't fly far as it shifts through the wind.
CF |
CF | > Roger says, "oh there we go"
Krumar says, "Nice job jacqeline."
Jacqueline asks, "I was excellent, and she calls me a dork?"
Jacqueline's eyes narrow again, this time at Liz.
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x telltale"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > X TELLTALE
CF |
CF | The wind is blowing from the north..
CF |
CF | > Jacqueline says, ".."
Roger exclaims, "sorry y'all -- I'm going ice-skating IRL. have fun!"
Krumar asks, "does that mean to lean?"
Jacqueline exclaims, "Bye, R!"
Krumar says, "Good bye, have fun."
MoyTravis exclaims, "Have fun!"
Jacqueline says (to Krumar), "I dunno, and our sailor is going skating."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "lean"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > LEAN
CF |
CF | (out)
CF | You throw the full 100 pounds of your weight back, trusting the hiking
CF | straps to keep you in but since the boat isn't heeling at the moment,
CF | that doesn't do much.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "z"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > Z
CF |
CF | Time passes.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "talk to liz"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > TALK TO LIZ
CF |
CF | You turn your head back to look at Liz.
CF |
CF | "I don't think we're going to catch them," you say, jerking your chin
CF | at Ridgie and Emily.
CF |
CF | "Christ, Russo, why do you say shit like that?" Liz says. "They're
CF | not any better than you or me, they've just been sailing a little
CF | longer. So let's keep sailing and beat them!"
CF |
CF | Ridgie's boat gets to the third buoy. Emily gets the spinnaker down
CF | in a flash, and soon they're heading upwind again, on their way to the
CF | finish line.
CF |
CF | You're back in last place now, with Dave and (the other) Liz's 420
CF | blowing past you. "Not again!" Liz groans.
CF |
CF | The chute gives a powerful surge as a gust hits you from behind; Liz
CF | is steering you through it, surfing the crest of a wave, but you
CF | should let out the sheets to get the benefit of more wind!
CF |
CF | > Krumar says, "maybe we have time to look at things."
Jacqueline says, "What"
Jacqueline asks, "Last place?"
Jacqueline asks, "WHY? HOW?"
Krumar says, "nevermind, time to let the sheets out again."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "let out sheet"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > LET OUT SHEET
CF |
CF | (the spinnaker sheet and guy)
CF | You ease the chute out so it catches more of the wind. "Ha, there we
CF | go!" you yell back at Liz, feeling the acceleration.
CF |
CF | You surge past Dave and (the other) Liz's 420, taking second place --
CF | Liz grins at you, purely happy, though you know the lead might not
CF | last.
CF |
CF | > Jacqueline asks, "So, when we hit the third buoy, I should take down the spinnaker?"
Krumar says, "I think it will go something like that."
Krumar says, "Let me look back real quick."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x buoy"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > X BUOY
CF |
CF | Which do you mean, the first buoy, the second buoy, the third buoy, or
CF | the final buoy?
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x third buoy"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > X THIRD BUOY
CF |
CF | This buoy -- yes, bright and orange and floating, just like all the
CF | others -- is the end of the downwind leg.
CF |
CF | The third buoy is getting pretty close so you should get ready to
CF | douse the spinnaker.
CF |
CF | A gust fills the sails of Dave and Liz's boat, making them faster.
CF | You're not sure Liz notices, but there's not any upside to pointing it
CF | out.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "douse spinnaker"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > DOUSE SPINNAKER
CF |
CF | You need to get the pole out of the way first.
CF |
CF | You're pretty much on top of the third buoy -- you need to get that
CF | chute down!
CF |
CF | You're back in last place now, with Dave and (the other) Liz's 420
CF | blowing past you. "Not again!" Liz groans.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "undo"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF |
CF | > UNDO
CF |
CF | Nantucket Harbor
CF | [Previous turn undone.]
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "move pole"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > MOVE POLE
CF |
CF | You unclip the pole and stow it, so it'll be out of the way when you
CF | douse the chute.
CF |
CF | You're pretty much on top of the third buoy -- you need to get that
CF | chute down!
CF |
CF | You're back in last place now, with Dave and (the other) Liz's 420
CF | blowing past you. "Not again!" Liz groans.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "douse spinnaker"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > DOUSE SPINNAKER
CF |
CF | You let loose the halyard and pull down the chute, stuffing it into
CF | the pouch as you go. "Good timing on the douse!" Liz shouts in
CF | encouragement.
CF |
CF | Dave and Liz round the third buoy, but they doused their chute a
CF | little too early.
CF |
CF | You're coming up on the last buoy, and Liz cuts the turn around it
CF | tight, sending you speeding upwind towards the finish. "Come on, we
CF | can do this," she calls at you.
CF |
CF | The wind starts to flag, getting calmer and slower. "This is the
CF | opposite of fast," Liz groans.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "trim"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > TRIM
CF |
CF | (the jib)
CF | You haul in on the sheet, pulling it in a few inches and tightening
CF | the jib.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "undo"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF |
CF | > UNDO
CF |
CF | Nantucket Harbor
CF | [Previous turn undone.]
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "SAVE"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "cf5"
CF | >
CF | > SAVE
CF | %% Enter a save filename to write:
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | > SAVEOk.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x telltale"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > X TELLTALE
CF |
CF | The wind is blowing from the north..
CF |
CF | >
DavidW has disconnected.
DavidW has connected. Jacqueline says, "That helps me zero, telltale."
DavidW says, "sorry, building lost power"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "trim"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > TRIM
CF |
CF | (the jib)
CF | You haul in on the sheet, pulling it in a few inches and tightening
CF | the jib.
CF |
CF | You and Liz see the patch of dead wind ahead at the same time -- it's
CF | just about time to tack anyway so better to it now and avoid the lull.
CF | "Ready about," she announces, and looks around to make sure you're
CF | clear of the other boats.
CF |
CF | > Jacqueline says (to DW), "Eep"
Knight_Otu says, "That's some back and forth."
Knight_Otu says, "Oh dear."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "tack"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > TACK
CF |
CF | You roll through the tack, keeping up your speed.
CF |
CF | > Krumar asks, "do we lean on a tack?"
Jacqueline says, "dunno"
DavidW says, "Took a while for internet connection to be reestablished. Could go again without warning."
Jacqueline says (to DW), "You have not missed much. Mostly just me flailing."
Jacqueline says, "I think we're in second still."
Krumar says, "I think we are in last."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "lean"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > LEAN
CF |
CF | (out)
CF | You throw the full 100 pounds of your weight back, trusting the hiking
CF | straps to keep you in but since the boat isn't heeling at the moment,
CF | that doesn't do much.
CF |
CF | Suddenly the wind gusts, speeding up your boat but also making it
CF | start to heel over, tipping the side you're sitting on up and the
CF | leeward side down!
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "lean"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > LEAN
CF |
CF | (out)
CF | You throw the full 100 pounds of your weight back, trusting the hiking
CF | straps to keep you in, which, combined with Liz doing the same behind
CF | you, brings the boat back to an even keel.
CF |
CF | Ridgie and Emily glide through the finish line, winning the race.
CF | "Not again," Liz says, her voice cracking with frustration, but you're
CF | not surprised.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "l"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > L
CF |
CF | Nantucket Harbor (in the Russo 420)
CF | You're in a 420 with Liz, inside the harbor. There are three buoys
CF | marking the race course, plus a final buoy across from the Whaler
CF | marking the finish line. You're a couple hundred yards off the shore,
CF | with beach to the east and south and open water to the west and north.
CF | The wind's blowing a moderate breeze.
CF |
CF | This is it -- the final leg, heading upwind to the finish line, with
CF | not too far left to go.
CF |
CF | Ridgie and Emily have already crossed the finish line.
CF |
CF | You might have a shot at beating Dave and (the other) Liz, who are
CF | currently in second -- they're making their final run upwind. They're
CF | not too far ahead of you.
CF |
CF | > Jacqueline says, "Oh. Or we're losing."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "trim"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > TRIM
CF |
CF | (the jib)
CF | Even putting all your strength into it, the jib won't come any
CF | tighter.
CF |
CF | The jib starts to luff as the wind flags for a moment. "Crank it in!"
CF | Liz shouts, as she tightens the mainsheet.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "jibe"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > JIBE
CF |
CF | You don't need to do that right now.
CF |
CF | Dave and the other Liz have reached the finish line, getting their
CF | usual second place.
CF |
CF | You're closing in on the finish line, and you lean forward, trying to
CF | get every bit of speed you can --
CF |
CF | And then suddenly there's a super loud buzzing and it's like somebody
CF | just punched you in the arm, and you yell out a "fuck!" and slap your
CF | hand over the hurt, only to cup a fluttering, buzzing thing clinging
CF | to your sleeve. Just as you process that you're holding a bee, it
CF | comes loose and falls into the water.
CF |
CF | > Roger says, "what sort of villain thwarts our hero with bees"
Krumar says, "Got us again."
Jacqueline says, "I guess that was all a lead up to us being stung again"
Knight_Otu says, "Those insects are beesy."
Jacqueline says, "All that work, just to go into anaphylactic shock"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "die"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > DIE
CF |
CF | That's not an action you've ever really contemplated.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "z"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > Z
CF |
CF | You're too distracted by pain to do anything except yelp again.
CF | "What's wrong?" Liz says.
CF |
CF | "A fucking bee just stung me!" you shout, your words whipped back to
CF | her by the wind. You drop the jib-sheet and rub the sting.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "jibe"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > JIBE
CF |
CF | The race is almost over, and you can't get over that you just got
CF | stung by a bee this far out on the water. "Only you could get stung
CF | by a bee in the middle of the harbor, Russo," Liz says, having the
CF | same thought but in less charitable terms.
CF |
CF | > Jacqueline says, "I guess we are giving up."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "pout"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > POUT
CF |
CF | That's not an action you've ever really contemplated.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "trim"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > TRIM
CF |
CF | (the jib)
CF | "Fucking bee," you say, still too rattled to focus on sailing, then
CF | rub some water on the sting in case that'll make it feel better. It
CF | doesn't, and you yelp again. "That's salt water, genius," Liz says,
CF | shifting her focus back to the race.
CF |
CF | > Krumar asks, "just wait for us to cross?"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "z"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > Z
CF |
CF | The race is almost over -- might as well just wait for the end.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "z"
CF | >
CF | > Z
CF |
CF | The race is almost over -- might as well just wait for the end.
CF |
CF | Finally, you cross the line and finish the race. You're cold and your
CF | arm really hurts, but at least the day's over and you can go ashore
CF | and take a warm bath once you get home. You look over to Liz to
CF | console her, but from the set of her jaw you can tell she doesn't want
CF | to hear it -- she's not as good at rolling with the punches as you
CF | are.
CF |
CF | (Press any key to continue)
Jacqueline pushes the green 'space' button.
CF ] Residential Quad
CF | Exeter, NH -- September 1997
CF |
CF | You know that it's lame to be happy that you're back at school. But
CF | as Liz has never tired of informing you, you are lame, and after
CF | sixteen years you've finally learned to embrace it.
CF |
CF | It's awesome to see your friends again, it's awesome that you're not
CF | working that busboy summer job anymore, it's awesome Liz is going to
CF | be here instead of in France like she was last year, and it's awesome
CF | that it's senior year: you might actually make varsity on the
CF | wrestling team this time, you get to take AP classes -- and after what
CF | happened on the beach last month, this might even be the year you
CF | finally get together with Laura. Sure, it ended a little weird, but
CF | it was still progress!
CF |
CF | I mean, you're pretty sure it was progress.
CF |
CF | Anyway, you haven't seen her since then, but she's at this
CF | welcome-back barbecue, so there's nothing stopping you from asking her
CF | out.
CF |
CF | > Krumar says, "Good job on completing sailing simulator 2022."
Jacqueline says, "Thanks. I suck at it."
Krumar says, "I'm guessing you can't win, the bee will get you and you become immobile."
Knight_Otu says, "And it sounds like we#re entering dating simulator 2022 now."
Jacqueline says, "I'm worried. Dating is probably harder than sailing."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x laura"
CF ] Residential Quad
CF | >
CF | > X LAURA
CF |
CF | You've known Laura since you were both kids, and you always thought
CF | she was awesome because she's really nice and into the same nerdy
CF | stuff as you (like, she's the one who introduced you to D&D). And
CF | then she got really pretty too, with amazing hazel eyes and her hair
CF | cut into a sexy bob, and alright yes, as your friends always get you
CF | to admit, she's completely stacked too. A smile forms on your lips as
CF | you look at her -- wait, did she notice you? You blush and turn
CF | aside.
CF |
CF | > Jacqueline says, "ugh. boys"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "talk to laura"
CF ] Residential Quad
CF | >
CF | > TALK TO LAURA
CF |
CF | Your footsteps slow as you get closer to Laura, but your heart makes
CF | up for it by accelerating fast -- do you even know what you're going
CF | to say? She hasn't seen you yet, you could turn off and talk to Liz
CF | instead, since she might be able to give you some advice...
CF |
CF | > Krumar says, "Liz is mean, I don't know if I trust her advice..."
Jacqueline asks, "I am still mad at Liz for making me go sailing two years ago, why would I want her advice?"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "talk to liz"
CF ] Residential Quad
CF | >
CF | > TALK TO LIZ
CF |
CF | "What's up," Liz nods at you as you come over to where she's sitting.
CF |
CF | [1] "I'm glad we're going to be together this year. I missed you when
CF | you were in France."
CF | [2] "So what do your friends think of your new haircut?"
CF | [3] "I'm going to go over and talk to Laura."
CF | [4] "How do you tell if a girl likes you? Just out of curiosity."
CF | [5] "Anyway, bye."
CF |
CF | > Krumar asks, "Just go down the list?"
Jacqueline says, "1? or 3? or 4. I expect if we bring up Laura, Liz will mock us."
Jacqueline says, "Oh, I could lawnmower it. True."
Jacqueline says, "Maybe it's mowerable."
Jacqueline says, "I feel bad for not loving Liz, given that this is based on Mike's actual sister."
Jacqueline says, "But she seems not entirely nice to us."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "1"
CF ] Residential Quad
CF | >
CF | > 1
CF |
CF | "Aww, Russo, you're getting sentimental in your old age," she says,
CF | then looks around the quad. "I definitely did not miss this place,
CF | but I missed you too."
CF |
CF | [1] "So what do your friends think of your new haircut?"
CF | [2] "I'm going to go over and talk to Laura."
CF | [3] "How do you tell if a girl likes you? Just out of curiosity."
CF | [4] "Anyway, bye."
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "1"
CF ] Residential Quad
CF | >
CF | > 1
CF |
CF | "I haven't asked them yet, I was too busy telling them about how you
CF | made the driver's ed instructor scream," she says.
CF |
CF | "He didn't scream," you protest (this is technically true, it was more
CF | like a sharp inhale). "The turn was a little tight but I totally
CF | would have made it."
CF |
CF | "Oh yeah, I remember that. I actually meant the other time."
CF |
CF | "I got a perfect score on the written test," you reply lamely.
CF |
CF | [1] "I'm going to go over and talk to Laura."
CF | [2] "How do you tell if a girl likes you? Just out of curiosity."
CF | [3] "Anyway, bye."
CF |
CF | > Krumar says, "aww, she missed us."
Jacqueline says, "She missed us, but still makes fun of us."
Knight_Otu says, "She really wanted to hit us with that beam."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "1"
CF ] Residential Quad
CF | >
CF | > 1
CF |
CF | "Oh Jesus," Liz says -- she rolls her eyes at you like she usually
CF | does when you talk to her about Laura, but at least she turns away
CF | from her friends so you've got a little bit of privacy. "Please just
CF | kiss her and get it over with."
CF |
CF | [1] "What? Of course not!"
CF | [2] "Would that actually work?"
CF | [3] (Blush silently).
CF |
CF | > Krumar asks, "2?"
Jacqueline says, "Yeah, I like 2."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "2"
CF ] Residential Quad
CF | >
CF | > 2
CF |
CF | Liz has that look in her eyes that she gets when she thinks you're
CF | being stupid, but she's being polite so she doesn't want to say it.
CF | "You know Laura likes you. Unless you were making up that she told
CF | you that when you had your weird meeting of the minds."
CF |
CF | "She didn't tell me," you say, annoyed. "When Saul said that we were
CF | obviously crazy about each other, she nodded right after I did. And
CF | then Saul went to the other side of the beach, and she let me hold her
CF | hand and we watched the sunset. I told you this like ten times!"
CF |
CF | "Russo, the fine details of your love life, or lack thereof, are not
CF | as interesting to the rest of us as you think," she says. She goes to
CF | run her hand through her hair, but she's not used to how short it is
CF | so it looks weird. "Count yourself lucky that so many people are
CF | trying to help you get laid, but at some point you're gonna need to do
CF | some of the work."
CF |
CF | [1] "So, assuming she likes me, what should I say?"
CF | [2] "You're right, this shouldn't be hard!"
CF | [3] "If you don't want to help me anymore, fine! I can do this
CF | myself."
CF |
CF | > Krumar says, "1"
Jacqueline says, "I guess 1..."
Krumar says, "I'm going to make a prediction that as we talk to her, we get stung."
Jacqueline says, "oh god you're probably right"
Krumar says, "Like right before we tell her how we feel."
Jacqueline says, "We'll be in the middle of our first kiss when BAM and then we'll, like, bite Laura's tongue and she'll hate us forever."
Krumar says, "Hahaha, that's how I see it going."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "KO? DW?"
CF ] Residential Quad
CF | >
CF | > KO? DW?
CF |
CF | Despite your hypertrophied vocabulary, you're worried that didn't make
CF | any sense.
CF |
CF | > Krumar says, "Let's do option 1"
Jacqueline says, "oops"
Jacqueline asks, "KO? DW? Y'all okay with 1?"
Knight_Otu says, "I guess so."
Jacqueline says, "DW may not be here."
DavidW says, "sure"
DavidW says, "I'm feeling less invested in this game the longer it continues, I guess."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "1"
CF ] Residential Quad
CF | >
CF | > 1
CF |
CF | Liz sighs. "How long ago did the beach thing happen again?"
CF |
CF | You do some quick math in your head. "Four weeks and three days.
CF | Thirty-one days."
CF |
CF | "Well if your precision timekeeping doesn't get her panties wet, I
CF | don't know what will." You blush fit to beat a tomato as Liz shakes
CF | her head at you. "Russo, you schmuck, this girl told you she likes
CF | you a month ago. How many times have you talked to her since then?"
CF |
CF | This one doesn't take any math. "Zero," you admit. "But we were with
CF | mom after that, so this is the first time I've seen her since!"
CF |
CF | "And you didn't call why?"
CF |
CF | [1] "I just hate talking on the phone."
CF | [2] "It felt like it would be super awkward?"
CF | [3] "...I don't actually know."
CF |
CF | > Jacqueline says, "Oh gosh. Russo."
Jacqueline asks, "She said she likes you and then you have not spoken to her in four weeks?"
Krumar says, "Sounds like option 3 here."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "3"
CF ] Residential Quad
CF | >
CF | > 3
CF |
CF | "Russo, Russo, Russo," she shakes her head. "No call, no letter, no
CF | pony fucking express. She opened her heart up to you and you left her
CF | hanging."
CF |
CF | You suddenly have a sour feeling in your stomach, the same one you
CF | always used to feel right before going in to confession. "That's not
CF | a big deal, though. She knew we'd meet up once school started again.
CF | And now she knows I like her too!"
CF |
CF | Liz just sighs. "Yeah, that part makes it even worse."
CF |
CF | [1] "Wait, I can fix this though, right?"
CF | [2] "Come on, you're wrong -- there's no way she's pissed. I'll just
CF | talk to her, it'll be fine."
CF | [3] "Oh shit, how could I be so dumb?"
CF | [4] (Moan with incompletely-suppressed self-loathing).
CF |
CF | > Jacqueline says, "I want to say 2."
Knight_Otu says, "3 again."
Jacqueline says, "I'm open to anything."
Krumar says, "2"
Jacqueline says, "Krumar, 2 or -- okay"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "2"
CF ] Residential Quad
CF | >
CF | > 2
CF |
CF | "Sounds good," Liz says, and turns back to her friends. "Knock her
CF | dead, cowboy."
CF |
CF | [1] "Anyway, bye."
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "1"
CF ] Residential Quad
CF | >
CF | > 1
CF |
CF | "Later, Russo," Liz says.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "talk to laura"
CF ] Residential Quad
CF | >
CF | > TALK TO LAURA
CF |
CF | Laura pretends not to notice you coming up to her until you're close
CF | enough to talk. "Hey Mike," she says, eying you -- is that warily?
CF | She must be nervous too.
CF |
CF | [1] "Uh, hi."
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "1"
CF ] Residential Quad
CF | >
CF | > 1
CF |
CF | "Hi," she repeats, then waits to see what you're going to say (you're
CF | sort of curious about that too).
CF |
CF | [1] "How was your summer?"
CF | [2] "Read any good books lately?"
CF | [3] "Taking any fun classes this year?"
CF | [4] "You know, I really like you."
CF | [5] "I'm thinking of starting a Dragonlance game."
CF |
CF | > Jacqueline says, "I feel like 4 is too sudden"
Jacqueline says, "1 or 5"
Krumar says, "agree"
Krumar says, "1"
Knight_Otu says, "1 I think."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "1"
CF ] Residential Quad
CF | >
CF | > 1
CF |
CF | "Umm, complicated," she says, and blushes slightly.
CF |
CF | Of course, you know how one part of her summer was: the part where a
CF | month ago you told her you liked her and held her hand, then never
CF | called or talked to her until just now.
CF |
CF | [1] "I mean, like June, July, early summer."
CF | [2] "I mean, I'm sorry I didn't call -- it was just really intense,
CF | you know?"
CF | [3] "I mean, maybe let's not talk about the summer?"
CF |
CF | > Jacqueline asks, "2?"
Krumar says, "not a good sign here."
Knight_Otu asks, "Feels like a lie, but I guess?"
Krumar says, "I think 2"
Jacqueline says (to KO), "I don't think it's a lie."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "2"
CF ] Residential Quad
CF | >
CF | > 2
CF |
CF | "It's OK," she says -- yes, she's definitely holding back tears now.
CF | "I figured you didn't mean it."
CF |
CF | [1] "...wait, what do you mean by it?"
CF |
CF | > Knight_Otu says, "Well, maybe a fib."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "1"
CF ] Residential Quad
CF | >
CF | > 1
CF |
CF | "That you liked me," she says simply.
CF |
CF | "Oh, no no no," you hurriedly say, I did! I mean I do. It's just --
CF | um." You have no idea how to finish that sentence, and as longed-for
CF | declarations of love go, the ones before were no great shakes either.
CF |
CF | [1] "Read any good books lately?"
CF | [2] "Taking any fun classes this year?"
CF | [3] "You know, I really like you."
CF | [4] "I'm thinking of starting a Dragonlance game."
CF |
CF | > Jacqueline says, "3"
Krumar asks, "3?"
Knight_Otu says, "Sure."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "3"
CF ] Residential Quad
CF | >
CF | > 3
CF |
CF | You lack the nerve when it comes to the crucial moment.
CF |
CF | [1] "Read any good books lately?"
CF | [2] "Taking any fun classes this year?"
CF | [3] "I'm thinking of starting a Dragonlance game."
CF |
CF | > Jacqueline exclaims, "!"
Jacqueline says, "GAME"
Krumar says, "oh man"
Knight_Otu says, "Haw haw."
Jacqueline says, "GAME!>?!?!JERTIU)G(UW#U()&%TTJ: GIBvb8"
Jacqueline says, "Sorry, can't type anymore. Flipped my table and my laptop broke."
Krumar asks, "3 seems like the next best option, something we have in common?"
Jacqueline looks annoyed. "Yes."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "3"
CF ] Residential Quad
CF | >
CF | > 3
CF |
CF | She doesn't seem as excited as you think she'd be -- she loves
CF | Dragonlance! But she still asks "D&D or SAGA rules?"
CF |
CF | [1] "I'm not really sure yet -- the SAGA rules seem like they're less
CF | focused on combat, so you can tell a better story."
CF |
CF | > Krumar says, "such a werid follow up to admiting we like her."
Knight_Otu says, ""Dragonlance? That stupid setting? I thought Iknew yuo!""
DavidW says, "Eventually we'll learn she's already dating someone else now."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "1"
CF ] Residential Quad
CF | >
CF | > 1
CF |
CF | "That makes sense."
CF |
CF | Weird Laura's not saying much -- you used to spend tons of time
CF | talking about this stuff, once you debated how to pronounce "Takhisis"
CF | for like an hour (she was right).
CF |
CF | [1] "But I'm not sure how balanced they are -- I did a playtest, and
CF | the spells seem overpowered."
CF |
CF | > Krumar says, "That's what I think "complicated" means."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "1"
CF ] Residential Quad
CF | >
CF | > 1
CF |
CF | "Uh huh?"
CF |
CF | You open your mouth, thinking what to say next --
CF |
CF | Wait, what's that buzzing? --
CF |
CF | You jerk your head back, but it's too late, as you feel something
CF | small and furry smack into your eye-socket --
CF |
CF | "MOTHERFUCKER!" you shout, as pain blossoms through your face. The
CF | bastard didn't sting you in the actual eye, but not for lack
CF | of trying; you probe gently with a finger and pull the stinger out of
CF | some soft tissue that's maybe only half an inch away.
CF |
CF | "You're not allergic, are you?" In pain and with one eye closed,
CF | you're not really alive to the nuances of her tone, so you can't tell
CF | if Laura's worried about you (good!) or just finds you pathetic (bad!)
CF |
CF | "No, I'm not," you say, after swallowing once or twice. "Or I
CF | wasn't," you amend, "you can develop an allergy any time you get
CF | stung." Yes, even now you're trying to impress her with your
CF | knowledge of bee facts.
CF |
CF | "Your face is pretty red," she says, peering closely at you -- in
CF | other circumstances, you'd be thrilled to be so near to her -- "maybe
CF | you should go to the infirmary?"
CF |
CF | [1] "Uh, yeah, I should probably go to the infirmary."
CF |
CF | > Jacqueline says, "BAM"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "1"
CF ] Residential Quad
CF | >
CF | > 1
CF |
CF | "Okay. Bye," she says. Her forehead wrinkles, like she's thinking of
CF | saying something else, but she doesn't.
CF |
CF | (At least the infirmary is close -- you just need to head west through
CF | the Academic Quad).
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline I am so annoyed. Knight_Otu asks, "Are we sure the bees aren't out for our blood?"
Jacqueline says, "I am so annoyed."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "w"
CF | >
CF | > W
CF |
CF |
CF | You trudge away from the barbeque. Liz shoots you a sympathetic smile
CF | as you walk past her, then goes back to talking to her friends, but
CF | that's OK, you don't mind being alone for a minute -- this way you can
CF | think about Laura. It's hard to figure out exactly how you feel about
CF | her right now, or what's going to happen -- you've had a crush on her
CF | from afar for so so long, you almost can't imagine your life if that
CF | changed (a weird thought pops into your head: you'd been thinking it'd
CF | change if you started dating, but the crush could go away someday,
CF | too).
CF |
CF | Your face throbs again, jolting you back to reality. You're walking
CF | through the Academic Quad now, tall brick buildings rising all around
CF | you, and the sun's starting to go down, cooling off the day. The
CF | infirmary's a five minute walk away, and halfway there the sting is
CF | already not throbbing so much, so you probably don't need anything for
CF | it.
CF |
CF | Still, you don't go back immediately: it feels nice to be away from
CF | the hubbub, much as you missed your friends over the summer, and much
CF | as you missed Liz over the year before that. It's kind of rare you
CF | ever get a chance to be alone, what with living with 40 other guys 9
CF | months of the year and living with your twin for the rest of it.
CF | Might as well enjoy it while you can.
CF |
CF | And, uh, give Laura time to leave the quad.
CF |
CF | (Press any key to continue)
Jacqueline pushes the green 'space' button.
CF ] Your Bedroom
CF | Bayville, NY -- Summer 1998
CF |
CF | Since summers stopped being sailing in Nantucket and started being
CF | bussing tables on Long Island, you've stopped liking them nearly as
CF | much. For one thing, there's no one to hang out with except Liz,
CF | unless you're able to align your days off with Chew and then take the
CF | train into the city to meet him. For two, a busboy's work so far as
CF | you've made it out is hard, long, dirty, and markedly lacking in
CF | intellectual stimulation -- plus while the paycheck isn't bad, all you
CF | want to buy with your earnings is video games, and you're working so
CF | much you don't have much time to play them. And three, with just a
CF | few weeks to go before you leave for college (you're going to
CF | California, Liz to Boston) and get to meet new people and study hard
CF | math, every day is dragging.
CF |
CF | You slept in because you're only working a night shift today, and
CF | you're alone in the house since everyone else is out shopping (Liz
CF | totaled her car in the mall parking lot last month, so she's been
CF | reduced to asking your mom for rides, same as you have to). You
CF | begged off -- shopping is the worst -- and now you get to play video
CF | games with no one around to bother you!
CF |
CF | You pull yourself out of bed, wincing slightly at a dull headache.
CF | Okay, first down to the kitchen to get tea (to get ahead of this
CF | caffeine-withdrawal headache) and breakfast (to stop the tea from
CF | giving you a stomachache), then there's a dungeon in Might and Magic
CF | VI with your name on it.
CF |
CF | (Actually, it has Ethric the Mad's name on it, since it's his tomb,
CF | but same diff).
CF |
CF | > Krumar says, "I was hoping she would come with us."
Jacqueline says, "I was too"
Krumar asks, "I guess we are going down to make tea?"
Jacqueline says, "I guess."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "d"
CF ] Your Bedroom
CF | >
CF | > D
CF |
CF | That's a wall, not a door.
CF |
CF | > Jacqueline says, "There's a floor, probably."
Jacqueline says, "But thank you for your sarcasm."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "l"
CF ] Your Bedroom
CF | >
CF | > L
CF |
CF | Your Bedroom
CF | The house your mom moved into after the divorce is much smaller than
CF | the one you grew up in. You have your own bedroom, but it's smaller
CF | than your old dorm room was, and since Liz called dibs on the room
CF | with a closet, half of it's taken up by a giant armoire.
CF |
CF | Your bookshelves and bed see to most of the remaining space between
CF | them, leaving just a little postage-stamp of carpet leading south to
CF | the landing.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "s"
CF ] Landing
CF | >
CF | > S
CF |
CF | The high-pile carpet feels nice on your bare feet.
CF |
CF | Landing
CF | The small landing has doors leading north to your room, south to
CF | Liz's, and northwest to the bathroom, plus stairs going down to the
CF | first floor.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "d"
CF ] Living Room
CF | >
CF | > D
CF |
CF |
CF | Living Room
CF | Your mom's living room is comfortable but snug, since her half of the
CF | furniture from the divorce overfills this smaller house. There's a
CF | couch and loveseat, several side tables, and lots of knick-knacks,
CF | plus the TV.
CF |
CF | The front door's to the west, the kitchen is east, and the dining room
CF | and your mom's bedroom are north (the computer is in the loft in her
CF | room). You can go back up to the second-floor landing, and the stairs
CF | to the basement are tucked away around a corner behind the TV.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "e"
CF ] Kitchen
CF | >
CF | > E
CF |
CF |
CF | Kitchen
CF | Your mom's kitchen gets the job done, with the usual fridge, sink,
CF | oven, toaster, kettle, trash can, etc., plus a phone on the wall.
CF | Today's newspaper is on the table, alongside a note. Godiva and Emma
CF | are snoring on their dog-beds in the corner, enjoying their
CF | mid-morning naps.
CF |
CF | The living room is back to the west.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "read note"
CF ] Kitchen
CF | >
CF | > READ NOTE
CF |
CF | It's in your mom's handwriting: "Mike -- Liz and I went out to do some
CF | shopping. Back around noon."
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x paper"
CF ] Kitchen
CF | >
CF | > X PAPER
CF |
CF | Today's Times. You like to read it over breakfast.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "make tea"
CF ] Kitchen
CF | >
CF | > MAKE TEA
CF |
CF | You need to get it out of the cabinets first.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x dogs"
CF ] Kitchen
CF | >
CF | > X DOGS
CF |
CF | Godiva and Emma are sprawled out, napping on their beds.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "open cabinet"
CF ] Kitchen
CF | >
CF | > OPEN CABINET
CF |
CF | Your breakfast every morning is a bagel, washed down with some Earl
CF | Grey tea, so you take them out of the freezer and cupboard
CF | respectively.
CF |
CF | > Jacqueline says, "I'm just gonna make tea and eat and read the paper unless I get stung or one of you has a suggestion."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "make tea"
CF ] Kitchen
CF | >
CF | > MAKE TEA
CF |
CF | You put the kettle on and grab your maroon Exeter mug for the tea.
CF | Idly, you leaf through the newspaper as the kettle boils and the tea
CF | brews -- must be a slow news day since the lead stories are all just
CF | speculation about what Starr is going to write in his report.
CF |
CF | > Krumar says, "Sounds like a good plan."
Knight_Otu says, "Suggestion - don't get stung."
Jacqueline says, "I'll sure try"
DavidW says, "I wonder if he nukes the bagel or uses a toaster oven."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "toast bagel"
CF ] Kitchen
CF | >
CF | > TOAST BAGEL
CF |
CF | You toast the bagel, flipping through the newspaper as you wait --
CF | there's a review of Saving Private Ryan, which sounds intense. Once
CF | the toaster dings, you smear some veggie cream cheese on both sides.
CF |
CF | > Jacqueline says, "Oh gosh. Veggie cream. I used to eat that stuff."
DavidW asks, "oh. Bagels fit inside toasters now?"
Jacqueline says, "They make toasters that are bagel sized."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "drink tea"
CF ] Kitchen
CF | >
CF | > DRINK TEA
CF |
CF | You sit down at the kitchen table with your freshly-toasted bagel and
CF | nicely-steeped tea, and open up the newspaper, which you've recently
CF | made your habit for breakfast -- it makes you feel grown-up. Today
CF | there's a science supplement, so you read an article about the
CF | implications of the recent experiment proving that neutrinos have
CF | mass, and another one about ongoing work to nail down the cosmological
CF | constant.
CF |
CF | You flip through the headlines as you finish -- these are much less
CF | interesting, mostly about this Clinton blowjob stuff, which makes you
CF | embarrassed to read about -- then clean up.
CF |
CF | > DavidW says, "huh"
DavidW asks, "No articles about bee colony collapse?"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "eat bagel"
CF ] Kitchen
CF | >
CF | > EAT BAGEL
CF |
CF | You've already eaten.
CF |
CF | > Krumar says, "could be time to go up and play the game."
Jacqueline says (to DW), "This was before Mike Russo found a way to make bees go extinct."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "clean dishes"
CF ] Kitchen
CF | >
CF | > CLEAN DISHES
CF |
CF | You can't see that anywhere around (or maybe you just won't remember
CF | it being there).
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "w"
CF ] Living Room
CF | >
CF | > W
CF |
CF |
CF | Living Room
CF | Your mom's living room is comfortable but snug, since her half of the
CF | furniture from the divorce overfills this smaller house. There's a
CF | couch and loveseat, several side tables, and lots of knick-knacks,
CF | plus the TV.
CF |
CF | The front door's to the west, the kitchen is east, and the dining room
CF | and your mom's bedroom are north (the computer is in the loft in her
CF | room). You can go back up to the second-floor landing, and the stairs
CF | to the basement are tucked away around a corner behind the TV.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "n"
CF ] Dining Room
CF | >
CF | > N
CF |
CF |
CF | Dining Room
CF | The dining room doesn't see much use outside of the rare holiday
CF | gathering, so serves more as an intermediate hallway between the
CF | living room to the south and your mom's bedroom and loft to the north.
CF | Of course, there's a bunch more furniture, including a yellow sofa
CF | that came from the Nantucket house, and the nice dining table.
CF |
CF | That's strange -- one of your mom's bright-orange dumbbells is stood
CF | on its end in the middle of the carpet.
CF |
CF | > DavidW says, "I wanna know if the swings are here now and if the pagoda is safe."
Krumar says, "DavidW, I think we left that hosue."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x dumbbell"
CF ] Dining Room
CF | >
CF | > X DUMBBELL
CF |
CF | It's one of a pair of light dumbbells, maybe three or four pounds,
CF | coated in orange plastic to make it easier to grip. For some reason
CF | it's standing on end in the middle of the room, and now that you look
CF | closer, there's a paper towel under it, scrunched up into a kind of
CF | pouch. What is this doing here?
CF |
CF | > DavidW asks, "Aren't we in our mom's house?"
Jacqueline says, "Yeah, mom and dad got a divorce. We're not in that house anymore."
DavidW says, "oh"
DavidW says, "drat"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x paper towel"
CF ] Dining Room
CF | >
CF | > X PAPER TOWEL
CF |
CF | It's one of a pair of light dumbbells, maybe three or four pounds,
CF | coated in orange plastic to make it easier to grip. For some reason
CF | it's standing on end in the middle of the room, and now that you look
CF | closer, there's a paper towel under it, scrunched up into a kind of
CF | pouch. What is this doing here?
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "take dumbbell"
CF ] Dining Room
CF | >
CF | > TAKE DUMBBELL
CF |
CF | Without consciously thinking about who put the dumbbell here or why,
CF | you reach for it -- it belongs in your mom's room with the other one,
CF | not weirdly on its own like this -- but just as you dislodge it and
CF | free a bit of paper towel stuck under it, you think wait, there must
CF | be some reason it's here -- and then you hear the buzzing --
CF |
CF | There's frantic pressure against your foot as it brushes against the
CF | paper towel, and then you feel the sting, hitting the thin vein-rich
CF | skin at the top of your foot and making you yelp and hop into the air
CF | (it's not a very helpful reflex, your foot hurts even more once you
CF | land).
CF |
CF | Gingerly you probe the paper towel that had been trapped under the
CF | dumbbell with your other foot, and sure enough, there's a once-living,
CF | now very dead, bee in there. You're torn between being impressed that
CF | someone -- I mean, it was Liz, obviously -- managed to catch a bee
CF | like that, and incredulous anger that she just left it there.
CF |
CF | > Krumar asks, "can we take it or move it?"
Jacqueline says, "I don't f'in believet his."
Jacqueline says, "*this, rather"
Krumar says, "Wow, his only suggestion was don't get stung, and look what happened to us."
Jacqueline asks, "Should I undo?"
DavidW says, "There's so many of these Vitamin Bees."
Knight_Otu says, "Not how I expected us to be stung."
Krumar says, "I say undo, I want to see what the computer can do."
Jacqueline says (to KO), "That's how the bees get you."
Jacqueline says, "They're like the Spanish Inquisition. No one expects them."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "undo"
CF ] Dining Room
CF |
CF | > UNDO
CF |
CF | Dining Room
CF | [Previous turn undone.]
CF |
CF | > Krumar asks, "Who leaves a bee under a paper towel under a dumbbell?"
Knight_Otu says, "True."
DavidW says (to Krumar), "Liz"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "n"
CF ] Dining Room
CF | >
CF | > N
CF |
CF | The real-world mystery of what the hell the dumbbell is doing here is
CF | momentarily more compelling than the prospect of virtual
CF | dungeon-delving.
CF |
CF | > Jacqueline says, "We are not allowed to proceed."
Knight_Otu exclaims, "NO!"
Jacqueline says, "Sad trombone."
Jacqueline says (to Game), "I would rather play video games than be stung."
Knight_Otu says, ">WAIT UNTIL NOON."
DavidW says, "There must be a second bee."
Krumar asks, "undo some more and explore the house or keep moving forward?"
Jacqueline asks, "Anyone else a little salty? Is it just me?"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "push down on dumbbel"
CF ] Dining Room
CF | >
CF | > PUSH DOWN ON DUMBBEL
CF |
CF | You can't see that anywhere around (or maybe you just won't remember
CF | it being there).
CF |
CF | > MoyTravis says, "The game's called Sting."
Jacqueline frowns at Travis.
Knight_Otu says, "I mean, if it's autobiograohical, then that's how it happened, most likely."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "crush bee under dumbbell"
CF ] Dining Room
CF | >
CF | > CRUSH BEE UNDER DUMBBELL
CF |
CF | That's not an action you've ever really contemplated.
CF |
CF | > MoyTravis says, "I mean, look, the tagline is "Six bees. Five bags of groceries. A four-pound dumbbell. Three sailboats. One twin.""
Jacqueline says, "SIX BEES"
Jacqueline starts to count.
MoyTravis says, "It tells you exactly how many scenes there will be."
Krumar says, "This is bee 4"
Jacqueline asks, "This is... bee #4?"
Jacqueline says, "Right"
Knight_Otu says, "Yeah."
DavidW says, "Door bee. Sail bee. Laura bee. Dumbbell bee."
Jacqueline says, "I guess we just get it over with and get stung then."
Krumar says, "OK."
Jacqueline is still annoyed.
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "move dumbbell"
CF ] Dining Room
CF | >
CF | > MOVE DUMBBELL
CF |
CF | Without consciously thinking about who put the dumbbell here or why,
CF | you reach for it -- it belongs in your mom's room with the other one,
CF | not weirdly on its own like this -- but just as you dislodge it and
CF | free a bit of paper towel stuck under it, you think wait, there must
CF | be some reason it's here -- and then you hear the buzzing --
CF |
CF | There's frantic pressure against your foot as it brushes against the
CF | paper towel, and then you feel the sting, hitting the thin vein-rich
CF | skin at the top of your foot and making you yelp and hop into the air
CF | (it's not a very helpful reflex, your foot hurts even more once you
CF | land).
CF |
CF | Gingerly you probe the paper towel that had been trapped under the
CF | dumbbell with your other foot, and sure enough, there's a once-living,
CF | now very dead, bee in there. You're torn between being impressed that
CF | someone -- I mean, it was Liz, obviously -- managed to catch a bee
CF | like that, and incredulous anger that she just left it there.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x bee"
CF ] Dining Room
CF | >
CF | > X BEE
CF |
CF | A dead bee, wrapped in a paper towel.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x foot"
CF ] Dining Room
CF | >
CF | > X FOOT
CF |
CF | You have a giant red welt slowly expanding across the top of your
CF | foot.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "n"
CF ] Dining Room
CF | >
CF | > N
CF |
CF | As you leave the dining room, you drop the dumbbell off by its mate
CF | next to your mom's bed.
CF |
CF | If music hath charms to soothe a savage breast, so too does a
CF | dungeon-crawler hath charms to soothe a savaged foot. You go up the
CF | spiral stairs in your mom's bedroom and boot up the PC in the loft,
CF | then load your MM VI save and take stock of the situation. Your
CF | doughty party are midway through a raid on the Tomb of Ethric the Mad,
CF | in search of the skull of the eponymous maniac, but after a run-in
CF | with some power liches you're wondering if you're here too early.
CF | Some quick healing patches up your front-liners, but your starting to
CF | run low on magic points...
CF |
CF | Suddenly the house phone rings -- you groan, your concentration
CF | broken, and consider letting the answering machine get it, but then
CF | you see from the ID that it's Liz.
CF |
CF | [1] "Hello?"
CF |
CF | > MoyTravis says, "I mean, Mike Russo seems particularly prone to bee stings for somebody not in a bee-related profession, but it's also, like, six stings over a lifetime of however old Mike Russo is, so it's not that often."
Knight_Otu says, "Savage beast, I think you mean, game."
Jacqueline says, "ha. Yes, I think he means savage beats, but savage breast is a good typo"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "1"
CF ] Dining Room
CF | >
CF | > 1
CF |
CF | "Hey Russo," Liz says. The connection's scratchy, and you can hear
CF | the sound of traffic in the background. "What's up?"
CF |
CF | [1] "Oh, nothing much."
CF | [2] "Oh, nothing much, except a bee trapped under a dumbbell just
CF | stung me. You know, normal stuff."
CF |
CF | > Krumar says, "I've only been stung twice in my life time and I used to spend a lot of time outside."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "2"
CF ] Dining Room
CF | >
CF | > 2
CF |
CF | "Oh, you found it, huh?" she says, with the slight drawl she gets when
CF | she's trying to downplay doing something wrong.
CF |
CF | [1] "Why did you do that? You didn't even leave a note!"
CF | [2] "Why the fuck did you do that? You didn't even leave a note!"
CF |
CF | > Jacqueline says, "Going with 1"
Jacqueline asks, "Any objections?"
Knight_Otu says, "Sure."
Krumar says, "I like 1"
DavidW says, "no pton"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "1"
CF ] Dining Room
CF | >
CF | > 1
CF |
CF | "I don't know, it was scary and I panicked!" she says. "Mom was
CF | already in the car and annoyed because I was taking too long to get
CF | ready, and I wasn't sure what to do with the bee once I caught it.
CF | Bees freak me out!"
CF |
CF | That's weird -- Liz is the one who's never afraid of anything, why
CF | would she be scared of bees?
CF |
CF | [1] "It's really quite painful."
CF | [2] "The sting didn't hurt so much, don't worry."
CF |
CF | > DavidW says, "er no prob"
Jacqueline asks, "1?"
Krumar says, "2, we did go play games afterwards."
Jacqueline asks, "Or 2?"
Knight_Otu says, "2, sure."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "2"
CF ] Dining Room
CF | >
CF | > 2
CF |
CF | "Of course it didn't, you're a big tough wrestler now," she says, her
CF | voice only like 50% mocking. "Glad it was no big deal."
CF |
CF | [1] "Anyway. See you later."
CF |
CF | > Jacqueline says, "Thank you for calling for no apparent reason, Liz."
Krumar says, "She want's to know if we fell into her trap."
Knight_Otu says, "Maybe she wanted to warn us about the bee and, well, it was too late."
DavidW says, "huh yeah. Why did she call>"
Jacqueline says (to KO), "Hm. Perhaps, yeah."
Knight_Otu says, "Predicted our wak-up time wrong."
Knight_Otu says, "*wake-up"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "1"
CF | >
CF | > 1
CF |
CF | "Yeah. We've got some more shopping to do, but we should be home in
CF | like an hour," Liz says. "And mom said I can borrow the car to drive
CF | us to work, assuming you can still fit your foot into your dress
CF | shoes."
CF |
CF | You hang up the phone. There's still a couple of hours before you
CF | need to get ready for work, so might as well try to salvage the day.
CF |
CF | You're quickly sucked into the game -- it's been years since there's
CF | been a good RPG to play -- and your foot doesn't really hurt that
CF | much, thankfully, so it's not too distracting as you kill liches, pick
CF | locks, and level up, getting in the zone.
CF |
CF | "I'm up here," you call down when you hear the door open, and Liz
CF | comes into your mom's room, drops off some shopping bags, then clomps
CF | up the stairs to the loft.
CF |
CF | After apologizing again, she looks over at the game and asks how it's
CF | going. You tell her about your progress, maybe a little
CF | over-enthusiastically. "You're pretty cheerful for someone who might
CF | need their foot amputated at the knee," she says.
CF |
CF | "Oh, I am," you reply. "It's because no matter how far apart we are,
CF | no matter whatever happens from this day forward, I am never, ever
CF | going to let you live this down."
CF |
CF | (Press any key to continue)
Jacqueline pushes the green 'space' button.
CF ] California Ave
CF | Pasadena, CA -- August 2011
CF |
CF | It's hot, and these groceries are heavy. Most of the time not driving
CF | is no big deal -- LA's public transit isn't as bad as everyone says --
CF | but food-shopping in the summer does make you wish you and Kaylee had
CF | a car, even though the store is only like four blocks from your
CF | apartment. Sweat's stinging your eyes, but you can't wipe them clear
CF | without putting down the grocery bags and you'd feel dumb telling
CF | Kaylee you need a break. Anyway the apartment is just around the
CF | corner to the north.
CF |
CF | > DavidW says, "s/need a break/need a beret/"
DavidW says, "I hope celery is one of the groceries."
Krumar asks, "x Karylee?"
Krumar says, "Kaylee"
DavidW says, "It's not a proper shopping bag story without a big stalk o' celery sticking out of the top of a bag."
Jacqueline says, "Mike and Kaylee need to do what we do and have a backpack for grocery-schlepping"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "put down bag"
CF ] California Ave
CF | >
CF | > PUT DOWN BAG
CF |
CF | Here, in the street?
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "y"
CF ] California Ave
CF | >
CF | > Y
CF |
CF | That was a rhetorical question.
CF |
CF | > Krumar says, "hahah"
Jacqueline is again annoyed
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "n"
CF ] El Molino Ave
CF | >
CF | > N
CF |
CF | As you turn onto El Molino, Kaylee slows to look at a strange sight.
CF |
CF | There's a beekeeper (I mean, you assume he's a beekeeper based on his
CF | outfit of coveralls and veil) up on a ladder, futzing with one of the
CF | palm trees -- that's right, you'd noticed a bee hive up there a couple
CF | of days ago, so it's good that he's getting rid of it before the bees
CF | sting somebody, like for example you.
CF |
CF | You start to walk up the path into your building, but then you realize
CF | Kaylee's not following. "Hi," she calls up to the guy. "What are you
CF | doing?"
CF |
CF | A flush comes over your face, over and above the strain of carrying
CF | heavy groceries in this heat -- you always feel so awkward when she
CF | starts conversations with strangers like this, but the beekeeper
CF | doesn't seem fazed: "The city's having me move this hive since it's in
CF | a residential area," he says. "You ever see a hive moved before?"
CF | Kaylee hasn't and starts peppering the guy with questions, as
CF | oblivious to your physical and social discomfort as she is to the
CF | obvious risks of hanging out next to a soon-to-be-disturbed bee hive.
CF |
CF | El Molino Ave
CF | The stretch of El Molino Avenue outside your -- well, technically
CF | Kaylee's is the only name on the lease -- apartment building presents
CF | a green and pleasant prospect, with a wide lawn, a grass-bordered
CF | sidewalk, and gently-swaying palm trees. California Avenue is to the
CF | south and Del Mar is to the north, but now that you're done running
CF | your errands you'd rather head inside the apartment than wander around
CF | any more.
CF |
CF | The main excitement is around the palm tree right in front of your
CF | apartment. The beekeeper's got a ladder set up against the tree so he
CF | can get to the hive, and his bag of tools and a giant box are set down
CF | on the sidewalk within easy reach.
CF |
CF | > DavidW says, "I'm ready for the can of cling peaches (in heavy syrup) to roll out into the street."
Jacqueline says, "Of course there's a damn beekeeper."
Knight_Otu says, "I mean, yeah."
Krumar says, "David, I bet we do spill the grocceries."
Knight_Otu says, ">RUN FOR YOUR LIFE"
DavidW says, "And a neighbor's dog gets its leash twisted around our ankles."
DavidW says, "So no running."
Knight_Otu says, "Dangit."
DavidW asks, "I suppose we can't just go north and hope Kaylee gets the hint and follows?"
Krumar says, "we should probably keep heading for the door but it probably won't let us."
DavidW says, "or whichever way the door is."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "n"
CF ] El Molino Ave
CF | >
CF | > N
CF |
CF | It's way too hot to go randomly wandering around Pasadena.
CF |
CF | > DavidW asks, "in?"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "in"
CF ] Kaylee's Apartment
CF | >
CF | > IN
CF |
CF | You walk into the building and trudge up the stairs to the apartment
CF | you've shared with Kaylee for the last four years.
CF |
CF | Kaylee's Apartment
CF | Kaylee'd lived in this apartment for a year before you moved in, and
CF | it still mostly feels like it's hers. Partly it's the anime posters
CF | and dragon knick-knacks, which you find embarrassing even though your
CF | interests are mostly just as nerdy as hers. Partly it's the gray cat
CF | fur that drifts everywhere (Cordelia's not underfoot now, at least --
CF | she's shut in the bedroom). Partly it's that all the furniture is
CF | hers -- not that you'd wanted to lug any cross-country.
CF |
CF | But for whatever reason, despite the piles of your books overflowing
CF | their shelves, the sweater you've left tossed across a chair, and the
CF | pictures of your family you keep on the desk next to your laptop,
CF | you've never felt at home here.
CF |
CF | The kitchen is off to the west, and the closed bedroom door is south.
CF | Kaylee and the beekeeper are visible through the windows, if you want
CF | to go back down to join them.
CF |
CF | > Knight_Otu says, "That worked, huh."
Jacqueline says, "I do not want to join the beekeeper."
DavidW says, "w to kitchen. put bags on table."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "w"
CF ] Kitchen
CF | >
CF | > W
CF |
CF |
CF | Kitchen
CF | As far as you can tell, everyone in your socioeconomic bracket
CF | (overeducated, slightly underearning cusp-of-thirtysomethings) who
CF | lives in LA has some version of this kitchen: the cabinets look
CF | Sixties-vintage, with ever-thicker coats of white paint the only
CF | concession to modernity, while the tile and stove lack even that. At
CF | least you've never had any problems with the fridge.
CF |
CF | The main part of the apartment is back east.
CF |
CF | > DavidW says, "or counter or floor."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "drop groceries"
CF ] Kitchen
CF | >
CF | > DROP GROCERIES
CF |
CF | You quickly stow the groceries in the fridge and cabinets.
CF |
CF | > DavidW says, "hurray"
Krumar says, "We have avoided one catastrophe."
DavidW says, "Go find a cloth and dry our face."
Jacqueline says, "Now let's go get that ting."
Jacqueline says, "sting, even"
DavidW says, "One of those bees will get us no matter what."
Krumar says, "The twist should be that the bee is in the kitchen :-P"
Knight_Otu says, "The bee is already here I'm sure."
DavidW says, "There's windows. It can happen."
Krumar says, "Could be the bed room, go let the cat out and get stung."
DavidW says, "Don't let the cat out. We'll be forced to chase the cat to the hive."
Jacqueline exclaims, "The sting is comeing from inside the house! Get out! Get out!"
Krumar says, "May be if we get some of the beekeeper tools from that tool box we could protect ourselves."
DavidW says, "Tiny knock on the door. 'Candygram'"
Jacqueline says, "I am guessing we must be stung. It is fate."
Knight_Otu says, "May bee, may bee not."
Jacqueline says (to DW), "haha"
Jacqueline says (to KO), "Nice."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "l"
CF ] Kitchen
CF | >
CF | > L
CF |
CF | Kitchen
CF | You pause for a moment to take in the kitchen: cabinets, stove, and
CF | fridge are all accounted for.
CF |
CF | The main part of the apartment is back east.
CF |
CF | > Jacqueline says, "Good, good. Nothing stolen."
DavidW asks, "This is bee five, right? Who's bee siz? Mike Tyson?"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "e"
CF ] Kaylee's Apartment
CF | >
CF | > E
CF |
CF |
CF | Kaylee's Apartment
CF | Kaylee'd lived in this apartment for a year before you moved in, and
CF | it still mostly feels like it's hers. Partly it's the anime posters
CF | and dragon knick-knacks, which you find embarrassing even though your
CF | interests are mostly just as nerdy as hers. Partly it's the gray cat
CF | fur that drifts everywhere (Cordelia's not underfoot now, at least --
CF | she's shut in the bedroom). Partly it's that all the furniture is
CF | hers -- not that you'd wanted to lug any cross-country.
CF |
CF | But for whatever reason, despite the piles of your books overflowing
CF | their shelves, the sweater you've left tossed across a chair, and the
CF | pictures of your family you keep on the desk next to your laptop,
CF | you've never felt at home here.
CF |
CF | The kitchen is off to the west, and the closed bedroom door is south.
CF | Kaylee and the beekeeper are visible through the windows, if you want
CF | to go back down to join them.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "open window"
CF ] Kaylee's Apartment
CF | >
CF | > OPEN WINDOW
CF |
CF | It's hotter outside than it is in here, so better to keep them closed.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "d"
CF ] El Molino Ave
CF | >
CF | > D
CF |
CF |
CF | El Molino Ave
CF | The stretch of El Molino Avenue outside your -- well, technically
CF | Kaylee's is the only name on the lease -- apartment building presents
CF | a green and pleasant prospect, with a wide lawn, a grass-bordered
CF | sidewalk, and gently-swaying palm trees. California Avenue is to the
CF | south and Del Mar is to the north, but now that you're done running
CF | your errands you'd rather head inside the apartment than wander around
CF | any more.
CF |
CF | The main excitement is around the palm tree right in front of your
CF | apartment. The beekeeper's got a ladder set up against the tree so he
CF | can get to the hive, and his bag of tools and a giant box are set down
CF | on the sidewalk within easy reach.
CF |
CF | The beekeeper comes down the ladder, pulls a recondite tool out of his
CF | bag, then climbs back up.
CF |
CF | Kaylee cranes her neck to get a better view of what the beekeeper is
CF | doing.
CF |
CF | > DavidW says, "'recondite'"
DavidW says, "all these newfangled words"
Knight_Otu says, "I sure don't recondite that word."
DavidW says, "talk to kaylee"
MoyTravis says, "It's a pretty old word, though."
Jacqueline | rec·on·dite; ad (of a subject or knowledge) little known; abstruse.
Jacqueline says, "Weird. The mud cut some of that out."
Jacqueline says, "(ad should have been adj)"
Jacqueline says, "Anyway... obscure tool."
DavidW says, "got it"
Knight_Otu nods.
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "talk to kaylee"
CF ] El Molino Ave
CF | >
CF | > TALK TO KAYLEE
CF |
CF | "Isn't this cool?" Kaylee asks, completely focused on the bees and not
CF | looking at you even a little.
CF |
CF | [1] "Are the bees really that interesting?"
CF | [2] "Don't you want to come inside and get out of the heat?"
CF | [3] "Aren't you worried it'll be dangerous if the bees get angry?"
CF | [4] "This looks like it's going to take a while -- why not watch from
CF | the windows in the apartment?"
CF | [5] (Turn away from her)
CF |
CF | > Krumar says, "I like 3 and 4."
Knight_Otu says, "4, I'd say."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "4"
CF ] El Molino Ave
CF | >
CF | > 4
CF |
CF | "Oh, I'm just about ready to move the hive," the beekeeper says. "It
CF | shouldn't be more than another minute or two."
CF |
CF | Kaylee smiles, eager for the big event. This beekeeper sure strikes
CF | you as irresponsible -- maybe he likes the attention?
CF |
CF | [1] "Are the bees really that interesting?"
CF | [2] "Don't you want to come inside and get out of the heat?"
CF | [3] "Aren't you worried it'll be dangerous if the bees get angry?"
CF | [4] (Turn away from her)
CF |
CF | > Knight_Otu says, "(I know, it won't help.)"
MoyTravis says, "To be honest I'd be pretty interested in watching a beekeeper cut down a hive. Then again I'm not, as far as I know, a bee magnet like Mike."
Jacqueline asks, "3?"
Krumar says, "Haha."
Krumar says, "3"
DavidW says, "quick poll: have any of us been bee-stung? I have not."
Jacqueline says, "Yes. Multiple times."
Knight_Otu says, "I mean, yeah, but I think I'd like a bit of distance and glass in btween."
Krumar says, "I've been stung twice in my life."
MoyTravis says, "I haven't, but I'm also a city person."
Knight_Otu says, "I don't recall being stung, at least."
Krumar says, "My brother once got stung about 5 times at once, he found a hive."
Jacqueline says, "Bees do not bother me, but once I was hit by a yellow jacket and the flesh of my arm swelled up enough to make it painful on my bones and I thought the skin might split open (but it did not). Thank god that sting was not near my windpipe."
MoyTravis says, "I do have a lot of memories of when I was a child, and bees would land on me, because I was terrified that I was allergic to bees."
DavidW says (to Jacq), "yow"
Jacqueline says, "yeah, and the sting was while I was fishing, alone, a couple of miles into the woods."
MoyTravis..Jacqueline Oh, wow, that's pretty rough. Jacqueline says, "I packed up when I noticed the swelling start, but I had to go some distance and was concerned for a bit."
Krumar asks, "Are you allergic to them?"
MoyTravis says (to Jacqueline), "Oh, wow, that's pretty rough."
Jacqueline says, "Presumably, yes. I list it on medical forms and stuff due to that incident."
Knight_Otu says, "Eesh."
Krumar says, "I've been stung by one on my neck but luckly I didn't have that reaction."
Jacqueline says, "phew"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "3"
CF ] El Molino Ave
CF | >
CF | > 3
CF |
CF | "Bees usually aren't aggressive," she says, waving off your concern.
CF | "Most of the time, if you get stung by a bee you deserved it."
CF |
CF | "That's true," the beekeeper pipes in. "Unless they're Africanized,
CF | of course, but these aren't."
CF |
CF | You have between two and four reasons to disagree with that
CF | assessment, depending on how you score the first one and the time with
CF | the dumbbell, but you let it go.
CF |
CF | [1] "Are the bees really that interesting?"
CF | [2] "Don't you want to come inside and get out of the heat?"
CF | [3] (Turn away from her)
CF |
CF | > Krumar says, "There is just no saving her."
Krumar says, "2 is our last hope."
Knight_Otu says, "I mean, the bees will come for us, not her, I suspect."
MoyTravis says, "Yeah she's not the one who has to look out here."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "2"
CF ] El Molino Ave
CF | >
CF | > 2
CF |
CF | "Nah," Kaylee says. "I want to watch him move the hive."
CF |
CF | [1] "Are the bees really that interesting?"
CF | [2] (Turn away from her)
CF |
CF | > Jacqueline asks, "2?"
Krumar says, "Yep"
DavidW says, "yeah"
Knight_Otu says, "I guess."
DavidW says, "let her stay"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "2"
CF ] El Molino Ave
CF | >
CF | > 2
CF |
CF | Kaylee gives you a slight nod as you stop talking to her, but remains
CF | wrapped up in the beekeepery.
CF |
CF | > Jacqueline asks, "in?"
DavidW says, "We can go upstairs and watch Jeopardy or something."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "in"
CF ] Kaylee's Apartment
CF | >
CF | > IN
CF |
CF | You walk into the building and trudge up the stairs to the apartment
CF | you've shared with Kaylee for the last four years.
CF |
CF | Kaylee's Apartment
CF | Kaylee'd lived in this apartment for a year before you moved in, and
CF | it still mostly feels like it's hers. Partly it's the anime posters
CF | and dragon knick-knacks, which you find embarrassing even though your
CF | interests are mostly just as nerdy as hers. Partly it's the gray cat
CF | fur that drifts everywhere (Cordelia's not underfoot now, at least --
CF | she's shut in the bedroom). Partly it's that all the furniture is
CF | hers -- not that you'd wanted to lug any cross-country.
CF |
CF | But for whatever reason, despite the piles of your books overflowing
CF | their shelves, the sweater you've left tossed across a chair, and the
CF | pictures of your family you keep on the desk next to your laptop,
CF | you've never felt at home here.
CF |
CF | The kitchen is off to the west, and the closed bedroom door is south.
CF | Kaylee and the beekeeper are visible through the windows, if you want
CF | to go back down to join them.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x kaylee"
CF ] Kaylee's Apartment
CF | >
CF | > X KAYLEE
CF |
CF | Through the windows, you can see nothing's changed since you came up
CF | to the apartment -- the beekeeper is still messing around with the
CF | hive, and Kaylee is still watching him.
CF |
CF | > DavidW says, "Maybe Liz sent an email on the laptop."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "read books"
CF ] Kaylee's Apartment
CF | >
CF | > READ BOOKS
CF |
CF | You might try to get some reading done later.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "turn on laptop"
CF ] Kaylee's Apartment
CF | >
CF | > TURN ON LAPTOP
CF |
CF | Your Gmail window is pulled up. In amongst the usual spam, there's an
CF | email from Liz saying she had a great time hanging out with you when
CF | she was in town two weeks ago. It was really nice -- you rarely get
CF | to see each other these days since she's in DC and you're in LA, and
CF | you almost never get to hang out just the two of you anymore. But her
CF | husband had to work most of the time and Kaylee was out of town for a
CF | conference, so you could actually talk. The memory still makes you
CF | smile, even though it was mostly just catching up and you telling her
CF | how weird it is that she's married now.
CF |
CF | There was an awkward minute when she asked how things were with
CF | Kaylee, and when you said "fine," she got a little intense and asked
CF | if you were really happy. Even you could tell your "yes" was
CF | unconvincing, but while Liz can see through you as easily as you can
CF | see through her, she didn't call you on it, just said a couple times
CF | that you deserve to be happy, and then let it drop.
CF |
CF | > DavidW says, "Maybe Liz put the hive in the tree."
Knight_Otu says, "I think we may have to exhaust all talk options to proceed, eventually."
DavidW says, "That would be cruel."
DavidW says, "It does seem very open-ended at the moment, though."
Jacqueline asks, "ha. Liz put the hive in the tree to help us understand that we must move away, and possibly use a flamethrower on the place as we depart?"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "reply to liz"
CF ] Kaylee's Apartment
CF | >
CF | > REPLY TO LIZ
CF |
CF | You'll write back tonight or tomorrow -- there's no rush.
CF |
CF | > DavidW says, "gosh, it had a response for that."
Jacqueline exclaims, "It did!"
DavidW says, "kudos to author"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "call liz"
CF ] Kaylee's Apartment
CF | >
CF | > CALL LIZ
CF |
CF | You mostly just email these days.
CF |
CF | > Jacqueline says, "And that, too."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "leave liz"
CF ] Kaylee's Apartment
CF | >
CF | > LEAVE LIZ
CF |
CF | I only understood you as far as wanting to leave.
CF |
CF | > Knight_Otu says, "Nicely done, game."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "i"
CF ] Kaylee's Apartment
CF | >
CF | > I
CF |
CF | You are carrying:
CF | your clothes (being worn)
CF | your glasses (being worn)
CF | your phone
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x phone"
CF ] Kaylee's Apartment
CF | >
CF | > X PHONE
CF |
CF | You got this, your first smartphone, last year, but haven't yet
CF | figured out much to do with it other than check email and call people.
CF |
CF | > DavidW says, "I dunno. Get a snack. Pet the cat. Nap. Take a shower."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "l"
CF ] Kaylee's Apartment
CF | >
CF | > L
CF |
CF | Kaylee's Apartment
CF | Kaylee'd lived in this apartment for a year before you moved in, and
CF | it still mostly feels like it's hers. Partly it's the anime posters
CF | and dragon knick-knacks, which you find embarrassing even though your
CF | interests are mostly just as nerdy as hers. Partly it's the gray cat
CF | fur that drifts everywhere (Cordelia's not underfoot now, at least --
CF | she's shut in the bedroom). Partly it's that all the furniture is
CF | hers -- not that you'd wanted to lug any cross-country.
CF |
CF | But for whatever reason, despite the piles of your books overflowing
CF | their shelves, the sweater you've left tossed across a chair, and the
CF | pictures of your family you keep on the desk next to your laptop,
CF | you've never felt at home here.
CF |
CF | The kitchen is off to the west, and the closed bedroom door is south.
CF | Kaylee and the beekeeper are visible through the windows, if you want
CF | to go back down to join them.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "s"
CF ] Kaylee's Apartment
CF | >
CF | > S
CF |
CF | You and Cordelia both prefer it when you leave each other alone.
CF |
CF | > Jacqueline says, "AW"
Jacqueline says, "Kaylee needs to leave us."
Jacqueline says, "Find a good cat guy."
Krumar says, "look at the pictures."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x pictures"
CF ] Kaylee's Apartment
CF | >
CF | > X PICTURES
CF |
CF | You keep a couple photos on the desk, next to your laptop -- there's
CF | one of you and Liz, taken when you were home from college for
CF | Christmas (you forget exactly which year -- your haircut and fashion
CF | sense are tragic, but that doesn't really narrow it down).
CF |
CF | > Knight_Otu says, "I am surprised the cat hasn't torn the door to shreds."
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "x sweater"
CF ] Kaylee's Apartment
CF | >
CF | > X SWEATER
CF |
CF | This green, long-sleeved sweater is fraying about the wrists, but it's
CF | comfortable so it's one of your favorites.
CF |
CF | > Krumar says, "I thought it was summer..."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x glasses"
CF ] Kaylee's Apartment
CF | >
CF | > X GLASSES
CF |
CF | You can't really look at them, inasmuch as you're wearing them
CF | (there's a sort of epistemological analogy you could craft here, or
CF | maybe a quantum mechanical one, but it's too hot).
CF |
CF | > DavidW says, "It is."
Jacqueline says, "It's too hot for quantum mechanics because we are wearing a sweater in LA."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "remove sweater"
CF ] Kaylee's Apartment
CF | >
CF | > REMOVE SWEATER
CF |
CF | You aren't wearing the sweater.
CF |
CF | > Jacqueline says, "oh"
Jacqueline says, "good"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x clothes"
CF ] Kaylee's Apartment
CF | >
CF | > X CLOTHES
CF |
CF | You're wearing a plain gray-and-blue t-shirt and a pair of khakis,
CF | which is what you pretty much always wear (except it's too hot today
CF | for your usual sweater).
CF |
CF | > DavidW asks, "Is there a bathroom?"
Jacqueline asks, "Probably through the bedroom?"
DavidW says, "oh."
Knight_Otu says, "I don#t recall one being mentioned."
DavidW says, "Maybe we really do have to exhaust the conversation tree then."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "w"
CF ] Kitchen
CF | >
CF | > W
CF |
CF |
CF | Kitchen
CF | You pause for a moment to take in the kitchen: cabinets, stove, and
CF | fridge are all accounted for.
CF |
CF | The main part of the apartment is back east.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "make tea"
CF ] Kitchen
CF | >
CF | > MAKE TEA
CF |
CF | You can't see that anywhere around (or maybe you just won't remember
CF | it being there).
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "open cabinet"
CF ] Kitchen
CF | >
CF | > OPEN CABINET
CF |
CF | You don't need anything out of them right now.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "put away groceries"
CF ] Kitchen
CF | >
CF | > PUT AWAY GROCERIES
CF |
CF | You haven't got those.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "groceries"
CF ] Kitchen
CF | >
CF | > GROCERIES
CF |
CF | That's not an action you've ever really contemplated.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "f groceries"
CF ] Kitchen
CF | >
CF | > F GROCERIES
CF |
CF | That's not an action you've ever really contemplated.
CF |
CF | > DavidW says, "You put them away earlier"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x groceries"
CF ] Kitchen
CF | >
CF | > X GROCERIES
CF |
CF | The various foodstuffs have been stowed in their proper places.
CF |
CF | > Jacqueline says, "oh. We put them away. Got it."
Jacqueline asks, "So, go outside, talk, get stung? Who's with me?"
DavidW says, "me"
Krumar says, "Take a deep breathe... Let's do it."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "e"
CF ] Kaylee's Apartment
CF | >
CF | > E
CF |
CF |
CF | Kaylee's Apartment
CF | Kaylee'd lived in this apartment for a year before you moved in, and
CF | it still mostly feels like it's hers. Partly it's the anime posters
CF | and dragon knick-knacks, which you find embarrassing even though your
CF | interests are mostly just as nerdy as hers. Partly it's the gray cat
CF | fur that drifts everywhere (Cordelia's not underfoot now, at least --
CF | she's shut in the bedroom). Partly it's that all the furniture is
CF | hers -- not that you'd wanted to lug any cross-country.
CF |
CF | But for whatever reason, despite the piles of your books overflowing
CF | their shelves, the sweater you've left tossed across a chair, and the
CF | pictures of your family you keep on the desk next to your laptop,
CF | you've never felt at home here.
CF |
CF | The kitchen is off to the west, and the closed bedroom door is south.
CF | Kaylee and the beekeeper are visible through the windows, if you want
CF | to go back down to join them.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "d"
CF ] El Molino Ave
CF | >
CF | > D
CF |
CF |
CF | El Molino Ave
CF | The stretch of El Molino Avenue outside your -- well, technically
CF | Kaylee's is the only name on the lease -- apartment building presents
CF | a green and pleasant prospect, with a wide lawn, a grass-bordered
CF | sidewalk, and gently-swaying palm trees. California Avenue is to the
CF | south and Del Mar is to the north, but now that you're done running
CF | your errands you'd rather head inside the apartment than wander around
CF | any more.
CF |
CF | The main excitement is around the palm tree right in front of your
CF | apartment. The beekeeper's got a ladder set up against the tree so he
CF | can get to the hive, and his bag of tools and a giant box are set down
CF | on the sidewalk within easy reach.
CF |
CF | The beekeeper, perched atop his ladder, is doing something to the hive
CF | in the palm tree, but you lack the expertise to know what it is (you
CF | suspect the bees won't like it, though).
CF |
CF | Kaylee's staring up at the beekeeper and bee hive, rapt.
CF |
CF | The beekeeper finally grabs the hive and quickly brings it down into
CF | the box. The bees are kicking up a bigger fuss, which doesn't
CF | surprise you, but the beekeeper leans away from the hive -- even under
CF | the hood and all that padding, it's clear he's a bit alarmed, so maybe
CF | you should be alarmed too?
CF |
CF | Yes, you should definitely be alarmed: a swarm of bees boils out of
CF | the hive, rising towards him, Kaylee, and, of course, despite your
CF | best efforts, they're descending all over you.
CF |
CF | > Knight_Otu says, "I mean, I'd rather not, but."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "run"
CF ] El Molino Ave
CF | >
CF | > RUN
CF |
CF | Everything's moving too fast for that.
CF |
CF | The bees are everywhere, swarming around you -- you've got enough
CF | presence of mind to realize trying to swat them away will only get you
CF | more stings, but you're not sure what to do instead, so you just stand
CF | there thinking not in the face, not in the face and trying
CF | not to panic too much as one flash of pain after another welts your
CF | arms. Next to you, Kaylee is crying out as they sting her, too. The
CF | beekeeper's relatively safe in his protective gear, luckily for him.
CF |
CF | Finally, finally it stops, well past the point that you've stopped
CF | counting the stings, as the bees -- the ones that haven't killed
CF | themselves to spite you, at least -- settle back down into their hive.
CF | Your arms are in quite a lot of pain, but you don't feel like you're
CF | going into anaphylactic shock or anything so at least you're still not
CF | allergic. Neither is Kaylee, though she looks as bad as you feel,
CF | with red, swollen shoulders and wet eyes.
CF |
CF | "They usually don't do that," the beekeeper says, slamming closed the
CF | door on his box and sealing the hive inside. "Sorry folks, I really
CF | didn't think they were going to be dangerous." He sinks down onto his
CF | haunches, breathing heavily.
CF |
CF | > DavidW says, "okay run away"
Jacqueline says, "Sorry, folks."
DavidW says, "That was more than one bee that time."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "talk to bee keeper"
CF ] El Molino Ave
CF | >
CF | > TALK TO BEE KEEPER
CF |
CF | You can't see that anywhere around (or maybe you just won't remember
CF | it being there).
CF |
CF | > DavidW says, "one word"
Krumar says, "tell Kaylee, I told you so."
Jacqueline says, "Yeah, I feel like six stings is a bit of an understatement. Six stinging EVENTS, maybe."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "talk to kayleee"
CF ] El Molino Ave
CF | >
CF | > TALK TO KAYLEEE
CF |
CF | You can't see that anywhere around (or maybe you just won't remember
CF | it being there).
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "talk to kaylee\"
CF ] El Molino Ave
CF | >
CF | > TALK TO KAYLEE\
CF |
CF | You can't see that anywhere around (or maybe you just won't remember
CF | it being there).
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "talk to kaylee"
CF ] El Molino Ave
CF | >
CF | > TALK TO KAYLEE
CF |
CF | Kaylee looks at you with an expression glum enough to make clear you
CF | shouldn't say "I told you so" (though you still want to, because you
CF | did. Didn't you?)
CF |
CF | [1] "Are you OK?"
CF | [2] "That sure seemed like it was avoidable."
CF | [3] "I've heard that if you get stung by a bee, you probably deserved
CF | it."
CF |
CF | > Jacqueline exclaims, "Sorry for all the typos!"
Jacqueline says, "1"
Krumar says, "oh man, 3."
Knight_Otu says, "Gee, 3 is a bit mean. Yeah, 1."
DavidW says, "any"
Krumar says, "1 is probably best."
MoyTravis says, "Well I mean, for #3, you got stung just as much as her."
Jacqueline says, "Yeah, I'm not down with 3, but it may force us to say that at some point."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "1"
CF ] El Molino Ave
CF | >
CF | > 1
CF |
CF | "No," she says, face as red as her arms.
CF |
CF | "I'm sorry," you say. You start to put your hand on Kaylee's shoulder
CF | to comfort her, but then you see the bee stings, and stop. "Come on,
CF | let's go in." This time she doesn't protest.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "in"
CF | >
CF | > IN
CF |
CF | You're still annoyed with her, but you help Kaylee inside and up the
CF | stairs to the apartment.
CF |
CF | The rest of the day is an exercise in tongue-biting. After cleaning
CF | yourself up and dousing your arm in calamine lotion, you call your mom
CF | and tell her the story, playing it off like it's just a funny
CF | anecdote. And then there's cleaning the apartment, and making dinner,
CF | and for the evening you settle in front of the PC to play Dragon Age 2
CF | while Kaylee messes around with the Xbox in the other room. The whole
CF | time you're pleasant enough (you hope) but inside you're seething.
CF |
CF | The bee stings don't hurt so badly now, but Jesus, what an entirely
CF | avoidable clusterfuck. She just didn't listen to you -- though, to be
CF | honest, you also didn't flat-out tell her you wanted her to come in
CF | and kept beating around the bush. And if the two of you suck so much
CF | at communicating that you can't even avoid so obvious a hazard as
CF | this, how the hell are you going to navigate marriage, or having a
CF | kid?
CF |
CF | Of course, Liz has been telling you for years that the answer is that
CF | you shouldn't, which isn't what you've wanted to hear. But maybe
CF | she's right.
CF |
CF | (Press any key to continue) Jacqueline says, "Sounds like Liz is probably right."
DavidW says, "how annoying"
Jacqueline asks, "Everybody ready for the next page?"
DavidW says, "I don't want Liz to be right even if she is."
Krumar says, "We don't have a good history of commicating in this game."
Knight_Otu says, "Yeah, maybe we should have flat out told her we had bad experiences with bees several times."
Knight_Otu says (to Krumar), "True."
Krumar says, "Couldn't tell Laura how we felt, couldn't save Kaylee, we need to be more bold."
Knight_Otu says, "And yeah, ready."
Krumar says, "Ready."
Jacqueline exclaims, "This week we're not a good communicator, but at least we're not murdering security guards!"
Jacqueline pushes the green 'space' button.
CF ] Wilson and Green
CF | Pasadena, CA -- April 2021
CF |
CF | Since last March, there are fewer cars and more people in your
CF | neighborhood, which is about the only thing about the past year that's
CF | a change for the better -- well, you revise your thought after
CF | glancing down at Paria's belly, maybe one of two.
CF |
CF | > Knight_Otu says, "There's that as an upside."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x paria"
CF ] Wilson and Green
CF | >
CF | > X PARIA
CF |
CF | You thought Paria was the most beautiful woman you'd ever seen when
CF | you first met her, and ten years on you'll stick to your guns on that
CF | -- though admittedly the mask covering most of her face means your
CF | memory is filling in some details. She has lovely eyes, a delightful
CF | smile, and a just-visible baby bump.
CF |
CF | > Krumar exclaims, "Hurray for us!"
Jacqueline says, "Well, yes. Hooray, if we've finally learned to communicate."
Jacqueline asks, "Which I'm guessing we have. Guessing this is Mike's present situation?"
Krumar says, "I hope we can keep her safe."
Jacqueline looks around for bees.
DavidW says, "maybe we'll have twins"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "talk to paria"
CF ] Wilson and Green
CF | >
CF | > TALK TO PARIA
CF |
CF | "Have you had any other ideas for names?" Paria asks.
CF |
CF | "Hmm. How about..."
CF |
CF | [1] "Aaron?"
CF | [2] "Adam?"
CF | [3] "Alexander?"
CF | [4] "Ardashir?"
CF | [5] "Benjamin?"
CF | [6] "David?"
CF | [7] "George?"
CF | [8] "Henry?"
CF | [9] "John?"
CF | [10] "Joshua?"
CF | [11] "Lincoln?"
CF | [12] "Miles?"
CF | [13] "Nathan?"
CF | [14] "Thomas?"
CF | [15] "William?"
CF |
CF | > Jacqueline exclaims, "!"
Krumar says, "We should keep a tennis racket on us at all times."
Jacqueline says, "I vote we name the baby DavidW."
Jacqueline says, "Or maybe just David."
DavidW says, "awww"
Knight_Otu asks, "Anyone got a d15?"
Jacqueline asks, "So... 6?"
Knight_Otu says, "Sure."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "6"
CF ] Wilson and Green
CF | >
CF | > 6
CF |
CF | "I dunno, I guess it's OK," she says. You're not really excited about
CF | it either.
CF |
CF | [1] "Aaron?"
CF | [2] "Adam?"
CF | [3] "Alexander?"
CF | [4] "Ardashir?"
CF | [5] "Benjamin?"
CF | [6] "George?"
CF | [7] "Henry?"
CF | [8] "John?"
CF | [9] "Joshua?"
CF | [10] "Lincoln?"
CF | [11] "Miles?"
CF | [12] "Nathan?"
CF | [13] "Thomas?"
CF | [14] "William?"
CF |
CF | > Jacqueline says, "Aw. Snap."
Knight_Otu says, "Man."
Jacqueline says, "Sorry, David."
Krumar says, "I'm sorry man."
DavidW says, "Ardashir is unusual. I've never heard that one."
Jacqueline says, "hahaha... I hope it makes us choose all the names and, no matter what order we go in, the last name standing will be the one we name the kid. Everyone strap in while I go through the list."
MoyTravis says, "Persian, I think."
Krumar says, "Go for it."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "4"
CF ] Wilson and Green
CF | >
CF | > 4
CF |
CF | This is your favorite Persian name -- Ardashir I founded the Sasanian
CF | Empire, which was a major rival of the late Roman Empire. "I like it,
CF | but white people will always mispronounce it," Paria says.
CF |
CF | "It's not that bad," you protest.
CF |
CF | "You just mispronounced it," she replies.
CF |
CF | [1] "Aaron?"
CF | [2] "Adam?"
CF | [3] "Alexander?"
CF | [4] "Benjamin?"
CF | [5] "George?"
CF | [6] "Henry?"
CF | [7] "John?"
CF | [8] "Joshua?"
CF | [9] "Lincoln?"
CF | [10] "Miles?"
CF | [11] "Nathan?"
CF | [12] "Thomas?"
CF | [13] "William?"
CF |
CF | > MoyTravis says, "lol I never picked that option"
Jacqueline says, "aw, snap again"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "9"
CF ] Wilson and Green
CF | >
CF | > 9
CF |
CF | Paria doesn't look like she likes the name. "It'd be like a
CF | presidential theme," you say, but she remains unmoved.
CF |
CF | [1] "Aaron?"
CF | [2] "Adam?"
CF | [3] "Alexander?"
CF | [4] "Benjamin?"
CF | [5] "George?"
CF | [6] "Henry?"
CF | [7] "John?"
CF | [8] "Joshua?"
CF | [9] "Miles?"
CF | [10] "Nathan?"
CF | [11] "Thomas?"
CF | [12] "William?"
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "1"
CF ] Wilson and Green
CF | >
CF | > 1
CF |
CF | "He'd always be first when they do a roll-call," she says.
CF |
CF | "I'm not sure whether that'd be good or bad," you say, having second
CF | thoughts.
CF |
CF | [1] "Adam?"
CF | [2] "Alexander?"
CF | [3] "Benjamin?"
CF | [4] "George?"
CF | [5] "Henry?"
CF | [6] "John?"
CF | [7] "Joshua?"
CF | [8] "Miles?"
CF | [9] "Nathan?"
CF | [10] "Thomas?"
CF | [11] "William?"
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "7"
CF ] Wilson and Green
CF | >
CF | > 7
CF |
CF | She says the name back in a silly voice, like "Josh-shwah," then
CF | starts giggling. "It's a joke from Friends," she explains, noticing
CF | your utter disorientation. "Everyone will be thinking about it, it'll
CF | ruin his life." You're not so sure about the continuing hegemonic
CF | influence of Friends, but you don't raise an objection.
CF |
CF | [1] "Adam?"
CF | [2] "Alexander?"
CF | [3] "Benjamin?"
CF | [4] "George?"
CF | [5] "Henry?"
CF | [6] "John?"
CF | [7] "Miles?"
CF | [8] "Nathan?"
CF | [9] "Thomas?"
CF | [10] "William?"
CF |
CF | > Jacqueline says, "I now want to ask a friend named Josh if this happens to them."
DavidW says, "I don't remember the name in Friends."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "4"
CF ] Wilson and Green
CF | >
CF | > 4
CF |
CF | "I feel like 'George' is the name of a 40 year old, not a little kid,"
CF | she says.
CF |
CF | You've gotten to the end of the block, so you hit the walk button with
CF | your elbow (you know now that COVID doesn't really spread from
CF | surfaces, especially outdoors, but it's hard to break the habit).
CF |
CF | [1] "Adam?"
CF | [2] "Alexander?"
CF | [3] "Benjamin?"
CF | [4] "Henry?"
CF | [5] "John?"
CF | [6] "Miles?"
CF | [7] "Nathan?"
CF | [8] "Thomas?"
CF | [9] "William?"
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "7"
CF ] Wilson and Green
CF | >
CF | > 7
CF |
CF | "Eh, my parents couldn't pronounce it, the 'th' is hard for them," she
CF | says.
CF |
CF | [1] "Adam?"
CF | [2] "Alexander?"
CF | [3] "Benjamin?"
CF | [4] "Henry?"
CF | [5] "John?"
CF | [6] "Miles?"
CF | [7] "Thomas?"
CF | [8] "William?"
CF | [9] "This would be so much easier if we were having a girl."
CF |
CF | > Krumar says, "New option."
Jacqueline asks, "... am I really going to go through the whole list?"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "9"
CF ] Wilson and Del Mar
CF | >
CF | > 9
CF |
CF | Paria sighs, knowing what you mean. "Yeah, we'd just name her after
CF | Liz, and there are a million pretty Persian girls' names we could use
CF | for a middle name."
CF |
CF | The light changes, so you take Paria's hand and walk across the
CF | street.
CF |
CF | Wilson and Del Mar
CF | This is the northern edge of the Caltech campus, and it always feels
CF | weird to be back though it's changed a lot over the years -- in fact
CF | they only finished putting up the shiny neuroscience building across
CF | the street a few months ago. It's a welcome bit of novelty among the
CF | houses, trees, and parking lots that you've gotten rather sick of over
CF | the last year (you've been taking a lot of walks).
CF |
CF | Paria checks that no one is around, then pulls her mask off for a
CF | second so she can breathe easier.
CF |
CF | > Knight_Otu asks, "Name the daughter after our sister, huh?"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "talk to paria"
CF ] Wilson and Del Mar
CF | >
CF | > TALK TO PARIA
CF |
CF | Paria's a little quiet now.
CF |
CF | [1] "I've been missing Liz a lot today."
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "1"
CF ] Wilson and Del Mar
CF | >
CF | > 1
CF |
CF | "Yeah." Paria squeezes your hand. "Fuck cancer."
CF |
CF | [1] "...I mean, the memorial was only a couple weeks ago."
CF | [2] "...I always have dreams about her around the 20th of the month."
CF | [3] "...I keep imagining how she'd make fun of me when I do something
CF | dumb."
CF |
CF | > Knight_Otu says, "Damn."
Krumar says, "oh no."
Jacqueline says, "yeah"
DavidW has disconnected.
DavidW has connected.
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "3"
CF ] Wilson and Del Mar
CF | >
CF | > 3
CF |
CF | "I know," she says. "It's only been a year, and honestly even when
CF | more time passes, I'm not sure that will ever change."
CF |
CF | [1] "I don't really want it to change."
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "1"
CF ] Wilson and Del Mar
CF | >
CF | > 1
CF |
CF | "Feeling less sad doesn't mean you're letting her down or loved her
CF | any less, though," Paria says.
CF |
CF | "Okay, yeah, some of it's my Catholic-instilled sense of guilt," you
CF | admit. "But it's also that we spent so much time together, and knew
CF | each other so well, that I feel like I've always had a mental model of
CF | her living in my head. And I can consult it and know what baby names
CF | she'd like, and exactly what she'd sound like when suggesting some."
CF |
CF | [1] "It's really comforting, like I'm never alone."
CF | [2] "But what happens when that model starts to break down?"
CF | [3] "Of course, her taste in names was really different, so that's of
CF | limited usefulness to us."
CF |
CF | > Jacqueline asks, "Which one do people like?"
Krumar says, "1"
Knight_Otu says, "I'm... not sure. 1 is as good as any, I guess."
DavidW asks, "I missed something when I lost connection. Did Liz die?"
Jacqueline says, "Yes"
Krumar says, "Died of cancer."
Jacqueline says, "Cancer. A year ago."
Krumar says, "A year ago."
DavidW says, "damn"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "1"
CF ] Wilson and Del Mar
CF | >
CF | > 1
CF |
CF | "I know what you mean, but you're never alone," Paria says, and puts
CF | her arm on your shoulder. "Especially these days when neither of us
CF | goes anywhere." You smile at her joke (though of course she can't see
CF | it through the mask).
CF |
CF | [1] "Anyway. What do you want to do for dinner?"
CF |
CF | > Jacqueline asks, "I'm afraid to go to dinner. What if there are bees?"
Knight_Otu says, "Oh, there will be. There willbe."
Jacqueline is scared.
Knight_Otu says, "There will bee, even."
Krumar says, "When you ask what she wants for dinner she says "Applebees"..."
Jacqueline says (to KO), "I keep not anticipating that joke."
DavidW says, "'Welcome to the Honey Factory, can I take your order?'"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "1"
CF ] Caltech Entrance
CF | >
CF | > 1
CF |
CF | You kick some ideas around -- Paria very enthusiastic since she's
CF | finally feeling less nauseated and can enjoy food again -- as you
CF | cross Del Mar and start walking south, along the edge of the Caltech
CF | campus.
CF |
CF | Caltech Entrance
CF | It's definitely weird that you wound up living just a couple blocks
CF | away from Tech so many years after graduating, but it's a nice place
CF | to walk so you get over the oddness. The big black tower of Millikan
CF | Library -- actually, it's just administrative offices now, you correct
CF | yourself -- looms through the gate to the east, with chemistry and
CF | geology buildings flanking the path to the northeast and southeast,
CF | respectively.
CF |
CF | The sidewalk also passes a bunch of smaller houses, running past
CF | bushes that have just started to bloom now that spring is in full
CF | swing.
CF |
CF | Paria notices you looking at her, and from the crinkles around her
CF | eyes you can tell she's smiling at you under her mask.
CF |
CF | > DavidW says, "Flowers!"
DavidW says, "Smellllll them"
Knight_Otu exclaims, "Bee outposts!"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "pick flower"
CF ] Caltech Entrance
CF | >
CF | > PICK FLOWER
CF |
CF | You can't see that anywhere around (or maybe you just won't remember
CF | it being there).
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "talk to paria"
CF ] Caltech Entrance
CF | >
CF | > TALK TO PARIA
CF |
CF | Paria starts telling you about the Harry Potter fanfic she's been
CF | reading. It's interesting, but you're not really keeping track of the
CF | plot -- you just smile and enjoy the pleasant spring evening. As you
CF | pass a tree, you walk a little more to the right so Paria has an
CF | easier time squeezing past. Your fingers wind up brushing up against
CF | the bushes, and the leaves feel cool and pleasant at your touch --
CF |
CF | Suddenly you feel something furry on your finger -- it's buzzing
CF | loudly, and you realize it's a bee -- you try to jerk your hand back,
CF | but it's clinging to you -- and then it stings you, falling to the
CF | ground as pain runs up your finger. "Agh, I got stung by a bee," you
CF | tell Paria, who's still processing what just happened.
CF |
CF | "Oh no! Does it hurt? Is it swelling?"
CF |
CF | You check yourself. "No, I'm fine -- the bee got the worst of it,"
CF | you say.
CF |
CF | > Jacqueline says, "..."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x finger"
CF ] Caltech Entrance
CF | >
CF | > X FINGER
CF |
CF | Your finger hurts a bit, but it's not too bad.
CF |
CF | > Knight_Otu says, "That was an anticlimactic final sting."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "talk to paria"
CF ] Caltech Entrance
CF | >
CF | > TALK TO PARIA
CF |
CF | "Are you sure you're okay?" Paria asks, her face screwed up with
CF | concern.
CF |
CF | "Yeah, I'm fine," you reassure her. "But maybe this is a sign we
CF | should head back home."
CF |
CF | [1] "You know, this was the sixth time I've been stung by a bee."
CF |
CF | > Jacqueline says, "Yeah. I'm fine. Let's go home, I'll write an interactive nonfiction game."
Knight_Otu says, "But apparently, we did learn communicating."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "1"
CF ] Caltech Entrance
CF | >
CF | > 1
CF |
CF | "Six sure seems like a lot," Paria says.
CF |
CF | "I guess," you say. "I think there are a lot more bees on the east
CF | coast. And maybe I've had some bad luck? The first time I was a
CF | toddler, maybe three or four. I was playing with Liz, and when I
CF | opened the door to go in, a bee that'd been caught behind the screen
CF | stung me."
CF |
CF | [1] "I remember, I told my mom I was happy it was dead, even though I
CF | immediately felt bad."
CF | [2] "I knew the bee didn't mean to sting me, so I felt sorry that it
CF | died."
CF |
CF | > Krumar says, "That's right Knight."
MoyTravis says, "I want a memoir from somebody that doesn't end on a "and everything turned out all right" note."
MoyTravis says, "Memoirs always end up with a "and now, looking back on it all..." kinda thing. No. I want a memoir that's like, "and everything's still an unresolved trash fire.""
Krumar says, "You've got to live your life that weay Moy."
Jacqueline asks, "2?"
Krumar says, "2 sounds good."
Knight_Otu says, "That's what we said."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "2"
CF ] Caltech Entrance
CF | >
CF | > 2
CF |
CF | "Aww, baby-Mike was basically the same as grown-up Mike," Paria
CF | replies, and goes to kiss you (but of course you're both masked, so
CF | you just lightly touch foreheads).
CF |
CF | "The second time, I was sailing with Liz, and a bee somehow got blown
CF | into me."
CF |
CF | [1] "I think we won the race anyway."
CF | [2] "It didn't matter, though, we were losing the race already."
CF |
CF | > Jacqueline says, "2"
Knight_Otu says, "Yeah."
Krumar says, "2, lets be honest."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "2"
CF ] Caltech Entrance
CF | >
CF | > 2
CF |
CF | "And the third?" Paria asks (you're pretty sure she's interested and
CF | not just humoring you).
CF |
CF | "Oh, yeah, the third. Remember that girl Laura I had a crush on all
CF | through high school, but never made a move on? I was talking to her
CF | and all of a sudden I got stung right under my eye."
CF |
CF | [1] "It's funny, Liz had just given me some good advice, so maybe if
CF | not for that bee, we would have wound up dating?"
CF | [2] "That is an incredibly painful place to get stung."
CF | [3] "Liz saw what happened and laughed so, so hard."
CF |
CF | > Knight_Otu asks, "2?"
MoyTravis says, "That's a terrifying place to get stung."
Jacqueline says, "Sure 2"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "2"
CF ] Caltech Entrance
CF | >
CF | > 2
CF |
CF | "Is the dumbbell one next?"
CF |
CF | "Yup," you reply. Paria's heard you tell the dumbbell story it must
CF | be dozens of times, including just a couple of weeks ago at Liz's Zoom
CF | memorial.
CF |
CF | [1] "The pain was well worth all the teasing I got out of that sting."
CF | [2] "She was the toughest person, but she was still so scared of
CF | bees."
CF |
CF | > Jacqueline asks, "2?"
Knight_Otu says, "Sure."
Krumar says, "yes."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "2"
CF ] Caltech Entrance
CF | >
CF | > 2
CF |
CF | Paria smiles at you, because she can tell you're getting sad again.
CF |
CF | "Anyway the last time before today was maybe ten years ago," you
CF | continue. "Kaylee and I were walking home from the grocery store and
CF | saw a hive getting removed from the tree in front of our apartment --
CF | I kept telling her we should go inside, but she was fascinated and
CF | wanted to watch, so despite my better judgment I stayed with her and
CF | then the bees freaked out and stung us both."
CF |
CF | [1] "I should have just gone inside."
CF | [2] "I'm glad I stuck with her, though."
CF |
CF | > Krumar says, "1"
Jacqueline says, "It'd be weird to lie about all these, even though it's giving us options to do so (to either lie or misremember)"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "1"
CF | >
CF | > 1
CF |
CF | "So that's your lot, except for today," you say, and lapse into
CF | silence for a moment, thinking.
CF |
CF | "Those used to be my stories about getting stung by a bee," you tell
CF | your wife. "But now those stories are mostly about Liz -- except that
CF | last one, since we didn't see each other as much once I moved here."
CF |
CF | "Hey," Paria says, slowing to a stop. She puts her arms around you
CF | and holds you tight. "I'm sorry, I know it's so hard."
CF |
CF | (These are cliches, but you've learned over the last year that nobody
CF | has much language other than cliches for this -- and come to
CF | appreciate how differently they land when you're in it rather than
CF | listening from afar).
CF |
CF | "Yeah. Thanks," you say, rubbing her back and resting your hand on
CF | her belly -- it's way too early to feel the baby move, of course, but
CF | it makes you feel better. She takes your (unstung) hand, and you keep
CF | walking back home.
CF |
CF | (Press any key) Jacqueline asks, "Ready for me to proceed?"
Krumar says, "yes."
Knight_Otu says, "Yeah."
DavidW says, "yes"
Jacqueline pushes the green 'space' button.
CF ] Caltech Entrance
CF | You stay quiet, thinking about your twin sister the whole way.
CF |
CF | Just as you walk through the door, you realize something: in all her
CF | 39 years, Liz wasn't stung by a bee even once.
CF |
CF |
CF |
CF | *** The End ***
CF |
CF |
CF |
CF |
CF | Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT, UNDO the last
CF | command, or read a short AFTERWORD?
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "quit"
CF | >
CF | > QUIT
CF | cheapglulxe quit with exit status: 0
CF asks, "That game over already? It was just getting good. Wanna play another?" MoyTravis says, "It's not that weird to not get stung by bees."
Krumar says, "That did get pretty sad."
Knight_Otu asks, "No afterword?"
MoyTravis says, "lol it was written, like, contemperaneous with the last scene."
MoyTravis says, "Like right before IFComp was when he had his kid. Not a lot of time for an afterward."
Jacqueline says, "Yeah. It's left me quiet."
DavidW says, "A very different story from last week's."
Jacqueline says, "Heh. Yes. Definitely."
Knight_Otu says, "I mean, the game gave usthe option."
MoyTravis asks, "The option to what?"
Knight_Otu says, "Read a short afterword."
Krumar says, "the opiont ot read... yes."
MoyTravis says, "Ah."
MoyTravis asks, "Wait wtf, am I very dumb or did that get added after?"
MoyTravis asks, "Anyways, read, please?"
Jacqueline says, "Oh crap. I quit the game."
Krumar says, "we quit the game."
Knight_Otu says, "It's too late now."
Jacqueline says, "I didn't see that."
DavidW says, "I don't know how we'd get to it now."
MoyTravis says, "(knowing Mike it's probably, like, eight pages long)"
MoyTravis says, "RIP"
Jacqueline exclaims, "I am always so annoyed that we don't quit the game and it's still running a week later, so I quit it... withouth noticing that there was an afterward, darn it!"
MoyTravis says, "Now the afterword will forever be a mystery."
Krumar says, "I don't remember how long ago the last save was."
Knight_Otu says, "Or one of us replays the game and tells the rest what the afterword is."
Jacqueline says, "Well, I can get it for us. You all can go grab a water or somrething."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "load sleepmask sting"
CF ] Back Yard
CF |
CF |
CF |
CF | Port Washington, NY -- 1985
CF |
CF | Mom said you and Liz can play for ten more minutes, because that's how
CF | long it is until lunchtime. Sometimes ten minutes feels very long and
CF | sometimes it feels very short.
CF |
CF | Sting
CF | An interactive memoir by Mike Russo
CF | Release 2 / Serial number 211211 / Inform 7 build 6M62 (I6/v6.33 lib
CF | 6/12N)
CF |
CF | Back Yard
CF | The back yard of your family's house is really big. The garden, with
CF | a pagoda, is on one side, the swing set is on the other, and a fence
CF | runs around it. The back door goes into the kitchen, and you could go
CF | north past the house to the front yard except you're not supposed to
CF | go there by yourself.
CF |
CF | Liz is here, sticking out her tongue at you.
CF |
CF | (Type ABOUT for some general information about the game or CREDITS for
CF | the acknowledgments. If you haven't played interactive fiction
CF | before, you can type BASICS for some of the simple commands used to
CF | play the game).
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "restore"
CF | >
CF | > RESTORE
CF | %% Enter a save filename to read:
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "cf 4"
CF | %% Critical error.
CF | %% Message: stream_open_file: unable to open file.
CF ] Back Yard
CF | > RESTORERestore failed.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "restpre"
CF ] Back Yard
CF | >
CF | > RESTPRE
CF |
CF | You don't know how to do that (or at least you haven't learned how
CF | yet).
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "restore"
CF | >
CF | > RESTORE
CF | %% Enter a save filename to read:
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "cf4"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | Ok.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "restore"
CF | >
CF | > RESTORE
CF | %% Enter a save filename to read:
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "cf5"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | Ok.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "restore"
CF | >
CF | > RESTORE
CF | %% Enter a save filename to read:
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "cf6"
CF | %% Critical error.
CF | %% Message: stream_open_file: unable to open file.
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | > RESTORERestore failed.
CF |
CF | > MoyTravis says, "Oh wow this is pretty far back huh."
Jacqueline says, "Yeah. Sorry."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "trim"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > TRIM
CF |
CF | (the jib)
CF | You haul in on the sheet, pulling it in a few inches and tightening
CF | the jib.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "z"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > Z
CF |
CF | Time passes.
CF |
CF | "I think the other side's faster," Liz says, squinting at the water to
CF | try to read the wind. "Ready about," she announces, and shifts her
CF | weight to prepare to roll.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "z"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > Z
CF |
CF | Waiting like this is boring -- you could at least talk to Liz to pass
CF | the time.
CF |
CF | As Liz turns your boat's bow through the wind and rolls out to help
CF | roll through the tack faster, you duck under the boom and flip the jib
CF | over to the new leeward side. It's a slow tack since you didn't help
CF | with the roll, though. "What the hell, Russo?" she yells. "Are we
CF | racing together or am I just doing this by myself?"
CF |
CF | Suddenly the wind gusts, speeding up your boat but also making it
CF | start to heel over, tipping the side you're sitting on up and the
CF | leeward side down!
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "z"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > Z
CF |
CF | Waiting like this is boring -- you could at least talk to Liz to pass
CF | the time.
CF |
CF | The heel starts to go out of control and though Liz is hiking out as
CF | hard as she can, by herself it isn't enough to flatten. She steers
CF | into the wind to level out, at the cost of some speed. "Do you not
CF | feel like winning today?" she yells at you, pissed. "Hike out when we
CF | start to heel!"
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "z"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > Z
CF |
CF | Waiting like this is boring -- you could at least talk to Liz to pass
CF | the time.
CF |
CF | Ridgie and Emily glide through the finish line, winning the race.
CF | "Not again," Liz says, her voice cracking with frustration, but you're
CF | not surprised.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "z"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > Z
CF |
CF | Waiting like this is boring -- you could at least talk to Liz to pass
CF | the time.
CF |
CF | Suddenly the wind gusts, speeding up your boat but also making it
CF | start to heel over, tipping the side you're sitting on up and the
CF | leeward side down!
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "z"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > Z
CF |
CF | Waiting like this is boring -- you could at least talk to Liz to pass
CF | the time.
CF |
CF | The heel starts to go out of control, and since once again you're not
CF | hiking out with Liz, she has to steer into the wind to level out.
CF | "Let me know when you're ready to start sailing, Russo," she says
CF | acidly.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "z"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > Z
CF |
CF | Waiting like this is boring -- you could at least talk to Liz to pass
CF | the time.
CF |
CF | Dave and the other Liz have reached the finish line, getting their
CF | usual second place.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "z"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > Z
CF |
CF | Waiting like this is boring -- you could at least talk to Liz to pass
CF | the time.
CF |
CF | "Think we should tack?" Liz asks -- you look at the buoy, and yeah,
CF | you're getting pretty far to one side, so you nod. "Ready about," she
CF | announces, and pulls in the mainsheet to get ready for the tack.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "z"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > Z
CF |
CF | Waiting like this is boring -- you could at least talk to Liz to pass
CF | the time.
CF |
CF | As Liz turns your boat's bow through the wind and rolls out to help
CF | roll through the tack faster, you duck under the boom and flip the jib
CF | over to the new leeward side. It's a slow tack since you didn't help
CF | with the roll, though. "What the hell, Russo?" she yells. "Are we
CF | racing together or am I just doing this by myself?"
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "z"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > Z
CF |
CF | Waiting like this is boring -- you could at least talk to Liz to pass
CF | the time.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "z"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > Z
CF |
CF | Waiting like this is boring -- you could at least talk to Liz to pass
CF | the time.
CF |
CF | The wind freshens, growing steadily stronger. "All right, let's go
CF | fast!" Liz shouts.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "z"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > Z
CF |
CF | Waiting like this is boring -- you could at least talk to Liz to pass
CF | the time.
CF |
CF | You're closing in on the finish line, and you lean forward, trying to
CF | get every bit of speed you can --
CF |
CF | And then suddenly there's a super loud buzzing and it's like somebody
CF | just punched you in the arm, and you yell out a "fuck!" and slap your
CF | hand over the hurt, only to cup a fluttering, buzzing thing clinging
CF | to your sleeve. Just as you process that you're holding a bee, it
CF | comes loose and falls into the water.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "z"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > Z
CF |
CF | You're too distracted by pain to do anything except yelp again.
CF | "What's wrong?" Liz says.
CF |
CF | "A fucking bee just stung me!" you shout, your words whipped back to
CF | her by the wind. You drop the jib-sheet and rub the sting.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "z"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > Z
CF |
CF | The race is almost over, and you can't get over that you just got
CF | stung by a bee this far out on the water. "Only you could get stung
CF | by a bee in the middle of the harbor, Russo," Liz says, having the
CF | same thought but in less charitable terms.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "z"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > Z
CF |
CF | "Fucking bee," you say, still too rattled to focus on sailing, then
CF | rub some water on the sting in case that'll make it feel better. It
CF | doesn't, and you yelp again. "That's salt water, genius," Liz says,
CF | shifting her focus back to the race.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "z"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > Z
CF |
CF | The race is almost over -- might as well just wait for the end.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "z"
CF ] Nantucket Harbor
CF | >
CF | > Z
CF |
CF | The race is almost over -- might as well just wait for the end.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "z"
CF | >
CF | > Z
CF |
CF | The race is almost over -- might as well just wait for the end.
CF |
CF | Finally, you cross the line and finish the race. You're cold and your
CF | arm really hurts, but at least the day's over and you can go ashore
CF | and take a warm bath once you get home. You look over to Liz to
CF | console her, but from the set of her jaw you can tell she doesn't want
CF | to hear it -- she's not as good at rolling with the punches as you
CF | are.
CF |
CF | (Press any key to continue)
Jacqueline pushes the green 'space' button.
CF ] Residential Quad
CF | Exeter, NH -- September 1997
CF |
CF | You know that it's lame to be happy that you're back at school. But
CF | as Liz has never tired of informing you, you are lame, and after
CF | sixteen years you've finally learned to embrace it.
CF |
CF | It's awesome to see your friends again, it's awesome that you're not
CF | working that busboy summer job anymore, it's awesome Liz is going to
CF | be here instead of in France like she was last year, and it's awesome
CF | that it's senior year: you might actually make varsity on the
CF | wrestling team this time, you get to take AP classes -- and after what
CF | happened on the beach last month, this might even be the year you
CF | finally get together with Laura. Sure, it ended a little weird, but
CF | it was still progress!
CF |
CF | I mean, you're pretty sure it was progress.
CF |
CF | Anyway, you haven't seen her since then, but she's at this
CF | welcome-back barbecue, so there's nothing stopping you from asking her
CF | out.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "talk to liz"
CF ] Residential Quad
CF | >
CF | > TALK TO LIZ
CF |
CF | "What's up," Liz nods at you as you come over to where she's sitting.
CF |
CF | [1] "I'm glad we're going to be together this year. I missed you when
CF | you were in France."
CF | [2] "So what do your friends think of your new haircut?"
CF | [3] "I'm going to go over and talk to Laura."
CF | [4] "How do you tell if a girl likes you? Just out of curiosity."
CF | [5] "Anyway, bye."
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "5"
CF ] Residential Quad
CF | >
CF | > 5
CF |
CF | "Later, Russo," Liz says.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "talk to laura"
CF ] Residential Quad
CF | >
CF | > TALK TO LAURA
CF |
CF | Chew sees you walking towards Laura, and shoots you a big grin and a
CF | thumbs up. You smile back at him -- then worry whether she noticed.
CF |
CF | Laura pretends not to notice you coming up to her until you're close
CF | enough to talk. "Hey Mike," she says, eying you -- is that warily?
CF | She must be nervous too.
CF |
CF | [1] "Uh, hi."
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "1"
CF ] Residential Quad
CF | >
CF | > 1
CF |
CF | "Hi," she repeats, then waits to see what you're going to say (you're
CF | sort of curious about that too).
CF |
CF | [1] "How was your summer?"
CF | [2] "Read any good books lately?"
CF | [3] "Taking any fun classes this year?"
CF | [4] "You know, I really like you."
CF | [5] "I'm thinking of starting a Dragonlance game."
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "2"
CF ] Residential Quad
CF | >
CF | > 2
CF |
CF | She takes a second to answer, and you start to squirm under the flat
CF | look she's giving you -- then her body releases some tension, like she
CF | was holding her breath. "Not really. Did you?"
CF |
CF | [1] "Oh, yeah! Have you read A Prayer for Owen Meany? It's about,
CF | like...."
CF | [2] "Did you hear about Game of Thrones yet? It's like Wheel of Time
CF | but way more awesome -- you should read it!"
CF | [3] "Er, me either, I guess."
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "3"
CF ] Residential Quad
CF | >
CF | > 3
CF |
CF | This is going awesome.
CF |
CF | [1] "How was your summer?"
CF | [2] "Taking any fun classes this year?"
CF | [3] "You know, I really like you."
CF | [4] "I'm thinking of starting a Dragonlance game."
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "3"
CF ] Residential Quad
CF | >
CF | > 3
CF |
CF | You lack the nerve when it comes to the crucial moment.
CF |
CF | [1] "How was your summer?"
CF | [2] "Taking any fun classes this year?"
CF | [3] "I'm thinking of starting a Dragonlance game."
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "2"
CF ] Residential Quad
CF | >
CF | > 2
CF |
CF | "We're going to read L'Étranger in French," she says. "And I got
CF | Mangan for English."
CF |
CF | [1] "Oh, cool, Mangan's great, I had him two years ago. We read
CF | Grendel, which is also kinda Existentialist..."
CF | [2] "Aujourd'hui maman est morte."
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "2"
CF ] Residential Quad
CF | >
CF | > 2
CF |
CF | She looks nonplussed -- right, she hasn't actually read it yet.
CF |
CF | [1] "How was your summer?"
CF | [2] "I'm thinking of starting a Dragonlance game."
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "2"
CF ] Residential Quad
CF | >
CF | > 2
CF |
CF | She doesn't seem as excited as you think she'd be -- she loves
CF | Dragonlance! But she still asks "D&D or SAGA rules?"
CF |
CF | [1] "I'm not really sure yet -- the SAGA rules seem like they're less
CF | focused on combat, so you can tell a better story."
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "1"
CF ] Residential Quad
CF | >
CF | > 1
CF |
CF | "That makes sense."
CF |
CF | You open your mouth, thinking what to say next --
CF |
CF | Wait, what's that buzzing? --
CF |
CF | You jerk your head back, but it's too late, as you feel something
CF | small and furry smack into your eye-socket --
CF |
CF | "MOTHERFUCKER!" you shout, as pain blossoms through your face. The
CF | bastard didn't sting you in the actual eye, but not for lack
CF | of trying; you probe gently with a finger and pull the stinger out of
CF | some soft tissue that's maybe only half an inch away.
CF |
CF | "You're not allergic, are you?" In pain and with one eye closed,
CF | you're not really alive to the nuances of her tone, so you can't tell
CF | if Laura's worried about you (good!) or just finds you pathetic (bad!)
CF |
CF | "No, I'm not," you say, after swallowing once or twice. "Or I
CF | wasn't," you amend, "you can develop an allergy any time you get
CF | stung." Yes, even now you're trying to impress her with your
CF | knowledge of bee facts.
CF |
CF | "Your face is pretty red," she says, peering closely at you -- in
CF | other circumstances, you'd be thrilled to be so near to her -- "maybe
CF | you should go to the infirmary?"
CF |
CF | [1] "Uh, yeah, I should probably go to the infirmary."
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "1"
CF ] Residential Quad
CF | >
CF | > 1
CF |
CF | "Okay. Bye," she says. Her forehead wrinkles, like she's thinking of
CF | saying something else, but she doesn't.
CF |
CF | (At least the infirmary is close -- you just need to head west through
CF | the Academic Quad).
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "w"
CF | >
CF | > W
CF |
CF |
CF | You trudge away from the barbeque. Liz shoots you a sympathetic smile
CF | as you walk past her, then goes back to talking to her friends, but
CF | that's OK, you don't mind being alone for a minute -- this way you can
CF | think about Laura. It's hard to figure out exactly how you feel about
CF | her right now, or what's going to happen -- you've had a crush on her
CF | from afar for so so long, you almost can't imagine your life if that
CF | changed (a weird thought pops into your head: you'd been thinking it'd
CF | change if you started dating, but the crush could go away someday,
CF | too).
CF |
CF | Your face throbs again, jolting you back to reality. You're walking
CF | through the Academic Quad now, tall brick buildings rising all around
CF | you, and the sun's starting to go down, cooling off the day. The
CF | infirmary's a five minute walk away, and halfway there the sting is
CF | already not throbbing so much, so you probably don't need anything for
CF | it.
CF |
CF | Still, you don't go back immediately: it feels nice to be away from
CF | the hubbub, much as you missed your friends over the summer, and much
CF | as you missed Liz over the year before that. It's kind of rare you
CF | ever get a chance to be alone, what with living with 40 other guys 9
CF | months of the year and living with your twin for the rest of it.
CF | Might as well enjoy it while you can.
CF |
CF | And, uh, give Laura time to leave the quad.
CF |
CF | (Press any key to continue)
Jacqueline pushes the green 'space' button.
CF ] Your Bedroom
CF | Bayville, NY -- Summer 1998
CF |
CF | Since summers stopped being sailing in Nantucket and started being
CF | bussing tables on Long Island, you've stopped liking them nearly as
CF | much. For one thing, there's no one to hang out with except Liz,
CF | unless you're able to align your days off with Chew and then take the
CF | train into the city to meet him. For two, a busboy's work so far as
CF | you've made it out is hard, long, dirty, and markedly lacking in
CF | intellectual stimulation -- plus while the paycheck isn't bad, all you
CF | want to buy with your earnings is video games, and you're working so
CF | much you don't have much time to play them. And three, with just a
CF | few weeks to go before you leave for college (you're going to
CF | California, Liz to Boston) and get to meet new people and study hard
CF | math, every day is dragging.
CF |
CF | You slept in because you're only working a night shift today, and
CF | you're alone in the house since everyone else is out shopping (Liz
CF | totaled her car in the mall parking lot last month, so she's been
CF | reduced to asking your mom for rides, same as you have to). You
CF | begged off -- shopping is the worst -- and now you get to play video
CF | games with no one around to bother you!
CF |
CF | You pull yourself out of bed, wincing slightly at a dull headache.
CF | Okay, first down to the kitchen to get tea (to get ahead of this
CF | caffeine-withdrawal headache) and breakfast (to stop the tea from
CF | giving you a stomachache), then there's a dungeon in Might and Magic
CF | VI with your name on it.
CF |
CF | (Actually, it has Ethric the Mad's name on it, since it's his tomb,
CF | but same diff).
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "e"
CF ] Your Bedroom
CF | >
CF | > E
CF |
CF | That's a wall, not a door.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "l"
CF ] Your Bedroom
CF | >
CF | > L
CF |
CF | Your Bedroom
CF | The house your mom moved into after the divorce is much smaller than
CF | the one you grew up in. You have your own bedroom, but it's smaller
CF | than your old dorm room was, and since Liz called dibs on the room
CF | with a closet, half of it's taken up by a giant armoire.
CF |
CF | Your bookshelves and bed see to most of the remaining space between
CF | them, leaving just a little postage-stamp of carpet leading south to
CF | the landing.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "s"
CF ] Landing
CF | >
CF | > S
CF |
CF | The high-pile carpet feels nice on your bare feet.
CF |
CF | Landing
CF | The small landing has doors leading north to your room, south to
CF | Liz's, and northwest to the bathroom, plus stairs going down to the
CF | first floor.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "d"
CF ] Living Room
CF | >
CF | > D
CF |
CF |
CF | Living Room
CF | Your mom's living room is comfortable but snug, since her half of the
CF | furniture from the divorce overfills this smaller house. There's a
CF | couch and loveseat, several side tables, and lots of knick-knacks,
CF | plus the TV.
CF |
CF | The front door's to the west, the kitchen is east, and the dining room
CF | and your mom's bedroom are north (the computer is in the loft in her
CF | room). You can go back up to the second-floor landing, and the stairs
CF | to the basement are tucked away around a corner behind the TV.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "e"
CF ] Kitchen
CF | >
CF | > E
CF |
CF |
CF | Kitchen
CF | Your mom's kitchen gets the job done, with the usual fridge, sink,
CF | oven, toaster, kettle, trash can, etc., plus a phone on the wall.
CF | Today's newspaper is on the table, alongside a note. Godiva and Emma
CF | are snoring on their dog-beds in the corner, enjoying their
CF | mid-morning naps.
CF |
CF | The living room is back to the west.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "open cabinet"
CF ] Kitchen
CF | >
CF | > OPEN CABINET
CF |
CF | Your breakfast every morning is a bagel, washed down with some Earl
CF | Grey tea, so you take them out of the freezer and cupboard
CF | respectively.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "amek tea"
CF ] Kitchen
CF | >
CF | > AMEK TEA
CF |
CF | That's not an action you've ever really contemplated.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "make tea"
CF ] Kitchen
CF | >
CF | > MAKE TEA
CF |
CF | You put the kettle on and grab your maroon Exeter mug for the tea.
CF | Idly, you leaf through the newspaper as the kettle boils and the tea
CF | brews -- must be a slow news day since the lead stories are all just
CF | speculation about what Starr is going to write in his report.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "make bagel"
CF ] Kitchen
CF | >
CF | > MAKE BAGEL
CF |
CF | You toast the bagel, flipping through the newspaper as you wait --
CF | there's a review of Saving Private Ryan, which sounds intense. Once
CF | the toaster dings, you smear some veggie cream cheese on both sides.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "eat"
CF ] Kitchen
CF | >
CF | > EAT
CF |
CF | What do you want to eat?
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "bagel"
CF ] Kitchen
CF | >
CF | > BAGEL
CF |
CF | (first taking the bagel)
CF | You sit down at the kitchen table with your freshly-toasted bagel and
CF | nicely-steeped tea, and open up the newspaper, which you've recently
CF | made your habit for breakfast -- it makes you feel grown-up. Today
CF | there's a science supplement, so you read an article about the
CF | implications of the recent experiment proving that neutrinos have
CF | mass, and another one about ongoing work to nail down the cosmological
CF | constant.
CF |
CF | You flip through the headlines as you finish -- these are much less
CF | interesting, mostly about this Clinton blowjob stuff, which makes you
CF | embarrassed to read about -- then clean up.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "e"
CF ] Kitchen
CF | >
CF | > E
CF |
CF | That's a wall, not a door.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "w"
CF ] Living Room
CF | >
CF | > W
CF |
CF |
CF | Living Room
CF | Your mom's living room is comfortable but snug, since her half of the
CF | furniture from the divorce overfills this smaller house. There's a
CF | couch and loveseat, several side tables, and lots of knick-knacks,
CF | plus the TV.
CF |
CF | The front door's to the west, the kitchen is east, and the dining room
CF | and your mom's bedroom are north (the computer is in the loft in her
CF | room). You can go back up to the second-floor landing, and the stairs
CF | to the basement are tucked away around a corner behind the TV.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "n"
CF ] Dining Room
CF | >
CF | > N
CF |
CF |
CF | Dining Room
CF | The dining room doesn't see much use outside of the rare holiday
CF | gathering, so serves more as an intermediate hallway between the
CF | living room to the south and your mom's bedroom and loft to the north.
CF | Of course, there's a bunch more furniture, including a yellow sofa
CF | that came from the Nantucket house, and the nice dining table.
CF |
CF | That's strange -- one of your mom's bright-orange dumbbells is stood
CF | on its end in the middle of the carpet.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "take dumbbell"
CF ] Dining Room
CF | >
CF | > TAKE DUMBBELL
CF |
CF | Without consciously thinking about who put the dumbbell here or why,
CF | you reach for it -- it belongs in your mom's room with the other one,
CF | not weirdly on its own like this -- but just as you dislodge it and
CF | free a bit of paper towel stuck under it, you think wait, there must
CF | be some reason it's here -- and then you hear the buzzing --
CF |
CF | There's frantic pressure against your foot as it brushes against the
CF | paper towel, and then you feel the sting, hitting the thin vein-rich
CF | skin at the top of your foot and making you yelp and hop into the air
CF | (it's not a very helpful reflex, your foot hurts even more once you
CF | land).
CF |
CF | Gingerly you probe the paper towel that had been trapped under the
CF | dumbbell with your other foot, and sure enough, there's a once-living,
CF | now very dead, bee in there. You're torn between being impressed that
CF | someone -- I mean, it was Liz, obviously -- managed to catch a bee
CF | like that, and incredulous anger that she just left it there.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "n"
CF ] Dining Room
CF | >
CF | > N
CF |
CF | As you leave the dining room, you drop the dumbbell off by its mate
CF | next to your mom's bed.
CF |
CF | If music hath charms to soothe a savage breast, so too does a
CF | dungeon-crawler hath charms to soothe a savaged foot. You go up the
CF | spiral stairs in your mom's bedroom and boot up the PC in the loft,
CF | then load your MM VI save and take stock of the situation. Your
CF | doughty party are midway through a raid on the Tomb of Ethric the Mad,
CF | in search of the skull of the eponymous maniac, but after a run-in
CF | with some power liches you're wondering if you're here too early.
CF | Some quick healing patches up your front-liners, but your starting to
CF | run low on magic points...
CF |
CF | Suddenly the house phone rings -- you groan, your concentration
CF | broken, and consider letting the answering machine get it, but then
CF | you see from the ID that it's Liz.
CF |
CF | [1] "Hello?"
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "1"
CF ] Dining Room
CF | >
CF | > 1
CF |
CF | "Hey Russo," Liz says. The connection's scratchy, and you can hear
CF | the sound of traffic in the background. "What's up?"
CF |
CF | [1] "Oh, nothing much."
CF | [2] "Oh, nothing much, except a bee trapped under a dumbbell just
CF | stung me. You know, normal stuff."
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "2"
CF ] Dining Room
CF | >
CF | > 2
CF |
CF | "Oh, you found it, huh?" she says, with the slight drawl she gets when
CF | she's trying to downplay doing something wrong.
CF |
CF | [1] "Why did you do that? You didn't even leave a note!"
CF | [2] "Why the fuck did you do that? You didn't even leave a note!"
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "2"
CF ] Dining Room
CF | >
CF | > 2
CF |
CF | "Language!" your mom's voice puts in -- right, the crappy connection
CF | is because you're on speaker. Awesome.
CF |
CF | "Russo, you're breaking your mother's heart with your bad manners,"
CF | Liz says. "Anyway, I don't know, it was scary and I panicked, okay?
CF | I wasn't sure what to do with it once I caught it. Bees freak me
CF | out!"
CF |
CF | That's weird -- Liz is the one who's never afraid of anything, why
CF | would she be scared of bees?
CF |
CF | [1] "It's really quite painful."
CF | [2] "The sting didn't hurt so much, don't worry."
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "1"
CF ] Dining Room
CF | >
CF | > 1
CF |
CF | "Aww, I'm sorry, Rus. Try to breathe through it, I hear that works,"
CF | she says.
CF |
CF | [1] "Anyway. See you later."
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "1"
CF | >
CF | > 1
CF |
CF | "Yeah. We've got some more shopping to do, but we should be home in
CF | like an hour," Liz says. "And mom said I can borrow the car to drive
CF | us to work, assuming you can still fit your foot into your dress
CF | shoes."
CF |
CF | You hang up the phone. There's still a couple of hours before you
CF | need to get ready for work, so might as well try to salvage the day.
CF |
CF | You're quickly sucked into the game -- it's been years since there's
CF | been a good RPG to play -- and your foot doesn't really hurt that
CF | much, thankfully, so it's not too distracting as you kill liches, pick
CF | locks, and level up, getting in the zone.
CF |
CF | "I'm up here," you call down when you hear the door open, and Liz
CF | comes into your mom's room, drops off some shopping bags, then clomps
CF | up the stairs to the loft.
CF |
CF | After apologizing again, she looks over at the game and asks how it's
CF | going. You tell her about your progress, maybe a little
CF | over-enthusiastically. "You're pretty cheerful for someone who might
CF | need their foot amputated at the knee," she says.
CF |
CF | "Oh, I am," you reply. "It's because no matter how far apart we are,
CF | no matter whatever happens from this day forward, I am never, ever
CF | going to let you live this down."
CF |
CF | (Press any key to continue)
Jacqueline pushes the green 'space' button.
CF ] California Ave
CF | Pasadena, CA -- August 2011
CF |
CF | It's hot, and these groceries are heavy. Most of the time not driving
CF | is no big deal -- LA's public transit isn't as bad as everyone says --
CF | but food-shopping in the summer does make you wish you and Kaylee had
CF | a car, even though the store is only like four blocks from your
CF | apartment. Sweat's stinging your eyes, but you can't wipe them clear
CF | without putting down the grocery bags and you'd feel dumb telling
CF | Kaylee you need a break. Anyway the apartment is just around the
CF | corner to the north.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "n"
CF ] El Molino Ave
CF | >
CF | > N
CF |
CF | As you turn onto El Molino, Kaylee slows to look at a strange sight.
CF |
CF | There's a beekeeper (I mean, you assume he's a beekeeper based on his
CF | outfit of coveralls and veil) up on a ladder, futzing with one of the
CF | palm trees -- that's right, you'd noticed a bee hive up there a couple
CF | of days ago, so it's good that he's getting rid of it before the bees
CF | sting somebody, like for example you.
CF |
CF | You start to walk up the path into your building, but then you realize
CF | Kaylee's not following. "Hi," she calls up to the guy. "What are you
CF | doing?"
CF |
CF | A flush comes over your face, over and above the strain of carrying
CF | heavy groceries in this heat -- you always feel so awkward when she
CF | starts conversations with strangers like this, but the beekeeper
CF | doesn't seem fazed: "The city's having me move this hive since it's in
CF | a residential area," he says. "You ever see a hive moved before?"
CF | Kaylee hasn't and starts peppering the guy with questions, as
CF | oblivious to your physical and social discomfort as she is to the
CF | obvious risks of hanging out next to a soon-to-be-disturbed bee hive.
CF |
CF | El Molino Ave
CF | The stretch of El Molino Avenue outside your -- well, technically
CF | Kaylee's is the only name on the lease -- apartment building presents
CF | a green and pleasant prospect, with a wide lawn, a grass-bordered
CF | sidewalk, and gently-swaying palm trees. California Avenue is to the
CF | south and Del Mar is to the north, but now that you're done running
CF | your errands you'd rather head inside the apartment than wander around
CF | any more.
CF |
CF | The main excitement is around the palm tree right in front of your
CF | apartment. The beekeeper's got a ladder set up against the tree so he
CF | can get to the hive, and his bag of tools and a giant box are set down
CF | on the sidewalk within easy reach.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "u"
CF ] Kaylee's Apartment
CF | >
CF | > U
CF |
CF | You walk into the building and trudge up the stairs to the apartment
CF | you've shared with Kaylee for the last four years.
CF |
CF | Kaylee's Apartment
CF | Kaylee'd lived in this apartment for a year before you moved in, and
CF | it still mostly feels like it's hers. Partly it's the anime posters
CF | and dragon knick-knacks, which you find embarrassing even though your
CF | interests are mostly just as nerdy as hers. Partly it's the gray cat
CF | fur that drifts everywhere (Cordelia's not underfoot now, at least --
CF | she's shut in the bedroom). Partly it's that all the furniture is
CF | hers -- not that you'd wanted to lug any cross-country.
CF |
CF | But for whatever reason, despite the piles of your books overflowing
CF | their shelves, the sweater you've left tossed across a chair, and the
CF | pictures of your family you keep on the desk next to your laptop,
CF | you've never felt at home here.
CF |
CF | The kitchen is off to the west, and the closed bedroom door is south.
CF | Kaylee and the beekeeper are visible through the windows, if you want
CF | to go back down to join them.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "w"
CF ] Kitchen
CF | >
CF | > W
CF |
CF |
CF | Kitchen
CF | As far as you can tell, everyone in your socioeconomic bracket
CF | (overeducated, slightly underearning cusp-of-thirtysomethings) who
CF | lives in LA has some version of this kitchen: the cabinets look
CF | Sixties-vintage, with ever-thicker coats of white paint the only
CF | concession to modernity, while the tile and stove lack even that. At
CF | least you've never had any problems with the fridge.
CF |
CF | The main part of the apartment is back east.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "dro groceries"
CF ] Kitchen
CF | >
CF | > DRO GROCERIES
CF |
CF | That's not an action you've ever really contemplated.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "drop groceries"
CF ] Kitchen
CF | >
CF | > DROP GROCERIES
CF |
CF | You quickly stow the groceries in the fridge and cabinets.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "e"
CF ] Kaylee's Apartment
CF | >
CF | > E
CF |
CF |
CF | Kaylee's Apartment
CF | Kaylee'd lived in this apartment for a year before you moved in, and
CF | it still mostly feels like it's hers. Partly it's the anime posters
CF | and dragon knick-knacks, which you find embarrassing even though your
CF | interests are mostly just as nerdy as hers. Partly it's the gray cat
CF | fur that drifts everywhere (Cordelia's not underfoot now, at least --
CF | she's shut in the bedroom). Partly it's that all the furniture is
CF | hers -- not that you'd wanted to lug any cross-country.
CF |
CF | But for whatever reason, despite the piles of your books overflowing
CF | their shelves, the sweater you've left tossed across a chair, and the
CF | pictures of your family you keep on the desk next to your laptop,
CF | you've never felt at home here.
CF |
CF | The kitchen is off to the west, and the closed bedroom door is south.
CF | Kaylee and the beekeeper are visible through the windows, if you want
CF | to go back down to join them.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "d"
CF ] El Molino Ave
CF | >
CF | > D
CF |
CF |
CF | El Molino Ave
CF | The stretch of El Molino Avenue outside your -- well, technically
CF | Kaylee's is the only name on the lease -- apartment building presents
CF | a green and pleasant prospect, with a wide lawn, a grass-bordered
CF | sidewalk, and gently-swaying palm trees. California Avenue is to the
CF | south and Del Mar is to the north, but now that you're done running
CF | your errands you'd rather head inside the apartment than wander around
CF | any more.
CF |
CF | The main excitement is around the palm tree right in front of your
CF | apartment. The beekeeper's got a ladder set up against the tree so he
CF | can get to the hive, and his bag of tools and a giant box are set down
CF | on the sidewalk within easy reach.
CF |
CF | The beekeeper comes down the ladder, pulls a recondite tool out of his
CF | bag, then climbs back up.
CF |
CF | Kaylee cranes her neck to get a better view of what the beekeeper is
CF | doing.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "talk to kaylee"
CF ] El Molino Ave
CF | >
CF | > TALK TO KAYLEE
CF |
CF | "Isn't this cool?" Kaylee asks, completely focused on the bees and not
CF | looking at you even a little.
CF |
CF | [1] "Are the bees really that interesting?"
CF | [2] "Don't you want to come inside and get out of the heat?"
CF | [3] "Aren't you worried it'll be dangerous if the bees get angry?"
CF | [4] "This looks like it's going to take a while -- why not watch from
CF | the windows in the apartment?"
CF | [5] (Turn away from her)
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "5"
CF ] El Molino Ave
CF | >
CF | > 5
CF |
CF | Kaylee gives you a slight nod as you stop talking to her, but remains
CF | wrapped up in the beekeepery.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "z"
CF ] El Molino Ave
CF | >
CF | > Z
CF |
CF | You're at a loss for what to do here.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "talk to kaylee"
CF ] El Molino Ave
CF | >
CF | > TALK TO KAYLEE
CF |
CF | "Isn't this cool?" Kaylee asks, completely focused on the bees and not
CF | looking at you even a little.
CF |
CF | [1] "Are the bees really that interesting?"
CF | [2] "Don't you want to come inside and get out of the heat?"
CF | [3] "Aren't you worried it'll be dangerous if the bees get angry?"
CF | [4] "This looks like it's going to take a while -- why not watch from
CF | the windows in the apartment?"
CF | [5] (Turn away from her)
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "1"
CF ] El Molino Ave
CF | >
CF | > 1
CF |
CF | "They are!" she says. "Their behavior is so complex, and it's almost
CF | all emergent."
CF |
CF | [1] "I guess so."
CF | [2] "Sure, but what if the behavior that emerges after he takes their
CF | hive is stinging us?"
CF | [3] "When it comes to behaviorally-complex invertebrates, they don't
CF | have anything on octopi."
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "2"
CF ] El Molino Ave
CF | >
CF | > 2
CF |
CF | "Bees usually aren't aggressive," she says, waving off your concern.
CF | "Most of the time, if you get stung by a bee you deserved it."
CF |
CF | "That's true," the beekeeper pipes in. "Unless they're Africanized,
CF | of course, but these aren't."
CF |
CF | You have between two and four reasons to disagree with that
CF | assessment, depending on how you score the first one and the time with
CF | the dumbbell, but you let it go.
CF |
CF | [1] "Don't you want to come inside and get out of the heat?"
CF | [2] "This looks like it's going to take a while -- why not watch from
CF | the windows in the apartment?"
CF | [3] (Turn away from her)
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "1"
CF ] El Molino Ave
CF | >
CF | > 1
CF |
CF | "Nah," Kaylee says. "I want to watch him move the hive."
CF |
CF | The beekeeper finally grabs the hive and quickly brings it down into
CF | the box. The bees are kicking up a bigger fuss, which doesn't
CF | surprise you, but the beekeeper leans away from the hive -- even under
CF | the hood and all that padding, it's clear he's a bit alarmed, so maybe
CF | you should be alarmed too?
CF |
CF | Yes, you should definitely be alarmed: a swarm of bees boils out of
CF | the hive, rising towards him, Kaylee, and, of course, despite your
CF | best efforts, they're descending all over you.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "talk to kaylee"
CF ] El Molino Ave
CF | >
CF | > TALK TO KAYLEE
CF |
CF | Kaylee's backing away, trying to get some distance from the bees.
CF |
CF | The bees are everywhere, swarming around you -- you've got enough
CF | presence of mind to realize trying to swat them away will only get you
CF | more stings, but you're not sure what to do instead, so you just stand
CF | there thinking not in the face, not in the face and trying
CF | not to panic too much as one flash of pain after another welts your
CF | arms. Next to you, Kaylee is crying out as they sting her, too. The
CF | beekeeper's relatively safe in his protective gear, luckily for him.
CF |
CF | Finally, finally it stops, well past the point that you've stopped
CF | counting the stings, as the bees -- the ones that haven't killed
CF | themselves to spite you, at least -- settle back down into their hive.
CF | Your arms are in quite a lot of pain, but you don't feel like you're
CF | going into anaphylactic shock or anything so at least you're still not
CF | allergic. Neither is Kaylee, though she looks as bad as you feel,
CF | with red, swollen shoulders and wet eyes.
CF |
CF | "They usually don't do that," the beekeeper says, slamming closed the
CF | door on his box and sealing the hive inside. "Sorry folks, I really
CF | didn't think they were going to be dangerous." He sinks down onto his
CF | haunches, breathing heavily.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "talk to kaylee"
CF ] El Molino Ave
CF | >
CF | > TALK TO KAYLEE
CF |
CF | Kaylee looks at you with an expression glum enough to make clear you
CF | shouldn't say "I told you so" (though you still want to, because you
CF | did. Didn't you?)
CF |
CF | [1] "Are you OK?"
CF | [2] "That sure seemed like it was avoidable."
CF | [3] "I've heard that if you get stung by a bee, you probably deserved
CF | it."
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "3"
CF ] El Molino Ave
CF | >
CF | > 3
CF |
CF | "Don't be an asshole," she snaps, which is fair -- you feel a little
CF | bad for saying that.
CF |
CF | "I'm sorry," you say. You start to put your hand on Kaylee's shoulder
CF | to comfort her, but then you see the bee stings, and stop. "Come on,
CF | let's go in." This time she doesn't protest.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "in"
CF | >
CF | > IN
CF |
CF | You're still annoyed with her, but you help Kaylee inside and up the
CF | stairs to the apartment.
CF |
CF | The rest of the day is an exercise in tongue-biting. After cleaning
CF | yourself up and dousing your arm in calamine lotion, you call your mom
CF | and tell her the story, playing it off like it's just a funny
CF | anecdote. And then there's cleaning the apartment, and making dinner,
CF | and for the evening you settle in front of the PC to play Dragon Age 2
CF | while Kaylee messes around with the Xbox in the other room. The whole
CF | time you're pleasant enough (you hope) but inside you're seething.
CF |
CF | The bee stings don't hurt so badly now, but Jesus, what an entirely
CF | avoidable clusterfuck. She just didn't listen to you -- though, to be
CF | honest, you also didn't flat-out tell her you wanted her to come in
CF | and kept beating around the bush. And if the two of you suck so much
CF | at communicating that you can't even avoid so obvious a hazard as
CF | this, how the hell are you going to navigate marriage, or having a
CF | kid?
CF |
CF | (Press any key to continue)
Jacqueline pushes the green 'space' button.
CF ] Wilson and Green
CF | Pasadena, CA -- April 2021
CF |
CF | Since last March, there are fewer cars and more people in your
CF | neighborhood, which is about the only thing about the past year that's
CF | a change for the better -- well, you revise your thought after
CF | glancing down at Paria's belly, maybe one of two.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "talk to paria"
CF ] Wilson and Green
CF | >
CF | > TALK TO PARIA
CF |
CF | "Have you had any other ideas for names?" Paria asks.
CF |
CF | "Hmm. How about..."
CF |
CF | [1] "Aaron?"
CF | [2] "Adam?"
CF | [3] "Alexander?"
CF | [4] "Ardashir?"
CF | [5] "Benjamin?"
CF | [6] "David?"
CF | [7] "George?"
CF | [8] "Henry?"
CF | [9] "John?"
CF | [10] "Joshua?"
CF | [11] "Lincoln?"
CF | [12] "Miles?"
CF | [13] "Nathan?"
CF | [14] "Thomas?"
CF | [15] "William?"
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "15"
CF ] Wilson and Green
CF | >
CF | > 15
CF |
CF | "I guess," Paria says. "It feels really popular, like he'd be one of
CF | a million Williams in his class." As one of five Michaels in your
CF | elementary school grade, you get the downsides.
CF |
CF | [1] "Aaron?"
CF | [2] "Adam?"
CF | [3] "Alexander?"
CF | [4] "Ardashir?"
CF | [5] "Benjamin?"
CF | [6] "David?"
CF | [7] "George?"
CF | [8] "Henry?"
CF | [9] "John?"
CF | [10] "Joshua?"
CF | [11] "Lincoln?"
CF | [12] "Miles?"
CF | [13] "Nathan?"
CF | [14] "Thomas?"
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "12"
CF ] Wilson and Green
CF | >
CF | > 12
CF |
CF | "Miles sounds like the name of someone hideously uncool," she says.
CF |
CF | "Huh? The most famous person named Miles is Miles Davis -- very cool.
CF | Okay, after that, you've got Miles Teller, forgettable actor, and
CF | Myles Standish, one of the Pilgrims..." You see her point.
CF |
CF | [1] "Aaron?"
CF | [2] "Adam?"
CF | [3] "Alexander?"
CF | [4] "Ardashir?"
CF | [5] "Benjamin?"
CF | [6] "David?"
CF | [7] "George?"
CF | [8] "Henry?"
CF | [9] "John?"
CF | [10] "Joshua?"
CF | [11] "Lincoln?"
CF | [12] "Nathan?"
CF | [13] "Thomas?"
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "5"
CF ] Wilson and Green
CF | >
CF | > 5
CF |
CF | Paria sighs. "Yeah, I really like that one. Too bad my sister picked
CF | it first."
CF |
CF | [1] "Aaron?"
CF | [2] "Adam?"
CF | [3] "Alexander?"
CF | [4] "Ardashir?"
CF | [5] "David?"
CF | [6] "George?"
CF | [7] "Henry?"
CF | [8] "John?"
CF | [9] "Joshua?"
CF | [10] "Lincoln?"
CF | [11] "Nathan?"
CF | [12] "Thomas?"
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "9"
CF ] Wilson and Green
CF | >
CF | > 9
CF |
CF | She says the name back in a silly voice, like "Josh-shwah," then
CF | starts giggling. "It's a joke from Friends," she explains, noticing
CF | your utter disorientation. "Everyone will be thinking about it, it'll
CF | ruin his life." You're not so sure about the continuing hegemonic
CF | influence of Friends, but you don't raise an objection.
CF |
CF | [1] "Aaron?"
CF | [2] "Adam?"
CF | [3] "Alexander?"
CF | [4] "Ardashir?"
CF | [5] "David?"
CF | [6] "George?"
CF | [7] "Henry?"
CF | [8] "John?"
CF | [9] "Lincoln?"
CF | [10] "Nathan?"
CF | [11] "Thomas?"
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "7"
CF ] Wilson and Green
CF | >
CF | > 7
CF |
CF | "Not bad, but it feels a little random," Paria says.
CF |
CF | "Does it? It's a family name," you say. She looks confused, so you
CF | explain: "My grandfather was named Henry, and so's my uncle." Now she
CF | looks even more confused. "Hank is a nickname for Henry."
CF |
CF | [1] "Aaron?"
CF | [2] "Adam?"
CF | [3] "Alexander?"
CF | [4] "Ardashir?"
CF | [5] "David?"
CF | [6] "George?"
CF | [7] "John?"
CF | [8] "Lincoln?"
CF | [9] "Nathan?"
CF | [10] "Thomas?"
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "1"
CF ] Wilson and Green
CF | >
CF | > 1
CF |
CF | "He'd always be first when they do a roll-call," she says.
CF |
CF | "I'm not sure whether that'd be good or bad," you say, having second
CF | thoughts.
CF |
CF | You've gotten to the end of the block, so you hit the walk button with
CF | your elbow (you know now that COVID doesn't really spread from
CF | surfaces, especially outdoors, but it's hard to break the habit).
CF |
CF | [1] "Adam?"
CF | [2] "Alexander?"
CF | [3] "Ardashir?"
CF | [4] "David?"
CF | [5] "George?"
CF | [6] "John?"
CF | [7] "Lincoln?"
CF | [8] "Nathan?"
CF | [9] "Thomas?"
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "2"
CF ] Wilson and Green
CF | >
CF | > 2
CF |
CF | "I kind of like that," Paria says, but you're having second thoughts.
CF |
CF | "Actually, your family might not like it, given what Alexander the
CF | Great did to Persia," you say.
CF |
CF | "Burning Persepolis and everything?" Paria frowns. "Yeah, not
CF | great."
CF |
CF | [1] "Adam?"
CF | [2] "Ardashir?"
CF | [3] "David?"
CF | [4] "George?"
CF | [5] "John?"
CF | [6] "Lincoln?"
CF | [7] "Nathan?"
CF | [8] "Thomas?"
CF | [9] "This would be so much easier if we were having a girl."
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "9"
CF ] Wilson and Del Mar
CF | >
CF | > 9
CF |
CF | Paria sighs, knowing what you mean. "Yeah, we'd just name her after
CF | Liz, and there are a million pretty Persian girls' names we could use
CF | for a middle name."
CF |
CF | The light changes, so you take Paria's hand and walk across the
CF | street.
CF |
CF | Wilson and Del Mar
CF | This is the northern edge of the Caltech campus, and it always feels
CF | weird to be back though it's changed a lot over the years -- in fact
CF | they only finished putting up the shiny neuroscience building across
CF | the street a few months ago. It's a welcome bit of novelty among the
CF | houses, trees, and parking lots that you've gotten rather sick of over
CF | the last year (you've been taking a lot of walks).
CF |
CF | You've outpaced Paria, so you slow your stride a bit to let her catch
CF | up.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "talk to paria"
CF ] Wilson and Del Mar
CF | >
CF | > TALK TO PARIA
CF |
CF | Paria's a little quiet now.
CF |
CF | [1] "I've been missing Liz a lot today."
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "1"
CF ] Wilson and Del Mar
CF | >
CF | > 1
CF |
CF | "Yeah." Paria squeezes your hand. "Fuck cancer."
CF |
CF | [1] "...I mean, the memorial was only a couple weeks ago."
CF | [2] "...I always have dreams about her around the 20th of the month."
CF | [3] "...I keep imagining how she'd make fun of me when I do something
CF | dumb."
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "2"
CF ] Wilson and Del Mar
CF | >
CF | > 2
CF |
CF | "I know," she says. "It's only been a year, and honestly even when
CF | more time passes, I'm not sure that will ever change."
CF |
CF | [1] "I don't really want it to change."
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "1"
CF ] Wilson and Del Mar
CF | >
CF | > 1
CF |
CF | "Feeling less sad doesn't mean you're letting her down or loved her
CF | any less, though," Paria says.
CF |
CF | "Okay, yeah, some of it's my Catholic-instilled sense of guilt," you
CF | admit. "But it's also that we spent so much time together, and knew
CF | each other so well, that I feel like I've always had a mental model of
CF | her living in my head. And I can consult it and know what baby names
CF | she'd like, and exactly what she'd sound like when suggesting some."
CF |
CF | [1] "It's really comforting, like I'm never alone."
CF | [2] "But what happens when that model starts to break down?"
CF | [3] "Of course, her taste in names was really different, so that's of
CF | limited usefulness to us."
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "2"
CF ] Wilson and Del Mar
CF | >
CF | > 2
CF |
CF | "She'll still be your sister, and a huge part of who you are," Paria
CF | says. "You can't ever forget her."
CF |
CF | That goes without saying, but it's nice to hear it out loud.
CF |
CF | [1] "Anyway. What do you want to do for dinner?"
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "1"
CF ] Caltech Entrance
CF | >
CF | > 1
CF |
CF | You kick some ideas around -- Paria very enthusiastic since she's
CF | finally feeling less nauseated and can enjoy food again -- as you
CF | cross Del Mar and start walking south, along the edge of the Caltech
CF | campus.
CF |
CF | Caltech Entrance
CF | It's definitely weird that you wound up living just a couple blocks
CF | away from Tech so many years after graduating, but it's a nice place
CF | to walk so you get over the oddness. The big black tower of Millikan
CF | Library -- actually, it's just administrative offices now, you correct
CF | yourself -- looms through the gate to the east, with chemistry and
CF | geology buildings flanking the path to the northeast and southeast,
CF | respectively.
CF |
CF | The sidewalk also passes a bunch of smaller houses, running past
CF | bushes that have just started to bloom now that spring is in full
CF | swing.
CF |
CF | Paria checks that no one is around, then pulls her mask off for a
CF | second so she can breathe easier.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "z"
CF ] Caltech Entrance
CF | >
CF | > Z
CF |
CF | Time passes.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "z"
CF ] Caltech Entrance
CF | >
CF | > Z
CF |
CF | Time passes.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "talk to paria"
CF ] Caltech Entrance
CF | >
CF | > TALK TO PARIA
CF |
CF | Paria starts telling you about the Harry Potter fanfic she's been
CF | reading. It's interesting, but you're not really keeping track of the
CF | plot -- you just smile and enjoy the pleasant spring evening. As you
CF | pass a tree, you walk a little more to the right so Paria has an
CF | easier time squeezing past. Your fingers wind up brushing up against
CF | the bushes, and the leaves feel cool and pleasant at your touch --
CF |
CF | Suddenly you feel something furry on your finger -- it's buzzing
CF | loudly, and you realize it's a bee -- you try to jerk your hand back,
CF | but it's clinging to you -- and then it stings you, falling to the
CF | ground as pain runs up your finger. "Agh, I got stung by a bee," you
CF | tell Paria, who's still processing what just happened.
CF |
CF | "Oh no! Does it hurt? Is it swelling?"
CF |
CF | You check yourself. "No, I'm fine -- the bee got the worst of it,"
CF | you say.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x finger"
CF ] Caltech Entrance
CF | >
CF | > X FINGER
CF |
CF | Your finger hurts a bit, but it's not too bad.
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "talk to paria"
CF ] Caltech Entrance
CF | >
CF | > TALK TO PARIA
CF |
CF | "Are you sure you're okay?" Paria asks, her face screwed up with
CF | concern.
CF |
CF | "Yeah, I'm fine," you reassure her. "But maybe this is a sign we
CF | should head back home."
CF |
CF | [1] "You know, this was the sixth time I've been stung by a bee."
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "1"
CF ] Caltech Entrance
CF | >
CF | > 1
CF |
CF | "Six sure seems like a lot," Paria says.
CF |
CF | "I guess," you say. "I think there are a lot more bees on the east
CF | coast. And maybe I've had some bad luck? The first time I was a
CF | toddler, maybe three or four. I was playing with Liz, and when I
CF | opened the door to go in, a bee that'd been caught behind the screen
CF | stung me."
CF |
CF | [1] "I remember, I told my mom I was happy it was dead, even though I
CF | immediately felt bad."
CF | [2] "I knew the bee didn't mean to sting me, so I felt sorry that it
CF | died."
CF |
CF | > Roger asks, "still the adventures of bee girl?"
Jacqueline asks, "I'll lie this time, just to see?"
Krumar says, "OK."
Jacqueline says, "I was an idiot and closed the game without us seeing the afterward, so I'm doing a speed run to get us back to that."
Krumar says, "rodger, we are a boy."
Jacqueline says, "But we did just wrap about 5 or so ago."
Jacqueline asks, "How was skating?"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "1"
CF ] Caltech Entrance
CF | >
CF | > 1
CF |
CF | "Aww, baby-Mike was basically the same as grown-up Mike," Paria
CF | replies, and goes to kiss you (but of course you're both masked, so
CF | you just lightly touch foreheads).
CF |
CF | "The second time, I was sailing with Liz, and a bee somehow got blown
CF | into me."
CF |
CF | [1] "I think we won the race anyway."
CF | [2] "It didn't matter, though, we were losing the race already."
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "1"
CF ] Caltech Entrance
CF | >
CF | > 1
CF |
CF | "And the third?" Paria asks (you're pretty sure she's interested and
CF | not just humoring you).
CF |
CF | "Oh, yeah, the third. Remember that girl Laura I had a crush on all
CF | through high school, but never made a move on? I was talking to her
CF | and all of a sudden I got stung right under my eye."
CF |
CF | [1] "It's funny, Liz had just given me some good advice, so maybe if
CF | not for that bee, we would have wound up dating?"
CF | [2] "That is an incredibly painful place to get stung."
CF | [3] "Liz saw what happened and laughed so, so hard."
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "3"
CF ] Caltech Entrance
CF | >
CF | > 3
CF |
CF | "Is the dumbbell one next?"
CF |
CF | "Yup," you reply. Paria's heard you tell the dumbbell story it must
CF | be dozens of times, including just a couple of weeks ago at Liz's Zoom
CF | memorial.
CF |
CF | [1] "The pain was well worth all the teasing I got out of that sting."
CF | [2] "She was the toughest person, but she was still so scared of
CF | bees."
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "1"
CF ] Caltech Entrance
CF | >
CF | > 1
CF |
CF | Paria smiles at you, because she can tell you're getting sad again.
CF |
CF | "Anyway the last time before today was maybe ten years ago," you
CF | continue. "Kaylee and I were walking home from the grocery store and
CF | saw a hive getting removed from the tree in front of our apartment --
CF | I kept telling her we should go inside, but she was fascinated and
CF | wanted to watch, so despite my better judgment I stayed with her and
CF | then the bees freaked out and stung us both."
CF |
CF | [1] "I should have just gone inside."
CF | [2] "I'm glad I stuck with her, though."
CF |
CF | >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "2"
CF | >
CF | > 2
CF |
CF | "So that's your lot, except for today," you say, and lapse into
CF | silence for a moment, thinking.
CF |
CF | "Those used to be my stories about getting stung by a bee," you tell
CF | your wife. "But now those stories are mostly about Liz -- except that
CF | last one, since we didn't see each other as much once I moved here."
CF |
CF | "Hey," Paria says, slowing to a stop. She puts her arms around you
CF | and holds you tight. "I'm sorry, I know it's so hard."
CF |
CF | (These are cliches, but you've learned over the last year that nobody
CF | has much language other than cliches for this -- and come to
CF | appreciate how differently they land when you're in it rather than
CF | listening from afar).
CF |
CF | "Yeah. Thanks," you say, rubbing her back and resting your hand on
CF | her belly -- it's way too early to feel the baby move, of course, but
CF | it makes you feel better. She takes your (unstung) hand, and you keep
CF | walking back home.
CF |
CF | (Press any key) Roger exclaims, "skating was nice!"
Jacqueline says, "So those choices seem not to have mattered."
Jacqueline exclaims (at Roger), "Yay!"
Jacqueline pushes the green 'space' button.
CF ] Caltech Entrance
CF | You stay quiet, thinking about your twin sister the whole way.
CF |
CF | Just as you walk through the door, you realize something: in all her
CF | 39 years, Liz wasn't stung by a bee even once.
CF |
CF |
CF |
CF | *** The End ***
CF |
CF |
CF |
CF |
CF | Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT, UNDO the last
CF | command, or read a short AFTERWORD?
CF | > Jacqueline says, "HERE WE GO"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "afterward"
CF ] Caltech Entrance
CF | >
CF | > AFTERWARD
CF |
CF | Please give one of the answers above.
CF |
CF | Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT, UNDO the last
CF | command, or read a short AFTERWORD?
CF | > MoyTravis says, "hooray"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "afterword"
CF ] Caltech Entrance
CF | >
CF | > AFTERWORD
CF |
CF | I hope you enjoyed Sting! The version of the game submitted to IF
CF | Comp had an afterword asking players not to feel bad about reviewing
CF | or rating the game low if they didn't like it that much, since I
CF | thought it could feel challenging to do that given the real-world
CF | events of the game. Since the Comp is no longer running, that request
CF | is no longer that relevant -- I could have just omitted any afterword,
CF | but since I wrote up a detailed set of post-Comp author's notes, I
CF | thought I'd provide a link to that in case players are interested in
CF | reading more about the genesis and implementation of the game. You
CF | can find that here:
CF |
CF | [LINK]
CF |
CF | Thanks again for playing!
CF |
CF | Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT, UNDO the last
CF | command, or read a short AFTERWORD?
CF | > Roger says, "I've never been stung by a bee"
MoyTravis says, "Also welcome back."
MoyTravis says, "Also: incredibly anticlimactic afterward."
DavidW says, "He moved the long version to the forum."
Jacqueline says, "Oh holy crikey it's a long write up."
Jacqueline says, "I was thinking about pasting it here..."
Krumar says, "Sorry to you had to go through so much for that jacqueline, thank you for doing it though."
Jacqueline says, "Aw, it's okay."
Jacqueline exclaims, "If I had not gone back through it, we would never have known!"
Jacqueline says, "And multiple people might have gone through more (offline) just to see."
DavidW says, "thank you, Jacqueline"
Jacqueline exclaims, "Anyway, I am not going to paste the genesis/implementation notes here since they are so long, but you all have the link!"
Jacqueline says, "And now I will quit the game again. haha"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "q"
CF ] Caltech Entrance
CF | >
CF | > Q
CF |
CF | Please give one of the answers above.
CF |
CF | Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT, UNDO the last
CF | command, or read a short AFTERWORD?
CF | > Krumar exclaims, "Well, I'm off to get some other stuff done before tomorrow. Had a great time, see you guys next week!"
DavidW says, "bye Krumar"
Knight_Otu exclaims, "Good night, everyone, and stay safe!"
Knight_Otu goes home.
Krumar goes home. Jacqueline exclaims, "Good night!"



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