Myrtle Head

[mythLeader]

show spoiler

hide spoiler

Grarr. This took way, way longer than I thought it would. Yes, part of that was other things coming up, like the aforementioned freelance work, but even once I actually had some free time to devote to it, it still took much more time than I expected.

I am not good at pixel art.

There are a few instances where things are in front of other things that they should be in back of, but I figured it had already been long enough since the last update that I'd better just upload it as is rather than delay it still longer to fix those minor glitches. I may replace it in the future with a new, corrected version. Also, apparently myfrogbag (where the images are hosted) does something weird with the background of Flash files, where it doesn't follow the intended background color and instead leaves blank areas transparent, which makes for some odd places in this file where part of the background shows as black and part as blue. I didn't know that was going to happen till after I'd uploaded the file. I can get around that by just slapping up a big black rectangle behind everything, and if I do upload an updated version I'll be sure to include that fix too.

On the plus side, having done this I've learned some techniques and considerations that are going to make it go much faster the next time. (And yes, there definitely will be a next time, though it won't be for a while. I plan to have seven more RPGesque interactive Flash updates like this one over the course of the adventure.)

So, anyway, here at very long last is the update...

Inwards! Trail randomly around the hall until you bump into someone.

show spoiler

hide spoiler

I know there are a lot of suggestions I skipped over, but they may still be used. Some of them I couldn't use till after this Flash update because they required the protagonist to already be in the exhibit hall. And I may save a few of them for later in case there's a dry spell of suggestions in the future.

By the way, lest it seem that I'm throwing a lot of new characters at the reader at once... all the wandering people in this update are basically just there as part of the setting; it didn't make sense for a convention not to have people. They're not important to the story. (Unless, of course, one or more of them becomes important due to reader suggestions.)

On an unrelated note, this makes my tenth update for this adventure aside from the initial post, which means it should now be eligible to leave the Cradle! Woo hoo!

[SNeakyRobot]

> Chat up that pirate chick.

[Chwoka]

> Talk to the wizard.

[mythLeader]

Well dagnabbit. I definitely had not counted on leaving this adventure for almost half a year without an update. In fact, just the opposite; I was kind of worried I had a tight deadline and was going to have a hard time getting the adventure finished in time. But unfortunately my computer exploded, taking all my adventure notes and graphics with it, not to mention my login info and several pieces of my soul I had stored there for safekeeping, and I had to embark on a long quest to the Land of Lost Data to recover what I could. And also buy a new computer, which was difficult because I couldn't afford one and had to get it by trading a number of magical mushrooms to a computer gnome.

The above may or may not be a literal account of what actually happened. In fact, it may or may not even be a particular good figurative account. But suffice to say that I'm back, and (in the absence of exploding computers) I will update regularly from here on out.

Big update coming tomorrow. About a dozen panels. (Got 'em pretty much planned out; just have to draw them and upload them...) This adventure is going somewhere, I promise.

[Edited to add:]
Incidentally, looking at the old updates to refresh my memory, I noticed a few minor glitches in the Flash file in the last update. They don't really impact the story, though, so I won't prioritize fixing them right now; I'll fix them when it comes time to make the next Flash file.

[Reecer6]

Did your computer literally explode? Or did it just shut down forever one day, or get a crippling virus, or what?
Did you leave it at Fructicon?
You left it at Fruction.
But I'm really glad this adventure is back and I never noticed you made a freaking flash for it what the heck the only other person I've ever seen do that is lP in Heartstuck and this is BETTER THAN THAT.

[mythLeader]

Annnnd here's the update! Whether or not I succeeded in "updating tomorrow" like I said I would depends on what time zone you are in. If you're in the Pacific Time Zone, I just barely made it. If you're in the eastern hemisphere or the eastern part of South America, I made it with time to spare. And if you're in North America east of the Pacific Time Zone or in the western part of South America, then I'm a day late. Sorry.

>Chat up booth babes on the way to your company's booth.

Oh, you don't have to man your company's booth yourself. That's what you have interns for.

==>



Still, yeah, may as well check in and make sure everything's going well. And if you happen to pass by a booth babe on the way, well, all the better.

==>



Okay, so much for chatting up a booth babe. She won't talk about anything except the product of the company whose booth she's there to draw attention to.

==>



Which seems to be... pre-peeled oranges? Seriously? Are oranges that hard to peel?

Also, what is it with oranges at this convention? Way too many booths involve oranges. Apparently oranges are the IN THING this year in the complex and ever-changing fruit import industry.

Punch nearest one in snout to establish superiority.

Yeah, you'll get her talking about something else, all right--

==>



WAIT, WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?

Punching a woman? You're not that kind of person! How could you even think of such a thing? Your recent encounter with Hayes has really got you on edge.

==>



Yes. Clearly it is Hayes' fault that this horrible thought occurred to you. You're pretty sure EVERYTHING is Hayes' fault.
EVERYTHING.

Actually, that may be an exaggeration. But only slightly.

Casually stroll there as quickly as you can.

Right, on to your company's booth before anything else happens. Let us casually flee the scene of this almost-crime.

==>



Okay, the intern's supposed to be manning the booth. So where the hell is he?

==>



Oh, never mind; there he is.

The intern (what was his name again? Bob? Ben? Eh, doesn't matter) says everything's going well so far. You tell Bob or Ben or whatever his name is to keep up the good work.

You assume he's doing good work. Probably.

> Try to make a sale or something.

Well, yeah, right, that is what you're here for, after all. So let's see... who should you talk to first?

> Chat up that pirate chick.

Yes, how about this eccentrically dressed woman over here? May as well find out what her deal is.

==>



Okay, apparently her deal is the import of exotic fruits from certain tropical islands.

The whole time she's talking to you, she kind of has this pirate thing going on. You're honestly not sure if it's all an act, or if she just really talks that way.

You're also still not sure if the eyepatch and hook are real. It's probably not polite to ask directly.

[SNeakyRobot]

> Maybe you can get her number. Also, where are the prospective buyers? There can't be just sellers at this convention, that'd be silly.

[mythLeader]

OK, update coming in a couple hours (or maybe Saturday morning at the latest), but in the meantime I just wanted to point out the new sig image. Note the three outlined figures here. You know what that means?

Yes! It means there are still three more playable characters waiting to be unlocked!

And we should be getting really close to seeing the second one (depending on what commands come in)... so anyone bored with the fruit convention, take heart; we're about ready to move on to somewhere else for a while...

[mythLeader]

Reecer13: Whoops, didn't see your post before. Thanks for the compliments! Much appreciated.

As for the Flash update, there will be more like it in the future... I hope to average about one update like that a month from here on out.

Anyway, on with the story...

> Maybe you can get her number.

Yes, of course. You exchange business cards.

Also, where are the prospective buyers? There can't be just sellers at this convention, that'd be silly.

Oh, it's much more complicated than a simple dichotomy of buyers and sellers. The fruit import business weaves a far more intricate web than any outsider would realize. For instance, in this case, you and she both have buyer contacts primarily in different areas, so it would actually benefit both of you for each of you to make a deal to help sell the other's wares, even though you're both essentially in the same aspect of the industry.

But... yeah, well, of course there are end-market buyers at the convention, too. And, yeah, those are the most important people to talk to. Of course, that's why you have a booth -- hopefully the buyers will stop by there and find out about your company that way. But that doesn't mean you can't also take the initiative and seek out buyers yourself.

So, let's talk to someone else, and hope they're on the buying end of the business. Let's see...

> Talk to the wizard.

Sure, why not; let's... talk to this guy who's... dressed like a wizard for some reason.

(Is it just you, or has Fructicon really been going downhill in recent years? It's not just you, right?)

[SNeakyRobot]

> I know! You must get an edge in on your competition by wearing the BEST COSTUME EVER! But you can't make the best costume ever by gathering random bits of crap you find on the showroom floor, so maybe you can just plan next year's costume. You will be the best. Like a robot or something. For now, fist bump this wizard bro.

[Armok]

> so what does your company actually *do*?

[mythLeader]

show spoiler

hide spoiler

Okay... I was kind of worried how we were ever going to get to the introduction of the second main character, since I was waiting on a certain kind of cue that I wasn't sure was going to be coming any time soon, but SNeakyRobot, your latest command actually sets things up perfectly for it. So expect a character switch within the next few updates. (And a location switch, which I guess is good news if you're getting tired of Fructicon...)

> so what does your company actually *do*?

Import fruit!

More specifically: In today's increasingly diverse and specialized world, the people who grow fruit mostly concentrate on growing fruit; for the most part they don't sell it directly to consumers. Similarly, the people who do sell it to the consumers mostly concentrate on that; they don't grow their own fruit to sell. So someone has to connect the two; act as a middle-man; buy the fruit from the growers and sell it to the end markets. That's where your company comes in.

==>



As for you personally, well, you focus on the distribution end. You don't worry about dealing with the fruit growers, or physically transporting the fruit from its point of origin to the point of sale. Your company has other people to deal with that. You deal mostly with the end markets; your job is to get your company's fruit into supermarkets and other such venues. Right now, for instance, your highest priority is to find a market for the Peruvian false fig supply your company recently acquired.

==>



That's why you have those in your inventory, to show them to potential buyers here at Fructicon. Though honestly, you're not a big fan of conventions. Not just because it means you're likely to run into Hayes (though that's part of it), but because you're not really sure it's the most effective use of your time and money. You prefer to deal with clients one on one; it's hard to get attention here in the big convention scene.

> I know! You must get an edge in on your competition by wearing the BEST COSTUME EVER!

Hm... yeah, actually, come to think of it, maybe all the people in costumes here are onto something after all.

==>



Oh, not the guy who every year cosplays as a kumquat... you're pretty sure he's KIND OF AN IDIOT.

But people like the wizard guy and the pirate woman... well, they're certainly attracting attention, right? And isn't that what they're after? So it's working for them... maybe it could work for you! It may be too late for this year, but next year you will have the BEST COSTUME EVER.

> For now, fist bump this wizard bro.

You give the wizard a friendly FIST BUMP to thank him for giving you the idea.

==>



You'd give the PIRATE WOMAN a fist bump, too, but A) she's not here right now, and B) you're not entirely sure how you could fist bump a HOOK.

==>



So now, the big question is... what kind of FANCIFUL ENTITY should you dress up as?

[BigBurkhart]

A genie. You will grant anyone's wish as long as they wish for fruit.

[Nar]

Since you clearly already have it prepared, be an asterisk.

[Shadow Phoenix]

Maybe draw from your roots and don some traditionnal peruvian costume for seeling your figue. Nothing too miserable, but charming and local enough to add that "fair trade" smell to your booth. You may check later if you actually do some

[SNeakyRobot]

> Be a Tyranosaurus Rex.

[Armok]

> Applejack

[mythLeader]

Since you clearly already have it prepared, be an asterisk.

For some reason the thought occurs to you of dressing up like an asterisk. You're not sure where that idea came from. Still, it would be unique. And it could fit in especially well if your company happens to have come across a big supply of starfruit next year. Starfruit, asterisk... it would all just fit together perfectly.

Of course, you should probably think of a backup idea in case your company doesn't come across a big supply of starfruit next year. Which is probably more likely.

Maybe draw from your roots and don some traditional Peruvian costume for seeling your figue.

You're not sure whether your mind has made some typos or whether it's trying to phonetically spell a Latino accent. You're also not sure whether or not that question actually makes any sense.

Anyway, technically your roots aren't Peruvian; your mother is Mexican and your father's from Guatemala. Still, yeah, a traditional Peruvian costume could work. Except... well, you remember that pirate woman, and how you weren't sure whether she was dressed up in a costume or was actually sort of a pirate or something. You're a little worried that if you dress up in a traditional Peruvian costume, some people might assume that's just how you normally dress. You're not sure how comfortable you are with that. Maybe you'd be better off sticking with dressing up as something that doesn't actually exist, so that question doesn't come up.

> Be a Tyrannosaurus rex.

Oh, wait, here's an idea you like... how about dressing up as a Tyrannosaurus rex? That would be sure to get some attention!

Except... you'd have trouble actually doing anything with those tiny T-rex arms.

Yes, you could design a Tyrannosaurus rex costume with normal arms, you guess, but would that really be acceptable? You demand scientific authenticity in your dinosaurs.

> Applejack

You briefly entertain the idea of dressing up as a certain fruit-themed cartoon character. But then it occurs to you that it's a trademarked character, and there might be some messy rights issues involved. Plus... you're not entirely sure that you want everyone at Fructicon to know you watch a kids' cartoon. Hey, those ponies speak to you, okay? I mean, not literally, but... okay, never mind.

A genie. You will grant anyone's wish as long as they wish for fruit.

Wait! You've got it! You'll dress up next year as a genie!

It's perfect. Iconic, attention-grabbing, and everyone will know it's just a costume, because obviously there's really no such thing as a genie.

==>



==>



You are now this young woman.

You have a keen interest in HISTORY, ARCHAEOLOGY, and GEOGRAPHY. In your free time, you like to blow off steam with FIRST-PERSON SHOOTER GAMES, which often surprises friends who find that out about you for the first time. It's just the games, though; you have never handled a gun in real life, and don't particularly want to. You also enjoy SCULPTURE; you've developed quite a skill at making statues and shapes out of clay, and are thinking of branching out into other materials.

And you're currently staring at a GENIE.

==>



It came out of a lamp you bought at a garage sale. You thought it looked like the kind of lamp that genies come out of in cartoons, so on a whim you decided to rub it.

==>



You certainly weren't really expecting a genie to come out of it, though, and were completely astonished when one did.

==>



"O blessed one, if I may be so bold, might I ask the name of my new mistress?"

[Reecer6]

>Fruit
>My first wish is Uneeque Gregonson

[Crono30067]

> My name is Kastell Sheridan

[SNeakyRobot]

> Greg Archer

[Armok]

> ramble at breakneck speeds: "I wish for that which I would wish for if I were a wiser better person and knew the full consequences of every possible wish!!! Oh, and my name is [name]."

[mythLeader]

Hm. Well, I knew I wasn't going to be home today and able to draw new images till later tonight, but I figured for this next update I knew what images I would need, so I drew them and uploaded them in advance so I could post the update this afternoon from where I was. However, for one of these commands I'm going to need a couple of images I didn't anticipate, so I won't be able to make the update after all till I get home tonight to draw them. So... update coming later tonight.

(By the way, I was kind of hoping for at least one really off-the-wall "joke" name like the ones that traditionally seem to come as replies to an MSPFA ENTER NAME prompt. But if I don't get one, no biggie; I can work with what I've got.) [EDIT: Yeah, never mind about that last part; there are definitely some options here I can use.]

[Shadow Phoenix]

Sonya Marquise

[mythLeader]

> ramble at breakneck speeds: "I wish for that which I would wish for if I were a wiser better person and knew the full consequences of every possible wish!!!"

>"Oh, and my name is [name]."

"Er... wait, I haven't said anything yet about wishes--"

"Oh, and my name is..."

> Greg Archer

> Uneeque Gregonson

"Greg... Gregonson."

==>



"My mistress, while I am here to serve you, our relationship may be better if based from the start on honesty."

Okay, the genie knew you were lying. He passed the test. Of course, in retrospect it might have been a better test had you picked a name less obviously fake...

Anyway, guess you probably ought to tell the genie your real name:

Sonya Marquise

> My name is Kastell Sheridan

"Sonya Sheridan."

==>



"Well met indeed, then, Sonya Sheridan! In accordance with the terms of my service, I grant to you now three wishes."

"See, I knew there were going to be wishes."

"Yes, you are clearly very wise."

==>



"But as for the wish you spoke earlier, let it be known that my powers, while vast, are not unlimited, nor am I omniscient. I cannot foresee the full possible consequences of any wish you might make, nor do I know your heart and your desires to tell you what wish would best suit you. But if you are troubled that I will twist the wording of your wishes to pervert them against your interests, you may set aside your fears: I am not that kind of genie. Speak your wishes, and I shall fulfill them to the best of my ability."