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 UPDATEThanks to Quarry Man for uploading my images for me. Primary Option (1) won only by a few votes. Secondary Options (a) and (b) turned out to be tied. Because of this BIP will have to split his attentions between the two activities and not spend as much time on either (Not a huge deal). Option (d) has also been included for various important reasons. Sorry for the rush colour job on some of these. As you know I’m very limited right now. Couldn’t even correct that blatant continuity error in one of the pictures. Only get one chance to scan folks. Even so I hope you can enjoy the story. I understand this update is quite...  but there was a lot I had to cover. Pretend you are cracking into an undiscovered Ben Biddick short story if you get bored half way through.------- BIP lay silently over the medics shoulder. After much consideration, his curiosity possessed him and BIP decided to play dead a little longer. Perhaps he could learn some important information or juicy gossip? (BIP's curiosity elevated) He shut his eyes and lay limp, as the mercenary carried him through the desert. BIP's internal vocal receivers functioned to the height of their ability; he listened intently for a short time and heard....nothing. The mercenaries stayed silent as the grave. BIP, even possessing superior hearing, could barely make out their foot falls. If he weren't being carried by them, BIP might not even know they were there. The most he heard for the duration of the walk was the quiet skittering of Go-Ships feet. Boredom set in. BIP's attention began to wander to his previous experience. He had seen quite a bit and learned even more. The disjointed images he had witnessed nagged at him, begging to be woven back into his mental tapestry. From what BIP could recall though, there was no square of cloth to allow their admission. BIP was activated six months ago as he understood. He had exactly six months of memories. Where were these images coming from? He was pulled from his thoughts by the nagging alert in the back of his mind. It proclaimed that he was quite damaged, with the tenaciously of a dripping faucet. (A dripping space faucet. Twice as tenacious.) BIP decided it was time to assess his systems and chassis. He needed a damage report. A scan of his power systems showed they were functioning again, admittedly poorly, at 68% efficiency. If he were given the tools and the chance he knew he could repair it himself and have it up to at least 85%. He made note of its condition and checked his backup power supply. The backup had been strained due to extreme overuse. It would need several hours before it could function again, and a day of internal friction to recharge. BIP's other scans were still non-functioning so a visual assessment would have to suffice. BIP cautiously tilted his head, hoping he wouldn't alert the medic. He looked up. Oh...oh jeeze.  (BIP received loving Rock) The rock that BIP's face had been introduced to, was firmly lodged in his head. His little arms were too short to reach the rock and he squirmed around in panic. The medic held him out and put him down. "Alright little guy. No more free ride. You're way heavier then you look." BIP pointed to the rock in his head and waved his arms franticly. The team leader grabbed a hold of the rock and gave it a tug. "That's in there pretty deep. It'll have to wait until we get to the cave." BIP held on to his leg, looking like an abused puppy. He tapped his head while giving the mercs leg armor little tugs. "Suck it up," He replied sternly, "Can't do much about it until we're safe in cover." The man walked a few steps before stopping. "Wait...why do you care?" BIP stared at him, confused. What did he mean? There was a rock stuck in his head! Wouldn't HE care if there was a rock in HIS head? The question baffled BIP. "No seriously...you are a robot. You don't even feel pain. You are still functioning. You can walk and operate. The rock isn't anywhere critical...why do you care? Robot's shouldn't care." The last word was said with a strange emphasis. BIP tilted his head in confusion. The merc sighed, giving up the line of questioning, and continued walking. The team followed. BIP stood, pondering the team leader’s words. Suddenly, Go-Ship bumped into BIP’s back. BIP patted Go-Ship's majestic carapace before climbing up and taking the yo-yo reins. Go-Ship skittered forward, following the party. They emerged from the narrow path in the cliffs, to a small opening. There were sharpened pieces of metal lodged sporadically all around the entrance to a wide cave. Between the group and the cave, was a sea of bodies. Green armor and blood littered the ground around the path. The narrow exit had apparently been taken advantage of. The attackers had been lining up to di-...sleep. A loud crack was heard; one of the mercs deftly dodged a "warning" shot. They probably should have knocked. The team leader stooped down picking something up. BIP decided it was a big green rock. The merc began carving the image of a trident before tossing the...rock...into the black maw of the cave.  A few seconds passed, and the rock was returned. BIP was unable to see or read the message but the mercenaries seemed to understand it. BIP was too busy denying reality to try and decipher it anyway. Oh god stuff was slipping out! Oh lordy!  (BIP's denial meters report record levels) The mercenaries began to ascend to the cave entrance, after reading the jumbley moon language on the helmet. BIP guessed it must have meant "NO DANGER. DATA DATA! YES HELP!" That is obviously what it said. They reached the entrance of the cave and were greeted by four marines. The two BIP had met at the pod and...wait. They doubled! None of them were captains though. The orange marine was still the highest ranker. Peering into the cave, there were at least a dozen un-armored humans inside, as well as various damaged supplies and equipment. Due to the crudely constructed beds and work stations, BIP guessed that there must have been Earth Front humans hiding here already. BIP's friends found more friends! (BIP performed a joy dance) BIP's good buddy, the one armed orange marine, had been busy conversing with the triton mercenaries while BIP was examining the cave. The marine slowly ceased talking when he noticed BIP, and stammered in disbelief. "W-what...what the gently caress?" The marine bent down and placed his hand on BIP. "You actually made it? You actually went out and honest to god found help?" BIP swelled with pride. He pulled out the data pad and made it display the note he had taken after setting out. "YES HELP MARINE", "CITY DANGEROUS", "GO DOCTOR" "Wow…you did good BIP. Very good." The marine stood and turned to BIP's other marine friend. "Can you throw him on the med bench Andrea? Little guy is a hero. Needs to be patched up." BIP's female marine friend nodded and picked him up. She carried him to a cranberry juice stained medical bed and opened up a case full of tools.  BIP reached into his compartment and pulled out his old, red handed arm. He shook it around until she got the message. "Sure, alright. I'll re-attach that for you." BIP laid back, awaiting the repair. He found himself quickly recoiling in horror though, as she ignited a small blow torch. The burning light filled BIP with pangs of terror. He scrabbled up the head rest to get away from it. "Oh lord. Are you for real? Alright..." She reached into the tool kit and pulled out another device. "I can take you offline while I repair you if you'd like..?" BIP stared at the blow torch before looking up at her and nodded. He then gave her a sturdy but pathetic hug. "Huh..." She said flatly, "Cute. Well goodnight." BIP went offline. BIP awoke some time later. His internal clock reported two hours of lost time. A quick look showed that the rock had been removed and the dent smoothed. His arm had also been re-attached. Internal power supply reported 82% efficiency. He had nearly forgotten that all the marines were capable engineers. BIP was suddenly alerted to gunfire. The marines and mercenaries were at the mouth of the cave, firing over and over. The orange marine stood behind a ramshackle turret that produced a steady stream of green light. They probably had things under control. The civilian humans huddled in a corner of the cave. BIP considered giving them all hugs, but his heightened curiosity demanded he explore instead! The cave appeared to quite large. BIP walked a short ways down a dark passage, his night vision clicking on.  Green glowing stuff seemed to be growing all over the walls, illuminating the dark portion of the chamber. Here he discovered an opening in the wall. It had been bolted shut with various pieces of scrap metal. There were little gaps here and there, and the metal had corroded in some places. The word DANGER had been painted on the largest potion of steel. That was a bad word BIP knew. He decided not to try and crawl in there. He was about to turn around when he heard a faint noise. BIP cautiously stepped toward the barricaded entrance. What was that sound?  Bugs! Thousands of tiny glowing insects began to spill from under a corroded metal beam. They surged forward like a mobile carpet. BIP was gripped by panic. They looked nothing like Go-Ship; they were horrible many legged fangy things! The bugs were getting closer. The sounds of gunfire were still echoing through the cavern. Trapped in between, BIP oiled a little. OPTIONS: Back to the five option system this time. Go wild! (1)Nice Rock! Squish squish! (2)Run and alert the humans. Warning! Danger Go-Ships! (3)Curl into a ball. Shove hands in mouth. (4)Run in circles. No data! No data! (5)Flee from the cave. No stopping, no walking! Also, if you so choose: What should BIP do with Go-Ship? (You can leave this up to me if you want, but I love reading your ideas and suggestions.) Remember, I take all your suggestions and feed them into a secret BIP super computer. Feel free to tell me what BIP should also do or how he should do it! Good luck my friends. edit: PS. Go here and vote. Support the BIP soundtrack author! Cheap Shot fucked around with this message at 23:46 on Jul 16, 2009 |
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Jul 16, 2009 23:39
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| # ? Apr 26, 2024 05:09 |
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(1). Use your feet in addition to the rock!
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Jul 16, 2009 23:51
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1  EDIT: GO-SHIP EDIBILITY TESTING Daemonette fucked around with this message at 06:14 on Jul 17, 2009 |
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Jul 17, 2009 00:00
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Great update! I particularly like how BIP's systems are assimilating and analyzing new language data as a background process, enabling him to learn new words even before he knows he has. (Zarimus' retcon ability improved!) On to the matter at hand, a creeping mass of doom! They're obviously dangerous, these bugs, thanks to the improvised barrier and the helpful sign. The corrosion on the barrier makes me hesitate to send BIP in to goosh them with a rock - he just got repaired, avoiding metal-corroding bugs just seems like a good idea. Maybe Go-Ship could help out here, he's obviously a big and important bug. BIP should lead him back to the barrier and observe its reaction. Hopefully Go-Ship either settles down for a glowing bug banquet or the little bugs bow down in worship. If the Go-Ship option fails, then it's clearly time to (2) panic and run to the marines, waving his newly repaired arms wildly! Since BIP doesn't have the word for creeping stinging acid-breathing bug swarms of doom in his vocabulary, he might have to grab a chunk of... rock... and scoop up a few bugs to take back and show the marines what he's dealing with. They'll know what to do, I'm sure.
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Jul 17, 2009 00:16
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Cheap Shot posted:I hope he can reclaim the rock that was embedded in his head. It has magical stealth properties.
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Jul 17, 2009 00:31
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2 then 1: Bip needs to alert the humans of the coming infestation and then help them eradicate it or escape with them (whichever the marines decide to do). 3-5 seem like all bad choices 
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Jul 17, 2009 00:35
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4 DOES NOT COMPUTE! AAAAH! then 2 Hey guys! Bugs! AAAAH!
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Jul 17, 2009 00:45
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goatface posted:I hope he can reclaim the rock that was embedded in his head. It has magical stealth properties. Hush, you 
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Jul 17, 2009 00:47
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Also voting (2) then (1).
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Jul 17, 2009 01:02
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4 then 2
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Jul 17, 2009 01:06
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goatface posted:I hope he can reclaim the rock that was embedded in his head. It has magical stealth properties. Voting 2, then 1. But don't use yourself, oh, no. You remember your buddy, the torch? Break that out, and either clobber the bugs with the tank, or torch 'em yourself.
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Jul 17, 2009 01:39
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goatface posted:I hope he can reclaim the rock that was embedded in his head. It has magical stealth properties. Clearly! For the record I already admitted that I accidentally stealthed the rock at the beginning of the update. I will make sure to triple check my cloak failsafes in the future. Uh... further in the future that is to say... IN SPAAAAACE!
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Jul 17, 2009 01:41
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(Cheap Shot: Is BIP capable of enacting my torch plan?)
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Jul 17, 2009 01:43
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Lorak posted:(Cheap Shot: Is BIP capable of enacting my torch plan?) Yes, but he would be terrified of the flame. Depends on his current boldness levels. Sort of.
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Jul 17, 2009 01:52
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2 then 6 Bip should go to the civilian with his datapad. He can draw a skull, write "Danger", and draw a few bugs underneath it. After that he should take Go-Ship to the bugs. Maybe Go-Ship likes to eat them.
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Jul 17, 2009 01:55
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2
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Jul 17, 2009 01:57
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2, then 1.
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Jul 17, 2009 02:08
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I think Bip would do his best to smush the bugs and if there's too many, jam the rock in the hole to slow them down and then run for the humans. I do like the torch plan.
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Jul 17, 2009 02:12
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1 Bad Go-ships! Unless... Go-Ship can help! Go-Ship DATA go-ship HELP!
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Jul 17, 2009 02:15
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Burn them! Or go get the marines. They will have fire. Take go-ship with you, can't have our poor steed getting hurt by the danger-ships
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Jul 17, 2009 02:19
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Option 2. Grab a rock (any rock, doesn't have to be one our named Rocks) and smash a few of the swarming bugs, then run and show the dead bugs to the nearest marine. Show him/her the bugs, then jump excitedly and point at the barricade. Hell, since we like naming rocks, just call this Bug Smashing Rock. Keep Go Ship away from the barricade. He might be somewhat related to these things and might not appreciated us killing a few thousand of his third cousins, twice removed.
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Jul 17, 2009 02:35
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1, armed with loving rock, using Go-Ship as cavalry. You need some combat skills, might as well start small. And that barricade looks sturdy enough, I'm sure whatever large horrible nightmare is behind it won't be able to escape.
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Jul 17, 2009 03:13
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4, seems to be the most in character/adorable.
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Jul 17, 2009 03:38
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I like 1, try to squish the bugs. If it gets to be overwhelming (which I suspect it surely will haha), then 2 run to the civilans for help. After the last update's discussions of backup energy sources and power efficiencies, I'm wondering if BIP needs to replenish his energy somehow? I'd imagine he needs some kind of fuel, or is it the oil?
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Jul 17, 2009 03:44
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Pweller posted:I like 1, try to squish the bugs. If it gets to be overwhelming (which I suspect it surely will haha), then 2 run to the civilans for help. Agreed, 1 then 2. See if Go-Ship is any use against the bugs, maybe he'll like eating them. But if they're too big of a danger, flee and get help.
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Jul 17, 2009 04:02
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Pretty sure the bugs are not the danger, but running from it.
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Jul 17, 2009 04:06
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1 but use that torch on those mofos! Now ain't no jibba-jabbing flim flam boldness levels checking tea party, BIP's part of the team now, they need BIP's help! Robot gotta step up!
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Jul 17, 2009 04:14
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voting option 1*, conditionally followed by 2 *Bring Go-Ship to the bugs. See what Go-Ship does. If Go-Ship begins eating them(that bug didn't get that big just by eating plants and/or minerals), then stop there. If Go-Ship refuses to go near or is indifferent, lead it to a safe place and perform option 2. neogeo0823 fucked around with this message at 05:15 on Jul 17, 2009 |
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Jul 17, 2009 04:51
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2, then 1, with Lorak's torch plan. And, if we have the opportunity somewhere along the way, we should introduce Go-Ship to the other bugs and gauge his reaction.
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Jul 17, 2009 05:04
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I think telling the humans of the incomming invasion would be a good idea. Then doing you best to help stop the danger. So 2 and if they are a danger then 1
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Jul 17, 2009 05:20
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(2) and then (1). BIP needs to get some kind of noisemaking device, so that even if he can't talk he can get people's attention. If we get into a city we should keep an eye out for a horn, or a bicycle bell (he could ratchet it onto his wrist). Or could he use the spare blue arm as a striker and play his chest hatch like a steel drum?
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Jul 17, 2009 05:25
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Daemonette posted:Pretty sure the bugs are not the danger, but running from it. This is a horrifying possibility. However I think BIP should: Bring Go-Ship to assess the situation... If he is chill and starts eating them or something 1, just because. If Go-Ship freaks the hell out 2, as fast as you can, oh no! edit- similar to what Neogeo0823 said Murvin fucked around with this message at 05:32 on Jul 17, 2009 |
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Jul 17, 2009 05:29
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Dubious Merit posted:Or could he use the spare blue arm as a striker and play his chest hatch like a steel drum? If so could he not just hit his chest with his own arms?
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Jul 17, 2009 05:35
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Sorry for abstaining from the vote last round. Kept getting distracted before I could think of anything of value to say. I'm voting for 1 followed by 2 if things get a tad too dangerous. Also, bringing Go-Ship near the battle is a must, just to see what happens. Maybe Go-Ship will devour the little critters? Oh, but not too close; it would be bad if it turned out Go-Ship was the Danger Go-Ships' food source, rather than the other way around. I was almost going to vote for 3 instead, on the odd chance that Bip stuffing his hands in his mouth somehow activated his speech aparatus, allowing him to squeek for help; or maybe activating a massively destructive mouth-laser of some sort? Even cute robots ought to be built with some method of defending themselves, right? *EDIT!* It just occured to me: we've got a special device that produces a seemingly impenetrable forcefield when activated. If Bip does begin to get overwhelmed by the bugs, he could try to remove the Device from his compartment and see if it reacts. At the worst he wasted a moment on a nonreactive Device, at best we could isolate Bip with a squishable number of bugs inside the field while simultaneously blocking the cave entrance from invasion. At least, that's my guess. Reverend Gnome fucked around with this message at 05:46 on Jul 17, 2009 |
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Jul 17, 2009 05:40
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2, then 1. We need to make sure that the humans know about this threat, because as awesome as BIP is he is not capable at this point of handling any real threats. I'm going to hop on the bandwagon for saying that the bugs are not the threat, if they were why would the humans barricade the top but not the very bottom? Regardless, after going to warn the humans we can take Go-Ship and get as much help as we can to prevent the soldiers up front from getting flanked.
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Jul 17, 2009 05:42
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MurraneousX posted:If so could he not just hit his chest with his own arms? That wouldn't be as cute. 
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Jul 17, 2009 05:42
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2
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Jul 17, 2009 05:50
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2 then 1
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Jul 17, 2009 05:53
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We just found our humans again, we need to protect them by 2. alerting the humans then 1. squishing as many bugs as possible! If we can squish them while running around in a slightly-panicked circle, that would definitely be preferred. 
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Jul 17, 2009 06:01
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| # ? Apr 26, 2024 05:09 |
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Bip should definitely alert the humans in some way- those bugs may look scary, but they're so tiny that they can't be the bad thing behind the barricade (it looked as if it was haphazardly built to keep something much larger and fiercer from coming through, not to create a vacuum-sealed insect-shield). It seems far more likely they're running for their little ugly lives from the big bad unknown monster. My vote is to run back to the humans and try to alert one- even a civilian will do. Then, whilst leading them back, bring Go-Ship along and see if he'll munch on some of the little critters. Who knows, he's been on a long journey, he's probably pretty hungry! We definitely need to squish some bugs as well, just because. Preferably with a combination of Adorable Stomping in conjunction with loving Rock.
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Jul 17, 2009 06:09
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