Upon entering today, Leonard Nimoy tells me that the tadmen have developed arms. I’m wondering if what I was talking about yesterday, the legs, are truly their arms. It turns out those are actually their arms although they look like they should be legs.

One of the tadmen asks what next generation game console I’m looking forward to; I keep in mind that the answer should be a console from the last generation as this game came out in 2000. I answer the GameCube first but I guess that wasn’t announced by the time this game came out. The second time I say Playstation and he says that is all he hears about lately, he advises me to just buy a second Dreamcast. He then asks what kind of games I’m into and I respond role-playing. He guesses that when I was born, they rolled an eight sided die and I got a twenty-seven for charisma, ha ha.

He also asks what my favorite Dreamcast game is and lastly, whether I think he exists or not. I reply no and he describes why he is alive. He thinks, he breathes and tries with all his might at what he does. My answer disappoints him and he wishes to be left alone to think. I didn’t mean to be rude, but depending on most criteria we use for describing the term “alive”, he is not alive. Although he does respond when I talk to him, he is only “alive” when I play this game and his answers are already predetermined; there is no thought behind them. That’s not to say I don’t appreciate his “company.”

I begin talking to the podmen again after spraying down the insect terrarium and one of them wants to tell me why he is alive. He asks whether I think John F. Kennedy or the Beatles were alive. I say yes. He tells me that my only knowledge of them probably comes from seeing them on TV and in magazines and the same goes for him. He does have a point here, but this is not how I would describe something as being “alive.”

His last comments to me are about existing. He tells me that measuring most anything is impossible. When we stick a thermometer in the water to check the temperature, the thermometer has an effect on the temperature of the water. That being said, we measure something as being alive by being able to talk with it and think about it among other things, so by keeping seaman in my thoughts I am perpetuating his existence. At times, the game will offer deep thoughts and philosophical wonderings, and this is what I enjoy about it.

I adjust the tadmen’s temperature and pick one up. I notice that they have grown just a little bit. The blood-sucking has begun! While I’m zoomed in on one of the tadmen, another comes and begins to suck his blood. I now have five tadmen. I begin to talk with another tadman and he asks if I own any other game systems; in the background I see another tadman sucking blood; down to four.

The tadman asks what is another system I own and if I like the Dreamcast. Upon answering yes he tells me “I’m glad to hear that as I’ve been authorized to write you a check for ten thousand dollars; my ass!”  The tadmen have tiny legs now as well, I didn’t catch that at first but they now swim around by kicking.

I understand that the tadmen are done asking questions for the day. I make sure to water down the insect terrarium and call it quits for the day.

I’m checking up on my tadmen a little late today. I was busy and the earliest I could get to them was a little before midnight. They don’t seem to pleased either.

I adjust the heat to be normal and then see if they’re hungry, nope. I don’t see anything different from the previous day; they haven’t grown any or begin killing each other off. Often they exercise their flexibility and jump out of the water. I check in on the insect terrarium and everything is going smoothly as well. It’s the circle of life in there; everyday there are new eggs and everyday caterpillars are emerging from cocoons, “forcing” older moths to be caught by the spider.

They aren’t too happy with me appearing so late and aren’t in the mood for talking, rather than stick around bugging them I hit the sack. 

Apparently the tadpole creatures are formally known as “tadmen.”   I adjust their environment to be at a cool 21 degrees. As I chat with some of the tadmen they begin asking me questions about my health. They know I’m an Aries without me telling them, apparently all the knowledge that Poseidon and Studmuffin knew, is passed along.

One of them tells me that we don’t realize how easy we have it nowadays. He begins to tell me about the ancient Egyptians and how they had no heaters or pharmacies. The manual for the game explains that the Seamen are thought to be the “helpers” to past civilizations. He also tells me that instead of talking to him I should be taking in the harvest, since its fall. He continues on with the Egypt talk, asking if I’m seen the pyramids and if I can even imagine building them.

He is on a bit about how we have had to evolve over time and that nowadays we are too relaxed and have it so easy. He talks about people with glasses; in the past we would’ve been a lion’s lunch. He finishes off with a few minute story about how we invented the greatest tool five of six thousand years ago, language. Later came Pythagoras and logic and many kinds of theories, soon after, mathematics, technology and industry. We started out pretty helpless but we invented these things to rely on, he reminds me to never rely on these too much.

Today should be very exciting, I’m hoping to see the eggs that Poseidon laid hatch and am looking forward to meeting them.

The first thing I notice is the terrible slowdown, the game chugs as I move my cursor around. It was like this yesterday after Poseidon laid the eggs but I thought nothing of it then, I was too enamored with what had just taken place. I crank the temp up to 20 in the eggs terrarium and I spray down the insect terrarium. The little embryos are moving around in their eggs, as I watch I listen to the sound of the water washing up against the land, similar to the sounds of the ocean.

Then without any warning, they all jump out of the eggs and into the water! They begin swimming around and one comes up to the side of the tank and begins to talk with me. He shares the same voice and sense of humor as I Seamen I’ve been watching all along. The creatures look identical to tadpoles, minus the human face. It’s almost a letdown talking to them; they act just the same as their predecessors, however it is fun to tap the glass and watch all six come racing to me.

 

Leonard Nimoy hits me with a bunch of info today. Once I get to Poseidon I adjust his environment. I used to turn the heat up to 15 for it to be comfortable but now it needs to be set at 20. Since there is little water I no longer have to adjust the amount of oxygen.

Poseidon is not hungry and I do little but watch him. Leonard Nimoy told me Poseidon would lay eggs today and that’s what I’m watching for. In the meantime he hits some sweet-ass ramps... err does some jumps.

Poseidon crawls onto the land and grunts as he struggles to crawl. He crawls around and turns back towards the water, once he is kind of close he begins to lay the eggs. After a while I wonder if I should help; he takes forever, not literally, it takes about three or four minutes all the while grunting as he pushes. He lays six eggs and then passes away. His final words were “I’d say my work here is done, later.”

I examine the eggs and they are translucent so I can see inside them. I see little eel-like creatures with human faces. I examine a little while longer and leave.

I visit Poseidon a little earlier than usual today, just like yesterday.

After adjusting the aquarium I switch over to get a caterpillar and spray down the insect terrarium and notice I don’t have a spider and spider web anymore. I wonder when I’ll get another spider or if the moths will take over. I check back later and sure enough, a spider hatched from one of the eggs.

I feed him the caterpillar and he warns me again that is the cold and flu season, back he doesn’t ask me any questions. I visit later in the day and Leonard Nimoy tells me that Poseidon ought to be thankful for me visiting twice in one day but I get no gratitude from Poseidon.

I decide to move the large rock again and the riddle he gives me is quite easy. “What do you get when you put a cat into a fishbowl?” A catfish naturally; he tells me a little more ought to do it, this piques my interest and I try moving it again and he tells me that he needs a little rest. I visit him again and we move it again. After we move it this time the water drains and it dawns on me that Leonard Nimoy told me a while ago about something similar. After observing for a bit longer, I call it quits.

I’m visiting Poseidon a little earlier today (5pm) in the hopes he’ll be more receptive to asking me questions.

I adjust his environment to normal levels and hop over to the insect terrarium to grab a caterpillar. He eats it and then thanks me; and he talks back! He reminds me that it is the cold and flu season outside and to take some zinc at the first sign of the sniffles. He still doesn’t ask me any questions; I’m starting to think he’s done with that.

The blue caterpillar from yesterday has hatched from its cocoon and I think the reason it’s a different color is to distinguish between the sexes. I see that a moth has gotten stuck in the spider web and I see no sign of the spider so I decide to save it. I pick it up and quite randomly drop it in the inventory box; I never even thought to do this. I now know the moths are known as kimoths, the caterpillars simply larvae, the brown things that I never knew what they were I now know are seeds.

Don’t know what to do with Poseidon, he’s such a downer compared to Studmuffin. Maybe this period where he isn’t asking any questions is symbolic of our teenage years. As children we must know about everything but as teenagers we think we know it all, and we can be very grumpy at times.

Let’s see if Poseidon will ask some questions today. I start off by adjusting the aquarium and then hop over to the insect terrarium to get a moth. I drop it in but it flies around for a bit and then lands on the water, it doesn’t sink and Poseidon doesn’t want to eat it. I end up just dropping a caterpillar in like usual. However I’m unable as the moth is still in the aquarium and I can’t put more than one item inside.

While getting the caterpillar I notice that there is a blue caterpillar, they’ve all been green so far. I wonder if this will morph into a different insect or a different colored moth? After waiting a while the moth disappears and I drop in the caterpillar, apparently it was “damned yummy.”

He still isn’t asking any questions although he is talking to me. Since I’ve ruled out the diet being the reason of this, I think tomorrow I will play a little earlier and see if that is the problem. 

These past two days have been very boring so I hope today Poseidon will at least ask some questions.

Poseidon is starving and I drop in a caterpillar like usual. I begin talking with him, he will respond to me but he isn’t asking any questions, also he is not angry so that’s an improvement from yesterday. Fearing he isn’t going to ask any questions, I begin moving the big rock and he comes to me with a riddle.

He asks that if a man yells for seven days straight and raises an octave every three hours what does he have? I know that Poseidon doesn’t want a number so I respond “a sore throat.” Nailed it! We move the rock a bit and I try talking to him now but he still isn’t asking any questions.

I wonder why this is. Maybe he just isn’t asking any since I’m returning every day? I think tomorrow instead of feeding him a caterpillar I will see if feeding him a moth or an egg will make a difference.