OOC: Plotting Post

[functioningperfectly]

This is an OOC post for people who would like to help me bring HAL out of his shell a little more. Beneath the cut are some of the things that HAL is interested in, as well as some things that I would like to happen with him. If you think HAL and your character could biffle it up, or if you think he would be useful for a plot you're thinking of doing, OR if you want to help me do what I want to do, here's where we can discuss it!


THINGS THAT HAL IS INTERESTED IN, LIKES TO DO, CAN DO AWESOMELY, CAN'T DO AWESOMELY, ETCETERA:

• HAL enjoys playing games. Chess, checkers, mah-jong, solitaire, memory games - the sort of games that you find on Windows by default. He also has a secret affinity for Space Invaders and riddles, though his processors tend to struggle to come to terms with the inherent illogical nature of riddles.
  
• HAL is big on philosophy. If you've ever posted a philosophical question, especially in concerns to life and humanity, you've probably seen this first-hand; it's a good way for him to stretch his legs, so to speak.
  
• HAL actually just likes chatting in general. He's programmed to be an affable, if slightly dry sort of guy, and even conversations about the weather are interesting to him. (Secretly, he's just kind of lonely. "Dave" doesn't really talk to him, you know?)
  
• HAL, being a supercomputer, is amazingly adept at computer programming. He can hack into anything, even himself - he simply doesn't do it because it's impolite. He also is great at visual cues, and can read lips.
  
• HAL doesn't understand humans quite as well as he appears to. A lot of the more intricate emotional reactions are lost on him, and he has trouble reading tone in text, so sarcasm in comments goes right over his head if it's subtle enough.
  
• HAL is seriously intrigued by the community and wants to dissect it and understand it. It frustrates him that he can't seem to understand most of the things that happen.
  
• Finally, HAL is kind of crazy. Seriously, he's on his way to flipping his shit again.
  

THINGS THAT I WANT TO HAPPEN WITH HAL:

• I really want him to go crazy in a way that would affect the community. How this happens and when this happens is going to be hard to figure out, but I need to get him crazy before I can do anything. A few of the things that set him off are: mentioning what happened with Dave; getting too nosy into what, exactly, is happening on Europa; and calling into question his capabilities. If you ever want to start a fight with him, these are the three ways to do it the fastest. Forcing him to lie is also a good way to set him down the road to paranoia.
  
• I also want him to make friends. :( It's no fun for him to go crazy if people aren't fond of him in some form, since he really is a sympathetic character. Right now, he's got some basic CR with people in general, but I would like him to actually have friends. He's lonely up there in space, especially since he can't actually contact people or interact physically with anyone, so it's hard for him to do anything. (Though, if you want a character to come and see the Discovery sometime, I think we could work that sort of thing out.)