Dreams in Digital 1
iclick, click, click/i
It was childish, he knew. A foolish game for humans to waste their time on; playing God with digitalized lives where they feel they had no control over their own, but America loved playing the Sims. Well, actually, there was a lot about the game that annoyed him. There was just no pleasing the tiny people in his computer. They were always hungry, no matter how much he fed them. They always had to go to the bathroom; they always felt dirty; they were always tired. They didn't even do anything the whole day unless he told them to!
He had every add on, hack, modification, and downloadable file available for every version of the game. He'd had to get an expanded hard drive just to accommodate the digital world he had created for the ungrateful little pixels of irritation. On more than one occasion, he'd set his neighborhoods on fire after removing the doors just because he was so annoyed with the whining and nagging.
iclick, click…click/i
And yet here he was, every day, late into the evening, playing the forsaken game. Clicking and directing and teeth grating because why won't they just do what he told them to do? There was a knock on his digital door and America smiled along with his pixilated self as it went to answer it. This was why he sat here and played this game all day. Just like his citizens sitting listlessly at their computers, living out a love that could never be through a computer screen, he had also created a simulation of the one he silently pined for.
It had been hell trying to figure out how to make a skin of the eyebrows that looked just right.
"Oh come on! Why the hell did he have to bring his roommates over! Alfred isn't having a party! He just wanted some alone time!" America scowled as he clicked around the living room, moving items that he didn't want the uninvited guests getting in to. The last thing he needed was an unwanted orgy in the middle of his pseudo-living room like last time. How was it that even in a world he created and controlled he couldn't get what he wanted?
No. Instead he got stuck dealing with Harry Potter's boy crush and the Doctor's jealous boyfriend raging.
He sighed and pulled on his headset, opening his desktop on his other monitor and checking his Skype list. Sure enough, Estonia was logged on. America clicked on the small icon and glanced back to his other monitor. Oh just wonderful. He sighed as Estonia picked up.
"America? What are you doing up so late? Isn't it past midnight there? I'm in the middle of eating breakfast."
America smiled wryly. He really should be in bed. "Ah, well. I installed that stripper pole for my sims that you sent me."
"Oh yeah?"
America scowled as he watched his screen. "Yeah, so of course when Jack comes over he brings Harry and the Doctor with him. I mean, really? Why is Harry doing a strip tease for Jack at Alfred's house? That's not how it was supposed to go!"
"Jack Sparrow or Jack Kirkland?"
America told Alfred to kick Harry and the Doctor out. "Jack Kirkland, of course! I couldn't care less if Harry decided to dump the Doctor for Jack Sparrow and they ran away to have babies!"
Estonia sighed on the other end of the line. "Have you been able to beta that hack for me yet?"
America pouted a bit, and was pretty sure it showed in his voice. "No. I was kinda hoping to use it soon. But now Jack is upset with Alfred for kicking the other two out and ugggh! They are never going to date at this rate, let alone get married!"
There was a pause, and America waited for Estonia to eat his build your own breakfast thing, or whatever they called it. It was way too much work for breakfast in the morning.
"Well, you know they are simulations of people, America. You can't force them to like each other any more than you can force Australia to like you in person."
America groaned, letting his forehead bump against his desk as he hunched over. "I know…But, come on! Harry Potter?"
"Just give it time. You'll get it eventually." There was a clatter of dishes over the line. "But I have to get to work and you have to get to bed. Isn't the love of your life coming over tomorrow morning?"
America nodded. "Yeah…England's birthday is coming up and we're all just gonna chip in to get him something awesome."
"Well don't blow your chances in real life by making them wait for you, just because you stayed up late trying to make it happen in your digital dreamland."
America huffed. "My digital nightmare is more like it." He sighed, moving back to the Skype monitor. "Alright. I'll go to bed. Talk to you later, Estonia. We still trying a new game tonight?"
"Of course. As long as you get back from this family time of yours in time for it. Remember, 5pm your time. I'll be taking a nap, so it's okay that I'll be staying up. Pick a good one this time. That pirates thing sucked last week."
America laughed a bit. "Yeah, that was pretty bad. Don't worry. I heard good things about this one. I'll talk to you later." He hung up the call and took off his headset, getting up to get ready for bed. By the time he walked out of the bathroom, his computers had switched to their screensavers. America fell asleep quickly, never realizing that he left the game running.