gistfile1.lua

-- current method and property lookup
  function instance_protocol:__index(member)
    if type(class_object[member]) == 'function' then
      return function(...)
        return class_object[member](self, ...)
      end
    elseif type(member) == 'string' and type(class_object['.'..member]) == 'function' then
      return class_object['.'..member](self)
    elseif type(instance_protocol.___index) == 'function' then
      return instance_protocol.___index(self, member)
    else
      return self[member]
    end
  end


array = class {
  ['.first'] = function(self) -- virtual property
      return self[1]
  end;

  first = function(self)     -- generic method
      return self[1]
  end
}

local list = array{"hello","world","!"}

-- if we change the object_instance.__index to resolve 
 * [".something"]
 * classobj.prototype["something"]
 * ["."]=function(self, "something")
 * self["something"]

then this will be possible

print(list.first) -- outputs hello
print(array.first(list)) -- outputs hello

print(list.first()) -- error


string = native(string) {

   ['.upper'] = function(self)
      return self:upper()
   end

   format = function(self, ...)   -- generic method
      return self:format(...)
   end
}


print ("hello world").upper
print ("hello %s").format("world")