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| ToyShop & Floyditorium | | #ClubFloyd Discussion | |
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| inky arrives, full of fun, but no funk.
| | |
| PerrySimm says, "log on"
| | |
| olethros arrives, full of fun, but no funk.
| | inky asks, "ok, so are we doing this?"
| |
| Nitku arrives, full of fun, but no funk.
| | DavidW says, "yes, please"
| |
| | | inky says, "ok!"
| |
| DavidW hollers, "ClubFloyd session beginning!"
| | Nitku asks, "Could we play the EnvComp games first?"
| |
| Gerynar arrives, full of fun and funk.
| | DavidW says, "um, I guess we could."
| |
| | | Nitku says, "I can't stay for very long and I've already played Snack Time."
| |
| Ellison arrives, full of neither funk nor fun.
| | DavidW says, "ah. Well, La Seine is the shorter of the two."
| |
| | | inky says, "ok, let's do that one"
| |
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "load laseine"
| | |
| Floyd | Thanks for playing!Welcome to the Cheap Glk Implementation, library
Floyd | version 0.9.0.
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
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Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | L A S E I N E
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|
| DavidW presses the yellow enter button.
| | |
| Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | You feel as though you've been staring hard at something for a long
Floyd | time, yet have suddenly gotten lost.
Floyd |
Floyd | Your eyes are weary, and your legs are stiff.
Floyd |
Floyd | Not remembering how you arrived here, near a large park on the river
Floyd | Seine, you nevertheless decide to take in the scenery and explore a
Floyd | bit.
Floyd |
Floyd | La Seine
Floyd | A short text adventure by Derek Sutcliffe
Floyd | Release 1 / Serial number 090320 / Inform 7 build 5U92 (I6/v6.31 lib
Floyd | 6/12N)
Floyd |
Floyd | Pr?s du parc
Floyd | You're standing on a gently sloping hill near a popular Parisian park.
Floyd | To the north you can see lots of people enjoying the summer day. Those
Floyd | without parasols sit in the shade of beautiful green trees, and in
Floyd | light of the way you're feeling, you might want to follow their lead.
Floyd | It's slightly after noon and the sun is beating down on you.
Floyd |
Floyd | A discarded newspaper lies at your feet.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| inky says (to Floyd), "x me"
| | |
| Floyd | You're you. Just an innocent tourist trying to broaden your horizons.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Allen arrives, full of fun and funk.
| | DavidW says, "There's French locations; that's an accented-e in Pr?s."
| |
| inky says (to Floyd), "xyzzy"
| | |
| Floyd | That's not a verb I recognise.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
DavidW asks (of inky), "Have you played this one?"
| |
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "take newspaper"
| | |
| Floyd | Taken.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
inky says, "yeah"
| |
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x it"
| | |
| Floyd | Your French isn't great, but even you notice that something is strange
Floyd | about the paper. Aha, there it is. "La Presse - dimanche 20 juillet
Floyd | 1884." Yeah, it's pretty old. From the various headings, you can tell
Floyd | there are articles on neo-impressionism, champagne, and optometry.
Floyd | Unfortunately, your grammar doesn't match your stunning ability to
Floyd | recognize simple cognates, so you're unable to read the articles
Floyd | themselves.
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "read newspaper"
| | |
| Floyd |
Floyd | >
Floyd | It's all Greek to you. Er, French.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x me"
| | |
| Floyd | You're you. Just an innocent tourist trying to broaden your horizons.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| inky says (to Floyd), "i"
| | |
| Floyd | You are carrying:
Floyd | a newspaper
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
Lucea says, "I can't come at all, I'm at work"
| |
| | | DavidW says, "; everyone feel free to type in. Please don't wait for me"
| |
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "n"
| | |
| Floyd |
Floyd | Avec le singe
Floyd | It's nice and shady here. An upper-class Frenchwoman and her male
Floyd | companion (complete with monocle, top hat, and riding crop) are
Floyd | standing here, staring off to the west. The river does look nice, but
Floyd | the persistence of their gaze is unnerving. You can see a woman
Floyd | knitting to the west and a girl holding a bouquet to the north.
Floyd |
Floyd | A small brown dog is here, terrorizing a skinny little monkey on a
Floyd | leash. The monkey's owners don't seem to notice.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "version"
| | |
| Floyd | La Seine
Floyd | A short text adventure by Derek Sutcliffe
Floyd | Release 1 / Serial number 090320 / Inform 7 build 5U92 (I6/v6.31 lib
Floyd | 6/12N)
Floyd | Identification number: //2E57B3D6-5C12-4CC8-B7AE-3168A51D4BFE//
Floyd | Standard interpreter 1.0 (2N) / Library serial number 080126
Floyd | Standard Rules version 2/080430 by Graham Nelson
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
DavidW says, "This game can't be made unwinnable; there's no death as far as I know. And no tricky timing puzzles."
| |
| inky says (to Floyd), "x monkey"
| | |
| Floyd | The monkey's arching his back and hissing as a brown dog yips and nips
Floyd | at it. Someone should teach that dog a lesson.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "x monkey"
| | |
| Floyd | The monkey's arching his back and hissing as a brown dog yips and nips
Floyd | at it. Someone should teach that dog a lesson.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "monkey, dance"
| | |
| Floyd | There is no reply.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Allen says (to floyd), "kick dog"
| | |
| Floyd | That's not a verb I recognise.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "x dog"
| | |
| Floyd | A speckled brown dog wearing a pink bow. Its owner doesn't seem to be
Floyd | around.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "x bow"
| | |
| Floyd | You can't see any such thing.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| [cfspoilers] DavidW says, "I was disappointed that 'roll newspaper' wasn't implemented."
| | |
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "x woman"
| | |
| Floyd | She has a parasol and a pet monkey on a leash. Also, she has a big,
Floyd | round butt. It can't be real. She must be using... Uh, what's it
Floyd | called... A bustle? Anyway, her dress has wiring in it that makes her
Floyd | butt look huge.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "laugh"
| | |
| Floyd | That's not a verb I recognise.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| [cfspoilers] inky says, "yeah"
| | |
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "ask woman about monkey"
| | |
| Floyd | There is no reply.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
DavidW says, "Any songs about big butts that can't be denied should wait until afterwards."
| |
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "search butt"
| | |
| Floyd | You find nothing of interest.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "squeeze butt"
| | |
| Floyd | You achieve nothing by this.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
Gerynar carefully sets his harmonica down and looks a little crestfallen
| |
| Allen says (to floyd), "kill dog"
| | |
| Floyd | PETA wouldn't be happy with you. Try punishing it a little less
Floyd | severely.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "x man"
| | |
| Floyd | The guy looks really stuck-up.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Allen says (to floyd), "hit dog with newspaper"
| | |
| Floyd | You give it a swift whack with the newspaper. It's looking pretty
Floyd | obedient now.
Floyd |
Floyd | [Your score has just gone up by one point.]
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
DavidW asks, "hm. Is PETA in France?"
| |
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "score"
| | |
| Floyd | You have so far scored 1 out of a possible 5, in 19 turns.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
olethros says, "not those days"
| |
| Allen says (to floyd), "dog, bite me"
| | |
| Floyd | There is no reply.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
DavidW says, "hm, point"
| |
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "x dog"
| | |
| Floyd | A speckled brown dog wearing a pink bow. Its owner doesn't seem to be
Floyd | around.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "feed monkey to dog"
| | |
| Floyd | (first taking the small monkey)
Floyd | I don't suppose the small monkey would care for that.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
DavidW says, "There are more locations, by the way."
| |
| inky says (to Floyd), "talk to woman"
| | |
| Floyd | Hm. Doesn't seem interested in talking to you.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| inky says (to Floyd), "talk to monkey"
| | |
| Floyd | You can't talk to animals.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "w"
| | |
| Floyd |
Floyd | Avec la tricoteuse
Floyd | A woman sits here knitting a delicate white garment. She appears to be
Floyd | accompanied by a mustached man with a top hat and cane who looks
Floyd | across the river. Nearby a boatman smokes a pipe and stares out into
Floyd | the Seine as well. An unoccupied grassy patch of land lies to the
Floyd | north, and to the east you spot an aristocratic couple with a monkey.
Floyd |
Floyd | The woman continues to knit here.
Floyd |
Floyd | A black dog is here, behind the knitting woman, chewing something.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "x dog"
| | |
| Floyd | You peer closely at the spotty black dog. A pink hat is in his mouth.
Floyd | He looks like a rather docile breed, and the knitting woman seems to
Floyd | be its owner.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| inky says (to Floyd), "talk to woman"
| | |
| Floyd | Hm. Doesn't seem interested in talking to you.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| inky says (to Floyd), "talk to boatman"
| | |
| Floyd | Hm. Doesn't seem interested in talking to you.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "hit dog with newspaper"
| | |
| Floyd | Is that really necessary?
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| olethros says (to Floyd), "dog, bring me a newspaper"
| | |
| Floyd | There is no reply.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
DavidW says, "It's the parc du doesn't seem interested in talking to you."
| |
| | | inky says, "ha ha"
| |
| inky says (to Floyd), "look"
| | |
| Floyd | Avec la tricoteuse
Floyd | A woman sits here knitting a delicate white garment. She appears to be
Floyd | accompanied by a mustached man with a top hat and cane who looks
Floyd | across the river. Nearby a boatman smokes a pipe and stares out into
Floyd | the Seine as well. An unoccupied grassy patch of land lies to the
Floyd | north, and to the east you spot an aristocratic couple with a monkey.
Floyd |
Floyd | The woman continues to knit here.
Floyd |
Floyd | A black dog is here, behind the knitting woman, chewing something.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "take hat"
| | |
| Floyd | You play a little tug-of-war with the dog before it gives up the hat.
Floyd | The dog returns to sniffing grass around the park. Probably looking
Floyd | for a place to wee.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x hat"
| | |
| Floyd | The hat's made of a light pink or lavender fabric, and has two poof
Floyd | balls strung to it on either side. It looks like the same material the
Floyd | woman nearby was knitting with, albeit a different color.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "wear hat"
| | |
| Floyd | You put on the hat.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "x garment"
| | |
| Floyd | You can't see any such thing.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "remove it"
| | |
| Floyd | You take off the hat.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "give hat to woman"
| | |
| Floyd | The knitting woman looks up from her current task and smiles at you,
Floyd | piecing together what must have transpired. "Merci beaucoup. Ce
Floyd | chien..." She wags a finger at the dog and returns her hat to its
Floyd | proper position at her side.
Floyd |
Floyd | [Your score has just gone up by one point.]
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| inky says (to Floyd), "talk to woman"
| | |
| Floyd | Hm. Doesn't seem interested in talking to you.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Allen says (to floyd), "n"
| | |
| Floyd |
Floyd | Avec un papillon
Floyd | There's not much here besides grass. A nice view of the Seine lies to
Floyd | your west. There's an obnoxious bugler to the north, and you don't
Floyd | like the idea of hearing his warbling tune at a higher volume. Thus,
Floyd | you can only go east or south from here.
Floyd |
Floyd | A butterfly flaps its spotted wings silently in the air several feet
Floyd | off the ground.
Floyd |
Floyd | A small bunch of white-flecked flowers grows here.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| inky says (to Floyd), "get butterfly"
| | |
| Floyd | Darn. Though it barely seems to move, it flutters swiftly away each
Floyd | time you reach out for it.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Allen says (to floyd), "get all"
| | |
| Floyd | butterfly: Darn. Though it barely seems to move, it flutters swiftly
Floyd | away each time you reach out for it.
Floyd | bunch of flowers: Taken.
Floyd | Parisians: You'd like to bring this piece of art back with you, but
Floyd | it'd probably be missed.
Floyd | parasols: You'd like to bring this piece of art back with you, but
Floyd | it'd probably be missed.
Floyd | sun: You'd like to bring this piece of art back with you, but it'd
Floyd | probably be missed.
Floyd | beautiful trees: You'd like to bring this piece of art back with you,
Floyd | but it'd probably be missed.
Floyd | park: You'd like to bring this piece of art back with you, but it'd
Floyd | probably be missed.
Floyd | Seine: You'd like to bring this piece of art back with you, but it'd
Floyd | probably be missed.
Floyd | bugler: I don't suppose the bugler would care for that.
Floyd | ladies: I don't suppose the ladies would care for that.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
DavidW says (to Allen), "heh. I did that a lot when I played the first time."
| |
| | | inky says, "wow, takeable scenery"
| |
| | | inky says, "I mean, not takeable, but not excluded automatically"
| |
| inky says (to Floyd), "x trees"
| | |
| Floyd | They're very tall and slender, with speckled green leaves.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Allen says (to floyd), "smell flowers"
| | |
| Floyd | You smell nothing unexpected.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| [cfspoilers] inky says, "also, that kind of gives stuff away"
| | DavidW says (to inky), "I think that's a flaw in I7's standard handling."
| |
| inky says (to Floyd), "i"
| | |
| Floyd | You are carrying:
Floyd | a bunch of flowers
Floyd | a newspaper
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
DavidW says, "I remember finding Alfadog in Child's Play too quickly that way."
| |
| Allen says (to alex), "l at butterfly"
| | |
| Allen says, "err"
| | |
| Allen says (to floyd), "look at butterfly"
| | |
| Floyd | Remarkably still, you could probably grab it right out of the air.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x flowers"
| | |
| Floyd | This bunch would add to a bouquet nicely, though the flowers look
Floyd | rather like plain white dots on their own.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Allen says (to floyd), "get butterfly"
| | |
| Floyd | Darn. Though it barely seems to move, it flutters swiftly away each
Floyd | time you reach out for it.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Allen says (to floyd), "show flowers to butterfly"
| | |
| Floyd | The butterfly is unimpressed.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Ellison goes back to Squeamhurst..
| | |
| [cfspoilers] DavidW says, "Le papillon n'est pas ici, boobe'!"
| | |
| Allen says (to floyd), "purloin butterfly"
| | |
| Floyd | That's not a verb I recognise.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Allen says, "darn. Worth a try"
| | |
| inky says (to Floyd), "look"
| | |
| Floyd | Avec un papillon
Floyd | There's not much here besides grass. A nice view of the Seine lies to
Floyd | your west. There's an obnoxious bugler to the north, and you don't
Floyd | like the idea of hearing his warbling tune at a higher volume. Thus,
Floyd | you can only go east or south from here.
Floyd |
Floyd | A butterfly flaps its spotted wings silently in the air several feet
Floyd | off the ground.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| inky says (to Floyd), "e"
| | |
| Floyd |
Floyd | Parmi les fleurs
Floyd | There's a girl here, about thirteen years old, arranging flowers.
Floyd | There's a finished bouquet next to her, and her mother (or aunt, or
Floyd | whatever) sits nearby, gazing at the Seine. Exits are north, toward a
Floyd | little girl and her mother, south, where an aristocratic couple walk a
Floyd | pet monkey, and west, toward an open field.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| inky says (to Floyd), "x girl"
| | |
| Floyd | The girl looks at her tiny clump of flowers, arranging and rearranging
Floyd | the stems. She doesn't seem to like it much, and it certainly doesn't
Floyd | live up to the one by her side.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Allen says (to floyd), "get all"
| | |
| Floyd | Parisians: You'd like to bring this piece of art back with you, but
Floyd | it'd probably be missed.
Floyd | parasols: You'd like to bring this piece of art back with you, but
Floyd | it'd probably be missed.
Floyd | sun: You'd like to bring this piece of art back with you, but it'd
Floyd | probably be missed.
Floyd | beautiful trees: You'd like to bring this piece of art back with you,
Floyd | but it'd probably be missed.
Floyd | park: You'd like to bring this piece of art back with you, but it'd
Floyd | probably be missed.
Floyd | Seine: You'd like to bring this piece of art back with you, but it'd
Floyd | probably be missed.
Floyd | flower girl: I don't suppose the flower girl would care for that.
Floyd | finished bouquet: You'd like to bring this piece of art back with you,
Floyd | but it'd probably be missed.
Floyd | girl's mother: You'd like to bring this piece of art back with you,
Floyd | but it'd probably be missed.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| inky says (to Floyd), "talk to girl"
| | |
| Floyd | Hm. Doesn't seem interested in talking to you.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| inky says (to Floyd), "x bouquet"
| | |
| Floyd | There's a pretty bouquet of flowers laid here by the girl, but some of
Floyd | the buds seem faded. They look fresh-picked, but certain colors just
Floyd | have a dingy hue.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Allen says (to floyd), "show flowers to girl"
| | |
| Floyd | The flower girl is unimpressed.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "give flowers to girl"
| | |
| Floyd | She takes the flowers and adds them to her current bunch, smiling.
Floyd | "Zank you. Ze yellow..." She pauses, glancing at both her bouquet and
Floyd | the grass in the park. "Ze yellow is, how you say, fading..." The girl
Floyd | looks appreciatively at the white adornments to her project.
Floyd |
Floyd | [Your score has just gone up by one point.]
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Allen says, "oh yeah, she's impressed when YOU give them to her"
| | |
| inky says (to Floyd), "score"
| | |
| Floyd | You have so far scored 3 out of a possible 5, in 55 turns.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
inky says, "hee hee"
| |
| | | inky says, "he did it more suavely"
| |
| | | Nitku says, "I did SQUEEZE BUTT at the same time"
| |
| Firion arrives, full of funk, but no fun.
| | |
| inky says (to Floyd), "n"
| | |
| Floyd |
Floyd | Devant la petite fille dans blanc
Floyd | There's a little girl here, holding her mother's hand. Other people
Floyd | are to the north, but there's nothing interesting in that direction,
Floyd | so you can only return south from here.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| inky says (to Floyd), "talk to mother"
| | |
| Floyd | Hm. Doesn't seem interested in talking to you.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Allen says (to floyd), "x girl"
| | |
| Floyd | About five years old, wearing a white hat and white dress. The little
Floyd | girl in white stares at you intently, as if she wants to talk to you.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Allen says (to floyd), "talk to girl"
| | |
| Floyd | You begin to speak to the little girl. "Um..."
Floyd |
Floyd | She looks up at you with a blank stare. "Hello. We are grateful for
Floyd | your help."
Floyd |
Floyd | "Oh," you stammer, "you speak English."
Floyd |
Floyd | "Yes," she says, without changing expression.
Floyd |
Floyd | "You're just a little kid, though. Don't you live here in Paris? Is
Floyd | one of your parents from England or America?"
Floyd |
Floyd | "I have learned English from the passers-by who stop to discuss and
Floyd | comment amongst themselves. I am always watching. Some others here are
Floyd | not so motivated."
Floyd |
Floyd | You look around a little. "What do you mean, passers-by? That doesn't
Floyd | make any sense. Here in the park, you mean? You learned English from
Floyd | tourists? That's impres-"
Floyd |
Floyd | "No, in the gallery. Chicago."
Floyd |
Floyd | The name of the city sounds familiar. "You mean you live in Chicago?"
Floyd |
Floyd | "In America for eighty-four years. In Chicago for seventy-six of
Floyd | them."
Floyd |
Floyd | "Whaaat? You've got some imagination, kid." You start walking away.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Wait," she says. "I am telling you the truth. All you see is merely a
Floyd | scene painted one hundred and twenty-five years ago, by a great
Floyd | artist. This place is La Grande Jatte, as seen over a century ago by
Floyd | Georges Seurat."
Floyd |
Floyd | You begin to protest, but now that the thought has been planted into
Floyd | your brain, you can't shake it off. Everything's seemed so restricted,
Floyd | so static. Things barely move, and everything's got the same texture
Floyd | to it. Speckled, spotted, dotted. It's all pointillism. Then you turn
Floyd | and stare at the girl's face.
Floyd |
Floyd | There's no definition to it. It's just a splotch of color. Her two
Floyd | blue eyes are blobs of oil paint. How could you not see this before?
Floyd |
Floyd | You have to get out of here.
Floyd |
Floyd | [Your score has just gone up by one point.]
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
inky says, "mister smith, I'm afraid you've been diagnosed with pointillism -- you have perhaps six months to live"
| |
| | | DavidW says, "heh"
| |
| inky says (to Floyd), "get out of here"
| | |
| Floyd | I only understood you as far as wanting to get outside.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
DavidW says, "(btw, the disk cleanup is done, and it seems to have done the job. I suddenly have 1 gig of space back.)"
| |
| | | inky says, "woo"
| |
| inky says (to Floyd), "get out"
| | |
| Floyd | You're not in anything though... or are you?
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| inky says (to Floyd), "yes"
| | |
| Floyd | That was a rhetorical question.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "wake up"
| | |
| Floyd | But you're not sleeping... or are you?
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "l"
| | |
| Floyd | Devant la petite fille dans blanc
Floyd | There's a little girl here, holding her mother's hand. Other people
Floyd | are to the north, but there's nothing interesting in that direction,
Floyd | so you can only return south from here.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "n"
| | |
| Floyd | You can't go that way.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| inky says (to Floyd), "s"
| | |
| Floyd |
Floyd | Parmi les fleurs
Floyd | There's a girl here, about thirteen years old, arranging flowers.
Floyd | There's a finished bouquet next to her, and her mother (or aunt, or
Floyd | whatever) sits nearby, gazing at the Seine. Exits are north, toward a
Floyd | little girl and her mother, south, where an aristocratic couple walk a
Floyd | pet monkey, and west, toward an open field.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| inky says (to Floyd), "s"
| | |
| Floyd |
Floyd | Avec le singe
Floyd | It's nice and shady here. An upper-class Frenchwoman and her male
Floyd | companion (complete with monocle, top hat, and riding crop) are
Floyd | standing here, staring off to the west. The river does look nice, but
Floyd | the persistence of their gaze is unnerving. You can see a woman
Floyd | knitting to the west and a girl holding a bouquet to the north.
Floyd |
Floyd | A small brown dog is here sitting and scratching behind one ear. It
Floyd | cowers as you approach.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| inky says (to Floyd), "s"
| | |
| Floyd |
Floyd | Pr?s du parc
Floyd | You're standing on a gently sloping hill near a popular Parisian park.
Floyd | To the north you can see lots of people enjoying the summer day. Those
Floyd | without parasols sit in the shade of beautiful green trees, and in
Floyd | light of the way you're feeling, you might want to follow their lead.
Floyd | It's slightly after noon and the sun is beating down on you.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| inky says (to Floyd), "s"
| | |
| Floyd | You can't go that way.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| inky says (to Floyd), "jump"
| | |
| Floyd | You jump on the spot, fruitlessly.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| inky says (to Floyd), "out"
| | |
| Floyd | You're not in anything though... or are you?
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "hit yourself"
| | |
| Floyd | Violence isn't the answer to this one.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Allen says (to floyd), "sit in shade"
| | |
| Floyd | You can't see any such thing.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| inky says (to Floyd), "pinch me"
| | |
| Floyd | That's not a verb I recognise.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
DavidW says, "You can talk to the girl again for a more explicit hint."
| |
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "wake up"
| | |
| Floyd | But you're not sleeping... or are you?
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "where am i"
| | |
| Floyd | That's not a verb I recognise.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "sleep"
| | |
| Floyd | You aren't feeling especially drowsy.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "think"
| | |
| Floyd | What a good idea.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| inky says (to Floyd), "n"
| | |
| Floyd |
Floyd | Avec le singe
Floyd | It's nice and shady here. An upper-class Frenchwoman and her male
Floyd | companion (complete with monocle, top hat, and riding crop) are
Floyd | standing here, staring off to the west. The river does look nice, but
Floyd | the persistence of their gaze is unnerving. You can see a woman
Floyd | knitting to the west and a girl holding a bouquet to the north.
Floyd |
Floyd | A small brown dog is here sitting and scratching behind one ear. It
Floyd | cowers as you approach.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| inky says (to Floyd), "n"
| | |
| Floyd |
Floyd | Parmi les fleurs
Floyd | There's a girl here, about thirteen years old, arranging flowers.
Floyd | There's a finished bouquet next to her, and her mother (or aunt, or
Floyd | whatever) sits nearby, gazing at the Seine. Exits are north, toward a
Floyd | little girl and her mother, south, where an aristocratic couple walk a
Floyd | pet monkey, and west, toward an open field.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| inky says (to Floyd), "ne"
| | |
| Floyd | You can't go that way.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| inky says (to Floyd), "e"
| | |
| Floyd | You can't go that way.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| inky says (to Floyd), "n"
| | |
| Floyd |
Floyd | Devant la petite fille dans blanc
Floyd | There's a little girl here, holding her mother's hand. Other people
Floyd | are to the north, but there's nothing interesting in that direction,
Floyd | so you can only return south from here.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| inky says (to Floyd), "talk to girl"
| | |
| Floyd | She stares at you with her featureless, oily paint-blob face. "Well,
Floyd | are you going to leave leave La Grande Jatte?
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "no"
| | |
| Floyd | That was a rhetorical question.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "leave"
| | |
| Floyd | You'll have to say which compass direction to go in.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| inky says (to Floyd), "leave la grande jatte"
| | |
| Floyd | Art Institute of Chicago
Floyd | You're standing in a long hallway with a brown tile floor and white
Floyd | walls. Your eyes are weary, and your legs are stiff.
Floyd |
Floyd | A white-framed painting adorns the north wall. There's a white
Floyd | porcelain plaque on its right.
Floyd |
Floyd | You can also see a crumpled note here.
Floyd |
Floyd | [Your score has just gone up by one point.]
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| inky says (to Floyd), "x plaque"
| | |
| Floyd | A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte
Floyd |
Floyd | Georges Seurat, 1884-1886
Floyd |
Floyd | Oil on canvas
Floyd |
Floyd | 207.6 cm x 308 cm (81.7 in x 121.25 in)
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| inky says (to Floyd), "x painting"
| | DavidW says, "'leave painting' would also work."
| |
| Floyd | A pet monkey on a leash watches a brown dog at his owner's side. A
Floyd | black dog sniffs the grass near a knitting woman, who is busily
Floyd | working her needles. A girl clasps a small bouquet of flowers with an
Floyd | expression both cheerful and forlorn. And a little girl in white
Floyd | stares back at you from the very center of the painting.
Floyd |
Floyd | Yes. At this distance, all seems to be in order.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| inky says (to Floyd), "get note"
| | |
| Floyd | Taken.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| inky says (to Floyd), "read it"
| | |
| Floyd | When I decided to enter EnvComp, I had no idea what setting I was
Floyd | going to use. But I thought about it for a while, and knew I wanted a
Floyd | slightly deceptive one. A setting the player wouldn't identify
Floyd | correctly right away. It was hard to think of a situation like that,
Floyd | and eventually I settled on the player being stuck in a painting. It
Floyd | seemed like a unique, exciting setting.
Floyd |
Floyd | I'm not actually a huge art lover or anything. I determined which
Floyd | painting I was going to use by searching the internet for "famous
Floyd | paintings," and then picking the first one I recognized. I remembered
Floyd | seeing a reproduction of Seurat's A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of
Floyd | La Grande Jatte in my dentist's office when I was a kid. Anyway, I had
Floyd | to research its name, author, and history to write the game, because I
Floyd | knew very little about it at first.
Floyd |
Floyd | I tried to drop as many hints in the painting world as possible,
Floyd | hoping that someone familiar with some aspect of the work (its
Floyd | characters, its pointillism, its setting, its author, etc.) may think
Floyd | to try escaping from it without having to solve any puzzles at all.
Floyd | Which is very possible, although the commands available for doing so
Floyd | vary depending how many points you have.
Floyd |
Floyd | The puzzles were simple to make. The plot, however, was difficult to
Floyd | flesh out. Some cultures think that being photographed steals part of
Floyd | your soul. Who's to say that the subject of a portrait or landscape
Floyd | isn't somehow imbued in the canvas? Somehow, the player character
Floyd | enters the dreamlike territory of the painting itself (Maybe it's a
Floyd | special ability?) either without realizing it or without remembering
Floyd | it. He then wanders about, setting things right in the painting, until
Floyd | the little girl in white, the most knowledgeable 'soul' there, tells
Floyd | him where he is. It's up to the player to attempt commands like >LEAVE
Floyd | PAINTING or >EXIT LA GRANDE JATTE after some prodding and hinting from
Floyd | this character.
Floyd |
Floyd | The npcs aren't very fleshed out, but my convenient excuse is that
Floyd | most of them are literally two-dimensional painting characters, ones
Floyd | who have no wish to interact with an outsider anyway. The animals, and
Floyd | the few people that do respond to the character, are simply special
Floyd | cases.
Floyd |
Floyd | Thanks for playing my first game.
Floyd |
Floyd | -- Derek
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | *** You leave the gallery and get some rest ***
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | In that game you scored 5 out of a possible 5, in 86 turns.
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, or QUIT?
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Allen says, "oh we won"
| | DavidW says, "yay."
| |
| Allen says, "that was ... lacking"
| | inky says, "hooray"
| |
| inky says (to Allen), "you should probably be using #clubfloyd for this"
| | |
| DavidW asks (of Allen), "heh. Somewhat. Are we ready for Dead Like Ants?"
| | * Allen has joined the channel.
| |
| | | Allen says, "oh"
| |
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "quit"
| | |
| Floyd |
| |
|
| Floyd asks, "That game over already? It was just getting good. Wanna play another?"
| | Allen says, "I've never done this before"
| |
| | | Allen says, "sorry"
| |
| | | inky says, "it makes it easier to separtae in the transcript to have the chatter on-channel"
| |
| | | inky says, "no biggie"
| |
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "load deadlikeants"
| | |
| Floyd | Welcome to the Cheap Glk Implementation, library version 0.9.0.
Floyd |
Floyd | It's spring, finally. The hard winter months are a fading memory, and
Floyd | the branches bud and blossom with bright colour.
Floyd |
Floyd | The Queen has sent for you.
Floyd |
Floyd | It'll be the first time in your life that you've spoken to your own
Floyd | mother.
Floyd |
Floyd | Dead Like Ants
Floyd | Malarkey in a tree, by C.E.J. Pacian
Floyd | Version 6 - Developed with TADS 3
Floyd |
Floyd | [Type 'About' if this is your first time playing.
Floyd | Type 'Credits' to see who made this possible.]
Floyd |
Floyd | Tree Hollow Village
Floyd | This village - your home since birth - sprawls across and up the sides
Floyd | of the tree hollow. Spittle cottages, fungal fields and twig
Floyd | farmhouses are set among the knotted wood on all sides, even clinging
Floyd | to the roof high above.
Floyd |
Floyd | From here you could head in to the Queen's chamber, or out to the
Floyd | sunlit world beyond the hollow.
Floyd |
Floyd | Close by, a group of your sisters tend to a herd.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
Allen says, "gotta go to viols now"
| |
| Allen has had his fill of playing for now, and goes back to the Lounge.
| | Allen says, "I thought everyone was suspiciously quiet"
| |
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "about"
| | |
| Floyd | Dead Like Ants is a small game intended for David Fisher's EnvComp -
Floyd | an IF competition focusing on unique environments.
Floyd |
Floyd | The main directions you'll be using in this game are IN, OUT,
Floyd | WIDDERSHINS and SUNWISE (those last two you can abbreviate to W and
Floyd | S). If you're not sure which directions you can move in, type EXITS.
Floyd | Similarly, type TOPICS if you're not sure what you can talk about.
Floyd | Type INSTRUCTIONS for a more comprehensive list of commands.
Floyd |
Floyd | And here's a little pointer: don't think you've lost just because bad
Floyd | things happen.
Floyd |
Floyd | Hugses,
Floyd | Pacian
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
DavidW says, "I've played this one too."
| |
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "credits"
| | |
| Floyd | Dead Like Ants by C.E.J. Pacian
Floyd | Released: 2009
Floyd |
Floyd | Developed using the TADS 3 language and library by Michael J.
Floyd | Roberts, and its comprehensive documentation by Eric Eve.
Floyd |
Floyd | Special thanks to George Oliver, Konstantinos 'Gnome' Dimopoulos and
Floyd | Terry Cavanagh for their feedback and encouragement. Additional
Floyd | gratitude to Noyb, Farbs and increpare for perceptive advice.
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
DavidW says, "To underline the pointer, please don't bother with 'undo' in this game."
| |
| | | DavidW says, "Bad things are still progress in this game."
| |
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "x sisters"
| | |
| Floyd | Slender, long-limbed women, a lot like yourself, though of all
Floyd | different ages. They wear red overalls.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "x me"
| | |
| Floyd | A slender, long-limbed young woman - not very long ago a girl. Your
Floyd | compound eyes have a bright sheen to them and your antennae twitch
Floyd | eagerly through the air.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "i"
| | |
| Floyd | You are carrying nothing, and are wearing some red overalls.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "x overalls"
| | |
| Floyd | Your overalls are comfortable and durable.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
DavidW says, "The queen sent for us; we should go to her when we're ready."
| |
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "in"
| | |
| Floyd | Queen's Chamber
Floyd | Not opulent, as you might expect, but twilit and homely. Simple,
Floyd | finely crafted lamps cast a warm glow over the phloem walls.
Floyd |
Floyd | Cots line one side of the chamber, each holding a formless, swaddled
Floyd | bundle.
Floyd |
Floyd | The Queen, your mother, sits elegantly upon her throne. She meets
Floyd | your eye and beckons to you.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| inky says (to Floyd), "talk to queen"
| | |
| Floyd | You clear your throat and curtsy. "Hello, your highness."
Floyd |
Floyd | The Queen smiles benevolently. "My favourite daughter. I have a very
Floyd | special task for you."
Floyd |
Floyd | (You could ask her about the task, her wings, herself, or your
Floyd | brothers.)
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
Firion asks, "WHat game is this?"
| |
| | | DavidW says, "Dead Like Ants"
| |
| | | DavidW says, "It was entered in EnvComp."
| |
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "ask her about herself"
| | |
| Floyd | "You've worked for the village for so many years," you begin, "so
| |
|
| inky says (to Floyd), "a task"
| | |
| Floyd | selflessly-"
Floyd |
Floyd | The Queen stops you with a hand. "Hush now. It's you, my daughters,
Floyd | who have worked the hardest and most selflessly. And none more so
Floyd | than you in particular."
Floyd |
Floyd | You blush at that, though you're certain it's not true.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Floyd | You curtsy again nervously. "What could I possibly do for her
Floyd | majesty?"
Floyd |
Floyd | The Queen smiles at your enthusiasm, perhaps a little sadly. "Every
Floyd | spring," she says, "five dangerous creatures come to the tree and
Floyd | threaten this village. So I send one of my daughters to negotiate
Floyd | with them, and each year they give us no trouble. This spring, I want
Floyd | you to be that daughter."
Floyd |
Floyd | You curtsy again from sheer surprise. "Your majesty! I would be
Floyd | honoured!"
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "a creatures"
| | |
| Floyd | "What are these five creatures like?" you ask. "Where will I find
Floyd | them?"
Floyd |
Floyd | "You'll find them in each of the tree's nearest five branches," the
Floyd | Queen says. "They may seem scary compared to your sisters, but
Floyd | they're only up to a little mischief. Try to help them in any way
Floyd | they require."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "a wings"
| | |
| Floyd | You stare at the Queen's wings, uncertain how to raise the topic.
Floyd |
Floyd | "I wasn't born with them," she says, picking up on your interest. "I
Floyd | earned them by fulfilling a task for my own mother, long ago. Who
Floyd | knows - perhaps when you get back from the outside there will be a
Floyd | pair waiting just for you."
Floyd |
Floyd | You blush bright red. You'd love to have a pair of wings like those.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| inky says (to Floyd), "a queen"
| | |
| Floyd | "You've worked for the village for so many years," you begin, "so
Floyd | selflessly-"
Floyd |
Floyd | The Queen stops you with a hand. "Hush now. It's you, my daughters,
Floyd | who have worked the hardest and most selflessly. And none more so
Floyd | than you in particular."
Floyd |
Floyd | You blush at that, though you're certain it's not true.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| inky says (to Floyd), "brothers"
| | |
| Floyd | The story doesn't understand that command.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| inky says (to Floyd), "a brothers"
| | |
| Floyd | "How are my brothers?" you ask, carefully.
Floyd |
Floyd | The Queen sighs. "They are at... a difficult age. But in time they
Floyd | will mature and come into their own."
Floyd |
Floyd | She smiles at the little bundles, and you feel a sharp pang of
Floyd | jealousy.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| inky says (to Floyd), "topics"
| | |
| Floyd | You could ask her about the task, her wings, the five creatures,
Floyd | herself, or your brothers.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
inky says, "I guess we're done here"
| |
| inky says (to Floyd), "out"
| | |
| Floyd | You curtsy before you leave.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Good luck," the Queen says, "my favourite daughter."
Floyd |
Floyd | Tree Hollow Village
Floyd | This village - your home since birth - sprawls across and up the sides
Floyd | of the tree hollow. Spittle cottages, fungal fields and twig
Floyd | farmhouses are set among the knotted wood on all sides, even clinging
Floyd | to the roof high above.
Floyd |
Floyd | From here you could head in to the Queen's chamber, or out to the
Floyd | sunlit world beyond the hollow.
Floyd |
Floyd | Close by, a group of your sisters tend to a herd.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| inky says (to Floyd), "out"
| | |
| Floyd | Bejewelled Branch
Floyd | The fertile brown bark of the tree stretches in all directions: up
Floyd | into the blue sky, down to the exotic green jungle, and curving around
Floyd | on itself both sunwise and widdershins.
Floyd |
Floyd | The entrance to the Tree Hollow Village is set into the bark here.
Floyd | Just below it, a sturdy old branch stretches out into the distance,
Floyd | splitting into three smaller branches. Suspended magically between
Floyd | the three branch-tips is a pulsating whorl of bright colour.
Floyd |
Floyd | One of your sisters lies curled up in the furrowed bark, dead.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "x sister"
| | |
| Floyd | Little more than a dried out husk now, she must have passed on some
Floyd | time ago.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "eat her"
| | |
| Floyd | Your sister does not appear to be edible.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
inky says, "ha ha"
| |
| | | Nitku says, "man, I thought that's what ants do."
| |
| | | DavidW says, "The status bar isn't visible; our choices are in, out, up, down, sunwise, widdershins. (the latter two can be 's' and 'w')"
| |
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "exits all"
| | |
| Floyd | The list of exits will now be shown in both the status line and in
Floyd | each room description.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
DavidW says, "ah. better."
| |
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "x whorl"
| | |
| Floyd | Your faceted eyes struggle to make it out in any detail. A spiral of
Floyd | flickering colour seems to dance in time with the wind.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "touch whorl"
| | |
| Floyd | The whorl of colour is too far away.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "d"
| | |
| Floyd | This tree is a huge enough world in itself. Leaving it seems
Floyd | pointlessly suicidal.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| inky says (to Floyd), "up"
| | |
| Floyd | Highest Branch
Floyd | You cover your mouth and swear. Holy shit.
Floyd |
Floyd | Your eyes have never been that good over long distances, and this has
Floyd | got to be the longest distance you've ever seen. The green jungle
Floyd | stretches off to the horizon - something you had always thought a myth
Floyd | - where a jumble of strange shapes seem frozen in the act of rearing
Floyd | up into the sky.
Floyd |
Floyd | Tall, green-topped structures stand in a great cluster around the tree
Floyd | that you call home. They can't be other trees, surely?
Floyd |
Floyd | Obvious exits: Down
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| inky says (to Floyd), "x shapes"
| | |
| Floyd | You haven't the faintest clue what they might be. All you can tell is
Floyd | that they're enormous, and so far away that you find it difficult to
Floyd | conceive of the distance.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| inky says (to Floyd), "x horizon"
| | |
| Floyd | Stunning. Confusing to look at. Do the land and sky stretch on
Floyd | forever in parallel? Do they meet at the horizon? Or is it something
Floyd | else even harder to understand?
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "fly"
| | |
| Floyd | The word "fly" is not necessary in this story.
Floyd |
Floyd | (If this was an accidental misspelling, you can correct it by typing
Floyd | OOPS followed by the corrected word now. Any time the story points
Floyd | out an unknown word, you can correct a misspelling using OOPS as your
Floyd | next command.)
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| inky says (to Floyd), "jump"
| | |
| Floyd | It's the strangest thing, but neither you nor any of your sisters can
Floyd | get all your feet off the ground at the same time.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
inky says, "ha ha"
| |
| | | DavidW says, "heh"
| |
| | | DavidW says, "I never saw that one before"
| |
| inky says (to Floyd), "d"
| | |
| Floyd | Bejewelled Branch
Floyd | The fertile brown bark of the tree stretches in all directions: up
Floyd | into the blue sky, down to the exotic green jungle, and curving around
Floyd | on itself both sunwise and widdershins.
Floyd |
Floyd | The entrance to the Tree Hollow Village is set into the bark here.
Floyd | Just below it, a sturdy old branch stretches out into the distance,
Floyd | splitting into three smaller branches. Suspended magically between
Floyd | the three branch-tips is a pulsating whorl of bright colour.
Floyd |
Floyd | One of your sisters lies curled up in the furrowed bark, dead.
Floyd |
Floyd | Obvious exits: Up, Down, In, Out, Sunwise, Widdershins
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| inky says (to Floyd), "out"
| | |
| Floyd | Branch Tip, Beneath the Rainbow Net
Floyd | Someone has stretched a vast net from the tip of this branch to the
Floyd | tips of two others high overhead - an impressive feat, to say the
Floyd | least. Flurries of blossom sail past on the wind, catching in the net
Floyd | and painting it bright, quivering colours.
Floyd |
Floyd | A solitary black figure stands in the centre of the net above.
Floyd |
Floyd | Obvious exits: Up, In
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| inky says (to Floyd), "x blossom"
| | |
| Floyd | Hundreds of colourful petals float past on the wind. Those that have
Floyd | become trapped in the net above tremble in the breeze.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| inky says (to Floyd), "x net"
| | |
| Floyd | Exactly what purpose it serves, beyond collecting blossom, you can't
Floyd | ascertain.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| inky says (to Floyd), "up"
| | |
| Floyd | You set your feet on the net. You have a natural aptitude for walking
Floyd | at all angles, but it helps that the net happens to be quite sticky.
Floyd |
Floyd | Centre of the Rainbow Net
Floyd | From here, thin threads of silk extend in every direction, weaving a
Floyd | circular net in the air that catches delicate petals of blossom. The
Floyd | net seems remarkably sturdy, for something so insubstantial, and
Floyd | you're confident you can get down from here with ease.
Floyd |
Floyd | A tall, pale widow stands in the centre of the net, watching her
Floyd | threads with keen interest.
Floyd |
Floyd | Obvious exits: Down
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "x widow"
| | |
| Floyd | A tall, pale woman: slender and long-limbed, clothed in a flowing
Floyd | black dress. There's an icy, elegant beauty to her that almost takes
Floyd | your breath away.
Floyd |
Floyd | Her eight eyes watch the world from behind a black lace veil that
Floyd | stops just above her voluptuous red lips.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| inky says (to Floyd), "talk to woman"
| | |
| Floyd | "Um," you begin, "excuse me..."
Floyd |
Floyd | The widow turns to face you and smiles broadly. "One of the Queen's
Floyd | little darlings! What a pleasure to meet you."
Floyd |
Floyd | She leans forwards to kiss you and, surprised, you step back.
Floyd |
Floyd | "You poor creature," she says. "You needn't be frightened of me. I'm
Floyd | just a lovelorn woman with a penchant for bright blossom."
Floyd |
Floyd | (You could ask her about her husband, kissing, the net, the Queen, or
Floyd | the tree.)
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| inky says (to Floyd), "a blossom"
| | |
| Floyd | "And to think," the widow interrupts, smiling, "that your pretty
Floyd | little head has so many words in it."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| inky says (to Floyd), "a net"
| | |
| Floyd | "This net is quite a feat of engineering," you say, hoping to talk
Floyd | shop.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Darling," the widow says, "all I know is that it lets me catch some
Floyd | colourful blossom to ameliorate my view. The construction nous seems
Floyd | to come quite effortlessly to me, and I prefer not to think about it
Floyd | too deeply."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "a woman"
| | |
| Floyd | The widow seems poised to answer when she frowns suddenly. "When is
Floyd | tea time, by the way? One mustn't skip too many a meal, you know."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "a widow"
| | |
| Floyd | The widow rolls her eyes as you try and speak. "But of course,
Floyd | darling."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "a husband"
| | |
| Floyd | You're not sure exactly how to ask, not sure you even want to ask, but
Floyd | the words come spilling out anyway. "Are you... okay? All alone out
Floyd | here. Has your husband been... Has it been long?"
Floyd |
Floyd | The widow offers you the most beautiful smile. "Aren't you just a
Floyd | delight? I could eat you up. Darling, there have been plenty of men
Floyd | in my time. Most steal in at the end of the day when I'm tired and in
Floyd | need of company. When I wake up the morning after, they're long gone.
Floyd | Simple creatures really, easily pleased."
Floyd |
Floyd | A sad look comes over her. "But then there are some like precious
Floyd | jewels - bright and full of character. You want to keep them around
Floyd | forever, close by where they bring joy into your heart. And you do,
Floyd | for a while. But then one day you wake up covered in blood, and who
Floyd | knows what has happened, and you can't even bring yourself to eat for
Floyd | a week."
Floyd |
Floyd | You listen with wide eyes. True love is a lot more frightening than
Floyd | you realised.
Floyd |
Floyd | The widow covers her face with a black-gloved hand and composes
Floyd | herself. "But better to have loved and lost, I think."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "a queen"
| | |
| Floyd | "Do you know of my mother, the Queen?" you ask.
Floyd |
Floyd | The widow waves the suggestion away with a delicate movement. "But of
Floyd | course, darling. You can't beat good breeding."
Floyd |
Floyd | She looks at you then, and winks.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| inky says (to Floyd), "wink"
| | |
| Floyd | The word "wink" is not necessary in this story.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| inky says (to Floyd), "topics"
| | |
| Floyd | You could ask her about her husband, kissing, the net, the Queen, or
Floyd | the tree.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| inky says (to Floyd), "a tree"
| | |
| Floyd | "What do you know about this tree?" you ask.
Floyd |
Floyd | The widow smiles. "I came here blown on the wind, my net and I. A
Floyd | colourful place, don't you think? Though I do tend to keep to my
Floyd | corner of it."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| inky says (to Floyd), "a kissing"
| | |
| Floyd | "I'm very sorry that I flinched," you say meekly. "It's just that
Floyd | only my sisters have ever..."
Floyd |
Floyd | "Oh, think nothing of it," she quips. "But in polite society it is
Floyd | quite normal for ladies to kiss on meeting."
Floyd |
Floyd | You nod, uncertain what to say. You're not all that sure you qualify
Floyd | as a lady - nor that you even want to.
Floyd |
Floyd | As if she knows what you're thinking, the widow leans forward and
Floyd | touches a black-gloved finger to her lips, smiling warmly as you
Floyd | blush.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "kiss widow"
| | |
| Floyd | This is so unlike your work in the village. Blushing, you lean
Floyd | towards the widow, and plant a hesitant kiss on her soft lips. A
Floyd | strange thrill runs through you, your lips tingling, almost numb. You
Floyd | shiver.
Floyd |
Floyd | "There," the widow says. "That wasn't so hard, was it?"
Floyd |
Floyd | The numbness becomes more pronounced, spreading to your cheeks and
Floyd | down your throat. You shiver again.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Poor darling," the widow says soothingly, "you look so cold. Let me
Floyd | wrap you in this blanket..."
Floyd |
Floyd | The numbness has spread across your whole body, your vision is closing
Floyd | in. You barely notice as you are wrapped in something smooth and
Floyd | warm.
Floyd |
Floyd | ***YOU WERE EATEN***
Floyd |
Floyd | The Queen smiles at your enthusiasm, perhaps a little sadly. "Every
Floyd | spring," she says, "five dangerous creatures come to the tree and
Floyd | threaten my nest. So I send one of my daughters to negotiate with
Floyd | them, and each year they give us no trouble. This spring, I want you
Floyd | to be that daughter."
Floyd |
Floyd | You curtsy again from sheer surprise. "Your majesty! I would be
Floyd | honoured!"
Floyd |
Floyd | Queen's Chamber
Floyd | Not opulent, as you might expect, but twilit and homely. Simple,
Floyd | finely crafted lamps cast a warm glow over the phloem walls.
Floyd |
Floyd | Cots line one side of the chamber, each holding a formless, swaddled
Floyd | bundle.
Floyd |
Floyd | The Queen, your mother, sits elegantly upon her throne.
Floyd |
Floyd | Obvious exits: Out
Floyd |
Floyd | (Your score has just increased by one point.)
Floyd | (If you'd prefer not to be notified about score changes in the future,
Floyd | type NOTIFY OFF.)
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
Nitku says, "heh"
| |
| inky says (to Floyd), "out"
| | |
| Floyd | You curtsy before you leave.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Good luck," the Queen says, "my favourite daughter."
Floyd |
Floyd | Tree Hollow Village
Floyd | This village - your home since birth - sprawls across and up the sides
Floyd | of the tree hollow. Spittle cottages, fungal fields and twig
Floyd | farmhouses are set among the knotted wood on all sides, even clinging
Floyd | to the roof high above.
Floyd |
Floyd | From here you could head in to the Queen's chamber, or out to the
Floyd | sunlit world beyond the hollow.
Floyd |
Floyd | Close by, a group of your sisters tend to a herd.
Floyd |
Floyd | Obvious exits: In, Out
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| inky says (to Floyd), "out"
| | |
| Floyd | Bejewelled Branch
Floyd | The fertile brown bark of the tree stretches in all directions: up
Floyd | into the blue sky, down to the exotic green jungle, and curving around
Floyd | on itself both sunwise and widdershins.
Floyd |
Floyd | The entrance to the Tree Hollow Village is set into the bark here.
Floyd | Just below it, a sturdy old branch stretches out into the distance,
Floyd | splitting into three smaller branches. Suspended magically between
Floyd | the three branch-tips is a pulsating whorl of bright colour.
Floyd |
Floyd | One of your sisters lies curled up in the furrowed bark, dead.
Floyd |
Floyd | Obvious exits: Up, Down, In, Out, Sunwise, Widdershins
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| inky says (to Floyd), "out"
| | |
| Floyd | Branch Tip, Beneath the Rainbow Net
Floyd | Someone has stretched a vast net from the tip of this branch to the
Floyd | tips of two others high overhead - an impressive feat, to say the
Floyd | least. Flurries of blossom sail past on the wind, catching in the net
Floyd | and painting it bright, quivering colours.
Floyd |
Floyd | Obvious exits: Up, In
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| inky says (to Floyd), "up"
| | |
| Floyd | You set your feet on the net. You have a natural aptitude for walking
Floyd | at all angles, but it helps that the net happens to be quite sticky.
Floyd |
Floyd | Centre of the Rainbow Net
Floyd | From here, thin threads of silk extend in every direction, weaving a
Floyd | circular net in the air that catches delicate petals of blossom. The
Floyd | net seems remarkably sturdy, for something so insubstantial, and
Floyd | you're confident you can get down from here with ease.
Floyd |
Floyd | A large silk bundle has been tied to the centre of the net.
Floyd |
Floyd | Obvious exits: Down
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| inky says (to Floyd), "x bundle"
| | |
| Floyd | A fair size, kind of curved. No telling what might be inside it.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| inky says (to Floyd), "open bundle"
| | |
| Floyd | Outside the village, you hear it's important to respect property
Floyd | rights.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "d"
| | |
| Floyd | Branch Tip, Beneath the Rainbow Net
Floyd | Someone has stretched a vast net from the tip of this branch to the
Floyd | tips of two others high overhead - an impressive feat, to say the
Floyd | least. Flurries of blossom sail past on the wind, catching in the net
Floyd | and painting it bright, quivering colours.
Floyd |
Floyd | Obvious exits: Up, In
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "in"
| | |
| Floyd | Bejewelled Branch
Floyd | The fertile brown bark of the tree stretches in all directions: up
Floyd | into the blue sky, down to the exotic green jungle, and curving around
Floyd | on itself both sunwise and widdershins.
Floyd |
Floyd | The entrance to the Tree Hollow Village is set into the bark here.
Floyd | Just below it, a sturdy old branch stretches out into the distance,
Floyd | splitting into three smaller branches. Suspended magically between
Floyd | the three branch-tips is a pulsating whorl of bright colour.
Floyd |
Floyd | One of your sisters lies curled up in the furrowed bark, dead.
Floyd |
Floyd | Obvious exits: Up, Down, In, Out, Sunwise, Widdershins
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "s"
| | |
| Floyd | You walk sunwise around the tree trunk, stopping when you encounter
Floyd | the next branch growing out from its bark.
Floyd |
Floyd | Forest of Blossom
Floyd | The fertile brown bark of the tree stretches in all directions: up
Floyd | into the blue sky, down to the exotic green jungle, and curving around
Floyd | on itself both sunwise and widdershins.
Floyd |
Floyd | A thin, young branch sprouts from the bark at your feet, rapidly
Floyd | dividing into a forest of smaller twigs, each decorated with thick,
Floyd | colourful blossom.
Floyd |
Floyd | Obvious exits: Up, Out, Sunwise, Widdershins
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "up"
| | |
| Floyd | Highest Branch
Floyd | You cover your mouth and swear. Holy shit.
Floyd |
Floyd | Your eyes have never been that good over long distances, and this has
Floyd | got to be the longest distance you've ever seen. The green jungle
Floyd | stretches off to the horizon - something you had always thought a myth
Floyd | - where a jumble of strange shapes seem frozen in the act of rearing
Floyd | up into the sky.
Floyd |
Floyd | Tall, green-topped structures stand in a great cluster around the tree
Floyd | that you call home. They can't be other trees, surely?
Floyd |
Floyd | Obvious exits: Down
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "d"
| | |
| Floyd | Forest of Blossom
Floyd | A thin, young branch sprouts from the bark at your feet, rapidly
Floyd | dividing into a forest of smaller twigs, each decorated with thick,
Floyd | colourful blossom.
Floyd |
Floyd | Obvious exits: Up, Out, Sunwise, Widdershins
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "out"
| | |
| Floyd | Blossom Glade
Floyd | This peaceful clearing is surrounded on all sides by wiry twigs
Floyd | bearing blossom. At its centre, a stubby knot spirals out of the
Floyd | youthful bark, its top glazed over with amber.
Floyd |
Floyd | A long-haired artist stands at his easel - paintbrush and palette in
Floyd | hand.
Floyd |
Floyd | Obvious exits: In
Floyd |
Floyd | The artist turns to offer you a warm smile. "Aha! Just what this
Floyd | scene was missing: a model."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "x artist"
| | |
| Floyd | A young man, though still a fair bit older than yourself. His
Floyd | features have a refined gentleness to them, and he moves with a
Floyd | leisurely grace.
Floyd |
Floyd | The artist is carrying a paintbrush and a palette, and he's wearing a
Floyd | little black dress and a red cloak.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "talk to artist"
| | |
| Floyd | You inch closer to the artist, uncertain how to begin.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Relax," he says. "I don't bite."
Floyd |
Floyd | (You could ask him about the Queen, the tree, the painting, his cloak,
Floyd | or art.)
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "x painting"
| | |
| Floyd | It's clearly supposed to be a painting of the view in front of the
Floyd | artist, but your engineer's eye easily picks out numerous
Floyd | inaccuracies. The colours are too bright, the blossom too vague, the
Floyd | sky too blue. And yet, for all that, it seems almost more real than
Floyd | the scene itself.
Floyd |
Floyd | The centre of the canvas is blank and untouched.
Floyd |
Floyd | The artist leans towards you. "It really needs something interesting
Floyd | to go in the middle, doesn't it? Something sitting on that knot of
Floyd | bark..."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "a painting"
| | |
| Floyd | "What are you painting?" you ask.
Floyd |
Floyd | The artist waves his hand in front of him. "This. It's beautiful
Floyd | you'll agree, but it needs a focal point... A conscious presence.
Floyd | Something for the viewer to identify with."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "a art"
| | |
| Floyd | "Is this... all that you do?" you ask, trying not to sound either
Floyd | disapproving or envious.
Floyd |
Floyd | The artist seems to understand what you mean. "Don't be fooled: it's
Floyd | a pretty frugal life I have to live. But I don't mind so much. As
Floyd | everything slips through your fingers like sand, I think it's
Floyd | rewarding to try and catch hold of a few grains and hold them up to
Floyd | the light."
Floyd |
Floyd | You just smile and nod.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "a cloak"
| | |
| Floyd | "I like your cloak," you say.
Floyd |
Floyd | The artist looks over his shoulders. "Well, it keeps my wings dry."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "a wings"
| | |
| Floyd | "You have wings?" you ask, trying not to stare.
Floyd |
Floyd | He pushes his cloak back slightly, and you get a glimpse of thin,
Floyd | shiny membranes. "They're very precious to me. I don't think I could
Floyd | survive without being able to take flight."
Floyd |
Floyd | You bite your lip. Maybe, if you finish this task for the Queen...
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "a queen"
| | |
| Floyd | "Do you know of my mother, the Queen?" you ask.
Floyd |
Floyd | "I've corresponded with her, yes," the artist says quietly. "It's
Floyd | easy to criticise leaders for making harsh decisions, but I suppose we
Floyd | might well do the same in their place."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "a tree"
| | |
| Floyd | "What do you know about this tree?" you ask.
Floyd |
Floyd | The artist smiles. "A beautiful world, replete with inspiration.
Floyd | Every spring I find myself compelled to visit ."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x knot"
| | |
| Floyd | Just the right height for sitting on.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "a model"
| | |
| Floyd | You look at the artist and try to form your question. "I don't...
Floyd | what does your painting need?"
Floyd |
Floyd | The artist winks. "It really needs something interesting to go in the
Floyd | middle, doesn't it? Perhaps something sitting on that knot of
Floyd | bark..."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
Nitku says, "I have a feeling this won't end well"
| |
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "sit on knot"
| | |
| Floyd | You sit on the smooth amber atop the knotted bark, feeling rather
Floyd | self-conscious. One of a thousand sisters, you've never been the
Floyd | centre of attention before.
Floyd |
Floyd | "That expression," the artist says. "Whatever it is, don't change
Floyd | it."
Floyd |
Floyd | And with that, he begins to paint you.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "sneeze"
| | |
| Floyd | The word "sneeze" is not necessary in this story.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "change expression"
| | |
| Floyd | You attempt a smile. It feels kind of strange.
Floyd |
Floyd | The artist bites his paintbrush in alarm. "No, no... Your expression
Floyd | is just perfect as it is."
Floyd |
Floyd | You relax your face, and the artist sighs with relief.
Floyd |
Floyd | It's not easy to sit still like this, feeling the artist's eyes on
Floyd | you, wondering how you'll appear in the end result. But it's not like
Floyd | you've never had to bear hardships before, so you sit through it.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Don't change your expression," the artist chides.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
Nitku says, "wow"
| |
| | | inky says, "excellent"
| |
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "z"
| | |
| Floyd | As you sit in the sun, surrounded by colour, you watch the artist's
Floyd | brush flowing over the canvas. Idly you wonder if you could ever take
Floyd | up painting as a hobby. You're sure you might be able to cadge the
Floyd | supplies together, especially if you succeed in your task, but could
Floyd | you really teach yourself?
Floyd |
Floyd | "There," the artist says, "all done. Stand up and come over here."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "stand"
| | |
| Floyd | You stand up awkwardly.
Floyd |
Floyd | The artist smiles and gestures at the canvas. "Go on," he says, "take
Floyd | a good look."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "x painting"
| | |
| Floyd | Taking pride of place in the canvas, surrounded by colourful blossom,
Floyd | is your likeness: sitting uneasily, and smiling in a most peculiar
Floyd | way. Undeniably you, and not any of your sisters.
Floyd |
Floyd | "So?" the artist asks. "What do you think?"
Floyd |
Floyd | (You could gasp, gawp, or praise.)
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "praise"
| | |
| Floyd | "It's amazing!" you gush. "Most of my sisters can't even recognise
Floyd | me, but this... Thank you so much!"
Floyd |
Floyd | The artist sniffs and wipes his cheeks with his delicate hands. You
Floyd | realise that he's crying. "It means a lot to me that you like it.
Floyd | I'm actually going to give it to your mother. It's part of our
Floyd | arrangement."
Floyd |
Floyd | "What arrangement?" you ask, only half interested, still looking in
Floyd | awe at the canvas.
Floyd |
Floyd | "I have to eat," the artist says. "Not often, but more than I'd like.
Floyd | I'm very sorry."
Floyd |
Floyd | He reaches into his cloak and retrieves a small, snub-nosed revolver.
Floyd | You're still smiling, quizzically. It almost doesn't make sense to
Floyd | you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Without realising it, you die happy.
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | ***YOU WERE EATEN***
Floyd |
Floyd | The Queen smiles at your enthusiasm, perhaps a little sadly. "Every
Floyd | spring," she says, "five dangerous creatures come to the tree and
Floyd | threaten my nest. So I send one of my daughters to negotiate with
Floyd | them, and each year they give us no trouble. This spring, I want you
Floyd | to be that daughter."
Floyd |
Floyd | You curtsy again from sheer surprise. "Your majesty! I would be
Floyd | honoured!"
Floyd |
Floyd | Queen's Chamber
Floyd | Not opulent, as you might expect, but twilit and homely. Simple,
Floyd | finely crafted lamps cast a warm glow over the phloem walls.
Floyd |
Floyd | Cots line one side of the chamber, each holding a formless, swaddled
Floyd | bundle.
Floyd |
Floyd | The Queen, your mother, sits elegantly upon her throne.
Floyd |
Floyd | Obvious exits: Out
Floyd |
Floyd | (Your score has just increased by one point.)
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| DavidW clears the save counter.
| | |
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "SAVE"
| | |
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "cf1"
| | |
| Floyd | Please select a file in which to save the current position >
Floyd | Saved.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "usurp throne"
| | |
| Floyd | The word "usurp" is not necessary in this story.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
DavidW says, "Ha"
| |
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "out"
| | |
| Floyd | You curtsy before you leave.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Good luck," the Queen says, "my favourite daughter."
Floyd |
Floyd | Tree Hollow Village
Floyd | This village - your home since birth - sprawls across and up the sides
Floyd | of the tree hollow. Spittle cottages, fungal fields and twig
Floyd | farmhouses are set among the knotted wood on all sides, even clinging
Floyd | to the roof high above.
Floyd |
Floyd | From here you could head in to the Queen's chamber, or out to the
Floyd | sunlit world beyond the hollow.
Floyd |
Floyd | Close by, a group of your sisters tend to a herd.
Floyd |
Floyd | Obvious exits: In, Out
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
DavidW says, "Go on, Clarence. Earn your wings."
| |
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "out"
| | |
| Floyd | Bejewelled Branch
Floyd | The fertile brown bark of the tree stretches in all directions: up
Floyd | into the blue sky, down to the exotic green jungle, and curving around
Floyd | on itself both sunwise and widdershins.
Floyd |
Floyd | The entrance to the Tree Hollow Village is set into the bark here.
Floyd | Just below it, a sturdy old branch stretches out into the distance,
Floyd | splitting into three smaller branches. Suspended magically between
Floyd | the three branch-tips is a pulsating whorl of bright colour.
Floyd |
Floyd | One of your sisters lies curled up in the furrowed bark, dead.
Floyd |
Floyd | Obvious exits: Up, Down, In, Out, Sunwise, Widdershins
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "w"
| | |
| Floyd | You walk widdershins around the tree trunk, stopping when you
Floyd | encounter the next branch growing out from its bark.
Floyd |
Floyd | Graveyard of Shells
Floyd | The fertile brown bark of the tree stretches in all directions: up
Floyd | into the blue sky, down to the exotic green jungle, and curving around
Floyd | on itself both sunwise and widdershins.
Floyd |
Floyd | This thick branch is dotted with dozens of coiled grey shells - most
Floyd | of them broken or shattered to some degree.
Floyd |
Floyd | Obvious exits: Up, Out, Sunwise, Widdershins
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "x shells"
| | |
| Floyd | Grey and utilitarian, they seem very well constructed indeed. You
Floyd | wonder how exactly so many of them came to be in such a state of
Floyd | disrepair.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "out"
| | |
| Floyd | Path to the Spiral House
Floyd | Gargantuan broken shells cast a cold shadow over this narrow path as
Floyd | it winds between them. Conspicuous among the ruin is a single intact
Floyd | shell, spiral and grey, with a smart wooden door set into its opening.
Floyd |
Floyd | A knotted piece of rope hangs beside the door, dangling over a brass
Floyd | plaque.
Floyd |
Floyd | Obvious exits: In
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "read plaque"
| | |
| Floyd | By Appointment to Her Majesty the Queen
Floyd | Cornu Aspersa Esq.
Floyd | Attorney at Law
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "x rope"
| | |
| Floyd | A very finely constructed piece of rope - not much use for practical
Floyd | work, but certainly nice to look at. It's been knotted in a way that
Floyd | suggests pulling on it.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "pull it"
| | |
| Floyd | You pull the rope. Somewhere inside the house, a bell rings.
Floyd |
Floyd | The door is answered by a smartly dressed gentleman with no arms or
Floyd | legs. "Ah yes," he says. "You're expected. Please, come right in."
Floyd |
Floyd | He leads you inside, up some stairs, around a corner and down a slope.
Floyd |
Floyd | Curved Parlour
Floyd | The floor and ceiling of this room are both curved, and you're not
Floyd | entirely sure which way up you are. Antique chairs and a coffee table
Floyd | are stuck to the carpet with discreet blobs of tree sap. Bookcases
Floyd | line the walls like the slats of a folding fan.
Floyd |
Floyd | On the coffee table are a jar of sauce and a rotary telephone.
Floyd |
Floyd | A limbless aristocrat stands here, balanced on his tail.
Floyd |
Floyd | Obvious exits: Down
Floyd |
Floyd | "Good thing you turned up, what?" the aristocrat says. "There might
Floyd | be something you can help me with."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Gerynar has disconnected.
| | |
| Gerynar spins around in circles, faster and faster, until he disapears in a brilliant flash of plaid light.
| | |
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x bookcases"
| | |
| Floyd | Lining a curved room with huge bookcases is the kind of inspired but
Floyd | futile feat of engineering that you're always both impressed by and
Floyd | derisive of. The books seem kind of interesting, though.
Floyd |
Floyd | Your eye's also drawn to a framed photograph sitting on the shelves.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x photograph"
| | |
| Floyd | The photograph seems to be of a portly old gent with no arms or legs.
Floyd | Limblessness aside, though, he's clearly no close relative of the
Floyd | aristocrat.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Ah yes," the aristocrat says, "the old owner of this place. Still a
Floyd | few things of his around, you know."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "a Cornu Aspersa"
| | |
| Floyd | (asking the aristocrat)
Floyd | "So, the former owner of this house..." you begin.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Yes," the aristocrat says, "an upstanding man of the legal
Floyd | profession. A good friend of mine, don'cha know, if troubled at
Floyd | times. A tough trial can be murder, my good girl, and even the best
Floyd | counsel may find himself getting eaten alive by his opponent."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "read books"
| | |
| Floyd | It would be a bit rude to stand in the aristocrat's house reading his
Floyd | books.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "topics"
| | |
| Floyd | You could ask him about help, the Queen, the spiral house, his arms
Floyd | and legs, or the tree.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "a arms and legs"
| | |
| Floyd | "Do you get on all right living by yourself?" you ask.
Floyd |
Floyd | "You mean with no arms and legs?" the aristocrat says. "They're
Floyd | entirely worthless appendages anyway. All one needs is a good strong
Floyd | body and a nice set of gnashers."
Floyd |
Floyd | He opens his mouth for you to observe his rows of big, sharp teeth.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Of course," he goes on, "that doesn't stop people from assuming that
Floyd | one does have arms and legs, and thereby adding needless obstacles to
Floyd | one's life."
Floyd |
Floyd | He glances at the jar of sauce.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x jar"
| | |
| Floyd | The label recommends serving with escargot, whatever that is. It's
Floyd | closed.
Floyd |
Floyd | The aristocrat clears his throat.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "open it"
| | |
| Floyd | You don't want to just up and open this jar uninvited.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "a jar"
| | |
| Floyd | "How can I help you?" you ask.
Floyd |
Floyd | The aristocrat looks embarrassed. "I'm afraid that for all the
Floyd | vaunted consumer choice of this age, they just don't make jars that
Floyd | one can open without hands - without opposable thumbs even. If you
Floyd | would be so gracious, young madam, I would be extremely pleased if you
Floyd | could open this jar of sauce for me."
Floyd |
Floyd | Open the jar. Right. If your sisters spoke like this, nothing would
Floyd | ever get done.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
inky says, "I wonder how he opened the door with no arms"
| |
| | | DavidW says, "Perhaps the door was a jar."
| |
| | | ctate asks, "how'd he open the jar with no arms?"
| |
| | | inky says, "arr"
| |
| inky says (to Floyd), "open jar"
| | |
| Floyd | Opening a jar of sauce. Seems like an easy enough task. You take the
Floyd | jar in both hands and grip it firmly, twisting the lid in an
Floyd | anti-clockwise motion. The jar opens.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Excellent," the aristocrat says. "Most excellent indeed. I'll dine
Floyd | well over the coming weeks, though she could have sent a less scrawny
Floyd | specimen."
Floyd |
Floyd | Your heart skips a beat. Does he mean-?
Floyd |
Floyd | The aristocrat head butts you, and everything goes black.
Floyd |
Floyd | ***YOU WERE EATEN***
Floyd |
Floyd | The Queen smiles at your enthusiasm, perhaps a little sadly. "Every
Floyd | spring," she says, "five dangerous creatures come to the tree and
Floyd | threaten my nest. So I send one of my daughters to negotiate with
Floyd | them, and each year they give us no trouble. This spring, I want you
Floyd | to be that daughter."
Floyd |
Floyd | You curtsy again from sheer surprise. "Your majesty! I would be
Floyd | honoured!"
Floyd |
Floyd | Queen's Chamber
Floyd | Not opulent, as you might expect, but twilit and homely. Simple,
Floyd | finely crafted lamps cast a warm glow over the phloem walls.
Floyd |
Floyd | Cots line one side of the chamber, each holding a formless, swaddled
Floyd | bundle.
Floyd |
Floyd | The Queen, your mother, sits elegantly upon her throne.
Floyd |
Floyd | Obvious exits: Out
Floyd |
Floyd | (Your score has just increased by one point.)
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x throne"
| | |
| Floyd | A high-backed and ornate chair, perhaps the most comfortable chair in
Floyd | the hollow.
Floyd |
Floyd | The Queen is sitting on the throne.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| inky says (to Floyd), "sit on throne"
| | |
| Floyd | There's no room for you to sit on the throne.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "curtsey"
| | |
| Floyd | The word "curtsey" is not necessary in this story.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "curtsy"
| | |
| Floyd | You curtsy. You're very good at it by now.
Floyd |
Floyd | The Queen smiles benevolently. "Don't be frightened, my child. Head
Floyd | out into the branches and make me proud."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "score"
| | |
| Floyd | In 88 moves, you have scored 3 of a possible 6 points. This makes you
Floyd | another daughter.
Floyd |
Floyd | (To see a detailed accounting of your score, type FULL SCORE.)
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "full score"
| | |
| Floyd | In 88 moves, you have scored 3 of a possible 6 points. This makes you
Floyd | another daughter. Your score consists of:
Floyd | 1 point for appeasing the spider
Floyd | 1 point for appeasing the ladybird
Floyd | 1 point for appeasing the parasitic worm
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "out"
| | |
| Floyd | You curtsy before you leave.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Good luck," the Queen says, "my favourite daughter."
Floyd |
Floyd | Tree Hollow Village
Floyd | This village - your home since birth - sprawls across and up the sides
Floyd | of the tree hollow. Spittle cottages, fungal fields and twig
Floyd | farmhouses are set among the knotted wood on all sides, even clinging
Floyd | to the roof high above.
Floyd |
Floyd | From here you could head in to the Queen's chamber, or out to the
Floyd | sunlit world beyond the hollow.
Floyd |
Floyd | Close by, a group of your sisters tend to a herd.
Floyd |
Floyd | Obvious exits: In, Out
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "out"
| | |
| Floyd | Bejewelled Branch
Floyd | The fertile brown bark of the tree stretches in all directions: up
Floyd | into the blue sky, down to the exotic green jungle, and curving around
Floyd | on itself both sunwise and widdershins.
Floyd |
Floyd | The entrance to the Tree Hollow Village is set into the bark here.
Floyd | Just below it, a sturdy old branch stretches out into the distance,
Floyd | splitting into three smaller branches. Suspended magically between
Floyd | the three branch-tips is a pulsating whorl of bright colour.
Floyd |
Floyd | One of your sisters lies curled up in the furrowed bark, dead.
Floyd |
Floyd | Obvious exits: Up, Down, In, Out, Sunwise, Widdershins
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
inky says, "that was no lady"
| |
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "w.w"
| | |
| Floyd | You walk widdershins around the tree trunk, stopping when you
Floyd | encounter the next branch growing out from its bark.
Floyd |
Floyd | Graveyard of Shells
Floyd | This thick branch is dotted with dozens of coiled grey shells - most
Floyd | of them broken or shattered to some degree.
Floyd |
Floyd | Obvious exits: Up, Out, Sunwise, Widdershins
Floyd |
Floyd | Split Branch
Floyd | The fertile brown bark of the tree stretches in all directions: up
Floyd | into the blue sky, down to the exotic green jungle, and curving around
Floyd | on itself both sunwise and widdershins.
Floyd |
Floyd | The base of this branch has partially split through, and some strange
Floyd | shimmering mirror is wedged between the two halves.
Floyd |
Floyd | Obvious exits: Up, Out, Sunwise, Widdershins
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "out"
| | |
| Floyd | Mirror Pool
Floyd | Rainwater has collected in this cleft in the branch, forming a calm,
Floyd | clear pool that perfectly reflects the blue sky.
Floyd |
Floyd | A pointed hat is floating on the mirror surface of the pool.
Floyd |
Floyd | A delicate damsel sits on a twig, crying softly to herself.
Floyd |
Floyd | Obvious exits: In, Out She makes a big show of pretending she hasn't
Floyd | seen you.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| inky says (to Floyd), "x hat"
| | |
| Floyd | Emerald blue and ridiculously tall. Not that you know much about
Floyd | fashion, but it would go rather nicely with the damsel's outfit.
Floyd |
Floyd | You can feel the damsel peeking at you hopefully.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| inky says (to Floyd), "get hat"
| | |
| Floyd | The pointed hat is too far away. You'd have to swim in the pool.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "talk to damsel"
| | |
| Floyd | You carefully approach the delicate damsel and ask her if everything
Floyd | is okay.
Floyd |
Floyd | She raises her head and wipes her dainty nose on her wrist. "Does
Floyd | everything look all right? I was flying over that pool and my hat
Floyd | fell in. Now I can't get it back because if my wings get wet I'll
Floyd | drown."
Floyd |
Floyd | (You could ask her about the pointed hat, her wings, the mirror pool,
Floyd | the Queen, the tree, or swimming.)
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "a wings"
| | |
| Floyd | "Your wings are very beautiful," you say, a little shyly.
Floyd |
Floyd | The damsel shifts about to look at them. "Yes, I know. But in the
Floyd | water they'd drag me down so I'd drown and never come back up."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "x her"
| | |
| Floyd | A delicate waif of a girl, crying into her tiny hands. Your heart
Floyd | breaks for her. Her dainty wings glitter with rainbow light.
Floyd |
Floyd | The damsel is wearing an emerald dress and some high-heeled shoes.
Floyd |
Floyd | The damsel meets your eye. "It's rude to stare," she says, "if
Floyd | understandable."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
inky says, "ha ha"
| |
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "a pool"
| | |
| Floyd | You look at the pool uncertainly. "How deep do you think it is?"
Floyd |
Floyd | The damsel glances at the still water. "Deep enough that if you sank
Floyd | into it you'd never be found again in a million years."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "a swimming"
| | |
| Floyd | You look at the pool uncertainly. "Do you know much about swimming?"
Floyd |
Floyd | The damsel sniffs. "Only that I can't ever do it. It can't be that
Floyd | hard if you don't have wings, though. Just move your arms like this
Floyd | and kick your feet."
Floyd |
Floyd | She waves her arms and legs about convulsively. You try to pay close
Floyd | attention.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "swim"
| | |
| Floyd | (in the mirror pool)
Floyd | You wade out into the water until it's up to your armpits and then try
Floyd | kicking and splashing to move. It doesn't work. You just end up face
Floyd | down, making a lot of noise and trying to only breathe in when your
Floyd | head is above water.
Floyd |
Floyd | With a melodious giggle, something lands on your back. Delicate hands
Floyd | take tight hold of your hair, and push your face down into the pool.
Floyd | Thrumming wings beat into the water, throwing up stronger splashes
Floyd | than your feeble attempts to struggle. As the life starts to leave
Floyd | you, a set of small, but very sharp teeth close around the back of
Floyd | your neck.
Floyd |
Floyd | ***YOU WERE EATEN***
Floyd |
Floyd | The Queen smiles at your enthusiasm, perhaps a little sadly. "Every
Floyd | spring," she says, "five dangerous creatures come to the tree and
Floyd | threaten my nest. So I send one of my daughters to negotiate with
Floyd | them, and each year they give us no trouble. This spring, I want you
Floyd | to be that daughter."
Floyd |
Floyd | You curtsy again from sheer surprise. "Your majesty! I would be
Floyd | honoured!"
Floyd |
Floyd | Queen's Chamber
Floyd | Not opulent, as you might expect, but twilit and homely. Simple,
Floyd | finely crafted lamps cast a warm glow over the phloem walls.
Floyd |
Floyd | Cots line one side of the chamber, each holding a formless, swaddled
Floyd | bundle.
Floyd |
Floyd | The Queen, your mother, sits elegantly upon her throne.
Floyd |
Floyd | Obvious exits: Out
Floyd |
Floyd | (Your score has just increased by one point.)
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "full score"
| | |
| Floyd | In 101 moves, you have scored 4 of a possible 6 points. This makes
Floyd | you another daughter. Your score consists of:
Floyd | 1 point for appeasing the spider
Floyd | 1 point for appeasing the ladybird
Floyd | 1 point for appeasing the parasitic worm
Floyd | 1 point for appeasing the damselfly
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
olethros asks, "this is quite hard?"
| |
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "out"
| | |
| Floyd | You curtsy before you leave.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Good luck," the Queen says, "my favourite daughter."
Floyd |
Floyd | Tree Hollow Village
Floyd | This village - your home since birth - sprawls across and up the sides
Floyd | of the tree hollow. Spittle cottages, fungal fields and twig
Floyd | farmhouses are set among the knotted wood on all sides, even clinging
Floyd | to the roof high above.
Floyd |
Floyd | From here you could head in to the Queen's chamber, or out to the
Floyd | sunlit world beyond the hollow.
Floyd |
Floyd | Close by, a group of your sisters tend to a herd.
Floyd |
Floyd | Obvious exits: In, Out
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "out"
| | |
| Floyd | Bejewelled Branch
Floyd | The fertile brown bark of the tree stretches in all directions: up
Floyd | into the blue sky, down to the exotic green jungle, and curving around
Floyd | on itself both sunwise and widdershins.
Floyd |
Floyd | The entrance to the Tree Hollow Village is set into the bark here.
Floyd | Just below it, a sturdy old branch stretches out into the distance,
Floyd | splitting into three smaller branches. Suspended magically between
Floyd | the three branch-tips is a pulsating whorl of bright colour.
Floyd |
Floyd | One of your sisters lies curled up in the furrowed bark, dead.
Floyd |
Floyd | Obvious exits: Up, Down, In, Out, Sunwise, Widdershins
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
DavidW says, "hm? I thought it a very easy game."
| |
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "w.w.w"
| | |
| Floyd | You walk widdershins around the tree trunk, stopping when you
Floyd | encounter the next branch growing out from its bark.
Floyd |
Floyd | Graveyard of Shells
Floyd | This thick branch is dotted with dozens of coiled grey shells - most
Floyd | of them broken or shattered to some degree.
Floyd |
Floyd | Obvious exits: Up, Out, Sunwise, Widdershins
Floyd |
Floyd | Split Branch
Floyd | The base of this branch has partially split through, and some strange
Floyd | shimmering mirror is wedged between the two halves.
Floyd |
Floyd | Obvious exits: Up, Out, Sunwise, Widdershins
Floyd |
Floyd | Rotten Branch
Floyd | The fertile brown bark of the tree stretches in all directions: up
Floyd | into the blue sky, down to the exotic green jungle, and curving around
Floyd | on itself both sunwise and widdershins.
Floyd |
Floyd | The branch here writhes out from the trunk as if racked with agony.
Floyd | Its cracked bark and gnarled flesh sprout bizarre clusters of twisted
Floyd | fungi.
Floyd |
Floyd | Obvious exits: Up, Out, Sunwise, Widdershins
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
Nitku says, "Yeah, you could easily call it puzzleless"
| |
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "out"
| | |
| Floyd | Fungal Bloom
Floyd | Strange, asymmetrical fungi sprout out from within this branch,
Floyd | splitting the bark and corrupting its offshoots into weird, bloated
Floyd | shapes. One particularly corpulent mushroom bulges out of the bark
Floyd | beneath a tall, healthy twig.
Floyd |
Floyd | The twig ends in a bright green leaf.
Floyd |
Floyd | An enormous knight towers over the area, clad in black armour. It
Floyd | shows only the vaguest interest in the soft white baby lying at its
Floyd | feet.
Floyd |
Floyd | Obvious exits: In
Floyd |
Floyd | The baby reaches out vainly towards the leaf.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
olethros asks, "wait, are we solving puzzles?"
| |
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "x baby"
| | |
| Floyd | Enormous. Pale. Soft. Its mouth a gaping black hole.
Floyd |
Floyd | It reminds you painfully of your brothers. Only much, much bigger.
Floyd |
Floyd | The baby reaches out for the leaf and wails in frustration.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "x knight"
| | |
| Floyd | A giant of a person, covered from head to toe in thick black plate
Floyd | mail. Its helmet sports a ridiculous pair of curved horns.
Floyd |
Floyd | The baby emits a high, keening wail. You cover your ears.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "talk to knight"
| | |
| Floyd | The knight does not respond. Deep inside that ridiculous helmet, it's
Floyd | possible that the knight can't even hear you.
Floyd |
Floyd | The baby looks at you as if it's not really sure what to make of you.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "talk to baby"
| | |
| Floyd | The baby just gurgles stupidly.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "x helmet"
| | |
| Floyd | The smooth faceplate of the knight's helmet has only the slightest of
Floyd | slits to see through. Ridiculous horns curve up from the helmet and
Floyd | into the sky.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "x horns"
| | |
| Floyd | From down here it's difficult to say how far the horns extend upwards,
Floyd | but they must add a least an extra head to the knight's height.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "x leaf"
| | |
| Floyd | It would look rather delicious, if you were much of a leaf eater.
Floyd |
Floyd | The baby reaches out for the leaf and wails in frustration.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "eat it"
| | |
| Floyd | You've never been much of one for eating leaves.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "get it"
| | |
| Floyd | The leaf is tantalisingly out of reach.
Floyd |
Floyd | The baby emits a high, keening wail. You cover your ears.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
DavidW says, "It could be argued that there are puzzles, but they've been made as mild as possible by almost walking you through them."
| |
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "climb horns"
| | |
| Floyd | That is not something you can climb.
Floyd |
Floyd | The knight shifts slightly on its feet.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| inky says (to Floyd), "look"
| | |
| Floyd | Fungal Bloom
Floyd | Strange, asymmetrical fungi sprout out from within this branch,
Floyd | splitting the bark and corrupting its offshoots into weird, bloated
Floyd | shapes. One particularly corpulent mushroom bulges out of the bark
Floyd | beneath a tall, healthy twig.
Floyd |
Floyd | The twig ends in a bright green leaf.
Floyd |
Floyd | An enormous knight towers over the area, clad in black armour. It
Floyd | shows only the vaguest interest in the soft white baby lying at its
Floyd | feet.
Floyd |
Floyd | Obvious exits: In
Floyd |
Floyd | The baby stretches out a fat-fingered hand towards the leaf.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x mushroom"
| | |
| Floyd | It looks like it must be swollen with rotten ooze. But it could
Floyd | probably take your weight.
Floyd |
Floyd | The baby looks at you as if it's not really sure what to make of you.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "climb on mushroom"
| | |
| Floyd | Okay, you're now standing on the mushroom.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "eat it"
| | |
| Floyd | The mushroom does not appear to be edible.
Floyd |
Floyd | The baby reaches out vainly towards the leaf.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "get leaf"
| | |
| Floyd | You stand on tiptoe and grasp the fresh green leaf in your hands.
Floyd | With one tug, it separates from its twig, and you fall forwards,
Floyd | towards the baby. It catches you in its fat fingers.
Floyd |
Floyd | You smile, holding out the leaf triumphantly.
Floyd |
Floyd | The baby pulls you towards its gaping mouth. Wait, this wasn't what
Floyd | you-
Floyd |
Floyd | ***YOU WERE EATEN***
Floyd |
Floyd | It's done. For another year, the village is safe. Now come the
Floyd | spring festivities, the rejoicing and singing.
Floyd |
Floyd | Queen's Chamber (sitting on the throne)
Floyd | Not as nice as your mother's place, but you've made yourself
Floyd | comfortable here. Simple, finely crafted lamps cast a warm glow over
Floyd | the phloem walls.
Floyd |
Floyd | Cots line one side of the chamber, each holding a formless, swaddled
Floyd | bundle.
Floyd |
Floyd | One of your daughters leans a framed painting against the wall and
Floyd | curtsies, before leaving hurriedly.
Floyd |
Floyd | Sounds of merriment and raised voices carry into the chamber from
Floyd | outside.
Floyd |
Floyd | Obvious exits: Out
Floyd |
Floyd | (Your score has just increased by one point.)
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "full score"
| | |
| Floyd | In 121 moves, you have scored 5 of a possible 6 points. This makes
Floyd | you the Queen. Your score consists of:
Floyd | 1 point for appeasing the spider
Floyd | 1 point for appeasing the ladybird
Floyd | 1 point for appeasing the parasitic worm
Floyd | 1 point for appeasing the damselfly
Floyd | 1 point for appeasing the beetle
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| inky says (to Floyd), "x bundles"
| | |
| Floyd | Innocent and helpless. Little darlings.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "x painting"
| | |
| Floyd | A bright, expressionistic portrayal of one of your daughters - you've
Floyd | no idea which one. She's smiling in the most peculiar way. There's
Floyd | something about this painting, some portent or emotion that you can
Floyd | almost but not quite grasp. But then, there always is, and it's
Floyd | always different.
Floyd |
Floyd | You'll leave the painting out, for now, to remind you - as you're sure
Floyd | he wanted it to. And then you'll have it stowed away with the others.
Floyd |
Floyd | Sounds of merriment and raised voices carry into the chamber from
Floyd | outside.
Floyd |
Floyd | (Your score has just increased by one point.)
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "full score"
| | |
| Floyd | In 123 moves, you have scored 6 of a possible 6 points. This makes
Floyd | you the Queen and a mother. Your score consists of:
Floyd | 1 point for appeasing the spider
Floyd | 1 point for appeasing the ladybird
Floyd | 1 point for appeasing the parasitic worm
Floyd | 1 point for appeasing the damselfly
Floyd | 1 point for appeasing the beetle
Floyd | 1 point for looking, if not understanding
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "x me"
| | |
| Floyd | Not young any more, but still elegant and beautiful. Your wings are
Floyd | as breathtaking at ever.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "out"
| | |
| Floyd | (off of the throne)
Floyd | You stand up from your throne. Your daughters will be waiting for you
Floyd | outside, eager to celebrate the renewal of the seasons.
Floyd |
Floyd | Sounds of merriment and raised voices carry into the chamber from
Floyd | outside.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| markm arrives, full of neither funk nor fun.
| | |
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "out"
| | |
| Floyd | You step serenely out of your chamber, into the village. A thousand
Floyd | of your daughters await you, cheering happily, waiting for you to
Floyd | begin the spring festival. Blissfully ignorant.
Floyd |
Floyd | You raise your hand in salute, and spread your wings.
Floyd |
Floyd | *** THE END ***
Floyd |
Floyd | In 126 moves, you have scored 6 of a possible 6 points. This makes
Floyd | you the Queen and a mother.
Floyd |
Floyd | Would you like to RESTORE a saved position, RESTART the story, UNDO
Floyd | the last move, see your FULL SCORE, see some AMUSING things to try,
Floyd | read the AFTERWORD, or QUIT?
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| markm says, "perfect timing"
| | |
| markm has had his fill of playing for now, and goes back to the Lounge.
| | DavidW says (to markm), "aw"
| |
| | | Nitku says, "ha ha"
| |
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "amusing"
| | |
| Floyd | Have you tried:
Floyd |
Floyd | Tasting all of the different characters? Tasting yourself? Singing,
Floyd | dancing, crying, jumping or screaming as the Queen or one of her
Floyd | daughters? Typing 'god save the queen'? Getting up while the artist
Floyd | paints you and/or trying to sneak a peak at the unfinished portrait?
Floyd | Sitting on the damsel's twig... while she's still sitting on it?
Floyd | Asking the aristocrat about Cornu Aspersa? Sitting on the
Floyd | aristocrat's carpet? Rocking in the aristocrat's rocking chair?
Floyd | Rocking elsewhere?Examining your surroundings while in conversation
Floyd | with the more talkative characters? And finally, have you tried
Floyd | typing 'xyzzy'?
Floyd |
Floyd | Would you like to RESTORE a saved position, RESTART the story, UNDO
Floyd | the last move, see your FULL SCORE, see some AMUSING things to try,
Floyd | read the AFTERWORD, or QUIT?
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "afterword"
| | |
| Floyd | I'm sure all sorts of meanings can be read into this game, but really
Floyd | I just tried to write a human story about being an ant. The
Floyd | inhabitants of the tree hollow all wear red because they're red ants.
Floyd |
Floyd | The widow isn't supposed to be any kind of spider in particular, and
Floyd | certainly not an actual black widow. It's my understanding that the
Floyd | chief problem any male spider has while attempting to procreate
Floyd | involves approaching a female spider in her web without appearing to
Floyd | be edible - which, of course, he actually is. I'm sure that some
Floyd | females are easier to get close to than others.
Floyd |
Floyd | You may have noticed that the only character in this game with a name
Floyd | is the late Cornu Aspersa Esq. His name is the Latin term for a
Floyd | common snail, in case you didn't already know.
Floyd |
Floyd | This game owes something of a debt to Hans Christian Andersen, Lewis
Floyd | Carroll and Anna Anthropy's In The Woods.
Floyd |
Floyd | -C.E.J.
Floyd |
Floyd | Would you like to RESTORE a saved position, RESTART the story, UNDO
Floyd | the last move, see your FULL SCORE, see some AMUSING things to try,
Floyd | read the AFTERWORD, or QUIT?
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| inky says (to Floyd), "undo"
| | |
| Floyd | Taking back one turn: "out".
Floyd |
Floyd | Queen's Chamber
Floyd | Not as nice as your mother's place, but you've made yourself
Floyd | comfortable here. Simple, finely crafted lamps cast a warm glow over
Floyd | the phloem walls.
Floyd |
Floyd | Cots line one side of the chamber, each holding a formless, swaddled
Floyd | bundle.
Floyd |
Floyd | Your throne stands against the wall.
Floyd |
Floyd | A framed painting leans against one wall.
Floyd |
Floyd | Sounds of merriment and raised voices carry into the chamber from
Floyd | outside.
Floyd |
Floyd | Obvious exits: Out
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| inky says (to Floyd), "god save the queen"
| | |
| Floyd | She ain't no human being!
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
|
| inky says (to Floyd), "xyzzy"
| | |
| Floyd | Unbidden, some ancient instinctual meme crawls up from your
Floyd | subconscious. Your lips dance of their own accord. "Xyzzy," you say.
Floyd |
Floyd | You begin to twitch and shudder, your tiny brain cartwheeling into an
Floyd | ouroboros of self-referential insanity. "Xyzzy," you repeat.
Floyd | "Xyzzy."
Floyd |
Floyd | You don't even notice as your legs give way and you collapse to the
Floyd | ground. Your senses have closed in, your mind shut down. And all
Floyd | that is left... is xyzzy.
Floyd |
Floyd | (Your score has just decreased by twenty points.)
Floyd |
Floyd | *** GAME OVER ***
Floyd |
Floyd | In 127 moves, you have scored -14 of a possible 6 points. This makes
Floyd | you a xyzzy.
Floyd |
Floyd | Would you like to RESTORE a saved position, RESTART the story, UNDO
Floyd | the last move, see your FULL SCORE, or QUIT?
Floyd |
Floyd | >
| |
inky says, "ha ha"
| |
| | | DavidW says, "wow"
| |
| | | Nitku says, "Pacian really doesn't like that meme."
| |
| | | inky says, "I guess not"
| |
| | | Nitku says, "The both games were nice in their own way."
| |
| | | DavidW says, "I'd love to see someone the game reworked as an illustrated children's book. I think there'd be a bizarre seductive creepiness to it."
| |
| | | DavidW asks, "Any other comments, or should we rush onward to Snack Time?"
| |
| | | inky asks, "would we rather put that off til next week, or should we just knock it off?"
| |
| | | DavidW says, "I don't mind leaving Snack Time for another week."
| |
| | | inky says, "well, we've gone for a couple hours and started a little late, so maybe we should"
| |
| | | DavidW says, "ok. That makes sense."
| |
| | | Nitku says, "I have to go, but I've already played Snack Time as I said so I don't have an opinion"
| |
| | | DavidW says (to inky), "And if you could send the transcript to me or Jacqueline, that would be great."
| |
| Nitku has had his fill of playing for now, and goes back to the Lounge.
| | inky says, "you bet"
| |
| PerrySimm says, "ok, log off"
| | DavidW says, "thanks again" | |
| |