Blue Lacuna — 189 of 467

Chapter - Sloping Meadow

The prose name of Sloping Meadow is "the sloping meadow near the chasm". The description of Sloping Meadow is "[slopmeddesc].". To say slopmeddesc:

if longform begin; say "A [if raining or rained]boggy[otherwise]dense[end if] patch of pale green grass marks the boundary of this long, gently sloping meadow. The slope continues rising through barren brownish-grey terrain to your [if former location is Fork]right[otherwise]left[end if] towards the rim of [if Rim of Volcano is unvisited]a good-sized[otherwise]the[end if] [o]volcano[x], dominating the horizon and venting wisps of steam[dot]";

otherwise if rained and afternoon; say "Tendrils of mist hover motionlessly over the meadow, as if the rain clouds still cling to the flowers enviously[dot]";

otherwise if morning or midmorning; say "Birds chirp and small creatures scurry through the verdant meadow[dot]";

otherwise if afternoon or evening; say "Insects drone lazily in the haze of the afternoon, spinning and twirling over the meadow[dot]";

otherwise if dawn or twilight; say "A single bird call echoes over the meadow, which is otherwise silent and still in the faint light[dot]";

otherwise; say "Gentle breezes waft a pleasant smell through the rustling grass of the meadow[dot]";

end if;

say "Clusters of [o]wildflowers[x] and bushes bearing heavy, deep red [o]berries[x] dot the meadow.[paragraph break][exits]".

The exits text of Sloping Meadow is "[if meadow-path-open is false]You might be able to find your way through thick[else]You could take the way you cleared [bw of Fork]through the[end if] [dr]forest[x][if dir] to the [west][end if], or [etsm2]". To say etsm2: say "go [bw of Chasm Edge]across the meadow to the [dr]edge[x] of the chasm[if dir] to the [east][end if]".

Understand "forest" as west when location is Sloping Meadow.

SlopingMeadow-stuff is stuff in Sloping Meadow. Understand "boundary/tendrils/mist/birds/creatures/small/insects/haze/bird/breezes/landscape" as slopingmeadow-stuff when location is Sloping Meadow.

Report going from Sloping Meadow to Fork: say "[one of]The vegetation gets thicker and denser. You push wildly overgrown fronds and dense stands of bamboo out of your way, until you finally you break out into a familiar spot[or]You leave the tranquil meadow behind and walk back into the trees, following the way you cleared earlier into the forest[stopping]."; now meadow-path-open is true. meadow-path-open is a truth state that varies. Report going from Sloping Meadow to Chasm Edge: say "The grass slowly thins out, giving way to barren black lava flow in strange ripples and mounds. You [if Chasm Edge is unvisited]stop short at a sudden dropoff[otherwise]eventually come to the dropoff again[end if]."

Some berry-bushes are a backdrop. They are in Sloping Meadow, Volcano Slopes, and Cinder Cone. Understand "berry bush" or "berry bushes" or "bush" or "bushes" or "cluster" or "clusters" as berry-bushes. The printed name is "berry bush[if location is not Cinder Cone]es". The description is "Close to the ground but with many wide, gently arcing branches, the [if location is Sloping Meadow]smattering of bushes[otherwise if location is Volcano Slopes]profusion of bushes[otherwise]lone bush[end if] bears many red [o]berries[x], about as wide as your pinky." Instead of attacking or pulling berry-bushes: say "You grasp one of the bushes and try to uproot it, but cut yourself on a sharp twig and are forced to stop." instead.

Some berries are a backdrop. They are in Sloping Meadow, Volcano Slopes, and Cinder Cone. Understand "berry/ripe/plump/red" as some berries. Does the player mean doing something with the berry-bushes: it is unlikely. [prevents "berry" from needing disambiguation] The description of some berries is "The berries are plump, the ripest ones a deep crimson, and give slightly to your touch. A few are greener and harder, but most seem quite ripe[berryhint]." Instead of tasting some berries, try taking some berries. Instead of taking some berries for the first time: say "You pluck a berry from the closest bush and pop it into your mouth. The flavor is remarkable: an almost fizzy quality gives way to a sweet, tropical taste, and crimson juice stains your fingers red."; move red-stain to location. Instead of taking some berries: say "You collect a few more of the delicious berries and enjoy a small meal of them. When you are finished, your fingers have been stained a deep crimson from the thick red berry juice."; move red-stain to location. Instead of tasting some berries, try taking some berries. [Instead of tasting some berries: say "You pick a berry, study it carefully, then carefully bite off a side. Deep red juice leaks from the berry, staining your fingers; but the flavor is remarkable."; move red-stain to location.] Instead of attacking some berries: say "You squish one of the berries between your fingers, releasing a crimson-red juice that stains your fingers."; move red-stain to location. Understand "lick finger" or "lick fingers" as a mistake ("You lick the juicy flavor from your fingers.") when red-stain is in location.

A red-stain is a set dressing. Understand "stain/finger/crimson/juice" as red-stain. The printed name is "red stain". The description is "Deep crimson.". Instead of tasting red-stain, say "You lick the last of the juice from your fingers.". Instead of touching red-stain, say "It rubs off fairly easily.". Instead of taking red-stain, say "It's just a slight smudge on your finger.".

To say berryhint: if ( time for excitement or story mode ) and Back Room is visited and Jumble is unvisited, say ".[paragraph break]You notice that the color of the berries matches the red band painted on the door in the cabin on the beach".

Some wildflowers are a backdrop. They are in Sloping Meadow, Crater Pond, Forest2, Edge of Ravine, Grassy End, and Egg Room. Understand "flower" or "flowers" or "meadow" or "clusters" or "cluster" or "of" as wildflowers. The description of wildflowers is "The meadow flowers come in shades of yellow, pink, and blue, and sizes from tiny sunbursts to delicate, hand-sized blossoms. They exude a faint but pleasing fragrance of straw and honey.". Instead of taking some wildflowers, say "You bend down and pluck a single [one of]pink[or]cerulean[or]sky-blue[or]yellow[or]yellow-white[at random] blossom, studying the texture and detail of the petals carefully, before finally letting it fall back to the ground." Instead of smelling wildflowers, say "You inhale deeply, getting faint whiffs of sweet lavender and the subtle tang of sea salt.".

Understand "pick [something]" as taking.