Blue Lacuna — 295 of 467

Chapter - Word Day

[ This is most likely the player's first contact with Progue. (The other possibility is if the player injures himself before waking Progue, in which case first contact is the Tending-to-Wounded-Player scene. ]

[ In this scene, Progue is standing atop a boulder in "Among the Boulders," loudly reading some bad poetry he has written. He will at first ignore the player, then jump cheerfully down to speak with him. Progue is sure you are a mere hallucination, and treats you thusly. ]

[ Possible endpoints: By default, Progue will have a breezy conversation about the weather, the poem, and the poor reception by the sea creatures, before waving and setting off to go about his business. Rude behavior by you may cause him to leave in a cheery huff, but not actually affect his disposition. Asking Progue about mentally charged keywords will cause a bit of hurt, and make Progue reveal he doesn't like this hallucination, before leaving (but still have no permanent effects). The player may attack Progue, or say the keyword "wayfaring" or "call" to jump immediately to the Shocking Revelation conversation. Progue does not reveal his name during this scene. ]

[Word Day is a guaranteed triggered instant rendezvous episode.][defined in Progue main] The expiration date of Word Day is 6 hours. The meeting place of Word Day is Among the Boulders. The icebreaker of Word Day is bp_verse1.

Last condition rule for Word Day:

if player is in Fork, rule succeeds.

A commencement rule for Word Day:

now time-wd-started is current interval;

now the unavailable-beat of Progue is bp_dontinterrupt.

A finishing rule for Word Day:

ignore the episodes usually end when conversation does rule;

if bp_introduction is spoken and Progue is idle, rule succeeds;

if Jumble is visited, rule succeeds.

A completion rule for Word Day: [aar]

now dont_describe_Progue is true;

manually reference dc_flash;

remove bp_flash from list of convo stuff, if present;

Progue's life goes on;

if Progue is enclosed by location begin;

now Word Day is successful;

if the psyche of Progue is denial, say "Just before getting out of sight, he turns. 'Oh!' he shouts back to you. 'Welcome welcome I suppose and all that. To the island!' He turns, disappearing behind the boulders, but his voice carries back: 'To my Lacuna!'";

follow the Progue's motivation rule;

print a section break;

end if;

if the episodic status of Word Day is expired begin;

now the episode schedule is Table of Denial Episodes;

now the icebreaker of Word Day is spoken; [This prevents it being put back in the queue.]

end if;

now the unavailable-beat of Progue is pd_unavailable.

time-wd-started is an interval that varies. [May be used much later for Progue's reminiscing. ]

[Table of Progue's Description (continued)

animus episode desc

-- Word Day "At first glance, he seems the picture of a shipwreck victim: faded and torn rags akimbo on bony joints, long hair touched with grey, matted and thinning, and a sunworn face. As he stands atop the boulder shouting at the horizon, he seems like a madman. But something about the way he holds himself, the piercing blue of his eyes, and the way he moves his hands hints at some vague power, some animus that decrepitude or madness have yet to touch."]

Table of Progue's Initial Appearance (continued)

The subchange beat of Word Day is bp_dontinterrupt. After discussing bp_introduction: now the subchange beat of Word Day is bp_dontchangesubject; continue the action.

The boredom beat of Word Day is bp_bored.

The bye beat of Word Day is bp_earlybye.

The abruptbye beat of Word Day is bp_earlybye.

[Every turn when current episode is Word Day and ( location is Center Beach or location is Center Low Tide or location i ) : add potential messages from the Table of Distant Boulder Poetry. ] Every turn when current episode is Word Day and ( location is Tidepools or location is Ocean Waters or location is South Beach or location is Center Beach or location is North Beach or location is Rise ) and bp_introduction is unspoken: fire one off by frequency from the Table of Closeby Boulder Poetry, definitely selecting; now spotted-progue is true.

[ Table of Distant Boulder Poetry

frequency start time end time text table trigger flag

frequent an interval an interval "From somewhere in the distance comes the faint sound of someone shouting." -- Progue's voice

frequent an interval an interval "A muffled voice yells something indistinguishable from somewhere through the trees." -- Progue's voice

frequent an interval an interval "You pick up the sound of a distant man yelling." -- Progue's voice ]

Table of Closeby Boulder Poetry

To say boulderpoetrydistant: say "The [o][one of]man[or]figure[at random][x] [one of]in the distance[or]off by the [if location is South Beach][dr]boulders[x][otherwise]boulders[end if][at random] [one of]continues[or]is still[at random] [bpd2]". To say bpd2: say "[one of]shouting[or]yelling[or]crying out[or]raving[at random] and [one of]wildly waving his arms[or]gesticulating[or]jumping about[at random] from the top of the boulder".

[Understand "shout" or "shouts" or "shouting" or "voice" or "sound" or "faint" or "muffled" or "distant" or "man" as distant-Progue during Boulder Poetry. The description is "You can't quite make out the words, but it's definitely male, and it's definitely excited about something.".]

BP is a thread. The escape clause of BP is bp_hallucination.

Every turn when current episode is Word Day and location is Among the Boulders and the location was not Among the Boulders: now the psyche of Progue is denial; now the episode schedule is Table of Denial Episodes[; force discuss bp_verse1].

bp_bored is an unaffinitive beat in BP with reaction "'I see,' he says sourly, 'one of the unhelpful spirits then are you? Moisty hells, go and haunt someone else, why don't you, eh? The sea ignores me enough as it is; some Word Days I wonder if it even listens at all. Certain don't want more of that, thank you.'". bp_bored enqueues bp_outtro.

bp_verse1 is an exciting beat in BP with fuse 6 and reaction "'[t]Concordance[x]! Summation! Integration!' he shouts, staring furiously at the waves. 'Deliverance! Reticence! Abolition!'". bp_verse1 suggests bp_verse2. bp_verse1 summons bp_dontinterrupt. After discussing bp_verse1: now met_progue is true; continue the action.

bp_verse2 is an exciting beat in BP with fuse 6 and reaction "'[t]Proposition[x]! Elucidation!' he shouts. 'Deterrence!' He thinks for a moment, seemingly stumped, then his face lights up and he shouts 'Obsequious!'[tutorial-listening]". bp_verse2 suggests bp_verse3. bp_verse2 summons bp_dontinterrupt.

bp_verse3 is an exciting beat in BP with fuse 6 and reaction "He pauses for a moment to catch his breath, looking down at his bare toes, flexing thoughtfully. '[t]Ribaldness[x]?' he mutters. 'Torque. Serendipity, ahhhh.'". bp_verse3 suggests bp_verse4. bp_verse3 summons bp_dontinterrupt.

bp_verse4 is an exciting beat in BP with fuse 6 and reaction "He scrunches his face up, then belts out a string of words as quick as he can shout them: '[t]Singularity[x]- Perpetuity- Mendacity- Parasitic- Gregarious- Intolerance!' He beams proudly.". bp_verse4 suggests bp_poemover. bp_verse4 summons bp_dontinterrupt.

Instead of greeting Progue when current episode is Word Day and we have not discussed bp_introduction: force discuss bp_dontinterrupt.

Understand "sorry" as bp_sorry when last beat is in BP. bp_sorry is an ephemeral beat in BP with keyword name "sorry" and reaction "'[']salright,' he hisses, 'Won't be a ment longer, just another word or two to get through.'".

bp_earlybye is a beat in BP with reaction "He seems to ignore your farewell at first, but then [proguejumpboulder]". bp_earlybye enqueues bp_introduction.

Instead of hugging Progue when current episode is Word Day and we have not discussed bp_introduction, say "You can't reach him while he's up there."

Instead of hugging Progue when current episode is Word Day and bp_introduction is spoken, force discuss bp_hug. bp_hug is an ephemeral beat in BP with reaction "You step forward with your arms spread out, but he backs up, eyes wide. 'Back! Retreat, you soul drinking spirit!' he shouts, grabbing a handful of [surface-material] and preparing to throw it. 'Not my time yet! Get back! Back!'".

Understand "word/day/now/ruining/concentrate/blather/concordance/summation/integration/proposition/elucidation/ribaldness/singularity" as bp_dontinterrupt when last beat is in BP. bp_dontinterrupt is an ephemeral beat in BP with fuse 8 and keyword name "[if last beat is bp_verse1]concordance[otherwise if last beat is bp_verse2]proposition[otherwise if last beat is bp_verse3]ribaldness[otherwise]singularity[end if]" and reaction "He does not even glance at you, but waves a hand dismissively. 'Not [t]now[x]!' he hisses. 'Not not not on [t]Word[x] Day!'". bp_notnow replaces bp_dontinterrupt. bp_dontinterrupt summons bp_notnow.

bp_notnow is an ephemeral beat in BP with keyword name "now, word" and reaction "He glances at you in annoyance. 'What, you're [t]ruining[x] it!' he hisses, as if trying to prevent something out in the ocean from hearing. 'Can't [t]concentrate[x] if you're going to pratter on like that. Go away!'". bp_notnow summons bp_poeminterrupted, bp_sorry. bp_poeminterrupted replaces bp_notnow. bp_notnow summons bp_poeminterrupted. Before discussing bp_notnow: if last beat is bp_verse4, force discuss bp_poeminterrupted instead. [This prevents us saying the above then thanking the player for not interrupting. ]

bp_poeminterrupted is a submissive beat in BP with keyword name "ruining, concentrate" and reaction "He lets out a little sigh, then turns to you with a look of beaten finality.[paragraph break]'Ah well-oh, that's it,' he says unhappily. 'Concentration broken. Vocabularizing aborted. No [bp_wordday] Day today. Hope you're well and pleased.' And with a surprising little flip, [proguejumpboulder].". bp_poeminterrupted enqueues bp_introduction. bp_wordday replaces bp_poeminterrupted.

bp_poemover is an exciting beat in BP with reaction "[if conversation fuse is 0]He glances down at you with a frown, then shrugs and lowers his hands. 'Never mind, I'm done anyway,' he says. 'Thanks for understanding. [otherwise]Satisfied, he finally turns to you with a smile. 'Thank you much for waiting,' he says, '[end if]I so do hate my [bp_wordday] Days interrupted.' And then with a surprising little flip, [proguejumpboulder].". bp_poemover enqueues bp_introduction.

To say proguejumpboulder: say "he leaps off the top of the boulder to come crashing down in the sand at your feet. Before you can even think to start moving forward to see if he is all right, he is on his feet and standing just a pace before you".

bp_introduction is an insistent beat in BP with reaction "He pokes you [if player is male]sharply in the chest[else]on the forehead[end if]. 'I know your game,' he says disapprovingly. 'Been expecting you for quite a [bp_time], really. I'm two-thirds mad you see, at least; have been for green eons, and it's often I wonder when the other third would show up and so here you are.'[paragraph break]He folds his arms skeptically. 'So what do we do, then, eh? Flashbacks to every dark corner of my past failings? Hauntings, waking nightmares? You're my first [bp_hallucination], so I'm unclear, unsure as to the procedures and protocols.' He regards you with wary eyes.". bp_introduction suggests bp_hallucination. bp_introduction summons bp_hallucination, bp_time. bp_introduction cancels bp_notnow, bp_dontinterrupt, bp_poeminterrupted. bp_hallucination replaces bp_introduction. After discussing bp_introduction: now bp_dontchangesubject replaces bp_dontinterrupt; now unavailable-beat of Progue is bp_dontchangesubject; continue the action.

bp_dontchangesubject is an ephemeral repeatable beat in BP with reaction "He cuts you off in annoyance. 'I'll do the asking, thank you,' he says, 'you just deal the answering for now.'".

Understand "time" as bp_time when last beat is in BP. bp_time is a beat in BP with keyword name "time" and reaction "'Years now,' he says, nodding. 'If you'd been shipwrecked or exiled or [bp_memory] as long as I have, you'd know, I'm gushing sure: funny feelings, queer twitches here and there when something's primed to happen.' He shrugs. 'Not that anything does mostly usually around here. But the Blue [bp_flash] has been trickling queer lately so I'd wondered.'". bp_time suggests bp_hallucination.

Understand "blue/flash" as bp_flash when last beat is in BP. bp_flash is a beat in BP with keyword name "Flash" and reaction "'Old maritime phoneme,' he says, pointing up to the [o]sun[x]. 'Moment suns [bp_sunset] over oceans there's sometimes a flash of blue. The one on this world seems something potent. Sometimes there's visions, premonitions, [bp_hallucination].' He glances at you critically. 'Seems I may have stared into it too long this time.'". bp_flash suggests bp_hallucination.

Understand "sink" as bp_sunset when last beat is in BP. bp_sunset is a beat in BP with keyword name "sink" and fuse 5 and reaction "'Stick around on the beach till sunset some evening,' he says airily, 'and mayhaps you'll see it.'". bp_sunset enqueues bp_hallucination.

Understand "whatever" as bp_memory when last beat is in BP. bp_memory is a beat in BP with keyword name "whatever" and reaction "He waves a hand vaguely through the air. 'Oh, you know,' he says, 'however it is that ones end up on deserted tropical islands all alone. The usual method. For [bp_hallucination] beings I mean,' he adds knowingly, 'no offense.'". bp_memory suggests bp_hallucination.

Understand "hallucination/drown/drowned/corporeal/spook/specters/specter" as bp_hallucination when last beat is in BP. bp_hallucination is an insistent beat in BP with keyword name "[if last beat is bp_memory]corporeal[otherwise if last beat is bp_alphamale]spook[otherwise if last beat is bp_flash]specters[otherwise]hallucination" and reaction "'Ratherly strange,' he says, walking in a circle around you studying you carefully. 'I assumed that you'd take the guise of some Figure From The Past, some One, if you ring, terrible important in my life, meaningful, lesson-worthy, all that.' He frowns, tilting his head to one side. 'Then again, mayhaps you have. Can't remember much about my past. Mostly usually nothing at all, to be perfect honest. You could be my own [if player is male]son[otherwise]daughter[end if] for all I know.' His eyes narrows. 'Are you?'". The yes-beat of bp_hallucination is bp_yeschild. The no-beat of bp_hallucination is bp_nochild. The maybe-beat of bp_hallucination is bp_maybechild. bp_hallucination suggests bp_maybechild. bp_alphamale replaces bp_hallucination.

bp_yeschild is a paternal beat in BP with keyword name "yes" and reaction "'Somehow I doubt it,' he says, patting your shoulder in a fatherly fashion just the same, 'but a sweet-sweet thought anyhow. Something poetic about dying mongst family. You are here to take me off to the land of the dead? No? Well but that's what you'd say anyway, isn't it. Hrmph.'". bp_yeschild enqueues bp_alphamale.

bp_nochild is an unpaternal beat in BP with keyword name "no" and reaction "He shrugs. 'Ah well-oh. Makes this less awkward then I suppose. Would have been interesting, though.'". bp_nochild enqueues bp_alphamale.

bp_maybechild is a beat in BP with keyword name "maybe" and reaction "The man's eyes narrow. 'Sausages,' he says critically, 'you're just as confused as me. Not what this island needs is more of the confused scampering about. I urge you, [animal-nickname], do please try and make only authoritative statements around here, even if you've had no idea if they're true or not. It will make things so much more the pleasant.'". bp_maybechild enqueues bp_alphamale.

Understand "word/day" as bp_wordday when last beat is in BP and bp_introduction is spoken. bp_wordday is a beat in BP with fuse 9 and keyword name "word" and reaction "'Ah yes, Word Day!' he says, spreading his arms wide and spinning in a dizzy circle. 'I try and have one semiannually or demiweekly or hemicalendrically, whichever of those it is that usually comes first. The point is, you see, to prove to the ocean that I still remember everything I used to.'[paragraph break]He puts an arm around your shoulder conspiratorially and throws a guarded glance at the waves. 'It's a bluff, though,' he whispers loudly. 'The vocabulary's doing fine, but mostly usually everything else has slipped away. Don't really remember who I am or where I got here or how I came from. But don't tell.'". bp_wordday suggests bp_hallucination.

bp_alphamale is an insistent beat in BP with reaction "Before you can quite figure out a response, he abruptly steps back and gives you an appraising glare, lifting a long and firm finger. 'Now look now,' he says, 'I hope you don't expect my schedule, my routines, to dive in lakes just cause some shabby-dressed [bp_hallucination] has popped by. I may be two-thirds mad but I have things, essential things that must and must be done around here, and I don't want visions or phantoms or strange afterimages from the Blue [bp_flash] interfering. This is my island, I was here first, I'm in charge, everything thatwise. Are we in agreement then on that then?'". The yes-beat of bp_alphamale is bp_alphayes. The no-beat of bp_alphamale is bp_alphano. The maybe-beat of bp_alphamale is bp_alphano. bp_alphamale suggests pd_noanswer. bp_outtro replaces bp_alphamale.

bp_alphayes is a unsubmissive beat in BP with keyword name "yes" and reaction "'Good good,' he grunts, stepping up closer. 'And I ratherly hope you aren't one of these terrible teeth-gnashing woe and grime spirits, but more one of the cheerful sort. Do you think mayhaps we can make the best of this awkwardness and be friendly whilst you're about?'". bp_alphayes enqueues bp_befriends.

bp_alphano is a submissive beat in BP with keyword name "no" and reaction "'Ah,' he says, drawing back a little, 'you're one of those unpleasant sorts of hallucinations. Thought I'd seen the last of you when I stopped eating the purple sunfish. Well we shall just see who it is who haunts who. But even so, do you have the decency to be a friendly sort whilst you're about?'". bp_alphano enqueues bp_befriends.

bp_alphamaybe is a paternal beat in BP with keyword name "maybe" and reaction "He smiles a bit, tousling your hair. 'Not too quick to jump to conclusions then I see. Wise. Are we going to be friends, do you expect?'". bp_alphamaybe enqueues bp_befriends.

bp_befriends is an insistent beat in BP. bp_befriends suggests pd_noanswer. bp_befriends summons bp_friendsyes, bp_friendsno, bp_friendsmaybe. Instead of saying yes when last beat is bp_befriends, force discuss bp_friendsyes. Instead of saying no when last beat is bp_befriends, force discuss bp_friendsno. Instead of saying maybe when last beat is bp_befriends, force discuss bp_friendsmaybe.

bp_friendsyes is an affinitive beat in BP with keyword name "yes" and reaction "'There, then,' he says, nodding happily at you, 'mayhaps this won't be so unpleasant after all.'". bp_friendsyes enqueues bp_outtro.

bp_friendsno is an unaffinitive beat in BP with keyword name "no" and reaction "He raises his eyebrows skeptically. 'Delightful,' he says, 'just the kind of hallucination I deserve, really.'". bp_friendsno enqueues bp_outtro.

bp_friendsmaybe is a beat in BP with keyword name "maybe" and reaction "He cocks his head to one side. 'You're a strange one, [animal-nickname],' he says appraisingly. 'For life and strife and I'm not sure I'll like you either.'". bp_friendsmaybe enqueues bp_outtro.

bp_outtro is a terminal beat in BP with reaction "'I'll be about and aroundabout,' he says, eyeing you appraisingly, 'so whistle or shout or something thatwise if you need.' He pauses for a moment, shaking his head. 'Sausages, I'm telling my visions how to find me. Mad as a mackdaw.' He gives you one last incredulous stare, then turns and slips away with surprising speed[if location is Among the Boulders], weaving between the rounded boulders towards[otherwise] down[end if] the beach.".