Blue Lacuna — 311 of 467

Chapter - Discovering the Open Door

[ The player should almost inevitably encounter Progue during the Boulder Poetry scene, Delayed Conversation, or Tending-to-Wounded-Player. It is likely that you will figure out how to snap Progue out of his denial phase; however if you don't, either by accident or design, Progue needs to figure this out on his own eventually. Once the player has solved the first puzzle, Progue will discover the open door and realize the player is really there... thus triggering a scene that transitions him to the fear stage.

]

Discovering the Open Door is a triggered guaranteed instant rendezvous episode. The subchange beat is dtod_farewell. The bye beat is dtod_farewell. The abruptbye beat is dtod_farewell. The boredom beat is dtod_irrelevant. The icebreaker is dtod_intro. The meeting place is Back Room.

Last condition rule for Discovering the Open Door:

if location is Jumble, rule succeeds.

Every turn when current episode is Discovering the Open Door and dtod_intro is unspoken (this is the position Progue for Discovering the Open Door rule):

if location is North Beach or location is South Beach begin;

move Progue to Center Beach;

now meeting place of Discovering the Open Door is Center Beach;

otherwise if location is Jumble;

move Progue to Back Room;

now meeting place of Discovering the Open Door is Back Room;

end if.

A commencement rule for Discovering the Open Door:

now the exhaust_beat of Progue is dtod_irrelevant;

now the overexhaust_beat of Progue is dtod_irrelevant;

now the randomyes_beat of Progue is dtod_irrelevant;

now the randomno_beat of Progue is dtod_irrelevant.

A finishing rule for Discovering the Open Door:

if dtod_intro is spoken and Progue is idle, rule succeeds.

A completion rule for Discovering the Open Door:

now dont_describe_Progue is true;

if location is Back Room begin;

now wooden cube is Progue-disturbed;

now the current page of sketchbook is 4;

move Progue to North Beach;

otherwise;

move Progue to Rise;

end if;

now the psyche of Progue is fear.

Table of Progue's Initial Appearance (continued)

DTOD is a thread. The escape clause of DTOD is dtod_irrelevant.

Before discussing dtod_intro when we-are-landmark-going is true:

if location is Back Room, say "As you pass through the lava tunnel door into the back room of the cabin, [the Progue] blocks your way.";

tidy landmark-go;

clean up landmark-go, silently.

Instead of attacking or pushing or hugging or kissing Progue when current episode is Discovering the Open Door: say "Not now.".

dtod_intro is an insistent beat in DTOD with reaction "'You opened it!' he says in an astonished stammer. 'This old door-- but how-- [if location is Back Room]' he runs a hand across the front, lightly across the buttons. '[end if]I could never remember--' His eyes widen, and he steps back from you in shock.[paragraph break]'You-- you're really here, aren't you? But-- but how?'". After discussing dtod_intro: now met_progue is true; continue the action. dtod_intro summons dtod_call, dtod_shrug, dtod_swam. dtod_intro suggests dtod_shrug. The maybe-beat of dtod_intro is dtod_shrug. Before discussing dtod_intro: repeat with item running through available beats begin; unless item is dtod_intro, now tempfuse of item is 0; end repeat; continue the action.

sr_shocking is an insistent beat in DTOD with reaction "His eyes widen, and he steps back from you in shock. 'You-- you're really here, aren't you?' he stammers. 'But-- but how?'". sr_shocking summons dtod_call, dtod_shrug, dtod_swam, dtod_spaceship. sr_shocking suggests dtod_shrug. The maybe-beat of sr_shocking is dtod_shrug. [Alternate entry point.] After discussing sr_shocking: now dtod_intro is spoken; now current episode is Discovering the Open Door; now the exhaust_beat of Progue is dtod_irrelevant; now the overexhaust_beat of Progue is dtod_irrelevant; now the randomyes_beat of Progue is dtod_irrelevant; now the randomno_beat of Progue is dtod_irrelevant; continue the action. dtod_flee replaces sr_shocking.

Understand "swam" as dtod_swam. dtod_swam is a dogged beat in DTOD with keyword name "swam" and reaction "His eyes narrow. 'No,' he says, 'no no no. Too far. I tried once, to get to the cliffs to the east. You're liaring, you liar. I tried. Too far. The truth, tell me the truth, tell me.'". dtod_swam suggests dtod_figureout.

Understand "spaceship" or "space ship" as dtod_spaceship. dtod_spaceship is a dogged beat in DTOD with keyword name "spaceship" and reaction "'That's an unrhymable story,' he says, 'I would have heard you land. Nonsuss. Prepostersense. Give me the real reason.'". dtod_spaceship suggests dtod_figureout.

dtod_shrug is a dogged beat in DTOD with keyword name "shrug" and reaction "He blinks rapidly. 'But you must have-- unless-- could I have opened the door? Remembered, combination springing up after all these--' He paces back and forth, running his face over his hands, then whirls on you. 'No,' he says, 'I refuse. You must be here. Now tell me. Tell me how.'". dtod_shrug suggests dtod_figureout. dtod_figureout replaces dtod_shrug.

dtod_figureout is a beat in DTOD with reaction "Suddenly he stiffens, and stands straight up.". dtod_figureout enqueues dtod_foundme.

Understand "wayfaring" as dtod_call. dtod_call is a beat in DTOD with keyword name "wayfaring" and reaction "You tell him about the Call you felt, how it brought you here, your [dtod_wayfaring]. He listens in what seems to be growing horror, slowly backing farther and farther away from you.". dtod_call enqueues dtod_foundme.

dtod_foundme is a beat in DTOD with reaction "'Oh no oh no,' he says, shaking his head. 'Impossible. Terrible. It's happened. It's happened. You've found me. The [dtod_creeper]. After all this time. All this time---' He gives a crazy glance [if location is Back Room]at the door to the cabin's front room[otherwise]behind him[end if], poised to flee.". dtod_foundme suggests dtod_flee. dtod_flee replaces dtod_foundme.

Understand "wayfaring" as dtod_wayfaring when last beat is in DTOD. dtod_wayfaring is a beat in DTOD with keyword name "wayfaring" and reaction "'Stop saying that!' he shrieks, bringing hands up to claw frantically at his ears. 'Not true, impossible, I don't believe-- just lies, lies from the Creeper, stop it! Stop-- you won't take me-- not again--'". dtod_wayfaring enqueues dtod_flee.

Understand "creeper" as dtod_creeper when last beat is in DTOD. dtod_creeper is a beat in DTOD with keyword name "creeper" and reaction "'Stupid of me!' he says, quivering, 'stupid not to recognize-- been so long-- but of course you wouldn't look fearful, of course you'd try to trap, trick, treacher--". dtod_creeper enqueues dtod_flee.

dtod_flee is a terminal beat in DTOD with reaction "Suddenly he leaps [if location is Back Room]for the front door with surprising speed, flinging himself across the front room of the cabin, but he trips over the cube and sprawls into the sand drifting across the floor, limbs flopping wildly, ankles and elbows catching on the door to the beach. Before you can react he has picked himself up and tripped outside, [otherwise]backwards, and before you can stop him he is [end if]running frantically up the beach, shouting behind him, 'Alone! Alone! Leave me alo-one!'[paragraph break]And then all is silent.".

dtod_farewell is an ephemeral repeatable beat in DTOD with reaction "[if last beat is not dtod_call]He shakes his head, blocking your way. 'Oh no oh no,' he says, 'just a ment, you mystery, you phantom, I want answers, answers first.'[otherwise]'Can't be,' he mutters, panicked, 'can't, can't, can't...'".

dtod_irrelevant is a beat in DTOD with reaction "He shakes his head. 'Can't think,' he says, 'no sense. What, what, what can I do?'". dtod_irrelevant enqueues dtod_figureout.