Blue Lacuna — 416 of 467

Section - Nexus 7

Dream7Nexus is a nexus-room in Dreamlands. The printed name is "the tumble, studio". The description of Dream7Nexus is "Once again you stand in your old studio, before the fireplace in the lodge, the chatter of the stream and the smell of pine boughs somehow more vibrant and real than in the months you lived among them. But entropy has reigned while you were gone; the once-roomy interior is now overrun with thousands and thousands of things: [dream thing] and [remembered thing] and [remembered thing] and [dream thing], in great stacks rising to the ceiling and beyond, covered in grey cobwebs and dirt and tiny shriveled insect carcasses. Stairs and doorways are entirely overrun; only by clambering on top of the piles towards a broken skylight [up] above could you hope to get out.[paragraph break]Two shadowy forms stand on the balcony above you, but neither is Rume. One is [o]tall[x] and moves gracefully, the other is [o]short[x] and moves quickly.[paragraph break]Your [o]painting[x] of the windsigh by the fork, the one that brought you here, stands in the center of the room, exactly as you left it, the one thing untouched by dust and age.". First Instead of going nowhere when location is Dream7Nexus or location is Dream1Nexus: say "You move towards the stairs, but as you put your foot on the bottom steps it rips in half: paper. Looking up, you see the rest of the Tumble is merely a hastily-constructed stage set, designed to seem real only from the right angle.".

Dream7Nexus-stuff is stuff in Dream7Nexus. Understand "studio/fireplace/lodge/stream/interior/things/cobwebs/dirt/insect/insects/carcass/carcasses/stairs/doorways" as Dream7Nexus-stuff when location is Dream7Nexus.

The tree-figure is an undescribed setpiece in Dream7Nexus. Understand "shadowy/form/shadow/figure/forms/tall/graceful/gracefully" as tree-figure when location is Dream7Nexus. The printed name is "tall, graceful shadow". The description of tree-figure is "The faint light from the fire is swallowed up by grayness long before it reaches the figure, but as you turn your attention to it, you realize it is an embodiment of the presences, the minds you have been communicating with in your dreams.". After examining tree-figure: move dream7-presence to location; now dream7-presence is attentive; now last beat is d7_icebreaker. Instead of examining tree-figure when reb-7 is in location: say "Your attention is captivated by the other figure.".

The rebel-figure is an undescribed setpiece in Dream7Nexus. Understand "shadowy/form/shadow/forms/figure/short/quick/quickly" as rebel-figure when location is Dream7Nexus. The printed name is "short, quick shadow". The description of rebel-figure is "The faint light from the fire is swallowed up by grayness long before it reaches the figure, but as you turn your attention to it, you realize it embodies the dissenter, the cynical voice you've been hearing.". After examining rebel-figure: move reb-7 to location; now reb-7 is attentive; now last beat is d7r_0. Instead of examining rebel-figure when dream7-presence is attentive: say "Your attention is captivated by the other figure."

The d7-canvas is an undescribed setpiece in Dream7Nexus. Understand "canvas/painting/tree/windsigh" as d7-canvas. The printed name is "painting". The description is "You think at first that the painting is exactly as you left it, but something is odd. Peering closer, you see [if saved location is not Fork]it is not the same tree: the painting now shows [d7-which-tree]. The[otherwise]the[end if] paint seems to [if d7-portal-trigger is on-stage][d]shimmer[x][otherwise]shimmer[end if] and twitch as if somehow alive, writhing and scintillating like millions of tiny invisible worms, paintforms alive on the canvas.". To say d7-which-tree: say "[if saved location is Big Tree or saved location is Treehouse]the windsigh with the treehouse[otherwise if saved location is Cinder Cone]the windsigh atop the volcano cinder cone[otherwise if saved location is Rockslide]the windsigh atop the rockslide[otherwise if saved location is Forest9]the windsigh deep within the rain forest[otherwise if saved location is Egg]the young windsigh near the Egg[otherwise]the huge windsigh atop the ridge above the ravine[end if]". d7-portal-trigger is part of d7-canvas. Understand "shimmer" as d7-portal-trigger when location is Dream7Nexus. Instead of examining d7-portal-trigger: say "You reach out to touch the wet paint and it tingles your finger, and suddenly you realize in a moment of terror that it is not the painting that is made of shimmering worms, but you...[paragraph break]{(*you*)}[line break]"; begin-flashback-sequence; remove d7-portal-trigger from play. Instead of touching or taking or entering d7-canvas, try examining d7-portal-trigger.

First instead of going up in Dream7Nexus: [ This has to be a "first instead" because of the earlier rule blocking "going nowhere." ]

if dream-door-locked is true, say "You try to clamber onto a dusty crate, but it collapses under your weight, sending clouds of billowing gray dust in all directions." instead;[aar]

if tree-password is unset or rebel-password is unset, say "Your curiosity will not allow you to wake until you've spoken to each of the figures." instead;

say "Finally finding a steady base, you work your way up to the faint light creeping through the broken skylight, balancing ever more precariously as you climb higher and higher, far higher than the ceiling of the lodge should be. Just as you reach for the edge the unstable stack of detritus beneath you shifts and tumbles; you grab the edge frantically and hang suspended in midair for a long, stomach-churning moment before pulling yourself up into the light...";

wake up now.

The stacks of stuff are a setpiece in Dream7Nexus. The description is "The stacks of mouldering crates and mementos rise in a precarious profusion towards the ceiling." Instead of climbing, entering, or using stacks of stuff: try going up.

A skylight is a setpiece in Dream7Nexus. The description is "Pale grey light seeps murkily through the skylight high above, the only source of illumination here." Instead of entering or opening or touching skylight, try going up.