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Text Adventure Playthrough #3: Violet

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Calm down.  All you have to do is write a thousand words and everything will be fine.  And you have all day, except it’s already noon.

Violet
A Distraction by Jeremy Freese
Release 3, November 2008
(New readers type ABOUT; HINTS available)

You told me you were making progress. Then I find out you haven’t finished a paragraph in five months. What did you expect?

So now here you are, up in your office.  I am sorry that today is a Saturday.  I am especially sorry that today is your thirtieth birthday.  We had all kinds of adventures planned.  I refuse to feel guilty.

Of course I am still upset.  I will try to set that aside and be encouraging.  I really do want you to succeed today.

Please just write.

>

     

See you around, wolf. Nerissa

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Let’s start with

> about

     

The truth can’t hurt you, it’s just like the dark: it scares you witless but in time you see things clear and stark. - Elvis Costello
Maybe this time I can be strong, but since I know who I am, I’m probably wrong. Maybe this time I can go far, but thinking about where I’ve been ain’t helping me start. - Michael Kiwanuka

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>look
>x self
>write

     
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> about

I get sloshed at a dinner party and tell the story, and a few months later I receive an e-mail from a man I don’t remember announcing that I’m a “game.”  I suppose I should be flattered.

Or perhaps you should be flattered.  You are the one who gets to pretend to be my boyfriend.

We proceed by you typing what you want to do.  Don’t get cute: type a verb, or a verb and noun, or maybe verb-noun-preposition-noun.  The following are examples of things you can do:

WRITE
EXAMINE DESK (or X DESK)
TAKE ITINERARY
OPEN DRAWER
STAND ON CHAIR
LOOK UNDER DESK
PUT ITINERARY ON CABINET

I’ll report what happens, and we go from there.  You can probably trip me up if you try to be an arse about it, but what’s the fun of that?

You can see an inventory of what you are holding at any time by typing I or EXAMINE ME (X ME).  If you want a summary description of the room you’re in, just LOOK.

You can save the game by typing SAVE, and restore a saved game by typing RESTORE.  I’ll be desolate if you QUIT.

What else?  CREDITS and COPYRIGHT are available whenever.  If you’re ever stuck, I can give you a HINT.  If you want to take back your last action, UNDO bends space-time to your regretful will.

Finally: you are male by default (curse you, patriarchy!).  I’m not changing my gender on your behalf, but you are welcome to change yours.  Just type FEMALE or, more stylishly, HETERONORMATIVITY OFF.

I would wish you luck, but you don’t need luck.  You just need to write.

Virtually yours,
Violet


>look
When Wisconsin was recruiting your advisor they promised her space for graduate students.  You’re in a decrepit building but otherwise it’s not bad.

You’ve a great big desk in front of a window, a gorgeous yellow chair, a cabinet in one corner, a giant cactus in another, and a tall bookcase on the back wall with an incredibly cute stool in front of it.  The door is west.

>x self
You look tired, which is understandable given the length of our “discussion” last night.

You’re carrying nothing.

You’ve a tattoo on the back of your hand.

>write
You’re standing.  You’ve been pacing most of the morning, stewing about our fight last night.

I don’t myself see why one can’t type just as easily standing up as sitting down, but you are adamant that you can only focus enough to write seriously if you are seated.

>

Technical question: Oscar, I want to do everything in blue, like you did. But the color code works only one paragraph. What the… I have no intention of coding every paragraph or start removing returns. How did you do that?

EDIT: Thanks Oscar. Annoying, but I’ll do it.

     

See you around, wolf. Nerissa

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Karlok - 16 September 2016 11:15 AM

Technical question: Oscar, I want to do everything in blue, like you did. But the color code works only one paragraph. What the… I have no intention of coding every paragraph or start removing returns. How did you do that?

You just need to put a space in between each line of text.

     
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Another one already? Ok!

>x tatoo
>x cactus
>x bookcase
>think of discussion

>get gun
> shoot guards Tongue

     
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NB: After the command “write” a sort of head text in brackets appears at the top of the page and stays there until the next command “write”. So if we try writing when sitting down, the head text will change.

(last try writing: not seated)

>x tattoo
“Tattoo” isn’t right.  You scrawled “TYVTWD” on the back of your hand before leaving this morning.  It stands for Take Your Violet To Work Day.  This is your plan: you are going to get through today by pretending I’m here with you.

Just so we’re clear: you are actually alone, and presumably I am back at our apartment, packing and crying.

Somebody is coming up the stairs.  I thought you said no one ever comes in on the weekend?

>x cactus
Supposedly the cactus belonged to a business school professor who left Madison for another university in a snit.  An accidental transposition of numbers on a form caused it to be moved in here instead of University Botanical Disposal, and your department won’t pay to move it again so it’s been here for years.

Obtrusive, sure, but at least it hides that ugly pipe leading up to the sprinkler on your wall.  Plus plants are cheery.  I’m glad the pot is too heavy for you to be able to move it yourself.

>x bookcase
Two weeks ago:
“Violet.  Take this.  Do not give it back to me for a month.”
“Is this your car key?”
“Just the trunk.  The boot.  I put all the books from my office in there.”
“You said you just needed to read one more book and then you were ready to write.”
“And you pointed out that I’ve said that several times before.  You’re right.  I’ve read enough.  I just need to get what’s in my head onto the computer.”

Of course I’m so used to seeing your bookcase full that it’s strange now to see it nearly empty.

On the second shelf is a book.  On the bottom shelf is a smartly-done snowglobe. 

>think of discussion
I only understood you as far as wanting to think.

>get gun
I don’t see what you are talking about.

>shoot guards
I don’t see what you are talking about.

>

     

See you around, wolf. Nerissa

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> sit down
> write

The end??? Tongue

Where are they going with this???

     

The truth can’t hurt you, it’s just like the dark: it scares you witless but in time you see things clear and stark. - Elvis Costello
Maybe this time I can be strong, but since I know who I am, I’m probably wrong. Maybe this time I can go far, but thinking about where I’ve been ain’t helping me start. - Michael Kiwanuka

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Joined 2013-08-26

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>sit down
Okay.  You are seated at your desk and ready to go.  Just write!

Two voices in the hallway: a man and Julia.  Julia hasn’t been in her office in weeks.  She shows up on a Saturday?

>write
Unfortunately, with all the pacing about and ruminating, you’ve been here over two hours but haven’t actually opened your word processor yet.

(last try: word processor not open)

>

     

See you around, wolf. Nerissa

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Joined 2011-04-01

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Karlok - 16 September 2016 03:24 PM

Just so we’re clear: you are actually alone, and presumably I am back at our apartment, packing and crying.

Wait, so she’s leaving us because we haven’t started writing our thesis? Or is that just her story?

>listen to voices
>x book
>x snowglobe
>x cabinet
>open word processor

 

     
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Oscar - 16 September 2016 11:53 PM

Wait, so she’s leaving us because we haven’t started writing our thesis? Or is that just her story?

Well, we’re sitting here with our girlfriend imaginarily talking to us *in our head*. I wouldn’t rule out the possibility that our main character is bonkers.

Maybe even killed Violet in that fight last night and the game is about us realizing what we did. I don’t know. I have no idea where this is going.

Or it’s just one big Babelfish puzzle where things keep popping up that we need to solve before we can actually write. (Can’t write while standing down - sit - can’t write without word processor - open word processor - can’t open word processor without turning computer on first - turn on computer - it’s not plugged in - plug in computer - neighbours too noisy outside the door - get them to keep quiet - something else pops up - etc. etc. etc.)

     

The truth can’t hurt you, it’s just like the dark: it scares you witless but in time you see things clear and stark. - Elvis Costello
Maybe this time I can be strong, but since I know who I am, I’m probably wrong. Maybe this time I can go far, but thinking about where I’ve been ain’t helping me start. - Michael Kiwanuka

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Total Posts: 7432

Joined 2013-08-26

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>listen

Julia and someone else.  This cannot be good.

>x book
(standing up first)

This is the latest “last book you really must read before you are able to write your dissertation without a nagging feeling that there is one more book you really must read.”  If you start reading it now, hours will go by, and you won’t write your thousand words.

Julia is here to sabotage you.  I’m sure of it.  She’s in her office across the hall now, talking loudly with her door open.

>x snowglobe
It’s a glass globe with a plain wooden bottom.  Inside is a happy winter scene, with a paunchy, smiling figurine in a white outfit and snow up to his ankles.  His hands look like they are covered with chocolate.

>x cabinet
It’s University Drab, about a metre high with a silly fake wood front.  It’s closed and locked.

On top of the cabinet is the opposite of drab: a spectacularly intricate origami trophy.

The dude with Julia sounds like the one she was flirting with at Lucy’s party.  Remember?  He was scrawny and said his parents owned a hotel in Milwaukee called “The Historic Pfister.”

>open word processor
Open.  Chapter 3 of your dissertation awaits.  You can do it!

>

     

See you around, wolf. Nerissa

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>x trophy
>write

     
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>x trophy
You trained for months and had to run the entire race in the rain.  A chintzy little medal after all that?  You deserve better!  So afterwards I took the big sign I’d held up for you and spent two days folding it into a proper trophy.

I don’t know why I confided in Lucy about our problems.  I should have known she would tell Julia.

>write
(first sitting on chair)
You start trying to focus on the screen and type, but you are very tired.  I realise that you hardly slept last night between being all worked up from our fight and then being banished to the dodgy futon in our living room.

Still.  I know you won’t let a little grogginess stop you.  You are determined.  For us!

>


(last try: a bit tired, but come on!)

     

See you around, wolf. Nerissa

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yeah, come one, stop being lazy

>write

We can’t get out, can we?

>open door
>w

     
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>write
You are trying, I can tell.  But each time you begin to think through the opening sentence you get this dull cloudy tired pain right behind your eyes.

Okay.  You want to write.  You just need to get yourself more awake first.

>open door
(standing up first)
That’s what Julia wants you to do.  You go outside, and the two of you will have some long argument that’s a combination of her fighting and throwing herself at you.  Then you sit here the rest of the afternoon stewing and unable to focus enough to write.  You have to ignore her.

You look out the window for a moment, at the wonderfully serene park across the street.  We could be frolicking right now.  We could be canoodling in the shrubbery.  Please just write.

>w
You need to write.  Your computer is here.

(Besides, your office door is closed.  Might I add: for a reason.)

>

     

See you around, wolf. Nerissa

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