  
ClubFloyd Transcript:
The idea behind ClubFloyd is that each
week at a pre-arranged time, a group of
people meet online to cooperatively play
a game of interactive fiction.
ANOTHER WARNING! A lot (most!) of the transcripts contained on this site are, shall we say, family-friendly. This is not one of those family-friendly transcripts. Just so we're clear. |
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ToyShop & Floyditorium
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#ClubFloyd Discussion
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| Jacqueline says, "How about The Ragman Came Singing Under Your" | ||
| Jacqueline asks, "Window?" | ||
| Roger says, "sure got my vote" | ||
| Knight_Otu says, "Sure." | ||
| DavidW says, "I don't know that game. Is it Floydable? It sounds Twine-ish." | ||
| Jacqueline asks, "Why does it *sound* that way?" | ||
| DavidW says, "Because it's a rambling sentence instead of something more pithy." | ||
| DavidW says, "Most titles like to fit onto the cover." | ||
| Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "load sleepmask ragman" | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Maybe it was the cold or the sensation of emptiness to my side, but I | ||
| CF | was fully awake. I didn't dare to move, so I just lay there, very | ||
| CF | still, looking at the ceiling with my hands hidden under the sheets. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | I suppose it has happened to you some time. You wake up in the late | ||
| CF | hours in the night, with the sensation that there's someone in your | ||
| CF | room, and end up lightning a candle to find that there's nobody there, | ||
| CF | just a nocturnal mouse at most. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Only this time I knew he was nearby. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | He came to collect an old debt, from when I was still young, from when | ||
| CF | I still believe in the future and run naked between the bindweeds. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | "Five times five years has passed, my green-eyed child... five times | ||
| CF | five years of luck and fortune. A man who loves you, a son of hair | ||
| CF | like wheat in summer, coins slipping through your fingers, a house | ||
| CF | with a white gate and servants to attend it." | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Fingers colder than white frost touch my face, while a cacophony of | ||
| CF | ten voices whispers on my ears, but I suppress the scream that | ||
| CF | struggles to escape from my throat and I lay still with eyes shut. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | "Are you sleeping? I don't believe so. As you see, I keep my promises. | ||
| CF | Would you keep yours? The desire of my heart in exchange for a time of | ||
| CF | bliss." | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | I hear the floorboards creak. He moves away. He is... he is near the | ||
| CF | cradle, I know it. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | "I ask not for silver, nor gold, nor earthly wealth. I don't desire | ||
| CF | anything in vain, much less something you can't give me. I only ask | ||
| CF | for what a mortal can dispose of. Give it to me, and our contract will | ||
| CF | be folded, sealed and stored in the fourth drawer of the hundredth | ||
| CF | room inside the tallest tower of my inverted castle. Deny it from me, | ||
| CF | and I will take your son, your husband will suffer a terrible death, | ||
| CF | your servants will abandon you pouring venom upon your honor, and | ||
| CF | winter will nest in your home. Give me... give me the love of a mother | ||
| CF | and everything will be settled. Only five beats of your heart I grant | ||
| CF | you." | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | With a sigh, I stand. | Roger says, "sounds like a pretty good deal" | |
| Jacqueline says (to Roger), "Yeah, but you've been locked down with your kids for a while." | ||
| Jacqueline pushes the green 'space' button. | ||
| CF ] Bedroom | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Once upon a winter night, the ragman came singing under your window | ||
| CF | An Interactive Fiction by Expio | ||
| CF | Release 3 / Serial number 191030 / Inform 7 build 6M62 (I6/v6.33 lib | ||
| CF | 6/12N) | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Bedroom | ||
| CF | I am half sunken in the gloom of the room. The fireplace shines with | ||
| CF | dying embers that barely reach to illuminate the scene. Most of the | ||
| CF | light comes from the moon that penetrates, invasive, through the open | ||
| CF | window, along with some sporadic snow drifts like folds of cloth. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | It must has been open for a while since some snow has accumulated over | ||
| CF | the harpsichord, in the space next to the window. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | The Ragman is hunched over the cradle of my only son at the far corner | ||
| CF | of the room. I can hear him whisper a cradle song while he knits with | ||
| CF | his long, long fingers, complicated structures of thread, which my son | ||
| CF | tries to grasp with his little hands; he is crying quietly, irritated, | ||
| CF | either afraid or hungry. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | I am reclined on the bed, my back resting against the headboard. To my | ||
| CF | side there is an empty space. The sheets have been set aside. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | Roger says, "'Expio' sounds like a 1980s rapper" | |
| lkcampbell says, "Maybe it's shorter in Spanish" | ||
| Jacqueline says, "I believe this is a port from a Spanish game." | ||
| Knight_Otu asks, "Not Threepio's sibling?" | ||
| Jacqueline clears the save counter. | ||
| Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "SAVE" | ||
| Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "cf1" | ||
| CF | > | ||
| CF | > SAVE | ||
| CF | %% Enter a save filename to write: | ||
| CF ] Bedroom | ||
| CF | Ok. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | Karona snorts. | |
| Jacqueline says, "I mean, I know it's the first turn." | ||
| Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x me" | ||
| CF ] Bedroom | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > X ME | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | This is a body that carries thirty-seven years on its back, and still | ||
| CF | looking good. Let's say I still provoke some glances at social dances, | ||
| CF | in spite of having a baby recently (my mother said that my hips were | ||
| CF | not wide enough for it) and my breasts still swollen. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | "One was the sun king." | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | Knight_Otu says, "(Sorry to Expio.)" | |
| Jacqueline asks, "Wow. So we made this pact with this horrible thing when we were ... 12?" | ||
| DavidW asks, "What exactly are we meant to give?" | ||
| lkcampbell says, "Our neighbors have so much garbage stacked up next to their garage that a big flock of seagulls are hanging out on their roof" | ||
| Jacqueline says, "Our love? Or our child? Or both, I think David." | ||
| Knight_Otu says, ""The love of a mother" may be a lot of things." | ||
| Roger says, "might you be interested in one barely-used somewhat-snowy harpsichord sir" | ||
| DavidW says, "The child-taking was part of the penalty if we did not give." | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Roger), "ha" | ||
| lkcampbell says, "Very Hitchcockian...which is a word I don't get to use nearly enough" | ||
| Knight_Otu says, "Might be the ability to love our child as a mother that we give up." | ||
| Jacqueline says, "Yeah, I hate harpsichords. Let's try to give him that." | ||
| DavidW says, "I'd try inventory to see if 'mother's love' or 'our heart' is in there." | ||
| Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "i" | ||
| CF ] Bedroom | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > I | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | I am carrying nothing. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | "Two was the inhabitants of paradise." | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | DavidW says, "One more turn to go." | |
| Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "give child" | ||
| CF ] Bedroom | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > GIVE CHILD | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Mi child is hungry... but I can't reach him. It's getting colder. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | "Three were the wise men, gift bearers." | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "say yes" | ||
| CF ] Bedroom | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > SAY YES | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Whom do you want to say that to? | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "ragman" | ||
| CF ] Bedroom | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > RAGMAN | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | I try to speak, but my breath escapes silently through my lips. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | "Shhh, don't strain yourself, quiet, soon you will sleep. Just calm my | ||
| CF | thirst, and everything will end." | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | "Four, the misfortunes that will mark the end of the man reign." | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | Jacqueline says, "'Soon you will sleep' sounds very ominous in this context." | |
| Knight_Otu says, "Just about everything sounds ominous here, of course." | ||
| Jacqueline says, "Yes" | ||
| Jacqueline says, "The translation isn't perfect, but it's fine - and very sinister. I'm enjoying the writing a great deal." | ||
| Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "stand" | ||
| CF ] Bedroom | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > STAND | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | But I am not in anything at the moment. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | *** "And five the faces that my right hand has spawned. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | My heart dictated this. Five heart beats have sounded, neither four | ||
| CF | nor six, five being the choosen number. And seeing that I have been | ||
| CF | denied what I came for, he contract is broken. May bitterness and cold | ||
| CF | be your willing lovers forever, since what was once yours is now mine. | ||
| CF | *** | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT or UNDO the last | ||
| CF | command? | ||
| CF | > | Jacqueline asks, "So, I don't get it. Why doesn't he just take the kid?" | |
| Jacqueline asks, "Because... plot?" | ||
| Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "restore" | ||
| CF | > | ||
| CF | > RESTORE | ||
| CF | %% Enter a save filename to read: | Knight_Otu asks, "He wants something else?" | |
| Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "cf1" | ||
| CF ] Bedroom | ||
| CF | Ok. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | DavidW says, "Because he wants something else instead." | |
| DavidW says, "He said so." | ||
| Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "give ragman love" | ||
| CF ] Bedroom | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > GIVE RAGMAN LOVE | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | I can't see any such thing. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "ragman" | ||
| CF ] Bedroom | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > RAGMAN | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | That's not a verb I recognise. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x ragman" | ||
| CF ] Bedroom | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > X RAGMAN | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | An old shadow from my youth, from times of desires and crooked paths. | ||
| CF | He seems like an abandoned scarecrow, with broken and twisted limbs. | ||
| CF | His arms and legs adopt impossible angles when he moves, in a strange | ||
| CF | dance, like if he was controlled by a mad master of puppets. He | ||
| CF | dresses in a maelstrom of fabrics and patches, colours out of order, | ||
| CF | hanging with such disparate ornaments as a pocket watch, a rosary of | ||
| CF | marbled beads, a salmon's eye, a Grylloblatta, an earring from which | ||
| CF | an ear still hangs... What for ours is junk, for him is the most | ||
| CF | precious of jewels, a trophy devoid of banality. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Worst of all are his head and hands. Instead of a cranium, he wears | ||
| CF | the empty semblance of a mannequin, plain, without trimmings, and as | ||
| CF | the only concession to a human figure wears a tangled wig, like the | ||
| CF | ones seen in the festivities of the high neighborhoods. His hands... | ||
| CF | are like metallic branches from which hang the threads with which he | ||
| CF | entertains, himself or an audience, creating strange shapes: a cradle, | ||
| CF | a boat, a bird... all while the tiny cherub faces that are the tips of | ||
| CF | his fingers do not cease to chatter. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | "One was the sun king." | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | DavidW says, "But the flowery language is making it difficult to know what we need to do in practical terms." | |
| DavidW says, "I'd try 'give love' or 'give heart'." | ||
| Jacqueline | Grylloblatta campodeiformis, also known as the Northern Rock Crawler, is an omnivorous species of insect. | ||
| Jacqueline says, "Just in case it wasn't just me who went to search for Grylloblatta..." | ||
| Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "give love to ragman" | ||
| CF ] Bedroom | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > GIVE LOVE TO RAGMAN | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | I can't see any such thing. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "give love" | ||
| CF ] Bedroom | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > GIVE LOVE | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | I can't see any such thing. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "give heart" | ||
| CF ] Bedroom | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > GIVE HEART | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | I can't see any such thing. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | DavidW asks, "kiss?" | |
| Knight_Otu asks, "Maybe he wants a hug?" | ||
| Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "love" | ||
| CF ] Bedroom | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > LOVE | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | That's not a verb I recognise. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | Jacqueline asks, "Awwwww... does ragman want a HUG?" | |
| Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "hug ragman" | ||
| CF ] Bedroom | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > HUG RAGMAN | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | the Ragman might not like that. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | "Two was the inhabitants of paradise." | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | Jacqueline says, "Apparently not." | |
| Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "kiss ragman" | ||
| CF ] Bedroom | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > KISS RAGMAN | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | the Ragman might not like that. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | "Three were the wise men, gift bearers." | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | Jacqueline says, "Those are hilarious defaults, given the tone of this game." | |
| Jacqueline says, "I feel like we're up against syntax." | ||
| Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x baby" | ||
| CF ] Bedroom | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > X BABY | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | My precious, my life. Just when I thought it could not be possible... | ||
| CF | it happened. My joy and sadness. Joy because he was an unexpected | ||
| CF | gift, sadness because he was the rubric of a contract. Now, he is | ||
| CF | unwillingly playing with the thread figures that the Ragman is | ||
| CF | crafting for him. He cries and protests quietly. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | "Four, the misfortunes that will mark the end of the man reign." | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | Roger says, "selling your soul is not as seductive as it first appeared" | |
| DavidW says, "Try a take all, see if we get anything." | ||
| Jacqueline says (to DW), "Good idea." | ||
| Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "take all" | ||
| CF ] Bedroom | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > TAKE ALL | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | There are none at all available! | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | Jacqueline says, "WELP" | |
| Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x bed" | ||
| CF ] Bedroom | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > X BED | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | It's a wide double bed of white sheets and a mattress of corn leaves. | ||
| CF | It seems far bigger with the space left behind by my husband. I touch | ||
| CF | that spot and the sheets are cold. Buried within them I find a copy of | ||
| CF | Son of Man. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | *** "And five the faces that my right hand has spawned. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | My heart dictated this. Five heart beats have sounded, neither four | ||
| CF | nor six, five being the choosen number. And seeing that I have been | ||
| CF | denied what I came for, he contract is broken. May bitterness and cold | ||
| CF | be your willing lovers forever, since what was once yours is now mine. | ||
| CF | *** | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT or UNDO the last | ||
| CF | command? | ||
| CF | > | Knight_Otu says, "Hm." | |
| Jacqueline says, "This is reminding me of Fingertips: I Hear The Wind Blow" | ||
| Roger says, "that was promising" | ||
| DavidW asks, "Perhaps that copy of Son of Man is useful?" | ||
| Jacqueline says, "Yeah." | ||
| Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "restore" | ||
| CF | > | ||
| CF | > RESTORE | ||
| CF | %% Enter a save filename to read: | ||
| Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "cf1" | ||
| CF ] Bedroom | ||
| CF | Ok. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | lkcampbell asks, "Overdue library book?" | |
| Jacqueline says, "I'm glad I saved on the first turn." | ||
| Knight_Otu says, "I'm not sure that's what the Ragman wants, but it's what we have." | ||
| Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x son of man" | ||
| CF ] Bedroom | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > X SON OF MAN | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | It's an essay on the gospel written by Father Giovanni Lanfranco. | ||
| CF | Lately I have liked to read it before sleep, maybe as an expiation | ||
| CF | because of my past life. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | "One was the sun king." | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | Roger says, "well that old widow Jenkins sold her soul to play that harpischord like the devil, I reckon" | |
| Jacqueline says, "heehee" | ||
| Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "read son of man" | ||
| CF ] Bedroom | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > READ SON OF MAN | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | It's an essay on the gospel written by Father Giovanni Lanfranco. | ||
| CF | Lately I have liked to read it before sleep, maybe as an expiation | ||
| CF | because of my past life. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | "Two was the inhabitants of paradise." | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "undo" | ||
| CF ] Bedroom | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > UNDO | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Bedroom | ||
| CF | [Previous turn undone.] | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x harpsichord" | ||
| CF ] Bedroom | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > X HARPSICHORD | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | One of the few hobbies that I allow myself. I have been told that I | ||
| CF | play quite well, so I have placed it by the window, for aesthetic | ||
| CF | reasons and a point of vanity. There's a music sheet over the desk, it | ||
| CF | is: "Piano and orchestra concert No 33, by B��la Bart��k". | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | "Two was the inhabitants of paradise." | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "play harpsichord" | ||
| CF ] Bedroom | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > PLAY HARPSICHORD | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | That's not a verb I recognise. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | Knight_Otu says, "Aw." | |
| Jacqueline says, "yeah" | ||
| Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x snow" | ||
| CF ] Bedroom | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > X SNOW | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | I can't see any such thing. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x window" | ||
| CF ] Bedroom | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > X WINDOW | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | The window is open wide, maybe from the strong winter wind that | ||
| CF | preceded the Ragman's entrance. However, as far as I know, he has | ||
| CF | never had to enter any house, always just appearing when nobody is | ||
| CF | looking. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | "Three were the wise men, gift bearers." | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | lkcampbell asks, "so we have five turns to figure out what he wants?" | |
| DavidW says, "yes" | ||
| Roger says, "ayup" | ||
| lkcampbell asks, "is that the ragman talking?" | ||
| lkcampbell says, "ok" | ||
| DavidW says, "yes, that's him." | ||
| Jacqueline says, "Yeah, I think that's his song, counting down the heartbeats." | ||
| Roger says, "his sins are Pride and Impatience" | ||
| Knight_Otu says, "I suppose I'd have other worries if a devil was taking my child hostage, but playing the harpsichord could be what he wants." | ||
| lkcampbell asks, "it said somewhere up there he likes junk...anything junky lying around here?" | ||
| DavidW asks, "Does he want the book or the harpischord or us personally?" | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Lance), "There's not much here. Nothing to take, anyway." | ||
| Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "take book" | ||
| CF ] Bedroom | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > TAKE BOOK | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | I extend my cold fingers, but my strenght fails to me. It's like if I | ||
| CF | had a slab over me. They are perhaps my sins. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | "Four, the misfortunes that will mark the end of the man reign." | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "take harpsichord" | ||
| CF ] Bedroom | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > TAKE HARPSICHORD | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | I extend my cold fingers, but my strenght fails to me. It's like if I | ||
| CF | had a slab over me. They are perhaps my sins. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | *** "And five the faces that my right hand has spawned. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | My heart dictated this. Five heart beats have sounded, neither four | ||
| CF | nor six, five being the choosen number. And seeing that I have been | ||
| CF | denied what I came for, he contract is broken. May bitterness and cold | ||
| CF | be your willing lovers forever, since what was once yours is now mine. | ||
| CF | *** | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT or UNDO the last | ||
| CF | command? | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "restore" | ||
| CF | > | ||
| CF | > RESTORE | ||
| CF | %% Enter a save filename to read: | ||
| Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "cf1" | ||
| CF ] Bedroom | ||
| CF | Ok. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | lkcampbell asks, "how do you direct the channel to a specific person like that?" | |
| Jacqueline says (to Lance), "You do ;..NAME" | ||
| Roger says, "I know that last bit is trying to be serious but it reminds me too much of the holy hand grenade" | ||
| Knight_Otu says, "You type ;.. and then the name directly." | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Roger), "SAME" | ||
| lkcampbell says, "jacqueline testing" | ||
| lkcampbell says (to jacqueline), "testing" | ||
| Jacqueline says, "There you go." | ||
| Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "listen" | ||
| CF ] Bedroom | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > LISTEN | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | I hear nothing unexpected. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | "One was the sun king." | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "smell" | ||
| CF ] Bedroom | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > SMELL | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | I smell nothing unexpected. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | "Two was the inhabitants of paradise." | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "give sins" | ||
| CF ] Bedroom | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > GIVE SINS | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | I can't see any such thing. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "restore" | ||
| CF | > | ||
| CF | > RESTORE | ||
| CF | %% Enter a save filename to read: | ||
| Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "cf1" | ||
| CF ] Bedroom | ||
| CF | Ok. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | Roger says, "did we try a PRAY" | |
| DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "pray" | ||
| CF ] Bedroom | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > PRAY | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | That's not a verb I recognise. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "talk to ragman" | ||
| CF ] Bedroom | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > TALK TO RAGMAN | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | That's not a verb I recognise. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "give me" | ||
| CF ] Bedroom | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > GIVE ME | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Mi child is hungry... but I can't reach him. It's getting colder. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | "One was the sun king." | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | lkcampbell asks, "so there's a book and some scenery? at those are all the things?" | |
| DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "undo" | ||
| CF ] Bedroom | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > UNDO | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Bedroom | ||
| CF | [Previous turn undone.] | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | Roger says, "did we try STAND" | |
| DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "enter window" | ||
| CF ] Bedroom | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > ENTER WINDOW | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | That's not something I can enter. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | "One was the sun king." | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "undo" | ||
| CF ] Bedroom | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > UNDO | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Bedroom | ||
| CF | [Previous turn undone.] | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | Jacqueline says (to lkc), "I think even the book is scenery." | |
| DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "stand" | ||
| CF ] Bedroom | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > STAND | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | But I am not in anything at the moment. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | "One was the sun king." | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "undo" | ||
| CF ] Bedroom | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > UNDO | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Bedroom | ||
| CF | [Previous turn undone.] | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "take book" | ||
| CF ] Bedroom | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > TAKE BOOK | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | I extend my cold fingers, but my strenght fails to me. It's like if I | ||
| CF | had a slab over me. They are perhaps my sins. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | "One was the sun king." | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "undo" | ||
| CF ] Bedroom | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > UNDO | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Bedroom | ||
| CF | [Previous turn undone.] | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | Roger says, "oh goddamnit is this going to be WAKE UP" | |
| Jacqueline says, "No real need to undo." | ||
| DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "talk to ragman" | ||
| CF ] Bedroom | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > TALK TO RAGMAN | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | That's not a verb I recognise. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | lkcampbell says, "he's very fickle" | |
| DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "wake up" | ||
| CF ] Bedroom | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > WAKE UP | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | The dreadful truth is, this is not a dream. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | "One was the sun king." | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "sleep" | ||
| CF ] Bedroom | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > SLEEP | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | I am not feeling especially drowsy. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | "Two was the inhabitants of paradise." | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | Jacqueline says, "We have the save point to skip the opening exposition." | |
| Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "scream" | ||
| CF ] Bedroom | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > SCREAM | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | That's not a verb I recognise. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | Roger says, "the combination of Guess the Command and Translated from Foreign Language is a real killer" | |
| DavidW says, "I kinda want to see the opening exposition again, because I'm not understanding this." | ||
| Jacqueline says, "Sure" | ||
| Jacqueline says, "Not a bad idea." | ||
| Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "restart" | ||
| CF ] Bedroom | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > RESTART | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Are you sure you want to restart? | ||
| Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "y" | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Maybe it was the cold or the sensation of emptiness to my side, but I | ||
| CF | was fully awake. I didn't dare to move, so I just lay there, very | ||
| CF | still, looking at the ceiling with my hands hidden under the sheets. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | I suppose it has happened to you some time. You wake up in the late | ||
| CF | hours in the night, with the sensation that there's someone in your | ||
| CF | room, and end up lightning a candle to find that there's nobody there, | ||
| CF | just a nocturnal mouse at most. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Only this time I knew he was nearby. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | He came to collect an old debt, from when I was still young, from when | ||
| CF | I still believe in the future and run naked between the bindweeds. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | "Five times five years has passed, my green-eyed child... five times | ||
| CF | five years of luck and fortune. A man who loves you, a son of hair | ||
| CF | like wheat in summer, coins slipping through your fingers, a house | ||
| CF | with a white gate and servants to attend it." | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Fingers colder than white frost touch my face, while a cacophony of | ||
| CF | ten voices whispers on my ears, but I suppress the scream that | ||
| CF | struggles to escape from my throat and I lay still with eyes shut. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | "Are you sleeping? I don't believe so. As you see, I keep my promises. | ||
| CF | Would you keep yours? The desire of my heart in exchange for a time of | ||
| CF | bliss." | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | I hear the floorboards creak. He moves away. He is... he is near the | ||
| CF | cradle, I know it. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | "I ask not for silver, nor gold, nor earthly wealth. I don't desire | ||
| CF | anything in vain, much less something you can't give me. I only ask | ||
| CF | for what a mortal can dispose of. Give it to me, and our contract will | ||
| CF | be folded, sealed and stored in the fourth drawer of the hundredth | ||
| CF | room inside the tallest tower of my inverted castle. Deny it from me, | ||
| CF | and I will take your son, your husband will suffer a terrible death, | ||
| CF | your servants will abandon you pouring venom upon your honor, and | ||
| CF | winter will nest in your home. Give me... give me the love of a mother | ||
| CF | and everything will be settled. Only five beats of your heart I grant | ||
| CF | you." | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | With a sigh, I stand. | Jacqueline says, "Ah, those days of being a tween, running naked through the bindweeds." | |
| Roger says, "goth tween is raising the bar" | ||
| DavidW says, "I didn't know they were bindweeds." | ||
| Jacqueline says, "Whatever he wants, it doesn't sound like he wants our son." | ||
| Jacqueline says, "Like, our son is what he takes if we don't give him what he wants." | ||
| Roger says, "unfortunately I don't think the game is quite wacky enough to be expecting something like SQUIRT BREAST MILK INTO SATAN'S MOUTH" | ||
| DavidW asks, "If anything, he wants our trash? What we can dispose of?" | ||
| Jacqueline says, "omg roger" | ||
| Knight_Otu says, "Yeah. He wants "The love of a mother". However we give him that." | ||
| Roger says, "someone needs to write that game, though." | ||
| Jacqueline says, "Hm... 'give me the love of a mother'" | ||
| lkcampbell asks, "throw a shoe at him?" | ||
| DavidW says, "Perhaps PEE first before bringing out the breasts." | ||
| Roger says, "spank naughty satan" | ||
| Jacqueline mulls placing a warning on this transcript... | ||
| Roger says, "I don't actually mind being censored" | ||
| Jacqueline says, "I feel as if, were a warning not merited before, it is now..." | ||
| DavidW asks, "so... FEED RAGMAN? NURSE RAGMAN?" | ||
| Jacqueline says, "Y'all... are... serious." | ||
| Roger says, "I think even bad ideas are worth trying now" | ||
| Jacqueline says, "okay" | ||
| Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "feed ragman" | ||
| CF ] Bedroom | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Once upon a winter night, the ragman came singing under your window | ||
| CF | An Interactive Fiction by Expio | ||
| CF | Release 3 / Serial number 191030 / Inform 7 build 6M62 (I6/v6.33 lib | ||
| CF | 6/12N) | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Bedroom | ||
| CF | I am half sunken in the gloom of the room. The fireplace shines with | ||
| CF | dying embers that barely reach to illuminate the scene. Most of the | ||
| CF | light comes from the moon that penetrates, invasive, through the open | ||
| CF | window, along with some sporadic snow drifts like folds of cloth. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | It must has been open for a while since some snow has accumulated over | ||
| CF | the harpsichord, in the space next to the window. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | The Ragman is hunched over the cradle of my only son at the far corner | ||
| CF | of the room. I can hear him whisper a cradle song while he knits with | ||
| CF | his long, long fingers, complicated structures of thread, which my son | ||
| CF | tries to grasp with his little hands; he is crying quietly, irritated, | ||
| CF | either afraid or hungry. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | I am reclined on the bed, my back resting against the headboard. To my | ||
| CF | side there is an empty space. The sheets have been set aside. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "feed ragman" | ||
| CF ] Bedroom | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > FEED RAGMAN | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | "D... Dri... Drink." I manage to articulate with an effort that almost | ||
| CF | depletes my waning strength. The Ragman jumps and dance and claps, | ||
| CF | then he pounces on me, tearing my nightdress, in his devouring thirst. | ||
| CF | His hands scream with joy while they take turns to snatch a piece of | ||
| CF | me. My son cries in a forgotten corner, confused, as now my world is | ||
| CF | reduced to this moment of loss and liberation. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Little by little the laugh of the Ragman fades away. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | "Very good... satisfying and warm is the love of a mother. This will | ||
| CF | make my heart know summer for some time. Our account is settled, our | ||
| CF | pact completed. Now I retire, since other souls, craving for what they | ||
| CF | already have, require my care. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | I open my eyes. He is gone. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | My son is still crying. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | I stand up and close the window. I stoke the fire. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | I cuddle and cradle my son. He is still hungry, but I am empty. I can | ||
| CF | only offer him... cold.. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | *** The End *** | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT or UNDO the last | ||
| CF | command? | ||
| CF | > | lkcampbell says, "well, "a mother's love" is a bit difficult to pin down" | |
| Jacqueline says, "Whoa" | ||
| Knight_Otu says, "Wha." | ||
| DavidW says, "Short game." | ||
| lkcampbell says, "well, not anymore I guess" | ||
| Jacqueline says, "WHOA WHOA WHOA" | ||
| Jacqueline says, "I mean, the game did hint at this." | ||
| Jacqueline says, "It's been a while since my jaw dropped on a game ending." | ||
| Roger says, "who is laughing now" | ||
| Jacqueline says, "It literally fell open with this." | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Roger), "Me, actually. This is... whoa." | ||
| Jacqueline says, "Holy... just. Wow." | ||
| Roger says, "I'm pretty surprised myself, as it turns out" | ||
| Jacqueline says, "I'm not sure I am up for another game after that." | ||
| Jacqueline says, "I'm just sitting here kind of stunned." | ||
| Roger says, "Possibly there's a stronger tradition in Italian (or whatever) folklore about Satan, witches, cats, etc, stealing mothers' milk" | ||
| Jacqueline says, "I'm kind of surprised it got 9th in Ectocomp 2019... seems like a pretty good game." | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Roger), "Spain, yes." | ||
| Jacqueline says, "Or, well, it's in Spanish. Not sure if that means Spain or elsewhere." | ||
| Jacqueline says, "I personally would like to leave things there for today." | ||
| Roger says, "That's true." | ||
| Roger says, "ha well I can't really blame you." | ||
| Jacqueline says, "I love when we play something where I have this sort of unexpected reaction." | ||
| DavidW says, "It was unexpected, yes." | ||
| Jacqueline says, "Okay, going to have to leave a review, I think." | ||
| Jacqueline says, "In case anyone else desires to do the same:" | ||
| Jacqueline | [LINK] | ||
| Karona sings out of key, the fish jumps out of the jug and slaps her in the face, and she shuffles home looking ashamed. | ||
| Roger says, "I /am/ suitably-impressed by 'Rapidocomp'" | ||
| Jacqueline says, "Yeah. That's a great name." | ||
| Jacqueline says, "I guess I'll also work on transcripts today. I'd like to link to our transcipt in the review, I think." | ||
| Roger says, "haha, MathBrush:" | ||
| Roger | My reaction to this game was "Wow!" followed by frustrated noises followed by "Ewwww". | ||
| Jacqueline says, "I know it would be spoilery, but this title seems wrong. The ragman never came singing under our window. Seems like a better title might be, "Once upon a winter night, the ragman came suckling your breast."" | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Roger), "Ha, yeah, I just read that." | ||
| Roger says, "Beneath the Milky Way" | ||
| Jacqueline says, "I'm still sitting here shaking my head." | ||
| lkcampbell says, "bit of a spoiler title though" | ||
| Jacqueline says, "Yeah. Very." | ||
| Jacqueline exclaims, "But descriptive!" | ||
| Jacqueline exclaims, "Accurate!" | ||
| DavidW says, "Once upon a winter night, the ragman was reaching to the back of the fridge, checking best before dates." | ||
| Jacqueline says (to David), "I wish you could see the face I am making right now." | ||
| Roger says, "I wonder if that Son of Man thing is a better clue than we're giving it credit for" | ||
| Jacqueline says, "Maybe." | ||
| Knight_Otu says, ""Five Heartbeats."" | ||
| Jacqueline says (to KO), "Yeah, that would have been a better name for the game, I think." | ||
| Jacqueline says, "Simple and elegant." | ||
| Jacqueline says (to David), "I mean, it also gave clues about how our breasts were full, and that what he wanted us to give wasn't 'anything in vain, much less something you can't give me'" | ||
| Jacqueline says, "Which implies 'nothing metaphorical'" | ||
| Jacqueline says, "I remember reading the line about how were were still pretty hott at 37, with full breasts from the baby, and thinking, 'um, okay game, that's weird'" | ||
| Jacqueline says, "But apparently that was also a GIANT CLUE" | ||
| Roger says, "two giant clues" | ||
| Jacqueline says, "Roger, you're killing me, man." | ||
| DavidW says, "I apparently skim milked over that line." | ||
