Writing Room (START AGAIN)

Source: Map039 (Writing Room)

All text for the Writing Room in START AGAIN. That one room with the poems and a Star Crest in it.


Index


Entering the room

Only plays the first time entering this room.


(...)

(You don't remember where the Star Crest is either.)

(You don't always make it this far...)

(You should look everywhere.)


Craftonomy book

If you did not get an ending yet, the conversation proceeds without any choice, as though you'd selected "Yes".


This line is also the repeated interaction text.


(A craftonomy book.)

(A conversation is about to start.)


(Listen?)

  • Yes

    Fighter (happy1) Oooh, is this a craftology book?

    Fighter (wondering2) Piercing Craft, Creative Craft... Where's the Protecting Craft chapt--

    Researcher (oof1) It's a craftONOMY book, not a craftOLOGY book.

    Researcher (oof1) This one is about the study of Craft, not your fortune.

    Kid (phew1) heheheh

    Fighter (sad4) Aww... I wanted to know my horoscope today...

    Researcher (oof1) This place has been frozen for a few months now... I don't think it'd be up to date...

    Housemaiden (smile1) Hehehe, you really like that sort of stuff, don't you?

    Fighter (happy1) Yes!!! It's really fun!!!

    Researcher (reading1) The Protector Craft... People who use it are patient, honest, loyal...

    Researcher (smile1) ...and very gullible.

    Fighter (happy2) That sure is me!!!

    Kid (phew1) heheheheheh

    Housemaiden (awkward3) Haha, you're laughing, but... Aren't you... also using Protector Craft?

    Kid (ew1) NO????

    Researcher (smile1) Yes, I do seem to remember this being the case, kiddo.

    Kid (angry1) NO!!!!!!! IT'S NOT THE SAME!!!!!

    Fighter (happy1) Heheheheheh!!!


    (...)

    (Before this all happened, you'd never noticed how you could just stay silent and they'd all talk around you like nothing's wrong.)

  • No

    (You    are Piercing Craft.)

    (Determined. Brave. Honest.)

    (Callous. Aimless. Manipulative.)

Drawer (Star Crest)

(A drawer.)

(It's filled to the brim with random papers and writing utensils.)

(Look closer?)

  • (Look closer)

    First time


    (You rummage around, hoping to find the last crest.)


    Smack.


    (The point of a pen pierces through your glove   and pricks your finger.)

    (Without even removing your hands from the drawer, you know that you're bleeding.)

    (You take a deep breath in, and out.)


    Text ends here.

    Subsequent times


    (You rummage around again.)


    Smack.


    Smack.


    Smack.




    (You remove your hand from the drawer.)


    Kid (surprised1) ...?


    (You look under the drawer...)


    You get a Weird Point for this.

  • (Look under the drawer)

    Only if you did not check the drawer itself beforehand

    (You look under the drawer...)

    (Oh.)

    (As always, the Star Crest is stuck on the underside of the drawer.)


    (Get the Star Crest?)

    • Yes

      (You got the STAR CREST.)

      Regular


      Kid (ew2) What a WEIRD SPOT for a crest...

      Researcher (wondering1) Have they almost all been in drawers... Someone needs to change things up.

      If you've found all keys on the first try so far, and looking under the drawer is your first object interaction in this room


      Housemaiden (THEFUCK1) HUH?!?

      Kid (angry1) OKAY WHAT THE CRAB

      Fighter (thinking1) Hm... Sif, my dear friend...

      Fighter (ohfuck1) Did you find just the thing we need, on your FIRST TRY, AGAIN??!??

      Researcher (reading1) Once is luck, twice is a coincidence, three times is a pattern...

      Researcher (angry1) Tell me, Siffrin... What does five times make?


      Siffrin (fake2) (Oops.)

      • "...The House is helping?"

        Housemaiden (determined2) No, it's not!!!

        Housemaiden (angry2) No, no, this isn't how the House of Change works!!!

        Housemaiden (determined2) It's not and has never been about luck!!! You bring about Change by acting!!!

        Housemaiden (awkward2) And right now, you are acting WEIRD!

      • (Stay silent and smile)

        Housemaiden (worried2) ...


        (This didn't work...)


      (You've messed up this time.)

      (You smile     and wait for the storm to pass.)


      Researcher (angry2) ...

      Researcher (angry2) ......

      Housemaiden (distressed2) ... Siffrin...

      Researcher (angry1) No. We don't have time for this.

      Researcher (worried3) Let's keep going.

      Fighter (sad4) ...

      Kid (angry2) ...

      Housemaiden (worried1) ...


      You get Five entire Weird Points for this!

    • No

      (You leave the drawer alone for now.)


Repeated interaction

Only after retrieving the Star Crest.


(Just a drawer.)


Flyers

Before any ending

Repeated interaction for all loops until obtaining an ending.


(Some flyers advertising a festival.)

(According to the date on the flyer, the festival is taking place... ...)

(You can't tell how close or far that date is.)

(Maybe it'll come back to you next time...)


After any ending

Also known as "after dying to the King once".


First time

(Some flyers advertising a festival.)

(According to the date on the flyer, the festival is taking place... ...)

(You're     still not sure about today's date, so you can't tell.)


Siffrin (fake1) (...)

  • "When's this taking place?"

    Housemaiden (awkward3) What? When does the festival take place?

    Housemaiden (smile1) Hehe, I mean...

    Housemaiden (smile1) ...

    Housemaiden (worried1) ...It's... today...? If the King didn't take over the House, it was supposed to take place today...

    Housemaiden (wondering1) We talked about it together earlier this morning...

    Housemaiden (awkward3) You guys hadn't been to Dormont's yet, so I was talking about how it's a shame I can't show it to everyone.

    Housemaiden (distressed1) You... don't remember...?


    You get two Weird Points for this.

  • (Don't ask.)

    (You look away from the flyer.)


Subsequent times

(A flyer for a festival that was supposed to take place today.)

(Whatever "today" means for you at this point.)

(How long have you been repeating the same few days, the same few hours, the same few minutes?)

(What does the date matter for when you've forgotten what the passage of seasons actually is like?)

(Why would today's date matter?)

(...)



Housemaiden (worried2) Siffrin...?

Housemaiden (wondering1) Are you okay...? You've been looking at that flyer for a while...

Housemaiden (determined1) Is something wrong...?


You get two Weird Points for this.


Repeated interaction

(A flyer for a festival that was supposed to take place today.)


Horror books

If you did not get an ending yet, the conversation proceeds without any choice, as though you'd selected "(Listen again)".


(You find an anthology of horror stories.)

(On the cover, a handsome young man looks into the night fearfully but longingly.)

(You don't think the crest is in there...)


Fighter (happy1) Oooh, looks like the kinda books you like, yeah?

Fighter (wondering2) Horror books... This one looks massive! What's this one ca--


Mirabelle jumps with an exclamation bubble over her head.


Housemaiden (awkward2) THAT'S THE "HANDSOME YOUNG MEN FALLING INTO BEAUTIFUL HEARTBREAKING MADNESS" HORROR ANTHOLOGY!!!


Choice only appears after obtaining an ending. Otherwise, text skips to here.

(You breathe out silently.)

(...)

  • (Listen again)

    If you've not obtained an ending, text proceeds here.


    Housemaiden (awkward2) DID... DID SOMEONE IN THE HOUSE HAVE IT ALL THIS TIME?

    Kid (surprised1) Did someone keep it from you???

    Researcher (oof1) What is it, anyway?

    Housemaiden (determined1) It’s a full anthology all about pure-hearted boys being subjected to awful monsters and horror situations!!!

    Housemaiden (determined1) Seeing them screaming in fright... I cannot help but root for them, and at the same time be happy I am not in their situation!!!

    Housemaiden (angry2) There is something lovingly touching about those tales, something wonderfully hopeful!!!

    Housemaiden (smile2) I cannot help but read them and pray for their survival!!!

    Kid (uwah1) So... So do they usually survive? Or do the monsters catch them?

    Housemaiden (awkward2) Well...

    Housemaiden (wondering1) ...

    Housemaiden (awkward3) ...Fifty-fifty?

    Kid (pout1) Hm...

    Housemaiden (awkward2) B-but also...! The catharsis that fills my whole being when they get caught... There is something very wonderful about that, too!!!

    Researcher (smug1) The schadenfreude?

    Housemaiden (smile2) THE SCHADENFREUDE!!!!!!!!!

    Housemaiden (determined1) It's just, its very good!!! Very moving!!!! Makes me feel like I went on a run!!!

    Housemaiden (smile1) And also sometimes the heroes end up marrying the monsters, too...

    Kid (excited1) What???

    Fighter (happy1) Hm, I don't get it!

    Researcher (smug1) I kind of do, actually... Any books you'd recommend?

    Housemaiden (smile1) Absolutely!!! I'll lend you some of my favorites once we...

    Housemaiden (worried3) Well... Once we finally escape a horror tale of our own, I suppose...

    Researcher (smile1) Haha... I'm looking forward to it.

  • (...)

    (Your fault for looking at the book.)

    (You don't want to think about handsome young men getting tortured by malevolent forces they can't see.)

    (Not that you're a man, but it's hitting a little too close to home for you right now.)


    ((Are you still young?))

    (Anyway, not that you're getting tortured.)

    (And there is no unseen malevolent force.)

    (There is just you, and the Universe.)

    (. .  .)



    After an extended pause, the screen shakes.


    (The book just got closed shut.)


    Fighter (embarassed4) That really is a massive book...

    Fighter (happy1) Look, just closing the book made Sif jump from fright!!!

    Kid (uwah1) That was a really high jump...


    (You breathe out, and smile.)


    Housemaiden (awkward3) Sorry, sorry!!! Um, we can keep going...


    You get a Weird Point for this.


Repeated interaction

(The horror anthology isn't on the shelves anymore.)

(As always, she took it with her.)

(No crest in sight.)


Unfinished poem

First time


(Moving things around on the desk, you look for the key...)

(No key in sight.)


Fighter (wondering1) Hey, what's this though? A poem?


(There's an unfinished poem on the desk.)

(Everyone looks at it over the big guy's shoulder...)


Text continues here.


Subsequent times


Fighter (wondering1) Hey, what's this though? A poem?


(You know the crest isn't there.)


(Look anyway?)

  • Yes

    (Everyone looks at the poem over the big guy's shoulder...)


    Text continues here.

  • No

    (You think about fruity-sounding names.)


    Conversation ends here.

Spaces are used to represent pauses in the delivery of the poem.



"Oranges     are nice."

"Oranges     are soft."

"Oranges     are frail."

"When you look at me     I feel     like one."

"Your fingernails     digs     into     my cheek."

"Peel an orange open..."


(The poem ends here...)


Fighter (thinking1) Is this.........

Fighter (happy2) A CLUE?

Researcher (oof1) No, it's just someone's unfinished poem.

Fighter (happy1) Let's finish it for them!

Researcher (ew1) We don't really have time right now--

Fighter (thinking1) "Peel an orange open.."

Fighter (happy1) ..."Orange juice comes out!!!"

Researcher (reading1) Bad.

Housemaiden (determined1) Um, um!!! "Peel an orange open..."

Kid (pout1) The person who wrote this is the orange, right?

Researcher (reading1) One could assume so, yes.

Kid (neutral1) Okay, so... "I die."

Fighter (thinking1) Hm, hm, very literal, very nice...

Housemaiden (determined1) Blood oranges...? Something with that... Something bloody but poetic...

Researcher (oof1) I haven't heard a single good idea yet.

Fighter (wondering1) Teach, do you have something then?

Researcher (reading1) No.


Fighter (happy1) Okay!!!!!!!!! Sif?

Siffrin (fake1) ("Peel an orange open...")

  • "Is it nice and sweet?"

    Fighter (thinking1) Ah, a question ending...

    Fighter (happy1) In poetry, they call that a cliffhanger!

    Researcher (oof1) No they don't!!!

  • "Blood on your hands!"

    Fighter (wondering2) ......hm

    Housemaiden (smile1) Bloody AND poetic!!! I like it!

    Housemaiden (awkward3) I just... didn't think this would be the type of writing you navigated towards, though?

    Fighter (embarassed1) Yeah, that's...

    Fighter (happy1) ...That's the power of writing for you!!!

    Researcher (readingup1) ...


    You get a Weird Point for this.


Repeated interaction

(The poem lays here, unfinished.)


Stack of papers

(Some papers.)

(You pick one at random...)


At random

  • (It's a poem about lovers on a bridge.)
  • (It's a poem about someone going to a grave.)
  • (It's a poem about a fox and a crow.)