(visited: "Tantrum 4")[Sorry, I don't talk to assholes.]
(else:)[Hello
[[Hi->Greetings]]
(after: 60s)[You're a quiet one.
[[...]]]]
Here we are again, face to face, learning something we used to know.
[[I mean I didn't know how to use that before]]
[[Again ?]]
[[I'm not learning anything->Learning nothin' yea]]
[[It's a bit sad.]]You know, nothing is forcing you to stay. I certainly am not.
[[Well then, goodbye !->The start]]Well, maybe you should ! It's a really easy to use and good story engine. Like, seriously, you just need to know a couple of things to make it even slightly interesting.
And then it's just writing ! I totally recommend it.
This is Twine, by the way.
[[Um... okay ??]]This is a sequel, technically. I made this after reading througha really short Twine game I made in 2022 called "All the world is a test".
It's a funny name.
I wish I could remember why I named it that.
[[Ah, I see->The start]]I agree. It's a bit scary too, I think. Forgetting who I used to be when I made it. What I thought, what motivated me to do this.
They feel like a person I used to know. But it was me, at some point.
[[Seems weird->Weird]]
(if: visits is 2)[Why care anyway...]
(if: visits is >= 3)[You seem to care.]
(after: 10s)[Forget it]
It is. Forgetting things, when you're not old, is not seen as serious and as troubling as it really is.
Do you want to know a story ?
[[About forgetting ?]]
[[Why else am I here.]]
[[I'm not gonna lie, not really.->The start]]Yeah.
[[Sure.->Why else am I here.]]
[[Seems a bit heavy. I'm not sure I can handle that right now. ->No]]Mom bought me a jacket once, when I was little. It was a pretty apple green. It was nice, and a bit expensive.
When Mom came to pick me up from school that day, it was gone. I didn't know what happened to it. It just disappeared. I got scolded really badly for not being careful.
But I was.
I was careful. I don't know what happened, I don't know how. It's not even a question or a feeling like something is missing. It's just gone like it was never there.
It was my nice pretty new jacket and then it wasn't.
My parents have always brushed off or gotten mad when I forgot things.
When I say I don't remember what we ate yesterday, my dad scoffs.
"Come on, you're able to spot if something moved in the house in a second."
I can, but I don't know why.
When I say I don't remember people, my mom rolls her eyes.
"I guess they didn't leave a big impression on you."
Then in the situation we're in right now, I guess I didn't leave a big impression on me.
(if: visits is >=2)[
[[That was a long story->Long]]
[[Well, that got dark->Dark]]
[[That does sound scary->Scary]]]
(else:)[
(after: 10s)[[[That was a long story->Long]]]
(after: 12s)[[[Well, that got dark->Dark]]]
(after: 14s)[[[That does sound scary->Scary]]]]That seems fair. Want to hear a different story then ?
[[About what ?]]It could have been longer.
I have countless stories and moment like these ones.
It happens all the time. It would be distressing, if I weren't so use to it.
I do have work arounds, but I still get into situations where I forget what I was supposed to remember.
[[Use some post-its maybe ?->Postits]]
[[I'm sorry this is happening to you.->Sorry]]It's hard not to think about it, when it impacts every second of my life, all the time.
Memory loss, in it's most regular and everyday form, is not taken seriously.
I know people that are like me, that don't take it seriously.
Hell, I more often than not, don't take it seriously !
Because taking it seriously is acknowledging how messed up it is.
I'm not even talking about the people that have a more severe memory loss than normal.
Isn't it messed up, to forget ?
[[What are you talking about ? No ? It's just how it is.->Not messed up]]
[[I don't think it's messed up when it's normal.->Normality]]
[[I have a more serious memory loss than normal. It sucks.->Sucking]]UNFINISHEDHA ! You should see my desk. I have these very special post its that are sticky on the entire backside. I stuck them on my desk and write stuff on it with Frixion pens (so I can erase and rewrite).
[[Well then you're fine, right ?->Fine]]Thanks.
It does suck, a lot.
But I guess it does have its advantages.
If I get bored with a story or anything, I'll just have to leave it for a couple of months and come back like I'm discovering it for the first time !
It's kinda like a really inconvenient super power.
[[Oh, I wish I was able to enjoy my favourite thing for the first time again. It's so special. ->First time]]
[[A really really really inconvenient super power.->Bad]]I still forget the faces of my friends, or who they were.
I forget what we used to do, every thing is trickling away into the void scarily fast.
I struggle to remember high school when it was only a couple years ago.
I'm scared I'll forget people that I don't want to forget. Moments I hold dear a second, gone the next.
I don't think post its can fix that.
[[This is a bit too much I think -> too much]]Yeah, I can't blame you on that.
I'm going to make more fun paths, go check those out instead.
[[Thanks->The start]]
(after: 3s) [[[...good luck.->Thanks]]]Thanks
[[...->The start]]Yeah, I've heard that a lot !
I can do that, but not for my absolute favourite thing I've interacted with a 100 times over. Then I can kinda remember it.
But things I like and have only seen once or twice ? Oh definitely.
Anyway I'm rambling a bit.
Let's get you to some other paths !
[[Wait wha-->The start]]Oh yeah no I'd definitely rather have something cool like flight or telekinesis instead of Super Bye Bye Memories (tm).
[[Anyway uh, I'm sorry for what you're going through, but I think I'm going to go check out the other paths now ?->Others]]
[[Personally I'd like something else, like metamorphosis.->Metamorphosis]]
[[Flight sounds really cool but also a bit unpredictable.->Flight]]
[[I feel like if you have telekinesis, technically you could also have flight.->Telekinesis]]UNFINISHEDOH that's true ! Metamorphosis is so cool.
Especially as someone that would love to get a couple of errr things out of their body and maybe some less human caracteristics...
[[Like a trans person ? The body thing I mean.->Trans]]
[[Horns and stuff ? Hell yeah.->Creature]]UNFINISHEDUNFINISHEDYeah, also in a trans way.
But I mean I wouldn't mind some wings either.
[[With wings, you get flight and metamorphosis. Flight is the weakest super power because you can literally have it with a bunch of other superpowers.->Superpowers]]
[[I mean, I guess that's better than the surgery.->Surgery]]
[[So like a top or bottom trans way.->Intrusive]]Can you image how people would be treating you if you had massive claws.
Retail work would be a different experience.
[[Doesn't have to be retail, and it can also just be for fun !->Fun]]I mean yeah, obviously, but it would be also good to keep you safe you know.
I guess it makes more sense to me as an AFAB, the sense of safety.
[[Who told you I wasn't also AFAB ? -> AFAB]]
[[What so men can't feel unsafe too ? -> Le men]]Aight then you get the whole being scary to scare off then.
[[I mean yeah, but also I don't think it's the main appeal. You could do the same with fire powers. Or stone or whatever.->Appeal]]
[[Definitely. Not sure you can beat up a client in retail though.->Retail]]
[[I mean I didn't SAY I was either.->AMAB]]Dude. I get your point but also don't do the super defensive guy thing, please.
(after: 3s)[That dude is gender neutral by the way.]
(after: 5s)[Same as "guy".]
(after: 7s)[I'm not saying that like, only guys are saying that.]
(after: 8s)[Guys as in not gender neutral this time.]
[[Oh so now there's a "super defensive guy thing" the moment I don't agree ?->Tantrum]]
[[I'm not ! Sorry I reacted a bit strongly, it's just a really shit stereotypes pushed on men all the time.->Stereotypes]]I guess that's true. Can't have a really cool tail with fire powers though.
[[Now you get it. It's about being human but not looking like it I think.->Appearance]]
[[Rejecting the humanity ! Monsters ! Let's go !!! ->Monsters]]
[[Oh I was thinking more along the lines of... err...... I mean................... you know......................->Sex]]I feel like if they're annoying enough you should be allowed to.
A little sign that says "I can fight you, be careful" and the claws would go a long way.
[[Even just the sign would make people back off. They just like having power over someone. If that power is stripped away...->Retail 2]]Ah, sorry.
I meant like how women often feel unsafe at night in the streets or in situations where there are alone and easy to overpower, like in retail, where "the client is king" or whatever.
[[Oh yeah no totally. Claw away, hell yeah.-> AFAB]]My guy.
[[We are all soooo scary and angry and rude. I'm a nice guy ! There's some shit men out there but I'm not one of them ! Why do you immediately go and assume so ? I bet you're one of those "a wild animal ready to tear me apart is better than just some guy" girl feminists uh ?->Tantrum 2]]
[[Am I going too far ?->The start]]Like the men can't cry one ?
[[Exactly. Men should be allowed to cry or get upset when things are unfair, without being labelled as violent, just like women should be allowed to do the same without being labelled as hysterical. Gender roles are truly negative for both genders.->Calm]]Good fucking lord.
[[I can't even talk anymore ? Should I just bow down to your majesties and be ridiculed and insulted ? I'm not going to let that happen ! I'm going to fight for the rights of men.->Tantrum 3]]Are you even hearing yourself.
[[Women weren't meant to tell us what to do or how to act ! Men are independant, we don't need you ! A woman should stay quiet and be demure, and bare children and cook well. Why else would there be women in the world ? You were literally created to make children. That's your primary function. We give you what you need, and you make them. We literally provide and you make. That's how it's always been since the dawn of time, I don't know why we suddenly have to go against our nature ? I mean, do you REALLY mind being taken care of by a man that brings home money for your fancy girl dates and make up ? Do you really mind having someone strong to protect you against intruders ? I don't think so ! You get to stay home and rest and enjoy life and do a little bit of cooking and cleaning while we, men, provide and do everything else ! You keep complaining when you have the PERFECT life and->Tantrum 4]]Ooookay and we're done here. Get out <3
[["I am a good boy and I treat women correctly. They are queens that deserve the world and I am a crappy little man child that has not grown past the age of three. I will now go out and touch grass and compliment women without being creepy. Goodbye."->The start]]Men are often pushed into a specific role and way to behave and look, just like women.
[[Yes. Obviously there are some that are the same for both men and women (I'm thinking about fatphobia), but there's also some things that are specific to men. Like being strong, muscular, smart but not too much, assertive but not too much. I'm not talking in like, attractiveness level, but as in what image is pushed onto us by media and these kind of things. And in this case, it's like, the fact that we have to feel safe alone.->Calm 2]]Right, yeah no, I get you.
My bad, I guess I should have worded it differently, I was just thinking of the sexual assault or aggressions in the street late at night, that are more often that not targetted more at women, which is why I said that.
[[That's valid ! These things should definitely be talked about and solved in their own way, by educating people better or making some massive change in our society. I admit I also reacted a bit too strongly and poorly as well. I am glad we were able to work this out.->Calm 3]]Yeah, me too !
Communicating in a calm and respectful manner really does go a long way, doesn't it.
Thanks for the clarification, would you like to go back to the story ?
[[Yes please !->The start]]Yeah that makes sense actually.
[[Let's all fight creepy, annoying, rude customers.->Retail 3]](visited: "Calm 3") [It's a date !
See you tomorrow ;)]
(else:)[We do like fighting them]
[[Ha, yeah !->The start]]YEAAAAAAAH !!!!
[[WOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO !!!!!!!!!!!!!->Monsters 2]]Changing the way we percieve a human body, or even conscience and what is humanity, a person, in itself then.
More of a philosophical route I suppose.
[[Exactly.]]
[[What, no.]]Oh. Kinky.
[[Time to get out of here-->The start]]Alright you can go, just assume you have a tail now.
[[This was worth it. For the tail. ->The start]]If you can truly shapeshift into anything, it gives way to a really interesting debate of what a person is, or the worth of a living creature.
If you shift into a dog, are you still a person ?
Into a robot, are you the first true artificial ''intelligence'' ?
Or simply a cyborg ?
But if you shifted your entire brain into wires and processors, that there's not a single organic part to you.
What are you. Who is you. What makes a person, a person.
[[That would raise a lot of questions ->Exactly 2]]Ah.
(after: 3s)[uhm.]
(after: 5s)[well.........]
(after: 7s)[That's..... awkward.........]
(after: 10s)[[[I'm just gonna go->The start]]]Really interesting ones, too !
I like your approach.
[[Thank you !]]Alright, go off and find some other cool paths !
See you !
[[See you too ! ->The start]]UNFINSHEDUNFINISHEDYou can't ask that white baby.
Off you go.
[[I THOUGHT WE HAD SOMETHING !->Insistance]]
[[Uah my bad, sorry.->Apologies]]
[[No but like, it's a different surgery, also is it like a penis or a p-->The start]]I've known you for like 5 minutes tops. Maybe a bit more if you tried other paths.
(visited: "Thank you !")[Maybe 10 minutes.]
(visited: "Monsters 2")[Congrats on the tail by the way.]
(visited: "Tantrum 4")[And also you're a little whiny baby man that's stuck into his own ass so yeah.]
(visited: "Calm 3")(visited: "Retail 3")[And I gUESS we're going on a date tomorrow... Shit maybe we do have something.
[[I TOLD YOU !]]]
[[NOOOOOOO-->The start]]Thanks for apologizing.
Do you understand why you messed up though ?
[[Ugh, yeah....->yes]]
[[Um... not really. I just don't want you to be mad or upset you or anything. ->no]]How about I tell you on the date then ? Seems more private than this very public thing that everyone can see, right ?
[[I guess...]]
[[I need to know NOW, it will change whether I go on that date or not.->Bitch]]I'm glad you understand that asking and divulging this kind of very private informations is incredibly rude and potentially dangerous, especially without my prior agreement and knowledge.
Anyway see you tomorrow, I hope you'll be able to reflect on that !
(visited: "Calm 3")[Like you reflected on the brutal question of "what about men" earlier.
[[Yeah, my bad...]]]
[[Ugh, whatever...->The start]]
Then there's no date <3 Bye.
[[WAIT NO-->The start]]Communication for the win !
Hope you can reflect better on these kind of things however.
[[I'm working on that.]]
[[Hey ! I'm trying my best !]]I'm happy to hear it !
See you later :)!
[[See you !->The start]]Then try harder.
[[That's just rude. What if ''I'' don't want to go to that stupid date anymore ?->Not coming]]Just don't show up. Worst case scenario I'm going to like, the movies or have a nice dinner on my own.
I'd rather do that than be with someone that's forcing themselves.
[[Maybe I won't.]]
[[Sigh. Yeah, ok. This is going badly, sorry.]]Then don't.
[[Mnf->The start]]Well I mean at least we're not actually on the date right now !
It's fine I can look past this if it's not ALL the time.
See you then !
[[See you !->The start]]Well, thanks for that, but it's important that you understand.
Basically, it's impolite to ask about what's in between people's legs. You don't talk about it with cis (non-trans) people unless you're close to them and/or they initiate the conversation and/or you have a good reason to.
Same thing with trans people ! I know it's different, and not very talked about in cis communities so it feels very new and you're curious, but this isn't the way to go about it.
It's just basic respect !
Do you understand ?
[[I think so.->yeahs]]
[[I'm not sure I understood what 'cis' is ?->Cis]]
[[No. It's weird, I should be able to ask about it. How else am I going to know ?->Odd]]UNFINISHEDGreat !
If you want to know more about trans identities and what they go through, you can ask in a respectful manner, such as :
"Hello, I am sorry to bother you but I know you are publicly a trans person and I am very misinformed on the subject. Would it be okay for me asking questions or for you to explain what you're comfortable with ?"
I would say go look it up on the internet but unfortunately that's a shithole.UNFINISHEDUNFINISHEDI wonder why.
[[...->2]]Is it because you're distracted ?
[[...->3]]Did you leave the game running while you were doing something else ?
[[...->4]]I wonder if this is your first playthrough.
[[...->5]]
(visited: "Calm 3")(visited: "Retail 3")[Obviously not, since we're going on a date.
[[...->8]]]
(visited: "Tantrum 4")[I kinda of wish it was, since you're an asshole.
[[...->8]]]
(visited: "Monsters 2")[I like the tail by the way.
[[...->8]]]If the first path you find, is this.
[[...->6]]If it is, you must think this game is terrible. It's not even a game, you're just reading a novel and clicking "..." to get to the next page.
Let me give you an option.
[[I agree, it's boring. I don't even know why I tried this.->The start]]
[[...->7]]Well, then I'll keep talking.
[[...->8]]I wonder if this is your last playthrough.
[[...->9]]If you just want to find everything.
[[...->10]]Or if you found the answer on the internet, somehow, somewhere, and wanted to fully complete it.
[[...->11]]You know, I don't even know if you can call this a game.
I'm mostly just talking to myself, letting my thoughts flow. I barely have a plan, just reusing concepts I thought were funny in other paths to give options, because I can.
[[...->12]]There's not real storyline or ending. Just thoughts that start and end, that you're entertaining by clicking on a button.
[[...->13]]
(after: 5s)[I wonder if it's fun. I wonder if you like it. I wonder if this will end in the void, like the first one.
[[...?->12a]]]I wonder if I'll forget who I used to be when I did this, in 2 years. Maybe more.
I wonder if it's me, reading this. Maybe no one ever found it because no one ever looked.
Who else would be interested in my thoughts, but myself, chasing desperately behind the memories I lost, the person I used to be, gone with the wim of time and the destructive hole of fire and pain that should help me remember.
If this is me, hello.
I miss you.
[[...->12b]]I guess there is a theme. At least there's that.
[[What theme ?->13a]]
[[...->13b]]I hope you're happy.
I hope the world is still spinning.
I hope Dad is still kicking.
I hope you're okay.
I hope you didn't forget me.
(after: 3s)[You probably did. I know I forgot the me from before.]
(after: 7s)[I forgive you.]
(after: 8s)[I hope you can forgive yourself.
[[...->12c]]]I hope you don't miss the days you used to be alive.Woah there, look who's talking !
So you're NOT just an auto-clicker.
I've been wondering.
If I were to guess, I'd say the theme is memory. And the loss of it.
[[...->14]]How I lose my memories, slipping through my fingers, even as I beg it to stay.
[[...->14]]I started this sequel to the previous game, because I looked at it again, and I saw how much time and effort I put in it.
I saw all the paths and how I played with the features and spent hours on it.
I saw it.
But I had no recollection of it. None at all.
[[...->15]]I read through it, and I saw glimpses of who I used to be.
I cringed at some part, smiled at others.
I even got really invested in a path I knew I must have had a lot of fun with.
I thought it was kind of lame how I tried to go "meta" and stuff.
I guess, now that I'm making this, I wasn't.
I was just making.
[[...->16]]So, I started this one.
I wanted to have fun too, to learn to use a program I spent hours on several years ago.
I didn't mean to start thinking about what it meant.
But it's hard not to.
[[...->17]]I'm often scared to forget, but I brush it off.
"Bah, I won't forget that ! It's too important !"
I guess I will.
[[...->18]]Mom told me, once, that all the medicine and help we give to people who are losing their memories, are really just for those that remember.
I told her that it's scary to forget, that you don't want to. I don't think she understood I spoke from experience.
She said that once you forget everything, you're at peace. You won't know what you lost.
She thought of the end. But all I could think about was the way to it.
[[...->19]]There's a lot of paths, in this game, or this novel, or this memoire, or whatever you want to call it.
And there's a lot of them that fall back on this theme.
[[...->20]]It's not intentional, but I suppose nothing really is.
It's just making.
(after: 10s)[Actually calling it a memoire is hilarious. You know cause mémoire in french is memories, but as in, like where you store the memories ? That's hysterical. This is a memoire now.
[[...->The start]]]It takes like 10 minutes to learn.
Worth it.
I do have to say the tutorials on youtube are errrr dated.
Most of the things I'm using in this I had to dig up from the first game.
[[First game ?->Again ?]]It can be about anything. Maybe I can just make you read some short stories I wrote and no one has read yet.
[[Sure !]]
[[How about something else ?]]Alright. Pick one then !
[[Princess.]]
[[Short agender poem]]
[[That's it ? I want more !]]
[[Alright, I'm done reading for now.->The start]]
[[Endings.]]If you want to read a lot of great stories, I recommend supporting your local library !
Get a membership card, and you'll have access to all the stories you may want and more !
Enjoy :) !
[[Uh-->The start]]It's the story of a princess.
Because of course it is.
Every story has to be about royalty, doesn't it ? Or a poor person that becomes rich. You know why ?
It helps reinforce the idea that you can be the Chosen One
the one that gets money and is able to idk live in this society
Stories like these, they help capitalism. Even when it's a princess running away, it's just about a privileged child being able to do that !
And it sucks, both sides of it
and somehow we always want to be the princess and not the poor lad
But this story
this story is different
as all stories are
This is about a princess
That isn't rich. She doesn't have a pretty castle and pretty clothes.
No well kept hair and pretty makeup.
No big rooms or royal parents
Because this princess, is the princess of the woods
She isn't rich, but she can smell better than anyone
She doesn't have a house nor clothes, but she can touch and feel the change of the air as the night falls over her trees
Her hair is a mess, and makeup is foreign and strange.
Her rooms are the space between the trees, and her parents the animals.
We would call her wild
she would call herself free.
She can't speak, only grumbles and groan.
We would call that feral. She calls that communication
People of the Rest, they don't understand.
You would imagine, this story is about a boy that is able to understand her, to ultimately bring her back to 'civilisation', like he's saving her from an horrible fate.
Or perhaps, you might think this is about ecology. Evil men cutting down trees, and she'll stop them before it's too late, even if thousands of trees have been lost.
But no. This is about a princess. And that's all it will be.
About her life.
About her joys and her sadness. About her jumps and sprints in the forest as she laughs, a sound she makes naturally out of pure happiness.
About how she climbed the biggest tree of the forest when she was 4, and she know wants to climb as many as possible in a day.
About how she loves the thrill of the hunt and the taste of raw meat.
About how she likes sharing a river with an animal.
This princess doesn't have a name, because she never needed one. She's just the princess.
You wouldn't see a rabbit calling another James, now would you ? Why would it be different for her ?
The princess it is then.
The princess strolled around the woods
Happily picking up fruits and throwing them in her mouth, without a care in the world.
The animals that could eat her weren't fast enough, and the ones that she could eat, slow enough. She had no worries to have.
She never needed to survey her surroundings, in fear of something. Her senses were sharp and her legs strong.
Truly all you need to survive in there.
The day was ending, and Princess decided to climb her favourite tree.
It had a hole in the leaves, right above the most comfortable branch you could find.
She loves to chill there until she fell asleep, watching the sunset and looking up to the stars.
Sometimes, a squirrel or two would join her. They lived in that tree, she thinks.
They were always the same ones, and weren't afraid of her. They knew she wouldn't eat them. Too small.
And anyway, she enjoyed their company as all three of them stared at the beautiful void above them.
Princess liked to play with the animals that could eat her.
Sure, she could mess up and end up dead, but it didn't scare her. It's just how it goes. And if she got eaten, at least that animal would get another day.
Sometimes, she plays with them when they're both okay with it. Everyone with a full belly, just wanting some down time.
And sometimes, she wants to play when they're hunting her.
Trying to sink their sharp teeth into her skin.
Maybe they got her, once or twice.
She had gigantic scars to remember that by. It had hurt. But it was fine. She wasn't bloody on the ground yet.
One of her favourite animal that could eat her to pester was a young wolf
They had a short coat, lighter around their collar. They were young, but not a pup. Deadly, and dangerous.
It was fun to stop in a chase and let it roll over as they tried to come to a stop.
Or when they lunge on her and she just had so side step for them to hit a tree.
When she was done playing, she climbed a tree and tempted them a bit with her leg, giggling.
How much fun there was to have in her beautiful forest.
[[Is the other story about forgetting as long as this ?->Loong]]
[[I liked it, I want to read the other stories now.->Sure !]]
[[Do you have more Princess stories ?->Princess.2]]It's not, here you go, go read it.
[[Wait, no-->Why else am I here.]]A wolf looked like a wolf.
A bear looked like a bear.
And a Princess looked like a Princess.
It had always been that way.
Wherever she goes in her forest, even if it's far from her territory, wolves act and look like wolves.
They're not the same, she does not know them, but she knows how they would howl, how they would hunt, how they would kill.
Because a wolf stayed a wolf.
Princess was in her favorite tree, with her squirrel friends, gazing at the setting stun, when she heard the bushes rustle. Always curious, she leaned in.
A frightened dear jumped out of there, and Princess only granted it a quick look, immediately looking back at where it came from, eager to see the predator rush out after it.
Yet, nothing came.
Deers tended to be easy to scare, so she brushed it off and went back to her gazing.
Or at least she would have if it had not be for the deafening sound that shook her forest.
Birds flew out from the branches they were resting on, her squirrel friends scampering away to hide in a hole, mice and rabbit exchanging scared looks.
Princess was gripping her tree branch with her claws, eyes wide and teeth bared.
The sky was not mad today, and it did not cry on them.
She looked around, trying to spot what made that terrible sound.
And her eyes landed on the deer that she saw pass through.
Laying on grass dyeing itself red.
Yet, she saw no claw marks or bites, nor was there any creature enjoying it's meal.
Still feeling on edge after the roar, Princess leaped from tree to tree until she reached the spot the deer was on.
It's ragged breaths echoed in the silence of the forest. And yet, Princess still failed to see what hurt it.
Predators sometimes didn't hurt their prey enough to kill them immediately, but it always died pretty quickly once the teeth sunk into it's skin and drank it's blood.
An animal never let another animal suffer for nothing. Usually by eating it.
The sun's light was receding and the deer was still laying there, untouched, dying, and in pain.
Princess watched. And waited.
To see the predator that kill without a wound finally appear from the bushes, and end the deer's life.
Princess is used to violence. She's used to the blood and the flesh and the smell of decompositing bodies. She's used to killing, and she's used to pain.
She is used to violence being given for a reason. To eat, to protect, to survive.
This violence was senseless. It was long, it was painful, and it served no one. She didn't understand.
When the forest turned dark and the trees blended in the shadows, Princess finally felt safe enough to climb down the tree and approach the agonizing deer.
It's quick breaths had been replaced by weak whines. Princess sniffed and smelled the blood she saw taint the ground earlier, and yet she still saw no wound.
Her paw ran over the deer's body, waiting for the warm liquid to hit her hand. Yet, it was not liquid she found, but a hole. When she touched it, the deer jerked weakly and whined in pain.
She had found the wound.
But it was like nothing she had ever seen.
Ignoring the deer's weak protest, she explored the hole piercing the deer in it's shoulder. It was deep, too deep to reach the bottom. It was bloody inside, of course, but the outside was almost clean.
There were no marks, just a hole.
Princess noticed the deer was quiet. She pushed it's head and it lolled back and forth limply.
She set to turn the cadaver over.
On the other side, the hole was different. Like she thought, it had gone through the entire body, but on this side, the hole was messy. Bloody, having ripped skin and fur, bits holding on near the hole.
The wound looked like it had been gushing blood moment prior, and judging by her muddy back paws, it probably had.
She still didn't know what predator killed the deer, but she wouldn't pass up on a good meal. This thought in mind, she sunk her teeth in the meat.
Then, the sun passed through the trees.
Startled, Princess dropped the meat that she had started to chew and ran up the tree again.
The sun passed back and forth in between the trees, like some creature held sunlight in it's teeth. She heard noises she had never heard before, like a growl but not from an animal she knew.
Her heart pounding, she leaned farther into the shadows, making sure she had a good view of the cadaver.
After killing without a wound, the predator could control the sun.
And it was searching.
Princess was intrigued and scared, but she was also reassured. The violence wasn't as senseless as she had thought, even if the deer had been left here for a long time.
The sun was getting stronger, the growl louder. She sunk into the darkness, but peaked out curiously to the ground all the same. She was curious, that's just who Princess was.
The sun flashed quickly towards her tree and she recoiled slightly. Then just as quickly it fell down on the corpse and the creature made a sound similar to her laugh.
She leaned in again, and two skinny bears standing on their back legs were around the deer. With the sun still in their hands, she struggled to make out much else. They grumbled and growled a bit to one another, in a way that was like nothing she had heard before.
Hisses, groans, whines that fired out one after the other. The creatures walked around the cadaver, and one of them got low to touch the bite mark she left there.
As her eyes were getting used to the light and shadows of the place, she noticed the creatures were covered in big leaves, with shapes and forms she had never seen in a tree. On their front legs, torso, back legs, one even on their head, they had giant leaves everywhere.
More than that, she noticed that their front paws looked a lot like hers.
And no one in the forest had front paws like hers.
The Look-Alikes were circling the deer, but neither were sinking their teeth in it's still warm flesh. Princess was confused, the deer was dead and the food was there. What were they waiting for ?
She heard one of the wolves howl in the distance and didn't even twitch, but the Look-Alikes on the ground jumped on their back legs again, and pointed their sticks and the sun to the forest.
It was normal to be scared of a pack of predators, and she expected them to either take the meat with them or eat quickly and leave.
But what they did next will forever be engraved in her mind.
The one that was already low bended over the head of the deer, and seemed to be playing with it's head a little, until she heard a crack, and a flesh noise, like they had teared out a bone. The Look-Alike raised the thing to the sun, and Princess saw it was one of the deer's teeth.
Something you can't eat. Something you can't do anything with.
Then, the same Look-Alike grabbed a strange stick, and attacked the deer's head branches.
Princess watched as they took from the corpse for the sake of taking, and left the meat and the food behind, leaving with the tooth, the head woods and the sun.
She didn't understand. Why. Why take a life and from it's body steal only what is useless.
These creatures looked like her, but they were nothing like her. They were loud in their steps, clumsy, cruel, and beyond understanding.
She did not care for their big leaves or for how they took the sun.
She did not care for their roars and their strange wounds.
She cared for her forest, and for it's balance.
And they did not.
[[I like these stories. Do you have more ?->Princess.3]]
[[Thanks ! I'd like to read the others now->Sure !]]I have one that's unfinished, but besides that, no.
I can tell you I have one discord friend that really likes Princess however.
[[Oh, that's a shame... Thanks anyway !->Sure !]]
[[I don't mind reading it even if it's unfinished.->Princess.4]]Princess didn't always crave meat.
She often craved the hunt that came with it, the thrill of the chase and the satisfaction of the reward.
But sometimes, she wanted something else.
At first, it was hard to understand.
Most of the animals she knew, that's all they ate.
But then, there were the squirrels. Bugs were on the tables, sure, but so were other things, like nuts.
Princess wasn't stupid, and wasn't about to eat something that could kill her.
She had seen small ones eat some leaves and fall, never to get back up again. She knew the danger of the leaves were as important as the danger of the teeth.
So, Princess did what she always did. She observed. Learned. Tested.
She picked apart the animals that ate leaves and the animals that ate flesh.
She followed them, observed which plant they would frown upon and which one they would eagerly take.
She observed their reaction as they ate, or as they protected their youngs from the green.
The tests didn't go that well at first
Not that she wasn't patient enough, but sometimes, she would simply miss a few steps.
She learned the hard way, that nuts are supposed to be cracked open first.
But she tested, and grew, and her cravings for other things slowly got quieter, a slow buzzing in the back of her mind, next to the meat.
There was a point in her life, where Princess came across the strangest battle.
A bear was wiggling, trying but failing to strike and hurt another bear, that was on top of them. Usually in these situations, both bears are facing each other, exchanging vicious blows, coming out of the fight either disfigured or dead.
But, this time, one of the bear was face first on the ground, while the other climbed on it's back.
Princess was confused : what kind of fight could this be ?
And like everytime Princess is confused, she decided to stay to observe, and learn.
Understand the behavior and the possible danger that could come from it.
Hidden in a tree, careful so the bears wouldn't spot her (as it is known bears are quite agile when it comes to climbing trees), Princess watched.
It wasn't exactly the most interesting thing.
In fact, barely anything was happening.
''UNFINISHED''
[[Um...->Weirdthing]]
[[Thanks for sharing !->Sure !]]What ?
[[Is this fight... more of an.... adult fight ?]]Princess is learning things, understanding how it works.
The idea I had for the end of this story, is that she was going to see the act and be thoroughly confused at what happened. Since she doesn't understand something, she was going to observe other bears, then other species doing the same "fight". After a while, she'd link the "fights" with the appearances of cubs and eggs, and understand the cycle of life, and where babies come from, basically.
All naturally, from her own curiosity and observing and learning.
I like the idea of sex not being taboo and a vile thing, and just being part of life. Maybe she'd even later on see two animals of the same sex "fighting" and being confused when no eggs or cubs appears.
Animals can just have fun, too.
[[Oh, I understand better, thank you for explaining !->Sure !]]
[[This still seems incredibly inappropriate.->Weirdthing2]]It's nature. It's life.
It's existence.
It's how you, me, us, came to be.
It's not vile or evil or horrible.
It just is.
If you want to see it in this light, it's like a really thorough biology class.
[[This still makes me uncomfortable.->Weirdthing3]]I'm sorry it did.
You have other stories to read if you wish to.
[[...thanks->Sure !]]Sometimes we are a woman.
Sometimes we are a man.
Sometimes we are a woman that is a man. Or a man that is a woman.
Sometimes we are both.
Sometimes we are everything.
Sometimes we are nothing.
Sometimes we are nothing with a sprinkle of everything.
Sometimes we are everything and also a woman.
Sometimes we are a unicorn.
Sometimes we are nothing and everything, with a quarter of man and a half of a woman, and some unicorn sprinkled on top.
All the time, we are.
And sometimes, we don't care what.
[[Thanks ! I'd like to read some of the other stories now.->Sure !]]You can get more stories by unlocking more paths.
[[Darn it !->Sure !]]''WARNING :'' This game is better played without using the side arrows. Only click on the player buttons for the best experience.
[[Go back->Sure !]]
(visited: "20")[[[The Secret Ending]]](else:)[???]
(visited: "Monsters 2")[[[The Tail]]](else:)[???]
(visited: "Retail 3")[[[The Plan for the Date]]](else:)[???]
(visited:"Weirdthing3")[[[The Date]]](else:)[???]
(visited: "What, no.")[[[The Awkwardness]]](else:)[???]
(visited: "Tantrum")[[[The Asshole]]](else:)[???]
(visited: "I'm glad you do !")[[[The Understanding]]](else:)[???]
(visited: "Do rich people manage their expectations too ?")[[[Eat the Rich]]](else:)[???]Don't you wish you could remember the shows you used to love as a kid. The friends you made when you were younger, the adults you looked up to, the toys you loved, the tile you used to prefer.
[[I mean, sure, but forgetting is an integral part of life. What would it mean to NOT forget ? ->not forget]]It's still worth thinking about.
[[Is it ? It's just the way it is.->But it is how memory works.]]I would say it might get overwhelming. To remember everything, from birth to death. But if our brains can handle it, wouldn't it be great.
[[You are yearning for something you don't have.->Yearning]]
[[I don't think you could handle it ? Forgetting is important.->Important]]Who doesn't ?
If we have all that we yearn for, then we're comfortable and happy.
[[Can you ever have all that you yearn for ?]]What do you mean ?
[[If you remember everything, every details of every little thing, how can the best moments be contrasted, if they're as clear as a blade of grass ?->Contrast]]
[[It's important to allow yourself to forget. To make thing from the past feel farther away, to be in the present, and heading to the future.->Future]]You'll remember the worst moments just as clearly.
Wouldn't you want to dance through your mind as if it was a movie ?
For everything to be noticed, for every information to be at your fingertips, by simply closing your eyes.
You'd remember a letter you wrote when you were 5. Wouldn't we be much more instructed, learning from mistakes we can remember ?
Good lord, school would be a breeze.
[[I do appreciate the school part.->School]]
[[I'm not sure I'd like to remember the worst moments clearly.]]I... guess that makes a lot of sense.
But forgetting ''too'' much... it can't be good for the future either.
[[No, but remembering everything isn't the solution.->Solution]]Then what is it ?
[[The middle. What we have. The strongest moments of the past, forging the path for the future. For the new things, or the old things to rediscover.->rediscover]]Right.
What you have.
[[...yeah]]Yeah...
[[...->The start]]School is really built in a really odd way, as of today, I think.
Stepping away from the whole memory thing real quick, but it should definitely be reformed.
[[Oh, yeah no definitely.]]I mean, you already do.
The worst moments of your life usually impact you the most, and you remember them pretty well, right ?
[[Well, yeah ! But not EVERY DETAILS of EVERY SECOND. I'd rather it fades away.->Fading]]Even if it means letting the good ones go, too ?
[[Everything has to move. We can stay stuck in place. Things move, time, memories, hopes and dreams. We can't pin it down. And if we could, maybe we shouldn't.->pin on it]]It's easy to say, when you can remember the good.
Or even some little things.
[[Yet you still live.]]
[[I'm sorry.]]With more difficulty than others, having to constantly fight myself to do things I should know, I should remember, I should be able to do.
[[We all have difficulties, and ways around it. We all have one life, and body, as flawed as it might be. You don't have to rely on a faulty memory, even if you're told to.->relying]]I...
(after: 3s)[No, I'm sorry. It isn't right for me to shut you down because I'm bitter.]
(after: 5s)[I shouldn't have done that.
[[Oh, uh. Thanks ?->Contrast]]Geez, thanks.
That's pretty idealistic. I do have ways around it, I do try, but it's easier to put alarms for dishes, or post-its for which ep I stopped at, than a reminder on how to move my body a certain way, how to perform an action, how to speak...
[[Ah.]]Yeah.
Memory loss isn't only limited to "oops I lost my socks". Sometimes it means I knew how to operate a washing machine, I did it a bunch, and now I don't.
Or that I once spent hours on a game program, that I know have to relearn from scratch.
[[That sounds pretty common.]]
[[Mh. Sorry.->The start]]Right.
Then isn't it messed up.
[[Oh back on that again then.]]Well, sorry, it looked like you might have gotten my point.
[[It's just how life works ! Just deal with it !]]
[[I mean, I see it yeah. But...]]It's a funny sentence "deal with it". It does go hand in hand with "that's just how it is" or "that's how the world works", pretty well, right ?
[[Yeah, well it is.]]But what ?
[[But it is how memory works.]]Do you hide behind those sayings often ?
"That's how it is, so let's not try to change it."
"That's how the world work, so I can be shitty to toughen them up."
"Deal with it, 'cause that's not my problem, and if it is I don't want to think about it."
[[What ?? So what was I suppose to say ???? Go find a cool rock in the mountain that will retain your fucking muscle memory for you ?]]Forget it.
[[...->The start]]I'm not asking you to study biology and reconstruct the human body from scratch and erase all its flaws. I'm asking you to think about what it means, to lose memories.
To forget.
Asking you to think about what it's like to remember everything or to forget everything.
I'm just asking you to think about it.
That's it.
[[Right.]]That it's kind of odd, when you think about it. Everyone forgets.
It's not deemed as scary as death, when it kind of is, in a way.
There are many quotes by many different people about the second death. Or third death like David Eagleman said.
The death of being forgotten.
Of slipping out of the mind of people, until nobody cared nor remembered your name.
You probably forgot people, too.
And did all the other thing you forget, not killed by your mind as well ?
[[You act as if people don't talk about it, or don't think about it often. Memories and being forgotten is talked about a lot.]]There are a lot when it's linked to death, yeah. Death is, after all, a really important subject of life.
It gives it it's meaning.
Do the loss of memories bring a meaning to them, the way death does to life ?
Do they feel just that much more precious, when you can keep them ?
[[If you remembered everything, it wouldn't feel as important.]]
[[But how can you remember something you forgot ?]]There wouldn't be anything clearer than the others.
I guess we go back to the contrast. I think I understand what you meant better now.
[[I'm glad you do !]]You may not be able to remember it, but you can more often than not, feel its loss.
The feeling that something should be here, but isn't.
[[I'm guessing you feel that a lot.]]Ohhhhh yeah.
All the time. For everything.
(after: 5s)[You better not tell me it's normal and everyone feels this way because I swear to god-
[[I wasn't going to !]]]HA !
Anyway, I am giving you a pretty limited range of options here, so it probably doesn't reflect what you actually feel or think.
But I hope it offered some perspective you might not have had before.
[[Maybe it has.->The start]]
[[Ehhhhhhhhhhhhhh.........->The start]]Thanks for taking the time to explain.
[[Anytime !->The start]]I think you can, if you manage your expectations.
If you get a bit realistic, if you yearn for simpler things.
[[Right, so you can't. Just stiffling yourself then.]]
[[Do rich people manage their expectations too ?]]
[[Perhaps you can.]]Everyone yearns for big and grand things. For being the best, the most. But if you constantly just want to be more and more you'll never be satisfied. You'll get anxious, stressed, overworked, trying to reach something impossible.
You'll never be happy with what you have, always striving for what you can't.
[[Like you and having more memory storage ?]]
[[So we can't have ambition ?]]No, and they're all sad and miserable and pathetic.
They want more and more until they explode.
I'd say let them explode.
[[YEAAAH !->The start]]Yearning for some wind in your hair.
For a taste of your favourite food.
For rain on your skin.
For the rustle of leaves in a forest.
The twirl of a bird in the sky.
The smile of a friend.
The path of your feet as you dance alone in the night.
You have to yearn for small things, too.
You can't only let the big things matter.
[[Yearning for life.]]BAHAHAHA- I'll have you know I'm no robot, but that's funny, I'll give you that.
But yeah. I wish for it.
I'd yearn for it, if I didn't know how impossible it truly is.
So, I try to navigate it instead.
[[Probably the healthier way.]]You can, but set a bar to it. A moment where you'll keep going if you have an opportunity, but it's not your reason to live. It's not necessary.
A certain point in your ambition where you're happy and well.
Else, you'll be consummed by it.
[[That makes sense.->The start]]Yeah, I think so too.
[[Good for you.->The start]]It's a pretty way to see it.
Yeah, yearning for life.
[[I like that.->The start]]