Kai's Story

as usual, you’re the last to get off the train and almost miss your stop. you step off, feeling a bit nauseous still from the ride over. your classmates and teachers are already walking quickly through the crowd of other people who’ve come to visit the ruins of the last juvenile detention center in the city. [[catch up | CatchUp ]]

you try your best to move quickly, staring at the ground as you go so you don’t barf. *crunch crunch crunch* you love the sound of leaves flattening under your boots as you walk. sometimes you can get a bit… overly concerned with stepping on all of the leaves equally, but today you try your best to-- [[ oops | -- ]]

you bump into tempest. Of course. [[sorry! | Sorry ]] [[pretend it didn't happen | PretendItDidntHappen ]]

she turns around and stares at you. your eyes widen. tempest smiles, and suddenly you can’t remember what to do with your hands. you gape up at her. “huh?” “oh, uh, nothing. i’m just tired.” embarrassing. she laughs warmly and walks off to go talk to one of her friends. [[look left | LookLeft]] [[look right | LookRight ]]

tempest continues walking and stops several feet in front of you. guess she didn’t notice. your classmates circle up around your teacher, you continue to move around the outside of the circle. [[look right | LookRight ]] [[look left -> LookLeft]]

you turn to your left and see pictograms projected on a hill, along with a bunch of preserved artifacts from the capitalist era. [[examine | Examine ]] [[look right -> LookRight ]]

you turn to your right and can’t help but notice tempest again. she’s wearing a bright yellow coat that melds perfectly with the autumn leaves surrounding the playfield. suddenly, the sun comes out from behind a cloud, and for a moment it appears that she is <mark> [[glowing|glowing]] </mark>.

the hologram reads “play for your ancestors who couldn’t.” next to it is a large blown up image of a police station burning. a plaque below it reads “minneapolis: uprising, 2020 C.E.” your classmates gaze up at it and take notes. what do you think about this? in your notebook on page 11, draw or write the biggest spiral you can. [[done| LookRight ]]

you swivel around and lock eyes with your teacher, sol, who’s not too happy that you weren’t paying attention. he pauses while some of your classmates back up to make room in the circle for you. [[join the group | JoinTheGroup]]

SOL: “ok now that we’re all together, let’s get started. the place where we are now used to be called a "juvie." many of our ancestors were trapped here, before the great melting. --- when we first unearthed this place, we didn’t understand many of the strange artifacts we found here, but now we’ve started to make sense of what our ancestors suffered and how many fought back and became abolitionists. wildtenders have worked very hard to heal the earth here and have turned it into a playfield where we can practice for our ceremonies. and that’s where we get its name: abolition playfield! [[... |solIntro1]]

you stare down at the ground at the leaves near your feet. you hate talking in front of groups. you’re feeling a bit too shy to share right now. out of the corner of your eye, you can see tempest’s hand rocket up. as usual. [[turn and listen | Listen]]

you sit down on the forest floor and put your hand on your heart. it’s slamming itself against your ribcage like you just ran for miles. you breathe deeply and slowly in and out, bringing your attention to your breath. [[breathe in for 5 beats | BreatheInFor5Beats]]

[[hold for 5 beats | HoldFor5Beats]]

[[breathe out for 5 beats | BreatheOutFor5Beats]]

[[hold for 5 beats | HoldAgainFor5Beats]]

[[continue | Continue]] [[calm down eventually | CalmDownEventually]]

[[breathe in for 5 beats | BreatheInFor5Beats]]

you finally are able to get up and look around a bit. sol is patiently standing nearby, waiting for you to get your bearings. your classmates look concerned. [[stand up | StandUp]]

you look around you and see: -a very tall tree -a picnic table with turquoise icons -a web left from a post-arachnid -some rubble from the old jail -a vertical medicine farm in the distance [[use your senses | 5SensoryItems]] [[calm down eventually -> CalmDownEventually]]

you focus in on your feelings and notice that you feel -scared -embarrassed -tired - ...slightly better [[use your senses | 5SensoryItems]] [[calm down eventually -> CalmDownEventually]]

you can hear birds chirping [[use your senses | 5SensoryItems]] [[calm down eventually -> CalmDownEventually]]

you take two deep breaths and notice the smell of the sweet grass you’re sitting on. it’s still slightly wet from morning dew leaving a damp spot on the seat of your pants. great... [[use your senses | 5SensoryItems]] [[calm down eventually -> CalmDownEventually]]

you remain seated and internally make note that you are grateful that your heart is beating slower. [[use your senses | 5SensoryItems]] [[calm down eventually -> CalmDownEventually]]

you lurch to your feet, making sure to continue with your breathing. You imagine that on your exhale, your breath is squeezing out a washcloth. sol breaks the tension. SOL: “alright everyone, let’s take a break. feel free to explore the space. it belongs to all of us.” everyone leaves as quickly as possible, whispering quietly. [[will they be talking about you? | WillTheyBeTalkingAboutYou]]

sol approaches you and holds out his hand. he taps his own shoulder. [[yes|Yes]] [[no|No]]

you nod. sol gives you a hug. you begin to feel a bit better. SOL: “well would you look at that?” a preottipus scuttles by, chomping in its wooden beak on what appears to be an ancient plastic bag of some sort. you stare after it in amazement. YOU: “normally I can’t be this close to animals” sol looks at you and smiles. SOL: “maybe this is a sign that it’s ok for that idea you have about yourself to change.” [[... | KaisRoom]]

YOU: “not right now. thank you.” sol smiles and waits for you to regain your bearing since you don't want a hug. you begin to feel a bit better. SOL: “You know, kai… navigating out of a thought spiral is a pretty hard task and must’ve required a lot of practice! you may not see it in yourself just yet, but I think that you would make a great wildtender.” [[... -> KaisRoom]]

it's evening and you're back at home. your brain is still feeling a bit fizzy from the events of the day, so you decide to run a bath. --- you love lounging in the bathtub to decompress. it’s a warm fall night, you can hear crickets and trees rustling just outside your window. sometimes you swear the bathroom is the one place you can be your truest self. you love living in a home full of people, but it’s nice to have some time alone to think. [[play music | PlayMusic]] [[pick up journal | PickUpJournal]] [[herbs | herbs]]

you reach outside of the tub and hit play on your favorite [[Dolphinsong]] track.

you pick up your journal to look back on some of the passages you made, being careful not to drop the whole thing in the tub… again. turn to pages 12-16 in your journal, and reflect on what you see there; draw some emojis in response. “am I really ready to go through with this?” [[yes | YesClose]] [[no | NoClose]] [[not sure | NotSure]]

[[close journal -> CloseJournal]]

maybe I should go back and reflect on my journal… there must be something here to guide me. [[return to journal -> PickUpJournal]]

you hear a knock at the door. [[i’m in here! | imInHere]] [[who is it? |WhoIsIt]]

you shuffle into a space filled with family portraits, lots of plants, and the smell of cedar incense. the furniture and decor is a mix from many different eras. a collage of what was left behind. mars sits facing the entrance, clearly waiting for you. [[you wanted to talk?| YouWantedToTalk]]

“it’s me, Kai. can we talk?” [[sure| sure]] [[not right now |NotRightNow]]

you can’t be serious! i would do anything to go back and decide not to do that stupid ceremony. i’m sure mama li feels the same. [[you don't know that|YOU DON’T KNOW THAT!]] [[this time will be different|THIS TIME WILL BE DIFFERENT!]]

“oh good! that’s a relief. i mean, you’re far more… sensitive… than even i was at your age and well, look what happened to me. they should really give bigger warnings about these things instead of treating it like some act of heroism.” [[but you are a hero!|ButYouAreAHero]] [[i'm not sensitive!|ImNotSensitive]]

MARS: "you don’t think that i can still feel her even when she’s not here? once you open your tattoo to someone, they’re always with you. not one single day goes by that i can’t feel her presence. i’d never forgive myself if something bad happened to you." [[... | NeverForgiveMyself]]

when i was your age, that’s exactly what i thought. and look at me now. i’d never forgive myself if something bad happened to you. [[... | NeverForgiveMyself]]

MARS: "please promise me you won’t do the ceremony. there are plenty of ways to communicate without needing these stupid tattoos. believe me. i’d burn mine off if i could." She looks so upset, you can barely look her in the eye. MARS: "you're interested in music - maybe you could be something more practical, like a music teacher instead?" [[i'll think about it | EndMarsConvo ]] [[what happens during the ceremony? | ceremonyExposition]]

that night, you fall into a deep sleep. you dream that your room slowly begins filling with water, but you can't move. as the water rises higher and higher, you finally decide to yell for help, but when you open your mouth you-- [[WAKE UP]]

MARS: “oh sure. after that beast attacked us, everybody showed up with flowers and medals. but soon the flowers died, and the medals gathered dust. and mama li is still buried out in that old ceremonial forest. we planted her near a swamp. i haven’t been able to go back since…” *she gets a bit misty eyed but sighs instead* MARS: “i know it all *looks* very cool, but remember- no level of fame can bring back the dead.” [[she’s buried in the forest? | buried]] [[whatever | Whatever]]

“i’m sorry. i didn’t meant to hurt your feelings. have you been… keeping up with your meditation practices lately?” [[don't worry about me | DontWorryAboutMe]] [[that's not fair!|ThatsNotFair]]

MARS: "thank you. i’d never forgive myself if something bad happened to you." [[... -> NeverForgiveMyself]]

please don’t be nasty, i’m only saying this out of love. i’d never forgive myself if something bad happened to you. [[... -> NeverForgiveMyself]]

MARS: “unfortunately, that’s part of my main role as a mother. i’m sorry, i don’t mean to come down on you, it’s just-- i’d never forgive myself if something bad happened to you. i love you." [[love you too-> NeverForgiveMyself]] [[... -> NeverForgiveMyself]]

“ha… fair. none of this is fair. you know, your ancestors had to navigate enslavement and surveillance, and police! do you even know what a cop is?? you have no idea how easy you have it.” [[...-> NeverForgiveMyself]] [[of course I know what a cop is!|IKnowWhatACopIs]]

learning about something in a history class is not the same as living it. believe me. the whole point of those classes is to teach that sometimes you can learn from past struggles without having to go through the hardship of repeating them, you know what i mean? [[sure | Sure]] [[whatever | Whatever]]

“ok, come down to the meditation room when you’re ready. i’ll wait for you there” you hear the sounds of her wheelchair leaving your door. [[go find Mars |goFindMars]]

mars' eyes glimmer and she motions to you to come sit down across from her. you grab one of the throw pillows and plop down at her feet. you gaze up at her... it's clear from the expression on her face that this is something serious. --- her long beard is untrimmed and her black skirt and cloak hug her body like a raincloud . energy tattoos are coded to display the path that one takes on their journey through the forest. mars' tattoo used to look like a swirling knot, but currently it's scabbed over like rusted armor. she still wears the ring that mama li gave her every day. MARS: “hey, kai thanks for coming. i know the first part of the wildtender ceremony is coming up and i wanted to talk to you first are… are you planning to go through with the ceremony?" [[yes|YesCeremony]] [[no|NoCeremony]]

today is the big day. you walk a few paces behind the rest of your classmates as they head toward a clearing at the edge of the ceremonial forest. post-arachnid webs cover many of the branches in trees nearby. half-buried rubble from the capitalist era is visible through their webs. you stand next to tempest anxiously shifting your weight from one foot to the other. she stands still listening carefully to sol’s instructions. SOL: "each of you has been preparing for this moment for years. today you get to decide if you want to become a wildtender, and the forest will decide whether you are ready. some of you will earn your energy tattoos today. some of you will find that you have more learning to do first. some of you will realize the wildtender life is not for you. either way, there is no shame. can someone tell me, is being a wildtender a job?" YOU: [[no|NotAJob]] [[yes|AJob]]

YOU: “a job is something our ancestors did because the capitalists made them work to survive. any of us can walk away from this right now and we will still have what we need to live. SOL: “that’s right. you always have a choice. and remember that this doesn’t make you any better than your peers who don’t choose it. in fact, the forest won’t choose YOU to become a wildtender if it senses that you are doing this out of arrogance. this planet has seen too much of that already. one of your classmates at the far end of the circle [[blurts out...|Jeff]]

SOL: “i can understand why you think that, kai. your parents were called to be wildtenders and it hasn’t been easy for them. that might seem like the sacrifices our ancestors had to make, selling their lives to some corporation to put food on the table. but YOU don’t have to sacrifice yourself. you can do this if you want, and you can do something else if you want, and we will respect and nurture you either way. from each according to ability, to each according to need!” one of your classmates at the far end of the circle [[blurts out...|Jeff]]

SOL: “remember, if a friendly post-arachnid senses that you are ready and willing to take this specific journey, it will bite you. then your hallucination will begin. where you go from there is up to the post-arachnids; you will experience whatever they feel they need to show you. the elders and i will be here at the other end to keep you safe and help you recover.” [[it's time | SecondHornSound]]

everyone except for you and tempest run to the woods in different directions, some together and some alone. tempest turns towards it, then looks back at you with anticipation and excitement: TEMPEST: “kai, are you coming?” [[go | Go]] [[stay | Stay]]

“yes. mars thinks i can't do this, but I'm gonna prove her wrong. i'm tired of hearing all the elders complain about how hard their lives have been. it's time to live mine.” [[enter the woods |EnterWoods]]

“no, i’m not ready tempest. you go without me.” tempest: "kai, i want you to know that whatever happens today, it should be your choice. what happened to your parents doesn't have to be your path. i don't need you to protect me, i just want to have a good time with you! i know you have the courage to do that. and besides, i think you'd look even cuter with energy tattoos..." she looks at you expectantly. [[go| ->EnterWoods]] [[stay|stay2]]

you and tempest run toward the forest hand in hand. you can't help but smile despite the low-level anxiety rising higher and higher in your throat with each second. [[focus on the rhythm of your breath| keepRunning]]

"it's different depending on what you choose in the post-arachnid's forest. according to legend, if a post-arachnid senses that you're ready for the journey, it will choose you and bite you sending you on a trip through time. apparently, each person's hallucination is different. you get sent to the place where you feel most relaxed, and from there, the time tunnels will open. [[ok, I've heard enough for now| EndMarsConvo ]] [[time tunnels? |TimeTunnel]]

"yes. the elders named them time tunnels because you fall through them into different moments in the same place in time. when i was bitten, i traveled to a beach i used to visit as a child. mama li went--" mars begins getting misty eyed. [[i'm sorry for bringing her up| MamaLi]] [[what do you do in the time tunnels? | ItemExplaination]]

MARS: "oh it's quite alright. i like talking about her actually. i think that actually other people get uncomfortable talking to me about mama li, but I would talk about her every day if i could... sometimes not talking about her feels lonelier than not having her to begin with" [[i like talking about her too | EndMarsConvo ]] [[what do you do in the time tunnels? | ItemExplaination]]

in the time tunnels, you are able to see how people lived in the past... it's taken me years to try to figure out what the purpose was behind some of the things i found on my trip... it doesn't matter now. my one wish for you is that you won't make the same mistakes i did. it's just not worth it. there are plenty of less dangerous ways you can choose to live your life. understand? [[i understand | EndMarsConvo ]]

before beginning on this journey, you must complete The Transfiguration Ceremony. open your journal and get something to write with to begin the process. [[it’s open | itsOpen]]

turn to the first page. imagine everything you’ve been told about the future...who will survive and who won’t? what will life on Earth become? who usually gets to write these stories about the future, and whose stories [[become real | becomeReal]]?

tear the edges of the 1st page of your journal. if you are near soil, put some of it on the paper, or some of the paper in it. imagine that all of your dreams and nightmares for the future have been decomposed and recycled. something [[unexpected | somethingHasGrown]]has grown out of them…

the following pages are the private thoughts belonging to a young human named kai. you are them, they are you-- though maybe you don’t know it yet. the slow decomposition of this journal will begin the process of connecting you- and them with your ancestors, but the only way to fully unite is to t̴͍̭̙̪̳́̔͑͠͠͝'̷̹̠̀̒̂̑̀͝ŝ̴̢̬̭̩͠ ̶̙̤̺̃̈́̀͛ù̷̡̞̝̟͍́p̴̛̯͎̯̆͠,̸͖́̍͌́́́ ̷͈̬̖͋͛͆͘t̷̢͍̹͚̰̏͑̂͛͋̐ͅḥ̴̞̄̀͆̉ͅį̶͍̊̐͗ś̶͕̆̒̎͊́ ̷̹̙̽̑i̴̞͑̕s̶͈͛̀̈̀̋̃ ̵̢̛̼̞̱̲̺̒ẓ̴̜͚̺̭̈̒a̴̞͐͗ via the post-arachnid web. to begin, you must complete the following ritual in your journal [[next | next]]

turn to pages 4 and 5 of your journal on the left page, write a word that describes where you are now. when you are done, draw a line connecting that word to the post-arachnid on the right page. do not use a straight line. [[ok, done|begin]]

follow the instructions on pages 6-7 in your journal. click [[here|here]] once your transformation is complete.

turn to page 9 of your journal. welcome kai! we’ve been waiting for you. are you ready to prepare for the next part of the ceremony? [[begin |Kai's story intro]]

SOL: "ok. now flip to page 10 in your journals and scribble some spider webs on the page. --- this will attract the post-arachnids. don’t worry, they’re friendly to humans. our ancestors created them, then they went wild. now they are helping us connect to each other and to other species. they have their own internet, and it can connect to your notebook.” [[finish scribbling]]

wonderful. that should do nicely. everyone’s pattern is different, according to the different path they must set out on in the forest. i know some of you have been training here to become wildtenders. tomorrow’s the big day, and i remember how tense this all felt when i was your age. would anyone like to share how you’re feeling about that?” [[share | Share ]] [[don’t share | Share ]]

born ready? you can feel your heart rate increasing. suddenly it seems like a very bad idea that you didn’t step on all those leaves more carefully. you can’t help but imagine something horrible happening to tempest. your eyes well up with tears. and... before you know it, you can barely breathe. people turn around to stare at you. you feel very dizzy and nauseous [[breathe | Breathe]] [[use your senses | 5SensoryItems]]

you reach a soapy hand out of the water and grab your bottle of herbs on the floor. --- your nostrils fill with a familiar sweet woodsy aroma. it takes you back to a time when you were younger and mama li and mars took you into the ceremonial forest to see the first big butterfly migration in a century. you’d never seen so many swarming together in one place, all seemingly on the same page about where they were headed next. on your way out, mama li noticed that one had hitched a ride in the netting of your backpack. she’d said it was good luck. you feel your muscles relax and sink deeper into the tub. you know you’d never be able to get that close to a wild animal now. [[pick up journal| PickUpJournal]]

usually dolphinsong helps calm you down if you’ve had a hard day, but today it just makes you feel kind of jealous. dolphins probably don’t have a care in the world. --- you wish you could see how the wildtenders record it. their energy tattoos allow them to communicate with all sorts of living beings, but making beats for dolphins seems like probably the coolest use of them. maybe that's what tempest will do when she finishes the ceremony and earns her tattoo. she loves body surfing." [[pick up journal| PickUpJournal]]

“oh! sorry! i didn’t mean to startle you. i just wanted to talk [[sure| sure]] [[not right now |NotRightNow]]

“ok come by the meditation room when you’re finished up in here ok?” she waits for a response from you, but you’ve just sink deeper into the bathtub instead. eventually you hear her wheelchair zoom away down the hallway outside. [[go find mars |goFindMars]]

you sigh and slowly rise back up to sitting position in the tub. guess your relaxing time is over now. you make a game out of slowly pulling the stopper on the drain as slowly as possible. --- despite your sluggishness, the water rushes out in an instant, and before you know it, it’s all gone, leaving you sitting in an empty tub. you get up and put on some clothes. [[... | ComeIn]]

suddenly, you hear someone loudly call your name- [[KAI! | Kai! ]]

soon the two of you are running full speed surrounded by darkness. tempest releases your hand so that she can better feel around in the dark, and continues running. [[you hear something creeping up behind you]]

suddenly, a voice emerges from the trees… instinctively you know that it’s the post-arachnids. they speak as one, but their voice is in the thousands POST-ARACHNIDS: "why have you come?" [[i’m looking for tempest]] [[i want to learn more about my ancestors]] [[i don’t know yet]]

POST-ARACHNIDS: “this is not a very balanced decision, don’t you have your own goals?" [[yes! yesopinions]] [[who cares! whocares]]

POST-ARACHNIDS: “what do you wish to know?” [[i don’t know yet]] [[why are they so afraid?]] [[how have we gotten here?]] [[what beings live here?]]

POST-ARACHNIDS: “the first step to finding an answer is admitting that you have a question to begin with. wander around until you find something that interests you and study it until you feel satisfied. your ceremony begins now. your first task is to find the main server that powers the forest network" --- [[you wander deeper into the forest.]]

“well then... prove it. why have you come?” [[i want to learn more about my ancestors]] [[i don’t know yet]]

i don’t think you’re ready for this journey. perhaps there is a path better suited to your interests. you hear rustling in the trees all around you. you can’t help but be suddenly filled with fear. you freeze. and then it all goes [[black.]]

you were bitten by a rival faction of post-arachnids who want to break up the human/post-arachnid alliance. this faction believes that humans will never never evolve beyond the beliefs of their ancestors who almost destroyed the planet. after the bite, you have a vision that you were a corporate ceo, calling in death squads to raid your ancestors’ communes and blockades. fires and famines. death and destruction. you hear screams, followed by the sound of your drones spraying pesticides on the post-arachnids. [[what have you done?]]

because you didn’t ask enough questions during the ceremony, you aren’t prepared to make sense of all of this. when sol and the elders find you in the forest, you can’t stop screaming and you try to fight them. you stay confused about who you are for several months. tempest moves on to become a wildtender, while you decide to spend your time with the elders and healers, gradually recovering. after years of difficult learning and growth, you eventually become an adult who questions things deeply, making your own choices. you missed your chance to be with tempest, but you end up finding happiness fixing solar panels and djing dolphin music. before continuing your daily life, turn to page 32-33 of your journal. [[end. |CREDITS]]

CREDITS Narrative design: Olivia Peace, Matthew Hamilton Twine Programming: Olivia Peace Special thanks for help with worldbuilding… Students at Southwest Education Center, especially Nia Cole, Devonte Aycox, Dametrius Simmons, Gerard, Me’kiyel Taylor, Magic Chen, Keandra Pascua, Mohammed Hilfi, Liban Abdi, Henri Moussakayi, Sylvain Moussakayi, Jordan Maaele, Mulan Chen, Mia Chen, Tristan Agosa, José Zapata, Ayub Budul, Mukhtar Omar Educators at Southwest, especially Camella Cooper, Ramon Jiménez, Lisa Gascon, Mikhail Tatrin, Bryan Hayes, and Mayte Castro ARTifACTS collective: Ed Mast, Beverly Naidus, Carol Rashawnna Williams, Camella Cooper Additional friends and comrades: Claire Hu, Leith Jasinowski-Kahl, E. Rose Harriot, Dara Bayer, Gina Rodríguez-Drix, Cody Lestelle, Daniel Bash, B Stepp, Ian Morgan, JM Wong, Shemon Salam, Amna Ali, Aireale Joi Rodgers, Carlos Joachin, Jessica Jones, Ya’Shalan Nelson, Villainus, Erika Merz, Katie Ventura Our mentors and classmates: Brendesha Tynes, USC Interactive Media and Games class of ‘22, Andreas Kratky, Center for Empowered Leadership and Development with Technology, and Tracy Fullerton

POST-ARACHNIDS: “a wise question. great wildtenders must always weigh whether what they are feeling is their intuition, or merely past traumas speaking to them. within this forest, ask questions that are magenta to learn more about this. magenta questions will show you artifacts of the heart cyan questions will show you artifacts of the earth yellow questions will show you artifacts of systemic power. your ceremony begins now. your first task is to find the main server that powers the forest network." [[you wander deeper into the forest.]]

POST-ARACHNIDS: “a wise question. in order to construct where you wish to go, you need to have compassion for where you have been. within this forest, ask questions that are yellow to learn more about this. yellow questions will show you artifacts of systemic power. magenta questions will show you artifacts of the heart. cyan questions will show you artifacts of the earth. your ceremony begins now. your first task is to find the main server that powers the forest network.” [[you wander deeper into the forest.]]

POST-ARACHNIDS: “a wise question. one must always consider the ecosystem that they are engaging with when they enter new environments. within this forest, ask questions that are cyan to learn more about this. cyan questions will show you artifacts of the earth. yellow questions will show you artifacts of systemic power. magenta questions will show you artifacts of the heart. your ceremony begins now. your first task is to find the main server that powers the forest network.” [[you wander deeper into the forest.]]

you happen upon one enormous mushroom. the closer you get, the louder it hums. it glows a phosphorescent blue color which stands out in the darkness. YOU: “...this must be the thing that’s powering the connection between our journals. i wonder how to turn it on...?” something in you tells you to reach out to [[touch it.]]

the ground around you begins rumbling and the mushroom begins growing, two, three times its normal size. you begin backing away when you hear a crack of electricity. mushrooms in the meadow around you ignite at your feet. the tiny blue lights emanating from them make a pathway to... something you can't quite see yet. --- [[where does it lead?]]

POST-ARACHNIDS: “great work! you found the server! now that it's on, you'll be able to use your journal to connect with other living beings who have visited this forest. as you encounter strange artifacts here, connect to our webs to see what people before you have thought about them. on the physical paper in your journal, write what you think and feel. remember your writing never has to be perfect, it just needs to be real enough for the forest to feel you." --- //you hear someone calling you from deep within the forest...// [[tempest?]]

TEMPEST: "kai!" you swivel around looking everywhere for tempest before realizing that the sound of her voice is coming from within your own journal. open your journal to page 20. [[click here when you're done |read tempest's notes]]

where do i want to go? [[pond]] [[chain link |chainlink fence]] [[briar patch]] [[graveyard]]

//you wander through the forest for a while and eventually notice a heavily polluted pond. a thick layer of black scum coats the surfacee of it. blowing blue and white mushrooms blossom near the shore to help drain the toxins from the pond. you suspect this will take a long time.// [[open your journal|openYourJournalpond]]

//you wander through the forest for a while and finally arrive at an old rusted chain link fence. trees and shrubs have grown over it, and certain areas of it have begun to sag.// [[open your journal|openYourJournal2]]

//you wander through the forest for a while and eventually snag your sandal in a thorny patch of thistles. as you bend down to pick it up, you notice another shoe, gleaming white though it's begun to decompose a bit. you've read about these shoes before. they used to be quite popular. you bend to get a closer look. a small family of maggots is using it as a home now.// [[open your journal|openYourJournalshoe]]

you walk among active networks of large glowing mushrooms, being careful to avoid stepping too close to any of them. you wonder which one of these is mama li’s... [["kai!" | kai3]]

you’d know that voice anywhere. you stand frozen in place and slowly, carefully take out your journal. sure enough, the sound of the voice calling your name, once again, is coming from within your own journal. you [[open it.]]

you read the pages and... to your surprise, you find that you've unlocked entries in mama li's journal. [[read mama li's journal]]

turn to pages 22-23 of your physical journal [[i'm done|gameDialogue]]

you've unlocked a connection with an ancestor. [[continue|thinkAbtMamaLi]]

you miss her a lot right now. where do you want to go next? [[pond]] [[chainlink fence]] [[briar patch]] [[I've seen it all.|enterTimeTunnel]]

a post-arachnid bites you, its venom fills your veins. before you know it, you feel a tingling sensation. first in your leg, where you were bitten, but before long it spreads over your whole body like a warm blanket. before you know it, you are falling. time speeds backward. you see it all: the pandemics. the floods. the uprisings. but above all, you witness so much bravery and kindness. the more that you see, the prouder you feel of who you are, and all of the work your ancestors did to build a new world. you try your best to journal while you trip, but admittedly, there’s a lot that you see that you don’t quite understand yet. [[open your journal|journalTimeTunnel]]

Mars: the cermonial forest ceremonies holds the spirits of all the great wildtender ancestors: eureka sky, kweku grey...and yes. even your mama li. [[what! why? | whatWhy]] [[whatever | Whatever]]

MARS: “that forest is filled with ancestral knowledge of great thinkers and builders and doers. which is why they hold the ceremonies there I suppose. if you’re going to be a wildtender, you might as well learn from the best. the webs help to draw us all together, even in death” [[webs? | webs]] [[whatever | Whatever]]

MARS: “yes, our research has shown that the biohacked mushrooms that grow in that area are able to store information from all living beings that enter the forest. from there, the post arachnids help to connect all the left-behind information with their special webs. it’s really fascinating stuff.” [[wow! cool!| NeverForgiveMyself]]

new journal entry added. turn to pages 17-18 to view. [[click here when you're done to continue| WokeUp]]

you watch tempest disappear into the darkness of the forest, her yellow sweater becoming fainter and fainter as she goes. before you know it, you find yourself standing at the edge of the forest with a handful of your other classmates. your heart sinks. she went without you. sol sees you staring after her on the verge of tears and comes to stand beside you. this is comforting. somehow, even though you didn’t go through with it, you feel like things are going to be ok. [[next|ending2]]

you can hear the voice of mars emanating out of your journal. open your journal to page 28-29 and follow the prompt to continue. [[done|whereNext]]

years pass- then decades. after a lot of thought and hard work, you finally decide to commit to becoming a music teacher. you love your students. you answer their questions to the best of your ability, but one day you can’t help but notice one extremely apprehensive student fidgeting near the back of the group, clearly lost in a spiral of self-loathing. --- you decide to break class early, and wait until the other students leave before you walk up to greet them. you treat them warmly. you assure them that, actually, even if they're not perfect at playing the harp, you think they would make an incredible wildtender. "we all have special abilities that we can use to bring joy and peace to others. there's no need to beat yourself up for not already being great at everything" if there’s one thing you know well, it’s that encouragement, no matter the outcome, changed your life. and every day with your students, you choose to pass that on. before continuing your daily life, turn to page 32-33 of your journal. [[end. |CREDITS]]

where would you like to go next? [[pond]] [[chainlink fence]] [[briar patch]] [[graveyard]] [[i've seen it all.|enterTimeTunnel]]

you can hear the familiar voice of sol emanating out of your journal. open your journal to pages 26-27 and follow the prompt to continue. [[done|whereNext]]

you can hear the voice of tempest emanating out of your journal and can't help but smile, a bit excited. open your journal to page 24-25 and follow the prompt to continue. [[done|whereNext]]

//an electronic noise emanates from deep in the forest, and suddenly the whispered voices are back. closer than ever this time// POSTARACHNIDS: “we sense that you’re ready. your time tunnel awaits.” [[enter your time tunnel|timeTunnel]]

in your journal, turn to pages 30-31. [[i'm done|Ending3]]

you wake up in a small shack surrounded by people who love you. when you bat your eyes open, everyone cheers in congratulations. you can’t help but smile. you look over and see tempest and a few of your other classmates either still hallucinating or slowly beginning to rouse awake. warm food and blankets await you. for the first time in quite a while, you feel incredibly safe. [[next|ending3Cntd]]

years pass- then decades. it takes a long time, but you decide to dedicate the rest of your life to wildtending. it’s sometimes difficult, but much to your own surprise, you’re quite good at it. your chosen specialty is working with the post-arachnids. sometimes being so vulnerable and open with other living beings can be quite difficult and dangerous, but your community continues to hold you down every step of the way. including tempest, who became one of many people you chose to open your tattoo to. she remains one of your closest partners and confidants. [[next|ending3CntdFinal]]

your healing process even managed to inspire mars who, one day, decides to come with you to one of your wildtender healing sessions with the elders. you’ve been going together for years now, and just recently, her tattoo regained some of its functionality. maybe one day she’ll open up too. sometimes life appears as a web, where everyone and everything in it is all interconnected in some way. the giant post-arachnid webs that you found so scary and alien way back during your training days remind you of this, and whenever you see them now, you can’t help but smile. before continuing your daily life, turn to page 32-33 of your journal. [[end. |CREDITS]]

you both get startled by it. she runs faster and disappears behind the trees. you can't figure out which direction she went. [["tempest?" | waitUp]]

TEMPEST: “i’ve pretty much been waiting for this my whole life. my ancestors were locked in the jail that was here and I want to honor them by healing this land and all the other toxic places. i can’t wait to be a wildtender!” SOL: “do you have any concerns you’d like to share with the group?” TEMPEST: “no! i was born ready.” tempest flashes a goofy grin and everyone cracks up. [[...|bornReady]]

JEFF: “i heard there are dead bodies buried in there! is that true?” SOL: “there are many spirits that reside in the forest. some living and some gone-ahead. if you choose to enter the forest, it will be very important to take the time to learn from both. as a wildtender you will devote your life to making sure that as much sunlight passes through as much living carbon as possible, in as many diverse ways as possible. sometimes that’s pretty, and sometimes it’s ugly, but either way it’s helped us survive. at abolition playfield you practiced encountering strange things from our past that we’ve come to understand. today you might encounter things that we have no way of understanding, but i think that if you take your time, and use your journals, you might find a new level of awareness for what’s in front of you.” [[you feel nervous ->AHornSounds]]