WEAVE

An intersection. It's the first thing you've seen for miles. Silvery threads glimmer slightly in the absense of light. (link-reveal: "*")[ Looks like your thread got knotted with someone else's. Maybe following the threads will keep you from getting lost?] [[←->Strands B1]][[→->Strands B3]]

The thread you were following abruptly comes to an end. (link-reveal: "*")[ Someone must have left this here. (if: $visit3 is false)[[[Take a look?->Object 3]]] ] (if: $col is 6) [Is six strands enough to [[make a weave?->Weave Start]] You don't know, but it's not like there's any more loose ends to choose from.] [[↑->Strands A1]] [[→->Strands B2]]

You follow this thread for a bit. The more you look out, the more it seems like it just vanishes in the distance, but the end never gets closer no matter how long you walk. (link-reveal: "*")[ Bits of other threads glimmer in the distance.] [[↑->Strands A3]] [[←->Strands B2]] [[↓->Strands C3]]

Another tangle. Peering out beyond the first intersection you came across, you see something glowing in the distance. (link-reveal: "*")[(if: $visit1 is false)[ Maybe you ought to go see what it is.](if: $visit1 is true)[ If you listen carefully, you can still hear the static.] ] [[←->Strands C1]] [[→->Strands C3]] [[↓->Strands D2]]

(link-reveal: "*")[ The expanse is so vast. It hadn't struck you before, but now, after having landmarks to follow, the endless un-mappable dark seems so empty.] [[↑->Strands B1]] [[←->Void 1]] [[→->Strands C2]] [[↓->Strands D1]]

The abandoned end of a thread. Whoever left this here arranged it carefully into a heart. (link-reveal: "*")[ You wonder briefly why someone would have left this behind without using it in a weave, and your eyes land on the solitary note left on the ground nearby. (if: $visit2 is false)[[[Take a look?->Object 2]]] ] (if: $col is 6) [Is six strands enough to [[make a weave?->Weave Start]] You don't know, but it's not like there's any more loose ends to choose from.] [[→->Strands A2]] [[↓->Strands B1]]

The void stretches out for what seems like eternity. The ground, ever shifting, moves gently under your feet. (link-reveal: "*")[ You try not to think about it.] [[←->Strands A1]] [[→->Strands A3]]

A TV lies askew among the threads. The soft sound of static permeates the air. (link-reveal: "*")[ It's sinking gently into the ground. How does it even stay on? (if: $visit1 is false)[[[Take a look?->Object 1]]] ] (if: $col is 6) [Is six strands enough to [[make a weave?->Weave Start]] You don't know, but it's not like there's any more loose ends to choose from.] [[←->Strands A2]] [[↓->Strands B3]]

❑❑❑❑ ❑❑ ❑❑❑❑❑❑❑❑❑ ❑❑ ❑❑❑❑❑ The void shifts under your feet. You clutch your thread tighter. [[⤺->Strands C1]]

No description you try to give this place seems to stick. The words dissolve in your mind before you can think them. (link-reveal: "*")[ ❑❑❑❑❑ ❑❑❑❑❑❑❑❑❑❑❑ ❑❑❑ It's unsettling, to say the least.] [[↑->Strands C1]] [[→->Strands D2]] [[↓->Strands E1]]

The threads here are tangled and twisted together. The knot in the middle glows slightly, barely enough to notice. Briefly, you wonder if this was an attempt at a weave. (link-reveal: "*")[ A loose thread lays on the ground. Looks like it was cut away from the knot. (if: $visit4 is false)[[[Take a look?->Object 4]]] ] (if: $col is 6) [Is six strands enough to [[make a weave?->Weave Start]] You don't know, but it's not like there's any more loose ends to choose from.] [[↑->Strands B3]] [[←->Strands C2]] [[↓->Strands D3]]

❑❑❑❑❑ ❑❑❑❑❑❑❑❑❑❑ ❑❑❑ ❑❑ ❑❑❑❑❑❑❑ ❑❑❑ ❑ ❑❑ ❑❑❑❑❑❑❑❑❑❑❑❑❑ ❑❑❑❑❑ Gazing into the void without a thread to hold onto never fails to make you feel like you're falling. You know better than to let go. [[⤺->Strands D3]]

(link-reveal: "*")[ You hope there's enough loose ends around for you to start your weave. There's plenty of thread, but you would hate to snip one when someone else might be following it, far far away.] [[↑->Strands C3]] [[←->Strands D2]] [[→->Void 2]] [[↓->Strands E3]]

Many a thread converge here, in this tangle. There's a faint remnant of a spark inside. (link-reveal: "*")[ It's too messy to be a successful weave. The spark is too dim. But it gives you hope nonetheless.] [[↑->Strands C2]] [[←->Strands D1]] [[→->Strands D3]] [[↓->Strands E2]]

Another loose thread lies on the ground, with a tattered book discarded by it. (link-reveal: "*")[ It's open on a random page. (if: $visit5 is false)[[[Take a look?->Object 5]]] ] (if: $col is 6) [Is six strands enough to [[make a weave?->Weave Start]] You don't know, but it's not like there's any more loose ends to choose from.] [[↑->Strands D1]] [[→->Strands E2]] [[↓->Void 3]]

A map? You didn't think something like that could stand to exist in this place. (link-reveal: "*")[ It would be useless by now, you're sure. But maybe..... (if: $visit6 is false)[[[Take a look?->Object 6]]] ] (if: $col is 6) [Is six strands enough to [[make a weave?->Weave Start]] You don't know, but it's not like there's any more loose ends to choose from.] [[↑->Strands D3]] [[←->Strands E2]]

Two threads loop in on one another. You can see some of the threads in the distance, tangled just before their glimmer is no longer visible. [[↑->Strands D2]] [[←->Strands E1]] [[→->Strands E3]]

❑❑❑❑❑ ❑❑❑❑❑❑❑ ❑❑ ❑❑❑❑❑❑❑❑ ❑❑❑❑ ❑ ❑❑❑❑❑ ❑❑❑ ❑❑❑ ❑❑❑ ❑ ❑ ❑❑❑❑❑❑❑❑ ❑❑ ❑❑❑❑❑❑❑❑❑❑❑❑ ❑❑❑❑ ❑❑❑❑❑❑ ❑❑ You think you hear echoes from the void beyond, but you know they're not there. Just your mind trying to fill the all-consuming silence. [[⤺->Strands E1]]

Who could have possibly left this here? It's an enigma. The TV has no cords sticking out of it, but it does have one (link-show: "button", ?but) on the side of the frame. The loose thread will be useful, at least, but you can't help but be a bit curious. |but)[Tentatively, you push the button. The static sputters. There's no image, but you hear words through the noise. *"-oday marks one year since the first explorer journeyed into the expanse. Many hopefuls have since sprung at the chance to look for the spark of perfection, beyond the reaches of our knowledge. After all, if we can't find it here, it must be somewhere out there, haha. Anyways, J..."* The sound fades out, but you don't try the button again. You've heard it all before anyway. ] (set: $col to it + 1)(set: $visit1 to true) [[Done looking.->Strands A3]]

The paper is so frail, it feels like it might crumble in your hands. The words, scrawled in messy lettering, read: *I'm giving up. This thing won't stay (link-show: "neat", ?neat) for longer than two seconds. Worst strand I could have (link-show: "picked", ?pick). Maybe you'll get more leverage out of it than me.* |neat)[Some strands are harder to keep smooth and perfect. You should know.] |pick)[You got to pick one before you left, too. You were offered a wide selection, and you were to pick one whose meaning was most important to you. Seems like you made one of the better choices. It's a shame to ruin the shape, but you'll have to take that loose strand with you eventually. For now, you just make note of where it is.] (set: $col to it + 1)(set: $visit2 to true) [[Done looking.->Strands A1]]

The thread seems intact and it glimmers just like a good thread should. If you take it with you now, it would just get tangled with the others, but you make a note of where it is. You'll need it later. (set: $col to it + 1)(set: $visit3 to true) [[Done looking.->Strands B1]]

You make a note of where the loose end is. Including it might not have worked out for the person who used it last, but this time will surely be different. (set: $col to it + 1)(set: $visit4 to true) [[Done looking.->Strands C3]]

The pages of the book feel crisp and new under your hand. The spread reads: *It has long been said that the perfect society requires a perfectly clean intersection of values. Every person participating must have their most valued virtues represented in its very construction, but the method by which to accomplish this has long eluded even the most powerful minds. After the discovery of non-space, the exploration of the unmappable expanse has yielded new possibilities in this field. Some say that the spark of perfection can be found only in such a space.* (link-replace: "Turn the page?")[ *The art of weaving is a fairly new phenomenon, accomplished through the use of infinitely long threads constructed of different materials depending on the virtue being represented (see page 72 for the table of known materials). While extant as a normal spool of thread in the known world, if made properly, the thread changes properties upon entering unmappable space. The extent of these properties differs depending on the virtue and the person carrying it. The thread itself appears to posess a dull glitter, despite the lack of light, as well as infin-* The words cut off, blacked out by an inky stain. Though, you think you already know the rest.] (set: $col to it + 1)(set: $visit5 to true) [[Done looking.->Strands E1]]

Ah. It's not like you could have expected anything else. When you gingerly slip the ribbon off the paper and unroll it, all you see are lines, criss-crossing the page. You might assume it was a child's scribbles if you didn't recognize the vague shapes of the threads, converging and tangling and going off into the distance. Whoever tried to map this place clearly hadn't given up after they realized the landmarks are always changing. At least the thread will be useful. (set: $col to it + 1)(set: $visit6 to true) [[Done looking.->Strands E3]]

It's going to have to be enough. Slowly, you sit down on the shadowy ground. You've been wandering for a long time, and it feels strange to finally be so close to your goal. In the midst of this landscape, it almost doesn't feel real. You focus. If you succeed and bring (link-replace: "the spark")[perfection] back home, maybe everything will be (link-show: "good", ?good) again. People tried to stop you before you left, but who wouldn't want this? |good)[The weight of the world was on your shoulders before you left, but you hoped that maybe, just maybe if everyone decided to change a few things, everything would finally be fixed. If only you knew what changes to make.] [[Lay out your thread.->Lay Out Strands]]

Carefully, you collect each thread, untangle them, and lay them out on the ground next to each other. Once again, you try to remember how to do this. [[Loop left.->Weave 1]] [[Loop right.->Weave 1]]

That's one. [[Weave right.->Weave 2]] [[Weave left.->Weave 2]]

Two. [[Thread over.->Weave 3]] [[Thread under.->Unravelled]]

Three... [[Loop right.->Unravelled]] [[Loop left.->Unravelled]] [[Loop around.->Weave 4]]

It's coming together... [[Weave left.->Unravelled]] [[Weave right.->Weave 5]] [[Knot.->Unravelled]]

Almost there. [[Thread through.->Unravelled]] [[Thread over.->Weave 6]] [[Thread under.->Unravelled]]

! (if: $try is false)[[[Knot!->Weave End]]] (if: $try is true)[[[Knot!->Weave End 2]]]

You lift your hands from the weave. It doesn't budge. The threads have converged into a neat little bundle of structured patterns. Nothing is tangled. Everything is in its right place. It's a little blob-like, sure, but you made it. And as you look on, inside the cage of thread a tiny spark springs to life. This is it. This is what you came here to get. Surely with this, you'll finally understand what to do. [[Reach out for it.->Collapse]]

Agh, that's not right. The threads slip and slide and tangle hideously in your hands. [[Try a different pattern.->Lay Out Strands]]

Just as your fingers are millimeters away from the spark, it dims. It pulses once, twice. And then all at once its luster has faded. You don't know what you did wrong. You didn't do anything wrong! The ground rises up around your carefully constructed weave and... [[...it's gone.->f]]

You jump as something emerges from the shifting shadows on the ground. It's a serpent. You can barely distinguish its body from the ground, but her giant red eye stares up at you from where your weave used to be. *"It seems like you humans can't take a hint. Did the last weaver not make it back to your lands?"* You're at a loss for words. But you have to answer. [["She did..."->she did]] [["Why should I tell you?"->why]]

*"I trust you only want to improve life for your peers, so I will entrust you with this."* *"If you wish to bring a spark with you, there is a way. It won't look the way you want it to. It won't stay with you forever. It won't last for longer than you're willing to keep it alive. But you will have it."* The serpent flicks its tongue towards the remains of your weave, still tangled from your last attempt, just poking out of the shifting ground. You've lost some of them, but others are still glimmer the same as before. And you still have the one you brought with you. *"Try again if you wish. Don't think about it. Weave until everything stays."* [[Pick up your threads.->Serpent Weave]]

You don't think about it. [[Over, under...->Serpent Weave 2]]

Suddenly, there's no more thread. Your hands are empty. You look upon your creation. Almost a tangle, there's a tiny, dim spark inside. It's not much, but it's not falling apart. In fact, when you reach out for it, it stays just the way it was. [[Take the spark.->Stability Alone]]

Just briefly, the spark brightens under your touch, like it's proud to exist despite its myriad flaws. It's not long before it dims again, but the warmth does not leave your hands. *"Good enough for you?"* You had almost forgotten the serpent was there. She gazes upon your creation, and you like to think her expression is softer than before. [["Good enough for me."->Stability Alone 2]]

You take out a piece of paper, and with the inkiness of the land, you write out your thoughts. It's brief, but it's (link-show: "something", ?som). |som)[*The brightest spark will always cast the longest shadow. But the longest shadow falters before the dimmest light. What you are looking for, your hands are not made to hold. It will not stay flawless under your scrutiny. All we can do is try and get close.* ✧] You lay it on the ground, right by the tangle you made. It's time to go home, you think. [[And you do.->End]]

The expanse. An endless stretch of ever-shifting nothing. After the boundary of everything, they say that if you walk (link-show: "far enough", ?far), you'll find your way (link-show: "here", ?here). |here)[It's hard to know where "here" is exactly, though. You've long since lost your map.] |far)[It's been a long journey from the known lands. You're not carrying much anymore, but you're still clutching your (link-show: "thread", ?thread). It trails behind you, far into the distance.] |thread)[It's a connection to home, though it doesn't feel like it. You hope it'll lead you back, in time, but you know that's not really what it's for. [[Look around.->Strands B2]] ]

There's got to. (event: when time > 1.5s)[(go-to: "f2")]

There's got to.. (event: when time > 1.5s)[(go-to: "f3")]

There's got to... (event: when time > 1.5s)[(go-to: "Serpent")]

[[There's got to be a way.->f1]]

*"And what did she say to the rest of you?"* [["She said it's no use coming out here."->no use]] [["She said she wasn't good enough."->not good enough]]

*"It's not wise to judge by appearance, child."* The serpent squints, admonishing. *"We may be monsters to you, out here, but you know nothing of us."* [["...She did come back."->she did]] [["..."->tell you again]]

*"She kept her word, then."* The serpent shifts, apparently pleased. *"But you didn't listen."* [["I wanted to see for myself."->explanation]] [["I couldn't accept losing hope like that."->explanation]]

*"Then you've either been lied to, or that girl never did make it back."* The serpent shifts, apparently disappointed. It is strange to see a hint of resignation in its unblinking eyes. *"Listen well, then, child. Let us hope you will do better."* [[Listen.->explanation]]

The serpent shifts, apparently disgruntled. *"I suppose I'll inform you again, then, since the last explanation didn't get through."* [[Listen.->explanation]]

*"Many a hopeful have come here in search of an easy answer. They walk here, clutching their threads and tying knots, thinking that if they have all the parts they like and arrange them just right, everything will fall into place. The first human to venture here brought back legends, I'm told, of the possibility of a perfect future, where people want for nothing and all things are taken care of. But I assure you, if such a thing existed here, it was gone the moment that human touched its presence. Such a thing could never stand to be in the influence of flawed beings such as you or I. It will show itself to you from afar, but up close it is no better than anything you have already seen. I'm sorry to say, child, but your journey was destined to fail from the start."* [[The serpent studies you for a moment->virtues]].

*"I see. A valid choice."* The serpent pauses for a moment, thinking. *"If you will listen, I have a proposition for you. It will not be what you want to hear, but I will share this with you on the condition that no one else journey out here after you return."* It's tempting. But the idea of going home empty-handed weighs heavy on your mind. [[Hear the serpent out.->Snip]] [[There's got to be another way.->suit yourself]]

(set: $try to true) The serpent sighs. Slowly, she disappears back into the shadows. *"Suit yourself."* [[You will.->Lay Out Strands]]

Once again, the spark you made shines bright for a moment, but as soon as you lift your hand to catch it, the light dies. Your weave sinks into the ground, as you sit there, crestfallen. *"Tired yet?"* You don't see the serpent, but you can hear her voice. [[No.->Lay Out Strands]] [[...Yes.->Weave End 2 2]]

*"Tell me, which thread did you choose before your departure?"* (link-reveal-goto: "Respect.", "propo")[(set: $virtue to "respect")] It's the most stable, and it binds your weave together. (link-reveal-goto: "Knowledge.", "propo")[(set: $virtue to "knowledge")] It's the most versatile, and it keeps your weave orderly. (link-reveal-goto: "Freedom.", "propo")[(set: $virtue to "freedom")] It's the one that glimmers the brightest, and it's what makes your weave so beautiful. (link-reveal-goto: "Love.", "propo")[(set: $virtue to "love")] It tangles the most, but it supports every other thread in your weave. (link-reveal-goto: "Abundance.", "propo")[(set: $virtue to "abundance")] It's the dimmest one, but no weave will exist for long without it.

*"Let's hope it's good enough for everyone else, as well."* Without another word, the serpent slithers back out into the ever-shifting, unmappable expanse. But you know it won't be. People will notice that there are threads missing. They will notice that it doesn't look neat. They will notice that it's not perfect. But at least it's better than what they had before. You know there will always be someone who won't believe you. Who will want to come out here and try for themselves, the same way you did. You'll tell them it's fruitless, but they'll look at your weave and they won't accept it. [[Leave something for them to find.->Stability Note]]

You don't think about how it looks. [[Left and right...->Serpent Weave 3]]

You pick a pattern, then switch to another, abandon it altogether. [[Weave further.->Serpent Weave 4]]

One by one the threads come together. [[They stay together.->Stability]]

*"You try, and yet you know the result will always be the same."* The serpent levels its gaze at you, but the glint in its eye is patient. *"But I know you do this only out of love. No other reason would compell you humans to travel out out here and repeat the same mistake time and time again."* [[Listen.->Snip]]

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