Emily Short

Section 6 - Pinata Celebration

Pinata Celebration is a scene. Pinata Celebration begins when the player encloses the invitation. Pinata Celebration ends when the hanging Atlantida figure is not in Tall Street.

Rule for distantly describing Tall Street when Pinata Celebration is happening:

say "The whole of Tall Street is crowded with families."

Instead of listening to Tall Street during Pinata Celebration:

try listening to the assembled families.

Instead of listening to assembled families:

say "[one of]'Mommmmmy,' whines one of the children. 'When does the candy come out?'[or]They are muttering about how solid the Atlantida figure seems to be this year.[or]'It just goes to show,' one of the bureau officials says to another. 'The spirit of the Atlantean people cannot be broken!'[at random]"

Instead of going south from Tall Street during Pinata Celebration:

say "[path-walked so far][if hurrying]We get as far as Tall Street, but no further. [end if]The Bureau entrance is temporarily blocked by all the excited families on the stairs, trying to destroy the cardboard figure of Atlantida."

When Pinata Celebration begins:

move the hanging Atlantida figure to Tall Street;

move the assembled families to Tall Street;

now the current daytime is sunset;

now the description of Tall Street is "Tall Street is full of families, some reaching as far as the old park at the east end of the street.

They're gathered around a hanging cardboard figure in front of the Bureau of Orthography. The children, and a few of the adults, are taking turns hitting it with sticks, hoping for a shower of comma-shaped candy. This is a common holiday activity, but from the disgruntled comments and the petulant expressions of the children, it has already been going on longer than is strictly fun."

When Pinata Celebration ends:

if the player is in Tall Street:

say "The children gather their heaps of candy and a few scoops of glittery confetti as well, but eventually trickle away again with their parents, returning through the park or down side streets or to their cars.";

remove the assembled families from play;

record "breaking the Spirit of Atlantis (in cardboard form)" as achieved;

now the description of Tall Street is "Tall Street has a distinctive post-party look, with confetti and glitter on the ground, and shreds of destroyed cardboard everywhere. It is quiet now, however.";

move confetti mess to Tall Street.

A confetti mess is scenery. Understand "glitter" as the confetti mess. The description is "Blue, white, and silver glittery confetti is all over the place. The individual bits look like punctuation marks, commas and periods and the odd hash sign or ampersand."

The hanging Atlantida figure is an attackable closed container. It is scenery. The description is "The figure is made of cardboard and papier-mâché, designed for children to hit with sticks until candy and treats fall out: it's what would be called a piñata, if that weren't a dangerous loan word.

This particular one is made in the shape of Atlantida. She wears Bureau blue and a surreal smile and her eyes have been painted on wrong."

Some assembled families are a plural-named man. They are scenery. The description is "There are children of all ages carrying sticks and blindfolds they brought from home, as well as bags to scoop up the candy when everything is over. Parents, looking variously indulgent or bored. A couple of bureau officials, come out from the Rotunda to make sure that everything goes well." Understand "family" or "parents" or "parent" or "child" or "children" or "officials" or "bureau officials" or "bored" or "crowd" or "people" or "person" as the assembled families.

Every turn during Pinata Celebration:

if the location is Tall Street:

if a random chance of 2 in 3 succeeds:

say "[one of]Another child takes a whack at the hanging figure. She bounces away from the blow, but does not break[or]The latest child's attack swings wide of the figure[or]The next child doesn't seem to have been properly blindfolded and connects with surprising dexterity and sureness, but the thing doesn't break[or]Among a general rumble of assent, one of the fathers gives Atlantida a hard smack with a baseball bat. She doesn't crack[cycling].";

if the location is Abandoned Park:

if a random chance of 2 in 3 succeeds:

say "[one of]From the west comes a sound of cheering and shouting[or]The crowd to the west boos as one[at random]."

Sanity-check cutting the hanging Atlantida figure with an edged thing:

say "I believe that would be considered very poor sportsmanship; one should at least try to play along in the spirit of the game." instead.

Instead of listening to Abandoned Park during Pinata Celebration:

say "The crowd to the west is noisy and getting noisier."

Instead of taking the hanging Atlantida figure:

say "Stealing the figure would certainly go over badly with the assembled families."

Understand "blindfold" as a thing when the item described is blinding.

Definition: a thing is a blindfold:

if it is not wearable:

no;

if it is not floppy:

no;

if the heft of it is 1:

yes;

no.

Instead of wearing a blindfold thing when the player can see the Atlantida figure:

try blindfolding the player with the noun instead.

After printing the name of something blinding while taking inventory:

say " (worn as a blindfold)";

omit contents in listing.

Understand "blindfold [something] with [something preferably held]" as blindfolding it with. Blindfolding it with is an action applying to one thing and one carried thing.

Does the player mean blindfolding the player with a blindfold thing:

it is very likely.

A thing can be blinding. A thing is usually not blinding.

Sanity-check blindfolding something which is not a person with something:

say "[You] can only blindfold people." instead.

Sanity-check blindfolding someone with something which is not wearable:

say "[The second noun] cannot be worn at all." instead.

Sanity-check blindfolding someone with something which is not floppy:

say "[The second noun] [is-are] too stiff to wrap around one's face." instead.

Sanity-check blindfolding someone with something when the heft of the second noun is greater than 1:

if the second noun is not wearable or the second noun is not floppy:

make no decision;

say "[The second noun] [is-are] too substantial to tie neatly around the eyes." instead.

Sanity-check blindfolding someone who is not the player with something:

say "Better let people apply their own blindfolds, if they're so inclined." instead.

Sanity-check blindfolding the player with something when the player wears a blinding thing (called other strip):

say "[You][']ve already got [the other strip] tied over our eyes." instead.

Check blindfolding the player with something when the player wears something which covers the face-area:

while the player wears something (called blockage) which covers the face-area:

try taking off the blockage;

if the player wears the blockage:

stop the action.

Check blindfolding the player with something when the player wears something which covers the head-area:

while the player wears something (called blockage) which covers the head-area:

try taking off the blockage;

if the player wears the blockage:

stop the action.

Carry out blindfolding the player with something:

now the player wears the second noun;

now the second noun is blinding.

Report blindfolding the player with something:

say "[You] tie [the second noun] over our eyes. To be honest, it only partially obscures our vision; [you] still have a pretty good idea where everything is." instead.

Instead of going somewhere when the player wears a blinding thing:

say "I'd prefer [you] didn't try to navigate in this half-sighted way. It's enough of a trick sharing the steering when we can both see."

Instead of looking when the player wears a blinding thing:

let item be a random scenery thing in the location;

say "[You] can only make out a little of our surroundings. I think the thing in front of us might be [an item]";

if the hanging figure is visible and the hanging figure is not the item:

say ". And the hanging figure is just in striking range.";

otherwise:

say "."

A first smarter parser rule when sp_normal:

rule succeeds;

if input starts with "blindfold" and the latest parser error is the can't see any such thing error:

rule succeeds;

if input starts with "wear" and input contains "blindfold" and the latest parser error is the can't see any such thing error:

rule succeeds.

Carry out taking off something which is blinding:

now the noun is not blinding.

Understand "wear [something] as a blindfold" or "wear [something] as blindfold" as blindfold-wearing. Blindfold-wearing is an action applying to one carried thing.

Check blindfold-wearing:

try blindfolding the player with the noun instead.

Instead of attacking the Atlantida figure with something when the player does not wear a blinding thing:

say "It's not sporting to strike the figure unless [you] [are] blindfolded; it's part of the rules. If no official blindfold is forthcoming, [you] might be able to make do by wearing some appropriate strip of cloth."

Carry out attacking the hanging Atlantida figure with something:

remove the hanging Atlantida figure from play;

Report attacking the hanging Atlantida figure with something:

say "[You] take a good swing with [the second noun] and connect, finally, with [the noun].

There is a resounding crack!

The crowd roars with approval, and dozens of small bodies surge around us so that I almost lose our balance. [You] push our [random blinding thing] up out of our way.

The ground is covered with glitter and candy and confetti; the Atlantida has broken open at the torso.";

now every blinding thing is not blinding;

stop the action.

Counterfeit Monkey — 88 of 292