Hue - a game about a choice

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_title.png" alt="hue">] (align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[(text-size: 1.05)[//a game about a choice//] (text-style:"subscript")[(text-size: 0.65)[by Annie VanderMeer] [[click to begin game|INTRO]]{ (if: $beatgame is true)[[[developer commentary|COMMENT 01]]]} (text-size: 0.5)[//copyright 2022 Tiamat Collective//]]]

//This is a game about a choice.// [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[//When you make it, the game will end.// [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[//You can put off the choice if you want, and make others as you progress, but that choice will return. If the time comes where there will be no more delays, you will find an answer, if you don’t have one already.// [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c3|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage3)(replace: ?c3)[]]|passage3)[//In the meantime, there are many paths, many things to learn, and many ways to react to what you experience. In the end there are no stats or points or math to manage.// [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c4|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage4)(replace: ?c4)[]]|passage4)[//The only barometer for the correctness or incorrectness of that choice...// [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c5|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage5)(replace: ?c5)[]]|passage5)[//...is you.// [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c6|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage6)(replace: ?c6)[]]|passage6)[[[BEGIN|Day 0 Passage 0]]]

''COMMENTARY FROM WRITER/DESIGNER OF //HUE//'' As stated in the introduction, this is a game about choice. I know that this also assumes the //luxury// of choice, something that many people don't have for one reason or another: they cannot have children and want them desperately, or they are tragically forced to have children when do not want them or simply aren't ready. This was something I felt drawn to talking about for years, especially since it seemed so difficult of a topic to bring up, and when so many previous generations pushed it as "natural" and "essential." I saw articles calling women "selfish" for not wanting to have kids at the same time men were shrugged at as "normal" for not wanting them, something that I'm sure felt alienating to men who longed to have children, too. And I felt in turns unready, afraid, and curious about having kids, but most of all, I felt isolated and frustrated that my choice in it never seemed to settle in absolute certainty either way, but hover around, looking for excuses or factors to seal things one way or another. I felt scared to make that decision on my own, and nervous to engage with anyone else on it and ask the questions I desperately wanted to for fear of judgement, or outright condemnation. As I went along in life I realized many people I knew were faced with that same decision, and that while many had an enviable certainty to their choices (or at least it appeared that way on the surface), I also talked to folks who faced that same kind of indecision, and felt kind of haunted by the weight of that choice. I wanted to create something to make those facing that possibility feel less alone, and also to try and illustrate the difficulty and all-encompassing impact of that decision to those who maybe had never considered it before, or faced the same kind of pressures about it. [[//more//|COMMENT 02]] [[//back to title//|BASE]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day0_00.png">] It is the last day of a cycle. You wake up and it seems like nothing new exists in the world, that everything is just as it was when you fell asleep, for better or worse. Perhaps that is a comfort? [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[You access your computer without thinking, the way you reflexively do, the way it feels like you always have. The screen lights up like eyes opening, the sun peeking over the horizon, and fills the room with soft rays. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[//Your schedule and reminders//, it whispers, and you scan the list – and freeze. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c3|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage3)(replace: ?c3)[]]|passage3)[It’s a reminder that lasts the week, starting tomorrow. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c4|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage4)(replace: ?c4)[]]|passage4)[And only the week. Only //this// week. Only now, and never again. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c5|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage5)(replace: ?c5)[]]|passage5)[''Bonding.'' [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c6|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage6)(replace: ?c6)[]]|passage6)[[[continue...|Day 0 Passage 1]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day0_01.png">] Translated loosely, bonding is a symbiosis, but more a dependency. A thing that becomes a part of you, that needs you, that changes you, and one day isn’t with you physically anymore – but you carry its memory as actual evidence with you always. //When you are bonded you are never NOT bonded//, your parent once said. It alters you in a distinctive way, where you are yourself still but – the color of your outlook shifts distinctively. Some make that seem magical, others horrifying, but to others still it is merely a Thing that Happens. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[Bonding is not required – you’ve always known this – but it’s quite common. You know at least a few people who are. You know people who decided it wasn’t for them. Maybe you’ve thought about it before, a decision either way, but it always seemed like something distant, theoretical. Not something real, applicable to //you.// [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[Definitely not something you only had a //week// to decide on. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c3|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage3)(replace: ?c3)[]]|passage3)[[[//think about bonding some more//|Day 0 Passage 2A]] [[//do something else//|Day 0 Passage 3]]]

{(set: $Day0Passage2A = true) }(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day0_02.png">] You think about the times bonding has come up in your life. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[Your parent bonded. A friend of yours bonded rather early – or at least it seemed early – but you’re not very close to them anymore, and it would seem crass to ask them about it now. Another person you knew shut themselves off from getting any bonding notifications in a very definitive way, and although they made quite the stand about it at the time, it seemed very personal to them and less applicable to your experience. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[There are things you //know// about it and things that tell you that //knowing// things are just facts and that only experiences really matter. You’ve never looked up anything about it, not really. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c3|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage3)(replace: ?c3)[]]|passage3)[Not with the kind of focus you feel is sitting on you right now. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c4|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage4)(replace: ?c4)[]]|passage4)[[[//continue...//|Day 0 Passage 3]]]

{(set: $PassageFrom2A = "You start suddenly, as if from a daze, and hurry to prepare for the day ahead.") (set: $PassageFrom2 = "You do your best to push the alert out of your mind - or at least to one side - and prepare for the day ahead.") (if: $Day0Passage2A is true)[(set: $Passage3Start = $PassageFrom2A)](else:)[(set: $Passage3Start = $PassageFrom2)] }(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day0_04.png">] (print: $Passage3Start) [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[Your presence is required at your profession today, and as you travel to work, you find yourself looking at people who pass by, suddenly noticing people who are bonded as if bright lights were shining upon them. You wonder briefly how you didn’t notice them before, at least in this way. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[[[//try to ignore it//|Day 0 Passage 4A]] [[//think about it more//|Day 0 Passage 5]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day0_04A.png">] Are you upset at this sudden focus? Or is it just distracting? [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[Either way you try to push it out of your brain and think about something else. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[It works – but the fact that you had to make a point to do it sits in the back of your mind, like a pebble in a shoe. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c3|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage3)(replace: ?c3)[]]|passage3)[[[//continue...//|Day 0 Passage 5]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day0_05.png">] You didn’t think this many people were bonded. It feels like they’re all around you – or that things appealing to them are. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[Advertisements feature them, or are built for expectations of them, in a way that you never noticed before. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[It makes you feel self-conscious, and something else... [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c3|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage3)(replace: ?c3)[]]|passage3)[[[//uncomfortable?//|Day 0 Passage 6A]] [[//curious?//|Day 0 Passage 6B]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day0_06.png">] You look away, suddenly, as if stung. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[You feel like a circle was drawn around you, that suddenly things are reversed and every bonded individual is watching you, judging you, as someone who isn’t like them. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[Does this make you want to be like them instead, or something else? [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c3|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage3)(replace: ?c3)[]]|passage3)[You don’t have time to ponder this fully, but it doesn’t leave your mind, and hangs about like a greasy film on every thought. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c4|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage4)(replace: ?c4)[]]|passage4)[[[//...continue//|Day 0 Passage 7]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day0_03.png">] You wonder what it would feel like to have that in common with those strangers, those other bonded people. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[You wonder if those advertisements would work, what it would feel like if you knew they were talking to you. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[Is there something special that’s being communicated that you would suddenly understand? [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c3|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage3)(replace: ?c3)[]]|passage3)[[[//...continue//|Day 0 Passage 7]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day0_09.png">] You have arrived at your profession and spend the day doing your job as normal. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[Communications leap out in ways you are suddenly aware of: requests for time off because of something related to a symbiote, or someone needing time to pursue a bond. You compare it to every other reason why people ask for time away, a disruption of their time, and feel like it’s not as extreme as you think it might be. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[//That’s just for one week//, you think suddenly, and the insulation around you falls apart. Logic’s tent collapses, and the awkward feeling sweeps over you once again. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c3|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage3)(replace: ?c3)[]]|passage3)[Somehow you make through the day, awkwardness and all, and you are preparing to return home when a work friend stops by, asking if you want to go out tonight with some other coworkers. You consider it a moment. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c4|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage4)(replace: ?c4)[]]|passage4)[[[//go home//|Day 0 Passage 8A]] [[//go out//|Day 0 Passage 8B]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day0_09A.png">] You thank your coworker for the invitation, but excuse yourself from the get-together. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[They perceive a change in your tone and ask briefly if you are well [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[[[//ask them for their thoughts on bonding//|Day 0 Passage 8A-A]] [[//say you're all right//|Day 0 Passage 8A-B]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day0_12.png">] You decide to accept the invitation, and go out and enjoy time with your coworkers, although you feel more distant than usual. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[The night is just fine, nothing remarkable, but pleasant all the same. An unbidden thought says bonding would disrupt this freedom of activity somewhat, but you’re not sure how to follow this up. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[A perceptive coworker notices something in your demeanor they perceive as being unusual and asks you if everything is all right. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c3|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage3)(replace: ?c3)[]]|passage3)[[[//ask the group for their thoughts on bonding//|Day 0 Passage 8B-A]] [[//say you're all right//|Day 0 Passage 8B-B]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day0_10.png">] You pause for a moment, then explain that the coming week is your bonding chance, and you’re trying to figure out what to do. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[Your coworker seems confused and says that they have always wanted to bond and have been excited for the opportunity, and even appear perplexed that it would be a question for anyone. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[They seem to look at you strangely, and for a moment you’re afraid that they are judging you unkindly. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c3|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage3)(replace: ?c3)[]]|passage3)[You quickly thank them for their time and head home. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c4|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage4)(replace: ?c4)[]]|passage4)[[[//continue...//|Day 0 Passage 9]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day0_11.png">] You gently wave away your coworker’s concern and assure them that you’re fine, just tired. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[They seem both slightly concerned and a little unconvinced, and for a moment you dread them asking you something you don’t want to talk about. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[But they nod, say you’ll be missed at the get-together, and bid you goodnight. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c3|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage3)(replace: ?c3)[]]|passage3)[You sigh inwardly, a knot loosing slightly in your chest, and head home. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c4|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage4)(replace: ?c4)[]]|passage4)[[[//continue...//|Day 0 Passage 9]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day0_14.png">] Something about your home feels unfamiliar when you get inside, like buttoning a shirt wrong or tying a shoe just a small bit too loosely. A question came in this morning and has been making time here, sitting as if it’s hollowed things out for itself. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[You try briefly to busy yourself with other activities but they don’t seem to engage you past the barrier of the vast question you are thinking about. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[You go to bed. Even rest seems like it’s waiting for you to do something, but finally it relents, and you sleep. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c3|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage3)(replace: ?c3)[]]|passage3)[[[//continue...//|Day 1 Passage 0]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day0_13.png">] You hesitate a moment, feeling the weight of the question like a stone in your mouth, and then awkwardly ask your companions for their thoughts on bonding. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[Your closest coworker seems confused, and says they have always wanted to bond and are perplexed that it would seem a question for anyone. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[Another, somewhat offended, replies that they chose not to bond and are upset at the notion that it is a foregone conclusion for everyone to do so. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c3|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage3)(replace: ?c3)[]]|passage3)[The discussion briefly gets heated and a third says that everyone needs to calm down and talk about something else. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c4|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage4)(replace: ?c4)[]]|passage4)[You feel awkward at having caused a potential problem and create a polite excuse to head home as soon as possible. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c5|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage5)(replace: ?c5)[]]|passage5)[[[//continue...//|Day 0 Passage 9]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day0_13A.png">] You shrug and put on your most reassuring tone, telling them that you’re just tired. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[Though they seem somewhat unconvinced, they still politely let the matter drop. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[Though it’s a relief to not have to answer any more questions, you are still somewhat put off by the day’s events, and before long you find yourself creating a polite excuse to head home. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c3|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage3)(replace: ?c3)[]]|passage3)[[[//continue...//|Day 0 Passage 9]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day1_01.png">] ''Day One of the Week'' [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[It’s a happy moment when you open your eyes and have forgotten for a brief time about the day before. Today is a day off, and that’s the first thing you expect to see greet you when you wake up your computer and see your schedule. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[Instead it is a question, asked matter-of-factly. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c3|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage3)(replace: ?c3)[]]|passage3)[''Do you want to make a bond?'' [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c4|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage4)(replace: ?c4)[]]|passage4)[[[//yes//|Day 1 Yes]] [[//no//|Day 1 No]] [[//refuse to answer//|Day 1 Passage 1]]]

In trying to make an experience about the process of making that decision, I did my best to vague it up in an effort to universalize it (or even just make it easier for someone who didn't face that choice to visualize it for themselves), but also express it as something very mundane and real. And in an attempt to make the experience more "streamlined" and tell a shorter story, it assumes certain things - lack of a partner, supportive family, steady job and income, average health, middle social class - all of which can have a huge impact on this choice, and even cancel it out completely. Fertility and gender and such are non-issues here in a way that is not reflective of real life, and something I cannot speak to in a personal way. I do not want to dismiss any of these elements as unimportant: conversely I think they're important in a way that demands another game, a bigger game, something that can tackle their complexities, not a short simple narrative. This is more my attempt to cut out all the elements that can be quantified even slightly and center it on the singular personal element of CHOICE. [[//more//|COMMENT 03]] [[//back to title//|BASE]]

Another thing I felt was key to this experience is //timing//, something I wanted to feature prominently in the game. While one might have more freedom as far as timing in the adoption process (which is nonethess incredibly long and expensive and stressful and its own ordeal), as far as "natural birth," the uterus-havers are presented with timetables that are daunting in the extreme. A "geriatric pregnancy" is anything over age 35; the idea of a "biological clock" going off and driving one into a frenzy to reproduce is taken as fact by many; and the idea of gates shutting on this option at a certain age is based on research done at the turn of the previous century. Again, while I hope to make this a game relatable to everyone on some level, and I know that timing is more of a pressure on those with the ones doing the bearing than anyone else, I felt very strongly that time as a mechanic, even loosely, was something that needed to be there. (And the fact that it worked like a neat structure for the game itself was convenient, gotta say. I am still a designer at heart.) [[//more//|COMMENT 04]] [[//back to title//|BASE]]

Something I found in working on this and talking to friends is that while there is a fear of talking about the choice to have kids, there is a tremendous willingness with many people to do so: not to evangelize their point of view on it, but to talk through their feelings and choices, and compare them with others. I'll admit my focus of interviews has largely been cis women, and I know there are tremendous complications and elements in the experiences of others, especially nonbinary and transgender folk, that are worth pursuing and talking about that I've missed here, and I'm hugely sorry about that. I can't pretend that this is a universal experience I've made here, or if me calling it something silly and sci-fi and obfuscating gender in it really does anything towards allieviating that. [[//more//|COMMENT 05]] [[//back to title//|BASE]]

I think more than anything - and more relevant today than it was when I first thought up the base idea for this half a decade ago - is the //importance of CHOICE//. There are countless pressures on people to have kids, and worries about the process, and complications, and things we cannot even fathom even when we might think our experiences are so similar. Absolute surety is a thing that is presumed so much, and I believe that assumption is damaging, and keeps too many people from talking about this topic who would benefit tremendously from just being able to share their worries and hopes without judgement, and get important and accurate information. The standards for sex education in the United States are abysmal (for every gender), and that impacts a lot of that choice: either the uncertainty of knowing, or seeing possible regret from those who endured pain and complications that knowing about might have changed their take on whether or not to go through with it. Regardless of the minutae, the more I talk about it, and learn about it, and have experienced this process, the more I am absolutely certain that //CHOICE// - authority over their own bodies and lives - needs to be in the hands of everyone, regardless of what external forces think is appropriate or acceptable. If this thing is so precious, why force it? You aren't that person, you don't have no idea the depth of impact of the thing you're asking, even if you have kids yourself. Humans are all vastly different, and so is the choice of making more of them or not, and their presence in your lives. And if you've never had to make that choice before, I hope very much that this small game can give some narrow view on the weight and complication of that decision. [[//more//|COMMENT 06]] [[//back to title//|BASE]]

As for me, in the end, I have decided that kids are not for me, and not just because my own circumstances have largely prevented it. I passed through a lot of guilt and second-guessing on that, and I think that's entirely okay as well. I didn't want to present either way - to "bond" or not - as something optimal or sensible or right, or that one was somehow a "bad ending." It's just different. I cannot argue that my perspective as someone who made the "No" choice in her own life hasn't impacted my writing and design for the game, but I've done my best to try and make things neutral, just about the importance of your own choice as a player, and I hope I succeeded. Either way, you're accessing this because you decided to play it even a little bit and reach some sort of ending, and for that I thank you deeply. I hope you enjoyed it, and you gained something positive from all this. Be well and safe out there. -Annie VanderMeer P.S: Deep and profuse thanks for those who helped me with this as well, whether providing answers to some VERY tough questions, or emotional support, or both. Could not have done this without you. :) [[//back to title//|BASE]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day2_00.png">] ''Day Two of the Week'' [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[You open your eyes, refreshed: the odd fatigue you felt last night seems to have vanished, and you feel a nice sense of contentment at your increased rest. Maybe you just really needed a couple hours more sleep. Things will be clearer today, you feel. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[Ready to leap into things, you focus on your schedule, and as your eyes scan across it, your mind preparing for the day ahead, the largest entry demands your attention: a simple presentation for a question with endless complications. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c3|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage3)(replace: ?c3)[]]|passage3)[''Do you want to make a bond?'' [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c4|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage4)(replace: ?c4)[]]|passage4)[[[//yes//|Day 2 Yes]] [[//no//|Day 2 No]] [[//refuse to answer//|Day 2 Passage 1]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day3_00.png">] ''Day Three of the Week'' [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[Consciousness comes slowly, with the groggy pain of too little sleep. As you reflect on what an significant difference this was from yesterday morning, you feel a discomfort that slumber had managed to hide, and make your way to the bathroom in a half-awake stumble. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[After dealing with feeling awful for a while, you decide that a sick day is an unfortunate necessity, and open up your computer to message work and deliver the bad news. Your coworkers’ replies are in turns joking and short – wondering if you’d drunk too much before, or that they wish they could take a day off too – but the sick day is accepted, and you agree to get yourself some more rest. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c3|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage3)(replace: ?c3)[]]|passage3)[Before you close your computer, however, you eyeball your schedule, making sure there’s nothing important that this day would threaten to disrupt, and it leaps out at you: that question, that has been such a part of your life, especially lately. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c4|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage4)(replace: ?c4)[]]|passage4)[''Do you want to make a bond?'' [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c5|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage5)(replace: ?c5)[]]|passage5)[[[//yes//|Day 3 Yes]] [[//no//|Day 3 No]] [[//refuse to answer//|Day 3 Passage 1]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day4_00.png">] ''Day Four of the Week'' [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[Your alarm wakes you up in a panic – dreams were frequent the night before, and though most of them have dissipated on waking, there is a sense of anxiety that clings to you, refusing to release itself. You know that logically you have plenty of time to get ready for work, but everything seems to be taking longer than it should, and this frantic air that hangs around you brings with it an unnecessary haste that has you dropping, spilling, and misplacing things, burning minutes that are suddenly valuable. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[You almost forget to check your schedule before you run out the door, but the words there stop you as effectively as if you’d been tranquilized. Simple and short, as so many of the most weighty questions are. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c3|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage3)(replace: ?c3)[]]|passage3)[''Do you want to make a bond?'' [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c4|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage4)(replace: ?c4)[]]|passage4)[[[//yes//|Day 4 Yes]] [[//no//|Day 4 No]] [[//refuse to answer//|Day 4 Passage 1]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day5_00.png">] ''Day Five of the Week'' [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[You wake up just in time to see you’ve missed a call, and blearily check the time. It’s pretty early, and you’re confused as to why you’re awake, but your body doesn’t seem to want to let you get back to sleep, so regretfully you get up, rubbing the sleep out of your eyes. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[Reflexively you check your schedule – and all trace of sleepiness is jolted out of you at the question that’s been facing you directly for the last four days, and indirectly even longer. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c3|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage3)(replace: ?c3)[]]|passage3)[''Do you want to make a bond?'' [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c4|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage4)(replace: ?c4)[]]|passage4)[[[//yes//|Day 5 Yes]] [[//no//|Day 5 No]] [[//refuse to answer//|Day 5 Passage 1]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day6_00.png">] ''Day Six of the Week'' [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[You wake up just before the alarm sounds, checking your phone reflexively, but sighing in relief to see no missed calls or frantic voicemails this morning. You lie back down and wait for the buzz of the alarm, allowing yourself to come into consciousness, blearily sorting through the events of the day before, and the minor drama in which you were a supporting character. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[You are prepared for the alarm but the buzzer makes you flinch all the same… just as the first alert that pops up in the schedule before you is something you’ve been expecting, but aren’t fully prepared for. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c3|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage3)(replace: ?c3)[]]|passage3)[''Do you want to make a bond?'' [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c4|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage4)(replace: ?c4)[]]|passage4)[[[//yes//|Day 6 Yes]] [[//no//|Day 6 No]] [[//refuse to answer//|Day 6 Passage 1]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day0_00.png">] ''Day Seven of the Week'' [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[You wake up slowly, letting yourself come to full consciousness before opening your eyes. It is the last day of a cycle. The world seems different somehow, like something has been waiting for you to awaken, even though around you, everything is just as it was when you fell asleep, for better or worse. Whatever comfort you might have drawn from that seems just background noise, now. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[You take a moment to reflect on things from the last week: the awkward moments, the things you’ve learned, the stressful times you’ve had, and the honesty people have shared with you. Taking a deep breath, you get up, and move to access your computer with a kind of solemnity, knowing - unlike just a week before - what question is waiting for you there. The screen lights up, cool-hued light filters into the room, and you open your schedule, taking a deep breath as the question is asked of you, in bold letters, one final time. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c3|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage3)(replace: ?c3)[]]|passage3)[''Do you want to make a bond?'' [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c4|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage4)(replace: ?c4)[]]|passage4)[[[//yes//|Day 7 Yes]] [[//no//|Day 7 No]] [[//dismiss//|Day 7 Skip]]]

{(set: $beatgame = true) }(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_yes.png">] In retrospect, the awkwardness you felt yesterday seems so foolish. Whether or not you always felt like you wanted to be one of the people who were bonded, if you always dreamed of a connection like that, or if it’s a new thing – it’s a certainty, and it warms you. In your mind you create a space for this sometime symbiote, some ideal, however hazy or sharp the vision, but present all the same. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[Your hue changes just slightly, as if in preparation. You wonder who will notice. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[[[//back to title//|BASE]] [[//developer commentary//|COMMENT 01]]]

{(set: $beatgame = true) }(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_no.png">] You understand something new about yourself, and the world around you. There is a push to be a part of a very definite group, and whether or not you want to make a statement about being outside it or if your choice is very quietly your own – this is something entirely up to you. You know only that it is a choice you have made, and you will stand by it, and that decision is what you have made a part of you. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[Your hue does not change at all. You don’t mind if anyone notices or not. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[[[//back to title//|BASE]] [[//developer commentary//|COMMENT 01]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day1_02.png">] You push the question away on the screen, where it flees into the background. //Not today//, you think, for whatever reason. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[The day opens up before you, but you find yourself sitting in a state of melancholy. The alert has long since vanished from your computer, but it still hangs in your mind. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[Your phone beeps, and you look at the caller ID to see it’s your parent. You feel a rush of relief, like you’d been waiting for them to reach out and didn’t know it. It hasn’t been too long since you talked to them, but at the same time it seems like ages. You answer the phone and greet them, and they said they just wanted to check in on you and chat. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c3|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage3)(replace: ?c3)[]]|passage3)[They pause, and in that moment you feel like they sensed something about you is off and are waiting for you to respond. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c4|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage4)(replace: ?c4)[]]|passage4)[[[//inquire about gossip//|Day 1 Passage 2A]] [[//ask about bonding//|Day 1 Passage 2B]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day1_03.png">] You ask about some topic you remember they had mentioned last time you’d both talked, and your parent is only too happy to indulge your query. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[You listen with some measure of relief as they give careful details, mention people they are certain you’ve met but you probably haven’t, and enthuse about media they are positive you would enjoy. It is a patter you are used to, and today you find it oddly more comforting than usual. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[There is a moment of silence after their latest mention of a lunch with an old friend where the tone seems to shift. There is a measure of concern in their voice as they mention you’ve been rather quiet, and ask quietly if you’re all right. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c3|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage3)(replace: ?c3)[]]|passage3)[[[//dismiss the worry//|Day 1 Passage 3A-A]] [[//ask about bonding//|Day 1 Passage 2B]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day1_07.png">] You hesitate a moment, then it comes out in a bigger rush than you meant it to, almost blurting out that it’s your bonding week, and it’s been hanging heavy on your mind. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[There’s a pause, and you sigh, and your parent asks with gentle concern if it’s something you want to talk about further, or just be distracted from. You take a moment to consider this. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[[[//ask for a distraction//|Day 1 Passage 3B-A]] [[//pursue the question//|Day 1 Passage 3B-B]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day1_04.png">] You wave off your parent’s concern lightly, saying that you’re just preoccupied with something that’s been bugging you a bit lately. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[You get a feeling that was the wrong thing to say – maybe you knew it was, knowing your parent as you do and their tendency to press on any loose tile, shift any tilted picture back into position, erase stray marks in a written message – and you can almost hear the frown in their voice as they ask what’s on your mind. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[[[//redirect the question//|Day 1 Passage 4A]] [[//ask about bonding//|Day 1 Passage 2B]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day1_05.png">] You blithely dismiss the question and ask them more about one of their hobbies, which they indulge you with plenty of enthusiastic details. You learn a lot more about the latest thing that’s drawn their interest, and ask a few curious questions, which they excitedly respond to – before going quiet again. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[You tense a moment, and tentatively they ask if you’re sure that there isn’t anything bothering you that you’d like to talk about. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[[[//sidestep the concern//|Day 1 Passage 5A]] [[//ask about bonding//|Day 1 Passage 2B]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day1_02.png">] You put on your best soothing voice and tell your parent things are fine, just that work has you stressed lately, and you know it’ll get better, it’s just one of those rougher times. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[Your parent lovingly chides you to leave work at work, and you say that’s your goal unless you can get overtime pay for worrying, and you both chuckle. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[[[//continue...//|Day 1 Passage 6]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day1_10.png">] You and your parent chat for a while longer, and you say goodbye with a promise to call again soon. You hang up, and though you feel better, a little part of you wonders if they’d known this was such a pivotal week, or it was just a routine contact after all. Regardless, you are glad for the time you had speaking with them, and are able to go through the rest of your day without feeling concern hanging on your mind quite so much. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[That night, you start to watch the show your parent recommended, both out of a sense of politeness as well as a desire for distraction, but you find yourself having difficulty focusing, and decide to go to bed early. You lie in bed a moment before the lights turn off, the world feeling like a pause after your parent finished speaking, waiting for you to say something, do something. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[You answer by turning off the light and closing your eyes. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c3|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage3)(replace: ?c3)[]]|passage3)[[[//continue...//|Day 2 Passage 0]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day1_06.png">] You sheepishly admit you’d just like to be distracted, if that would be all right. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[Your parent is understanding, and is only too happy to indulge you with a funny story they heard from a friend, and a book they’re certain you should read, and how they’re thinking of remodeling their bathroom. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[Before you know it, you’re back into the old pattern of giving the occasional response, laughing softly at cheesy jokes, giving observations on how maybe a darker color would look nicer with the cabinets, and assuring them you’ll definitely add that one show to your watching queue. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c3|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage3)(replace: ?c3)[]]|passage3)[[[//continue...//|Day 1 Passage 6]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day1_08.png">] You say you wanted to ask them this for years, but had hesitated. They’d bonded – what did they think about it? What did they think you should do? [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[They perceive a change in your tone and ask briefly if you are well [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[Your parent hesitates, and you can hear some fear in the hitching in their voice. They say that while their bonding was hard at times, they loved it, and never regretted it for a moment. But then, carefully, they tell you that if they had to do it again, in this day and age, they wouldn’t choose to do it. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c3|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage3)(replace: ?c3)[]]|passage3)[Your breath catches a moment. This is not at all what you were expecting. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c4|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage4)(replace: ?c4)[]]|passage4)[You did want to hear what they had to say, but you honestly imagined they’d go on at length about how much of a joy and a gift bonding was, and maybe how everyone should do it if they could. Not that they wouldn’t do it again. Not that – maybe – they wouldn’t do it if they were in your shoes. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c5|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage5)(replace: ?c5)[]]|passage5)[Your parent can tell you’re taking in the news, and says they hope that wasn’t upsetting to hear. You try to examine your feelings on it a little more, and think about how you feel... [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c6|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage6)(replace: ?c6)[]]|passage6)[[[//sad?//|Day 1 Passage 4B-A]] [[//relieved?//|Day 1 Passage 4B-B]] [[//indifferent?//|Day 1 Passage 4B-C]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day0_07.png">] There is a sadness in you at this revelation, whether or not you expected it. It’s put a weight on the choice that it didn’t need, already being a heavy one. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[But you tell your parent truthfully that you’re grateful for their honesty, and they of course tell you that they love you and that at the end of things, the bonding is your choice to make – which of course you know very well – and no matter what, they’re here to support you. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[Despite the weight on you, this expression of care makes you feel better, and you thank them for their reassurance. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c3|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage3)(replace: ?c3)[]]|passage3)[[[//continue...//|Day 1 Passage 6]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day0_08.png">] You stammer a moment before you catch yourself, and say that it was not at all something you expected to hear, but it makes you feel better to hear it, that feelings about something that vastly impactful are allowed to be complicated, messy, and personal – something that a lot of the messaging about the bonding seems to frequently leave out. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[Your parent is glad they could give you their perspective on the matter, and are quick to tell you they love you and that no matter what, they’re here to support you. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[Your heart lightens further at this, and you thank them for their reassurance. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c3|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage3)(replace: ?c3)[]]|passage3)[[[//continue...//|Day 1 Passage 6]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day1_09.png">] You search yourself for a new feeling about this, but when it comes to your own predicament, nothing new presents itself. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[You thank your parent for being so honest with you, and while they are worried to hear you’re still uncertain about things, are quick to tell you that they love you and that they will always be here to support you. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[You smile and thank them, grateful for their reassurance. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c3|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage3)(replace: ?c3)[]]|passage3)[[[//continue...//|Day 1 Passage 6]]]

{(set: $beatgame = true) }(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_yes.png">] You think about the kindness of your parent and how lucky you are to have such support, and things that seemed frightening before don’t loom so large, like a light shone underneath a bed to show the absence of monsters. Whether or not you’d wanted bonding to be a part of your life before or not seems like a charming story, fixed in a past: your present and future shape themselves around the bond and the idea of bonding, and the certainty settles on you with a comforting weight. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[Your hue changes just slightly, as if in preparation. You wonder who will notice. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[[[//back to title//|BASE]] [[//developer commentary//|COMMENT 01]]]

{(set: $beatgame = true) }(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_no.png">] You reflect on the things you’ve felt and learned, and the anticipation of the future – and the quiet realization that your plans do not involve bonding, and that vision is what feels true to you. You’re certain there will be people who find such an action selfish or without merit, and you dismiss these ghosts of naysayers with half a thought. It isn’t their business who you are or why you do what you do. You’re happy to have people who care about you, and happy to explore more about yourself as you live: that is as fulfilling and important purpose as any, and you are glad to embrace that truth of yourself. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[Your hue does not change at all. You don’t mind if anyone notices or not. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[[[//back to title//|BASE]] [[//developer commentary//|COMMENT 01]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day2_01.png">] A gesture makes the question disappear from the screen, but it lingers like the imprint of a sun on the back of your eyelids for a moment longer, and your mind longer after that. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[It’s the last day of the weekend, and you feel a kind of restlessness in you that you want to address. It’s beautiful weather out today, and there’s a park near where you live, so you decide to take a walk around it, get out in nature and clear your head. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[When you get there, it’s apparent you weren’t the only one with that idea: the park is a little crowded, less peaceful than usual, but nonetheless lovely. You hesitate a moment, searching for what you wish to do, then decide to just sit for a bit – so often when you’re sitting, you’re concentrating on doing something, so maybe just enjoying the weather and relaxing for a bit would be a nice change. You find a nice spot against a sturdy tree, not too shady and not too sunny, and settle in comfortably. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c3|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage3)(replace: ?c3)[]]|passage3)[It’s not much later when a pair of folks show up and put down a blanket and a picnic basket nearby – your stomach growls a little and you wish you’d been clever enough to think to bring food along – but you divert your attention and try not to focus on it. However, as they settle in, the two launch back into what was apparently a previous discussion: //bonding.// [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c4|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage4)(replace: ?c4)[]]|passage4)[You freeze a moment, tensing at something that almost feels inescapable. They’re not paying any attention to you at all, but you’re finding it suddenly difficult to concentrate on anything else. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c5|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage5)(replace: ?c5)[]]|passage5)[[[//listen in//|Day 2 Passage 2A]] [[//ignore it//|Day 2 Passage 2B]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day2_03.png">] You close your eyes and lean back and make it seem as though you’re just meditating, and make peace with the idea of listening in on them discreetly. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[The pair are talking with almost methodical care about their upcoming respective bondings: the process, the preparation, steps afterwards, on and on in detail. How they seem to be able to do this with such ease while having what sounds like a pleasant meal is... [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[[[//bizarre?//|Day 2 Passage 3A-A]] [[//exciting?//|Day 2 Passage 3A-B]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day2_06.png">] You try to tune out the pair for a while, but your body seems tuned to overhear snippets of their conversation nonetheless – bits and pieces about bonding that you didn’t know – until you subtly play some music on your phone in an attempt to block out the noise. You try to focus instead on the scenery and the music you’re playing, but the memory of those snippets of conversation stick with you, despite your better efforts. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[At some point you turn to find them gone, their meal apparently finished, and finally get up, dust the leaves off of yourself, and head back home. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[[[//continue...//|Day 2 Passage 4]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day2_05.png">] You’ve never heard of bonding spoken of so bluntly before, but also with such quiet reverence, unfortunate reality and cooing delight blended together. Going from one extreme of preparation or possible dire issues one moment and then an expression of delight and anticipation the other is almost making your head hurt. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[You knew there was a lot to bonding – or you thought you did – but this is on another level. When they finally get up and leave, you sigh as if you’d been holding your breath. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[[[//continue...//|Day 2 Passage 4]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day2_04.png">] These two people are so incredibly knowledgeable about the bonding process that it sounds in turns everyday and magical, a problem to be solved, an experience to exult in, that you find yourself having to soothe yourself into stillness and not twitch with either excitement or outright anxiety. You don’t know if you absolutely share the opinions of these two individuals on the process, but what is certain is that they are mentioning things you had never considered before, or even knew to go out of your way to find out. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[When the pair finally get up to leave, you catch yourself wanting to follow them and ask questions. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[[[//continue...//|Day 2 Passage 4]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day2_07.png">] When you arrive at home, you find yourself preoccupied with the experience at the park: instead of calm, you found more things to occupy your thoughts. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[You honestly don’t know if you feel determined or scared about your apparent lack of knowledge about bonding, but you do have a feeling you’d maybe like to know more. When and how and what that means, however, you’re honestly not sure. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[You go about the rest of your day, but when you head to bed, it feels like your meal didn’t sit right or something. You toss and turn, your brain suddenly jolting you awake with things you thought you’d forgotten – that all end up being nonsense – and finally exhaust yourself into slumber. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c3|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage3)(replace: ?c3)[]]|passage3)[[[//continue...//|Day 3 Passage 0]]]

{(set: $beatgame = true) }(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_yes.png">] You think hard about the bits of conversation you heard yesterday, and the satisfaction in the voices of those who had bonded, and the reassurance of your parent from the day before. Awful as you feel right now, there is a kind of clarity in your mind that seems familiar – like something that had been hidden, a prize concealed by snow or dirt that has since melted away and left it pristine, ready for you to pick up. You take hold of the decision and build a certainty on it. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[Your hue changes just slightly, as if in preparation. You wonder who will notice. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[[[//back to title//|BASE]] [[//developer commentary//|COMMENT 01]]]

{(set: $beatgame = true) }(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_no.png">] You reflect on this feeling a moment, working to untangle it from the threads of your current illness, picking it clear from generalized feelings of negativity to look at it properly. In that complicated bundle are the expressions of hope from the parkgoers yesterday, so many beatific faces gleaming from advertisements, and, yes, so many tired faces of those who had chosen to bond and were dealing with it, seen every day in real life. Good and bad, joy and pain, you can see them all, and that’s fine. But you know clearly: this isn’t for you, and that’s fine as well, and you are glad to know it. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[Your hue does not change at all. You don’t mind if anyone notices or not. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[[[//back to title//|BASE]] [[//developer commentary//|COMMENT 01]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day3_01.png">] The question disappears off of the screen, but you know that like a snooze button slapped in haste, it will return. No answer is not a real answer – at least, not yet. But it’s good enough for today, especially with how awful you feel. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[You do the things so often recommended when you’re not feeling well – drinking plenty of water, getting extra sleep, and so on – but you find it difficult to rest. Thoughts about the day before keep buzzing around in your head, fragments of wonders and worries that you find impossible to dismiss. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[At last you give up trying to rest and go to your computer, determined to try and root this concern out of your mind. You pause before typing, phrasing your questions carefully in your head, and then beginning your search... [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c3|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage3)(replace: ?c3)[]]|passage3)[[[//look up bad stories//|Day 3 Passage 2A]] [[//search for happy stories//|Day 3 Passage 2B]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day3_02.png">] You decide to bite the bullet and look up the horror stories of bonding, the tragedy and change and all the things that can go wrong. You read things that shake you, where you have to take breaks to work through the emotion, check your own vitals in reflexive fear. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[You finally step away from your computer and lie down, processing all that you’ve seen and read. After a few minutes, you start to unpack your impressions, to find yourself feeling... [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[[[//scared//|Day 3 Passage 3A-A]] [[//prepared//|Day 3 Passage 3A-B]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day3_05.png">] You look up positive stories about bonding, and are immediately deluged with glowing testimonials on how glorious the process is, how fulfilled it makes you feel, how it is a life experience unlike any other. Some lean a little more honest, admitting that it is difficult, and the changes it unleashes in your life might not always be desirable or easy to deal with, but always seem to end on the positive “I wouldn’t have it any other way” sort of note. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[You move away from the computer and lie down on your sofa to think. All that reading made you feel... [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[[[//optomistic//|Day 3 Passage 3B-A]] [[//irritated//|Day 3 Passage 3B-B]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day3_03.png">] There is a fear in you for real now, whether or not it had been there before, of all the problems involved with bonding and all it entails. There’s so much to think about, so many things to prepare for, so much that can go wrong. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[You’re only too eager to run to watching something funny for solace, although you only half-watch it as your brain continues to process the upsetting information you took in. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[[[//continue...//|Day 3 Passage 4A]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day3_04.png">] The stories are sobering and grim at times, but you reflect how many of them dealt with a lack of information about the situation, or a lack of trust or belief in the person dealing with the issue. You try and give yourself perspective that these tales were the exceptions, not the rule, and to nonetheless take their lessons to heart, even as the stories themselves still cause your stomach to roil. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[You go lie down and give yourself space to work it all through. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[[[//continue...//|Day 3 Passage 4A]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day3_06.png">] There’s so much material on how amazing bonding is – you’d suspected, but the sheer volume of it out there was beyond what you’d imagined. Past the pap and sentimentality of more than a few of the articles were some with real and honest perspectives, who gave moving pictures of what it meant to undergo the bonding, to make that kind of choice. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[You’re still processing all that you’ve taken in, and while you don’t know exactly what it means for your final decision on the matter, it has definitely impacted and enriched your perspective on the subject. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[[[//continue...//|Day 3 Passage 4B]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day3_07.png">] There was so much false, saccharine pablum in what you read, you can’t help but feel at least a little bit cheated, somehow. You did appreciate the few articles that were honest and at times unflinching about the experience and its scale on one’s life, but the vast amount of gooey text on the subject made even the most forthright tale have a shade of insincerity to it. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[You reflect that there has to be a lot of truth in the fact that bonding is honestly an incredible experience for some that is incomparable to anything else, and gives incredible fulfillment to some – you don’t doubt that for a moment – but the assertiveness to which some of the articles wanted to sell this idea have made a definite dent in how you approach the issue. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[[[//continue...//|Day 3 Passage 4B]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day2_05.png">] Though you grieve the losses and fear the dread outcomes of the stories you read, you can’t help but think about the people who made it through, who told the tales to warn and prepare others. You know there’s no way to fully prepare for everything, and the bigger and more life-changing the thing, the less one can truly prepare. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[You don’t know if scaring yourself with horror stories is a good path forward, but you certainly know a lot more things now than you did when you started. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[[[//continue...//|Day 3 Passage 5]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day3_08.png">] By the end of the day, though your mind is a little weary, your body is feeling better. You eat a decent meal, take some medicine, and go to sleep early. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[Thankfully your mind agrees to quiet its ponderings long enough to let you get some decent rest. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[[[//continue...//|Day 4 Passage 0]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day2_04.png">] You knew you went looking for happy stories of bonding, and that maybe it was unfair of you to have any surprise or discontentment that you found so much fluff on such a pivotal topic. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[You admit that it might not have been the most informative path, but all the same, you do feel like you gained some valuable insight with the experience – from your own reactions, if not from the articles themselves. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[[[//continue...//|Day 3 Passage 5]]]

{(set: $beatgame = true) }(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_yes.png">] You’re able to push the anxiety around you away for a moment, and take in the experience of the past few days: good and bad, frightening and inspiring. It’s like a haze that had been surrounding you evaporating, and the clarity of your choice comes into focus. You might not know all the details, or have everything ready, but this is something you want, and you’re certain of that, at least in this moment – and maybe that’s what matters most, that it’s clear right now. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[Your hue changes just slightly, as if in preparation. You wonder who will notice. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[[[//back to title//|BASE]] [[//developer commentary//|COMMENT 01]]]

{(set: $beatgame = true) }(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_no.png">] The stillness that settles on you suddenly is like a moment frozen in time. Inwardly, you look back at all you’ve heard and read in the last few days, and then forward, at two projected futures: you, bonded; and you, not. You factor in all the things you’ve learned and heard, and how you’ve processed them, and all the collected feelings you’ve experienced about the subject. Perhaps you don’t know how you feel about all the nuances of this choice to not bond and what it means, but you do know this choice is the right thing for you. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[Your hue does not change at all. You don’t mind if anyone notices or not. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[[[//back to title//|BASE]] [[//developer commentary//|COMMENT 01]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day4_01.png">] The idea of considering such a weighty topic when you’re so busy and preoccupied strikes you as ludicrous, and as you dismiss the question, the stillness that came upon you vanishes just as suddenly, and you’re back in the chaos of your real life once more. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[The sense of unbalance and frenzy that sat on you from the moment you woke up only gets worse as the morning unfolds. You nearly miss your transport to work, forgetting your breakfast as you rush to reach it. The day you missed yesterday ended up being much more important that it had seemed, and you have to complete some suddenly very necessary tasks in half the time that you did before. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[Frazzled, with the end of the day looming near, you’re confronted with the fact that you’re not going to be able to finish everything before you need to leave to catch your transport. A coworker who’s planning to stay late volunteers to give you a ride when you’re both finished with work, or you have the option to take things with you and finish the project at home. The co-worker lives near you and a ride from them would get you home a lot faster, but the idea of staying late at work isn’t super appealing; although granted, you know you’d get the job done much faster here than at home... [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c3|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage3)(replace: ?c3)[]]|passage3)[[[//stay late//|Day 4 Passage 2A]] [[//head home//|Day 4 Passage 2B]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day4_02.png">] You take your co-worker up on their offer, and thankfully, both of you are able to finish your respective tasks without too much hassle. You wrap things up and soon you and the co-worker are on your way back to your respective residences. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[Shortly after leaving work, your co-worker sighs loudly and says that they’re glad they have the option to stay late and get work done: their sibling went through bonding recently, and the idea of them doing something like staying late has become an impossibility, the bonding taking up all of their time and pretty much all of their attention. Your co-worker further admits feeling upset at the change it seemed to create in their sibling – but then stop themselves and apologize for possibly oversharing. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[[[//change the topic//|Day 4 Passage 3A-A]] [[//let them vent//|Day 4Passage 3A-B]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day4_06.png">] You thank your co-worker for their offer, but decide you’re better off getting the tasks done from the comfort of your own home. You take the transport back, but on the way decide that to save time and focus on work, you’ll pick up something to eat instead, so you stop by your favorite eatery and place an order. The owner is apologetic – a large group placed an order shortly before you got here, so it’ll be a while. You say this is fine, and sit and wait in the restaurant foyer. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[Shortly after you sit down, another person comes in to order, and seems worried and upset at the news of the delay, but agrees to wait as well. They approach a seat in the foyer, checking their phone, and curse quietly. They look around the room a moment, then approach you cautiously, telling you their phone is nearly dead and asking if you might have a charger they could use. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[You hesitate a moment. Your order is going to be called before theirs, and you’d hate to take away the charger before it’s done, but it’s also a cheap charger and you know you have others. Something in the other person’s face looks haggard and tired, and you feel compelled to ask what’s wrong, despite the possible breach of etiquette. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c3|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage3)(replace: ?c3)[]]|passage3)[[[//give them the charger//|Day 4 Passage 3B-A]] [[//ask them what's wrong//|Day 4 Passage 3B-B]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day4_04.png">] You dismiss their worries, and immediately ask about a film that was recently released. Your co-worker is only too happy to talk about it – with the immediate aside that their sibling was supposed to come with them but their new bonded responsibilities made them cancel, which was annoying – and shared their strongest takes on it. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[With that as a launching point, you’re able to make decent small talk for the rest of the trip, and only deal with the occasional aside from them regarding their frustrations with their sibling and bonding in general. Your co-worker thanks you for your company and conversation as they drop you off, and you nod a return thanks as they leave. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[[[//continue...//|Day 4 Passage 4A]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day4_03.png">] You assure them it’s all right, and tentatively ask for some details on their sibling, which your co-worker is only too happy to talk about at length. It seems the two were close before, but after their sibling went through the bonding, your co-worker complains that they seem like an afterthought in their sibling’s life. Plans between them were canceled, and when they did spend time together, all the sibling talks about is bonding – not just that it’s such a big part of their life or it’s hard to get away from, but to the point of dominating the conversation. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[You quietly reflect to yourself that must be a very significant thing, given how much your co-worker is talking at you rather than with you – when they sigh and again apologize for sounding so petulant. You tell them it’s fine, and want to say more, but you’re at the end of your trip, so you bid them an awkward goodnight before they leave. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[[[//continue...//|Day 4 Passage 4A]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day4_05.png">] You head inside your home and divest yourself of your work things, and fix yourself some food. As you eat your meal, you can’t help thinking how you feel a little sad for your coworker. They’re obviously upset, and part of you isn’t sure how much it is at their sibling being purely selfish or just consumed with the difficulties of bonding. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[You pause as you finish your meal, and realize slowly that the issue is more complicated than that. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[[[//continue...//|Day 4 Passage 5]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day0_04A.png">] You’d of course realized how much of a difficulty and responsibility that bonding is, but up until this point, your focus in that had mostly been yourself – you hadn’t put as much thought into how it would impact others, and until this moment, hadn’t really appreciated how much it might do so. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[You catch yourself looking through your contact list, reflecting on whom you hadn’t spoken with for a while, and feeling a little pang of guilt at some. If you had been so negligent to talk with these people in a solo situation, how would bonding change things? What relationships would even survive? [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[You narrowly prevent yourself from contacting all of these friends with a group message, not just because of your disgust at the idea of trying to buy your guilty conscience some kind of mass reprieve, but because of the late hour. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c3|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage3)(replace: ?c3)[]]|passage3)[You clean up the remains of your meal and settle into bed – and make sure to make calendar reminders to reach out to each of those friends individually in the near future before you’re able to finally get to sleep. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c4|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage4)(replace: ?c4)[]]|passage4)[[[//continue...//|Day 5 Passage 0]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day4_07.png">] You hand over the charger to the stranger, who thanks you profusely, and runs over to start charging their phone. They immediately call someone, and start explaining the situation with the delay, pausing frequently at what sound like loud, angry interruptions. You try delicately to avoid listening, but you can’t play music or get too distracted, or you risk missing the announcement for your order being ready. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[Despite your best attempts to not listen in, your brain pieces together the stranger’s situation. The angry voice on the other end is someone bonded, who couldn’t go get the food themselves due to their responsibilities, and is upset at the other person that things are taking so long. The other party – who looks as frazzled and tired as the other voice sounds, while still trying to sound comforting and even chipper – is slumped in their chair, curled around their phone in a desperate attempt to try and keep the conversation private. Eventually they say that their phone is about to die – something you would sense is a desperate untruth even if you didn’t know their phone had been plugged in the entire time – and they sit back and close their eyes wearily. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[Your order is called soon thereafter, and as you pick it up, you ask the owner if they could make sure the person after you gets their food – the owner gives a knowing nod that could tell you how much they sympathize without even needing to detect their own bonded hue – and you walk out, leaving the charger. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c3|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage3)(replace: ?c3)[]]|passage3)[[[//continue...//|Day 4 Passage 4B]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day4_08.png">] You ask them carefully if they’re all right, and the strings of tension holding them up seem to snap. They admit that they were hoping they could go out and get food quickly while their partner, who’d just recently bonded, could stay at home, but they had been so busy that they’d forgotten to keep their phone powered, and it was nearly out of charge. They wanted to call their partner to warn them the food would be late – though, they suddenly admitted to themselves, going any other place to order would probably take even longer, so it might not even be worth it to do so. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[You express your sympathies and hand over your charger all the same, and assure them that the restaurant is very quick with orders, and they’ll likely have theirs ready quickly enough that such a warning wouldn’t be necessary. They look immensely grateful, and ask an additional favor that if they were to fall asleep, to please wake them up so they didn’t miss their order. You agree, and with a speed that shocks you, they fall into an exhausted catnap. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[A few minutes later your name is called, and you go up to get your food. On your way out, you gently hover towards the stranger, uncertain how to wake them, when the owner stops you and gives a knowing nod, saying they know what the stranger is going through, and will make sure they get their order without issue. You thank the owner for their consideration and walk out, leaving the charger. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c3|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage3)(replace: ?c3)[]]|passage3)[[[//continue...//|Day 4 Passage 4B]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day4_09.png">] You get home, spread out your work and meal, and distractedly eat while you finish your task, but the face of the exhausted stranger lives in the back of your mind, their worried voice the narrator to everything you’re reading. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[You finally finish your dinner and your task, and sit back in uncomfortable reflection. The stranger’s exhaustion was something you could relate to, but it was the connection with the other person involved that couldn’t escape your thoughts. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[[[//continue...//|Day 4 Passage 5]]]

{(set: $beatgame = true) }(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_yes.png">] You let out a long sigh, letting the experiences of the past week flow over you, and reflect on what you’ve learned, the pros and cons, the difficulties and struggles, the costs and benefits. It’s a rough kind of math, cobbled together in a half-awake brain, but it’s just an estimation that the heart references. Tired as you are, it somehow only serves to galvanize you in your choice, and start sprouting seeds of excitement for your soon-to-be-shared future. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[Your hue changes just slightly, as if in preparation. You wonder who will notice. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[[[//back to title//|BASE]] [[//developer commentary//|COMMENT 01]]]

{(set: $beatgame = true) }(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_no.png">] You sigh with irritation that this is such an inconvenient time, and it occurs to you that this is a subject that emphatically does not care about your own time, your own schedule. It is something that can possess a remarkably small awareness for others, and has no real obligation to hold any empathy for you. Something that could be done right and beautifully, or wrong and terribly, or right and still terrible. There is a choice, and one path leads down a way with much less distinct choices, and many more just made for you instead of by you. And it becomes clear in your mind that while you understand why that path could be so appealing, it is not the way for you. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[Your hue does not change at all. You don’t mind if anyone notices or not. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[[[//back to title//|BASE]] [[//developer commentary//|COMMENT 01]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day5_01.png">] You push away the question, reflecting with irritation that this is hardly the time to make such an important choice, and try to refocus on the tasks at hand. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[You look down at your phone and check the history, and are shocked to see that you didn’t just miss one call, you missed several – all by the same friend, and all in the last fifteen minutes. You are about to call back when the phone rings again, and you answer to hear your same friend, breathless with a brief relief at hearing your voice, switch into a deep fear. They say their pet – which is growing older, but has usually been very healthy – is acting strange and hurt, and they need to take them in to the veterinarian right away. They have the means to do so, but they’re scared to go on their own – their pet means the world to them, and they could use your support. You agree to help, and as your friend is on their way over, you hurry to get ready to go along with them, messaging work that you might be late along with the reason. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[The ride to the vet is tense, with your friend explaining how they were woken up by a crash, and found their pet hiding, seemingly injured, and refusing to eat or drink. The pet definitely has a lot to say as well, making awful sad sounds that make your friend even more upset. You do your best to soothe both animal and friend, and thankfully you’re soon all at the vet, ready to check in. The receptionist says they have a number of things they need to check with your friend, and invites you to sit down. Your friend looks anxious, like they don’t know whether to ask you to stay or take care of the pet somewhere more comfortable. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c3|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage3)(replace: ?c3)[]]|passage3)[[[//offer to stay with them//|Day 5 Passage 2A]] [[//suggest that you wait with the pet//|Day 5 Passage 2B]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day5_02.png">] You speak up and tell your friend that if they’d like to stay here, you’ll be here with them. They thank you and start in on the paperwork, sometimes just freezing and staring at a page, or flinching at a wail from their pet. You do your best to be there for them, answering anything they ask, and doing your best to be a comforting presence. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[You don’t know how much it helps, but you hope you’re doing something – whatever it was they hoped you could do when they asked for you to come along. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[[[//continue...//|Day 5 Passage 3]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day5_03.png">] You suggest that you take the pet and wait somewhere else in the waiting room, so they can focus and the pet can be more comfortable. Your friend assents, and carefully you take a seat somewhere nearby. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[The pet sighs and whimpers, and your heart breaks a little as you look into its eyes. It’s in pain and doesn’t know what’s happening – you don’t know how to communicate that it’s going to be better except to softly say that things will be all right. You don’t know if you should touch it, or how to really soothe it – what would hurt and what would help – and you hope just being there is enough for it, and for your friend. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[[[//continue...//|Day 5 Passage 3]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day5_04.png">] Eventually, the three of you are seated, all paperwork filled out, and shortly thereafter a vet tech comes to take the pet, saying they need to run a series of tests to determine the problem. Your friend gets up to go along, but the tech gently says it might be a while, and they’re better off waiting elsewhere. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[Your friend hesitates, saying they want to be around if they’re needed, but you can tell that it’s also difficult for them to be there, unable to help. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[[[//suggest staying nearby//|Day 5 Passage 4A]] [[//continue...//|Day 5 Passage 4B]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day5_05.png">] You suggest to your friend that you both stay somewhere less tense but close by, get something to eat. Your friend nods, and the tech reassures you both that they will call the moment they get any news. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[You leave the pet hospital and head to a nearby cafe, where you guide your friend to a table close to the door and pick up two drinks. Your friend is quick to take theirs, but seems to be more into just holding it than drinking from it. If you were anyone else you suspect you’d just have thought they were just a little anxious, but you know their body language well enough that you can recognize how incredibly tightly wound they are. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[You try to soothe them, and they’re quick to deflect your comfort and leap to blaming themselves - they’d placed something awkwardly on a shelf, even knowing the pet frequently investigated new things - but figured that in the past they might, worst-case scenario, make an inconvenient mess. Seeing their beloved pet hurt was a stark reminder of how rapidly their companion seemed to be aging, and a dark reminder that they wouldn’t be with them forever. You urge them not to think that way, and they shake their head, quickly but not impolitely dismissing your suggestion. They admit they’ve had the thought of that impermanence in their mind for the last couple of years, seeing their pet slow down and have more trouble with things, and there’s a hitch in their voice as they say they don’t know how long they would be able to keep them alive if they started failing, both in terms of the grief of watching a loved one suffer, and the unfortunate reality of the care expenses. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c3|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage3)(replace: ?c3)[]]|passage3)[Something in the tone of their words you find incredibly jarring, and as you do your best to remain a quiet and comforting presence in case your friend needs to vent, you can’t help but take a moment to investigate your reaction to what was said... [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c4|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage4)(replace: ?c4)[]]|passage4)[[[//expense//|Day 5 Passage 5A-A]] [[//grief//|Day 5 Passage 5A-B]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day5_08.png">] You mention that your home isn’t too far away, and it would be easier to relax there than a nearby restaurant. Your friend hesitates, nervous about any distance, but you bring up that you could leave more easily from your place rather than a cafe, with no bills to settle or food to box up. The tech agrees and reassures you both that they’ll call the moment they get any news, and your friend nods slowly, agreeing to your idea. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[The ride to your place is mostly silent, but you’re both hardly inside when your friend breaks down weeping, collapsing on the couch. You move to comfort them, and they blame themselves loudly, saying they’d been careless, and speaking frankly about the depth of their fears. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[You listen to them speak, soothe them by saying the vets are talented professionals and their pet is tough, which seems to give them pause. Your friend says sadly they know their pet is getting older, that they’ve noticed it, but this is still too soon to let go. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c3|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage3)(replace: ?c3)[]]|passage3)[They tell you some stories about their companion, revealing a level of closeness you were unaware that they had with their pet, a very loving and trusting relationship. You are happy to see that your friend’s mood lifts somewhat with telling these stories, becoming more hopeful, but in the back of your mind, the intensity with which they spoke about that closeness was something you couldn’t help but find... [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c4|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage4)(replace: ?c4)[]]|passage4)[[[//scary//|Day 5 Passage 5B-A]] [[//compelling//|Day 5 Passage 5B-B]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day5_06.png">] The concept of expense crashes into your mind. You live decently enough, but you know how expensive some medical bills can be - not to mention standard care, food, living, and so on - and compounds with recent thoughts occupying your brain, making the specter of bonding loom even larger. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[How did people do it? Staring down such a huge aggregate expense with the general process, not to mention all the unforeseen issues in the future… you can’t tell if you feel a deep fear or a vast admiration for those who do undertake such a process. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[[[//continue...//|Day 5 Passage 6]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day5_07.png">] You recall the pained cries of your friend’s pet, and think what it would be like for it to be your own companion, with all the sense of responsibility and weight that carries. You find yourself reflexively clutching your own drink tighter, a mirror of your friend’s behavior. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[The knowledge of the choices you alone would have to make, the regret and fear that hides behind each, makes you pale a little. The sense of having to do that for a pet is terrifying… and, unbidden but not unexpected, the fear of having to do that in a bonded situation is even more so. You have a sudden new level of respect for those who handle such a burden every day, even as the idea scares you. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[[[//continue...//|Day 5 Passage 6]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day5_11.png">] It’s a while later - you did your best to avoid looking at the clock, as you had cautioned your friend not to do that and didn’t want to be hypocritical - that your friend finally gets a call that the vet is ready to speak with them. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[You both hurry back over to the vet office, where the doctor meets you promptly. The vet immediately reassures your friend that while the pet had indeed had the bad luck of having something fall on/with them, their injuries seemed to be thorough but not severe: no spine or nerve damage, just a dislocated shoulder (which they fixed easily) and some bruising. Your friend shakes back a sob and whispers it was their fault, that their carelessness was responsible for those injuries. Even as you open your mouth to deny that, the vet beats you to the statement, gently assuring them saying that accidents happen, and that they were best to put their focus on keeping their pet comfortable while they recover rather than burn energy in pointlessly blaming themselves for something that might not even be their fault. Your friend nods, seemingly a little mollified, and you breathe a sigh of relief.. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[Soon the pet is presented, shoulder gently bandaged and a little loopy from pain meds, but otherwise seemingly okay, and definitely not making the awful pained sounds from before. A glance at your friend’s face tells you this is still hard seeing their beloved companion that way, and you note as well their pinched look there as the tech describes how and when to give the pet their new medications, and the strain in their slow nods at what symptoms to watch out for. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c3|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage3)(replace: ?c3)[]]|passage3)[Soon all three of you are headed out, and as your friend drops you off, they thank you profusely for your comfort, and you assure them you’re always there to help. As they leave, you finally check the clock, and make a little sigh of relief: though the experience seemed to take forever, you’re actually not going to be all that late for work. When you give the details to your boss, they even seemed to be unusually understanding, agreeing to let you work from home for the day. As you thank them, your boss mentions having a pet of their own and how much they dote on them, and asks you to let me know about any updates about the situation. You are a little struck by their consideration, and thank them quietly. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c4|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage4)(replace: ?c4)[]]|passage4)[[[//continue...//|Day 5 Passage 7]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day5_09.png">] Perhaps the term “scary” would be too much, but the strength of your friend’s words illustrated a bond that you hadn’t realized so much rode on, and you find yourself deeply afraid for their well-being if their pet’s health took a downward turn. Memories of other statements of that level of intensity about bonding leap into your mind, and you wonder about hearing yourself saying those same kind of words, expressing that same kind of feeling, in your own context. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[It definitely gives you pause, and you give your friend the most compassionate attention you can. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[[[//continue...//|Day 5 Passage 6]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day5_10.png">] Though it’s hard to see your friend in this state, the warmth and love in their voice - audible even behind their fear - is unmistakable. You find yourself wishing for a connection like they have with their pet, a level of trust and closeness that is rare in the world, something that could be shattering to lose, but enriching to have for as long as you’re able. You wonder if you’d be worthy of such a connection, if it would be with the right being, pet or otherwise. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[Before you let yourself delve too deeply into that line of thinking, you shake the idea away and focus on your friend’s well-being first. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[[[//continue...//|Day 5 Passage 6]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day5_12.png">] As you finally settle in and begin your workday, you find it difficult to concentrate, something caffeinated beverages prove impossible to solve. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[You had never seen your friend so upset before, and come to think of it, you’d never seen a pet be in that kind of state before: hurting, scared, powerless to express what was wrong, no idea what was happening to it. Hearing about things you hadn’t thought of before - expenses, aging, treatment needs - has given you a lot to think about. Sure, a pet wasn’t bonding, it wasn’t the same, but there was enough in that closeness that seemed parallel: plenty of times when they wanted or needed something you couldn’t provide, a sense of helplessness at the rare times their fate was outside your hands, a crushing sense of guilt for something you might have done wrong that affected them negatively. If nothing else, you find yourself with a deeper compassion for those who had gone through such difficulties, and the trials of seeing a loved one in pain. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[You stay working a little later that night to make up for lost time, but don’t find yourself being as productive as you’d like. Eventually you give up, closing things down, and make and eat a quick dinner that you hardly seem to taste. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c3|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage3)(replace: ?c3)[]]|passage3)[Before going to bed, you message your friend for an update and are happy to get a quick response, that their pet is still groggy but seems to be healing, and giving them the pain medication isn’t as much of an ordeal as they were afraid of. You remind them you’re there if they need you, and they say they’ll keep that in mind, and hope that they next time they see you, their pet will be well and in good spirits. They send a picture of themselves looking groggy but smiling near their snoozing pet, and it makes you happy to see it. And thankfully, it’s that image that stays in your mind as you fall asleep, and not the fears and exhaustion of the rest of the day. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c4|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage4)(replace: ?c4)[]]|passage4)[[[//continue...//|Day 6 Passage 0]]]

{(set: $beatgame = true) }(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_yes.png">] You consider that even though your friend was terrified for the well-being of their pet and their helplessness was taxing, they knew they could go to you and to professionals for help. Though bonding is such an intense and particular thing, it gives you a tremendous deal of comfort - and confidence - that as you decide to engage in this new challenge, you won’t be alone or without help. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[Your hue changes just slightly, as if in preparation. You wonder who will notice. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[[[//back to title//|BASE]] [[//developer commentary//|COMMENT 01]]]

{(set: $beatgame = true) }(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_no.png">] You carefully sort through your frazzled brain and unpack all the tangled feelings of the past week, especially the day before. Out of the two roles - yourself and your friend - you realize how happy you were to have been able to be there for them, be a comfort when they needed it, even when you weren’t really doing or saying anything. Maybe a little part of you had previously thought of that kind of help as being less important, but you realize that it means a lot to you to be able to be the person there for others, lending support they might not be able to have on their own, an outside perspective and a listening ear. The bond you find yourself prioritizing are ones you have already, that you made on your own: you with those whom you care about. That realization settles like a comforting blanket around your shoulders, and you smile. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[Your hue does not change at all. You don’t mind if anyone notices or not. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[[[//back to title//|BASE]] [[//developer commentary//|COMMENT 01]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day6_01.png">] You let out a long sigh, stare at the question a moment longer, and then tiredly swipe it off of your screen like shooing away a bug. There isn’t much time left to decide, you know - tomorrow, and that’s it - but today doesn’t feel like the right kind of day to make that kind of call. At least not this morning, not with all the heaviness from the previous day hanging around you. You get up, stretch, and set about getting your day squared away. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[Your day passes without incident, coworkers glad to see you back (and gladder still to know your friend and their pet are doing okay), and before you know it your workday is over. You head home, but find yourself hesitating as you get in the door. You dismissed the question at the start of the day, but it suddenly looms large for you first thing tomorrow, demanding an answer, like an exam... and just like a test, you feel like you haven’t quite studied enough for this one. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[You find yourself looking at two contacts on your phone: a friend who chose to bond, and one who didn’t. You had touched on the subject of bonding in the past with each of them, but the conversation had barely scratched the surface of their feelings before you were interrupted, and you didn’t seek to pick the subject back up afterwards. Now, however, you feel like you should ask them directly, in hopes that their story would help you sort through your muddled feelings and make a critical choice about your future. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c3|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage3)(replace: ?c3)[]]|passage3)[You stare at your phone, and wonder which to call first... [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c4|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage4)(replace: ?c4)[]]|passage4)[[[//call bonded friend//|Day 6 Passage Y First]] [[//call non-bonded friend//|Day 6 Passage N First]]]

{(set: $bondedfirst = true) }(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day6_y_00.png">] You hesitate a moment, then call your friend, and sit tensely as the phone rings, almost jumping when they pick up. They’re happy to hear from you, and you engage in small talk briefly before you know they can tell from your voice that something is off, and ask you what’s up. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[You take a deep breath, and explain to them that the last day for you to make your choice on whether or not to bond is tomorrow, and you still haven’t made up your mind about it. You list the things you’ve done already - talked to a parent, looked up information, talked to others - and it would help you to talk with someone you trust, who’s gone through that process and made that choice before. Your friend answers warmly that they’re happy to answer whatever questions you have, and you thank them profusely, then laugh awkwardly a moment as you say you just realized that you hadn’t exactly parsed out exactly what you wanted to ask them. They reassure you that it’s okay, and they’re ready when you are. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[[[//continue...//|Day 6 Passage Y 0]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day6_n_00.png">] You hesitate a moment, then call your friend, and sit tensely as the phone rings, almost jumping when they pick up. They’re happy to hear from you, and you engage in small talk briefly before you know they can tell from your voice that something is off, and ask you what’s up. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[You take a deep breath, and explain to them that the last day for you to make your choice on whether or not to bond is tomorrow, and you still haven’t made up your mind about it. You list the things you’ve done already - talked to a parent, looked up information, talked to others - and it would help you to talk with someone you trust, who’s gone through that process and made that choice before. Your friend answers warmly that they’re happy to answer whatever questions you have, and you thank them profusely, then laugh awkwardly a moment as you say you just realized that you hadn’t exactly parsed out exactly what you wanted to ask them. They reassure you that it’s okay, and they’re ready when you are. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[[[//continue...//|Day 6 Passage N 0]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day6_y_01.png">] “I’ll happily tell you whatever you want to know.” [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[You hesitate a moment, then ask them quickly - [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[[[//did you always want to be bonded?//|Day 6 Passage Y 01]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day6_n_01.png">] “Fire away, ask me anything.” [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[You hesitate a moment, then ask them quickly - [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[[[//did you ever want to bond?//|Day 6 Passage N 01]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day6_y_02.png">] You ask your friend if they always wanted to be bonded, and they laugh softly. “No, actually,” they admit, something that kind of startles you. You’d gotten to know them a while before they bonded, and to you, they just had seemed like someone who’d wanted it their whole lives. You’d never have thought there was a point where they didn’t. But then again, you’d been surprised by bonding news before... [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[[[//what made you decide to bond?//|Day 6 Passage Y 02]] (if: $call2nd is true)[[[//end the call//|Day 6 Passage Y Early 2]]](else:)[[[//say goodbye//|Day 6 Passage Y Early 1]]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day6_y_03.png">] You ask your friend what made them decide to bond. “Multiple things,” they admit, “and I think it needs to be multiple things. Sure, I wanted some company in growing older, and that kind of connection. And I felt pretty sure that I had the means and learning to do a solid job of it. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[“Most of all, I wanted to add more good to the world, a legacy of being a kind person, and I thought bonding was the best way for me to add that good. Not that it is for everyone, but it was important for me.” [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[[[//what was your biggest concern about bonding?//|Day 6 Passage Y 03]] (if: $call2nd is true)[[[//end the call//|Day 6 Passage Y Early 2]]](else:)[[//say goodbye//|Day 6 Passage Y Early 1]]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day6_y_04.png">] You hesitate a moment, then ask them what their biggest concern was about the choice to bond. “A lot like yours, it sounds like,” they say sympathetically. “Really, ‘Am I ready, and what do I need to get done in order to feel ready?’” You admit that sounds pretty familiar, and they laugh. “For me, it was basically: am I in a stable situation, is it the right time in my career, things like that... and for anything that wasn’t a yes, I established a timeline I wanted to get them ready in.” [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[You ask if they shared their concerns or asked questions of anyone, and they say no. “I didn’t want to do what my parent did with bonding, and most of my friends didn’t want to do bonding or weren’t sure about it. I knew ultimately it was a question for myself. So I looked at what needed doing, and took care of it.” [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[[[//do you have any regrets about bonding?//|Day 6 Passage Y 04]] (if: $call2nd is true)[[[//end the call//|Day 6 Passage Y Early 2]]](else:)[[[//say goodbye//|Day 6 Passage Y Early 1]]]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day6_y_05.png">] You hesitate, but voice your last question, and ask if they have any regrets. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[There is a long pause here, and for a moment you’re worried you might have asked too much, but after a while you hear a sigh, and realize they had probably been taking in a lot of thoughts and feelings and deciding how to best distill them into a sensible reply. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[“No!” they answer emphatically. “...but yes,” they say, more quietly. “I would never regret the bond I have, ever. But there is so much that is demanded of you that you can’t possibly know before you start, so many sacrifices. If I’d known, I might have made a different choice about it.” They sigh a moment. “But those sacrifices are something I don’t think you can even fathom until you bond, and honestly, whether or not I would have made a different decision about it with that information is something that’s impossible to know.” [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c3|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage3)(replace: ?c3)[]]|passage3)[There’s a beat, and they laugh awkwardly. “I know that’s complicated.” You laugh as well and say you didn’t expect anything less. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c4|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage4)(replace: ?c4)[]]|passage4)[[(if: $call2nd is true)[[[//continue...//|Day 6 Passage Y End Second]]](else:)[[//go on...//|Day 6 Passage Y End First]]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day6_y_06.png">] You thank your friend for talking with you, and they hesitate a moment before asking if there’s anything else they can help with. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[You say you need some time to consider things, and they remind you they’re there for you whenever you need it. You thank them warmly, then end the call. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[[[//continue...//|Day 6 Passage Call 2]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day6_y_01.png">] You thank your friend profusely, and joke that your next call will be about something way less serious. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[They ask if you’ll call them when you’ve made your choice - whatever it might be - and you promise that you will, then say your goodbyes and hang up. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[[[//continue...//|Day 6 Passage Call 2]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day0_04A.png">] Your head swims with information. You look at your phone - there’s another number to call, your other friend, but for a moment you wonder if you’ve got the energy to ask more difficult questions, or if you feel your mind is made up enough. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[(if: $bondedfirst is true)[[[//call non-bonded friend//|Day 6 Passage N Second]]](else:)[[[//call bonded friend//|Day 6 Passage Y Second]]] [[//decide not to call//|Day 6 Passage NoCall 2]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day0_04A.png">] You hesitate, then put your phone away. You deeply respect your other friend as well, but feel like you’re more certain about things than you were before, and don’t want to pressure them with possibly difficult questions. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[Whether this is honestly for their sake or just an excuse you’re making to yourself, you don’t really care to examine further. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[[[//continue...//|Day 6 Passage EndDay]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day6_y_06.png">] You’re quiet a long moment, and your friend asks tentatively if you’re all right. You say that you just need some time to think about things, and thank them wholeheartedly for speaking with you. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[They say it’s never a problem, and that they’re around whenever you might need them. You say how much you appreciate that, and shortly thereafter end the call.. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[[[//continue...//|Day 6 Passage EndDay]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day0_03.png">] There’s some time left in the night, and though you busy yourself a little cleaning up and organizing things, the topic keeps surfacing in your mind, as it has all week, seemingly inescapably. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[You pause a moment in your chores and indulge the wonderings, trying, just because, to picture yourself with a different life - a bonded life - like an overlay on everything in your home, and measuring how you feel about it. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[Eventually, this reaches a point of exhaustion where you don’t feel like staying up any longer, and you ready yourself for bed and fall asleep almost immediately. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c3|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage3)(replace: ?c3)[]]|passage3)[[[//continue...//|Day 7 Passage 0]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day6_n_02.png">] You start by asking your friend if they ever wanted to bond, and they hum to themselves a moment, pondering, before they answer. “I don’t think I ever wanted to. Sure, I’d mused over it a few times, thinking about what it might be like, but I didn’t enjoy the thought experiment.” [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[You pause a minute, and admit you’d been thinking more about it having to be something you had to talk yourself out of rather than into, a reason not to rather than a reason to do it. Your friend makes a sound of assent and adds, “There are people who make the reason not to as core to their identity as those who do, and you don’t have to be that level of certain to know it isn’t for you.” [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[[[//what were your fears about bonding?//|Day 6 Passage N 02]] [(if: $call2nd is true)[[[//end the call//|Day 6 Passage N Early 2]]](else:)[[[//say goodbye//|Day 6 Passage N Early 1]]]]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day6_n_03.png">] You asked if there were any particular fears they had about bonding, and they agree emphatically. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[“I had plenty of fears about it,” your friend responds quickly. “Some you can kind of think your way through, others are just part of who you are. I understand the responsibility of being how something learns to see the world, and I’ve seen it done poorly and I don’t want to risk being someone who does a bad job. I know people who are so good at being bonded, even when they’re exhausted and stressed, but it’s something that makes them happy even when it’s really draining. I respect that, but it isn’t for me. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[“In the end, though, it wasn’t any one fear that kept me from bonding,” they say matter-of-factly. “It was because it never felt like a thing I wanted to do.” [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c3|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage3)(replace: ?c3)[]]|passage3)[[[//how did you think bonding would affect your identity?//|Day 6 Passage N 03]] [(if: $call2nd is true)[[[//end the call//|Day 6 Passage N Early 2]]](else:)[[[//say goodbye//|Day 6 Passage N Early 1]]]]]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day6_n_04.png">] You ask if they think people who want to bond need to make it a key part of their identity, and your friend makes a small noise of disapproval. “I love my pet, but I don’t see myself being defined as being a ‘pet owner’ as a part of my identity. That doesn’t mean I care about my pet any less, or that they’re any less an important part of my life. And I think if you don’t define yourself primarily as a bonded person, that makes you care about bonding any less, either." [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)["I’ve known people who make being bonded their whole identity, and that seems limiting, to think that’s the best thing you can do for the world. I mean, it can be a good thing, sure, when you make it a healthy and positive bond,” they add. “But that’s not the way I saw myself living my life.” [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[[[//do you have any regrets about not bonding?//|Day 6 Passage N 04]] (if: $call2nd is true)[[[//end the call//|Day 6 Passage N Early 2]]](else:)[[[//say goodbye//|Day 6 Passage N Early 1]]]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day6_n_05.png">] “I get that’s a rough kind of question, because it seems like a complicated situation, but nope.” Your friend laughs. “I didn’t feel like I wanted to put energy into that. I wanted to put my efforts into making the world a little better in other ways, into things that will help people who are already here and need that help." [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[“I mean, if I want to deal with bonding, I can help someone I care about, I don’t need to do it full-time. And I don’t feel like anything’s missing because I didn’t bond. And even if I did feel like I needed something more, I can find something that doesn’t require that kind of emotional weight to it. I wouldn’t want to start a bond feeling like it was there to make up for something. That doesn’t seem fair.” [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c4|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage4)(replace: ?c4)[]]|passage4)[[(if: $call2nd is true)[[[//continue...//|Day 6 Passage N End Second]]](else:)[[//go on...//|Day 6 Passage N End First]]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day6_n_06.png">] You’re quiet a long moment, and your friend asks tentatively if you’re all right. You say that you just need some time to think about things, and thank them wholeheartedly for speaking with you. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[They say it’s never a problem, and that they’re around whenever you might need them. You say how much you appreciate that, and shortly thereafter end the call.. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[[[//continue...//|Day 6 Passage EndDay]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day6_n_06.png">] You thank your friend for talking with you, and they hesitate a moment before asking if there’s anything else they can help with. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[You say you need some time to consider things, and they remind you they’re there for you whenever you need it. You thank them warmly, then end the call. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[[[//continue...//|Day 6 Passage Call 2]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day6_n_01.png">] You thank your friend profusely, and joke that your next call will be about something way less serious. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[They ask if you’ll call them when you’ve made your choice - whatever it might be - and you promise that you will, then say your goodbyes and hang up. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[[[//continue...//|Day 6 Passage Call 2]]]

{(set: $call2nd = true) }(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day6_n_01.png">] You call your other friend, and are happy to hear that they seem pleased to hear from you. You’re still a little hesitant, but buoyed with a bit of confidence from your previous conversation, explain to them your situation, the narrow window of time you have, and apologize for putting them in a position of such urgency. They wave off your apology and say they’re here to help, and are here to answer whatever questions you have for them. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[You take a deep breath, wishing you’d taken a moment between calls to sort out your thoughts better, and ask your first question. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[[[//did you ever want to bond?//|Day 6 Passage N 01]]]

{(set: $call2nd = true) }(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day6_y_01.png">] You call your other friend, and are happy to hear that they seem pleased to hear from you. You’re still a little hesitant, but buoyed with a bit of confidence from your previous conversation, explain to them your situation, the narrow window of time you have, and apologize for putting them in a position of such urgency. They wave off your apology and say they’re here to help, and are here to answer whatever questions you have for them. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[You take a deep breath, wishing you’d taken a moment between calls to sort out your thoughts better, and ask your first question. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[[[//did you always want to be bonded?//|Day 6 Passage Y 01]]]

{(set: $beatgame = true) }(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_end_yes.png">] You’ve been surprised by things in the last week. Experiences have caught you off-guard, taught you not to expect everything to go smoothly, and how valuable compassion is. At the start of the week, you probably expected the choice you’re making now to be a stark and definite mark dividing what Was your life from what Will Be your life, perfect and certain. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[But certainty doesn’t seem so essential now, not like it did, not like some kind of vow. You’ve looked inside, past what you think might be expected, past what you think it should be like, to what you want, to who you feel you are. And in that picture, your hue is different, marking that bond. It’s not a sharp picture, not wholly defined, but you can make it out clearly enough, and it makes you happy to think about bringing it to reality. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[Your hue changes just slightly, as if in preparation. You don’t know if anyone will notice, but that’s all right. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c3|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage3)(replace: ?c3)[]]|passage3)[It’s enough that //you// do. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c4|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage4)(replace: ?c4)[]]|passage4)[[[//back to title//|BASE]] [[//developer commentary//|COMMENT 01]]]

{(set: $beatgame = true) }(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_end_no.png">] You’ve learned a lot this past week: some things you expected, some that caught you off guard, and more than one thing maybe you didn’t want to know. But you’ve pieced things together in the meantime: what your life is, who you are, and what you’d want it to be. You don’t feel so pressured to take a bonding and fit it somehow into what you have, to make it work, to experience guilt when you feel like you fail. It isn’t a failure anymore, but a choice, and realizing that takes a weight off of you that you hadn’t imagined was there. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[You take in a breath and it’s like something in you has unclenched, the weight of a decision you thought you had no real say in, to realize not just the answer that you wanted but even that you were allowed to give one. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[You slowly let out your breath, make your choice, and shut down the schedule, eager to get on with your day, and the days that follow. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c3|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage3)(replace: ?c3)[]]|passage3)[ Your hue does not change at all, and that’s okay. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c4|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage4)(replace: ?c4)[]]|passage4)[You like it just the way it is. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c5|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage5)(replace: ?c5)[]]|passage5)[[[//back to title//|BASE]] [[//developer commentary//|COMMENT 01]]]

{(set: $beatgame = true) }(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_end_skip.png">] You hesitate. You’ve learned so much this last week, taken in so much knowledge, dealt with so many emotions. You waited for all this to make sense, to become clear, to show the right path. But all the information added seemed to make this choice hazier, not clearer, and the longer you stare at the question, the more it bothers you that something felt so limited in time, so pushed from every angle. You like that you know more things - being ignorant was hardly blissful, or whatever you were at the start of the week - but you realize you wanted an answer handed to you, and you reflect that you don’t think you would have been truly happy if one had, no matter what it decided. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[You know not making a choice now is effectively still making one, but giving a definite answer seems wrong, somehow, too clear for you to feel honest in doing so. Whether as a kind of protest or the confidence in finding a “third way,” you close the schedule, wiping away the question forever. Certainty is sometimes not a thing you can get, but sometimes that’s the better way. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[Your hue is the same as it’s always been. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c3|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage3)(replace: ?c3)[]]|passage3)[You accept this, and get on with your day, and life. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c4|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage4)(replace: ?c4)[]]|passage4)[[[//back to title//|BASE]] [[//developer commentary//|COMMENT 01]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day6_y_01.png">] You thank your friend for their time, and promise them too that you’ll call them once you’ve made up your mind - and are relieved to hear them say either way, they’re around to help. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[You tell them how deeply you appreciate it, and bid them good night. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[[[//continue...//|Day 6 Passage EndDay]]]

(align:"===><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="gameimages/hue_day6_n_01.png">] You thank your friend for their time, and promise them too that you’ll call them once you’ve made up your mind - and are relieved to hear them say either way, they’re around to help. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c1|](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage1)(replace: ?c1)[]]|passage1)[You tell them how deeply you appreciate it, and bid them good night. [(text-size: 0.4)[''(...)'']<c2|]](click: ?page)[(transition:"dissolve")(show:?passage2)(replace: ?c2)[]]|passage2)[[[//continue...//|Day 6 Passage EndDay]]]