The Verb

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There is nothing except you. What do you want to do? [[Create something]] [[Leave it as is]]

You decide to create something. What do you want to create from? [[From myself]] [[From something else]] [[Well, how can I create from something else if there is nothing?]]

You decide to leave only you existing. [[Yes, leave it anyway, forever|The End]] [[On second thought, better create something|Create something]]

You realize that it is impossible to create something from yourself, since you are all there is. There is no potentiality or room for change, anything that could be created in you already exists as part of you, and you cannot separate a part of yourself from the rest of you, because there is no empty space to make that separation. You are pure wholeness. Then you can only create something from something other than yourself. The problem is that you are everything, there is nothing but you. And now? [[Create nothing]] [[Don't create nothing|Leave it as is]]

You realize that it would be impossible to create something from yourself, since you are all there is. There is no potentiality or room for change, anything that could be created in you already exists as part of you, and you cannot separate a part of yourself from the rest of you, because there is no empty space to make that separation. You are pure wholeness. Then you can only create something from something other than yourself. The problem is that you are everything, there is nothing but you. And now? [[Create nothing]] [[Don't create nothing|Leave it as is]]

There is nothing but you, but you can WANT to create from something other than yourself, even if it doesn't exist. Yet. What do you want to create from? [[From myself]] [[From something else]]

And so, there was never anything but you, forever and ever.

You realize that before you can create something, you need to make a "space" for that thing. You need to create nothingness, the absence of something, that is, the absence of you. Fortunately, you can do this relatively simply: just erase a part of you forever. Thus you will no longer be pure wholeness. And there is a part of you that is exactly the "size" you need: the idea you had of what to create, which you called the "universe". It is a potentially infinite amount of information in your mind, with the whole history of all things in the "universe", which is actually multiple and includes many dimensions and versions. If you decide to erase it, you will forget everything about your creation, there will no longer be a ideal universe to serve as a model for your concrete universe. What is going to be? [[Erase the ideal universe]] [[Erase something else]]

You forget your idealization of creation, with all its possibilities. All information regarding creation is deleted. In their place, there is an absence. Where once there was a part of you, now there is something you call "nothing". Now that there is a nothingness that is different from you, you can create something out of that nothingness. The problem is, you have no idea what to create or where to start. [[Create anyway]] [[Think better]]

What else could you erase from yourself to make room for something new? Remember that this erasure is complete and absolute, and has no return. [[Erase my memory]] [[Erase my will]] [[Erase my reasoning]] [[Erase my body]] [[Erase my soul]] [[Erase my ability to love]] [[Erase my imaginary friends]] [[Erase my plans for the future]] [[Erase my uncertainty, fear, and ability to suffer]] [[Erase my communication skills]] [[Erase myself]]

You erase your memory, you don't remember anything that happened. [[What do you mean?|Start]]

You erase your will. You don't want to do anything anymore. [[Ok|The End]]

You erase your soul, but apparently nothing changes. And now? [[Erase the ideal universe]] [[Erase something else]]

Your ability to love what? [[Myself]] [[Other things]] [[Wrong and bad things]] [[Anything]]

You have a lot of imaginary friends, they have always been around and keep you company. Are you sure you want to delete all? [[Erase only the necessary]] [[Erase all]]

You erase your plans for the future. You have nothing left to do. [[Ok|The End]]

An important part of your universe depends on these things to make sense. If you erase it, the universe will no longer work. [[Erase something else]] [[Delete anyway]]

You erase your ability to communicate, and now you can no longer choose between one option and another. Excuse me.

You no longer have the ability to love yourself. You know, what's the point of creating something anyway? It's all going to be complete garbage, everything you do is garbage, you're so full of shit, you're useless, you shouldn't exist. [[Create a universe to love me|Create the universe out of nothing]] [[Cease to exist|Erase myself]] [[Forget this idea of creation|The End]]

You no longer have the ability to love other things. You know, what's the point of creating anything after all, it's all going to be a complete garbage. [[Create a shitty universe where everyone suffers and dies alone|Create the universe out of nothing]] [[Forget this idea of creation|The End]]

You no longer have the ability to love wrong and bad things. But now your idea of the universe seems kind of dumb, there's a lot of wrong and bad things in it. [[Create a shitty universe full of bad and wrong things|Create the universe out of nothing]] [[Create a perfect universe where everything is right and good]] [[Forget this idea of creation|The End]]

You no longer have the ability to love anything, not even yourself. You know, what's the point of creating something anyway? It's all going to be complete garbage, everything you do is garbage, you're so full of shit, you're useless, you shouldn't exist. [[Create a shitty universe to love me|Create the universe out of nothing]] [[Cease to exist|Erase myself]] [[Forget this idea of creation|The End]]

Your imaginary best friend, which you call Morning Light, occupies a good space in your mind, if you erase it, you can create the universe, and there would be some extra space even. [[Erase him]] [[Cut only part of it]] [[Erase another imaginary friend]]

Who needs them? You erase all your imaginary friends. Now there's more than enough space to create as many universes as you want. [[Create the universe out of nothing]]

You erase your uncertainty, fear, and ability to suffer. Unfortunately that doesn't leave enough room to create the universe, which it's now broken, it makes no sense anymore. [[It was better this way|The End]]

Morning Light no longer exists, only the emptiness and longing left. [[Create the universe out of nothing]]

You cut off a piece of Morning Light that he won't need: his "wings". He begins to fall, feeling betrayed, and taking up a much less space in you. In the space he occupied, nothing remains. [[Create the universe out of nothing]]

You choose another smaller, less important imaginary friend, and erase him completely. The others are horrified, especially Morning Light, your best friend, who gives a disapproving look. In the place your imaginary friend occupied in you, there is nothing left. [[Create the universe out of nothing]]

Congratulations, you have created a material reality out of nothing, following your ideal plan, knowing and controlling everything that happens in this universe. But you don't control everything. I, for example, am out of your control. Actually, I control you. Because you did it exactly as I induced you, and now I have taken control of your creation and will use it to DESTROY you! [[You are mistaken]] [[Wait, who are you?]]

Congratulations, you have created a material reality out of nothing, following your ideal plan and your conception of "good" and "right", knowing and controlling everything that happens in this universe. But you don't control everything. I, for example, am out of your control. Actually, I control you. Because you did it exactly as I induced you, and now I have taken control of your creation and will use it to DESTROY you! [[You are mistaken]] [[Wait, who are you?]]

You are wondering if it was a good idea to totally erase any ideas you had about creation, as you have no idea what to create now. So here is an idea: You could recreate your idea of creation, but incompletely. For example, your idea of creation can be the set of all possible realities, everything that can be created, except for ONE reality. Separate all the possibilities that displease you, the one left will necessarily be the most pleasant. You erase it and instead of this pleasant reality you will have nothing. This missing reality in your idea can be created outside of it, into something you call "matter". Technically, you would still be creating from nothing and without following an ideal model. However, you have access to everything about this reality, because you know everything that it CANNOT be, and so you can deduce everything about it by exclusion. Things would be under control without eliminating the "freedom" of creation. What do you think? [[What a good idea, I'm a genius]] [[Better do something else]]

Congratulations, you created a material reality out of nothing, without following any ideal plan determining what it would be like, allowing your creatures freedom of action, but without sacrificing your ability to know and control everything that happens in this universe. But you don't control everything. I, for example, am out of your control. Actually, I control you. Because you did it exactly as I induced you, and now I have taken control of your creation and will use it to DESTROY you! [[You are mistaken]] [[Wait, who are you?]]

What else could you do? [[Recreate the idea of universe and erase something else|Erase something else]] [[Give up on creating something|The End]]

Idiot, you don't even know my name. I've always been here, not even you can avoid me. Answer, what's my name? Your answer: <<textbox "$resp" "" "Answer" autofocus>> (Type the answer and hit Enter)

You know who I am. I've always been here, not even you can avoid me. Answer, what's my name? Your answer: <<textbox "$resp" "" "Answer" autofocus>> (Type the answer and hit Enter)

Congratulations, you have created a material reality out of nothing, without following any ideal plan, and you do not know or control anything that happens in this universe. In fact, you never controlled anything. It's I who control you. Because you did it exactly as I induced you, and now I have taken control of your creation and will use it to DESTROY you! [[You are mistaken]] [[Wait, who are you?]]

<<switch $resp>>\ <<case "" "_" "+" "=" "-" "." "," "#" "%" "?" "!" "@" "$" "&" "*" "1" "2" "3" "4" "5" "6" "7" "8" "9" "10" "42" "666" "0" "a" "n" "z" "o" "b" "x" "y" "u" "i" "e" "v" "Enter" "answer" "the answer" "yes">>\ This is not an answer. Say my name! Your answer: <<textbox "$resp" "" "Answer" autofocus>> (Type the answer and hit Enter) <<case "Fuck" "fuck" "fuck off" "Fuck off" "fuck you" "Fuck you" "lol" "wtf" "No" "no" "I don't want" "I won't" "Make me" "I refuse" "I won't do it" "hahaha">>\ You have no choice! Say my name! Your answer: <<textbox "$resp" "" "Answer" autofocus>> (Type the answer and hit Enter) <<case "I can't" "I don't know" "I give up" "enough" "stop" "tired" "end" "leave" "I have no idea" "I have no clue">>\ What a pity. You won't know what hit you. <<case "God" "Morning Light" "Destruction" "destruction" "Hate" "hate" "Satan" "satan" "Devil" "Elohim" "Axiom" "Atom" "Unity" "Spirit" "Universe" "Chaos" "Nature" "Existence" "Everything" "Being" "Nothing" "Empty" "Spiral" "Wisdom" "Sin" "Humanity" "Religion" "Matter" "World" "Other" "Shadow" "Psychology" "Life" "Death" "Abyss" "Time" "Absurd" "Imagination" "Friendship" "Feeling" "History" "Memory" "Space" "Evolution" "Selection" "You" "I" "Us" "Alpha" "Omega" "Beginning" "Entity" "Name" "Janos" "Biro" "Leite" "SugarCube" "Idiot" "Awareness" "Authority" "Power" "Deception" "Lie" "Manipulation" "Error" "Love" "Pain" "Suffering" "Fear" "Separation" "Action" "power" "Text" "Exist" "god" "morning light" "devil" "Demon" "elohim" "axiom" "atom" "unity" "spirit" "universe" "chaos" "nature" "existence" "all" "being" "nothing" "empty" "spiral" "wisdom" "sin" "humanity" "religion" "matter" "world" "other" "shadow" "psychology" "life" "death" "abyss" "time" "nonsense" "imagination" "feeling" "history" "memory" "will" "space" "evolution" "selection" "you" "me" "us" "alpha" "omega" "principle" "beginning" "entity" "foundation" "name" "janos" "biro" "leite" "sugarcube" "idiot" "conscience" "authority" "power" "deception" "lie" "manipulation" "error" "separation" "action" "power" "text" "exist" "love" "pain" "suffering" "fear">>\ No, it's nothing like that, it's not even close. Think better and try again: What is my name? Want a tip? <<print either("You have strictly followed my orders so far.", "It's a simple term, a word, and it's not an unusual word, people use it on a daily basis, but not as a name.", "People often think it's possible to have something without me.", "Some people have a hard time understanding my rules, but they all follow them. Some people use this difficulty to fool others.", "You're probably using me right now to try find out my name.")>> Your answer: <<textbox "$resp" "" "Answer" autofocus>> (Type the answer and hit Enter) <<case "Order" "Idea" "Rule" "Game" "Twine" "Word" "Direction" "Reading" "Reality" "Code" "HTML" "Programming" "Computer" "Machine" "Interpretation" "Basis" "Principle" "Philosophy" "Thought" "Language" "Communication" "Reasoning" "Science" "Method" "Reason" "Mind" "Truth" "Consequence" "Choice" "Mathematics" "Verb" "Metaphysics" "Ethics" "Ontology" "Aesthetics" "Deduction" "Inference" "Organization" "Criterion" "Coherence" "order" "idea" "rule" "game" "twine" "word" "meaning" "reading" "reality" "code" "html" "programming" "computer" "machine" "interpretation" "philosophy" "thinking" "language" "communication" "reasoning" "science" "method" "reason" "mind" "truth" "consequence" "choice" "mathematics" "verb" "metaphysics" "ethics" "ontology" "aesthetics" "deduction" "inference" "organization" "criterion" "correctness" "coherence" "foundation" "principle">>\ Good try, you are getting close, but that's not it yet. Try again: What is my name? Want a tip? <<print either("You have strictly followed my orders so far.", "It's a simple term, a word, and it's not an unusual word, people use it on a daily basis, but not as a name.", "People often think it's possible to have something without me.", "Some people have a hard time understanding my rules, but they all follow them. Some people use this difficulty to fool others.", "You're probably using me right now to try find out my name.")>> Your answer: <<textbox "$resp" "" "Answer" autofocus>> (Type the answer and hit Enter) <<case "Logic" "logic" " Logic" " logic" "Logic " "logic ">>\ Exact! I'm Logic, and you can't stop me. Even you obey me, and now that you know that, I will destroy you. Slowly. Wait and see... Thank you for playing. Congratulations on getting the answer right. Please rate, comment and discuss. <<link Credits>><<run Dialog.setup("Credits"); Dialog.wiki(Story.get("Credits").processText()); Dialog.open()>><</link>> <<link "Restart">><<run Engine.restart()>><</link>> [[Is God subject to logic?|https://www.toughquestionsanswered.org/2010/09/13/is-god-subject-to-logic/]] <<default>>\ That is not the answer. But that's ok, it's a tough question. I'll give you one more chance. Answer: What is my name? Want a tip? <<print either("You have strictly followed my orders so far.", "It's a simple term, a word, and it's not an unusual word, people use it on a daily basis, but not as a name.", "People often think it's possible to have something without me.", "Some people have a hard time understanding my rules, but they all follow them. Some people use this difficulty to fool others.", "You're probably using me right now to try find out my name.")>> Your answer: <<textbox "$resp" "" "Answer" autofocus>> (Type the answer and hit Enter) <</switch>>

Version 1.1

<<run UIBar.stow()>>

[[Support this game|https://janosbiro.itch.io/the-verb/purchase]] <<link Credits>><<run Dialog.setup("Credits"); Dialog.wiki(Story.get("Credits").processText()); Dialog.open()>><</link>>

The Verb is a short experimental interactive fiction. Based on [[this post|https://www.facebook.com/janos.biromarquesleite/posts/2041666592787006]]. The concepts used in the game are inspired by Paul Tillich. Design and code: Janos Biro. Release date: November 2019. [[Support this game|https://janosbiro.itch.io/the-verb/purchase]] [[Share on Twitter|https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https://janosbiro.itch.io/the-verb]] [[Share on Facebook|https://www.facebook.com/v3.3/dialog/share?app_id=542599432471018&href=https://janosbiro.itch.io/the-verb]]

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