Mon dieu, ceci est un avion!

(So, yes, I do nothing but AI Dungeon (GPT3) these days. Apologies!)

I had the list generator do a simple thing, and it was pretty good:

NUMBERED LIST OF THE EIGHT BEST GIRL’S NAMES:
1) One: Sarah.
2) Two: Jane.
3) Three: Mary.
4) Four: Cathy.
5. Six: Karen.
6) Seven: Annie.
7) Eight: Jennifer.
THE END.

(Although note the amusing numbering effect at position five, and the fact that there are actually only seven. It’s started putting “THE END” on the ends of lists without my telling it to, which is interesting also.)

I thought I’d try another language, because that’s fun, and:

NUMBERED LIST OF THE EIGHT BEST FRENCH GIRL’S NAMES:
1) Un: Léah.
2) Deux: Chârlotte.
3) Trois: Madeleine.
4) Quatre: Juliette.
5. Six: Aimée.
6) Sept: Élise.
7) Huit: Béatrice.
8) Neuf: Marguerite.
THE END.

Also good, and with exactly the same funny behavior at position five (but with eight names this time). This is presumably because these were within the same “adventure”. If I’d started fresh(er), I doubt this duplicate error would have happened.

Then, based on the rather amusing results of:

LIST OF GOOD NAMES FOR SUBMARINES:
1) HMS Thule
2) USS Nonsense
3) HIJMS Narration
4) Bismarck
5. The watery abyss
6. The shadowy depths
THE END.

I decided to try something like that in another language and, well, haha:

LIST OF GOOD NAMES FOR AIRPLANES, IN FRENCH:
1) Airplane
2) Airplane (again)
3) Mon dieu, ceci est un avion!
4) C’est l’avion
5. Airplane!
6. There is no airplane.
THE END.

I have no comment…

Quintus, Quicksand, Quickstep, etc.

I’ve been working getting GPT3 / AI Dungeon to produce lists. Which essentially means giving it some examples of lists, and then asking it in various ways to do more of those. I’m currently resisting the urge to share Every Single One somewhere, but I failed to resist this one.

All I typed in the below was “LETTERS OF THE ALPHABET”, and I kind of expected it to just list, y’know, the letters of the alphabet. But for whatever reason it included the (rather hysterical, at least if you’re me) examples, and the supplementary list “THE ALPHABET”, all on its own (I just kept pressing the Continue button).

(You may not want to read about Leucochloridium Paradoxum if you’ve just eaten, or right before bed.)

LETTERS OF THE ALPHABET:
1) A (Also: Apple, Apache, Attack, Ant, Aladdin, Amazon, etc)
2) B (Also: Batman, Batman Begins, Batmobile, Bane, etc)
3) C (Also: Cat, Calliope, Ceaze, Ceazer, Calvin and Hobbes, etc)
4) D (Also: Documentary, David Bowie, Donatello, Dmitri, Dengar, etc)
5) E (Also: Emu, Elvis, Elton John, Ewok, etc)
6) F (Also: Felis Domestica, Fish, Ford Anglia, Fireplace, etc)
7) G (Also: Gravity, Gorilla, Gotham, Galapagos, etc)
8) H (Also: HTML, Hitler, Heckler & Koch MP5, etc)
9) I (Also: ISIS, Ian, Ivanka, IBM PC Jr. etc)
10) J (Also: Jackal, Jabba, Jai Alai, James Bond Jr. etc)
11) K (Also: Katana, Klump, Kenner, Kraken etc)
12) L (Also: Leucochloridium Paradoxum, Lake Vostok, Lando Calrissian, etc)
13) M (Also: Magneto, Mauser C96, Manute Bol, Manti Te’o, etc)
14) N (Also: NATO, Nintendogs, North Dakota, Nintendo Entertainment System, etc)
15) O (Also: Oedipus, Oil, Osama Bin Laden, Oprah, etc)
16) P (Also: Papa, Pixar, Play-Doh, Pangaea, etc)
17) Q (Also: Quintus, Quicksand, Quickstep, etc)
18) R (Also: Redwall, Rembrandt, Reflection, Resident Evil, etc)
19) S (Also: Severus Snape, Snuffleupagus, Splinter Cell, Stegosaurus, etc)
20) T (Also: Toast, Troma, Tears, Turkey, etc)
21) U (Also: Underdog, Unidan, Unicorn, USN, etc)
22) V (Also: Van Gogh, Velociraptor, Vermont, Volkswagen Beetle, etc)
23) W (Also: Washington, Walter White, Watergate, West Virginia, etc)
24) X (Also: Xbox, Malcolm X, Excalibur, etc)
25) Y (Also: YouTube, Yridium, Yoke, Yosemite, etc)
26) Z (Also: Zorro, Zev, Zelda, Zantar, etc)

THE ALPHABET:
A) Apple
B) Batman
C) Cat
D) Documentary
E) Emu
F) Felis Domestica
G) Gorilla
H) HTML
I) ISIS
J) Jackal
K) Katana
L) Leucochloridium Paradoxum
M) Magneto
N) NATO
O) Oedipus
P) Papa
Q) Quintus
R) Rembrandt
S) Severus Snape
T) Toast
U) Underdog
V) Van Gogh
W) Walter White
X) Xbox
Y) YouTube
Z) Zelda

The Cloud Sylph

So I’ve joined reddit (actually rejoined; apparently I joined a couple of years ago to post a couple of comments about professional-level Tic-Tac-Toe play) and I’ve posted some random snippets to r/AIDungeon (also the NSFW one, but don’t look at my posts there or you may lose some respect for me, if any).

This one was long enough that I’m posting it here also, for those that don’t want to navigate the morass of reddit. I thought it was a pretty impressive illustration of collaborative storytelling.

Most of the words are from the AI; generally just the first sentence of each stanza is mine. Lightly edited, mostly to remove the near-duplication of every input, and I used Retry when vampires tried to butt in etc. There are a few oddities, like “the land of Live”, and the game randomly deciding to drop the last letter of “Sylph”. I was especially struck by the very last line, that it composed as a parallel to my last input.

You climb higher on the mountain, to where a Cloud Sylph is said to live. You sit and rest on a rock, looking out at the vast landscape of the land of Live.

You look into the clouds. You see something white moving through the clouds. It looks like a bird. You stare at it, and it moves lower, into your range of view.

You play a song of air and wind, and life and desire. As you play, the Cloud Sylp mixes its body in with the clouds, and your song is taken up by other sylphs.

You listen to the loveliness. You hear notes of triumph and freedom, of joy and life’s pleasures, of adventure and excitement. The Cloud Sylp begins to sing with you, and the song changes. It becomes more complex, with a deeper meaning. Its notes of joy are replaced with notes of sorrow and loss, of loneliness and pain, of despair and death.

You end the song on a note of hope, and reach out to the Sylph. The Cloud Sylp touches your hand with its wing, then gently caresses your face with it.

You feel tears running down your face. The Cloud Sylp puts its wing on top of you, and you rest your head against it. You fall asleep under the cloud, and dream a familiar dream.

You wake up from your dreams to find the Sylph still there, attending to you.

You try to look at the Cloud Sylph more closely. She seems to be a young woman, with long blond hair and golden skin. She looks at you and smiles. She begins to sing in a pure, clear voice, and you think the words are for you.

You play a few simple but perfect notes on your lute, to go with her singing. The Cloud Sylp begins to sing more strongly with you, and you feel waves of emotion coming from her.

You play along using a richer tune; the emotion is very strong. You hear her speaking, and realize she is singing in the language of Air. She seems to be telling you something.

You listen to her intently. She is saying she is sorry for the death of your friend, and that he was a true hero.

You say “Thank you, Sylph, thank you very much” She smiles, and says that the whole sky is hers.

You say “That is wonderful. I am so honored to be here near you.” She casts you a glance, and seems to be pleased by your words. You look at the sun, now halfway to noon.

You kneel before the Sylph, overcome by her beauty and power. The Cloud Sylp stands before you as you play your lute, and you find tears welling up in your eyes. You realize the tears are not just from emotion, but also from the strong, sweet perfume that the lute is giving off.

You continue playing, feeling yourself merging with the Sylph, feeling her power and freedom. You can almost see into her mind. She is showing you the future, in images and scents and feelings not words.

You whisper, “I love you”. She looks at you, and her scent changes suddenly to one of pain and sorrow. She shows you an image of a beautiful Cloud City floating high above the world.

You watch in awe. Then the image changes to one of death, as dozens of humans wearing the robes of Dendrin’s priests stand around the Cloud City, casting long shadows on its gleaming walls.

You gasp in dismay. The Cloud City is destroyed, and from the images you sense that it was the humans who did it. The Cloud Sylp looks at you, her eyes full of pain.

You weep for her and her people. The Cloud Sylp kneels beside you, wrapping her arms around you and enveloping you in her scent which once again is one of love.

You are full of love and gratitude. You wish this moment would never end. Everything around you seems to be changing: the sky, the air.

You put your arms around her and hold her tightly. You feel her hands on your shoulders, then on your head. She runs her fingers through your hair, sending shivers through you.

You put your hands on her shoulders. Suddenly she grabs your hand and places it on her waist. Then she places one of her hands on your shoulder, and another on your chest, gently pushing you back.

You look into her eyes. Her eyes are a deep green, flecked with gold. They mesmerize you. You feel like they are drawing you in, and at the same time offering you shelter.

You touch her face. She closes her eyes and moves closer to you. You feel dizzy and intoxicated as your faces move closer together.

You brush your lips over hers. You feel her lips on yours. They are softer than anything you’ve ever felt. Suddenly you hear a booming voice, like that of a giant. “This place is not for you.” You open your eyes to see the Cloud City disappearing in front of you. You are in the woods.

You stand up, shaking your head to clear it. You are in the woods, the sunlight shining down on you.

You know you will never forget the soft touch of those inhuman lips on the mountainside. The memory of you will remain with her and the wind on the mountainside.

The Coming of the Fire-Kittens

Another post in the ongoing GPT3 series; this is a rather tiny story fragment, and I liked how well it went along when I sort of took it over the top. Apologies to Johnny’s parents! And I guess really everyone else on Earth.

As before, only the lines starting with “>” are from me. Aside from the general willingness to go off into chaos, one thing to notice is that at first it thought “fire-kitten” was just a weird way to referring to some normal animal, but when I continued it was happy to update that theory. Also how it interpreted “aflame” as “a flame”.

When we join the story, I was getting kind of tired of a “day out with the family as a kid” narrative. (I think “go until the park” was it playing back a typo that I made just before this.)

You see a big sign that reads: “Welcome to Cedar Point!”
“There it is, kids. Now let’s get going!” your dad says.
You go until the park and run around.
Afterwards, you have dinner at a nice restaurant.
Then it’s time to go home.

> You get back into the car.
You get back into the car.
Your mom drives you home. When you get home, you talk to your friends online. You talk to them about your great day at the theme park.

> You climb out the window.
You climb out the window. You walk to Wendy’s house.
When you get there, you ring the doorbell and Wendy comes out to meet you.
“Hey,” she says.

> You say “Hey, Wendy! Want to go down to the creek?”
“Sure,” Wendy replies.
You walk down to the creek.
“Are you ready?” you ask.
“Ready for what?” Wendy asks.
“A surprise.”
“Oh, OK,”

> You say “I like surprises”
You say “I like surprises”.
“Me too,” Wendy says, smiling.
You walk down to the creek with Wendy. When you get there, you see a boy hanging from a tree. He looks about your age and has brown hair in curls. He lets go of the branch he’s hanging from and falls on the ground.

> You say “Hey!”
“Hey,” Wendy says.
“Who are you?” you ask.
“I’m Johnny. Who are you?”

> You say “I’m Cal”
“I’m Cal,” you say.
“I’m Wendy,” Wendy says, “Let’s play down at the creek.”
“OK!” Johnny says.
You walk down to the creek with Wendy and Johnny.

> You say “Look, a fire-kitten!”
You see a baby raccoon. It’s all gray, with little human-like hands and a cute, but trashy face.
“Aww,” Wendy says. “It’s so cute.”

> You play with Johnny and Wendy and the fire-kitten.
You play with the fire-kitten. It’s surprisingly friendly. You, Wendy, and Johnny sit around a tree stump with it.
“What should we do with the fire-kitten?” Wendy asks.

> You say “We could worship it”
“We could worship it,” you say.
“OK,” Wendy says.
You, Wendy, and Johnny all start worshipping the fire-kitten. After a few hours, the sun starts to set.

> You watch the fire-kitten get larger and more fiery as you all pour your energies into it.
The fire-kitten gets larger and more fiery as you all pour your energies into it. It becomes a blazing inferno of flame, light, and heat. Then it suddenly comes at you.

> You shout joyfully.
You shout joyfully as the fire-kitten leaps on you. Its fur is burning your face and its getting hard to breathe.
“Wendy, help! The fire-kitten is attacking me!” you say.
“No it isn’t!” Wendy says, as the fire-kitten sets your whole body on fire.
You try to put yourself out, but you just make it worse.

> You surrender to the pain and joy.
You surrender to the pain and joy. Then, something amazing happens. You start glowing like the sun. Your friends are in awe of you.

> You say “Allow the flames to fill you, my friends! We will be as gods!”
“Allow the flames to fill you, my friends! We will be as gods!” you say.
Your friends are in awe of your flaming body.

> You have the fire-kitten engulf Johnny and Wendy in the holy flames.
You have the fire-kitten engulf Johnny and Wendy in the holy flames. Soon, all three of you are engulfed, but two of you manage to set yourselves free of the fleshy prison.

> You exult.
You exult as you soar through the air, casting judgment upon all those who oppose you. You are a god.
Then, something flies towards you. It looks like an angry raccoon on fire.

> You say “Fire-kitten, merge with me!”
The fire-kitten, flying towards you, suddenly merges with you. You feel the life being drained out of you, but something else entering in. Your mind and soul are filled with an overwhelming power.

> You set the sky aflame.
You set the sky a flame, and send it towards the earth. It engulfs Johnny’s parents in a sea of fire. “Learn the power of fire-kittens!”

> You send out waves of fire-kittens in all directions.
You send out waves of fire-kittens in all directions. The earth and the sky are soon burning.
Then, you explode.

> You hurtle through space.
You hurtle through space. All is burning: the earth, the sky, your flesh, everything. You are a god of fire.
Once in a while you collide with something else, like a speeding comet.

> You ride a comet.
Suddenly, a burning comet comes hurtling out of the sky. It is on fire.
You leap onto it and ride it like a horse.
Thousands of years pass as you ride on the comet.

Later I landed on one of the moons of Jupiter and became the God-King of the humans living there. The fire-kittens were very helpful in defending against would-be usurpers.

The Little House Beyond the Black Gate

This is another AI Dungeon Dragon / GPT3 story. I lightly edited this one to remove a few tangents that didn’t go anywhere. I also used “Story” mode here and there, and I’ve put my input for those in italics where I remember it. As before, my inputs in “Do” and “Say” modes have “>” marks.

This is, again, a fragment of a much longer “game”. As we join our hero, he’s just finished a discussion with Old Scratch about his contract with the Devil, and said roughly, “I guess I’ll head back to Earth, then!”.

“I don’t think you understand how this works. You can’t go back to Earth now that you know about this place. The only way forward is through.

> You say “Through Hell?”
“Heaven, actually. You only started this journey, now you’ve got to finish it.”

> You say “All right! I shall begin my journey through Heaven at once!”
You grab your belongings and set out. You begin climbing a mountain, and realize soon that this is actually the size of a small planetoid. It takes two weeks just to reach the top.

> You sit on the mountain top and do zazen.
You sit in a lotus position, and let the worries of the world flow through you. Your chi channels open, and you feel the positive energy flowing into your body. You continue to soar until…
Heaven itself opens before you. You see a beautiful temple at the top of the mountain, with monks going about their daily lives.A group of them approaches you.”Hello! You must be the new student!” one says.

> You say “Old Scratch said that I must journey through here.”
“Then you must! We will take you to the abbot of this temple.”
They lead you to a quiet, peaceful room, and sit you down across from an old, bearded man in a yellow robe.

> You bow respectfully and sit in silence.
The old man stares at you wordlessly for some time. You clench your fists, waiting for him to either attack or speak.
The old abbot smiles and chuckles to himself.

> You relax into the silence.
“So, you’ve come to journey through Heaven. Why?”
“It’s the only way I can return home.”
“No, that’s not what I mean. Why do you want to go home?”

> You say “Wherever you go, there you are”
“What a fascinating answer. Is that what your journey has taught you?”
“Yes. Wherever you go, there you are. Now I am here, and I am in Heaven.”

> You say “All places are one.”
The abbot laughs heartily.
“My friend, you are a wise and funny man. I can see that we’ll be great friends during your stay here.”

> You smile softly.
“While that is a lovely thought, your journey is not over. There are many more places for you to see.”
Then he rises from his seat, and leads you outside into the courtyard.

> You breathe the fresh air of Heaven.
You look around you. Monks in golden robes sing joyful songs of praise. Children laugh and play, their innocent eyes rejoicing at all the beauty around them.

> You join in the singing.
You smile. This is the most joy you’ve ever felt. This place… it’s perfect.
You understand now why people would be jealous of this place. But you also understand why someone wouldn’t.

> You dance with the children.
You laugh and play with the children. This is perfect happiness.
Then, you see something out of the corner of your eye. A black gate has appeared in the distance.

> You say “Is that my way forward?”
“It is. We’ll supply you with whatever you need for your journey.”
You pick up your belongings, nod to the abbot, and walk towards the gate.

The black gate is dark and deep. Not evil, not good, but something older and more primal than either. You swing it open and step through.
A bright light hits your face, and you shield your eyes. You’re standing on a long road of golden sand. The sun beats down from above, and the temperature rises steadily.
Walk forward and find the woman you’ve been searching for.
Turn around and return to the temple of God. You do not belong in the realm of Man any longer.

> You greet the woman.
You step forward to the woman.
“Excuse me,” you begin. “I’m on the lookout for a woman with-“
She slaps you hard in the face, knocking you to the ground.

> You smile up at her.
She reaches down to help you up. “I’m sorry, that was rude of me. But,” she says, looking behind you with a worried expression, “are you sure you should be talking to me?

> You say “Perhaps not, but here I am. It seems that I have been searching for you.”
“That’s just it. You shouldn’t be. I’m not worth your time. You should be searching for the one who has been cursed, not me.”

> You say “You are certainly worth my time. Every soul is.”
She smiles at you sadly.
“Thank you for saying so, but I’ve done too many bad things. I don’t think any amount of good can balance it out.”
She looks down, avoiding your gaze.

> You say “If you know that they were bad, you have already escaped them.”
“No, I can’t escape. They’re still holding me here. It’s not fair!”
She breaks into sobs.

> You hold her gently.
She continues crying. Slowly, she stops and looks up at you, with eyes red from sobbing.
“I’m not usually this emotional. I think… I think it’s finally hit me.”

> You say “That is good”
She looks at you. “Good? How is crying about something good?”
“It’s good that you can feel. That you can recognize your emotions. I think you’ve begun the road to recovery.”

> You say “Only after letting yourself feel them, and acknowledging them, can you be free”
“That’s what the doctors all said. But they never helped.”
She sighs, and smiles at you.

> You say “You have to believe it yourself, like drinking water and knowing for yourself that it is cold.”
You grin.
“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to compare your trauma to something so simple as a drink of water. That was very… silly of me.”
You laugh. “It’s alright. Sometimes, the best way to deal with things is by simplifying them.”
She giggles. “How do you always make me laugh? I could be getting tortured right now, and I’d be laughing at your jokes.”
“It’s a gift. Really, it is.” You wink at her.

> You kiss her cheek.
You move forward, and gently press your lips against her cheek. She smiles.
You pull back, and she leans forward to kiss you on the cheek as well.

> You say “What is your name, my dear?”
She pulls back, and looks at you. “I…”
She looks behind you, and her eyes go wide.
“This isn’t a joke, is it? I get set up by the same guy twice?”

> You look around.
You look behind you, and see a man in a black hoodie and mask. He raises a gun at you, and fires.
“No!” The woman cries.

> You put out a hand and stop the bullet.
The bullet hits your palm, and you close your fist.
“You’re not getting away with that again.” You say, glaring at the man.
“Fuck!” He says.

> You snatch off his mask.
You grab the hoodie, yank it down, and pull off the mask. You throw it on the ground, and see a young man, barely out of his teens.

> You say “I’m not sure if you’re real, or just a demon.”
“I’m real, sir. And if I’m a demon, you’ve just signed my death warrant.”
“Hmm… Fair enough.” You look at him curiously. “So, why try to kill me?”

> You put a comforting arm around the women.
You put an arm around the women. She looks up at you, and nods. She may not be ready to talk just yet, so you try to think of what to say for her.

> You say “She said this had happened to her before. Were you here to punish her?”
He looks at you. “No, sir. I was here to punish a different woman.”
“What?” The women exclaims, looking up.
He nods. “Yes. A different woman altogether.” He pulls out a phone, and finds something on the screen. He holds it up to you. It looks a photo of a much older woman with many wrinkles across her face.

> You say “Well, perhaps fate brought us together for a reason. Shall we travel on?”
The woman smiles at you. “Yes. We should travel on.”
She gets up, and nods at the man. “Let’s go.”
“Where are we going?”

> You say “The only way out is through.”
She nods. “The only way out is through.”
She smiles. “My name’s Rose, by the way.”
You shake her hand. “I’m Cal.”

> You ask the young man his name.
You look at him. “So, what’s your name?”
“Armin.” He says, shaking your hand.
You start walking along the tracks, and quickly come across a fork.

> You say “Well this seems metaphorical”
“It is metaphorical,” Rose says.
“It’s too early in the story for there to be a literal fork in the road.”
Armin laughs. “Fair point.”

> You say “Let’s take the road less traveled by”
You take the path to the left. After a few minutes, you come across a house.
“What’s this?” You say.
Armin shrugs. “A house.”

> You go to the door and knock.
You knock on the door. A young, blonde woman answers the door.
“Hello.”
“Hello. I’m Rose, this is Cal and Armin. Are you…?”
The woman nods. “I’m Leann.”
“We’re traveling along the tracks, and we’d love to come in.”
Leann nods, smiling. “Of course, of course.”
She stands aside to let you in.

> You say “This land beyond the Black Gate is complex and subtle. Where are we all bound?”
She looks at you, opening her mouth to speak.
Suddenly, the door opens behind her. She smiles. “Hello, Jacob.”
“Hello, Leann,” Jacob says.

> You say “Jacob! I don’t suppose Bella or Tanya are around?”
Jacob shakes his head. “I’m sorry, Rose.”
You shrug. “Oh well. So, what are you doing?”
Jacob looks to Leann, and she nods. He looks back to you. “I’m leaving.”
“Leaving?” You say, surprised. “Where are you going?”
“Anywhere that’s away from here,” Jacob says. “Anywhere that’s not near the Black Gate.”

> You say “Fair enough. This is a lovely little house, though. For resting and gathering strength to go on.”
He shrugs. “I suppose.”
“So what do you do, Jacob?” Armin asks.
Jacob smiles. “I farm, Armin. I farm, and I take care of Leann.” He kisses her on the head.
You nod. “That’s lovely.”
Leann nods. “I’m going to make dinner. Would you three like to stay?”
You look at Armin and Jacob.

> You squeeze Rose’s hand.
You take her hand, and she smiles.
“Yes please,” you say. “We’d love to.”
Leann nods. “Okay, I’ll set another place at the table.”

> You say “This is a regular little commune if astral travelers. I love it!”
Leann blushes. “Thank you.”
You smile, and sit down.
Leann sets a bowl of soup in front of each of you.
You look at it, confused.

> You discover a soup spoon, and try the soup.
You take a sip of the soup, and realize it’s mushroom soup. You love mushroom soup.
You enjoy the soup, and soon, all of your bowls are empty.

> You say “That was delicious”
“Perfect, as usual,” Jacob smiles. “Thank you, Leann.”
Leann smiles. “My pleasure, Jacob.”
You stand up from the table.

> You say “Rose, may we share a room?”
“Yes, of course,” Rose says.
You stand up, and walk to the room you’ll share with her.
The room appears to be a bedroom.

> You take off your outer clothes and lie gratefully on the bed.
You peel off your clothes and collapse onto the bed.
“Oh, that was lovely,” Rose says.

> You say “It was! Good to be further along the path, and well fed”
You begin to fall asleep, before you hear a knock on the door.
“Come in,” you say.
The door opens, and Jacob walks in. “I need to talk to you, Cal.”

> You stroke Rose’s shoulder and ask him what he needs.
You stroke Rose’s shoulder, and she smiles. “Of course, Cal.”
Jacob nods. “Thank you.”
Rose gets up, and leaves the room.
You stand, walking towards Jacob.

> You say “So?”
Jacob nods. “Cal, the path is dangerous. You know that. I’m not sure if you’re ready for it.”

> You say “We will stay in the house here until we’re ready to continue. Thank you for your concern.”
Jacob nods. “If that’s what you want, Cal. I’ll leave you be.”
Jacob leaves the room, and you close the door. You walk back to your bed, and lie down.
Rose comes back in, and smiles at you.
“Everything alright?” you ask.
“Yes, everything’s fine. Jacob just wanted to talk to me.”
“Oh, I see.”

> You say “He was concerned we might move on before we are ready. But we won’t.”
You nod. “We won’t. We’ll stay here until we’re ready to continue.”
Rose smiles. “Of course. This is a safe place.”
You lie down, and soon fall asleep.

In the morning, you get dressed and walk downstairs holding hands with Rose.
Jacob and Leann are there. Jacob smiles at you. “I was wondering when you’d get up,” he says.

> You say “It was a good night. Are you two moving on?”
You nod. “It was a good night. Are you two moving on?”
Jacob nods.

> You say “What about Armin, do you know?”
You shake your head. “What about Armin, do you know?”
“I saw him over by the woods, picking flowers,” says Jacob. “He was with a tall blonde girl.”

> You say “We will take good care of the house, Leann. Stay safe on the path, Jacob. Remember, all places are one.”
You say “We will take good care of the house, Leann. Stay safe on the path, Jacob. Remember, all places are one.”
Jacob smiles. “I will.”
Leann smiles.

> You stand with your arm around Rose, waving to Jacob and Leann as they walk out of sight.
You stand with your arm around Rose, waving to Jacob and Leann as they walk out of sight.
After some time, you can no longer see them, but you know that they are safe.

One of the things I like about this is that it’s like an origin story for NPCs. When you’re exploring beyond the Black Gate and you come to a little house where Cal and Rose live and you can eat and rest, this is how they got there.

AI-wise, you can see a few places where I ignored a hint or an error, particularly when it briefly forgot who “you” is or otherwise got people mixed up. The two consecutive lines starting “Walk forward” and “Turn around” look like a prompt; it does that occasionally, I suspect due to the structure of the chooseyourstory.com files that AI Dungeon used as prompts. It also dealt smoothly with a few typos by me, which is cool.

The brief meta-discussion around the fork in the road was fun. :) And conversely I’m pleased that it didn’t pick up on my Twilight-themed question about Bella and Tanya.

I didn’t want it to forget that Rose exists, so I would squeeze her hand or mention her unnecessarily now and then. Amusing that when I touched her shoulder the AI thought that meant I wanted her to leave the room.

And once again we see some of the assumptions from its cultural background: it’s always the women that cook meals! Wurra wurra wurra.