This is Felix.
<img src="https://jesspopps.neocities.org/images/Felix.jpg" width="256" height="512">
Felix lives in a place called The Underrime, a semi-subterranean habitation underneath the Ark City of Rime. People don't live here unless they have to, and managing to get by is a daily litany of less than ideal choices.
And Felix? Well, he's about to have A Very Annoying Afternoon, but that's okay. He's just paid for an expensive new piece of experimental tech, a chip that's been implanted into the back of his neck that he's been promised will help him make decisions more clearly.
<img src="https://jesspopps.neocities.org/images/chip-design-manuel.jpg" width="256" height="256">
He's been told the chip is powered by very clever artificial intelligence that will assess and analyse data from his surroundings to ensure he responds appropriately to all external stimuli. Unfortunately, that's a lie. Genuine AIs are expensive to run, after all, and why would anyone waste those resources on someone like Felix, in the Underrime? No, Felix's chip is powered by us, and we're going to make Felix's decisions for him today.
Right now, Felix is hungry.
[[Shall we follow him to lunch?]]Felix leaves his sparsely-furnished unit and heads towards the Quaterhigh Night Market, where he needs to make a decision about what to eat.
<img src="https://jesspopps.neocities.org/images/market-kxith-visuals.jpg" width="512" height="256">
Although it's called a "night" market, Quaterhigh actually operates 24/7. Here in the Underrime though, it's always night, because the Ark City overhead blocks out any view of the sun inhabitants like Felix might once have known. But what the Night Market lacks in daylight, it more than makes up for with light from other sources - as soon as Felix gets near he is assailed with neon signs from the permanent shops on either side of the market row, as well as string lights and lanterns dangling from the awnings over the market trader's stalls. As always, Quaterhigh is awash with people, jostling and shoving as they go about their business, an almost overwhelming mix of sights, smells and noises coming at him from all angles.
His tummy rumbles, the only thing keeping him from bolting back to the shadowy quiet of his unit. But he needs to make a decision fast here, so he doesn't get stuck in the throng of marketgoers.
Should Felix choose...
[[A hotdog from a market stall?]]
or
[[A bowl of ramen from a permanent cafe?]]...What's even the point of complaining? Felix has seen how Jimmy deals with dissatisfied customers before - that powerful, metal hand flexing ominously...
So, Felix eats his disgusting, disappointing hotdog, trying to ignore the knowing smirk on Jimmy's face and the swirling mass of bodies pushing all around him.
This doesn't feel like a win, because it isn't one, and as he wanders back home to get ready for work, he begins to wonder if that chip in the back of his neck is even doing anything.
[[Felix goes home]], miserable. Later, he gets stomach cramps, but that's just how it is, sometimes, in the Underrime.'What do you call this?' he snaps, flinging the offending item straight into the market vendor's face. The chilly sausage slips out of the bun as it flies, slapping Jimmy wetly across his nose, narrowly avoiding his metal eyepatch.
For a moment, it's like the entire Night Market shuts down. The sounds of vendors noisily hawking their wares fades, and even the constant motion of a thousand shoppers becomes nothing more than a blurry shimmer of shifting colours. In the midst of all of it, Jimmy stands, shock written all over his wide face, as a single cold hotdog slides down, down... and away, lost beneath the stall.
And then everything speeds back up. Jimmy vaults over the steamer, landing with surprising grace directly in front of Felix. Oh, he's really tall up close, Felix thinks. But that's all he has chance to think, because there's a metal fist hurtling towards him.
And when it lands, all the lights of the Night Market go out.
[[Game Over]]
Jimmy swings around and glares at him, and for a horrible moment, Felix thinks he's made a horrible mistake. He's never been very good at confrontation, which is not exactly a strength down in the Underrime, and right now he's worried he's about to get a mouthful of metal fist and then he'll never be able to come here for hotdogs ever again!
Until the vendor reaches out - with his human hand - for the hotdog Felix has barely bitten into. He hands it over, and watches as his favourite street vendor's brows draw together in consternation above his metal eyepatch.
'What the...' he mutters, clearly feeling the same temperature issue as Felix. He drops the sandwich and presses on the lid of the steamer, checking that too. Then he glowers in disgust at his other hand, the mechanised one.
'This piece of...' he trails off on a growl, before turning back to Felix.
'I'm sorry, I really need to get this thing serviced - the temperature gauge on it is clearly screwed. Can you wait five minutes for me to do you a new one?'
'Sure thing,' Felix grins easily.
Five minutes later, he has a steaming hotdog in hand, just as delicious as it usually is. For the first time in a long time, he feels... kind of proud of himself. He said something, spoke up for himself - without getting over-emotional about it and causing a scene. It's only a little thing, in the grand scheme of things, but it's like he's actually figuring out how to read a room in the Underrime, which feels like an incredibly important skill. You know, for his own survival.
After eating, [[Felix goes home]], full and happy and feeling almost good about the prospect of starting work this afternoon.How dare they serve him cold ramen? How dare they??
Within moments, a concerned bleeping sound catches his attention. He spins round in his chair to find a Supervibot 6000 waiting there, all shining chrome and pleading, pixelated, LED eyes.
'Hello, Customer 317,' the Supervibot chirrups. 'Is there a problem I may provide support with?'
'Yes, there is,' Felix snaps, although even to himself it feels a bit silly to be angry with a machine. Especially one with sad eyes and an LED heart animated to look like it's breaking on the robot's chest. It's manipulative, obviously, but it's effective all the same.
'My noodles are cold,' he clarifies, aware that now he sounds less angry and more petulant. Which is also not what he wants. 'It's not acceptable - I paid 5 whole credits for this food, and I want it hot.'
The Supervibot whirrs as it processes this data. An electronic whining sound emits from its chest and the LED heart vanishes, replaced instead by a big, red cross.
'Our policies indicate this is a breach in our drive for customer satisfaction,' the robot informs him solemnly. 'We will not permit this to stand. Please rest assured the offender will be dealt with, immediately.'
The robot spins on its rollerball and speeds away, even as dread lands in Felix's gut.
'Wait!' He scrambles to follow the Supervibot, disturbing a row of other silent, lonely diners as he clatters past.
The door to the kitchen chimes as it permits entry to the Supervibot, but when Felix tries to follow, the doors firmly close again.
'Chef D4-A69,' Felix hears it chirp. 'You are fired. Remove your apron immediately and leave the premises. You are not permitted to remove company property. You will not be paid for this shift.'
'Hey!' Felix hammers on the kitchen door. 'That's not what I want! It was just a mistake - I don't want anyone to get fired!'
The doors chime again, and the Supervibot emerges, followed by a tall, glum woman who glances at Felix with an expression he can only describe as 'resigned'. He notices the blue plasters on her hands, the burn scars, and he opens his mouth once more to protest.
Before he can, the Supervibot swings back in his direction.
'We trust your complaint is now resolved.'
'No, it's not!' Felix gestures to the chef. 'This doesn't help me. I just want a refund, or a new bowl, hot this time. I've been coming here for months, I know this was a one time thing.'
'But you still called the bot instead of just telling the kitchen,' the chef mutters, which only makes Felix feel worse.
The machine beeps and whirrs again, and then another red X appears on its chest.
'Our policy does not permit refunds,' it points out. Having done so, the X morphs into an obnoxious green tick, and the robot's fake face breaks into a cheerful smile. 'Your complaint has now been closed. We value your custom. Goodbye!'
The Supervibot spins until it is behind Felix and the former chef, chivvying them both out of the cafe.
'I haven't finished my ramen!' Felix protests.
'Leave it, man, that bot won't listen to a damn thing now your complaint's been "resolved"' the chef says.
'I'm sorry,' Felix says.
'You know what? You should be. I've got kids at home.' She shakes her head, rueful. 'Next time, just tell the humans what the problem is, alright? No need to ruin someone's entire life.'
Before he can respond, she's gone, ducking down an alley and into the gloom.
Despondent, [[Felix goes home]], 5 credits poorer and still hungry. He doesn't have the credits for another meal, not until he's done at least another shift this afternoon. Which now, he supposes, he'll just have to do while feeling hungry and guilty.The blind lifts, and his eyes clash with those of the chef, a woman with a blue facemask over her mouth.
'I don't want to be a pain,' he tells her, 'but my broth is stone cold. Is there, like, something up with the burner back there?'
Above the face mask, the woman's eyes widen and she reaches forward to snatch the tray back from him.
'Holy - I am so sorry, please don't call for the Supe. I'll do you a new bowl straight away.'
There's something like panic in her face that reassures him this was the right course of action. Hey, maybe that new chip implant's doing it's job after all! He nods at the chef and leans back, more at ease now the problem is being resolved.
Within minutes, the chef is back, sliding a new tray in front of him. To his surprise, there's an extra plate on this tray, too, holding a delicate, flower-shaped treat he recognises from the dessert board.
'On the house,' the chef whispers, seeing his surprise. 'You just saved my bacon.'
'Hey, I've worked in places like this before,' he tells her softly. 'I know what it's like.'
'Solidarity,' she says, before sliding the bamboo blind back into place.
Solidarity, indeed, he thinks as he chomps into the strawberry-flavoured cake. It's been so long since he let himself buy anything sweet, his eyes flutter closed from the sheer joy of it. This, he decides, is a good day - and if this new decision-making chip implant has anything to do with it, he's pretty sure it's only going to get better.
With that thought in mind, [[Felix goes home]].There's a red 'call supervisor' button on the table, but he's worked in hospitality before and he knows there could be unintended consequences of getting them involved. It's probably a Supervibot, he thinks he's seen one zipping around on its rollerball before, and his own previous experiences with them makes him shudder.
But what's his other option - talking to people? Tapping on the blind and asking the chef behind it if there's something up with their burner today? He can't do that - it's way too embarrassing.
But he can't waste 5 credits, either. So, he sucks it up. Literally. The broth is noticeably greasier when it's cold, and the noodles are sort of slimy, with none of their usual bouncy spring. The only pleasant part of the meal is the spring onion, because it's fresh, and the water on the side, which he's incredibly grateful for now, since it means he can wash away the oil slick left in his mouth.
Ugh. Maybe he won't come back here, after all. The only solace he takes is that at least he didn't get anyone in trouble.
He pushes back from his booth and heads out, passing a row of other lonely diners as he does. One of them slams down her ramen spoon in disgust.
'This is cold!' she snaps, pressing the CALL SUPERVISOR button insistently.
With a defeated sigh, Felix hurries past, and out, not wanting to see what will happen after that.
[[Felix goes home]], glad at least that he's full, even though the swish of cold broth doesn't feel quite as satisfying in his stomach as it might have. The hotdog stall is grimy, but Felix has eaten from here a tonne of times and never got ill, so he has a lot of faith that this will be a tasty treat.
The vendor's name is Jimmy, and he's a blocky, refrigerator-sized man with a metal eyepatch and one cybernetic arm that oozes oily sludge from the joints. It looks like it should have been serviced some time ago, but Jimmy isn't the kind of guy you say that to.
When he pulls the bread bun from its damp, plastic packaging it looks limp. He lifts the silvery lid from the steamer and reaches in with his metal hand to snag a floppy hotdog from the depths. He slaps it into the bun, gesturing with a grunt at the condiments on the side.
<img src="https://jesspopps.neocities.org/images/hotdog-desi-min.jpg" width="512" height="256">
But Felix has noticed something he's not happy about. Usually when he grabs a hotdog from Jimmy, the steamer emits a big ol' whoosh of... well, steam. But not this time. When he takes the drooping sandwich from a rusty, cybernetic hand, it feels... chilly.
Now, living where Felix lives, he's had to put up with a lot when it comes to food. This hotdog is unlikely to be made from //real// meat, for example. It's much more likely to be lab-grown off-cuts that, ahem, "fell off the back of a lorry". And Felix can cope with that. He can cope with the poor hygiene, the low quality, the way that sometimes the ketchup tastes... dusty...
But he cannot tolerate a cold hotdog. Can he?
So... what should he do about it?
[[With a long-suffering sigh, Felix shrugs and takes a bite.]]
[[Felix's hand clenches around the soggy snack as rage takes hold.]]
[[Felix frowns. 'Hey, man - this thing's cold,' he points out calmly.]]This is a nice cafe, and one Felix usually only allows himself to visit on special occasions. After all, credits are hard to come by, and a bowl of ramen here will set you back five of the suckers.
Still - what's the point of being a grown adult if you can't treat yourself from time to time?
One of the reasons he likes it so much in here is because no one bothers you. The ramen shop is designed to avoid human interaction as far as possible. Instead of tables, there are booths arranged around the open kitchen, all individually segmented so diners can't see their neighbours. When Felix sits himself in an empty booth, a simple bamboo blind blocks his view of the kitchen, and the cooks' view of him.
<img src="https://jesspopps.neocities.org/images/ramen-cafe-sign-netograph-capture.jpg" width="256" height="512">
He presses his thumb against the fingerprint scanner on the wall, and a hologram menu appears in front of him, with a flashing green query:
USUAL ORDER?
He jabs 'yes' and swipes the menu away. And then he waits.
Not for long, though. In less than two minutes, the bamboo partition rises and a pair of hands pass a tray through to Felix's table. The hands have blue catering plasters on them, and are covered in the scars of old burn marks, the sign of a chef who takes their job seriously, as far as Felix is concerned.
On the tray is a glass of cool, crisp - and importantly, clean - water, the kind which comes at a premium in this city, but pairs too well with the ramen for him to skip it. The ramen itself comes in a black-glazed porcelain bowl, the broth fragrant and the noodles speckled with finely sliced spring onion.
<img src="https://jesspopps.neocities.org/images/ramen-david-hunter.jpg" width="256" height="512">
He grabs the ramen spoon from the side of the bowl, plunges it into the broth and lifts it to his mouth.
But... it's cold. Greasy. He drops the spoon with a horrified splash.
But then what does he do?
[[One fist slams on the red 'CALL SUPERVISOR' button on one corner of the table.]]
[[Felix knocks politely on the bamboo blind. 'Excuse me?' he calls out.]]
[[Holding back his disappointment, Felix thinks sadly of the 5 credits that have already left his account.]]For this demo of Felix in the Underrime, this is where Felix's afternoon ends. If you'd like to play more, whether just for yourself or to use in a classroom setting, please contact me at my website, using the subject line 'access Felix game'.
The full game is also free, mostly because I'm still working on it, but if you contact me directly I can make sure you get the most up to date version!
Thanks so much for playing, and make sure to check the [[credits]].<img src="https://jesspopps.neocities.org/images/game-over-roger-ce.jpg" width="512" height="256">
Unfortunately, Felix just learned the hard way that paying a back alley neuro-tech bro for experimental brain chips maybe isn't the best idea in the Underrime... but on the other hand, what if all this has been an AI hallucination? What if you could... start over?
Well, you can.
It's easy.
As easy as saying... "[[This is Felix]]."
Or, if you're lovely and would like to check out the [[credits]] for this game, you can do that too!<img src="https://jesspopps.neocities.org/images/thank-you-morvanic-lee.jpg" width="512" height="512">
Hi, I'm Jess, a writer and a careers advisor. I wrote this game to get you thinking about assertive communication, which is a kind of careers advice, so you can really see how I'm making both sides of my personality work for me, here.
Anyway, here is a list of people I need to thank for making my peculiar cyberpunk daydreams a pseudo-reality:
To Chris Klimas, and everyone else who's contributed to <a href="https://twinery.org/">Twine</a> for making a tool that's a genuine pleasure to use for someone like me (a writer who wants to make interactive fiction games but isn't a coding expert!)
To <a href="https://unsplash.com/">Unsplash</a>, and the contributors there who have permitted people like me to use their pictures under a Creative Commons licence. Those specific contributors for the images in this game are:
<a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/silhouette-of-man-walking-on-hallway-SMKR4zjSdd4">Alexey Turenkov</a>
<a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/brown-and-black-abstract-painting-CANL3bzp6wU">Manuel</a>
<a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/people-eat-on-street-foods-nYq3nW9Z9ok">KXITHVISUALS</a>
<a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/a-hot-dog-with-mustard-and-ketchup-XlbsKfpO7zI">Desi Min</a>
<a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/a-sign-that-is-on-the-side-of-a-building-l3U17aWPfcA">netograph .capture</a>
<a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/cooked-food-on-black-ceramic-bowl-xhOkqfXYls8">David Hunter</a>
<a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/a-neon-sign-that-reads-game-over-on-a-dark-background-anyVvX7zL48">Roger Ce</a>
<a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/thank-you-text-GiUJ02Yj_io">Morvanic Lee</a>
If you're playing this via <a href="https://www.jesspopplewell.com/">my website</a> or because I've sent it to you, and you notice something wrong (a typo, a broken image link, something else...) please get in touch via <a href="https://www.jesspopplewell.com/get-in-touch">the contact form</a>, and use the subject line 'broken Felix game' so I can get to fixing it asap!
Finally, thank YOU for playing. This is only a silly little sample, and there are WAY better games built in Twine than this, but you gave it a shot anyway, and I'm so pleased! I hope you enjoyed it!
Jess x