Stiffy Makane: Apocolocyntosis — 11 of 235

Book Three - "Stiffyiana"

Part One - "Conversation"

Chatted_up is a kind of value. The chatted_ups are conversed and unconversed. A person has a chatted_up. A person is usually unconversed.

Fair_warning is a kind of value. The fair_warnings are warned_about and not_warned_about. A thing has a fair_warning. A thing is usually not_warned_about. A room has a fair_warning. A room is usually not_warned_about. A person has a fair_warning. A person is usually not_warned_about.

Definition: a person is other if it is not the player.

A person has a table-name called conversation. A person has a text called default reply. The conversation of a person is the Table of Empty Chatter. The default reply of a person is "'I'm afraid I have no idea what you're talking about.'"

Check asking someone about something:

if the noun is the player, instead say "Talking to yourself is said to be a sign of impending mental collapse[71 as a reference].";

now the noun is conversed;

let the source be the conversation of the noun;

if topic understood is a topic listed in source and the noun is speakable

begin;

if there is a turn stamp entry and the turn stamp entry is not -1

begin;

say "[The noun] has already told you that [summary entry].";

otherwise;

now turn stamp entry is the turn count;

say "[reply entry][paragraph break]";

end if;

if the first_conversation is not_warned_about

begin;

now the first_conversation is warned_about;

say "[bracket]";

say " At any point you can review conversations you have had with the RECAP command. ";

say "[close bracket]";

say "[paragraph break]";

end if;

otherwise;

say "[The default reply of the noun][paragraph break]";

end if;

stop the action.

Understand "recap" or "recap conversation" or "recap conversations" as recalling conversations.

Recalling conversations is an action applying to nothing.

Carry out recalling conversations:

let conversants be 0;

repeat with speaker running through other people

begin;

if the speaker is conversed and the speaker is speakable

begin;

let conversants be 1;

let source be the conversation of the speaker;

sort source in turn stamp order;

say "You have learned from [the speaker]: [line break]";

let index be 0;

repeat through source

begin;

if there is a turn stamp entry and the turn stamp entry is not -1

begin;

let index be 1;

say " [summary entry][line break]";

end if;

end repeat;

if index is 0, say " nothing of any use[line break]";

say paragraph break;

end if;

end repeat;

If conversants is 0, say "You have not had any meaningful conversations so far.[paragraph break]".

Table of Empty Chatter