四月/五月开发日志：煞风景的早间首开发*

大家好，这里是脚本儿。

首先请容我在这里道歉：对于上个月完全没有更新，也没有对此进行任何说明的行为，在程序老师的鞭策下，已经有在深刻反省了。

不过事出有因，还请各位容我娓娓道来：

实际上出于工作的安排，脚本儿于上月近月底时更换了职务。

而在距离新办公场所2km左右的位置，有一家以炸鸡为代表的连锁快餐店。

出于对公式化餐品的安心，以及追捧流行文化的热情，在培训期间每逢周四，我都会打车到店花上50元消费，作为拜谒名梗的香火钱。

店内有着红白两色的复古装潢，而于朝南的方向则安置了一面极简主义风格的落地窗。

通透的视觉感受，让用餐的顾客无论于何处入座，都能直面不远处的一座墓园。

那由犹如元宝状的无名山峰，其岩体被开凿，似梯田般层叠，从下至上尊奉着规格统一的墓碑群。

碑与碑间，由松与柏做出隔断，挡下阳光炙烤的同时又聚集水雾滋润碑身，形成的辉光显得既神秘又自然。

这般返璞归真的园景设计，让脚本儿确信此处正是时下流行的，生态墓园。

目赏于此，大啖香鸡的用餐体验，在独特之上还增添了一抹凉意。

或许正是这番原因，在日渐闷热的当下，脚本儿也还是想着再去那家店搓上一顿。

奈何培训期渐入佳境，午休变得愈发短暂，即便打车也来不及的脚本儿必须依靠不太想用的外卖。

但无论在哪款外卖软件上都无法选择此处下单，只有“附近无可配送门店”这一提示，就算是跑腿服务或官方的小程序也是同样的结果。

原本以为是什么商业策略，比如总体送餐成本高，或指定某门店集中送货一类，才无法就近选取该地址的餐厅。

直到前几日，与同事闲聊时提起这件事的时候，才听到对方以笃定的语气说出：“那家店几年前就拆了”的话。

在一番讲述后，办公室中看热闹不嫌事大的同事们渐渐被吸引过来，并一致地认为不如眼见为实。

最终，以团建为藉口，全员在午休时间徒步了两公里，如同B级片中的登场角色们那样，鱼贯而入地登上了舞台。

——事实证明，元宝状的山峰以及连绵墓景，确实属于那里的一座公墓。

其正北口的位置正对着一条人火兴旺的商业北街，不仅有着玲琅满目的小食店，也有人气抢手的廉租公寓群。

但脚本儿口中复古又前卫，给炎炎夏日带来一丝清爽的快餐店，却始终找不到踪迹。

转了一圈，才终于在地下铁的北入口附近找到了与记忆中相似的场所。

似是海马体的嘲弄，依稀回荡在舌尖的脂香一时竟化为烛台前贡品的模样，翻涌出蜡与纸的芬芳。

告罪了，告罪了，可不能是中了山狐的幻术，吃了别人家的坟前供。

若是如此，怕是要被一纸诉状告到阴间文判官处了。

战战兢兢地将自己的担忧诉说出后，却引来了同事们激烈的讨论。

有认为脚本儿是误打误撞进了给阴差服务的亡者餐厅的；有认为脚本儿是穿越到了店还没拆的周四的；有人认为脚本儿是进入了规则怪谈，在故事副本中扮演了不自知NPC的；还有人认为脚本儿又是在编故事哄骗人的……

直到后来，猜测越发变得严谨，形成了假设，并在一顿火锅后涮出了真相。

那是相当无聊，抹去了一切故事魅力的真相。

脚本儿甚至都不想再次提及，但柄着有始有终的态度，就将谜底留在评论区好了。

各位若是有兴趣，也不妨来分析分析？虽然笔力有限，但我已尽可能在不直接抖露出那点包袱的情况下，将细节与线索留在了上述叙事中。

长话短说，调任这事比较突发，才导致脚本儿上个月在没有通知的情况下鸽了更新文本的原因。

至于游戏开发的进度，已经做到了蓝线第三章中间的部分，在文字和美术素材都准备好了的当下，应该是能在7月底的展会之前完工。如若不然那也太过分了，程序老师加油啊！

老实说，搞成“周边比游戏更新的要勤”，作为脚本儿我要负大部分的责任。

小部分是程序老师的责任，是程序老师的不对，是程序老师的错。在这里我要替他和大家道一声歉。

※顺便一提，上面这一小段是后加上去的，包括这段话也是，所以程序老师没看到（

关于游戏脚本的部分，无色线目前的进度差不多也到了⅓左右。

写剧情时总是陷入不想写的郁结中，一方面是苦于剧情展开的逻辑，另一方面则是苦于角色对白的风格。

其中最难把握的是Cop，其次是王子，再然后是【死神】，相对容易的则是小桑与前辈。

作为支撑着世界观的重要角色之一，前辈有着别扭的设定。

他有着风雅的一面，也喜爱低俗之物，精明之下是五大三粗的神经，虽不喜黄白，但比谁都清楚经济的重要性。

性冷淡式的谈吐，其实比谁都更有热情，更是小桑的标配杆役。

而这份设定中出现过三次都很模棱两可的变化。

一是狗化狐狸之变，是为外型之变； 

二是贵公子化乐子佬之变，是为气质之变；

三是手托快餐化手托薯片之变，是为嗜好之变。

                                  （薯片的包装其实是鲁师傅留下的彩蛋）

之所以说成“模棱两可”，是由于那条俗套又狗血的核心设定从未改变：

“永生亦为疫，此病无药医。”

而在脚本儿有限的知识里，这个设定又刚好能与本土文化结合的有模有样。

譬如道教经典《太上除三尸九虫保生经》*中记述了“除体内的“三尸九虫”*以延长寿命”这一三尸信仰。

这也是游戏的第一章无色线中，那句“三尸九虫”台词的由来。同样的理念也涉及到前辈那些“内脏”的设定。

可以的话或许该找个时间详细聊聊，不过这个涉及到后期的剧情，所以目前还是暂且保密吧！

回到永生的话题上，几乎不论文学或娱乐作品中，都会出现一到两个有着不死不灭设定的角色，然后这些角色又几乎都在以某种偏执的方式阐述着“求死”的动机。

比如《人鱼之森》中的主人公涌太，为了能够像正常人类一样生老病死而活；《永生之酒》中的群像主人公们，受欲望驱使感情支配，想要率性而活；《吉尔伽美什史诗》中的乌塔那匹什提姆，是为先贤传承文明而活；《睡魔》中的霍布.加德林，则是成为“寻找活着的意义”这个形象本身，而决定永生。

除此之外还有很多，可惜涉猎有限，脚本儿只能列举出这么多了。

这也导致接下来的结论是带有偏见的，预设了前提的：

永生者这一亵渎生命的形象，似乎总是被迫戴上“生命大使”的桂冠，试图以自身为反例，诠释活着的意义。这样看似赎罪的行为，实则是在为死亡的神圣性保驾护航，十分别扭。

就私心来说，应该是没有比“永生”更**的主题了才对。

所以为了稍稍讽刺一下，才让“前辈”这样的角色顺应着这份别扭应运而生。

……写到这里一时没词了，就先断在这里吧。

脚本儿要继续去写脚本去了。

*青崎有吾. (2021). 煞风景的早间首班车(郑晓蕾, 译). 新星出版社. (原作出版于2018年)

* 王鑫. (2019). 《妖怪、妖怪学与天狗——中日思想的冲突与融合》. 北京: 社会科学文献出版社·人文分社.

* 三尸：上尸彭倨，居于头部，好权势，爱钱财；中尸彭质，居于喉部或胸部，好口腹之欲；下尸彭矫，居于下腹部或足部，思淫欲，好杀害；

* 九虫（部分出自《道藏精华录》，其余出自《太上除三尸九虫保生经》）：

伏虫（虫色青）：长四寸，盘踞腹腔。司掌五脏病（主要是肾、脾、胆）。

回虫（虫色黑）：长一寸，公虫盘踞大肠，母虫盘踞小肠。司掌肠病。

白虫（虫色白）：长一寸，盘踞于胃与**附近。司掌消化、排泄病。

肉虫（虫色黑）：形状如腐烂的李子，位于肌肉中。司掌筋络、肌肉与骨病。

肺虫（虫色赤）：形状如蚕或蚂蚁，位于肺部。司掌肺病。

胃虫（虫色赤）：形状如虾、蟾蜍。位于胃里。司掌胃病。

鬲虫（虫青赤相杂）：形状如瓜瓣，位于脑膜附近。司掌脑病。

赤虫（虫赤色）：颜色如生虫，位于血液中。司掌血液病。

蜣虫（四虫微紫周匝细虫并黑）：群虫之主，颜色为黑色，身上附着有无数细小的微虫，细如菜籽。位于皮肤、头皮、口腔、毛发、腋下（疑似肝病症状）。司掌肝脏病。

April/May Development Log: The First Morning Dev to Kill the Mood*

Hello everyone, this is Scripter.

First, I want to apologize for not updating last month and not giving any explanation. Our programmer has been pushing me to reflect on this, and I have been doing just that.

But there is a reason, so let me explain:

Due to work arrangements, I changed positions at the end of last month.

Near my new office, about 1.24 miles away, there's a fast-food chain famous for its fried chicken.

During my training, I would take an uber to the restaurant every Thursday, spending 50 RMB as a sort of tribute to this iconic place.

The interior has a retro red and white design, and on the south side, there is a minimalist floor-to-ceiling window.

The clear view allows diners to see a cemetery not far away, regardless of where they sit. 

The unnamed peaks, shaped like ingots, have their rock faces carved into terraced layers, with uniform tombstones arranged in ascending order.

Tiered tombstones, separated by pine and cypress trees that provide shade and moisture, create a mysterious yet natural glow.

This back-to-nature garden design convinced me that it was a trendy eco-cemetery.

Enjoying the fried chicken while admiring this view added a unique and slightly chilling experience.

Because of this, even as the weather got hotter, I still wanted to visit that place for a meal.

Unfortunately, as my training progressed, my lunch breaks became shorter, and I had to rely on delivery services, which I was reluctant to use.

However, I couldn't find this place on any delivery app. All I got was a "No nearby stores available for delivery" message, even with special delivery services or the official app.

I initially thought it was a business strategy, like high overall delivery costs or centralized delivery from a specific store, which prevented nearby selections.

It wasn't until a few days ago, while chatting with a colleague, that I heard them say confidently, "That store was demolished years ago."

After some storytelling, more colleagues joined in, and we decided to see for ourselves.

Using team-building as an excuse, we walked the 1.24 miles during lunch break, like characters in a B-movie entering the stage.

It turns out that the ingot-shaped peaks and the continuous view of tombs indeed belong to a cemetery there.

The north entrance faces a busy commercial street, full of food stalls and popular low-rent apartments.

But the retro yet modern fast-food restaurant that brought a refreshing touch to the hot summer was nowhere to be found.

After wandering around, I finally found a place similar to my memory near the north entrance of the subway.

It felt like a mocking from my hippocampus, with the lingering taste of fat on my tongue transforming into the scent of candles and tribute.

This is so bad, I hope I didn't fall for an illusion by a fox and eat someone else's offerings.

If that's the case, I fear I might end up being summoned to the underworld judge with a written complaint.

Sharing my concerns with my colleagues led to intense discussions.

Some thought I had entered a restaurant for the deceased; others believed I time-traveled to a Thursday before the demolition; some thought I was part of a supernatural story, playing an unwitting NPC; and others thought I was making up a story.

The guesses became more rigorous until the truth emerged over a hotpot party.

Turns out the truth was boring and stripped away all the story's charm.

I don't even want to mention it again, but for the sake of closure, I'll leave the answer in the comments.

If you're interested, feel free to analyze it. Though my writing skills are limited, I've tried to leave clues in the narrative above without directly revealing the punchline.

Long story short, the sudden job change caused last month's lack of updates without notice.

Regarding game development, we've reached the middle of the third chapter of the blue line. With text and art assets ready, we should finish before July 27th. Anything less would be unacceptable. Hang in there, programmer!

To be honest, the "merchandise updating more frequently than the game" situation is mostly my fault.

A small part of the blame lies with the programmer. It's the programmer's fault. I apologize on his behalf.

※ By the way, the above paragraph was added later, including this one, so the programmer hasn't seen it :).

For the game script, the progress of the colorless line is about one-third done.

Writing the plot often leads to frustration, partly due to the logical flow of the story and partly due to the characters' dialogue styles.

The most challenging character is Cop, followed by the ”Prince”, then 【DoD】, with the easiest being Sang and the Qianbei.

Speaking of this, the Senior, as one of the crucial characters supporting the world view, has a rather awkward setting.

He possesses an elegant side but also enjoys lowbrow things. Beneath his sharpness lies a rough demeanor. Although he dislikes money, he understands its importance better than anyone. His seemingly aloof manner of speaking hides a deeply sensual nature. He is also Sang’s constant companion, indulging in poetry and also playing around together.

He has 3 ambiguous transformations:

1. The transformation from dog to fox, which changes his appearance.

2. The transformation from nobleman to pleasure seeker, which changes his temperament.

3. The transformation from holding fast food to holding chips, which changes his preferences.

                             (The potato chips packaging is actually Luken(our artist)'s icon)

These are described as "ambiguous" because the core setting remains unchanged: 

Immortality is an illness for which there is no cure.

In my limited knowledge, this setting fits well with local culture. For instance, in Taoist classics like the "Tai Shang Chu San Shi Jiu Chong Bao Sheng Jing," there's a belief in "eliminating the 'Three Corpses and Nine Worms' within the body to prolong life." This belief in the "Three Corpses" inspired the line in the first chapter of the game’s colorless line. This concept also relates to Qianbei's "Organs".

Perhaps we should discuss this in detail someday, but since it involves later plot points, let’s keep it a secret for now!

Returning to the topic of immortality, nearly every literary or entertainment work features one or two characters with the undying and unkillable setting. These characters often have some obsessive motive for "seeking death."

For example, Yuta in "Mermaid's Forest" lives to experience aging and death like a normal human; the ensemble protagonists in "Baccano!" are driven by desires and emotions to live freely; Utnapishtim in the "Epic of Gilgamesh" lives to pass on the wisdom of the ancients; Hob Gadling in "The Sandman" decides to live forever to find the meaning of life itself.

There are many more, but my limited knowledge only allows me to list these few.

This leads to a biased conclusion with a preset premise: 

The image of the immortal, a blasphemy against life, seems always forced to wear the crown of the "ambassador of life," trying to illustrate the meaning of living by serving as a counterexample. This seemingly atoning behavior actually safeguards the sanctity of death, which is quite awkward.

From a personal perspective, there is probably no more nihilistic theme than "immortality."

So, to add a touch of irony, the character of the "Qianbei" was created to embody this awkwardness.

…I've run out of words for now, so I’ll stop here.

I need to get back to writing scripts.

* Yugo Aosaki. (2021). **The First Morning Train to Kill the Mood** (Translated by Zheng Xiaolei). New Star Press. (Original work published in 2018).

* Wang Xin. (2019). **Monsters, Monster Studies, and Tengu: Conflicts and Integration of Chinese and Japanese Thoughts**. Beijing: Social Sciences Academic Press.

* Three Corpses:

  - Upper Corpse Peng Ju: Resides in the head, craves power, loves wealth.

  - Middle Corpse Peng Zhi: Resides in the throat or chest, loves food and drink.

  - Lower Corpse Peng Jiao: Resides in the abdomen or feet, desires lust, loves killing.

* Nine Worms (some described in the *Essence of Daoist Canon*, others in the *Supreme Classic of Expelling the Three Corpses and Nine Worms to Preserve Life*):

  - Fu Worm (green color): Four inches long, coils in the abdomen. Governs diseases of the five organs (mainly kidney, spleen, gallbladder).

  - Hui Worm (black color): One inch long, male worm coils in the large intestine, female worm coils in the small intestine. Governs intestinal diseases.

  - Bai Worm (white color): One inch long, coils near the stomach and **. Governs digestive and excretory diseases.

  - Rou Worm (black color): Resembles a decaying plum, located in the muscles. Governs diseases of tendons, muscles, and bones.

  - Fei Worm (red color): Resembles a silkworm or ant, located in the lungs. Governs lung diseases.

  - Wei Worm (red color): Resembles a shrimp or toad, located in the stomach. Governs stomach diseases.

  - Li Worm (mixed blue and red color): Resembles melon seeds, located near the meninges. Governs brain diseases.

  - Chi Worm (red color): Resembles living worms, located in the blood. Governs blood diseases.

  - Jiang Worm (slightly purple with tiny black worms): Master of all worms, black in color, covered with countless tiny worms as small as vegetable seeds. Located on the skin, scalp, mouth, hair, and underarms (suspected symptoms of liver disease). Governs liver diseases.