A Shadow of Helpfulman is a Z-machine interactive fiction game written with Inform 7 and is © 2011 by Clara Raubertas. It was an entry in the PAX East 2011 Speed-IF event.
You play as Kevin, a graduate student. You share an office with two other graduates: Jim and Molly. Molly Malone is the most beautiful creature in the world. You'd love to ask her out but you're so tongue-tied around her. Jim doesn't have that problem. How can you stop being a shadow of "Helpfulman" Jim?
This solution is by David Welbourn, and is based on Release 1 of the game.
Your Office
I assume Jim's actions are timed events that happen regardless of what you're doing.
> x me. i. x pencil.
> x jim. (You feel like you're his shadow.)
> x molly. (Beautiful and smart.)
> x books.
Jim runs out to get food for Molly. As "Helpfulman".
> x typewriter. x vaccum. ask molly about jim.
Jim enters, drops a chicken finger, runs out again.
> take finger. x finger. n. n.
Courtyard
> x campfire. (Still hot.)
> x dorms. x fountain. (You want to catch the fish for Molly.)
> x fish. x flagstone. push flagstone. d.
Tomb of the Unknown Tool
> read graffiti. x string. take it. u.
Courtyard
> n. (You'd rather not.)
> tie string to finger. tie string to pencil.
> catch fish with finger.
> kill fish. cook fish.
> s. s.
Your Office
> give fish to molly.
She accepts it. You ask her out. She's seeing someone. You leave the room.
Hallway
> n.
Courtyard
You think about Pluto in the night sky. You're feeling good about yourself.
*** The End ***
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