The View From Lower Down

  This is part of an interactive adventure. To return to the start,  click here .  "I don't know. When you inserted that memory card, it must have knocked me out, because I didn't wake up again until you came in." Dan nods. "Yeah, that makes sense. You were silent all day yesterday after we put the memory card in."

 This is part of an interactive adventure. To return to the start,  click here .  "OK, it was me," You say. "I organized a rave in here last night, and we partied till the early hours." "No, that doesn't make sense," Dan says "You can't leave or get anyone's attention. I wonder what it was then?" Pretend you were asleep

 This is part of an interactive adventure. To return to the start,  click here .  "Morning!" Dan's voice startles you. You've been dead for 70 years, you don't drink and you don't have a digestive system. How do you have a hangover? "Not so loud please. I've got a splitting headache." Again, how ?! If Dan is confused by this response, he doesn't show it. Instead, she looks around the lab, which you just now notice is covered in party streamers and glow sticks. You also spot an empty beer bottle in one corner but decide to say nothing. "Morning!" Chris enters the lab. How does he not have a hangover? Life isn't fair sometimes. Death isn't either. Chris also notices the bottle and quickly disposes of it; you're pleased to discover that recycling is still a thing in 2085. You're less pleased, but unsurprised, that a brown bottle has ended up in a green glass recycling bin. Dan acknowledges the mess first. "What hap

 I've written a number of play reviews for this blog, and it's about time they were all available in one place: Unless stated otherwise, all the below reviews contain spoilers for their respective plays Ratatouille: The Musical A history of how the TikTok musical began to where it is now My thoughts on the musical and some constructive criticism Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat My notes for the review Full review Groan Ups My notes for the review Full review 'Lite' Review (No spoilers) Magic Goes Wrong My notes for the review Full review 'Lite' Review (No spoilers) Content Advisory Applying to Groan Ups and Magic Goes Wrong; a review of the Vaudeville Theatre , where they were originally situated Cats Rant about the movie (not the play, although some of my thoughts on the play are included as well)

This is part of an interactive adventure. To return to the start,  click here .    At this point in the play, there was meant to be an interval. We here at The View From Lower Down  also think you should take a break at this point. Especially as depending on what decisions you made to get here, you've probably encountered more than your fair share of death. But what should you do in the meantime? Maybe check out my PLAYlist, a list of play reviews I've written for this blog Go for a walk Watch something on YouTube Try playing the game again; There are multiple ways to get this far; how many can you find? (To anyone who has already read the play - yes, I know there's another scene with COLIN in before the interval, but I moved it because the story makes more sense that way) CONTINUE PLAYING ACT II

This is part of an interactive adventure. To return to the start,  click here .  As a scientist, you've done hundreds of titrations before; but you still get a thrill out of it. Plus, it's been more than seventy years since you last did one. You can hear Chris explaining the experiment to Frankie, who is still looking less than impressed: "See, we have the beaker here containing the acid. We know the concentration of that. Then above that, we have this tube, which is called a burette. That's where I've put the alkali. Next, we add the phenolphthalein" This is your second favourite bit. Chris adds another colourless liquid to the beaker. The liquid immediately turns bright pink. You notice that Frankie now looks mildly interested. "And now for my favourite part..." (This is your favourite part too) "It's time to DROP THE BASS!" Suddenly techno music starts playing and the lab is full of people dancing. This part of the game should have i

  This is part of an interactive adventure. To return to the start,  click here .  "So how did you meet Chris?" You ask. "Well, it was sort of a blind date through work." She replies. "So you work here too?" "No, I work for another organization and they said I should meet Chris." "Ah, a dating agency?" "You could call it that." She's obviously hiding something; but before you can inquire more, Chris calls her over. "Almost ready!" Chris calls. "There in a moment!" Frankie says. She tucks the necklace into her dress and walks over to Chris. You notice you were right about the heels. "Nice to meet you, Colin!" What does Chris' experiment do?

 This is part of an interactive adventure. To return to the start,  click here .  "That's an unusual necklace. Where did you get it?" You ask. "Ah, my Underground necklace. Strictly speaking, I shouldn't be wearing it outside of work." She clearly isn't going to elaborate anymore. "So you work for the London Underground?" "In a manner of speaking; yes." "Almost ready!" Chris calls. "There in a moment!" Frankie says. She tucks the necklace into her dress and walks over to Chris. You notice you were right about the heels. "Nice to meet you, Colin!" What does Chris' experiment do?

This is part of an interactive adventure. To return to the start,  click here .  Jo walks over to a cupboard on the other side of the room. She returns holding a memory card, then crouches in front of you. "OK, I have no idea what's going to happen now, so don't panic. Now let's see, a memory card could fit in this port here, make sure it's the right way round, and... there." Another flash of light and bright colours fill your vision. It's like the most intense disco you've ever seen. Then, as suddenly as it started, the disco stops. You see that you're still in the lab, but it looks like it's nighttime because it's dark and there's no one else there. Then you notice a light turn on in the corridor outside. You hear voices. "But I don't see what's so exciting about-" An unfamiliar female voice. "But we don't know what it does! Isn't the anticipation thrilling?"  That's Chris' voice! But why is

This is part of an interactive adventure. To return to the start,  click here .  "Sorry, nothing doing." You reply. "Memories still reasserting?" Chris asks. "Yes, sorry. What about you? Have you found anything online?" This time it's Jo who replies: "I've had a look at the original patent online. There's a reference number; the name 'Combo Mix'; a diagram which frankly looks like it was made in Paint and just the word 'invention'." "Right, now it's coming back," Ben adds. "I remember now. We went to register the patent, and they charge per word. Colin had enough cash to be more specific, but he spent most of it on a Wagon Wheel before we went in." "No regrets!" You reply. "I love Wagon Wheels. Also, I remember none of this. Is there anything I can do to restore my memory faster?" "Well, I've got two ideas." Dan offers. "We could power you down again, altho

 This is part of an interactive adventure. To return to the start,  click here .  You spent the weekend having a power nap at the lab (power nap means something different when you're literally powered by mains electricity). Therefore, it seemed almost instant when you were woken up again on Monday. Straightaway you notice something different. "Hey, I can see again!" You can now see four human forms, but can't properly make out any details. "Great. How clear is it?" You recognize Jo's voice. She is nearest to you. "Not great. I can see you all, but it's like I'm looking through frosted glass." "Hold on; I should be able to fix that." She adjusts something just out of your field of vision, and the shapes become clearer. "That's much better, thanks." You say. "So have you remembered what it does yet?" Chris asks. What do you say? "Sorry, nothing doing." "It was supposed to combine the DNA of

This is part of an interactive adventure. To return to the start,  click here .  Not the wisest of decisions. Jo unplugged you; powering off your life support. You died, again , while she was taking you to her house. By the time she got you back into the lab where the technology needed to bring you back to life was, your brain was so fried that you were unrevivable. Go Back Start Again  

Tangents: The Game is an interactive story written by me, based on Tangents: The Play , also written by me. You can play it here . Sadly, it doesn't work very well, for four main reasons: REASON THE FIRST - I'm Lazy The first episode (Start Here) was written on 6 June 2020. Episode 2 (Play as Colin) was published on 8 June 2020. Two of the three options on that post were posted on 16 June 2020. After that, Tangents took a back seat for a while, and the third option was posted on 19 March 2021. Inbetween, 35 other posts were written, three of which are still in draft status as of writing this post. Since then, 15 more episodes have been released, most recently on March 31. It's roughly 8% complete (6 characters with their own stories, and this one is just after the halfway point). At that rate, it should be finished by 22 March 2030 (298 days x 12 = 3576 days = 9 years 289 days). However, I have resolved to have finished it by the end of 2021 (although I'm not good a

This is part of an interactive adventure. To return to the start,  click here .  5...4...3...2...1! The countdown ends; suddenly a blinding flash comes from the machine and everything goes black. What happens next?

This is part of an interactive adventure. To return to the start,  click here .  There's a loud ringing noise in your ears. You try to open your eyes, but nothing happens. "Why can't I see?" You ask nobody in particular. "You've just been resurrected." A man's voice replies "It's 2085." This doesn't make any sense! How can you be resurrected? You're not dead! "What do you mean resurrected? I'm not dead!" "Yeah, about that..." A second voice, female this time. "You died in 2015." The first voice again. Wait... what did the stranger say? Something about an egg... "Yeah, don't have an existential crisis, but..." The female voice snaps you back to the present. "You're a Cranial Organic Living Intelligence Neurosis. COLIN for short." continues the man. "I'm a what?" "A brain in a jar." "So why can I hear you?" "Jo's wired up your

 This is part of an interactive adventure. To return to the start,  click here . The machine worked; here's what happened: Ben did in fact grow a tail and toured the country as a speaker and science study subject as The Boy with a Cat's Tail. He earned a lot of money and eventually won a Nobel Prize and a knighthood for his services to the scientific community. Copernicus was adopted by a travelling circus, and people came for miles to catch a glimpse of The Talking Cat. He eventually retired from public view in 2023 and got a job as a phone salesperson for a printer company, where he went from strength to strength, winning many awards and eventually being promoted to CEO in June of 2046 (talking cats live a lot longer than regular cats). Unfortunately, you saw none of this, because you died. When the Stranger returned with your egg, a piece of lab equipment had crushed you and you were unrescuable. Go Back Start Again

This is part of an interactive adventure. To return to the start,  click here . "So what do we need to do?" asks Copernicus the talking cat. "Simple enough, just sit on this seat and wait until I pull the lever," you reply. "Nope. I'm not sitting on another one of your hare-brained inventions" This time it's Ben, the work experience kid, who replies. "I think you're forgetting the terms of your work experience. Remember, you're here for a month, and you have to do three things." You list them on your fingers. "1. You make tea; 2. You photocopy stuff; 3. You have to sit on my hare-brained inventions." "If you ask me, your school should have read the small print before they sent you here. Hideous oversight on their part." Copernicus is really starting to get on your nerves now. "I wouldn't mind having a talking cat around here if you'd just shut up occasionally! Look, just sit on the thing. I promise