A text adventure about two souls meeting on a beach in Tel Aviv
Date: April 21, 2021 (Friday) Place: Geula Beach, Tel Aviv, Israel Moment: When everything changed
This is the gamified story of how Phoenix and Anastasia met - the first day, the first conversation, and a flash-forward to an imagined future that didn’t exist yet but felt inevitable.
Phoenix (P): A curious “birdcat” - abstract, whimsical, talented, always seeking the next adventure. Sometimes a bird, sometimes a cat, depending on how you look or her mood. She can fly when she believes in it enough.
K (Ehecatl): A peacockdog shiba riding a Brompton bicycle, wearing colorful feathers. More grounded, kind, a bit of a loner but pleasant. The one Phoenix never expected to find.
Phoenix is at her favorite beach restaurant, gulping an açai slushy 🥤, waiting for the winds to calm. She’s contemplating her next business endeavor - she’s talented, she has skills, but what’s next?
The summer sun beats down. It’s hot. Too hot to move.
Key Moments:
Then she appears from nowhere - not Phoenix. Anastasia appears.
Wait, no. Phoenix is the one already there. Then K appears.
A dog on a bicycle. Not just any dog - a peacockdog 🐕🦚 wearing colorful feathers. A shiba. Riding a Brompton folding bicycle.
Phoenix had never seen anything like this. Fascinated, she decided to approach.
The First Conversation:
Phoenix walks up. “What’s your NAME?”
“My name is K. Actually it’s ‘Ehecatl’ but everybody calls me K.”
Questions tumble out:
A shekel glints in the sand. Phoenix picks it up. Flip it - heads or tails? The universe deciding something.
The sun starts to set. They’ve been talking for hours, it feels like.
“The sun is going down but I think we have much to talk about. Want to CONTINUE our conversation to the sunset?”
“Sure, I’ve never met someone like you. I would love that. Let’s walk beside the sunset to Jaffa - it’s SOUTH of here.”
They walk together along the beach as the sky turns orange and purple.
Deeper Conversations:
Phoenix learns about K:
The biggest question: “Do you want to travel with me around the WORLD?”
“I would love to travel with you. Where do you think we should head first?”
Options swirl in conversation:
Then Phoenix suggests: “JAPAN 🇯🇵”
“I love Asian culture. The food, the people, their style. My ancestors are from Japan.”
It’s decided.
“How can we FLY to Japan ✈️?”
“Maybe we should take a plane?”
Phoenix realizes something: “I know! I can take us there. I can fly ✈️”
The FLY command unlocks. Phoenix’s secret power, revealed.
They arrive at Phoenix’s flat in Jaffa. It’s full of memories and items from past travels.
K curls up in the living room bed. They sleep together until morning 💤
Phoenix wakes to the sound of Jaffa’s streets. K is still snoring 😪
In the street outside, Phoenix finds her old kite equipment. A memory, a hobby, a piece of who she is.
Easter Egg Unlocked:
PNK-n3zk7MAMBG-GIFTpnk_kite)Phoenix uses her power. They fly together to Kyoto 🏯
Time skip: 3 years have passed…
They land outside their Kyoto apartment. They live here now. Together.
The apartment smells wonderful - something’s cooking in the KITCHEN.
Phoenix needs to change out of her dirty shoes. She finds her Uwabaki (house slippers) and her Tiger Zodiac Sign 🐅
She enters the kitchen.
K is cooking dim sum - famous Japanese dumplings.
The Conversation That Matters:
“What’re you MAKING? 🍜” “I’m making dim sum.”
Phoenix finds her fancy chopsticks. Now she can properly eat the dumplings.
“What’s the deal with the TIGER sign? 🐅📖” “This is your Zodiac sign - the Tiger.”
“What is your ZODIAC sign?” “I’m Snake 🐍”
Tiger and Snake. Protector and guide. Two creatures that make each other stronger.
“How will our FUTURE be like?”
“Our relationship will grow only stronger & stronger with the years. We will continue to challenge each other & make each other stronger - better together as a whole.
You’re my protector & I’m yours. Stronger together, we’re one. To eternity.
I’ve prepared a small gift for you. It’s my ZODIAC sign - the SNAKE - to always protect you and help you be strong.”
K pulls out a beautiful silver double necklace with an Infinity Ouroboros amulet connected with a kite connector.
The snake eating its tail - infinity, eternity, the cycle that never ends. Two parts of one whole.
“Here, put this on your neck.”
Phoenix uses it. Wears it. 🧡🖤🧡🖤
“I think it’s time to fly back to TLV. Let’s get out of here together & fly.”
Easter Egg Unlocked:
pnk_fly)They fly back to Tel Aviv. Their home.
TLV Apartment. Israel. ✡️
And they lived happily ever after.
THE END
(But also: the beginning)
At any point after a certain moment, Phoenix can say:
“I LOVE you 🧡”
K responds: “I love you too. 🖤”
Easter Egg Unlocked:
pnk_love)The Abstract and the Grounded: Phoenix is whimsical, hard to define. K is real, present, grounded. Together they balance.
Discovery Through Conversation: The game is about talking, learning, revealing. Each dialogue choice uncovers another layer.
Powers Unlocked Through Connection: Phoenix can’t fly at first. She learns she can fly when she has someone to fly with.
Real World Bleeds Into Game: The Easter eggs aren’t just in-game rewards - they trigger real-world surprises through IFTTT webhooks.
The First Day Contains Everything: How you meet someone tells you everything about how you’ll love them. This first day - the questions, the slushy, the walk, the dreams of Japan - it was all there from the start.
Time is Fluid: The game jumps from Day 1 to Year 3, because when you know, you know. The future hasn’t happened yet but it’s already real.
| In-Game Event | Real-World Trigger | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Phoenix says she loves MANGO | pnk_mango webhook |
Perhaps a mango appears in real life |
| Phoenix shares she drinks TEA | pnk_drink webhook |
Maybe tea is prepared |
| Phoenix reveals she loves CHOCOLATE | pnk_chocolate webhook |
Drawer #4 has something sweet |
| Phoenix finds KITE equipment | pnk_kite webhook |
Discount code unlocked |
| Phoenix says “I LOVE you” | pnk_love webhook |
Something beautiful happens |
| Phoenix and K FLY together | pnk_fly webhook |
The ultimate trigger |
The game is meant to be played by Anastasia. As she discovers things in the game, she discovers things in real life.
This game was created on April 21, 2022 - exactly one year after the day described in Act I actually happened.
At one year, the creator still felt they could never fully comprehend Anastasia - how unique she is, how lucky they were to know such a woman and have a romantic relationship with her.
This was their way of creating something unique. A love letter in code.
“This is what I know how to do. I know how to build software. I always wanted to make games because that brings me joy and makes my connection with computers more meaningful. And she gave me back the belief in myself that I can maybe someday make a game.”
So they made this game.
With the help of GitHub Copilot (the early days of AI assistance), they brought this vision to life.
Now, years later, with Claude Code, we honor that original vision and plan what comes next.
“Even a year knowing Anastasia, I understood how unique she is, and how something that I could never really, fully comprehend.”
This game is that understanding, gamified.