diff --git a/CLAUDE.md b/CLAUDE.md
index 020d2a9..bb75925 100644
--- a/CLAUDE.md
+++ b/CLAUDE.md
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ All game code lives in one flat package, `inc`. There are no subdirectories: a
 file's name carries the structure, in the form `[category].[name].go`.
 
 - The category is always **singular**: `item`, `scene`, `background`,
-  `character`, `dialog`, `script`, `world`, `widget`, `ui`, `theme`, `names`.
+  `character`, `tape`, `dialog`, `script`, `world`, `widget`, `theme`, `names`.
 - `[category].manager.go` is the file that ties a category together — its
   entity type and whatever else the category shares.
 - Every other file in a category holds exactly one entity: one scene, one
@@ -66,11 +66,12 @@ inc/theme.realworld.go     realworld-93
 inc/theme.nokia_punk.go    nokia-punk
 inc/world.manager.go       unsaved runtime state
 inc/world.action.go        custom actions
-inc/widget.manager.go      the Widget alias, HUD layout, the visibility gate
+inc/widget.manager.go      the Widget alias, HUD layout, the shared conditions
 inc/widget.*.go            one widget per file, registering itself
-inc/ui.text.go             coloured text on a scratch image
 inc/background.*.go        one image asset per scene
 inc/character.*.go         the cast, tapes included
+inc/tape.manager.go        the Tape entity and the lookups over it
+inc/tape.*.go              one tape per file
 inc/item.*.go              inventory
 inc/dialog.*.go            dialogue trees
 inc/script.*.go            named action sequences
@@ -85,7 +86,7 @@ Every category that owns a collection of entities has a manager, and they are
 all the engine's own `inkwell.Manager[T]` — the same registry type the `*Game`
 hangs its content off. The game defines no registry of its own.
 
-All eight are declared together, in `boot.go`, so the list of what the game
+All nine are declared together, in `boot.go`, so the list of what the game
 holds is one block rather than a line hidden in each category file:
 
 ```go
@@ -96,6 +97,7 @@ var (
 	ItemManager       = inkwell.NewManager[Item]()
 	SceneManager      = inkwell.NewManager[Scene]()
 	ScriptManager     = inkwell.NewManager[Script]()
+	TapeManager       = inkwell.NewManager[Tape]()
 	ThemeManager      = inkwell.NewManager[Theme]()
 	WidgetManager     = inkwell.NewManager[Widget]()
 )
@@ -117,9 +119,17 @@ construction-time bug, not an update — so rewriting an entity that is already
 in the registry goes through `Set`, which keeps its position in the order.
 `All` and `Each` both hand back the entities in registration order.
 
-Every entity type is an alias, `Scene` included. It was once a struct of our
-own, because inkwell's `Scene` could not carry exits; that gap was closed in the
-engine, so there is nothing left for a second type to hold.
+Nearly every entity type is an alias, `Scene` included. It was once a struct of
+our own, because inkwell's `Scene` could not carry exits; that gap was closed in
+the engine, so there is nothing left for a second type to hold.
+
+`Tape` is the exception, and it is a real one: a tape is a cassette that speaks,
+a thing inkwell has no notion of. It names the character whose voice it is, the
+item that carries it and the dialogue it plays, and `tape.manager.go` holds the
+four lookups over the registry — `IsTape`, `TapeOf`, `IsTapeItem`,
+`TapeDialogue`. What a tape *sounds* like is not in it: the display name and the
+log-only voice are `Character.Label` and `Character.Voice`, because those are
+facts about a speaker, not about a cassette.
 
 ### Entities register themselves
 
@@ -176,14 +186,25 @@ func (h *hudFrame) Layer() inkwell.Layer { return inkwell.LayerPanel }
 ```
 
 A widget that says nothing sits on `LayerHUD`; ours all say it, because the
-layer is the one thing about a widget the file cannot show. `gate`, the wrapper
-that hides a widget outside `ModePlay`, returns `inkwell.LayerOf` of the widget
-it wraps, so wrapping never moves anything.
+layer is the one thing about a widget the file cannot show.
 
-Two widgets are worth knowing about because they are not decoration: `pump`
-drives `World.PumpTick`, which is what runs every queued action, and
-`usewith_guard` sits on `LayerScene` so that it ticks last and can answer a
-use-with pair nobody authored.
+The other thing a widget declares is **when it is there at all**. The HUD is
+hidden for a cutscene, and that is a condition over game state, not a wrapper
+and not an `if` at the top of every `Draw`:
+
+```go
+WidgetManager.Register(&inkwell.StatusLine{
+	Name: "status",
+	When: whenPlaying,
+	Y:    statusY,
+})
+```
+
+`whenPlaying`, `whenCutscene` and `whenUnpaused` are in `widget.manager.go`, and
+they read `VarMode` and `VarNote` out of the engine's own `State`. A widget of
+ours says the same thing with a method — `VisibleWhen() inkwell.Condition` —
+because it has no literal to put a field in. A widget that is switched off
+neither ticks nor draws nor blocks a click, so nothing else has to ask.
 
 ### Handing a category to the engine
 
@@ -206,12 +227,16 @@ Themes are the odd one out and stay a copy: `NewGame` puts four preset themes
 into its `ThemeManager`, and replacing it would throw them away. Ours are added
 to that set instead.
 
-Two consequences of not copying. `prepareScene` has to run **before** the
-hand-off, because there is no longer a copy pass to fill in the defaults a
-scene leaves out — it writes them back into `SceneManager` with `Set`, and
-derives the selector's pins by reading the exit graph backwards. And a manager
-swapped in this way must be in place before `inkwell.Run`, which is where the
-engine wires up the parts that hold a registry directly.
+One consequence of not copying: a manager swapped in this way must be in place
+before `inkwell.Run`, which is where the engine wires up the parts that hold a
+registry directly. `fillSelectorPins` runs before the hand-off for the same
+reason — it writes the derived pins back into `SceneManager` with `Set`.
+
+The defaults a scene leaves out are no longer written into it at all. `g.Player`
+names the character a scene with no actors of its own gets, placed at his
+`Start`; `g.Walkboxes` is the floor a scene walks on when it declares none. Both
+are fields on the `*Game`, so a scene file that says nothing about either is
+saying "the usual", and the selector opts out by declaring both empty.
 
 ### What runs at boot
 
@@ -231,14 +256,37 @@ if o.Finale {
 opening. Here it is what `-finale` uses to drop into the ending, which is why it
 is set from `Opts` rather than always.
 
+The rest of `New` is fields on the `*Game`, and every one of them replaces
+something this package used to carry itself:
+
+```go
+g.WindowScale = 2
+g.Player = Paul
+g.Walkboxes = sceneFloor
+g.UseWithFail = useWithFail
+```
+
+`UseWithFail` is the response to a use-with pair nobody authored — the engine
+asks for it the same way it asks for `ExitLook` and `ExitTake`, and the lines
+live with the rest of the writing, in `script.usewith_fail.go`.
+
 ## The world
 
 There is exactly one game, so there is exactly one world: `World`, a
 package-level singleton in `world.manager.go`. Nothing takes a `*world`
-parameter and no widget holds a back-reference — `World.Do(…)`,
-`World.HUDVisible()`, `World.Slot2()` are reachable from anywhere in the
-package. `New` calls `World.attach(g)`, which binds the engine and resets the
-runtime state, so building the game twice is clean.
+parameter and no widget holds a back-reference — `World.Do(…)`, `World.Mode()`,
+`World.Slot2()` are reachable from anywhere in the package. `New` calls
+`World.attach(g)`, which binds the engine and resets the runtime state, so
+building the game twice is clean.
+
+`World` holds as little as it can get away with. The mode and the top bar's
+note are `State` vars (`VarMode`, `VarNote`), because state the engine can see
+is state a `Condition` can read — that is what makes a widget's `When` possible
+and what puts "— paused" in the top bar without anyone pushing it there.
+`World.Do` hands its action to `g.Do`, the engine's queue, so the game runs one
+action at a time without a pump of its own. What is left in the struct is the
+two things the engine has no notion of: the tape waiting to speak, and the
+cassette on its way into slot 2.
 
 This is what lets an entity file be a literal: the tape-insert script closes
 over `World`, not over a parameter it would have had to be handed.
@@ -249,7 +297,7 @@ One package means one namespace, so an entity's constructor carries its
 category as a prefix:
 
 ```go
-sceneFloor  sceneDefaults  prepareScene  fillSelectorPins
+sceneFloor  fillSelectorPins  tapeSlots  useWithFail
 ```
 
 Entities themselves need no name at all — they are anonymous literals inside
@@ -257,12 +305,16 @@ their file's `init()`, and the file name says which one it is.
 
 Exported names are the authoring vocabulary — what a content file spells out:
 `New` and `Opts`, `World`, the managers and the entity types they hold, the
-constants in `names.manager.go`, the colour tokens, and the action constructors
-(`TapeSay`, `Paused`, `SetMode`, `EnterScene`, `Back`, `Fn`).
+constants in `names.manager.go`, the colour tokens, the tape lookups
+(`IsTape`, `TapeOf`, `IsTapeItem`, `TapeDialogue`) and the action constructors
+(`Paused`, `SetMode`, `UseTheme`, `TapeOffer`, `Fn`). A tape's line is
+`inkwell.Say` like anyone else's — the tape voice is on the character, not on a
+second spelling of Say.
 
 Everything else is machinery and stays unexported: the HUD widgets
-(`tapeSlots`, `letterbox`, `hudFrame`, …), `gated`, the runners,
-`prepareScene`, `sceneDefaults`, `fillSelectorPins`.
+(`tapeSlots`, `letterbox`, `hudFrame`, …), the conditions (`whenPlaying`,
+`whenCutscene`, `whenUnpaused`), the runners, `useWithFail`,
+`fillSelectorPins`.
 
 The word is **scene**, the engine's own. The wiki and the concept-art deck count
 *screens*, and this code used to as well, but everything a screen had that a
@@ -275,9 +327,9 @@ Nothing is enforced by the compiler any more, so the layering is a rule kept by
 hand:
 
 ```
-names ← theme ← world ← ui
-                  ↑      ↑
-               content ──┴── boot ← main
+names ← theme ← world ← widget
+                  ↑       ↑
+               content ───┴── boot ← main
 ```
 
 `world` knows nothing about the HUD or the content. Both build on it, never the
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 3c67581..21d6dcc 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -162,9 +162,8 @@ inc/boot.go                the managers, and New(Opts)
 inc/names.manager.go       entity names and world-state keys
 inc/theme.*.go             realworld-93 + nokia-punk
 inc/world.*.go             unsaved runtime state and custom actions
-inc/widget.manager.go      HUD layout and the widget registration list
+inc/widget.manager.go      HUD layout and the shared visibility conditions
 inc/widget.*.go            one widget per file
-inc/ui.text.go             coloured text
 inc/<kind>.<name>.go       one file per registered entity, by kind
 ```
 
@@ -173,9 +172,9 @@ code keeps by hand: the world holds no opinion about the HUD or the content, and
 both build on it, never the other way round.
 
 ```
-names ← theme ← world ← ui
-                  ↑      ↑
-               content ──┴── boot ← main
+names ← theme ← world ← widget
+                  ↑       ↑
+               content ───┴── boot ← main
 ```
 
 Content is one registered entity per file, and the category prefix groups them
@@ -228,6 +227,19 @@ under the tape slots and the cursor over everything, whatever the file names
 happen to be. The layer was added to inkwell for this; the alternative was a
 registration list, which is the thing this package spent its life deleting.
 
+The second thing a widget declares is when it is on screen at all: `When` is an
+`inkwell.Condition` over game state, and the HUD's is `whenPlaying`, which reads
+`VarMode` out of the engine's `State`. Hiding the HUD for a cutscene is
+therefore one word per widget rather than a wrapper around each of them and an
+`if` at the top of every `Draw`.
+
+Tapes are the one entity type this game invents. `Tape` names the character
+whose voice it is, the cassette that carries it and the dialogue it plays, one
+file each — what a tape *sounds* like stays on the character, as
+`Character.Label` and `Character.Voice`, because that is a fact about a speaker.
+A tape's line is `inkwell.Say` like anybody else's; the engine sends it to the
+log instead of a speech bubble because the character says so.
+
 So adding an entity is adding a file, and there is no second list to keep in
 step. The price is that registration order is file-name order: the arrow keys
 walk the scenes alphabetically rather than in the concept-art deck's order.
@@ -243,11 +255,13 @@ share one registry per category instead of keeping two of them in step. Themes
 are the exception: `NewGame` seeds its theme manager with four presets, so ours
 are added to that set rather than replacing it.
 
-The price of not copying is that the defaults a scene may leave out — Paul's
-starting position, the floor walkbox — have to be written back into
-`SceneManager` before the hand-off rather than filled in on the way past.
-`prepareScene` does that with `Set`, and derives the selector's pins in the same
-pass by reading the exit graph backwards.
+The defaults a scene may leave out are not written into it at all any more:
+`g.Player` names the character a scene with no actors of its own receives, at
+his `Start`, and `g.Walkboxes` is the floor a scene without one walks on. Both
+are fields on the `*Game`, so a scene file that says nothing about either means
+"the usual", and the selector opts out by declaring both empty. What is still
+written back before the hand-off is the derived half of the map:
+`fillSelectorPins` reads the exit graph backwards and `Set`s the selector.
 
 There is one world, and it is a package-level singleton: `World`. Nothing takes
 a `*world` parameter and no widget holds a back-reference, which is what lets a
@@ -300,45 +314,25 @@ The graph stays machine-readable: exit hotspots are named `exit:<target>`, so
 the connections can be read straight back out of the registered scenes — and
 `Validate` rejects an exit that names a scene nobody registered.
 
-## Engine workarounds
+## What this game pushed into the engine
 
-Four inkwell limits turned up during implementation that the engine README does
-not mention. All four are worked around on the domain side; each is a candidate
-for a small engine change.
+Everything below started as a workaround in this package and ended up in
+inkwell, because in each case the thing being worked around was a fact an
+entity should have carried in the first place. The domain side of each is now a
+field in a literal:
 
-Two others have been fixed in the engine since: exits are now
-[`inkwell.Exit`](https://git.teletypegames.org/engines/inkwell) on the scene
-itself, and `Game.CurrentScene()` / `PreviousScene()` mean the domain no longer
-has to shadow where the player is.
-
-1. **`drawText` discards colour.** In `asset.text.go` the colour argument is
-   `_ = c` and rendering goes through `ebitenutil.DebugPrintAt`, which only
-   draws white. Every text colour in `Theme` is therefore inert. *Workaround:*
-   `ui.text.go` renders onto a scratch image and blits it tinted with
-   `ColorScale`. The custom widgets colour correctly; the built-ins
-   (`StatusLine`, `DialogBox`, `TopBar`, `InventoryBar`) are still white.
-   *Fix:* move `drawText` to `text/v2` — no call site would change.
-
-2. **`queueAction` is unexported**, so a domain widget cannot start an action.
-   *Workaround:* the pump — `widget.action_pump.go` calling `World.PumpTick` —
-   drives its own `Runner` through the exported `inkwell.Ctx`. *Caveat:* it runs alongside the engine's script
-   runner, not instead of it.
-
-3. **The `"Nem ehhez."` flash is hardcoded** in `core.engine.go` for an
-   item/hotspot pair with no `OnUseWith`, and cannot be replaced from the
-   domain. *Workaround:* `UseWithGuard` — widgets tick before the engine's
-   `handleSceneInput` and can consume the click, so unauthored pairs fail in
-   character instead, escalating on repeats.
-
-4. **Widgets have no `Visible` field and the `Manager` cannot unregister**, so
-   the built-in HUD cannot be hidden during a cutscene. *Workaround:* the
-   `gate` wrapper in `widget.manager.go` forwards `Tick`/`Draw`/`BlocksClickAt` only
-   while the HUD is visible.
-
-5. **`Run` hardcodes a 4× window** (`core.dsl.go`), which at 640×400 would be
-   2560×1600 — bigger than most laptop screens. *Workaround:* the `windowSizer`
-   widget resizes once on the first tick, since Run sets the size before
-   entering the loop.
+| was worked around here | is now |
+|---|---|
+| a scratch-image text blitter, because `drawText` dropped the colour | `Game.DrawText` renders in colour; `inkwell.TextWidth`, `WrapText`, `ClipText`, `GlyphW/H` are the library's |
+| a pump widget driving its own `Runner`, because `queueAction` was unexported | `g.Do(action)` — one queue, in order, engine-side |
+| `TapeSay`, a second spelling of `Say` that skipped the speech bubble | `Character.Voice` — `VoiceLog` sends a character's lines to the log |
+| a `Tapes` map of display names | `Character.Label` |
+| a `gate` wrapper and `if !World.HUDVisible()` at the top of every `Draw` | `Widget.When`, an `inkwell.Condition` the engine evaluates |
+| a `titleBar` widget that pushed the scene title into the top bar | `TopBar` already discovers the title; `NoteVar` adds the "— paused" |
+| a `UseWithGuard` widget stealing clicks to answer unauthored use-with pairs | `Game.UseWithFail`, beside `ExitLook` and `ExitTake` |
+| a `windowSizer` widget resizing the window on its first tick | `Game.WindowScale` |
+| a `sceneNav` widget walking the scene catalogue | `inkwell.SceneNav`, a built-in dev widget |
+| `sceneDefaults` rewriting every scene with Paul and a floor | `Game.Player` and `Game.Walkboxes` |
 
 Also: the inkwell README gives the module path as
 `git.teletypegames.org/games/inkwell`; the real path per its `go.mod` is
diff --git a/go.mod b/go.mod
index cf061d3..8f94187 100644
--- a/go.mod
+++ b/go.mod
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ module git.teletypegames.org/games/realworld
 go 1.26.3
 
 require (
-	git.teletypegames.org/engines/inkwell v0.1.1-0.20260830201917-2429ada0900f
+	git.teletypegames.org/engines/inkwell v0.1.1-0.20260830205716-92fc36bdf5b8
 	github.com/hajimehoshi/ebiten/v2 v2.9.9
 )
 
diff --git a/go.sum b/go.sum
index 2ffc672..b12ab43 100644
--- a/go.sum
+++ b/go.sum
@@ -4,6 +4,8 @@ git.teletypegames.org/engines/inkwell v0.1.1-0.20260830200555-53f4df04669c h1:GO
 git.teletypegames.org/engines/inkwell v0.1.1-0.20260830200555-53f4df04669c/go.mod h1:/v6QtismTE8+e7kobbVR5B/CpTSrd4j2DYwJ8DvINhs=
 git.teletypegames.org/engines/inkwell v0.1.1-0.20260830201917-2429ada0900f h1:WBIh7svmA2R7tbi1Xrafn5//yl8vnK2qbpBXDbbz6Aw=
 git.teletypegames.org/engines/inkwell v0.1.1-0.20260830201917-2429ada0900f/go.mod h1:/v6QtismTE8+e7kobbVR5B/CpTSrd4j2DYwJ8DvINhs=
+git.teletypegames.org/engines/inkwell v0.1.1-0.20260830205716-92fc36bdf5b8 h1:t1xAbtOTCUeIbqIHUpRXQMiYDvp8KOt+m39iEZ5Q6Sg=
+git.teletypegames.org/engines/inkwell v0.1.1-0.20260830205716-92fc36bdf5b8/go.mod h1:/v6QtismTE8+e7kobbVR5B/CpTSrd4j2DYwJ8DvINhs=
 github.com/ebitengine/gomobile v0.0.0-20250923094054-ea854a63cce1 h1:+kz5iTT3L7uU+VhlMfTb8hHcxLO3TlaELlX8wa4XjA0=
 github.com/ebitengine/gomobile v0.0.0-20250923094054-ea854a63cce1/go.mod h1:lKJoeixeJwnFmYsBny4vvCJGVFc3aYDalhuDsfZzWHI=
 github.com/ebitengine/hideconsole v1.0.0 h1:5J4U0kXF+pv/DhiXt5/lTz0eO5ogJ1iXb8Yj1yReDqE=
diff --git a/inc/boot.go b/inc/boot.go
index 5c65d81..c51f820 100644
--- a/inc/boot.go
+++ b/inc/boot.go
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ var (
 	ItemManager       = inkwell.NewManager[Item]()
 	SceneManager      = inkwell.NewManager[Scene]()
 	ScriptManager     = inkwell.NewManager[Script]()
+	TapeManager       = inkwell.NewManager[Tape]()
 	ThemeManager      = inkwell.NewManager[Theme]()
 	WidgetManager     = inkwell.NewManager[Widget]()
 )
@@ -26,17 +27,21 @@ func New(o Opts) *inkwell.Game {
 		start = SceneAlley
 	}
 
-	prepareScene()
+	fillSelectorPins()
 
 	g := inkwell.NewGame("Real World", ScreenW, ScreenH)
 	g.MaxLogLines = 64
+	g.WindowScale = 2
 	g.SceneRect = inkwell.Rect(0, TopBarH, ScreenW, HUDTop-TopBarH)
+	g.Player = Paul
+	g.Walkboxes = sceneFloor
 	g.ExitLook = func(e inkwell.Exit) inkwell.Action {
 		return inkwell.Say(Paul, "That way: "+e.Label+".")
 	}
 	g.ExitTake = func(inkwell.Exit) inkwell.Action {
 		return inkwell.Say(Paul, "It's a way out, not a thing.")
 	}
+	g.UseWithFail = useWithFail
 
 	g.AssetManager = BackgroundManager
 	g.CharacterManager = CharacterManager
diff --git a/inc/character.dex.go b/inc/character.dex.go
index a28a15a..d8ac78e 100644
--- a/inc/character.dex.go
+++ b/inc/character.dex.go
@@ -1,8 +1,14 @@
 package inc
 
+import (
+	inkwell "git.teletypegames.org/engines/inkwell"
+)
+
 func init() {
 	CharacterManager.Register(Character{
 		Name:        Dex,
+		Label:       "DEX",
+		Voice:       inkwell.VoiceLog,
 		SpeechColor: Amber,
 	})
 }
diff --git a/inc/character.mystery_tape.go b/inc/character.mystery_tape.go
index b2f9978..b10f417 100644
--- a/inc/character.mystery_tape.go
+++ b/inc/character.mystery_tape.go
@@ -1,8 +1,14 @@
 package inc
 
+import (
+	inkwell "git.teletypegames.org/engines/inkwell"
+)
+
 func init() {
 	CharacterManager.Register(Character{
 		Name:        TapeMystery,
+		Label:       "UNKNOWN TAPE",
+		Voice:       inkwell.VoiceLog,
 		SpeechColor: RGB(0xB9A98A),
 	})
 }
diff --git a/inc/character.paul.go b/inc/character.paul.go
index 7aa281b..34c3e77 100644
--- a/inc/character.paul.go
+++ b/inc/character.paul.go
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ func init() {
 		W:     28,
 		H:     68,
 		Start: inkwell.Point{
-			X: 120,
+			X: 320,
 			Y: 232,
 		},
 		SpeechColor: Ink,
diff --git a/inc/character.support_tape.go b/inc/character.support_tape.go
index 6d135ff..02e0fef 100644
--- a/inc/character.support_tape.go
+++ b/inc/character.support_tape.go
@@ -1,8 +1,14 @@
 package inc
 
+import (
+	inkwell "git.teletypegames.org/engines/inkwell"
+)
+
 func init() {
 	CharacterManager.Register(Character{
 		Name:        TapeSupport,
+		Label:       "TECH SUPPORT",
+		Voice:       inkwell.VoiceLog,
 		SpeechColor: RGB(0xE8C86A),
 	})
 }
diff --git a/inc/item.black_market_armilla.go b/inc/item.black_market_armilla.go
index afc9b98..8fa23b2 100644
--- a/inc/item.black_market_armilla.go
+++ b/inc/item.black_market_armilla.go
@@ -10,12 +10,12 @@ func init() {
 		Description: "black-market Armilla",
 		OnUseSelf: inkwell.Seq(
 			inkwell.Say(Paul, "Jailbroken. Pushes ads, but it was cheap."),
-			TapeSay(Dex, "Two slots, and both of them lie about the temperature. Don't trade me in for it."),
+			inkwell.Say(Dex, "Two slots, and both of them lie about the temperature. Don't trade me in for it."),
 		),
 		OnUseWith: map[string]inkwell.Action{
 			ItemNoodleLetter: inkwell.Seq(
 				inkwell.Say(Paul, "A letter and a bracelet. Brilliant."),
-				TapeSay(Dex, "Nothing. Which is what I'd charge for it."),
+				inkwell.Say(Dex, "Nothing. Which is what I'd charge for it."),
 			),
 		},
 	})
diff --git a/inc/item.mystery_tape.go b/inc/item.mystery_tape.go
index 1c0bb7d..b61608d 100644
--- a/inc/item.mystery_tape.go
+++ b/inc/item.mystery_tape.go
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ func init() {
 		Description: "unmarked Personal Tape",
 		OnUseSelf: inkwell.Seq(
 			inkwell.Say(Paul, "Password-locked. Of course."),
-			TapeSay(Dex, "Put it in the second slot if you care that much. I did warn you."),
+			inkwell.Say(Dex, "Put it in the second slot if you care that much. I did warn you."),
 		),
 	})
 }
diff --git a/inc/item.noodle_letter.go b/inc/item.noodle_letter.go
index 307ef5f..b6f2365 100644
--- a/inc/item.noodle_letter.go
+++ b/inc/item.noodle_letter.go
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ func init() {
 		Description: "Noodle's letter",
 		OnUseSelf: inkwell.Seq(
 			inkwell.Say(Paul, "“Come out, Paul. Not a phone conversation.” That's all it says."),
-			TapeSay(Dex, "And now you're here. And he isn't."),
+			inkwell.Say(Dex, "And now you're here. And he isn't."),
 		),
 	})
 }
diff --git a/inc/names.manager.go b/inc/names.manager.go
index 82f8cd9..1dcc42d 100644
--- a/inc/names.manager.go
+++ b/inc/names.manager.go
@@ -34,6 +34,10 @@ const (
 	VarSlot2        = "armilla.slot2"
 	VarArmillaStrip = "armilla.strip"
 	VarDecay        = "decay_level"
+	VarMode         = "mode"
+	VarNote         = "note"
+
+	NotePaused = "paused"
 )
 
 const (
@@ -89,32 +93,3 @@ const (
 	BgShowroom        = "bg_showroom"
 	BgColumbarium     = "bg_columbarium"
 )
-
-var Tapes = map[string]string{
-	Dex:         "DEX",
-	TapeMystery: "UNKNOWN TAPE",
-	TapeSupport: "TECH SUPPORT",
-}
-
-func IsTape(name string) bool { _, ok := Tapes[name]; return ok }
-
-func TapeDisplayName(name string) string {
-	if d, ok := Tapes[name]; ok {
-		return d
-	}
-	return name
-}
-
-var TapeItems = map[string]string{
-	ItemMysteryTape: TapeMystery,
-}
-
-func IsTapeItem(item string) bool { _, ok := TapeItems[item]; return ok }
-
-func TapeDialogue(item string) string {
-	switch item {
-	case ItemMysteryTape:
-		return DlgMysteryTape
-	}
-	return DlgDex
-}
diff --git a/inc/scene.alley.go b/inc/scene.alley.go
index ab893a5..0afe6de 100644
--- a/inc/scene.alley.go
+++ b/inc/scene.alley.go
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ func hidingPlace() inkwell.Hotspot {
 					inkwell.Give(ItemMysteryTape),
 					inkwell.SetFlag(FlagHasTape),
 					inkwell.Say(Paul, "A Personal Tape. No label, no seal."),
-					TapeSay(Dex, "Password-locked. And somebody very much did not want it found."),
+					inkwell.Say(Dex, "Password-locked. And somebody very much did not want it found."),
 				),
 			),
 			inkwell.Say(Paul, "One loose brick. I'm not taking the alley apart over it."),
@@ -64,13 +64,13 @@ func backDoor() inkwell.Hotspot {
 		OnLook: inkwell.Say(Paul, "Keypad. Four digits, worn keys."),
 		OnUse: inkwell.Seq(
 			inkwell.Say(Paul, "Locked. And I'm not guessing four digits."),
-			TapeSay(Dex, "The wear is heaviest on the two and the seven. That isn't a code. It's fewer options."),
+			inkwell.Say(Dex, "The wear is heaviest on the two and the seven. That isn't a code. It's fewer options."),
 		),
 		OnTalk: inkwell.Say(Paul, "To the door? I'm not there yet."),
 		OnUseWith: map[string]inkwell.Action{
 			ItemBlackArmilla: inkwell.Seq(
 				inkwell.Say(Paul, "A black-market bracelet doesn't open a keypad."),
-				TapeSay(Dex, "But you do get an advert out of it."),
+				inkwell.Say(Dex, "But you do get an advert out of it."),
 			),
 		},
 	}
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ func bin() inkwell.Hotspot {
 		OnLook: inkwell.Say(Paul, "Somebody's been through it. Thoroughly."),
 		OnUse: inkwell.Seq(
 			inkwell.Say(Paul, "Already turned out. I'm not going to be the second one."),
-			TapeSay(Dex, "The police don't go through bins. So who did?"),
+			inkwell.Say(Dex, "The police don't go through bins. So who did?"),
 		),
 	}
 }
diff --git a/inc/scene.manager.go b/inc/scene.manager.go
index 2bf0983..fa4a9da 100644
--- a/inc/scene.manager.go
+++ b/inc/scene.manager.go
@@ -6,13 +6,6 @@ import (
 
 type Scene = inkwell.Scene
 
-func prepareScene() {
-	fillSelectorPins()
-	for _, entity := range SceneManager.All() {
-		SceneManager.Set(sceneDefaults(entity))
-	}
-}
-
 var sceneFloor = []inkwell.Polygon{
 	inkwell.Poly(
 		inkwell.Point{
@@ -32,24 +25,6 @@ var sceneFloor = []inkwell.Polygon{
 	),
 }
 
-func sceneDefaults(s Scene) Scene {
-	if s.Actors == nil {
-		s.Actors = []inkwell.SceneActor{
-			{
-				CharacterName: Paul,
-				At: inkwell.Point{
-					X: 320,
-					Y: 232,
-				},
-			},
-		}
-	}
-	if s.Walkboxes == nil {
-		s.Walkboxes = sceneFloor
-	}
-	return s
-}
-
 func setVarIfEmpty(name string, v any) inkwell.Action {
 	return Fn(func(ctx *inkwell.Ctx) {
 		if ctx.Game.State.Var(name) == nil {
diff --git a/inc/script.awakening_finale.go b/inc/script.awakening_finale.go
index 442d344..c6cebee 100644
--- a/inc/script.awakening_finale.go
+++ b/inc/script.awakening_finale.go
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ func init() {
 			UseTheme(NokiaPunk),
 			inkwell.Say("norman", "No — this isn't what you were supposed to do!"),
 			inkwell.Wait(0.6),
-			TapeSay(TapeMystery, "Thank you, Paul. You did exactly what I asked, the whole way through."),
+			inkwell.Say(TapeMystery, "Thank you, Paul. You did exactly what I asked, the whole way through."),
 			inkwell.Wait(1.0),
 			inkwell.ShowEnd("REAL WORLD — end of game two"),
 		),
diff --git a/inc/script.opening.go b/inc/script.opening.go
index c5cb33d..c1b420a 100644
--- a/inc/script.opening.go
+++ b/inc/script.opening.go
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ func init() {
 		Actions: inkwell.Seq(
 			inkwell.SetFlag(FlagPoliceTip),
 			inkwell.Say(Paul, "Back alley. Just like the clerk said."),
-			TapeSay(Dex, "A government office tipped you off to remove something from a scene. That doesn't strike you as odd?"),
+			inkwell.Say(Dex, "A government office tipped you off to remove something from a scene. That doesn't strike you as odd?"),
 		),
 	})
 }
diff --git a/inc/script.tape_insert.go b/inc/script.tape_insert.go
index 0dbbb40..5b7c843 100644
--- a/inc/script.tape_insert.go
+++ b/inc/script.tape_insert.go
@@ -18,8 +18,8 @@ func init() {
 				ctx.Game.State.SetVar(VarArmillaStrip, "SLOT2: READING")
 			}),
 			inkwell.Say(Paul, "Right. Let's see who you are."),
-			TapeSay(Dex, "Clicked in. Spinning. And now: nothing."),
-			TapeSay(Dex, "A stranger's tape in your own Armilla, Paul. I hope you know what you're doing."),
+			inkwell.Say(Dex, "Clicked in. Spinning. And now: nothing."),
+			inkwell.Say(Dex, "A stranger's tape in your own Armilla, Paul. I hope you know what you're doing."),
 		),
 	})
 }
diff --git a/inc/script.usewith_fail.go b/inc/script.usewith_fail.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..64281db
--- /dev/null
+++ b/inc/script.usewith_fail.go
@@ -0,0 +1,59 @@
+package inc
+
+import (
+	"math/rand"
+
+	inkwell "git.teletypegames.org/engines/inkwell"
+)
+
+func useWithFail(item string, h *inkwell.Hotspot) inkwell.Action {
+	key := "fail." + item + "." + h.Name
+	World.G.State.NoteTalked(key)
+	n := World.G.State.Talked(key)
+
+	return inkwell.Seq(
+		inkwell.Say(Paul, pick(paulFails, n)),
+		inkwell.Say(Dex, dexFail(n)),
+	)
+}
+
+var paulFails = []string{
+	"No. That's not going to work.",
+	"Tried that. It didn't improve.",
+	"All right, I know that one doesn't work.",
+	"Now it's personal.",
+}
+
+var dexDry = []string{
+	"No. Not like that.",
+	"I heard it. Nothing happened.",
+}
+
+var dexTease = []string{
+	"Twice the same. The second one rarely goes better.",
+	"Do it a few more times, maybe physics reconsiders.",
+}
+
+func dexFail(n int) string {
+	switch {
+	case n <= 1:
+		return pick(dexDry, n)
+	case n == 2:
+		return pick(dexTease, n)
+	default:
+		return "Paul. Leave it. Look again at what you're carrying — that's where it is."
+	}
+}
+
+func pick(s []string, n int) string {
+	switch {
+	case len(s) == 0:
+		return ""
+	case n <= 0:
+		return s[0]
+	case n-1 < len(s):
+		return s[n-1]
+	default:
+		return s[rand.Intn(len(s))]
+	}
+}
diff --git a/inc/tape.dex.go b/inc/tape.dex.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ae0dbc6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/inc/tape.dex.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+package inc
+
+func init() {
+	TapeManager.Register(Tape{
+		Name:     Dex,
+		Dialogue: DlgDex,
+	})
+}
diff --git a/inc/tape.manager.go b/inc/tape.manager.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..50e1a92
--- /dev/null
+++ b/inc/tape.manager.go
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+package inc
+
+type Tape struct {
+	Name     string
+	Item     string
+	Dialogue string
+}
+
+func (t Tape) GetName() string { return t.Name }
+
+func IsTape(name string) bool { return TapeManager.Has(name) }
+
+func TapeOf(item string) (Tape, bool) {
+	for _, t := range TapeManager.All() {
+		if t.Item != "" && t.Item == item {
+			return t, true
+		}
+	}
+	return Tape{}, false
+}
+
+func IsTapeItem(item string) bool {
+	_, ok := TapeOf(item)
+	return ok
+}
+
+func TapeDialogue(item string) string {
+	if t, ok := TapeOf(item); ok && t.Dialogue != "" {
+		return t.Dialogue
+	}
+	return DlgDex
+}
diff --git a/inc/tape.mystery.go b/inc/tape.mystery.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3ebf404
--- /dev/null
+++ b/inc/tape.mystery.go
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+package inc
+
+func init() {
+	TapeManager.Register(Tape{
+		Name:     TapeMystery,
+		Item:     ItemMysteryTape,
+		Dialogue: DlgMysteryTape,
+	})
+}
diff --git a/inc/tape.support.go b/inc/tape.support.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1c575e2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/inc/tape.support.go
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+package inc
+
+func init() {
+	TapeManager.Register(Tape{
+		Name: TapeSupport,
+	})
+}
diff --git a/inc/ui.text.go b/inc/ui.text.go
deleted file mode 100644
index a62c6c7..0000000
--- a/inc/ui.text.go
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,107 +0,0 @@
-package inc
-
-import (
-	"image"
-	"image/color"
-	"unicode/utf8"
-
-	"github.com/hajimehoshi/ebiten/v2"
-	"github.com/hajimehoshi/ebiten/v2/ebitenutil"
-)
-
-const (
-	glyphW = 6
-	glyphH = 16
-)
-
-var scratch *ebiten.Image
-
-func textW(s string) int { return utf8.RuneCountInString(s) * glyphW }
-
-func drawTextC(dst *ebiten.Image, s string, x, y int, c color.Color) {
-	if s == "" {
-		return
-	}
-	w, h := textW(s)+glyphW, glyphH
-	if scratch == nil || scratch.Bounds().Dx() < w || scratch.Bounds().Dy() < h {
-		nw, nh := w, h
-		if nw < 320 {
-			nw = 320
-		}
-		scratch = ebiten.NewImage(nw, nh)
-	}
-	scratch.Clear()
-	ebitenutil.DebugPrintAt(scratch, s, 0, 0)
-
-	if c == nil {
-		c = color.White
-	}
-	r, g, b, a := c.RGBA()
-	op := &ebiten.DrawImageOptions{}
-	op.GeoM.Translate(float64(x), float64(y))
-	op.ColorScale.Scale(
-		float32(r)/0xffff, float32(g)/0xffff, float32(b)/0xffff, float32(a)/0xffff,
-	)
-	dst.DrawImage(scratch.SubImage(image.Rect(0, 0, w, h)).(*ebiten.Image), op)
-}
-
-func wrap(s string, maxPx int) []string {
-	if maxPx <= glyphW || textW(s) <= maxPx {
-		return []string{s}
-	}
-	var out []string
-	line, word := "", ""
-	flush := func() {
-		if line != "" {
-			out = append(out, line)
-			line = ""
-		}
-	}
-	emit := func() {
-		if word == "" {
-			return
-		}
-		switch {
-		case line == "":
-			line = word
-		case textW(line+" "+word) <= maxPx:
-			line += " " + word
-		default:
-			flush()
-			line = word
-		}
-		word = ""
-	}
-	for _, r := range s {
-		switch r {
-		case ' ':
-			emit()
-		case '\n':
-			emit()
-			flush()
-		default:
-			word += string(r)
-		}
-	}
-	emit()
-	flush()
-	if len(out) == 0 {
-		return []string{s}
-	}
-	return out
-}
-
-func clip(s string, maxPx int) string {
-	r := []rune(s)
-	max := maxPx / glyphW
-	switch {
-	case max <= 0:
-		return ""
-	case len(r) <= max:
-		return s
-	case max == 1:
-		return string(r[:1])
-	default:
-		return string(r[:max-1]) + "…"
-	}
-}
diff --git a/inc/widget.action_pump.go b/inc/widget.action_pump.go
deleted file mode 100644
index a119093..0000000
--- a/inc/widget.action_pump.go
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,21 +0,0 @@
-package inc
-
-import (
-	inkwell "git.teletypegames.org/engines/inkwell"
-	"github.com/hajimehoshi/ebiten/v2"
-)
-
-func init() {
-	WidgetManager.Register(&actionPump{
-		Name: "pump",
-	})
-}
-
-type actionPump struct {
-	Name string
-}
-
-func (p *actionPump) GetName() string                            { return p.Name }
-func (p *actionPump) Layer() inkwell.Layer                       { return inkwell.LayerScene }
-func (p *actionPump) Tick(ctx *inkwell.UICtx)                    { World.PumpTick(ctx.DT) }
-func (p *actionPump) Draw(dst *ebiten.Image, ctx *inkwell.UICtx) {}
diff --git a/inc/widget.hud_frame.go b/inc/widget.hud_frame.go
index ac32b5e..0eda796 100644
--- a/inc/widget.hud_frame.go
+++ b/inc/widget.hud_frame.go
@@ -16,14 +16,12 @@ type hudFrame struct {
 	Name string
 }
 
-func (h *hudFrame) GetName() string         { return h.Name }
-func (h *hudFrame) Layer() inkwell.Layer    { return inkwell.LayerPanel }
-func (h *hudFrame) Tick(ctx *inkwell.UICtx) {}
+func (h *hudFrame) GetName() string                { return h.Name }
+func (h *hudFrame) VisibleWhen() inkwell.Condition { return whenPlaying }
+func (h *hudFrame) Layer() inkwell.Layer           { return inkwell.LayerPanel }
+func (h *hudFrame) Tick(ctx *inkwell.UICtx)        {}
 
 func (h *hudFrame) Draw(dst *ebiten.Image, ctx *inkwell.UICtx) {
-	if !World.HUDVisible() {
-		return
-	}
 	th := ctx.Game.Theme()
 	vector.DrawFilledRect(dst, 0, HUDTop+1, ScreenW, ScreenH-HUDTop-1, th.PanelBG, false)
 
@@ -32,6 +30,4 @@ func (h *hudFrame) Draw(dst *ebiten.Image, ctx *inkwell.UICtx) {
 	vector.StrokeLine(dst, DividerX, HUDTop+1, DividerX, ScreenH, 1, th.CharacterPanelBorder, false)
 }
 
-func (h *hudFrame) BlocksClickAt(p inkwell.Point) bool {
-	return World.HUDVisible() && p.Y >= HUDTop
-}
+func (h *hudFrame) BlocksClickAt(p inkwell.Point) bool { return p.Y >= HUDTop }
diff --git a/inc/widget.inventory_bar.go b/inc/widget.inventory_bar.go
index 3f12cb8..104f4ba 100644
--- a/inc/widget.inventory_bar.go
+++ b/inc/widget.inventory_bar.go
@@ -5,8 +5,9 @@ import (
 )
 
 func init() {
-	WidgetManager.Register(gated("inventory", &inkwell.InventoryBar{
+	WidgetManager.Register(&inkwell.InventoryBar{
 		Name: "inventory",
+		When: whenPlaying,
 		Origin: inkwell.Point{
 			X: Pad + 2,
 			Y: invY,
@@ -15,5 +16,5 @@ func init() {
 		Cols:     4,
 		SlotSize: invSlot,
 		Gap:      invGap,
-	}))
+	})
 }
diff --git a/inc/widget.letterbox.go b/inc/widget.letterbox.go
index 04a3dd0..90478c8 100644
--- a/inc/widget.letterbox.go
+++ b/inc/widget.letterbox.go
@@ -19,23 +19,20 @@ type letterbox struct {
 	Bar  float64
 }
 
-func (l *letterbox) GetName() string      { return l.Name }
-func (l *letterbox) Layer() inkwell.Layer { return inkwell.LayerScene }
+func (l *letterbox) GetName() string                { return l.Name }
+func (l *letterbox) VisibleWhen() inkwell.Condition { return whenCutscene }
+func (l *letterbox) Layer() inkwell.Layer           { return inkwell.LayerScene }
 
 func (l *letterbox) Tick(ctx *inkwell.UICtx) {
-	if World.Mode() != ModeCutscene || !World.TapeWaiting() {
+	if !World.TapeWaiting() {
 		return
 	}
-
 	if inpututil.IsKeyJustPressed(ebiten.KeySpace) {
 		World.TakeTapeOffer()
 	}
 }
 
 func (l *letterbox) Draw(dst *ebiten.Image, ctx *inkwell.UICtx) {
-	if World.Mode() != ModeCutscene {
-		return
-	}
 	g := ctx.Game
 	th := g.Theme()
 	bar := l.Bar
@@ -48,7 +45,7 @@ func (l *letterbox) Draw(dst *ebiten.Image, ctx *inkwell.UICtx) {
 	vector.DrawFilledRect(dst, 0, h-float32(bar), w, float32(bar), black, false)
 
 	if World.TapeWaiting() {
-		msg := "SPACE — " + TapeDisplayName(Dex) + " has something to say"
-		drawTextC(dst, msg, g.Width-textW(msg)-4, g.Height-int(bar)+4, th.ChatLogResponse)
+		msg := "SPACE — " + g.CharacterLabel(Dex) + " has something to say"
+		g.DrawText(dst, msg, g.Width-inkwell.TextWidth(msg)-4, g.Height-int(bar)+4, th.ChatLogResponse)
 	}
 }
diff --git a/inc/widget.manager.go b/inc/widget.manager.go
index 79d4a9e..562c209 100644
--- a/inc/widget.manager.go
+++ b/inc/widget.manager.go
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@ package inc
 
 import (
 	inkwell "git.teletypegames.org/engines/inkwell"
-	"github.com/hajimehoshi/ebiten/v2"
 )
 
 type Widget = inkwell.Widget
@@ -11,7 +10,7 @@ const (
 	ScreenW = 640
 	ScreenH = 380
 
-	LineH = glyphH + 2
+	LineH = inkwell.GlyphH + 2
 	Pad   = 6
 
 	TopBarH  = LineH + 2
@@ -28,38 +27,8 @@ const (
 	invGap  = 4
 )
 
-type gate struct {
-	Name  string
-	Inner Widget
-}
-
-func gated(name string, inner Widget) Widget {
-	return &gate{
-		Name:  name,
-		Inner: inner,
-	}
-}
-
-func (n *gate) GetName() string { return n.Name }
-
-func (n *gate) Layer() inkwell.Layer { return inkwell.LayerOf(n.Inner) }
-
-func (n *gate) Tick(ctx *inkwell.UICtx) {
-	if World.HUDVisible() {
-		n.Inner.Tick(ctx)
-	}
-}
-
-func (n *gate) Draw(dst *ebiten.Image, ctx *inkwell.UICtx) {
-	if World.HUDVisible() {
-		n.Inner.Draw(dst, ctx)
-	}
-}
-
-func (n *gate) BlocksClickAt(p inkwell.Point) bool {
-	if !World.HUDVisible() {
-		return false
-	}
-	b, ok := n.Inner.(interface{ BlocksClickAt(inkwell.Point) bool })
-	return ok && b.BlocksClickAt(p)
-}
+var (
+	whenPlaying  = inkwell.VarEq(VarMode, string(ModePlay))
+	whenCutscene = inkwell.VarEq(VarMode, string(ModeCutscene))
+	whenUnpaused = inkwell.And(whenPlaying, inkwell.Not(inkwell.VarEq(VarNote, NotePaused)))
+)
diff --git a/inc/widget.scene_nav.go b/inc/widget.scene_nav.go
index 98a9bbb..3e6a81f 100644
--- a/inc/widget.scene_nav.go
+++ b/inc/widget.scene_nav.go
@@ -2,52 +2,11 @@ package inc
 
 import (
 	inkwell "git.teletypegames.org/engines/inkwell"
-	"github.com/hajimehoshi/ebiten/v2"
-	"github.com/hajimehoshi/ebiten/v2/inpututil"
 )
 
 func init() {
-	WidgetManager.Register(&sceneNav{
+	WidgetManager.Register(&inkwell.SceneNav{
 		Name: "scene_nav",
+		When: whenUnpaused,
 	})
 }
-
-type sceneNav struct {
-	Name string
-}
-
-func (n *sceneNav) GetName() string                            { return n.Name }
-func (n *sceneNav) Layer() inkwell.Layer                       { return inkwell.LayerScene }
-func (n *sceneNav) Draw(dst *ebiten.Image, ctx *inkwell.UICtx) {}
-
-func (n *sceneNav) Tick(ctx *inkwell.UICtx) {
-	if !World.HUDVisible() || World.Paused() {
-		return
-	}
-	step := 0
-
-	switch {
-	case inpututil.IsKeyJustPressed(ebiten.KeyArrowRight):
-		step = 1
-	case inpututil.IsKeyJustPressed(ebiten.KeyArrowLeft):
-		step = -1
-	default:
-		return
-	}
-	if next := n.neighbour(ctx.Game, step); next != "" {
-		World.Do(inkwell.GoTo(next))
-	}
-}
-
-func (n *sceneNav) neighbour(g *inkwell.Game, step int) string {
-	deck := g.SceneManager.Names()
-	if len(deck) < 2 {
-		return ""
-	}
-	for i, name := range deck {
-		if name == World.G.CurrentScene() {
-			return deck[((i+step)%len(deck)+len(deck))%len(deck)]
-		}
-	}
-	return deck[0]
-}
diff --git a/inc/widget.status_line.go b/inc/widget.status_line.go
index 8832f57..664f590 100644
--- a/inc/widget.status_line.go
+++ b/inc/widget.status_line.go
@@ -5,10 +5,11 @@ import (
 )
 
 func init() {
-	WidgetManager.Register(gated("status", &inkwell.StatusLine{
+	WidgetManager.Register(&inkwell.StatusLine{
 		Name:        "status",
+		When:        whenPlaying,
 		Y:           statusY,
 		Align:       inkwell.AlignLeft,
 		ScreenWidth: DividerX,
-	}))
+	})
 }
diff --git a/inc/widget.tape_channel.go b/inc/widget.tape_channel.go
index aab29a1..e82a728 100644
--- a/inc/widget.tape_channel.go
+++ b/inc/widget.tape_channel.go
@@ -20,19 +20,15 @@ type tapeChannel struct {
 	Bounds inkwell.Rectangle
 }
 
-func (t *tapeChannel) GetName() string      { return t.Name }
-func (t *tapeChannel) Layer() inkwell.Layer { return inkwell.LayerHUD }
+func (t *tapeChannel) GetName() string                { return t.Name }
+func (t *tapeChannel) VisibleWhen() inkwell.Condition { return whenPlaying }
+func (t *tapeChannel) Layer() inkwell.Layer           { return inkwell.LayerHUD }
 
 func (t *tapeChannel) Tick(ctx *inkwell.UICtx) {}
 
-func (t *tapeChannel) BlocksClickAt(p inkwell.Point) bool {
-	return World.HUDVisible() && t.Bounds.Contains(p)
-}
+func (t *tapeChannel) BlocksClickAt(p inkwell.Point) bool { return t.Bounds.Contains(p) }
 
 func (t *tapeChannel) Draw(dst *ebiten.Image, ctx *inkwell.UICtx) {
-	if !World.HUDVisible() {
-		return
-	}
 	g := ctx.Game
 	th := g.Theme()
 	b := t.Bounds
@@ -44,7 +40,7 @@ func (t *tapeChannel) Draw(dst *ebiten.Image, ctx *inkwell.UICtx) {
 	vector.DrawFilledRect(dst, float32(b.X), float32(b.Y), float32(b.W), float32(b.H), th.ChatLogBG, false)
 
 	speaker, speakerCol := t.lastSpeaker(g, th)
-	drawTextC(dst, speaker, int(b.X)+pad, int(b.Y)+pad, speakerCol)
+	g.DrawText(dst, speaker, int(b.X)+pad, int(b.Y)+pad, speakerCol)
 	hy := float32(b.Y+pad+lh) + 2
 	vector.StrokeLine(dst, float32(b.X)+pad, hy,
 		float32(b.X+b.W)-pad, hy, 1, th.CharacterPanelBorder, false)
@@ -70,7 +66,7 @@ func (t *tapeChannel) Draw(dst *ebiten.Image, ctx *inkwell.UICtx) {
 		default:
 			col, txt = th.ChatLogSystem, m.Text
 		}
-		for _, wl := range wrap(txt, wrapW) {
+		for _, wl := range inkwell.WrapText(txt, wrapW) {
 			rendered = append(rendered, line{
 				text: wl,
 				col:  col,
@@ -87,7 +83,7 @@ func (t *tapeChannel) Draw(dst *ebiten.Image, ctx *inkwell.UICtx) {
 		rendered = rendered[start:]
 	}
 	for i, ln := range rendered {
-		drawTextC(dst, ln.text, int(b.X)+pad, top+i*lh, ln.col)
+		g.DrawText(dst, ln.text, int(b.X)+pad, top+i*lh, ln.col)
 	}
 }
 
@@ -96,10 +92,10 @@ func (t *tapeChannel) lastSpeaker(g *inkwell.Game, th inkwell.Theme) (string, co
 	for i := len(msgs) - 1; i >= 0; i-- {
 		m := msgs[i]
 		if m.Kind == inkwell.LogResponse && IsTape(m.Speaker) {
-			return TapeDisplayName(m.Speaker), speechColor(g, m.Speaker, th.ChatLogResponse)
+			return g.CharacterLabel(m.Speaker), speechColor(g, m.Speaker, th.ChatLogResponse)
 		}
 	}
-	return TapeDisplayName(Dex), speechColor(g, Dex, th.ChatLogResponse)
+	return g.CharacterLabel(Dex), speechColor(g, Dex, th.ChatLogResponse)
 }
 
 func speechColor(g *inkwell.Game, name string, fallback color.Color) color.Color {
diff --git a/inc/widget.tape_slots.go b/inc/widget.tape_slots.go
index 3ad221b..8b3db74 100644
--- a/inc/widget.tape_slots.go
+++ b/inc/widget.tape_slots.go
@@ -18,12 +18,11 @@ type tapeSlots struct {
 	Bounds inkwell.Rectangle
 }
 
-func (t *tapeSlots) GetName() string      { return t.Name }
-func (t *tapeSlots) Layer() inkwell.Layer { return inkwell.LayerHUD }
+func (t *tapeSlots) GetName() string                { return t.Name }
+func (t *tapeSlots) VisibleWhen() inkwell.Condition { return whenPlaying }
+func (t *tapeSlots) Layer() inkwell.Layer           { return inkwell.LayerHUD }
 
-func (t *tapeSlots) BlocksClickAt(p inkwell.Point) bool {
-	return World.HUDVisible() && t.Bounds.Contains(p)
-}
+func (t *tapeSlots) BlocksClickAt(p inkwell.Point) bool { return t.Bounds.Contains(p) }
 
 func (t *tapeSlots) slotRects() (inkwell.Rectangle, inkwell.Rectangle) {
 	b := t.Bounds
@@ -32,16 +31,13 @@ func (t *tapeSlots) slotRects() (inkwell.Rectangle, inkwell.Rectangle) {
 }
 
 func (t *tapeSlots) Tick(ctx *inkwell.UICtx) {
-	if !World.HUDVisible() {
-		return
-	}
 	g := ctx.Game
 	mp := g.Input.Point()
 	r1, r2 := t.slotRects()
 
 	switch {
 	case r1.Contains(mp):
-		g.SetHoverLabel(TapeDisplayName(Dex))
+		g.SetHoverLabel(g.CharacterLabel(Dex))
 	case r2.Contains(mp):
 		if s := World.Slot2(); s != "" {
 			g.SetHoverLabel(itemLabel(g, s))
@@ -68,12 +64,12 @@ func (t *tapeSlots) Tick(ctx *inkwell.UICtx) {
 			World.Do(inkwell.RunScript(ScriptTapeInsert))
 			return
 		}
-		World.Do(TapeSay(Dex, "That isn't a tape, Paul. That's an object. There is a difference."))
+		World.Do(inkwell.Say(Dex, "That isn't a tape, Paul. That's an object. There is a difference."))
 		return
 	}
 	if !slot2 && sel != "" {
 		g.Inventory.Select("")
-		World.Do(TapeSay(Dex, "The first slot is mine. I'm not moving."))
+		World.Do(inkwell.Say(Dex, "The first slot is mine. I'm not moving."))
 		return
 	}
 
@@ -87,24 +83,21 @@ func (t *tapeSlots) Tick(ctx *inkwell.UICtx) {
 			World.Do(Paused(inkwell.RunDialogue(TapeDialogue(s))))
 			return
 		}
-		World.Do(TapeSay(Dex, "Empty. Nobody to talk to."))
+		World.Do(inkwell.Say(Dex, "Empty. Nobody to talk to."))
 	default:
 		if !slot2 {
-			World.Do(TapeSay(Dex, "Me. Four kilobytes of a dead man. Be grateful."))
+			World.Do(inkwell.Say(Dex, "Me. Four kilobytes of a dead man. Be grateful."))
 			return
 		}
 		if s := World.Slot2(); s != "" {
-			World.Do(TapeSay(Dex, "That is the second slot. Be careful what you let in."))
+			World.Do(inkwell.Say(Dex, "That is the second slot. Be careful what you let in."))
 			return
 		}
-		World.Do(TapeSay(Dex, "The second slot is empty. That's the rarer state."))
+		World.Do(inkwell.Say(Dex, "The second slot is empty. That's the rarer state."))
 	}
 }
 
 func (t *tapeSlots) Draw(dst *ebiten.Image, ctx *inkwell.UICtx) {
-	if !World.HUDVisible() {
-		return
-	}
 	g := ctx.Game
 	th := g.Theme()
 	r1, r2 := t.slotRects()
@@ -118,11 +111,11 @@ func (t *tapeSlots) Draw(dst *ebiten.Image, ctx *inkwell.UICtx) {
 		vector.StrokeRect(dst, float32(r.X), float32(r.Y), float32(r.W), float32(r.H), 1, border, false)
 
 		x, inner := int(r.X)+Pad, int(r.W)-Pad*2
-		drawTextC(dst, label, x, int(r.Y)+Pad/2, th.ChatLogSystem)
-		drawTextC(dst, clip(body, inner), x, int(r.Y)+Pad/2+LineH, col)
+		g.DrawText(dst, label, x, int(r.Y)+Pad/2, th.ChatLogSystem)
+		g.DrawText(dst, inkwell.ClipText(body, inner), x, int(r.Y)+Pad/2+LineH, col)
 	}
 
-	drawSlot(r1, "SLOT 1", TapeDisplayName(Dex), true)
+	drawSlot(r1, "SLOT 1", g.CharacterLabel(Dex), true)
 	if s := World.Slot2(); s != "" {
 		drawSlot(r2, "SLOT 2", itemLabel(g, s), true)
 	} else {
diff --git a/inc/widget.top_bar.go b/inc/widget.top_bar.go
index 6c0ab48..ccd79ab 100644
--- a/inc/widget.top_bar.go
+++ b/inc/widget.top_bar.go
@@ -5,23 +5,11 @@ import (
 )
 
 func init() {
-	WidgetManager.Register(gated("topbar", &titleBar{
-		TopBar: &inkwell.TopBar{
-			Name:    "topbar",
-			Height:  TopBarH,
-			TimeVar: VarArmillaStrip,
-		},
-	}))
-}
-
-type titleBar struct {
-	*inkwell.TopBar
-}
-
-func (t *titleBar) Tick(ctx *inkwell.UICtx) {
-	t.LeftText = World.SceneTitle()
-	if World.Paused() {
-		t.LeftText += " — paused"
-	}
-	t.TopBar.Tick(ctx)
+	WidgetManager.Register(&inkwell.TopBar{
+		Name:    "topbar",
+		When:    whenPlaying,
+		Height:  TopBarH,
+		TimeVar: VarArmillaStrip,
+		NoteVar: VarNote,
+	})
 }
diff --git a/inc/widget.usewith_guard.go b/inc/widget.usewith_guard.go
deleted file mode 100644
index fcdcb3f..0000000
--- a/inc/widget.usewith_guard.go
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,110 +0,0 @@
-package inc
-
-import (
-	"math/rand"
-
-	inkwell "git.teletypegames.org/engines/inkwell"
-	"github.com/hajimehoshi/ebiten/v2"
-)
-
-func init() {
-	WidgetManager.Register(&useWithGuard{
-		Name: "usewith_guard",
-	})
-}
-
-type useWithGuard struct {
-	Name string
-}
-
-func (u *useWithGuard) GetName() string                            { return u.Name }
-func (u *useWithGuard) Layer() inkwell.Layer                       { return inkwell.LayerScene }
-func (u *useWithGuard) Draw(dst *ebiten.Image, ctx *inkwell.UICtx) {}
-
-func (u *useWithGuard) Tick(ctx *inkwell.UICtx) {
-	g := ctx.Game
-	if !World.HUDVisible() || !g.Input.LeftClicked() {
-		return
-	}
-	sel := g.Inventory.Selected()
-	if sel == "" {
-		return
-	}
-	h := g.HotspotAt(g.Input.Point())
-	if h == nil || hasAuthoredPair(g, h, sel) {
-		return
-	}
-
-	g.Input.ConsumeLeft()
-	g.Inventory.Select("")
-
-	label := h.Label
-	if label == "" {
-		label = h.Name
-	}
-	g.LogAction("> Use " + itemLabel(g, sel) + " on: " + label)
-
-	key := "fail." + sel + "." + h.Name
-	g.State.NoteTalked(key)
-	n := g.State.Talked(key)
-
-	World.Do(inkwell.Seq(
-		inkwell.Say(Paul, pick(paulFails, n)),
-		TapeSay(Dex, dexFail(n)),
-	))
-}
-
-func hasAuthoredPair(g *inkwell.Game, h *inkwell.Hotspot, item string) bool {
-	if h.OnUseWith != nil {
-		if a, ok := h.OnUseWith[item]; ok && a != nil {
-			return true
-		}
-	}
-	if it, ok := g.ItemManager.Get(item); ok && it.OnUseWith != nil {
-		if a, ok := it.OnUseWith[h.Name]; ok && a != nil {
-			return true
-		}
-	}
-	return false
-}
-
-var paulFails = []string{
-	"No. That's not going to work.",
-	"Tried that. It didn't improve.",
-	"All right, I know that one doesn't work.",
-	"Now it's personal.",
-}
-
-var dexDry = []string{
-	"No. Not like that.",
-	"I heard it. Nothing happened.",
-}
-
-var dexTease = []string{
-	"Twice the same. The second one rarely goes better.",
-	"Do it a few more times, maybe physics reconsiders.",
-}
-
-func dexFail(n int) string {
-	switch {
-	case n <= 1:
-		return pick(dexDry, n)
-	case n == 2:
-		return pick(dexTease, n)
-	default:
-		return "Paul. Leave it. Look again at what you're carrying — that's where it is."
-	}
-}
-
-func pick(s []string, n int) string {
-	switch {
-	case len(s) == 0:
-		return ""
-	case n <= 0:
-		return s[0]
-	case n-1 < len(s):
-		return s[n-1]
-	default:
-		return s[rand.Intn(len(s))]
-	}
-}
diff --git a/inc/widget.window_sizer.go b/inc/widget.window_sizer.go
deleted file mode 100644
index d5d611d..0000000
--- a/inc/widget.window_sizer.go
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,35 +0,0 @@
-package inc
-
-import (
-	inkwell "git.teletypegames.org/engines/inkwell"
-	"github.com/hajimehoshi/ebiten/v2"
-)
-
-func init() {
-	WidgetManager.Register(&windowSizer{
-		Name:  "window",
-		Scale: 2,
-	})
-}
-
-type windowSizer struct {
-	Name  string
-	Scale int
-	done  bool
-}
-
-func (s *windowSizer) GetName() string                            { return s.Name }
-func (s *windowSizer) Layer() inkwell.Layer                       { return inkwell.LayerScene }
-func (s *windowSizer) Draw(dst *ebiten.Image, ctx *inkwell.UICtx) {}
-
-func (s *windowSizer) Tick(ctx *inkwell.UICtx) {
-	if s.done {
-		return
-	}
-	s.done = true
-	scale := s.Scale
-	if scale <= 0 {
-		scale = 2
-	}
-	ebiten.SetWindowSize(ctx.Game.Width*scale, ctx.Game.Height*scale)
-}
diff --git a/inc/world.action.go b/inc/world.action.go
index db4b72b..50368d9 100644
--- a/inc/world.action.go
+++ b/inc/world.action.go
@@ -4,42 +4,7 @@ import (
 	inkwell "git.teletypegames.org/engines/inkwell"
 )
 
-func (w *world) Do(a inkwell.Action) {
-	if a != nil {
-		w.queue = append(w.queue, a)
-	}
-}
-
-func (w *world) PumpTick(dt float64) {
-	if w.running == nil {
-		if len(w.queue) == 0 {
-			return
-		}
-		w.running = w.queue[0].Start()
-		w.queue = w.queue[1:]
-	}
-	ctx := &inkwell.Ctx{
-		Game: w.G,
-		DT:   dt,
-	}
-	if s, ok := w.G.SceneManager.Get(w.G.CurrentScene()); ok {
-		ctx.Scene = &s
-	}
-	if w.running.Tick(ctx) != inkwell.StatusRunning {
-		w.running = nil
-	}
-}
-
-func (w *world) SceneTitle() string {
-	s, ok := w.G.SceneManager.Get(w.G.CurrentScene())
-	if !ok {
-		return ""
-	}
-	if s.Title != "" {
-		return s.Title
-	}
-	return s.Name
-}
+func (w *world) Do(a inkwell.Action) { w.G.Do(a) }
 
 type fnAction struct{ fn func(*inkwell.Ctx) }
 
@@ -70,42 +35,6 @@ func SetMode(m Mode) inkwell.Action {
 	return Fn(func(*inkwell.Ctx) { World.SetMode(m) })
 }
 
-func TapeSay(speaker, text string) inkwell.Action {
-	return &tapeSayAction{
-		speaker: speaker,
-		text:    text,
-	}
-}
-
-type tapeSayAction struct{ speaker, text string }
-
-func (a *tapeSayAction) Start() inkwell.Runner {
-	return &tapeSayRunner{
-		spec: a,
-	}
-}
-
-type tapeSayRunner struct {
-	spec     *tapeSayAction
-	started  bool
-	elapsed  float64
-	duration float64
-}
-
-func (r *tapeSayRunner) Tick(ctx *inkwell.Ctx) inkwell.Status {
-	if !r.started {
-		r.started = true
-
-		r.duration = 1.2 + float64(len([]rune(r.spec.text)))*0.05
-		ctx.Game.LogResponse(r.spec.speaker, r.spec.text)
-	}
-	r.elapsed += ctx.DT
-	if r.elapsed >= r.duration {
-		return inkwell.StatusDone
-	}
-	return inkwell.StatusRunning
-}
-
 func TapeOffer(line inkwell.Action) inkwell.Action {
 	return Fn(func(*inkwell.Ctx) {
 		World.tapeLine = line
@@ -149,11 +78,11 @@ type pausedRunner struct {
 func (r *pausedRunner) Tick(ctx *inkwell.Ctx) inkwell.Status {
 	if !r.started {
 		r.started = true
-		World.paused = true
+		World.SetNote(NotePaused)
 	}
 	s := r.inner.Tick(ctx)
 	if s != inkwell.StatusRunning {
-		World.paused = false
+		World.SetNote("")
 	}
 	return s
 }
diff --git a/inc/world.manager.go b/inc/world.manager.go
index f04783d..e382b6f 100644
--- a/inc/world.manager.go
+++ b/inc/world.manager.go
@@ -15,12 +15,7 @@ const (
 type world struct {
 	G *inkwell.Game
 
-	mode Mode
-
-	paused  bool
 	pending string
-	queue   []inkwell.Action
-	running inkwell.Runner
 
 	tapeWaiting bool
 	tapeLine    inkwell.Action
@@ -30,22 +25,25 @@ var World = &world{}
 
 func (w *world) attach(g *inkwell.Game) {
 	w.G = g
-	w.mode = ModePlay
-	w.paused = false
 	w.pending = ""
-	w.queue = nil
-	w.running = nil
 	w.tapeWaiting = false
 	w.tapeLine = nil
+	w.SetMode(ModePlay)
+	w.SetNote("")
 }
 
-func (w *world) Mode() Mode { return w.mode }
+func (w *world) Mode() Mode {
+	if v, ok := w.G.State.Var(VarMode).(string); ok {
+		return Mode(v)
+	}
+	return ModePlay
+}
 
-func (w *world) SetMode(m Mode) { w.mode = m }
+func (w *world) SetMode(m Mode) { w.G.State.SetVar(VarMode, string(m)) }
 
-func (w *world) HUDVisible() bool { return w.mode == ModePlay }
+func (w *world) SetNote(text string) { w.G.State.SetVar(VarNote, text) }
 
-func (w *world) Paused() bool { return w.paused }
+func (w *world) Paused() bool { return w.G.State.Var(VarNote) == NotePaused }
 
 func (w *world) Slot2() string {
 	if v, ok := w.G.State.Var(VarSlot2).(string); ok {