Starting state

A stateful trait opens for business in its default state: a lockable thing starts unlocked, a switchable thing starts off, and an openable thing starts closed. Declare starts open to begin open (ADR-231 D5b: the trait default is authoritative everywhere; container kinds are no exception). When the story needs otherwise, such as a safe that stays locked until the player finds the key or a space heater that is already running, starts <state> on the composition line sets the trait's initial value.

create the safe
  a container, openable, lockable with the brass key, starts locked
  in the Back Office

  A squat floor safe with a brass keyhole.

Six state words are accepted, each paired with the trait it initializes: locked and unlocked set lockable, closed and open set openable, off and on set switchable. The pairing is enforced: starts locked on an entity that does not compose lockable is a load error (analysis.starts-state-pairing), never a silent no-op. Any other word after starts is a parse error (parse.starts-state), except in, which is the placement line. starts in names where something begins; starts <state> names how.

create the space heater
  switchable, starts on
  in the Back Office
  aka heater

  An old space heater, ticking as it warms.

Note what starts does not do: the state word is an initializer, not stored story state. locked, open, and on remain derivable facts read live from the trait (the state adjectives), and a states: line reproducing one of those pairs is still the shadow-state error (the boolean-state gate). starts merely chooses the trait's first value; from there the world moves it the usual ways: keys, hands, and switches.