Iiterature wrote:

omg I wrote exactly 356 words for the first one, just like in the example xD

Wow I wrote 357 XD

are you allowed to use the setting and second person parts in the complete story?

jextriq wrote:

are you allowed to use the setting and second person parts in the complete story?

yep, so long as you still have 1003 new words in that part!

honeybreeze wrote:

jextriq wrote:

are you allowed to use the setting and second person parts in the complete story?

yep, so long as you still have 1003 new words in that part!

okay, thanks!

Cool!

I've been looking at a lot of these examples, and I've noticed they all end up leading to only one good ending and a variety of bad endings, and for me idk I personally like all sorts of different endings. can I make my choose your own adventure fandom based?

-MyNewAccount- wrote:

isn't he task two the same as the task one?

question bump

-MyNewAccount- wrote:

-MyNewAccount- wrote:

isn't he task two the same as the task one?

question bump

Task one is practicing making the setting engaging, whereas task two is practicing making the character feel realistic in second person.

xXFierroOrFalafelXx wrote:

I've been looking at a lot of these examples, and I've noticed they all end up leading to only one good ending and a variety of bad endings, and for me idk I personally like all sorts of different endings. can I make my choose your own adventure fandom based?

You don't have to have one good ending and one bad ending! and yeah, that sounds cool!

Oh wow I wrote 53 extra words for the first one 0.o

LOL I already reached the required amount of words and I'm not even two-thirds through my story

I MADE A CYOA GAME LIKE THIS CYOA IS AMAZINGGGGGG

only the best. weekly. ever!

Task 1: Setting: The character is a new recruit in one of three cabins. Sci-Fi, Poetry and Myth. (Based off of the Comms RP, you wouldn't get it.) He/she (if in Poetry) has three friends, Lux (@LuckyDuckyLife), Skye (@jpowerpuffgirls), Noor (@-lightinthenight-). Polar (@Polarbear_17) is the captain of Poetry, with Mech (@AmazingMach2418) and Serrie (@secretIy) as vice captains. You'll have winning or losing choices. Choose wisely! Myth spy, arsonist, or sci-fi crew member. You can pick either one. Sorry to the other twelve. Your roleplays are a whole other world I cannot see. Anyway, so the scene can be a spaceship or a land base. Unless you belong to one of the three cabins/ teams mentioned, you may not understand a thing, but let me just tell you.

So Myth has put the Earth in an oven, to slow-cook it. So then Sci-Fi goes into space, so now Poetry is left on Earth, but Sci-Fi has left missile parts behind, away from Myth's reach. Poetry might build the missile and defeat them. But who knows? Do you? Hmmmmmm?? Yeah, being on a burning planet totally stinks. So, an arsonist Myth, a selfish spaceship Sci-Fi and Poetry tied in the middle of both. What will happen? TELL Me!!! WHAAAAT???

And, characters, don't worry. There's no feather-bed eating, letter-writing to chimps, etc, etc, etc, etc. Do you know what I'm talking about, huh?? Do you? Do you? Do you? Do you? Do you? Do you? Do you? Do you? Ok, yeah, you maybe do. No humiliating contrition dances. It's more ‘game’ than ‘story’, to be honest. And, I forgot to mention! Myth spies are on the loose! Be careful, space cadets/ missile builders! Sci Fi, be careful. Myth can use powers. Teleportation or even alicorns or pegasi! So they can get aboard your ship. Have a nice experience!

Words: 308



Task 2: A scene:
You have picked the Myth cabin. You check your cool Apple Watch for the time. You freak out. It's 8:00 AM, and you were supposed to meet the queen of Myth, her royal highness Euryale (is that her name? idk, it was mentioned in the examples above.) at 8:05! You hurry up and put on your best outfit and go to the throne room, where Euryale sat with her sisters Stheno and Medusa. You check your watch again. It's 8:04. Euryale greets you, and you say “Good morning your Highness.” You see your other friend, and say hi. She reminds you that the queens were around. Oops.. Medusa noticed and allowed the girls to chat. In a minute Euryale comes with a clipboard. She hands both of you a sheet which was clipped in it. It contained three tasks. You decide to do the first one. Go and spy on Sci-Fi. Stheno, Medusa and Euryale wish you good luck. You nod your head, thank them and open the door to go out. Your friend tagged along. She had the same job. You teleport to Sci-Fi's ship. But which part to start spying on? You have no idea. Hmm… can you decide?
A) The front part
B) The back part

Words: 213

Task 3: Planning

(Did that in my mind.)

Task 4: *shudders* Writing…:
https://scratch-mit-edu.ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/projects/554392906

Which cabin?
A) Poetry
B) Myth
C) Sci-Fi

If Sci-Fi,
A) Check on Poetry
B) Look for spies
C) Check the engines

If Poetry,
A) Look for spies
B) Build missile
C) Solve Sci-Fi's clues and riddles.

The endings to those are a surprise I'd rather not reveal here. Check the project!

Words: 1022 (in the project)

Total: 1543 words

Yay, I'm finally done! <3333

TOTAL WORD COUNT: 1703 words

Setting the scene (326 words)
“Are you dreaming, are you experiencing a nightmare, or are you sleeping? Perhaps there is a difference… Let us try this out.”
You hear a voice that is somehow all of the three things. It sounds like a lilting melody, but you know there is a hint of darkness behind it. And it seems… Plain and bland? You try and move your body, but all you see is… A blank screen of white that stretches out in front of you. You look down and see nothing. No hands, no feet. No anything. Just your consciousness. You start to panic. What’s going on?
Suddenly, a whirlwind of bright flashing neon colors appears in front of you. Bright green, maroon, hot pink, banana yellow, flashing blue. There are more than you can count, but the whirlwind grows bigger and bigger and bigger until it’s a large mass of bright colors. You try and shield your eyes, but there’s no use, as you can’t move. But then, just as you think your eyes are never going to work again, the whirlwind swallows you up and you’re thrown into a black void.
“Now, let’s test…” The voice echoes through the darkness.
You tumble onto a grassy field full of flowers. The sun shines brightly on you, but for a strange reason, you know that this world will end today. And for another strange reason, you’re fine with it. After all, you’ll have to accept the truth in the end, right…?
You shake your head. What are you thinking? You stand up and see a plain village on your left. You turn your head to the right and see a bustling city full of sparkling lights. And is that… A giant metal disco ball? You’re appalled by it. It’s floating, and it’s almost like the size of the sun!
But quickly, you have to choose which to go to. You start walking to your:

A: Right (the city)
B: Left (the village)


Second person (207 words)

You race through the streets, your adrenaline pumping through your veins as your run through the long, winding, metal streets. The metal clangs underneath your feet, but you don’t care about how much noise you’re making. You have to run, run out of this city. There’s no stopping now, you’ve got to escape. You can hear the feet of the people with no faces coming after you. It’s like hearing a parade march across a metal surface, but scarier. But then, a tiny voice in your head whispers, Why don’t you stop running? There’s nothing more to save… Nothing more to see, no more to hear… Why are you still running, why are your feet still moving?
You pause but then keep on running, even though your feet are burning. Still, you consider this… Should you just give up? After all, it seems like this city never ends… You stumble. Your feet are burning, and you’re half-convinced that there’s a fire burning inside of them, it’s so painful. And you’re gasping for breath. Still, you take a deep breath and start running again. Suddenly, you see the exit! But… It’s so far away…
What do you do?


A) Stop running and give up
B) Keep on running

Plan

START
You arrive in the world.

A) Go to the city B) Go to the village


If you chose to go to the city:
You find that everyone there doesn't have a face, and they chase you, trying to infect you. After you run, you choose either:

A) Keep on running B) Stop running and give up

-If you chose A, you escape the city and escape from the strange world and go back to the real world.
-If you chose B, you get infected and stay there forever.

If you chose to go to the village:
Everyone there is overjoyed that you didn't get tricked and went to the city. Then, an old lady (the spirit in the form of an old lady) asks you to wear a golden amulet. You choose to:

A) Wear it B) Don't wear it

-If you chose A, you get teleported back to the real world.
-If you chose B, you get kicked out of the village for disrespecting the spirit and wander around the world.












Final story (1170 words)

WARNING: You have to scroll down a little bit to see the answers (I separated them a whole lot), so please don't assume that they aren't there.

​​“Are you dreaming, are you experiencing a nightmare, or are you sleeping? Perhaps there is a difference… Let us try this out.”
You hear a voice that is somehow all of the three things. It sounds like a lilting melody, but you know there is a hint of darkness behind it. And it seems… Plain and bland? You try and move your body, but all you see is… A blank screen of white that stretches out in front of you. You look down and see nothing. No hands, no feet. No anything. Just your consciousness. You start to panic. What’s going on?
Suddenly, a whirlwind of bright flashing neon colors appears in front of you. Bright green, maroon, hot pink, banana yellow, flashing blue. There are more than you can count, but the whirlwind grows bigger and bigger and bigger until it’s a large mass of bright colors. You try and shield your eyes, but there’s no use, as you can’t move. But then, just as you think your eyes are never going to work again, the whirlwind swallows you up and you’re thrown into a black void.
“Now, let’s test…” The voice echoes through the darkness.
You tumble onto a grassy field full of flowers. The sun shines brightly on you, but for a strange reason, you know that this world will end today. And for another strange reason, you’re fine with it. After all, you’ll have to accept the truth in the end, right…?
You shake your head. What are you thinking? You stand up and see a plain village on your left. You turn your head to the right and see a bustling city full of sparkling lights. And is that… A giant metal disco ball? You’re appalled by it. It’s floating, and it’s almost like the size of the sun!
But quickly, you have to choose which to go to. You start walking to your:

A: Right (the city)
B: Left (the village)

If you chose A:

You walk towards the bright city. You wonder if there will be arcades, games, fun parties, and even more great things lying in the depths of the flashing city. You smile brightly. This is going to be fun! You run towards the city, excitement filling you up. But as you enter the city, you realize something seems off. You then spot someone with their back facing towards you. “Excuse me, where are all the other people?” You call out. The person turns around and… They have no face?! You shriek in horror as they start lurching towards you. Suddenly, hundreds of people burst out of the buildings, and they also have no faces. You scream and start running away.

You race through the streets, your adrenaline pumping through your veins as your run through the long, winding, metal streets. The metal clangs underneath your feet, but you don’t care about how much noise you’re making. You have to run, run out of this city. There’s no stopping now, you’ve got to escape. You can hear the feet of the people with no faces coming after you. It’s like hearing a parade march across a metal surface, but scarier. But then, a tiny voice in your head whispers, Why don’t you stop running? There’s nothing more to save… Nothing more to see, no more to hear… Why are you still running, why are your feet still moving?
You pause but then keep on running, even though your feet are burning. Still, you consider this… Should you just give up? After all, it seems like this city never ends… You stumble. Your feet are burning, and you’re half-convinced that there’s a fire burning inside of them, it’s so painful. And you’re gasping for breath. Still, you take a deep breath and start running again. Suddenly, you see the exit! But… It’s so far away…
What do you do?


A) Stop running and give up
B) Keep on running











If you chose A:
The world spins to a stop when you fall onto your knees as the people with no faces rush at you. Soon, you’re infected, just like the others… You’re one of the people with no faces.



















If you chose B:
Just as you exit the city, you jolt awake in your room. You look down and see yourself and your bed. You’re back in the real world! But… What had happened?
















If you chose B:
You walk to the village. You start to see that it looks like an old Japanese village, and it’s all covered in layers of brown and white paint. It looks simple, but you just know that there’s more to the village than your eye can see. As you approach the small yet fascinating village, a group of people runs out. They’re wearing traditional Japanese clothes, and they run towards you with delighted expressions on their faces. One calls out, “They haven’t been caught by the people of the city!” Everyone cheers with joy and happiness. Everyone hugs you, and they explain that in the city, everyone has no face and is corrupted by an illness. However, the spirit protecting the village wards off the sickness for them, and the people inside the village don’t get infected by the disease.You smile with all the rest of them, as you’re now glad that you didn’t go to the city and get infected. One of the villagers hands you a simple white haori, which you notice everyone is wearing, and you take it and put it on. You guess that it’s the way the villagers welcome someone new into their village, and you’re honored. Suddenly, an old woman hobbles up to you and says, “If you wish to return, wear the amulet.” She then hands you a golden amulet necklace with a chunk of amber in the middle. You pause. Should you really wear it? It’s been only about 10 minutes since you met these people… Even though they act kind, maybe they aren’t…? But then again, they welcomed you with open arms…
What do you do?

A) Wear the amulet
B) Don’t wear the amulet
















If you chose A:
Once you put the necklace on you neck, you close your eyes. But when you open them, you’re back in your room, lying on your bed. You bolt out of the bed and suddenly feel something heavy on your neck. You look down and to your amazement, the amulet necklace is still there! But you realize that the word “Return” is engraved on the piece of amber in curly letters. You smile. The villagers had known all along.
























If you chose B:
You’re suddenly picked up by a gust of wind and thrown out of the village. You feel a cold tendril of dread. This is very, very bad. You’ve now angered the whole village for disrespecting the spirit who was in the form of the old woman; a whole angry village and spirit will come after you. And now… You’ve got nowhere to go.

{Part 1: Setting the Scene}

The sun is at its highest point in the day, marking midday. Beads of sweat drip down your face, and the sun's heat is almost unbearable. You can hear coins of gold and silver jingle in the pockets of passing customers. Pearl necklaces and lapis rings gleam in the sunlight. You greedily stare at the shiny jewelry and money, picturing it in your possession.

A few gold coins would get you enough supplies for your next trip. A pearl necklace would get you a camel. It wouldn't be long before you would be running out of this town, just like every other customer you've scammed and village you've been to.

“Dyed clothes and fabrics for all occasions!” you call out to the crowd. “Real material made from overseas! Dyed by me! All dyes are from plants around the globe! Just a gold coin each!”

A young woman steps up to the counter and examines each piece of cloth. You hold your breath, hoping that she doesn't realize the lie she is holding between her fingers. “These fabrics are beautiful,” she compliments.

“Thanks,” you reply ineptly. “Are you… are you interested in purchasing one today, ma'am?”

“Perhaps,” she merely says. “You've traveled a long way. If they're homemade.” She looks you in the eye and raises her eyebrows with doubt as to if she's challenging you. “Where are you from?”

“A long ways away. But I travel often selling my fabrics.” You flash a squinty smile.

“A nomad! We get those a lot around here,” she sighs. She points to a deep purple cloth with gold stitching. “Alright, I'll take this one. The embroidery is so precise and perfect. It reminds me of stars.”

“That's one of my favorites,” you say, handing her the cloth as she drops five gold coins in your palm. You…

1) Tell her that she has overpaid
2) Keep it

Words: 312

{Part 2: Second Person}

The woman begins to walk away from your counter. “Excuse me, you paid me too much!” you call after her. She pauses and turns around.

“Really?” she says. Her voice sounds surprised, but her facial expression says otherwise. She grabs your wrist and pulls you towards her. “I know who you are, and I'm sure I'm not the only one. You'll need these coins for later,” she whispers in your ear.

“I-I don't know what to say,” you stutter, surprised in many ways.

“How about yes?”

“Yes?”

“Let's go get a cup of coffee, shall we?” she says in a louder voice.

“I don't like coffee.”

“You do now. Now, come on. Keep your head low and your eyes on the ground,” she orders under her breath.

“GET OUT OF THE WAY!” a booming voice yells. The people stop, obey, and make room for three people dressed in black from head to toe. The clothes cover their face and body, leaving only their eyes exposed.

They march down the cleared path towards your booth, leaving clouds of dust behind.

“My booth…” you trail off.

“You mean the booth filled with fake fabrics?” Your drop your jaw. This woman was unfamiliar, and she still knew you like the back of her hand.

Words: 211

{Part 3: Plan}

{Part 4: Writing}
*Note: In the middle of the desert is a city. Despite its barren surroundings, the city is lively. It is ruled by the Royal Family but the outskirts of the municipality lack order and discipline. These areas are often crawling with bandits, thieves, and desert corsairs. You are a nomadic trader who has stopped by the city oasis to sell and trade goods. However, your goods are fake and are a wanted criminal for counterfeit.

The sun is at its highest point in the day, marking midday. Beads of sweat drip down your face, and the sun's heat is almost unbearable. You can hear coins of gold and silver jingle in the pockets of passing customers. Pearl necklaces and lapis rings gleam in the sunlight. You greedily stare at the shiny jewelry and money, picturing it in your possession.

A few gold coins would get you enough supplies for your next trip. A pearl necklace would get you a camel. It wouldn't be long before you would be running out of this town, just like every other customer you've scammed and village you've been to.

“Dyed clothes and fabrics for all occasions!” you call out to the crowd. “Real material made from overseas! Dyed by me! All dyes are from plants around the globe! Just a gold coin each!”

A young woman steps up to the counter and examines each piece of cloth. You hold your breath, hoping that she doesn't realize the lie she is holding between her fingers. “These fabrics are beautiful,” she compliments.

“Thanks,” you reply ineptly. “Are you… are you interested in purchasing one today, ma'am?”

“Perhaps,” she merely says. “You've traveled a long way. If they're homemade.” She looks you in the eye and raises her eyebrows with doubt as to if she's challenging you. “Where are you from?”

“A long ways away. But I travel often selling my fabrics.” You flash a squinty smile.

“A nomad! We get those a lot around here,” she sighs. She points to a deep purple cloth with gold stitching. “Alright, I'll take this one. The embroidery is so precise and perfect. It reminds me of stars.”

“That's one of my favorites,” you say, handing her the cloth as she drops five gold coins in your palm. You…

-Tell her that she has overpaid. Go to #1
-Keep it Go to #2

1
“The woman begins to walk away from your counter. ”Excuse me, you paid me too much!“ you call after her. She pauses and turns around.

”Really?“ she says. Her voice sounds surprised, but her facial expression says otherwise. She grabs your wrist and pulls you towards her. ”I know who you are, and I'm sure I'm not the only one. You'll need these coins for later,“ she whispers in your ear.

”I-I don't know what to say,“ you stutter, surprised in many ways.

”How about yes?“

”Yes?“

”Let's go get a cup of coffee, shall we?“ she says in a louder voice.

”I don't like coffee. And it's a million degrees outside.“

”You do now. Now, come on. Keep your head low and your eyes on the ground,“ she orders under her breath.

”GET OUT OF THE WAY! CLEAR THE PATH.“ a booming voice yells. The crowd stops, obeys, and makes room for three people dressed in black from head to toe. The clothes cover their face and body, only their eyes exposed.

They march down the cleared path towards your booth, leaving clouds of dust behind.

”My booth…“ you trail off.

”You mean the booth filled with fake fabrics?“

You drop your jaw. This woman was unfamiliar, and she still could read you like a book.

She grabs your wrist and pulls you close. ”So coffee?"

-If yes, go to #3

-If no, go to #4

2
You thank her, but you don't mention the extra coins. She quickly disappears in the crowd and out of your visual field. A few seconds later, she appears for the briefest moment. Good luck, she mouths before vanishing again.

Odd, you think to yourself. Turning your back, you rotate the gold between your fingers and don't think about her words.

Shouts and cries erupted from the crowd. You turn back around to see it parted as three figures emerged. A majority of their bodies were covered in black cloth. Looking at them makes you cringe. How can someone dressed like that stay cool without breaking a sweat?

The strangers look around and eventually lock eyes on you. Your sweat intensifies and you stifle a quiet scream. You know why they're here. You:

-Run away. Go to #5
-Stay and treat them like any other customers. Go to #6

3
The strong scent of coffee and cafe pastries hit you when you walk through the door. A few customers are scattered around the room, speaking in quiet, hushed voices.

“Two iced coffees and two coffee cakes,” the woman orders. The waiter on the other side of the counter nods and gets to work.

“I don't drink coffee,” you remind her.

“Neither do I,” she admits, giving you a sly smile. You raise your brows with surprise.

“I never got your name,” you whisper.

“Arine,” she replies in the same, low tone. She tucks a piece of her brown hair out of her dark eyes. She nods and leads you to an empty table.

“Arine,” you repeat, testing the name and pronunciation on your tongue. “Why are you helping me?”

Arine brings her mug to her lips, reluctant to answer. “Why not?” Her nose wrinkles in disgust as she takes another sip. You push your coffee away and take a bite of coffee cake instead.

“I was once like you,” she began. “A simple person trying to make a profit in this world. The only difference between you and me is that I knew when to stop. You don't.”

“I know when to stop,” you protest, folding your arms across your chest.

Arine gives out a sound, a mix between a snort and a laugh. “You are a wanted criminal in almost fifteen different towns and cities for sham and fraud products. And stealing camels. The silk fabrics come from the Eastern Traders and the cotton from the South. They're colored with cheap dyes that quickly wear off when they touch water.”

Heat rushes to your cheeks. You reach for your cup and force the bitter drink down. “H-how did you know?” you sputter.

“Anybody could recognize fake materials from miles away. The problem is that customers and people from the other sectors are blind to the lies that sit right in front of them. They believe whatever they're told. That's why thieves in this town steal effortlessly.”

You cough. "That still doesn't answer my question. Why are you helping me?“

”This town may be easy to fool, but those who aren't careless are ruthless. The three people we saw earlier are part of the Siruj Tribe. They're creations of the Royal Family. They were supposed to keep order and discipline, but they just do whatever they please nowadays. Sometimes they humiliate and publicly punish the citizens. Everybody hates them, but I despise them. I'm guessing they're here for you. I'll do anything to keep them from reaching their goals,“ Arine explains. She stands up. ”I hope one day, they're gone for good.“

You stay silent, unsure what to say. ”What did they do?“ you finally ask. Arine shakes her head.

”You've been hurt,“ you realize.

”Do you have enough money for your next trip?“ she says instead. You nod. ”Then you should get going. Before it's too late."

-If you want to help Arine and stand up against the Siruj, Go to #7
-If you want to follow her advice, Go to #8

4
“No thanks,” you say. “I should get back to the stand.”

The woman looks at you. Her eyes are filled with mixed emotions, guilt, shame, fear, sadness, but also hope, and light.

“Are you sure you want to do that?” she asks. You nod, certain. She copies the action, releases you, and walks away. She doesn't look back.

You shrug it off, still surprised by how well she could see through your lies.

“There!” a voice in the crowd screeches. Bodies swivel around in your direction. The three figures you saw moments ago stride towards you.

Instinctively, you:

-Run. Go to #5
-Approach them peacefully and in a friendly manner. Go to #6

5
You run.

Startled voices yell once as people step out of the way to let you through. Your pursuers are on your heels. You can tell by their heavy breathing. They move silently and run as if on air, their footsteps quiet and noiseless.

You weave your way through customers, traders, animals, and carts. You jump over barrels and fallen crates. You duck beneath tent shades and canopies.

Faster, Faster. You urge yourself. Your mind and thoughts race rapidly, but one thought remains the same.

If this thought is about:
-Survival and escape, Go to #9
-fear, Go to #-10

6
“Good day, sirs and madames. How can I help you?” you say. The words come out in a higher pitch than you mean to.

“We're looking for somebody. Perhaps you know or recognize this person?” a deep voice asks. He holds up a printed flair. A portrait of someone who looks somewhat like you stares.

They got the eyes wrong, you think dryly. And the ear shape.

“No, I don't. I'm sorry,” you reply. You turn around and begin to walk away.

“I don't believe you,” a different voice says, gruff. You're pulled back.

You gulp. “Sorry?”

“We're not that foolish,” the first voice says. “You're coming with us.”

Go to #11

7

“I'm staying.”

“Can you repeat that please?”

“I'm staying,” you say again. “I want to help you stand up against the Siluj.”

“You don't know them as I do,” Arine says, looking away. Her eyes are cast downward.

“That doesn't affect anything. I don't want to run anymore. In fact, I'm quite fond of this town.” In your mind, you begin to list the good things about the town. Nice people. Rich customers. Cheap camels. And best of all, tasty coffee cakes. “Has great coffee,” you lie, trying not to gag.

“You said you don't like coffee.”

“It's better than what I've had. So, can I help?”

Arine hesitates, opening and closing her mouth repeatedly. “I… I don't know.”

“Look, you saved me back there from the Siraj. You told me about them. I want to help and repay your deed. Please?” She sighs and gives you a thoughtful look.

“Fine. But if anything happens to you, it's not my fault. We are not responsible for broken bones or missing limbs, got it?”

You laugh. "Yes, Captain. So what is the plan?“

”The first order of business is to finish your coffee cake,“ Arine says. ”And don't call me ‘Captain’ again.“

”I have an idea. We throw coffee cakes at the Siruj,“ you suggest.

”That is a terrible idea.“

”But it works, doesn't it?"

End.

8
“Thank you, Arine,” you gratefully say. “Thank you for saving me back there and everything else I've done. I hope that one day I can pay you back.”

“There's no need,” she answers, forcing a laugh. "You can help me out by promising not to go back to your stand. The Siruj are probably waiting for you. You can go out through the back door of the shop and sneak out of the city. There are camels there, so you can buy one for yourself.“

You thank her again.

”Goodbye, stranger,“ she says.

”It's-“ you start. Arine holds up her hand to stop you.

”I already know who you are, but it's best if you don't say it aloud."

Without another word, Arine pays for the drinks and cakes. You follow her advice and leave through the back door.

The alleys are dark and empty, but provide shade and are cool. Not long after, you get yourself a camel, food, water, and a small tent. Now that the fabrics were gone, the load was lighter.

You're not sure where you're going next or what you're going to do. Perhaps you might choose a new fresh start and begin a new life. Perhaps you'll choose to continue on this path and stock up on cheap, fraudalent items to make a profit. Or perhaps you will prepare for the unexpected and let life happen.

End.

9
Survive.

You quicken your speed, lengthening your strides. Your heart pounds rapidly against your chest.

Survive, survive, survive. The words echo in your mind.

The heavy breathing sounds farther away with each step, but you don't risk a look back.

You turn left. Right. Right again. Another left. Swerving another corner, you drop down and slide beneath the fruit and vegetable stand. The farmer shrieks and waves a handful of tomatoes in the air.

Finally, you stop and take a breath, hunched over with sweaty palms on your knees.

You've lost them.

A large sandstone wall sits in front of you. The City Walls, you think.

On the other side of that wall was freedom.

You begin to climb.

End.

10
Fear. You're scared. You're afraid.

Panic clouds your mind, and you slowly zone out of reality, allowing your legs to guide you.

What would happen if you were to get caught? What would happen if you got away? What if there was no way out of this?

A sudden thud rips you away from your thoughts.

You've tripped over a crate, and your pursuers are right behind you.

Go to #11

11
The prison is dark, damp, cold, and smells like dirt and sewer water.

“Dinner,” a grumpy voice says, slipping a tray of slimy, mushy, and clumpy leftovers through the bars. It clatters against the stone floor, causing you to flinch.

“How long am I in here for?” you ask the guard.

“For a while,” comes a reply. “If you're lucky, it'll be ten years. This city's laws and punishments are harsh.”

“Thanks,” you mumble. You walk over to the far corner. Time to rethink my life choices, you think, sliding your back down the wall.

End.

Words: more than 1500

Part one: 313 words
“Are you ready to go?” asks the explorer. He’s standing on your porch, looking you straight in the eyes. You check your watch. Eight AM. Right on time. He probably expects you to be on time too, to get up and join him before it gets too hot to travel.
To you, the weather’s already too hot: the kind where you just want to sit back with a fan and some ice water, and relax. But then, there’s another part of you that’s itching to get going, the same part of you that asked to join him in the first place. You fan your forehead, stalling for time, because the truth is, you really aren’t so sure.
Right here, an explorer is waiting on your porch and inviting you to come with him on his journey. It’s the moment you’ve dreamed of since you were ten, and first saw someone like him visit your town. You remember waiting by your window, watching in fascination, begging your parents to let you go with him. A life on the road, one with exciting new possibilities and interesting places to explore. To you, the idea was one of the most exciting prospects out there. Now, though, when the opportunity to join him is finally here, you pause.
Standing out here on your porch, you can feel the gentle wind cooling your sweaty arms. From a few houses down, you hear the distant barking of a dog, a few muffled conversations, and shouts from some neighborhood children. Again, you get that same rush of comfort you always do here. You remember that this isn’t just some random neighborhood, it’s your home. But is it enough to make you stay? The man looks impatient now. You’re clearly taking too long to reply.
“Well, you coming?” he asks you. You hesitate, before replying:
A: yes
B: no

Part two: 263 words
He got away. Of course he did. see, you’d tell your sister if she was here right now, this is why I didn’t want to look after your pet dog for the day. Well, that and the fact that he smelled like a rotting fish carcass, barked at everyone who looked his way, and had a habit of eating everything in sight. All that would be irrelevant, though, if you could never find the dog in the first place. You look around, squinting. Where could he even be? How far could a little chihuahua possibly get?
The answer: a lot farther than you’d thought.
You crouch down on the grass, shouting “treat!”, and, “here, boy!”, trying very hard to ignore the puzzled looks of passersby. Definitely not your preferred way to spend the afternoon. Despite all your efforts, the tiny jerk is nowhere to be found. Not near your house, not by any of the neighbor’s lawns, and not in the dog park. You’re about to call it quits and give up searching till tomorrow when you see a poofy tail poking out from a nearby garbage bin. Upon closer inspection, you see that the tail’s markings line up perfectly with the ones on your sister’s dog, and you sigh, equal parts in relief and frustration.
Well, at least it explains why he always smells like rotting meat.
“Come here, boy,” you call, dropping a treat in front of you, and the dog follows obediently. Of course now he answers your calls, after you’ve already found him.

Part three
did on a Google drawing, but thought it would be a pain to upload here. If I need to, though, please tell me and I will do so.

Part four: 1,805 words
(this was originally going to be shared as a project, and maybe it still will. However, in order to submit it in time, I had to make it a forum post instead.)
1. Your worst nightmare has been confirmed: you didn’t get the astronaut internship. Years of preparation, hard work, and big dreams are all crushed thanks to the piece of paper in your hands. You read it over again, fuming.
“We thank you for your application to the ReadyMars internship program. Unfortunately, we are only capable of accepting one or two out of the hundreds of yearly applicants. Due to a weaker score on the piloting test, we have determined that you may not be right for our program.”
Not right for their program. What does that even mean? Besides, it’s not like you didn't get great scores on all the other tests. Should one crummy score determine your entire future? It was about piloting, too. Just because piloting technology has improved since the last several decades doesn’t mean it’s easy. And it’s certainly not a job they’d give to an intern, unless the crew was in some sort of serious emergency.
You sigh, throwing the paper in a nearby trash can. You consider walking away, but realize you should probably take it back out. You might want to keep it later on. You see the same ReadyMars stationary, so pick it out of the trash and unfold it. However, you realize as soon as you see the name “Taylor Smith”, a name you’ve never heard of before, that this isn’t the paper you just threw out. It’s a similar letter, alright, but rather than “rejected”, this one says, “accepted”. You read it further, with fascination. Mostly information about location, time, and supplies the person who was accepted would need to bring. What you don’t accept, however, is the notice written at the bottom. “Bring this letter with you as proof of your acceptance,” reads the letter.
You realize, with shock, what this means. You could use this discarded acceptance letter to sneak into the ship.
Immediately, you know what you have to do.

Use this person’s acceptance letter to sneak in (go to 4)
Don’t use it. Wait until next year to reapply instead (go to 2)

2. On TV, you watch the crew of ReadyMars as they leave for this year’s expedition. You feel a twinge of regret that you aren’t there with them, but think you made the right call. The other scheme would have been far too risky.
If you want to be there next year, it’s probably time to start preparing. The first step? Getting ready for a retake of that piloting test. You already scheduled a retake digitally, but as far as actually studying goes, you haven’t done anything yet. Looks like it’s time to practice in the flying simulator.
After a solid day of effort, you’re beginning to remember why you didn’t pass this the first time. With the amount of buttons and knobs to keep track of, not to mention constantly looking out for hazards, it seems near impossible to learn. You’ve virtually crashed the ship at least five times today, and don’t seem to be showing any signs of improvement. At your sixth crash of the day, a person behind you laughs.
“Having trouble, huh?” she asks.
You nod. “I’m trying to get ready to retake my piloting exam, but it’s going terribly.
“You know,”she says, “I’ve helped people like you out before.”
“What do you mean?” You ask.
“I’ve passed the test. Several times. I understand the procedure, and one thing about it is that they never bother to check id photos. Barely check names, either. Twenty bucks, and I’ll take the test in your place. So do we have a deal?”
You have to admit, piloting is hard. Hard enough to take this lady up on her offer, though? You pause before saying,

Yes. (Go to 3)
No. (there was supposed to be a minigame here to see if you pass or fail the test)

3. You open up your email expectantly. You hate the fact that you paid someone to help you cheat, but what else were you supposed to do? You were desperate. As soon as you read your newest message, though, you’re immediately filled with dread.
The message is from ReadyMars, and it reads:
“Every year, we send one of our volunteers to stand by the flight simulator provided by our program. These volunteers are tasked with giving aspiring astronauts an option: twenty dollars, and they will complete the test for them. We do this to identify weak candidates for our program.
If you are receiving this email, it means you accepted a volunteer’s offer. Don’t bother applying to our program in the future. Cheaters are never what we look for in candidates.
Pleasant regards,
David Douglas,
Founder of ReadyMars”

4. You can’t believe you’re actually doing this. Oh, well, too late to turn back now, right? Your five year old self was counting on you, after all. You hold your breath as you show the acceptance note to the person at the door of the ship, a woman named Harley, who is apparently the commander. She barely reads your letter of acceptance, waving you into the ship as soon as she reads the word “intern”.
Success! It takes everything in your power not to do a little victory dance right then and there.
Unfortunately, you may have spoken too soon. About an hour after you’ve boarded the ship, the lights begin to flash red. For a second, you worry they may have caught you, until Harley points at two people near the front. You can tell she’s attempting to remain calm, but beads of sweat line her forehead. “Something off is going on with the back of the ship. You, intern, can you take over steering while we check this out?”
Intern. You realize with horror that she’s talking about you. She expects you to pilot the ship.
One massive problem: that was the very part of the application process you were the worst at.

Agree to pilot the ship. (there was supposed to be a minigame here, wherein there was a chance to either succeed or fail).
Don’t do it. (go to 5)

5. “I don’t think I can go,” you say.
“Why not?” Harley asks.
You stammer to think of an answer, but she shakes her head.
“You know what, there’s no time. Blue, you steer instead. Intern, wait here.”
You stand and watch as Blue operates the ship, doing so with far more expertise than you’d ever be capable of. Within ten minutes, Taylor and the rest of the crew return.
“False alarm,” she sighs.
“Good job steering the ship, Blue” she says, then turns to you.
“Speaking of which, why couldn’t you operate the ship earlier? I thought interns were trained on that.” You notice Harley and the other crewmates eyeing you suspiciously. Uh, oh! Time to think fast!

Make up an excuse (go to 7)
Come clean (go to 6)

6. You sigh. You know this isn’t going to make you sound good, but also know you can’t keep this fake intern act up forever. So you take a deep breath. It’s time to tell the truth.
“I’m not Taylor Smith,” you say. “I’m not even an intern. Well, I tried to be, but my application got rejected, so I took someone else’s instead. I'm sorry.” You stare at your feet as Harley glares.
“I don’t even have anything to say to you. What could have possibly possessed you to do something so idiotic? I mean, you do realize you were going to get caught eventually, right?”
“I guess so,” you say. “I just… really wanted to be an astronaut, like you. It’s been my dream since I was five. I wasn’t really thinking it through.”
“Well, that’s no way to go about it. You could have gotten us all killed. Plus, you could have gotten me in serious trouble. I’m supposed to be doing a full examination of everyone before I let them on the ship, you know. I’ve always found it necessary, but if any of my superiors heard I let someone unqualified on board, I’d be fired immediately.”
“I’m really sorry,” you say again. “Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?”
“You can start by cleaning the ship,” she says.
“Does this mean I can stay on board?” you ask, hopeful.
“You really don’t quit do you?” She looks harsh as she says it, but you see a small grin being suppressed on her face. “You know what, that’s a valuable trait in an astronaut. You’ll probably make a good one someday.”
You must smile too widely for someone who’s supposed to be feeling incredibly guilty right now, because she frowns again.
“I said someday. Not anytime this year, and certainly not today. As for right now, I’ll tell the crew to redirect course immediately to drop you back off at home. And don’t even think about sneaking back on again, because I WILL be checking this time, and there’ll be much more serious consequences. Now take this rag, and get to work.”
“Yes, maam,” you say, grabbing the rag from her and beginning to clean.
That evening, you watch, — as the ship flies off into the horizon. This time, you won’t be on it. As it disappears into the starry sky, you make a new resolution: next year, you’ll be on that ship, for real this time.
The first place to start? Practice piloting.

7. The piloting test wasn’t required this year,” you lie.
She squints at you. “I know for a fact that it was. Hey, Amelia, can you pull up this kid’s file? Something suspicious is going on here.”
You watch, growing panicked, as the crew member, Amelia, loads up Taylor’s file.
“Hang on, this looks nothing like you!” exclaims Harley. Her generally calm eyes now look ready to fry you alive.
“What’s going on?” she demands.
“I’m- uh-” you hesitate to think of an excuse, but none comes to mind. Eventually, you just say, “I’m not Taylor Smith. I tried to pretend to be, though, in order to get on the ship.”
Harley stares at you. “I can’t believe this. First, you lied about who you were, then you tried to lie again, to my face, about the requirements of the internship?”
There’s nothing else you can say, so you just nod.
“Blue, set sail back for earth. We need to drop this kid back off,” says Harley. She turns to you, still glaring. As for you, don’t even think about applying for our program again, you hear? We don’t tolerate lying scum.”
You nod. You made a mistake, all right. Now, it’s time to spend every day for the rest of your life regretting it.

Here's my own weekly!

Part 1 - 411 words
You burst into what will become the main cabin, taking in the space before you. It's cabin wars! You grin and look around gleefully, watching slivers of life in the other cabins through their doors. It is a quiet day for cabin wars, but people bustle around you nevertheless, racing between cabins or settling down to scribble furiously at star-pads, clay tablets and notebooks alike. Your chest fills to bursting with excitement and you put on your game face. You just can't wait to war someone!
You look around at the cabins. You see Adventure, your ally. Risky move, but you suppose you could…. You see several campers grouped around one central table, writing and chatting as a team. They're a writing machine, and you know it. You have just the war for them…. if only they weren't your ally.

You scan again, looking further. Non-fi, another perfect candidate. You are neutrals with them: Much less troublesome than warring an ally. One lone coleader rambles to herself in a corner as she pretends to write towards a war that doesn't exist: Jinty. You think smugly of the way her face will fall when you hit her with this war; the sweet, sweet points she could lose.

You sweep your eyes yet further around the edges of the space, your eyes landing once again on an unsuspecting cabin. Possibly your best option yet, you think: Sci-Fi. What you would give to see the looks on their faces when a camper from their mortal enemy; Myth; struts into their camp. Yes, Sci-Fi is a real contender.

Something holds you back from hurling your war without a second thought, though. Surely it would be more satisfying to war an ally, see the betrayal shown plainly on their faces as they scream “We trusted you!” and desperately begin to write. Or you could war a neutral, make a power move and show that you're not afraid to war them. It would be sweet, sweet bliss to mercilessly fling your war at Jinty and leave her her to pick up the pieces as she begins to write.

You pause for another second, to weigh up your options. This war isn't just any war, it's a war perfectly selected to pack a punch. Not just any cabin will be able to complete this. You only have one of these, and you need to use it well. Which cabin do you war?

A) Adventure
B) Non-fi
C) Sci-Fi

Part 2 - 222 words
You wander into your cabin nonchalantly, trying your best to disguise the apprehensive bubbling in the pit of your stomach. Today, you know, is cabin wars. You must play it cool, you think. Myth must keep its reactions measured; cold; around its enemies. You never know what they could do.

Strolling into your cabin, you look around and find it empty. Where has everyone else gone? They can't have forgotten it's cabin wars! You sweep your eyes over the cabin again, confusedly looking for something - anything. Finding no one once again, you resolve to hold the cabin together alone.

Walking to the announcements table, you find utter and complete carnage. An explosion of shrapnel lies in a circle of clay tablets and wood splinters, a letter tied to a flaming arrow sticks into the floor; perfectly in the centre of the destruction. You bend down to examine it, snuffing out the fire. The Vikings.

You open the letter, already dreaming of the sweet, sweet revenge you'll inflict upon them. They won't know what's coming, if you're careful. Unfurling the letter, you squint at the crude writing. Those Hi-Fi campers think it's funny to write in runes, making headaches for the rest of you. As expected, you find that it is indeed a declaration of cabin wars. Retaliation will be sugar coated indeed.

Part 3 - 299 words


Part 4 - 3697 words

START: CABIN WARS
You wander into your cabin nonchalantly, trying your best to disguise the apprehensive bubbling in the pit of your stomach. Today, you know, is cabin wars. You must play it cool, you think. Myth must keep its reactions measured; cold; around its enemies. You never know what they could do.

Strolling into your cabin, you look around and find it empty. Where has everyone else gone? They can't have forgotten it's cabin wars! You sweep your eyes over the cabin again, confusedly looking for something - anything. Finding no one once again, you resolve to hold the cabin together alone.

Walking to the announcements table, you find utter and complete carnage. An explosion of shrapnel lies in a circle of clay tablets and wood splinters, a letter tied to a flaming arrow sticks into the floor; perfectly in the centre of the destruction. You bend down to examine it, snuffing out the fire. The Vikings.

You open the letter, already dreaming of the sweet, sweet revenge you'll inflict upon them. They won't know what's coming, if you're careful. Unfurling the letter, you squint at the crude writing. Those Hi-Fi campers think it's funny to write in runes, making headaches for the rest of you. As expected, you find that it is indeed a declaration of cabin wars. Retaliation will be sugar coated indeed.

You check the time: You still have several hours, but retaliation the way you prefer it will not be brief. First, you must select the war, finely crafting your words to pierce right where it hurts. You must send it, with care and grace – complete with salt to rub in the wound. You smile to yourself thinking of how you will deliver this killing blow. If you retaliate now- well, that will be cutting it close. Someone else will show up and write to the war, won’t they? You do so dearly want to retaliate… but your inner conscience is telling you to stay, to finish the war first. What do you do?

Go to path 1: Retaliate first!
Go to path 2: You’d better finish that war.
 
PATH 1: HI-FI
After hours, at least, of careful consideration, you know that this is it. The perfect war. It’s sweet; sugary sweet, like the taste of revenge. Densely packed, solid enough to sting. A paper scroll tied with poison ivy with delicate, flowery cursive inside. Your wording carefully crafted to make them regret everything, ruthless backhanded compliments enough to make even the strongest of cabins throw down their pens and give up. This war is by far the best you have ever created.

Entirely satisfied and more, you strut into Hi-Fi’s cabin, gladly stealing attention as you parade through their cabin. They knew you were coming, so there’s no need to be sneaky. Besides, you want to make sure everyone sees your war. It would only be right, after all. You deliver their war with a flourish and a bow, your triumphant smile plain for all to see. They receive it enthusiastically, grinning and cheering. They think they want it; that it will be a blissful source of words for them. It will not.

As soon as you walk out the door, you press your ear to the wall. You’ve spent so long on this war; you deserve to hear their true reactions. It is the gift that keeps on giving, and minutes turn to hours as you sit hidden away and pressed against the wall, listening to them toil away unendingly at your war. Time blurs, and Hi-Fi finish the war in what feels like far too short a time. You head back to Myth a little perturbed but satisfied in knowing that your war will never be forgotten.

You arrive confidently, ready to boast about your war and its cruel beauty. What you find instead is complete silence. An unchanged cabin greets you, and your foolish pride turns to cold-blooded panic as you see the seconds on the clock tick down: Fifteen of them, then ten, and five, until there is no more time left to write. You are overcome with fear, sadness and… guilt.

Hi-Fi’s war lies unfurled exactly where you left it, not a word written towards it. Your stomach dropping with fear and desperation, you trudge to the main cabin to have the points subtracted. Birdi looks at you gravely as you stutter out your misfortune, and you see her wanting to chastise you for your irresponsibility. Her usually warm eyes show concern and disappointment. You leave the main cabin, head down and tail metaphorically between your legs, returning to Myth to mope. What are you going to do now?
Go to path 1.1: Attack some other cabins!
Go to path 1.2: Write back the points you lost, and more.
 
PATH 2: WRITING MACHINE
You begin to write, taking your time to have fun and get everything done. You carve lovingly away at your tablet for hours, building a story that even the best would be proud of. You can afford the time to stop and ponder word choice; to sit thoughtfully and write as eloquently as you can. By the end, you feel productive, motivated and rested – not something you expected to feel during cabin wars! You easily complete the extra challenge too, earning a not so modest 1000 points for Myth.

When you cash in those points, Myth is bumped a place up on the leaderboard, earning you a pat on the back from your sibling cabins as you rise one place closer to accompanying them in the top three. Birdi congratulates you, making you swell with pride, as you describe to her how you finished the war by yourself. She asks to read your piece and, clearly charmed by it, suggests you enter it in the writing competition.
“Would you like some critique? I always need the words, with Fairy Tales being warred left, right and centre!”
You turn her down politely, much flattered but with other plans for your entry, and after a quick detour to deliver some retaliation, you return to Myth. You liken yourself to a ninja: Efficient, deadly.

Proud, you settle into a garden swing. You know you deserve a break and a bit of time to relax. The evening is still young, and you watch for a time as the horizon begins to pinken, your view framed by the vines tangling around your swing’s frame.

What would you like to do now?
Go to path 2.1: War some cabins!
Go to path 2.2: Hold down the fort and keep relaxing.
 
PATH 1.1: RUTHLESS ATTACKS
Desperate to take your mind off your disappointment and how you have let down the gorgons, you spend the rest of cabin wars numbing your misery warring other cabins. You craft countless wars – a dozen at least – but none of them match up to that fateful, perfect war. Every neutral, every enemy: you war them all without a second thought. Some, you war twice. Perhaps it will be sweeter the next time.

When the gorgons wake up, you have to watch their faces fall and grow serious in disappointment. Their eyes are stern, cold. Medusa, ever too quick to forgive, puts an arm around you as you hang your head. Stheno places a hand on her shoulder to stop her, while Euryale works herself up beginning to lecture you.
“Don’t bother, Euryale,” she says. “There’s nothing to be done now.”

You are left to reflect. The gorgons glance at you sadly every now and then and it’s plain to see that they’ve instructed the other campers to steer clear. You know nothing but regret for hours at a time, drowning in your own sorrow. Finally, you come to a resolution.

The gorgons stand in a line in front of you, arms crossed. Stheno looks nonplussed; Medusa hurt; Euryale mistrusting. She speaks for the three of them.
“So, what is it?” You hear tinges of contempt in her voice, fresh embarrassment rising inside you.
“I- I’m… I’m sorry,” you choke out, running off to hide in your bed. What a failed apology. You spend the rest of camp on your best behaviour. You do all of the in-cabin activities in earnest, every main cabin daily and weekly. You win a word war every day, raking in points for your cabin.

All to regain their favour, to end their icy disappointment. All to no avail. You learn, to your despair, that the gorgons trust easily but their trust, once broken, is difficult indeed to regain. Slowly, they grow warmer to you. Ice turns to cold water, then to lukewarm water, but the disappointment never leaves their eyes.

The next cabin wars, Stheno approaches you with severe eyes.
“You are not to war anyone this cabin wars, okay?”
Understanding but upset, you agree. As she leaves, you softly speak. Barely a whisper comes out of your mouth. You know it’s a bad idea, that you shouldn’t push it. But you have to know.
“Am I forgiven yet?”
Stheno turns around, her cold eyes answer enough for you.
FIN.

PATH 1.2: WRITING FURIOUSLY
You return to your cabin, determined to make up the words you lost. You scratch away furiously for an hour, at least, before you emerge. Exhausted but partially gratified, you write a comment, adding all the words you lost and more with a faint smile.

Out of motivation and aching all over, you finally go to bed, just as the sun comes up. In the morning – just three hours later – when the gorgons wake you, they crowd around you apprehensively.
“You were the only one here, all cabin wars,” Stheno begins, always straight to the point. “Let’s see how you did, then.” She glides into the main cabin space, the other two gorgons following her. They raise eyebrows, whisper between themselves, taking in the destruction. You stand up to follow them, hanging your head a bit. Euryale turns to you, the hurt plain in her eyes.
“You- I thought you’d be more responsible than this,” she says. She gestures to the destruction, the receipt for the points subtracted from your lost war. The messy room, left exactly as you found it.

You see Medusa scuffing the ground with her toe, head down. She bends down idly, beginning to pick up papers. In a split second, you watch her sorrowful eyes light up as she notices your comment.
“Why, this is thousands and thousands of words, did you write all of this?” She says, amazed. You nod breathlessly, but she has turned away from you. “Look, sisters! Everything we lost, it’s been written back!” She says, waving it in their faces. She spins around again, giving you a hug. “Dear child, thank you for this!”

For a few days after, you work your hardest. You want to show the gorgons how you can be responsible. They accept it gratefully, but remind you that you are already forgiven. Not many, according to Euryale, would write back points alone after losing a war.

The rest of camp blurs and soon you find it’s the day you’ve been dreading: Cabin wars. You know that after your irresponsibility, you will not be trusted again – but how you wish to be. You want, so desperately, to have regained the gorgon’s trust, for them to show you this. Instead you brace yourself as Euryale calls your name, beckons you over. You shut your eyes, preparing for a blow of disappointment. Instead, all she says is
“Have fun!” She smiles kindly, the hurt never quite out of her eyes, but you know that she means it.
FIN.
 
PATH 2.1: HAVING SOME FUN
You burst into the main cabin, taking in the space before you. You grin and look around gleefully, watching slivers of life in the other cabins through their doors. It is a quiet day for cabin wars, but people bustle around you nevertheless, racing between cabins or settling down to scribble furiously at star-pads, clay tablets and notebooks alike. Your chest fills to bursting with excitement and you put on your game face. You just can't wait to war someone! Who shall you war first?

You look around at the cabins. You see Adventure, your ally. Risky move, but you suppose you could…. You see several campers grouped around one central table, writing and chatting as a team. They're a writing machine, and you know it. You have just the war for them…. if only they weren't your ally.

You scan again, looking further. Non-fi, another perfect candidate. You are neutrals with them: Much less troublesome than warring an ally. One lone coleader rambles to herself in a corner as she pretends to write towards a war that doesn't exist: Jinty. You think smugly of the way her face will fall when you hit her with this war; the sweet, sweet points she could lose.

You sweep your eyes yet further around the edges of the space, your eyes landing once again on an unsuspecting cabin. Possibly your best option yet, you think: Sci-Fi. What you would give to see the looks on their faces when a camper from their mortal enemy; Myth; struts into their camp. Yes, Sci-Fi is a real contender.

Something holds you back from hurling your war without a second thought, though. Surely it would be more satisfying to war an ally, see the betrayal shown plainly on their faces as they scream “We trusted you!” and desperately begin to write. Or you could war a neutral, make a power move and show that you're not afraid to war them. It would be sweet, sweet bliss to mercilessly fling your war at Jinty and leave her her to pick up the pieces as she begins to write. Then there is Sci-Fi: You couldn’t *not* war an enemy, could you..?

You pause for another second, to weigh up your options. This war isn't just any war, it's a war perfectly selected to pack a punch. Not just any cabin will be able to complete this. You only have one of these, and you need to use it well. You make your decision, certainty settling inside you. Which cabin do you war?

Go to path 2.1.1: Adventure
Go to path 2.1.2: Non-fi
Go to path 2.1.3: Sci-Fi

PATH 2.2: IN CHARGE
Feeling productive and having finished everything there was to do, you settle into a watchful position to continue watching over the cabin. Hours pass, and your eyelids droop, but you keep yourself awake. You watch the glorious sunset, stare at the inky blue depths of the night, gasp as aureate light floods the garden at sunrise.

When, in the morning, the gorgons rush in and look around, you watch the confusion spread on their faces.
“Have we… not been warred?” Euryale asks in confusion. Medusa jumps up and down, hugging you.
“YOU DID SUCH A GOOD JOB!!!” She screams, clearly excited. “This is the best we’ve ever done in cabin wars!” Stheno watches them, before smirking.
“I hope you at least got to have some fun warring other cabins,” she asks you. You describe to her the retaliation you sent, taking your time once the war was finished. She nods proudly. “That was some good retaliation. I wonder how they’re doing with it.”
Euryale and Medusa usher you to bed, giving you a late pass to main cabin activities.
“Sleep as long as you want, you need it,” Euryale says softly as she leaves the room.

Camp passes speedily. For the first day, you hear whispers all around – gorgons telling other leaders what a fantastic job you did, how you’re surely leader material. Other campers pointing and whispering in awe. You feel a strange sense of euphoria, of excitement, following you for the rest of camp. Next cabin wars, Euryale stays up with you, writing away as a team and wreaking havoc on other cabins. When she begins to yawn, you tell her
“Sleep.” She smiles at you gratefully, and utters words you’d never hoped to hear.
“You’re in charge while I’m asleep,” she instructs you.
FIN.
 
PATH 2.1.1: ADVENTURE
You craft your war carefully, thinking the entire time of the glee you’ll get from this war. Watching their faces fall and their jaws set, their eyes poisonous and intent on betrayal.
It’s the biggest war you’ve ever made – and the hardest. You cheer inside when finished, excited at what this war will bring. You practically dance into Adventure’s cabin, smiling sweetly as you deliver the war.

They take the war, genuine excitement plain on their faces.
“We were just getting bored!” They say. “Thanks, sister. We’ll have fun!” You watch in dismay as they get to work at once, finishing the war in a matter of minutes. “That was pretty easy!” They say. “We’ll have to ask someone else for another.” They grin between themselves, ignoring you at once.

You return to your cabin, feeling a complete fool. Who were you to think you’d be able to make them lose points? You go to bed, suddenly exhausted from your emotional rollercoaster of the day, and sleep a restless sleep, tossing and turning all night.

When the gorgons wake you in the morning, they have already heard all about what you did.
“Thanks for holding down the place while we were asleep,” Euryale says.
“Warring adventure was nice of you – did they ask for it?” Medusa says, eyes excited. “They’re really grateful – they offered to give us an easy war, so we can relax!” She smiles proudly at you.
Stheno, stepping towards you as the other two leave, understands.
“You wanted to do them some damage, didn’t you?” She asks. “Warring allies is not something the other gorgons tolerate. Join my cabin next time, and we’ll war Alyelle’s cabin all we want.” You nod at her, and she smiles knowingly and turns away.
FIN.
 
PATH 2.1.2: NON-FI
You walk into Non-Fi’s cabin, hands casually in your pockets.
“Hi Jint,” you say. She looks up at you suspiciously.
“That better not be a war! If it is, I’ll hit you with some awful jokes.”
“I’m sure I can deal,” you say. You take your hands out of your pockets, gleefully depositing the war on her table. “Have fun! It was made just for you.” You stand there expectantly as she opens the war, holding it at arm’s length lest it explode in her face. She reads the writing effortlessly, despite your curliest script. Her eyes narrow, her brow lowers.
“You wouldn’t!” She says, reading it again. “Four people…” She looks down at herself. “Well, I suppose it’s retaliation time!”

She sets to work retaliating endlessly, the war you delivered already a lost cause in her books. Myth is bombarded with wars, has Non-Fi’s allies lining up to war it as soon as the shield lifts. You write desperately, finishing every war – just.

The last war, right in the dead of night, is from Jinty personally. You look at it – she’s crafted it to look exactly like yours. You open it carefully, and realise that you, like she was several hours ago, are now holding a war that looks identical to the one you delivered, at arm’s length – lest it explode in your face.

The bitter irony stains your tongue as you read the war, already knowing what’s coming. In a cruel reversal, you are now the one to read those dreaded words.
Four people. You look around the cabin: still, there is only one of you. You read again, but the text has not changed. Why would you expect it to?

Fair’s fair, you suppose.

When the gorgon’s enter in the morning, they congratulate you.
“Hell yeah!” Stheno crows, having heard of your war that Non-Fi lost. Euryale stops her, pointing to an identical war lying on Myth’s floor.
Medusa, gently, takes you aside.
“Next time, make sure you can handle the retaliation before you war. But good job on finishing all the other wars! Your hands must really need a break, go have a hot bath.” She says, gently guiding you to your room.

The gorgon’s are somewhat disappointed, but they know that losing a war was inevitable. “You did a good job,” they tell you constantly. “Try not to get yourself down about it.” Their words barely sink in, but you have forgiven yourself – you think. The next cabin wars, they take care to give the campers extra instructions – to be careful when warring, to think about the risk of retaliation. You listen extra hard.
FIN.
 
PATH 2.1.3: SCI-FI
You carefully create your war, designed to hit Sci-Fi right in their weak spot. You take your time, almost obsessively sculpting this war to be the best.

Sneaking into Sci-Fi’s spacecraft, you resist the urge to light it on fire. This isn’t what you’re here fore.

Delivering the war silently, you creep out without being seen. It could be hours before they find it, you congratulate yourself. The silence of their is a good sign – a promise that they’ll lose the war.

Returning to Myth, you find the cause of an empty cabin. You look at the single war sitting on Myth’s table, rueful laughter escaping your lips. What a joke. You set to work, writing non-stop so you can finish the war. Just in time, you add the points for your extra challenge – which you just squeezed in. As you linger in the main cabin, you see a camper from Sci-Fi adding points, the same as you. This amuses you somewhat: Your cabins are mirroring one another, at least for now.

When the gorgons wake up, they are well pleased. Stheno pats you on the back happily, congratulating you for the war you inflicted upon Sci-Fi.
“Great job,” she says. “They only just finished that one!” You don’t have the heart to tell her of the identical war you received from them. Euryale, ever the strategist, plonks down next to you.
“So I was thinking, next time if you wait half an hour..” she begins. You discuss plans for a time, her newfound trust in you surely because of the wars you finished. Finally, as dinner arrives, she wraps up. “Anyway, if you want to do that again let me know! You deserve to have some fun warring cabins.”
FIN.

Weekly 3
You run into your personal guard (and friend) Tina.
she says you could go with her to the surface or you could go to your father.

Go to your father-1

-1 You go to your father and he says you can either go with a guard to the surface or your sister Kora.

Go with a guard-1

-1 You choose to go with a guard (hoping it’ll be Tina)
It's not Tina, defeated you go with the guard to the surface.
After you eat some poor innocent human the guards say you must return to the palace.

Fight back-1

Ending #1
You try to refuse but he drags you back to the palace.
You become your sister advisor, but you'll never truly be happy.

Go back-2

Ending #2
Knowing it’s no use, you follow the guard back to the palace.
You become your sister's advisor, but you'll never truly be happy.

Go with your sister-2

You choose to go with your sister. She doesn't make you eat an innocent human . While you are there you run into Tina!
Your sister says you could stay with Tina or go back with her to the palace.

1-Stay with Tina
Ending #3
You stay with Tina. You both live on the beach together and are happy, also your sister visits you.

2-Go back with your sister
Ending #4
You go back with your sister but promise to visit Tina.
You become your sisters advisor and get to vist Tina every three moons

—————————————
Go with Tina-2
You go with Tina to the surface. She says you could stay with her or go back to the palace.

-1 Stay with Tina

Ending #5
You stay with Tina. You both live on the beach together and are happy :>

-2 Go back

Ending #6
You go back to the palace and become your sister's advisor. But you wish you’d stayed, or at least visited your friend Tina.




You swim up to the sunken ship, abandoned by humans long ago. This ship the humans used to so carelessly ride is what you and your family have called home for centuries. It was beautiful. It split in two on impact, one half for the servants one half for the royals. It was made of wood and iron nails. The mast was made of a firm fabric, but that was forged years ago and given to armor smiths. The boat had deteriorated from being in the water for as long as it has. There were long narrow holes spread across each half of the ship. Seaweed and moss sprawled and coated almost every inch of it. You slipped into the right half of the ship through one of its narrow holes. You floated in place, admiring the inside. Shells and bits of coral are decoratively placed around by you and your older sister. That’s one of your favorite memories with your sister. You remember how wonderful the water was that day. Your sister, Kora, had explained to you how to pick coral without permanently damaging the plant, and how you almost got bit by a hermit crab trying to pick up a shell. You smiled at this memory. Just as you were about to leave, your personal guard Tina, swam up to you. Her eyes were filled with excitement as she approached. “Princess, I know who to get you to the surface!” Your eyes widen at the news. You’ve always dreamed of going to the surface. You had just turned eighteen a few moons ago and were supposed to go to the surface too, well, hunt and eat your first human. Well, not your first, your sister let you taste hers. It was foul, so you were relieved that your father said you couldn’t go right then. Unfortunately, your father decided today was the day. You were excited to go to the surface! But, you didn't want to have to eat some poor schmuck. “How?” You asked, purely out of curiosity. Tina pulls out a small elegant glass bottle. The liquid sloshing around inside was pale indigo with miniature pink flowers drifting around. “If you drink this, you will turn into a human.”
She shook the bottle slightly. “What’s the catch,” you asked, eyeing the bottle suspiciously. “If you touch the water you’ll turn back into a Naiad.” You gave your friend an annoyed glare. “Isn’t that kinda dumb?” She scrunched up her face and looked away. She put a finger to your face.
“Hush child,” she muttered. You rolled your eyes and pushed her finger away from your face. Her face returned to its usual chipper attitude. “So, what do ya say?” She held her empty hand out to you. You bit your lip, “The king wants to see me.”
“Oh,” she drifted away slightly. “I guess you're gonna go up today anyway,” her eyes lost their happy glint. There was a moment of silence before she spoke. “I just thought…maybe,” she looked away from you, “I thought I could go with you…to the surface.” Your eyes went wide. “You wanted to come with me!” You were shocked. You never knew about Tina wanting to go to the surface. She didn't even want to do her coronation!
“But, I thought you hated the surface!” She backed up slightly.
“What? What made you think that?”, she shouted.
“You didn’t want to do your coronation!”
She rolled her eyes,
“That wasn’t cause I hated the surface, It's cause I didn't want to eat a human that did nothing to me,”
her eyebrows furrowed.
You blinked rapidly, trying to process this information. She didn’t want to hurt a human either.
You started swimming back and forth weighing your options.
If you went to your father, he would probably have someone escort you to the surface and watch to make sure you didn’t run off, but, if you went with Tina. You could stay on the surface for as long as you wanted and not have to hurt anyone. But these are all only possibilities. Which will you choose?

Go with Tina - Go to 3
Go to your Father - Go to 2



2 You shake your head and quickly swim off.
“Wait, come back!”
You ignore her calls and glide to your father's throne.
He looks over to you. “What took you so long?”
You hesitate but answer.
“I was talking with Tina,” you say timidly.
“You’ve always been good friends,” he smiled.
Guilt was heavy in your gut.
She probably hates you for ditching her.
You shake that thought off and look up to your father.
“Why did you call me here?” You asked with confidence.
His smile quickly faded to a thin line. “Well, as you know, you turned eighteen a few moons ago,” he started passing about.
You were starting to feel excited.
“I know you’ve wanted to go to the surface for a while.”
He stopped in front of you. “I also know you don’t want a guard to come with you.” You started fiddling with your fingers.
He sighed and turned around. “So, I’ve decided,” he paused to look at you. You were no longer nervous and now inpatient.
Was he actually gonna let you go up by yourself!
“You can either go with a guard,” you were practically bouncing with excitement, “or with your sister.”
Your excitement was quickly shot down.
Guess he still doesn’t trust you.
Your sister wasn’t controlling like dad was.
But then again, she wasn’t exactly a rule breaker like you.
If you choose to go with a guard, maybe you would get to choose.

Maybe you could get Tina to go with you!

Your excitement returned after you thought through your options. But you still aren’t sure which to choose.
You sighed, trying to decide what to do.

Go with guard - 5
Go with sister - 4

3 You smile at your friend, “Well then let’s go!”
Her eyes light up, “Follow me,” she urges as she starts swimming out of the palace. You quickly follow hoping no guards catch you. You paddle two the surface quickly. Once you're closer to an island, Tina passes you the bottle. “Save half for me.”
You nodded surfacing to take a swig. You crawl onto land and hand her the bottle. She drinks the rest and sits next to you just far anoff away from the shore to not touch the water.
You sit in silence as you watch the sun dip below the water.
You put your hand over Tinas. She looks over to you with a shocked expression. You shrug and put your head on her shoulder. She’s still for a moment before she rests her head on yours. You watch the stars appear in the sky.
“Are you going back?” Her question came completely out of nowhere. You’d never even thought about it. You didn’t exactly want to leave. What if you never got to see Tina again?
You thought about your father, he was probably worried about you. You bit your lip, not sure what to choose.

Stay with Tina - 8
Go back - 9


4 You disced to go with your sister. Even if she makes you come back, at least she won’t make you eat a human.
“I want to go with Kora.” He smiled and nodded.
“She’s waiting for you outside for you.”
You hurried out of the palace. Surprisingly, you were actually happy to be going to the surface on your father's terms.
“Kora!”
You shouted as you approached. She wiped around, a huge smile on her face.
“Lolo!”
She crashed into you. You giggle embracing her in a hug.
She pulls away, her face beaming. “Come follow me, let’s go before it gets dark!” Before you could ask any questions she bloated upwards. You quickly followed, trying to catch up.
She slowed down just as you were about to reach the surface.
You floated next to her the surface just a few inches above you.
Your heart thoded, you were excited to go to the surface finally, but you were also a little nervous. She handed you a necklace with a purple gem. “Once you put that on you’ll become a human,” she explained. You nodded before you began to swim to shore. Once you were closer to shore you slipped the necklaces on. It took you a minute to get used to walking, but after a couple minutes you got the hang of it. You looked over to your sister. “How about we just stay long enough for it to look like you went hunting and…you know.” You smiled at your sister and ran up to hug her.
“You're the best!”
“Lolo?”
You turn around to see who called your name.
It was Tina
“Tina!”
You ran over to her. “I’m sorry I dumped you I- ‘' She cuts you off, “You don’t have to apologize silly! I’m just glad you’re here.”You hug your friend, glad to have crossed paths. Your sister walked over as you and Tina pulled apart.
“So are you staying?”
She asked out of the blue. You hadn't thought about staying.
You looked over to your sister. “You can stay if you want.”
Your eyes lit up, “Really!” She chuckled, “Course, I’ll explain everything to dad so he doesn't freak out.”
You wanted to jump with joy. But you still had to choose.

Stay with Tina - 6
Go with Sister - 7

6 You hug your sister, “I promise I’ll visit okay!” She just smiles. Kora stays till the sunsets and before she leaves she gives her necklace to Tina so she can visit as well.
You and Tina wave goodbye as your sister swims away.
Tina thinks that you and her should stay on the beach. You like this idea since it would make meeting your sister easier and agree. You and she live happily on the land, visiting your family every ten moons.

7 She frowns at your response. “I promise I’ll come to visit!”
The guilt was beginning to sink in when she smiled.
“So long as you visit it’s okay…” You sighed in relief knowing that your friend wasn’t mad, or sad. You and your sister stayed till the moon was centered in the sky before heading out. You left your necklace with Tina in case she ever wanted to come for a visit. You visit her every half-moon. A few full moons later, your sister is crowned queen and she makes you her advisor. You and her decided to get rid of the coronation and make it so everyone can go to the surface whenever they want. You're happy with how your life turned out. (Good job :3)

8 You smiled, “Of course I’m staying.” It was only a matter of time before your sister would come and look for you. Tina put her arm around your shoulder. “Good, I would have missed you if you’d left. You spent the rest of the night star gazing and coming up with a place to stay. You both decided to settle on the beach, so if anyone came looking for you they wouldn’t have far to go. Just as you thought, only a moon of you being gone and your sister and two guards appeared. You explained to her how you wanted to stay with Tina. She said that she would tell Father where you were so he wouldn't worry. She also gave you two necklaces so that you could visit and also not have to avoid water (which was convenient.) You and Tina lived a charming life on the surface.

8 You sighed, “I have to go back, or Father will worry.”
She frowned, “You’ve always been so thoughtful of others,”
You stayed until the stars were clear in the sky then went back to the palace and explained to her father what happened.
He wasn’t happy about it. He said you could never return to the surface. Crushed at this news, you dove to your room and regretted ever coming back home. Swearing to yourself you’d Find a way to get back to Tina. You became your sister's adviser and swam up to the surface as soon as your sister gave you a crystal. But when you got to the island.
Tina was gone.
You waited and waited until the guards evental dragged you back to the palace.





I CAN'T COUNT IT RN IM SORRY ThT