Pickles: A TG Choose Your Own Adventure: An Alternate Route
By Donjo
Page 19
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You use the jar of green liquid...
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You pick up the odd jar of green liquid and take a good look at it. Nothing seems to be floating in yet, but you can't fathom what it's supposed to do. You look at John, who is still in a standoff with John. He makes a motion that you can't quite decipher.
You decide to open the jar. Inside, the liquid smells almost sweet. It is also radiating with power, something that your staff seems to detect. With a gulp, you down the liquid in the jar. To your surprise, it tastes as good as it smells... and then starts to burn down your throat. You fall to your knees as the sensation spreads throughout your body. Your staff is glowing with power.
As the burning sensation recedes, you stand up again. You somehow feel more confident as you casually point your staff at Ken. A bolt of energy flies out of the staff and strikes Ken's head. Only a quick reaction from him keeps the force of the blast from blowing up his head. Stunned for a moment, John magically restrains him and performs an odd incantation. The tension in the room drops as he finishes.
“There,” John says, “that should seal his magical power.”
He then looks at you, “and you are an idiot for drinking that! I told you to put it back!”
“How was I supposed to know?” you ask, “You just waved your arms!”
John sighs, “No matter. It didn't do you any harm. You're lucky.”
“What ~did~ it do?” you ask.
“It amplified your inherent magical ability,” John says, “everybody has a little, but usually not enough to work with. That liquid would have killed you without a noticeable aptitude for magic.”
“Am I dangerous?” you ask.
“Not as long as you don't use your power,” John chuckles.
That doesn't reassure you very much.
“What will you do about Ken?” you finally ask.
“I suppose I can trap him in that costume store again,” John says, “but as punishment this time. He won't be leaving.”
“And what about me?” you ask, “Can you change me back to my original form?”
“You said that you didn't have sex, right?” John asks, as if it is a very serious matter.
“Right,” you confirm.
“Good,” he says, “I can change you back.”
“And what about my magical aptitude?”
“It will likely stay with you if you become a man again. I can train you so that you aren't a danger to yourself, if you'd like.”
“Okay,” you say, “can you give me some time to decide what I want to do?”
“Of course,” John says, “I'm not going to force you to do anything.”
Decide the Ending
Please vote for one choice in ~each~ set.
Set 1:
---Let John trap Ken in the costume store again
---Suggest a different punishment
Set 2:
---Remain as a woman
---Transform back into a man
Set 3:
---Accept training from John
---Refuse training from John
Set 4:
---Have a cameo appearance!
---Or not...
The ending will be written as Part 20. There will be no choices at the end.
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Lots of voting to be done! It will end tomorrow(2/8/11) at noonish!
Edit: Voting has closed! Here's what won and such
Set 1:
Suggest a different punishment: Thus, I will use one(or two) of the reader suggested punishments.
Set 2:
Transform back into a man won by a single vote. This closeness will affect the ending.
Set 3:
A nearly unanimous vote to accept training.
Set 4:
Yay for Cameo Appearances!
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the end
Set 1:
---Suggest a different punishment
Set 2:
---Remain as a woman
Set 3:
---Accept training from John
Set 4:
---Have a cameo appearance!
i am with lonewolf
Set 1:
---Suggest a different punishment
Set 2:
---Remain as a woman
Set 3:
---Accept training from John
Set 4:
---Have a cameo appearance!
"Treat everyone you meet as though they had a sign on them that said "Fragile, under construction"
dorothycolleen
Dorothycolleen, member of Bailey's Angels
Gasp!! I didn't see the
Gasp!! I didn't see the lable that said "Drink Me". Alice in Wonderland effect, but this time a good one, I guess.
Set 1. Suggest John make Ken into a life size Barbie mannikin to display costumes only.
Set 2. Since you want to be a man again, let him transform you. Wouldn't be my choice, but that's what he has been trying to do. If you change your mind, you are likely to become enough a magic user to accomplish changing back to female with training.
Set 3. Accept training from John
Set 4. OH, lets see the Cameo.
CaroL
CaroL
Choices, choices...
Set 1: I'd suggest a taste of his own medicine - not so much trapping him in the costume store, but something much more evil - forcing him into the costume he prepared for the protagonist.
Set 2: Although many on this site would prefer the first of the options, since the protagonist has always expressed a desire to return to his original form, that would be more fitting. Besides which, if he...
Set 3: Accepts magical training from John, then with a bit of practice he could have some fun with the costumes - spelling them to effect the physical transformation only (i.e. without the associated mental conditioning) - a perfect disguise for a party :)
Set 4: Go on, have a cameo :)
So to summarise: 1b, 2b, 3a, 4a.
There are 10 kinds of people in the world - those who understand binary and those who don't...
There are 10 kinds of people in the world - those who understand binary and those who don't...
Well, my choices are:
Set 1:
---Suggest a different punishment. I think Ken is a pig - he wanted help and he got it, but it did not satisfy him. He tried to make you a woman, permanently, via sex. But, it all does not mean we have to be cruel to him. Some kind of reincarnation spell for him could do - and set him with the family that will gently instill proper values in him (or her).
Set 2:
---Transform back into a man. As someone noted, if you really want to become a female sometime later you can learn to do it yourself.
Set 3:
---Accept training from John. Don't miss the opportunity.
Set 4:
---Have a cameo appearance!
Faraway
Big Closet Top Shelf
Where you can fool around like you want to and most you get is some bemused good ribbing!
Faraway
Big Closet Top Shelf
Where you can fool around like you want to and most you get is some bemused good ribbing!
be nice to him
set 1:
---Suggest a different punishment (Show some humanity, there must be some good in Ken right?)
set 2:
---Transform back into a man (This is what the character wants, and like others said: you can always learn magic to change back and forth)
set 3:
---Accept training from John (Ofcourse you don't want to be a danger to anyone!)
set 4:
---Have a cameo appearance! (What's a cameo appearance? :s)
My suggestions
Okay, 1, suggest a different punishment. Transform him into something useful. Chamberpot still sounds good.
2, Remain as a woman. What, that would surprise you on this site?
3, Accept training from John (and maybe more? He sounds cute...).
4, Cameo appearance-from who? A certain SRU wizard, perhaps?
Wren
Surprise
Actually, what is surprising me is that "remain as a man" has more votes than "remain as a woman". I totally expected being a woman to win, but it's any gender's game at this point :)
I would put a signature here, but I'm too busy writing other things :)
Vote Vote Vote
Set 1: Suggest a different punishment
Set 2: Remain as a woman (duh)
Set 3: Accept training from John
Set 4: Or not....
Thanks and kudos.
- Terry
Final Choices
You seem to have really given us a break on the last choice: Seems to me the discussion last time almost universally called for throwing the green liquid at Ken, not drinking it. Anyway:
1. Can't see where the previous punishment either fit the crime or rendered Ken harmless. If John's going to send Ken back there, leave him in his own form, but make sure the place is no longer a shop and that there's no door he can depart from or others can enter. Since the place is magical anyway, I guess keeping the costumes' magic intact isn't a problem, as long as it doesn't get him out of there. It'd be solitary confinement if he couldn't interact with anyone at all, so if the story costumes take him into the tales they represent and interact with characters there, he'll be able to relieve the boredom and maintain comparative sanity. (And give him an end date. I don't think he deserves a life sentence.)
2. You wanted to be a man since this started. No reason to change that choice now. As everyone else noted, if our character decides he wants to change back someday, as long as his magic holds up, he can do so. That's assuming we believe John's claims. He could be lying about that in order to render us harmless to him after the transformation. Not sure why, but I'm willing to take the chance.
3. Tough choice. John gave you the staff, but he now strongly implies that he wasn't happy with your increase in aptitude via the liquid. You've still only heard his side of the story re Ken. Making sure you "aren't a danger to yourself", as John says, could leave you immobilized, incapacitated or worse, with no way to do anything about it. Before I'd agree, I'd see if my magic's sufficient to see if he'll play fair. Without such assurances, I'd decline his offer.
4. Suit yourself, Dustin...
Eric
The Choice
People voted for the choice "Use the jar of green liquid". The choice said nothing about ~how~ the jar would be used. Generally, I plan out how each choice will go before anybody votes. For example, on the last set...
Use the lamp: Makes a genie appear. Since it takes you too long to actually get a wish out, Ken wins the struggle and incapacitates you. The end.
Use the Snowglobe: This is a "hit Ken on the head" moment. The magic properties of the snowglobe would have trapped Ken inside.
Use the jar of green liquid: Drink it, as you've seen.
Wave the staff: Kind of useless. Without any enhancement to your magical aptitude, the staff works based on need more so than desire, so you can't get anything out in time to save John. The end.
However, for the ending, I'm winging it. I'll explain my process there in the voting is closed edit!
I would put a signature here, but I'm too busy writing other things :)
Pickles: A TG Choose Your Own Adventure, Part 19(Alternate)
---Transform back into a man---Accept training from John
May Your Light Forever Shine
May Your Light Forever Shine