Choose your own adventure time!

[grey_bard]

So I accidentally ended up writing the first scene of an original fantasy short story and, er. Stalled out on where to go next.

I thought up three questions and a bunch of possible options, formatted out multiple choice style, and now I'm curious which options people would find most interesting. And where your minds go on what could happen next.

SO! Here's your chance! YOU tell me what to write and why!

The Story So Far

You know, I like a monster movie as much as the next girl, but this is ridiculous.

No lie, there I was, trying to bargain down a French postcard seller on a particularly fetching example, when she walked into the flea market. Now before we go any further, I'd like to say in my defense, this is not going to be one of those love at first sight stories. At least, not for me.

She walked in and when the toy man tried to sell her a vintage GI Joe, her laugh sounded like little silver bells. That should have been a sign right there: no one's laugh sounds like little silver bells.

Her eyes scanned the crowd and met mine, and I'm telling you, lovelier than a summer's day or not, I shivered. Sometimes you just know when bad news is coming your way.

"How much was that again?" I asked the postcard man distractedly "I could swear you said five dollars, but that couldn't be right, could it? Doesn't sound like you."

I had gotten him down to four twenty five when that silver voice sparkled out from behind me. "Oh, it's you! I thought you would be buying garnets!"

Maybe she wasn't talking to me, maybe it was just all a terrible coincidence. I turned slowly to face her, but before I could start in on surely you must be mistaken madame, she met my eyes. She knew exactly what garnet was, there was no mistake.

And I was going to have to hold to my goddamn vow.

Word of advice, don't make too many promises when you're praying for your life, someone just might take you up on it. Gods, man, they make you pay and pay and pay.

Three questions - and a wide variety of answer options

Question one: What is the vow?
Option A: One time favor long dreaded
Option B: Recurring favor that has recurred rarely but memorably
Option C: Recurring favor that has recurred Too Damn Often.

Question two: Who is the lady and what does she want?
Option A:
Lady IS god in question, come to Earth for unknown reasons. Less convincing because why does a god need a code word.
What does a god want?
A1:Prayers somehow getting misdirected and thus power. Why can't god find them? Lack of cultural understanding?
How/why?
Ad campaign? Fictional character? Rival god claiming she's a spin off?
A2: Worshipper or enemy gone astray. Why can't god find them? Dunno.
Option B:
Lady is working for the god in question. Minor god? Angelish thing? Golem? Priestess? Sidhe or other humanish magical being in which case the god is a Really Old God. Human but just that... off? (Maybe lives in god pocket dimension?) Soul of the dead?
(Creepy soul of the blessed dead sounds promising. So does formerly common humanoid magical being w/ old god.)
What does she want?:
B1: Mission for the god see A1 or A2
B2: Needs of own on Earth, given protagonist's code word as a reward or answer to prayer. Unfinished business? Righting ancient wrong? Revenge or at least poetic justice? Checking out home for resettling or restarting population of species on Earth?

Question 3:
Who is the protagonist?
Option A: Professional problem solver of some kind
A1: Clued into the mystical / supernatural
A2: Not clued in beyond that one encounter
Option B: Not a professional, but in some way useful. Why?
A1: Clued into the mystical / supernatural
A2: Not clued in beyond that one encounter
Option C: Not a professional, but might as well be, because the vow gets called upon So Damn Often.

Comments

[melannen]

I would go with A, B2, C!

[devon]

I like B, B2, B-A1. Sensitive to god requests but not knowledgable about other stuff that may come up in the story later. Good for shock value and more angst, more problem solving while having to adhere to the letter of the vow.