It's your wedding day.
You've only met your bride to be once before, but she seems nice enough. Very polite. Pretty much what you'd expect from a princess. Political alliances like this happen every now and then, but nobody can remember the last time a rich young aristocrat like yourself was married off to a queendom of a different race. Most mun girls aren't interested in marrying elfs, because most mun girls prefer men, and elfkind doesn't really have those. You're lucky that the princess of Shensovo is a lesbian. It is a great honour that you have been chosen, they tell you.
There is a knock on your door. "Allison?" It's Claudia, one of your mums.
[[Go and answer it,->answer]] [[or just ignore it.->ignore]]You open the door. Your mother immediately bustles in, fussing over details of your wedding. You've had pretty much no input for anything. You're just floating, with nothing to secure yourself to. You wonder if your bride to be is feeling the same way.
Claudia is talking at you, apparently with no regard for whether or not you are actually listening.
"Is princess Luthrinn here yet?" You ask, interrupting her.
"Ah.. Well, of course! But you won't be seeing her until the ceremony I'm afraid. Shensovoans think it's bad luck."
[[Well, that's fine...->calm]]
[[...actually no, that's dumb->annoyed]]The knocking returns, more insistently. "Are you decent? Can I come in?"
[[Keep ignoring it,->ignore2]] [[or give in and answer.->answerslow]] She's just going to come in anyway.She comes in anyway.
"Did you hear me?" She asks, frowning.
"Yes."
"...Oh."
Awkward silence.
"Do you want to [[tell me what's wrong?->not fine]]" She asks.
[["No."->strop]]"Come in.." you say. Your mother slowly opens the door, looking at you with a concerned expression on her face.
"Everything all right, darling?"
You've had pretty much no input for anything to do with this wedding. You're just floating, with nothing to secure yourself to.
[["Yeah..."->fine]]
[["Not really..."->not fine]]"Well, that's fine..." You say.
"I'm glad you understand," your mother smiles.
Really, it's more that you're growing tired of all this. You just want the day to be over with. Better to just go along with it and let the waters deposit you where they will. Maybe when you finally get some time alone with the princess, the two of you will be able to figure out what to do about all this. She should be willing to talk, right? Any reasonable woman would.
Claudia's babbling is starting to annoy you, so you make your excuses and leave to [[find something else to do.->something else]]"Well that's just great. Is there anything else I should know? Like if I see three birds in a tree and don't throw salt over my shoulder will I doom the crops to fail?"
"Come on now, Allison..."
You take a deep breath. "Sorry. I know we have our traditions too, which probably seem stupid to them. This whole situation's put me on edge is all. I mean, I'm being forced to marry someone I barely even know. That's a big commitment, and do I get a say in the matter? Nope!"
"It... isn't neccessarily //that// big of a commitment."
"What do you mean?"
"Well. This wedding is a symbol of unity between our two nations. Nobody is expecting you to spend the rest of your lives together, if you don't want to... You really should talk to Katarina about all this, not me."
What would your other mother know that Claudia doesn't? Your parents' wedding wasn't pre-arranged like this, after all.
"I didn't know this was all bothering you so much, sweetie. Go and find Katarina, she'll know what to say." She begins nodding to herself.
Will you [[take Claudia's advice->find katarina]], or [[go and do something else->something else]] instead?Claudia smiles at you, "I'm glad to hear that, sweetie."
Then, she starts complaining about the huge amount of preperation that has to be done, and oh how she hopes every aspect of this wedding will be just right. Not that you get a say in what "just right" looks like. You wonder if your bride to be is having to deal with this sort of thing.
"Is princess Luthrinn here yet?" You ask, interrupting whatever Claudia was saying.
"Ah.. Well, of course! But you won't be seeing her until the ceremony I'm afraid. Shensovoans think it's bad luck."
[[Well, that's fine...->calm]]
[[...actually no, that's dumb->annoyed]](if: (history:) contains "answerslow")["Oh, dear... What's the matter? Pre-wedding jitters?"
]"Well it's just, I feel that it isn't fair how nobody has really asked me if I'm ok with this wedding. I barely even know princess Luthrinn! And what's more, I haven't even been able to decide how //my own wedding// will go! You and Katrina and all those official planners decided it all for me, I don't get any say at all..."
"I understand, darling, I really do." You highly doubt that. "But unfortunately, this is about more that you two. The whole country will benefit from this alliance. Not just us, the muns too! Hey, let me tell you something. You're not obligated to be anything more than... a temporary companion to Luthrinn. If you don't get along, you can go your seperate ways." She lowers her voice, before adding. "And even before then, you can always take a lover on the side. That's a fine tradition indeed... It's how Katarina and I got together. Without it, you wouldn't have been born."
"Claudia!" You can't help but exclaim. She's never shared //that// detail with you before. You sigh. "So despite the fact that I'm a grown-ass adult, I don't truly get independence until after I spend years shackled to some mun girl. Do I even get to talk to her before the ceremony?"
"Well..."
"Are you serious."
"Apparently Shensovoans think it's bad luck for brides to meet before the ceremony... I'm sorry, sweetie."
[[something else<-"Whatever."]](unless: (history:) contains "something else")[You decide to take Claudia's advice, and you leave your suite in search of Katarina. You're staying at Crescent Lake Palace, a grand old estate on the Shensovoan side of the border between Shensovo and your home country of Moonwood. Apparently the mun man who'd had it built had had some kind of weird obsession with elfs, hence the location. He was mostly just considered an annoyance by both mun and elf alike, and you find it cruelly ironic that your wedding would be held here.
](else:)[]You find Katarina in the kitchen, giving orders to caterers and generally being a domineering presence. You wait until she has a spare moment before grabbing her attention.
"Ah, Allison, my darling, how nice to see you! Big day today, eh? Excited?"
(if: (history:) contains "calm")["Yes, for the most part. Kinda nervous though, too."
"Hmmm, well, that's understandable! But you don't need to worry too much, just enjoy the party! That's what this whole thing really is, to be honest, and excuse for throwing a party to strengthen relations between our two queendoms."
"Getting married is kind of a big commitment from me just for the sake of a party, don't you think?"
"Well, nobody is expecting you to //stay// married for long, if you don't want to."](else-if: (history:) contains "annoyed" or (history:) contains "strop")["Actually, I'm not feeling great about it. Claudia said I should talk to you..."
"Oh? Did she say anything specific?"
"Well, she seemed to think I shouldn't be too concerned if the princess and I don't get along well."
"She's right. I mean, nobody is expecting you to //stay// married for long, if you don't want to."](else:)["Well... I'm not really sure. Claudia said something to me earlier that I wanted to ask you about."
"Oh yes? What is it?"
"She said that a wedding very similar to this one is responsible for.. well, my life."
"Oh, yes. I thought you knew already. Didn't we tell you that we met at my first wedding?"
"You only ever said //a// wedding! You somehow managed to neglect that detail."
"Not intentionally, I assure you. I was in an arranged marriage too, but neither of us got on very well, so we agreed to just divorce as soon as it was appropriate to do so. The wedding itself felt more like a shared birthday party than a wedding. Although it was somewhat surreal being able to flirt with a woman who wasn't my wife at my own wedding, I must say. It was great fun, nobody looked down on us for it or anything. I hope something similar happens to you today!"]
(unless: (history:) contains "not fine")["Excuse me?"
"Well, these political marriages aren't really thought of in the same way as most. I should know, I was in one too! Before Claudia."
"Wwwwhy is this the first time I'm hearing about this??"
"Honestly, darling, I thought we'd already told you. It lasted for, oh, a month or two at most. Neither of us cared much for the other, so we just divorced as soon as it was appropriate. I'd already started dating Claudia by the time that happened, actually. We met at the wedding, and hit it off. It was funny, actually, flirting with another woman at my own wedding. But it's not frowned upon at all. Great fun, in fact. Maybe something similar will happen to you!"
]You aren't sure how to respond. "This is..."
"Awesome?"
"Yes?? Kind of??? I mean, this really takes the pressure off me, I have to say. I think I may even just be able to relax and enjoy myself, now. Thanks, Katarina. It seems Claudia was right after all."
"Always happy to help, darling."
You feel as if a weight has been taken off you. Time is starting to move on, so you say your farewells to Katarina so that you can [[go and get ready->scene 2]]. It's not long until the main event, now.When you're finished talking with Claudia, you leave your suite to find something else to occupy your time with. There's still a couple of hours to kill before you're needed.
You're staying at Crescent Lake Palace, a grand old estate on the Shensovoan side of the border between Shensovo and your home country of Moonwood. Apparently the mun man who'd had it built had had some kind of weird obsession with elfs, hence the location. He was mostly just considered an annoyance by both mun and elf alike, and you find it cruelly ironic that your wedding would be held here.
In the end, you decide to just [[kill time out in the gardens->garden]], away from the others. (if: (history:) contains "annoyed" or (history:) contains "strop")[Or you decide to take Claudia's advice after all, and [[go and find Katerina.->find katarina]]](if: (history:) contains "not fine")[Or, you decide to [[go and find Katerina.->find katarina]] Maybe she'll have something to say about that revelation you just heard from Claudia.](if: (history:) contains "calm")[Or, if you feel like some company, [[go and find what your other mother is up to.->find katarina]]]You have to admit, the gardens are beautiful. Meticulously kept flowerbeds and perfectly pruned shrubs surround grassy paths, and fountains with marble statues are dotted about. You take a seat at the base of one of these fountains, which features an 8 foot tall naked elf holding an endlessly pouring jug above her head, and just close your eyes for a few moments to relax.
(if: (history:) contains "not fine")[You think about what Claudia said to you about how you won't have to be loyal to your wife-to-be if you don't want to. Maybe this situation isn't as dire as you thought. Hell, maybe Princess Luthrinn will turn out to be lovely. The uncertainty bugs you, but in the end you'll just have to see how it goes.](else:)[You try to keep yourself feeling calm and collected. Whatever happens, you'll be able to deal with it. You're an adult and if Luthrinn is at all reasonable the two of you will be able to figure things out. Hell, maybe she'll turn out to be lovely. The uncertainty bugs you, but in the end you'll just have to see how it goes.]
Your calm is rippled as you hear voices approaching. You open your eyes, and see a group of muns walking along a nearby path, chatting loudly and admiring the gardens. They don't pay you any attention, aside from one weird-looking teenager who is just staring at you, shamelessly. You notice some whispy hairs growing above their upper lip and on their chin, and it occurs to you that this must be a boy. You haven't really encountered a boy up close before, and you don't like the way this one is staring at you.
You could [[be passive-aggressive->confront]] about this to try and teach him a lesson, or just [[leave without doing anything->scene 2]]. You've got to get ready anyway.
You can't stop yourself from smirking a little bit as you weave a simple spell between your fingers. You stand up and walk away, leaving the words "Don't stare at me, fuckface" floating in the air where you had been sitting in sparkly pink letters. The boy frowns and turns back to his group. You hate teenagers.
[[Time to move on.->scene 2]]And that's it for now!
This demo was just the first scene of the story. The final story is planned to be 4-5 scenes long, with a large number of possible outcomes.
Here's some proof that the game really //is// remembering your choices:
(if: (history:) contains "not fine" or (history:) contains "strop" or (history:) contains "annoyed")[-You've had Allison voice her concerns about this arrangement to her mother Claudia.](if: (history:) contains "calm")[-You've had Allison stay relatively calm. She just wants to get things over with.]
(unless: (history:) contains "find katarina")[-You didn't talk to your mother Katarina before the wedding.](else:)[-You chatted with your mother Katarina before the wedding.]
(if: (history:) contains "garden")[-You went and relaxed in the garden.](if: (history:) contains "confront")[ And you taught that annoying mun kid a lesson, too.]
The game has remembered more than just these few things, but this is a demo and I'm too lazy to script in every single choice just for this page.
How the ceremony goes will be influenced by how you've had Allison handle things up to this point.
If you enjoyed this, hit me up on twitter and share your thoughts (also do this if you did not enjoy it, constructive feedback is greatly appreciated) (link-repeat: "@NoodlyVampQueen")[(open-url: "http://twitter.com/NoodlyVampQueen")].
(link: "Click here to play again!")[(reload:)]Claudia bristles slightly. "Well, that's fine."
Ugh. She's making you feel like a surly child.
...Better not prove her right, then. You soften a little.
"Sorry, Claudia. It's just.. it should be obvious to you why I'm not feeling the greatest about all this."
She ponders that for a few moments. "I suppose so. But, there's so many good times ahead of you! The wedding will be great fun, and the princess seems really nice, so I'm sure you'll get along well! And it's not it's the end of the world if you don't, either. Political marriages like this aren't really expected to last very long."
"What do you mean?"
"Well... I mean, that's just how it goes, doesn't it?" You haven't really talked about this before. It's odd that she'd assume you would be aware of this. "You should really be talking to Katarina about this. She knows a lot more about it than me."
Well, that's curious. You wonder what your other mother would know that Claudia doesn't. Will you [[take her advice->find katarina]], or [[find something else to do->something else]]?