<<set $power to 0>>
<<set $wit to 0>>
All you ever wanted was to be left alone, in peace, within the comfort of your little hut on wobbling chicken legs. As you sip your tea and contemplate Catkin's whiskers, you feel, for the first time in several bothersome days, at peace.
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' Were they always crooked?
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/cat.png?w=57&zoom=2">''Catkin:'' Mew?
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' Your whiskers. They're terribly--
<center><img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/crash.png?w=403"></center>
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' Ugh, not again.
You stand and hobble to the door, Catkin at your heels, then throw open the door.
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' It's always something, isn't it?
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/cat.png?w=57&zoom=2">''Catkin:'' Mew.
Sure enough, two dirt-coated little boys race around your house, tripping and screaming.
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' Hellspawn! Get out of my garden, before I cook and eat you both!
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/boy2-1.png?w=32" style="width:45px">''Hellspawn:'' You're just an old lady. I'm not scared of you!
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/cat.png?w=57&zoom=2">''Catkin:'' Mew!
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' That's right. You should be scared of me.
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' Where do you think all this around my middle comes from?
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' Little boys like you are very fatty, you know...
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/su1-student-male-10.png?w=36" style="width:45px">''Hellion:'' Ha! This witch thinks she can spook us. Watch this!
The little boy kicks at the trembling chicken leg holding up your house, causing the knee to buckle. As the house falls, the foundation cracks in half-- and all the sticks and stones you painstakingly crafted it with tumble all across the yard.
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' I warned you little shits!
And you did...
''What now, Baba Yaga?''
[[Scream at the boys]]
[[Fight the boys]]
//Editorial note: My goal in choosing Baba Yaga as my fairy tale was to craft the strong voice of a wise-cracking villain who eats children and casts spells, since the player fantasy of being Baba Yaga would likely include those elements. Wit and power are the two variables I chose to lead to two specific win conditions, as those variables felt most relevant to the character and the two main paths she may take to succeed.
Additionally, I've learned that starting en media res, in the middle of a conflict, pulls players immediately into a story. The conflict doesn't have to be huge, but players like to solve problems, so I typically avoid more the traditional narrative structure used in film and prose--where readers are immersed in the status quo world of the protagonist sans conflict. Since video games are interactive, I feel that more traditional storytelling structures are sometimes too slow for the medium--so I go in conflict-first more often than not.//
<<set $wit to $wit + 5>>
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' You think you can come into someone else's home and wreck it like it's nothing? Well, it's not nothing, you pieces of scat under my shoe! This is my life's blood. It's where I rest my weary head. I am the master of this domain, and you've stumbled into a den that doesn't belong to you. Do you know what happens to little boys who annoy creatures of the forest? They don't get their pick of pies, that's for sure!
As you scream, your voice grows louder, shriller, until the boys clutch their ears in confusion and pain.
<center><img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/splat.png?w=403"></center>
//Screaming at the boys earned you +<<print $wit>> wit!//
Their skin flies off their bones, sending their gory mess all over your perfect garden.
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' Oh, bumblebee tits. Now I've got to clean up guts...
Catkin helps lap up some of the meat, and together, you dump the larger hunks of boy meat onto a pan and roast it in your outdoor oven. As you eat, your chickens jump and squawk.
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' You lucked out tonight, hennies.
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' This meat came pre-plucked!
[[When dinner is finished, you take a look at your destroyed house]]
//Editorial note: I chose to use a stat meter to encourage players to think carefully about their decisions and to show them that choices matter. So often in branching paths, it can feel to a player like choices have no payoff--so using callbacks, or meters is a strategy I like to use sparingly to help player immersion, but there's always a balancing act between what can be implemented in a timely manner and the depth of the choices.//<<set $power to $power + 5>>
You growl, and Catkin follows suit, as you bound forward, your claw-like fingernails extending as you say the magic words:
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' Wafflefibber!
You land across the little boy's chest, dragging your nails down and revealing his blackened innards.
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/boy2-1.png?w=32" style="width:45px">''Hellspawn:'' Ahhhh! What the hell, granny?
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' Rotten! Just as I suspected.
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/cat.png?w=57&zoom=2">''Catkin:'' Mew?
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' All little boys are rotten inside.
Once the little boys are nice and minced, you toss them into a giant casserole dish and bake them in your giant oven.
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' Too bad their meat isn't fresher. Could've made a nice roast!
//Fighting the boys earned you +<<print $power>> power!//
[[When dinner is finished, you take a look at your destroyed house]]
//Editorial note: I like to use second-person after reading a survey on the Reddit forum for the visual novel app for whom I work. Players were asking if other players preferred first-, second-, or third-person, and the majority preferred first- or second-person. I always opt for one of those in content that is mostly text-based.//<<set $power to $power + 5>>
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' Bumblebee tits! All I wanted to do was sit and enjoy my evening, but thanks to you, I have to expend all my damn energy to get rid of you...
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/teacher-male-03.png?w=35" style="width:45px">''HOA Goon:'' Ms. Yaga, if you'd just agree to redo the house, I'll leave right away, come back in a week to check in, et cetera.
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' Oh, wafflefibber!
As you say the magic word, a giant gust of helium flows from your mouth into his.
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/teacher-male-03.png?w=35" style="width:45px">''HOA Goon:'' What did you call me?
But his body is already bloating, then floating, until he bounces against the ceiling, calling out his rules and regulations as he moves toward your window.
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/teacher-male-03.png?w=35" style="width:45px">''HOA Goon:'' Turning people into balloons is a known toxin in the nation of Oz!
//Your spell earned you +5 power! You have <<print $power>> power!//
Once he's gone, you try to settle back in for a calm night, but yet another HOA Goon arrives at your door. You dispense with him the same way, but he's followed by another... and another... and another, until your woods are filled with balloon men whose recitations of rules and regulations keep you up all night.
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' Fine, you win, you picketwisted asshats!
But before you rebuild, you venture out and pop every single man-balloon then use the skins to make chipotle chicken wraps.
[[Rebuild your house...again]]
//Editorial note: I wanted to give Baba Yaga several silly phrases that help immerse the player in a world that is just beyond their total comprehension, since this is a silly and sometimes nonsensical farce. Her catchphrases and curses are unique to her off-the-wall character.//<<set $wit to $wit + 5>>
The best way to get rid of the HOA is to use their own regulations against them, so you gather your breath and prepare to expound.
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' If I'm not mistaken, alliteration is known to encourage delinquency, as per statute 456.7 of your precious HOA code. Therefore, your love of "living, laughing, and loving" could be seen as the first step on a bad road.
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/teacher-male-03.png?w=35" style="width:45px">''HOA Goon:'' Uh... you're right. I'd forgotten statute 456.7...
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' I'm afraid that I'll need to report you to your superiors, for your first offense, and for this offense, because if I'm not mistaken, forgetting statute 456.7 is against statute 1,942.8 of the HOA code.
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/teacher-male-03.png?w=35" style="width:45px">''HOA Goon:'' 1,942.8? It... goes that high?
As you continue speaking, the HOA Goon's eyes roll back in his head, his hands shaking at the wealth of regulatory information.
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' ...And, if I'm not mistaken, questioning the extensive numerical upper end of the HOA code is against statue 1 million and fifty point nine...
You made that one up, but your plan is working; the HOA Goon's head spins thrice before exploding.
//Arguing with him earned you +5 wit! You have <<print $wit>> wit!//
Feeling smug, and well-informed about HOA codes, you clean the goon's body for roasting, stick the slab of meat over the fire, and settle in to finish off your night, but another HOA Goon arrives, citing additional codes, then another, and another... until you're out of fires and cold spaces in which to store the leftover meat.
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' Fine, you win, you pickletwisted asshats!
[[Rebuild your house...again]]You examine the materials inside your house: spices, a dozen of Catkin's cat toys, your endless supply of pro-aging creams to enhance your warts and wrinkles. The books!
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/cat.png?w=57&zoom=2">''Catkin:'' Mew?
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' Oh, please. That TBR pile has grown higher and higher every damn year.
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/cat.png?w=57&zoom=2">''Catkin:'' Mew!
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' If the world ends, you really think reading will be top-of-mind, cat? We'll be fighting for survival.
You take down the books and begin replacing the rubber and tax-return walls and roof.
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' They were ruined by the elements anyway, and everyone knows both little boys //and// HOA Goons are repelled by books.
After stuffing yourself full of HOA Goon, you settle down once more for what should be a lovely evening.
<center><img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/whoosh.png?w=486"></center>
All of a sudden, your walls collapse, revealing a giant wolf on the other side, his mouth poised in an O, as though he's been blowing and blowing... until he blew your house down.
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' I know this one. Why me? I'm no pig!
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/wolf_0001_brown-edited.png" style="width:55px">''Big Bad:'' It's what I do.
The wolf sighs, then holds his head in his big, hairy paws.
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/wolf_0001_brown-edited.png" style="width:55px">''Big Bad:'' I can't help it. I've tried to stop, but I can't fight the urge long enough to make any difference...
The wolf cries, his tears wetting his fur and filling what remains of your home with the stink of wet fur.
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' Bumblebee tits, that stinks...
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/wolf_0001_brown-edited.png" style="width:55px">''Big Bad:'' And the worst part is, my sponsor, Little Red, is going to be so ashamed of me!
''What now, Baba Yaga?''
[[Fight the wolf with a spell]]
[[Call the wolf's sponsor]]
//Editorial note: In the ideal version of this story, the dialog would bookend sections of gameplay where players would build their homes from various strange and unusual art assets, and responses from the antagonists would use if/and statements to make the dialog specific to each player, teaching players that their choices matter and encouraging them to engage fully with the material.//<<set $wit to $wit + 5>>
You find your phone half-buried in the mess and dial up Little Red's number. She rushes down to Big Bad's assistance.
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/red.png?w=29" style="width:45px">''Little Red:'' Hey, big fella, everyone slides...
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/wolf_0001_brown-edited.png" style="width:55px">''Big Bad:'' I was close to a week!
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/red.png?w=29" style="width:45px">''Little Red:'' And you just have to take it a day at a time.
Little Red and Big Bad sit together on your sofa as she comforts him. For hours. The sunrise bursts into the sky, and they're still talking, taking up your space, leaving their stink of ennui all over your home.
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' That's it. I can't take this anymore!
You light the place on fire, and the wisdom of all those words on fire fills the air as Little Red and Big Bad catch flame.
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' I feel smarter! I should have burned these books a long time ago instead of just stacking them.
//Breathing the wordy fumes earned you +5 wit! You have <<print $wit>> wit!//
After your breakfast of roast Red, you get back to work.
[[Rebuild the house...again. Again...]]<<set $power to $power + 5>>
Your bones are tired, but there's no other way: you have to get this pickletwisted wolf the hell out of here.
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' Wafflefibber!
The wolf looks up from his ennui, confusion furrowing his hairy brow.
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/piggo.png?w=43" style="width:45px">''Pig:'' Oink!
The spirits of all the little pigs the wolf blew out of house and home bound from the woods until Big Bad is surrounded on all sides.
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/wolf_0001_brown-edited.png" style="width:55px">''Big Bad:'' Huh? But you're all dead!
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' Your past came back to bite you in the ass. Or tail.
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/cat.png?w=57&zoom=2">''Catkin:'' Mew?
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' Eh, you're right. A breakfast of roast ghost pig and wolf would be tasty...
You take a deep breath and let the magic word loose again.
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' Wafflefibber!
All at once, a fire erupts across all your old books, spreading fast to engulf your enemies and his enemies.
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' They say the enemy of your enemy is a delicious meal.
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/cat.png?w=57&zoom=2">''Catkin:'' Mew?
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' They say that somewhere, I'm sure.
//Your spells earned you +5 power! You have <<print $power>> power!//
After your breakfast of roast ghost, you get back to work.
[[Rebuild the house...again. Again...]]
//Editorial note: Baba Yaga stories all revolve around the feat of her casting terrible spells and consuming people, so to adhere to the player fantasy of being Baba Yaga, I needed to make sure that most of her interactions with her antagonists ended in cooking and eating them.//<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' Screw clever solutions. At this point, I'm going hide-and-chic.
You gather your materials, scraping bits of bark from nearby trees and pasting it onto the outer walls of your home so no little boy, HOA Goon, or wolf can find you.
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/cat.png?w=57&zoom=2">''Catkin:'' Mew?
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' That's right, we're living with the birds, but if you eat our new neighbors, Catkin, I swear on your ninth life...
You affix collapsible chicken legs to the bottom of your treehouse, to make it easy to camouflage, then settle in for your evening meal, a feast of fleshy leftovers.
<center><img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/tap-tap.png?w=754" style="width:600px"></center>
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' Bumblebee tits! Someone's messing with my door...
''What now, Baba Yaga?''
[[Answer the damn door again]]
[[Look out the pickletwisted window first]]<<set $wit to $wit + 5>>
When you glance out the window, you find a bird with a long beak.
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/crowv2_fly_01.png?w=696" style="width:40px">''Bird Brain:'' Excuse me, Ms. Yaga, I'm with the local HOA.
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' ...HOA?
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/crowv2_fly_01.png?w=696" style="width:40px">''Bird Brain:'' The Highly Opinionated Avians. I'm afraid you need to let me in right away.
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' And I'm afraid that I don't care.
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/crowv2_fly_01.png?w=696" style="width:40px">''Bird Brain:'' This is our territory, Ms. Yaga, and if you don't open up, we'll have to knock all night...
//Smart! Checking out the window first earned you +5 wit! You have <<print $wit>> wit!//
//Too bad it didn't make this bird go away...//
[[Answer the damn door again]]
//Editorial note: Fairy tales thrive on the repetition of events, with minor changes occurring at each new instance. I wanted to use these repetitions to create more humor, but since this scene is a slightly altered repeat of an above beat, I kept it short and sweet so as to not stress the player's patience.//<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/crowv2_fly_01.png?w=696" style="width:40px">''Bird Brain:'' Thank you for letting me inside. As President of the Highly Opinionated Avians, I'm afraid I have to inform you that these retractable chicken legs are in direct violation of code 44BC.
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' There's a bird code?
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/crowv2_fly_01.png?w=696" style="width:40px">''Bird Brain:'' Of course, Ms. Yaga. It's the only way to ensure that our woods remain peaceful for the plumage?
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' And what's the punishment for refusing to follow the HOA's orders?
<center><img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/chirp.png?w=403"></center>
You open your door and find the branches of your sanctuary full of chirping birds
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' Bumblebee tits! They're shitting on my roof, aren't they?.
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/crowv2_fly_01.png?w=696" style="width:45px">''Bird Brain:'' The punishment for violating code 44BC.
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/cat.png?w=57&zoom=2">''Catkin:'' Mew?
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' My feline friend here wants to eat you all. I have half a mind to let her...
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/crowv2_fly_01.png?w=696" style="width:45px">''Bird Brain:'' Surely you wouldn't! That's barbaric, Ms. Yaga!
''What now, Baba Yaga?''
[[Let the cat do her thing]]
[[Leave the woodpecker alone. They'll just keep coming back...]]
//Editorial Note: Since not all players will choose to check the window first, some won't encounter the bird's introduction as a member of the Highly Opinionated Avians, so it was important to re-iterate the fact here, but in a way that would still work and not be overly repetitious if players did look out the window first.//<<set $power to $power + 5>>
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' "Baba" stands for barbarian, as it happens...
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/cat.png?w=57&zoom=2">''Catkin:'' Mew!
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' Get 'em, Catkin.
You sit back and relax as Catkin takes down each and every one of the birds in a caw-catphony of hisses and squawks.
//Catkin appreciated the snack and gave you +5 power! You have <<print $power>> power!//
When she's finished, you survey the bloody damage.
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' My fridge is overstuffed with meat. My home is full of bygone birds. I can't possibly keep building this place over and over...
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/cat.png?w=57&zoom=2">''Catkin:'' Mrrrr.
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' Don't talk with your mouth full. But you're right. There's only one thing to do...
[[Make the terrible trek to town]]
//Editorial note: As the story progressed, I wanted to show Baba Yaga's increasing frustration reflected in the choice lines themselves, so I started using her linguistic style instead of an objective narratorial style.//<<set $wit to $wit + 5>>
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' You're right. I'm not a barbarian. The Baba Yaga family has thrived on one rule alone: waste not, want not. And as you can see, we have too much meat to eat ourselves at the moment.
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/cat.png?w=57&zoom=2">''Catkin:'' Mew!
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' Not today. And not tomorrow, either. HOA members are like hydra. Kill one, another comes.
//Smart. You know your forest, and those woodpeckers don't quit! +5 wit! You now have <<print $wit>> wit!//
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/crowv2_fly_01.png?w=696" style="width:45px">''Bird Brain:'' Thank you, Ms. Yaga. And the violation?
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' I can't keep rebuilding. My hands are tired, and despite the evidence to the contrary, I'm quite lazy. There's only one thing to do...
[[Make the terrible trek to town]]
//Editorial note: I like to name unnamed NPCs as the playable character might nickname them, for extra flavor.//When you reach town, you march right to the city center and survey your surroundings. Citizens mill around, shopping, speaking, children spinning in circles like little idiots. All the things you, Baba Yaga, hate.
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/male-17-4.png?w=31" style="width:45px">''Mayor:'' Baba Yaga! How can we help you on this fine day?
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' Is it fine? Could be finer...
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/male-17-4.png?w=31" style="width:45px">''Mayor:'' And how? The sun is shining, the wind is calm!
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' I could be sitting alone in my hut, eating a hot strew and being unbothered.
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/male-17-4.png?w=31" style="width:45px">''Mayor:'' Are you here to vote? Pick me to serve another year as mayor, and I'll make sure the HOA is fully-funded.
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' You couldn't pay me to vote for that.
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/male-17-4.png?w=31" style="width:45px">''Mayor:'' No? And what about my second campaign promise, to give all the little boys fireworks?
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' ...Do you have a death wish?
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/male-17-4.png?w=31" style="width:45px">''Mayor:'' Ha ha, Baba Yaga! You'd never dare to eat me! I'm the Mayor. To whom would you pay your copious taxes?
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/cat.png?w=57&zoom=2">''Catkin:'' Mew.
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' As I see it, there are two solutions to this issue. And yes, Catkin, one involves a tasty stew...
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' The other? Well, it will require some--what do they call it?--diplomacy.
''What now, Baba Yaga?''
[["I'm running for mayor."]]
[["Wafflefibber!"]]<<if $wit >= 10>>
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/male-17-4.png?w=31" style="width:45px">''Mayor:'' Excuse me? I'm undefeated...
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' And uncontested. But not anymore! I'm running, and I'm going to win.
You stand in the center of town, making your campaign promises to anyone who will listen. And there are a lot of people listening, as Catkin threatens to de-skin anyone who ignores you.
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' And the HOA will be outlawed!
The crowd cheers.
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/male-17-4.png?w=31" style="width:45px">''Mayor:'' Outlawed! She said outlawed, not funded!
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' No one likes an HOA, you spitshoe.
You continue your promises, and the crowd eats it up like you eat the people who annoy you.
After a grueling day of talking to people instead of dining on them, you win the election.
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' Ha! The first order of business: it's now illegal to bother me, under penalty of long and painful death. The second order of business: That's it. I'm headed back. Govern yourselves!
As you and Catkin head back to your hut in the woods, you grin at the chaotic noises erupting behind you as the townspeople realize they've been fooled, yet again, by a politician.
You settle down beside the fire with Catkin, assured that anyone who bothers you will know the consequences.
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' Finally alone.
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/cat.png?w=57&zoom=2">''Catkin:'' Mew!
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' Of course. Except for you, Catkin.
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/cat.png?w=57&zoom=2">''Catkin:'' Mew.
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' My only friend. And that's the way we like it.
<center><img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/you-won.png?w=532"></center>
<<endif>>
<<if $wit < 10>>
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/male-17-4.png?w=31" style="width:45px">''Mayor:'' Excuse me? I'm undefeated...
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' And uncontested. But not anymore! I'm running, and I'm going to win.
You stand in the center of town, making your campaign promises to anyone who will listen. But slowly, they lose interest. You investigate and find the mayor passing out earplugs, to block the sound of your voice and the sound of your magic word.
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/male-17-4.png?w=31" style="width:45px">''Mayor:'' And guess who told me how to thwart you?
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/cat.png?w=57&zoom=2">''Catkin:'' Mew...
Catkin sprawls in a pile of cat treats, clearly bribed.
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' Betrayer!
You repeat your magic word over and over, but no one can hear it, save Catkin, who has long been immune. She rips off her catskin, revealing underneath a different cat body, this one with a suit and tie.
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/cat.png?w=57&zoom=2">''Catkin:'' Excuse me, but I'm the President of the Feline Housing Authority, and your builds have unfortunately violated statutes six through 25 of the Claw Enforcement Code.
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' Not you! My only friend!
As Catkin lays out the various rules and regulations you seem to have broken, you crumple into the dirt, a helpless mess, staring at Catkin's crooked whiskers.
<center><img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/try-again.png?w=618"></center>
<<endif>>
//Editorial note: Because the wit ending is what I consider my golden path, I wanted to offer additional opportunities to gain wit, to encourage players to follow this path. The subversion of the Baba Yaga story, where she uses her wits to overcome, appeals to me as a story arc. Throughout the game, Baba Yaga tries to solve problems the way she always has, through cooking her enemies, so her arc becomes changing her ways and winning/losing, or remaining the same and winning/losing. But since players never do what we want them to, I made both endings appealing in different ways.//<<if $power >= 10>>
As the magic word leaves your lips, the townspeople freeze, then melt into a creamy white foam. You and Catkin collect the foam into glass containers and take it back to your brand-new hut, an exact replica of the first hut, your favorite hut. You use the foam to provide extra flavor and mouthfeel to your fridge-ful of meat, so that you don't tire from eating the same old barbecue, day after day, night after peaceful, undisturbed night.
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' Finally alone.
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/cat.png?w=57&zoom=2">''Catkin:'' Mew!
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' Of course. Except for you, Catkin.
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/cat.png?w=57&zoom=2">''Catkin:'' Mew.
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' My only friend. And that's the way we like it.
<center><img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/you-won.png?w=532"></center>
<<endif>>
<<if $power < 10>>
The words start to leave your mouth, but the mayor interrupts, and you stumble on the final syllable. You and Catkin inflate all at once, floating up into the sky above the town, ballooning together. With your mouth as the tied-up opening, you're unable to speak the word to end the spell, so you float along, day after day, but at least you're finally alone.
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' Bumblebee tits!
<center><img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/try-again.png?w=618"></center>
<<endif>>
//Editorial note: Since this is a silly story, I chose to use variables quantities that would allow most people to achieve the win condition ending. I set the win condition to 10 power points, since players have the opportunity to win 20 points total. If they choose two of the "power" options, they can win the game, but if they choose to focus on earning wit throughout the game, they will have a more difficult time achieving the power win. The "power" win puts Baba Yaga on a more traditional path--consuming the mayor, as she might be more likely to do in the original fairy tales--but my golden path is to subvert expectations and choose the "wit" path to winning. Therefore, it is easier to achieve the win condition if you choose to try for the winning wit condition.//Your poor home. Wood and glass lay across the grass, ghost fragments of your cozy home.
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' I spent so much time building.
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/cat.png?w=57&zoom=2">''Catkin:'' Mew...
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' Rebuild? So that more hellish little boys can come to take it down again?
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/cat.png?w=57&zoom=2">''Catkin:'' Meow!
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' Better materials than wood and glass? Perhaps...
You glance around your garden. Your rubber plants gleam in the sun.
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' Of course! If I build the house out of rubber, the little boys will bounce right off if they try to kick it down.
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/cat.png?w=57&zoom=2">''Catkin:'' Mew!
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' And these scattered documents, my files! If I use my tax returns to roof the house, it'll repel the shitheads. Everyone knows children are most afraid of growing up!
After the house is rebuilt, you work on your final flourish, taking paint to canvas.
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' "Live Laugh Love" is the perfect sign to hang. It'll remind them of their mothers...
You grab one of your chickens, and using your magic, you pull their legs thin and large-- and affix them to the bottom of your brand-new hut.
Pleased with your work, you settle in for a lovely night at home with Catkin, listening to the sounds of children bouncing off the house then running frightened and cringed-out, when there's the sound of someone hammering into the door.
<center><img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/bang-bang.png?w=618"></center>
''What now, Baba Yaga?''
[[Answer the door]]
[[Peek out the window first]]
//Editorial note: The strategy of branching choices that feed quickly back into a main storyline is one I use often for dialog, as it creates autonomy in the player while also simplifying implementation and writing. Additionally, too many disparate choices can make it difficult to create sequels, and with original IP, this is often a consideration that needs addressing.//You open the door to the man on your doorstep, and against your better judgment, let the man inside.
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/teacher-male-03.png?w=35" style="width:45px">''HOA Goon:'' I'm the President of the local HOA, you know.
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' Oh my, I didn't realize I was in the presence of the HOA president.
The man knocks on your rubber walls, frowning as he inspects the manufacturer's seal.
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/teacher-male-03.png?w=35" style="width:45px">''HOA Goon:'' It's as I thought. This particular rubber is toxic. It's a known carcinogen in the state of California.
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' Good thing we're not in California!
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/teacher-male-03.png?w=35" style="width:45px">''HOA Goon:'' Don't you care about the toxicity of your home?
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' Right now, the most toxic thing in my home is talking at me incessantly.
The man pulls a tax document down from your roof and tsks as he reads it over.
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/teacher-male-03.png?w=35" style="width:45px">''HOA Goon:'' Ms. Yaga, these are over seven years out of date. You'll have to replace them with more recent returns.
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' Says who?
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/teacher-male-03.png?w=35" style="width:45px">''HOA Goon:'' It's in the code.
Next, the man looks at your wine-mom art.
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' Let me guess. Against code?
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/teacher-male-03.png?w=35" style="width:45px">''HOA Goon:'' No, your art is wonderful. I, too, like to live, laugh, and love!
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/cat.png?w=57&zoom=2">''Catkin:'' Mew!
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' I agree. This guy would be better as a stew or something...
''What now, Baba Yaga?''
[[Do a spell to blow his body into a balloon]]
[[Argue him into submission]]
//Editorial note: I'm a firm believer that players and readers enjoy a combination of strong, recognizable tropes twisted in new and interesting ways. The most popular and beloved games, shows, and other media take a well-worn storyline or character type and turns it on its side while also paying homage to the trope itself. Tropes create easy entry points for players, as they feel immediately comfortable with the material or the world, while the deviations keep the player engaged. My goal with introducing an HOA into a fairy tale was to combine fairy tale and the modern world in a way that balanced trope and innovation.//<<set $wit to $wit + 5>>
//Smart! Checking out the window first earned you +5 wit! You have <<print $wit>> wit!//
You look out the window to find a squat man with a clipboard hemming and hawing on your doorstep.
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' Go away.
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/teacher-male-03.png?w=35" style="width:45px">''HOA Goon:'' Ms. Yaga, I'm with the local HOA. I see you've made your house out of rubber and outdated tax documents.
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' You're observant.
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/teacher-male-03.png?w=35" style="width:45px">''HOA Goon:'' Were you aware that these materials are against the HOA's policies?
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/mio-static.gif?w=49&zoom=2">''Baba Yaga:'' Were you aware that bothering me is against my own policy?
<img src="https://bonniejostufflebeam.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/teacher-male-03.png?w=35" style="width:45px">''HOA Goon:'' Ms. Yaga, may I speak with you face to face?
Your stomach growls. The man has enough meat on him to make a fine snack.
[[Answer the door]]
//Editorial note: By giving extra choices to explore the world more, or to be cautious. I hope to encourage curiosity in the player--if they choose to take actions that give them extra content, they'll get a more robust experience, and be rewarded with additional stats, much like an open-world rewards players for taking side missions with extra items or added opportunities to level up.//