2016 #AtoZChallenge - The great Hoist!

For those who are here for the first time, this is an interactive fiction adventure. I will write a scene every day, and my visitors will vote for where they want the story to go next, by leaving a comment on the post. You can start from the beginning here.

H:
"Gorilla! I need your help! To me, and horse!" Andy shouted over the crowd.
Gorilla rushed to his side and said, "What is it Sir?"
"The Squirrels! Do you see? They can't get past the top of the wall. I need you and Horse to hoist me up to the edge so I can see what is threatening them there."
After a brief logistical conference with Horse, Gorilla climbed aboard his back. He gripped Horse's mane with his dexterous toes and with a "hup!" popped Andy up above the edge of the wall. Andy gripped the edge of the wall so he could actually flip over it, and was immediately glad he hadn't just allowed himself to fall over.
Just past the lip of the wall were snakes. Lots. Of. Snakes.
One of them saw him and attempted to strike, but hit the leather of his boots and thankfully was unable to penetrate. A squirrel popped up next to Andy and hid behind his boot for safety.

What should Sir Andrew do?

Ignore them and walk long the edge to somewhere safe

or jump Into the fray and do away with as many as he can?

Vote for the next direction for the story in the comments below! Voting will close at 8:30pm MDT/10:30pm EDT.
Voting has closed on this post! Please click here to move to the next post in the story :)
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2016 #AtoZChallenge - Ground attack!

Whoops! Today kindof got away from me! I've never really understood how it is that sometimes Fridays are so nuts. Sorry about the late post, but hey at least it's done, and a little longer! :)

Another A-Z'er wrote a piece of fan fiction about our story, y'all! Check Ginni out after you vote!

For those who are here for the first time, this is an interactive fiction adventure. I will write a scene every day, and my visitors will vote for where they want the story to go next by leaving a comment on the post. You can start from the beginning here.

G:
Andy walked over to where Gorilla was organizing the troops. "Sir Andrew!" Gorilla bowed, and the troops nearest him followed suit, causing a cascade of visible crowns of heads going back through the animals.
Andy climbed atop a horse so he could see everyone better. "Thank you, Gorilla. Troops!" he said, facing out toward the crowd, "We must do the right thing! And the right thing is to rescue Queen Eileen and bring her home!"
The crowd roared, chirped, squeaked, and made whatever noise a giraffe makes.
"Follow your captains! We will attack on all fronts, from the Ground! Move at three so we can be done by dinnertime!" Sir Andrew shook his fist at the castle as his troops rumbled behind him. "Come, Horse - we attack with Gorilla, from the bed-side of the castle!" Horse galloped off to a spot between the Castle and the Great Blue Bed and they were soon joined by Gorilla and the rest of the troops.
Sir Andrew hopped off Horse to speak to Gorilla. "It's almost time. When the light comes through the Window, we ride." He looked toward the castle and saw a pterodactyl watching them from atop the rampart.
Gorilla said, "Sir, I've tasked the squirrels, and Horse, and two birds to be at your service during battle. And of course, I won't be far away."
"Thank you, General. Are you ready?"
"I'm always ready," Gorilla said, bowing deeply with a dangerous glint in his eye. "Just tell me when."
Andy re-mounted Horse, and the others gathered near him. He took a deep breath and said, "Ready, set... CHARGE!!!"
A mass of furred creatures descended from all around the castle. Squirrels made terrible screeching noises, Horse carried Andrew to the wall so very swiftly, and over it all, Gorilla bellowed. Sir Andrew cringed as the pterodactyl swooped down, carrying off the tiniest of his troops, sometimes one in each talon. He glanced toward another side of the castle and saw Giraffe laden with several smaller troops and what looked like a ladder running up the back of his neck.
They reached the wall and the squirrels scampered up, reaching the top in only seconds. But, as many of the squirrels reached the top, they would stop short, make a jerking motion, and suddenly fall back, tumbling into the crowd below them.
"What could they possibly have up there, Horse?? Why are they falling?"

What should Sir Andrew do?

Hightail it back

Get Gorilla and Horse to Hoist Andy up the wall

or ask a bird to Hover over Andy to tell him what is going on up there.

(Turns out Giraffes do make noise, but we can't hear it. Check out this video at about 1:20)

Comment below with where you think the story should go! And let's go ahead and leave voting open until Saturday morning sometime. We're going to a concert tonight so I likely won't get back to writing this evening.

Voting has closed on this post! Please click here to move to the next post in the story :)
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If you like what you see, sign up for my email list! New subscribers get a FREE copy of a choose-your-own-adventure style ebook novella called Percy's Armageddon: Pick Your Plot Prequel!

#AtoZChallenge - Fight!

For those who are here for the first time, this is an interactive fiction adventure. I will write a scene every day, and my visitors will vote for where they want the story to go next, by leaving a comment on the post. You can start from the beginning here.

F:
"You heard him, Gorilla. We fight," Andy said.
"Yes, sir!" Gorilla brought his massive hand just above his eyes in a sharp salute and sauntered away, bellowing "Troops! To me! To me!"
Giraffe walked slowly toward Gorilla, his head swaying languidly high in the air in time with his steps. A small bird perched on his back and chirped merrily about the upcoming battle. Lion walked proudly next to Giraffe, flexing his muscles and looking down his nose at Gorilla, and various small dogs and other furry creatures swarmed on the ground between them.
"It's time to rescue Queen Eileen, Dog! They have had her for too long. How do you advise we begin the attack?"

Where should they attack first?

Straight at the Gate,

The Garrets at the top corners of the walls,

or on the Ground, surrounding the whole castle.

Cast your vote in the comments below! Voting closes at 8:30pm MDT/10:30pm EDT.

Voting has closed on this post! Please click here to move to the next post in the story :)
____________________________________________________________________________
If you like what you see, sign up for my email list! New subscribers get a FREE copy of a choose-your-own-adventure style ebook novella called Percy's Armageddon: Pick Your Plot Prequel!

#AtoZChallenge - Save Queen Eileen!

Today is one of those days where ALL THE THINGS happen at once! It's IWSG first-Wednesday, posting here, and I have a post up at the Main Challenge blog! Spoiler alert: contains mention of Wayne's World. Check it out :)

For IWSG all I'll say today is - SO much going on, SO many ideas, HOW does it all get done??

For those who are here for the first time, this is an interactive fiction adventure. I will write a scene every day, and my visitors will vote for where they want the story to go next, by leaving a comment on the post. You can start from the beginning here.

E:
"General Gorilla, we need to rescue Queen Eileen. The Dinosaurs have had her for three days, and her little puppy heart can't take much longer, I'm sure." Sir Andrew adjusted his cape around his shoulders, assuming a more Princely stance.
"Yes, Sir Andrew." Gorilla bowed deeply with a glint in his eye. He responded in his gravel voice, "Just say the word and we'll attack. I've always wanted to get into that castle."
Sir Andrew looked at his most loyal advisor and said, "Dog, you always know what's best. What do you think we should do?"

How should Dog respond? "Thank you sir, I believe the correct action is to...

"..run up a Flag of truce and try to negotiate for Queen Eileen's release"?

or "...attack now and Fight to the end"?

Vote in the comments for your favorite option! Voting closes at 8:30 MTN/10:30 EDT! 9pm was turning out to be too close to bedtime, gotta back it up half an hour. Thanks, everyone :)

Voting has closed on this post! Please click here to move to the next post in the story :)
__________________________________________________________________________
If you like what you see, sign up for my email list! New subscribers get a FREE copy of a choose-your-own-adventure style ebook novella called Percy's Armageddon: Pick Your Plot Prequel!

#AtoZChallenge - Dinosaurs prepare to Defend!

For those who are here for the first time, this is an interactive fiction adventure. I will write a scene every day, and my visitors will vote for where they want the story to go next, by leaving a comment on the post. You can start from the beginning here.

By a 2:1 margin, the Dinosaurs had it yesterday!

D:
"Dinosaurs, you'll defend your position against these hairy beasts!" He placed the dinosaur creatures inside the castle. Brontosaurus took up most of the courtyard, but the pterodactyls fit nicely up on the castle's walls. T-rex started near the castle gate, and the smaller creatures took up their positions looking out windows and arrowslits.
"Gorilla, muster your troops out on the carpet and make your plan of attack. You have to get in to get.. umm.."

But what are the dinosaurs protecting within the castle?

Enormous jewels,

The quEEn of the furry creatures,

or Enough food for a year?

Vote in the comments for your favorite option! Voting closes at 8:30 MTN/10:30 EDT! 9pm is turning out to be too close to bedtime, gotta back it up half an hour. Thanks, everyone :)

Voting has closed on this post! Please click here to move to the next post in the story :)
____________________________________________________
If you like what you see, sign up for my email list! New subscribers get a FREE copy of a choose-your-own-adventure style ebook novella called Percy's Armageddon: Pick Your Plot Prequel!

2016 #AtoZChallenge - Castle!

For those who are here for the first time, this is an interactive fiction adventure. I will write a scene every day, and my visitors will vote for where they want the story to go next, by leaving a comment on the post. You can start from the beginning here.

C:
"The castle! A formidable shelter, despite damage from a midnight catastrophe!" Andy pulled the castle across the floor into the middle of his room. He reset a couple scenes within the castle's rooms, and replaced a little plastic flag on top of one of the turrets. The flag had a green and blue sticker on it that had started to peel up at the edges a bit. He scattered blocks near the broken portion of the wall, giving an impression of recent destruction. As a final touch, Andy drew the drawbridge, to prepare for battle.
"I've decided, troops! We're going to battle the furry creatures vs the reptiles. Assemble your ranks, and we'll pick sides next." He separated the plastic toys into two groups. Dinosaurs, snakes and iguanas here - dogs, monkeys, and horses over there. He put a couple birds with each group. Gorilla, of course, went with his furry fellows. "Are you happy Gorilla? We're almost ready to fight! Now, who will defend the castle, and who will attack?"

Which band of creatures will defend the castle?

Dinosaurs and other scaly beasts

or the Dogs and the furry creatures?

Cast your vote for one of the two choices in the comments below! Voting closes at 9pm MTN/11pm EDT so I can write before bed!
Voting has closed on this post! Please click here to move to the next post in the story :)
_____________________________________________________________________
And, if you like what you see, sign up for my email list! New subscribers get a FREE copy of a choose-your-own-adventure style ebook novella called Percy's Armageddon: Pick Your Plot Prequel!