Okay, I've been asked what the Choose Your Own Adventure Project is, so I thought I would explain and give an example
A few years ago, there was a meme going around (and still is if I remember correctly), where people would say, "Send me an e-mail, and I will make something and send it to you."
I don't know how that project got started, but I got a little jealous. You see, I'm creative, but only with my mind. I took art classes when I was in school, and while my teachers lauded me for having great ideas, I often lost point when it came to taking those ideas and making them tangible.
I can't draw, I can't sculpt or crave, and I can't construct anything that might even be considered "contemporary art". It's just crap.
But, according to many of the people that I knew at the time, I could write, so I decided to do my own little project.
I came up with the Choose Your Own Adventure one evening while I was trying to sleep. It was one of my impulse thoughts, and the next morning I created a blog entry explaining what I needed before I could talk myself out of it.
The premise was simple. I would ask people to give me specific elements of a potential story, and I would then write a piece of short fiction using those elements. Those elements were:
1. Location:
2. One other person, fictional or no, to play a part in the story, along side the contributor. Yes, the contributor would be the main person in the story. I just needed the name of someone else for them to interact with.
3. A catalyst of some sort. Something that would happen that get the story moving along.
I thought I would get one or two responses at best, but I got so many that I ended up not finishing them all. It was crazy. And touching. And I had a blast.
Anyway, I thought about starting that up again, making that part of the Days Of Me project. I'm not really sure how fiction plays into this, but why the hell not. These are my entries, and I can do whatever I want.
So, what I'm going to do is copy and paste an old entry from a couple of years ago. It is actually one of my favorites. I wrote it for my friend Bobby who was one of the first to respond.
Here it is: I hope you enjoy. And let me know what you think and if anyone is interested in doing this project with me again. Of course, I won't kill myself like I did last time. People who read my blog now seem to be much more patient when it comes to when I post stuff.
Thanks for reading!
---
Choose Your Own Adventure!
Place: Busy Street in a Large City (I chose Chicago)
Other Person: Christian Bale
Event Trigger: He is coming out to Bobby, because he has fallen in love. Of course, people keep interrupting.And now...---Three Strikes, and You're Out "This hangover is going to kill me," Bobby said as he leaned against a pole on the corner of Halsted and Roscoe, "I'm serious."
William stood nearby watching Bobby through the mist of his own breath in the cold Chicago air. "Oh, come on, you didn't drink *that* much, did you?"Bobby gave William an incredulous look, and said, "I started drinking at 1 in the afternoon, remember?" "No, I got to the hotel at 5:30. I figured you started drinking then." William said with a bit of humor in his voice, "Whatever happened to the guy you tricked with?""Did I trick with someone?" Bobby asked. William shook his head, "I guess you *did* drink a lot."Bobby stood up from leaning against the pole and said, "No fuckin' shit. Look, if I get some breakfast I'll be fine. Nookie's Tree alright?" William nodded and began to walk south while Bobby followed. They hadn't gone more than 10 paces when a man who looked to be in his early 30s walked straight up to Bobby and kissed him on the mouth. The man was wearing a white hoodie and jeans, which made him looked mildly meancing. There was no prelude, or hello, just a kiss that stopped Bobby in his tracks. William knew that if Bobby hadn't been so incapacitated by the hangover, this guy would have been on that ground without lips. Lucky for the guy, all he got was a quick shove back.William laughed as he said "Hey Bobby, looks like your friend is back for mo..." Then he stopped. ---With only the dim bathroom light to guide them, Bobby and his new friend stumbled through the hotel room, trying not to wake William up. They didn't know that William had just turned out the light and hadn't had a chance to fall asleep yet. One of them stumbled on the office chair, and the two temporary lovebirds giggled drunkenly while on their way to the other bed. William tried to get a look at the guy who came back to the room with Bobby, but there wasn't enough light to make out a face. Wanting to give them some privacy, he rolled over on his side, and let the sounds of drunken passion lull him to sleep. ---"I looked for you back at the hotel, but you weren't there," the 30-something man said with a British Accent. "I check with the front desk, but they said you hadn't checked out yet, so I came looking for you. I have to talk to you." Bobby was wiping his mouth off gingerly saying, "Wait. Who the fuck are you?"William's eyes widened as he said, "That's Christian Bale, Bobby. Your trick from last night..." Bobby glared at William, "I don't care if it's Jesus Fucking Christ and the Disciples, you don't just fuckin' kiss someone without...""I love you." Christian said and after a shocked moment, William burst out laughing. Bobby began walking again toward the restaurant, which wasn't even a block away, "Hey, look Chris, I don't even remember you. Hell, if William hadn't told me, I wouldn't have known that anyone stayed with me last night." "I would have stayed this morning, but I had to meet with my agent early this morning. While I was talking to him..." Christian was interrupted by a woman holding a camera. She looked like a business woman who had seen her share of cosmetic surgery, right down to her too perfect cleavage that had to have been bought. "Oh. My. God. It's Batman! Please, please, PLEASE can I get a picture taken with you?!" the woman said in a hysterical tone, "And an autograph? Holy shit, it's really you!" She handed Bobby the camera and told him where to push the button for the photo. Bobby, who was in a foul temper to begin with, just stared at the camera glare that should have melted it. The woman posed next to Christian who also looked as if he weren't too happy about this. Bobby then took the camera and through it out onto the busy street where it was promptly run over by a cab. The woman looked toward where the camera landed and said, "You fucking asshole, that was a 600 dollar camera.""Yeah," Christian said, "Now it's a worthless pile of plastic, just like you, you dumb twat!" William burst out laughing at the sudden quick wit. Bobby smirked, but was still too fuzzy to really appreciate the clever verbal barb. The woman's face went pale at the outburst, and she slunk away into the milling crowd like a spectre into a swamp.Christian took Bobby's arm, ignoring the man's glare, and said, "Well, shall we be off? I'm starving." "Come on," William said, "it can't hurt. We were going to have breakfast anyway. And...it's Christian Bale and how often do you...." His voice trailed off as Bobby's face reddened in anger. ---William often refers to Nookie's Tree as the Gay Denny's. Open 24 hours, and serving breakfast all day, it's smack dab in the middle of Boystown, so of course, most weekends, there are waves of people eager to plunge into brunch, no matter the time. The trio walked into Nookie's Tree at the perfect moment. There was no one waiting for a table, and there was only one available so they could sit down without waiting. Since it was apparent that Bobby had very little patience, William breathed a sigh of relief. Christian had pulled up his hoodie, and put on some sunglasses, which did nothing to make him blend in. In fact, he drew more attention that way.This became apparent when the waitress came up to the table and set down three waters, "Hey, Slick, you aren't planning on sending any letterbombs today, are you?" "What?" Christian asked, not understanding the reference.William piped in, "I think we are ready to order, hon."William and Bobby ordered platters, while Christian only wanted a coffee, saying that he had already eaten. Bobby turned to Christian and said, "I thought you said you were starving." Christian just smiled and drank some water. William looked in Bobby's eyes and did some calculating.Okay, the kiss was the first strike, that I know, William thought, but when Christian went off on that woman with the camera, that was *definitely* a ball. He obviously lied about being hungry as an excuse to join us at breakfast, which is another strike, no doubt about it. Careful, buddy, you are on the bubble. Christian put down his glass, and said, "Look, I've never felt like anyone, not even my wife, the way I feel about you. Last night, you did things to me I never thought possible. I felt things I never knew I could." "I have a husband already, Chris, and..." Bobby said."My name is not Chris, it's Christian, alright?"Bobby blinked, and said, "Whatever. I don't know what I did, and I don't care, but the thing is, I'm not available." "What you did, was you touched me in places no one has touched me before." Christian said in a whisper.William, who was watching this conversation with great interest, said, "Oh Bobby, tell me you didn't stick your finger in his ass!" Bobby raised his voice a little and said, "I don't know, I was fuckin' drunk out of my mind!" William wasn't paying any attention because he watched the reminiscing smile creep across Christian's face. "Oh, mercy, that's exactly what happened. Bobby, you might have been drunk, but you made him see the light. No wonder he is in love with you. You found his prostate!" William laughed loud enough to draw a little more attention to the table. "Shit," Bobby mumbled, "I'm gonna puke..." and he jumped up and stumbled to the bathroom."I should go with him, he needs me." Christian said. William took one look at Bobby as he lurched away and said, "No, no, let him be. You don't wanna bother him when he's like this. He...has a temper at times." "He alright?" the waitress said as she approached the table with a tray of food."He'll be fine," William said as his food was placed in front of him, "just a little hungover, that's all." The waitress clicked her tongue in irritation, "He better not mess up that bathroom, I'll kick him out if he does."---It was about 5 minutes before Bobby came back, but he looked immensely better as he sat down. "Good," he said, "the food is here." "You alright, love?" Christian asked.Bobby ignored the question and said, "Eat up, William, we'll be leaving soon."Uh-oh, William thought, I think our little friend just struck out. For the next 10 minutes, Bobby and William ate in silence while Christian sipped his coffee and looked at the object of his affection lovingly. Suddenly, Bobby looked up and the man that had just come into the restaurant. "Hey, William, I hope your done. It's time to go." "Yeah, I'm good." William said with rising anxiety. He knew something was up, but he wasn't sure what it would be. He got his answer soon enough.Christian drained the rest of his coffee and said, "This place has really shitty coffee anyway, maybe we could..." and that is when Bobby stuck his tongue down the movie stars throat. Instead of fending him off, Christian returned the kiss wrapping his arms around Bobby gently, moaning with pleasure. Someone nearby, a guy muttered, "Oh, get a room..."FLASH!William turned to see a man standing there with a large camera, grinning like a madman. Everyone was looking at the table now, Bobby and Christian locked in a lover's embrace, William with his jaw almost to the table. Bobby wriggled away from Christian and stood up saying, "Look, everyone! It's Christian Bale! I'm done with him now, so if anyone wants him, he's yours!"Complete and absolute silence was the response. "And," William announced, always the showman, "Christian is a bottom."FLASH!It were as if the second flash had broken the paralysis of the room. Suddenly, the restaurant was a whirlwind of pandemonium. William and Bobby jumped away as the swarm circled in on the photographer and the newly outed star. Bobby left 20 bucks at the register, which was now unmanned, and pushed his way out the front door. William followed, worried that the money would be taken, and they would be walking out on the check.Before he could say anything about it, Bobby said, "I wasn't sure that would work." "It almost didn't. He wanted to follow you into the bathroom to help. Good thing I saw you go for your phone, or I would have let him. Jesus, Bobby, the tabloids? What if they wanted to talk to you?" William shook his head in amazement. Bobby said, "Well, my hangover is almost gone, but I'm not sure if it was the food or the drama that did it.""Probably both," William replied, "what do you wanna do now?" Bobby walked out to the street and put his arm up to hail a cab, "Let's go back to the hotel. I wanna get some sleep.""Good," William replied, "I have some blogging to do."
Other Person: Christian Bale
Event Trigger: He is coming out to Bobby, because he has fallen in love. Of course, people keep interrupting.And now...---Three Strikes, and You're Out "This hangover is going to kill me," Bobby said as he leaned against a pole on the corner of Halsted and Roscoe, "I'm serious."
William stood nearby watching Bobby through the mist of his own breath in the cold Chicago air. "Oh, come on, you didn't drink *that* much, did you?"Bobby gave William an incredulous look, and said, "I started drinking at 1 in the afternoon, remember?" "No, I got to the hotel at 5:30. I figured you started drinking then." William said with a bit of humor in his voice, "Whatever happened to the guy you tricked with?""Did I trick with someone?" Bobby asked. William shook his head, "I guess you *did* drink a lot."Bobby stood up from leaning against the pole and said, "No fuckin' shit. Look, if I get some breakfast I'll be fine. Nookie's Tree alright?" William nodded and began to walk south while Bobby followed. They hadn't gone more than 10 paces when a man who looked to be in his early 30s walked straight up to Bobby and kissed him on the mouth. The man was wearing a white hoodie and jeans, which made him looked mildly meancing. There was no prelude, or hello, just a kiss that stopped Bobby in his tracks. William knew that if Bobby hadn't been so incapacitated by the hangover, this guy would have been on that ground without lips. Lucky for the guy, all he got was a quick shove back.William laughed as he said "Hey Bobby, looks like your friend is back for mo..." Then he stopped. ---With only the dim bathroom light to guide them, Bobby and his new friend stumbled through the hotel room, trying not to wake William up. They didn't know that William had just turned out the light and hadn't had a chance to fall asleep yet. One of them stumbled on the office chair, and the two temporary lovebirds giggled drunkenly while on their way to the other bed. William tried to get a look at the guy who came back to the room with Bobby, but there wasn't enough light to make out a face. Wanting to give them some privacy, he rolled over on his side, and let the sounds of drunken passion lull him to sleep. ---"I looked for you back at the hotel, but you weren't there," the 30-something man said with a British Accent. "I check with the front desk, but they said you hadn't checked out yet, so I came looking for you. I have to talk to you." Bobby was wiping his mouth off gingerly saying, "Wait. Who the fuck are you?"William's eyes widened as he said, "That's Christian Bale, Bobby. Your trick from last night..." Bobby glared at William, "I don't care if it's Jesus Fucking Christ and the Disciples, you don't just fuckin' kiss someone without...""I love you." Christian said and after a shocked moment, William burst out laughing. Bobby began walking again toward the restaurant, which wasn't even a block away, "Hey, look Chris, I don't even remember you. Hell, if William hadn't told me, I wouldn't have known that anyone stayed with me last night." "I would have stayed this morning, but I had to meet with my agent early this morning. While I was talking to him..." Christian was interrupted by a woman holding a camera. She looked like a business woman who had seen her share of cosmetic surgery, right down to her too perfect cleavage that had to have been bought. "Oh. My. God. It's Batman! Please, please, PLEASE can I get a picture taken with you?!" the woman said in a hysterical tone, "And an autograph? Holy shit, it's really you!" She handed Bobby the camera and told him where to push the button for the photo. Bobby, who was in a foul temper to begin with, just stared at the camera glare that should have melted it. The woman posed next to Christian who also looked as if he weren't too happy about this. Bobby then took the camera and through it out onto the busy street where it was promptly run over by a cab. The woman looked toward where the camera landed and said, "You fucking asshole, that was a 600 dollar camera.""Yeah," Christian said, "Now it's a worthless pile of plastic, just like you, you dumb twat!" William burst out laughing at the sudden quick wit. Bobby smirked, but was still too fuzzy to really appreciate the clever verbal barb. The woman's face went pale at the outburst, and she slunk away into the milling crowd like a spectre into a swamp.Christian took Bobby's arm, ignoring the man's glare, and said, "Well, shall we be off? I'm starving." "Come on," William said, "it can't hurt. We were going to have breakfast anyway. And...it's Christian Bale and how often do you...." His voice trailed off as Bobby's face reddened in anger. ---William often refers to Nookie's Tree as the Gay Denny's. Open 24 hours, and serving breakfast all day, it's smack dab in the middle of Boystown, so of course, most weekends, there are waves of people eager to plunge into brunch, no matter the time. The trio walked into Nookie's Tree at the perfect moment. There was no one waiting for a table, and there was only one available so they could sit down without waiting. Since it was apparent that Bobby had very little patience, William breathed a sigh of relief. Christian had pulled up his hoodie, and put on some sunglasses, which did nothing to make him blend in. In fact, he drew more attention that way.This became apparent when the waitress came up to the table and set down three waters, "Hey, Slick, you aren't planning on sending any letterbombs today, are you?" "What?" Christian asked, not understanding the reference.William piped in, "I think we are ready to order, hon."William and Bobby ordered platters, while Christian only wanted a coffee, saying that he had already eaten. Bobby turned to Christian and said, "I thought you said you were starving." Christian just smiled and drank some water. William looked in Bobby's eyes and did some calculating.Okay, the kiss was the first strike, that I know, William thought, but when Christian went off on that woman with the camera, that was *definitely* a ball. He obviously lied about being hungry as an excuse to join us at breakfast, which is another strike, no doubt about it. Careful, buddy, you are on the bubble. Christian put down his glass, and said, "Look, I've never felt like anyone, not even my wife, the way I feel about you. Last night, you did things to me I never thought possible. I felt things I never knew I could." "I have a husband already, Chris, and..." Bobby said."My name is not Chris, it's Christian, alright?"Bobby blinked, and said, "Whatever. I don't know what I did, and I don't care, but the thing is, I'm not available." "What you did, was you touched me in places no one has touched me before." Christian said in a whisper.William, who was watching this conversation with great interest, said, "Oh Bobby, tell me you didn't stick your finger in his ass!" Bobby raised his voice a little and said, "I don't know, I was fuckin' drunk out of my mind!" William wasn't paying any attention because he watched the reminiscing smile creep across Christian's face. "Oh, mercy, that's exactly what happened. Bobby, you might have been drunk, but you made him see the light. No wonder he is in love with you. You found his prostate!" William laughed loud enough to draw a little more attention to the table. "Shit," Bobby mumbled, "I'm gonna puke..." and he jumped up and stumbled to the bathroom."I should go with him, he needs me." Christian said. William took one look at Bobby as he lurched away and said, "No, no, let him be. You don't wanna bother him when he's like this. He...has a temper at times." "He alright?" the waitress said as she approached the table with a tray of food."He'll be fine," William said as his food was placed in front of him, "just a little hungover, that's all." The waitress clicked her tongue in irritation, "He better not mess up that bathroom, I'll kick him out if he does."---It was about 5 minutes before Bobby came back, but he looked immensely better as he sat down. "Good," he said, "the food is here." "You alright, love?" Christian asked.Bobby ignored the question and said, "Eat up, William, we'll be leaving soon."Uh-oh, William thought, I think our little friend just struck out. For the next 10 minutes, Bobby and William ate in silence while Christian sipped his coffee and looked at the object of his affection lovingly. Suddenly, Bobby looked up and the man that had just come into the restaurant. "Hey, William, I hope your done. It's time to go." "Yeah, I'm good." William said with rising anxiety. He knew something was up, but he wasn't sure what it would be. He got his answer soon enough.Christian drained the rest of his coffee and said, "This place has really shitty coffee anyway, maybe we could..." and that is when Bobby stuck his tongue down the movie stars throat. Instead of fending him off, Christian returned the kiss wrapping his arms around Bobby gently, moaning with pleasure. Someone nearby, a guy muttered, "Oh, get a room..."FLASH!William turned to see a man standing there with a large camera, grinning like a madman. Everyone was looking at the table now, Bobby and Christian locked in a lover's embrace, William with his jaw almost to the table. Bobby wriggled away from Christian and stood up saying, "Look, everyone! It's Christian Bale! I'm done with him now, so if anyone wants him, he's yours!"Complete and absolute silence was the response. "And," William announced, always the showman, "Christian is a bottom."FLASH!It were as if the second flash had broken the paralysis of the room. Suddenly, the restaurant was a whirlwind of pandemonium. William and Bobby jumped away as the swarm circled in on the photographer and the newly outed star. Bobby left 20 bucks at the register, which was now unmanned, and pushed his way out the front door. William followed, worried that the money would be taken, and they would be walking out on the check.Before he could say anything about it, Bobby said, "I wasn't sure that would work." "It almost didn't. He wanted to follow you into the bathroom to help. Good thing I saw you go for your phone, or I would have let him. Jesus, Bobby, the tabloids? What if they wanted to talk to you?" William shook his head in amazement. Bobby said, "Well, my hangover is almost gone, but I'm not sure if it was the food or the drama that did it.""Probably both," William replied, "what do you wanna do now?" Bobby walked out to the street and put his arm up to hail a cab, "Let's go back to the hotel. I wanna get some sleep.""Good," William replied, "I have some blogging to do."
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