Gamebooks (Choose Your Own Adventure Style)

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

22 Minutos:  Tibicenas Alternate Endings Part 11


This time, I'll go back to CHOICE #9 at 13:40 and drive directly into the fire!


The car is becoming hotter and hotter, and my character screams in panic.  One of the wheels bursts due to the fire, but I keep going.  Then the other 3 wheels explode (estallar).


CHOICE #25 at 13:41 is to either brake, or not brake.  Wonder what happens when I try to drive with no wheels!


"You crash against something.  You don't know what it is, because the only thing you see is flames.  Your head hits the steering wheel.  You notice your own blood falling on the front of your body, but you don't notice heat, but cold, agreeable cold.


At that moment, the engine explodes, and you turn into a horrible ball of fire".


This is another DEATH #3.  If I were to go back in time and restart the book, my classification system would be closer to RefSteel's.  The ENDINGS and DEATHS don't really need generic epilogue text, as text like the bold section above work well enough.



Results So Far


0 Good Endings

4 Deaths

1 Bad Non-Death Ending

0 Neutral Endings

1 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

22 Minutos:  Tibicenas Alternate Endings Part 12


Picking the other option in CHOICE #25 leads me to an alternate 13:42.


I brake "more out of intuition than anything else".  Flames surround me, but I somehow notice something is hitting the hood (capó).  It might be a tree, or something else. 


CHOICE #26 is to either go forward and find out what's making the sound, or try to avoid it.  Picking the former says "One of those immense wolves!"


The wolf is scratching the hood and trying to get inside the car.  Trying to accelerate somehow shakes it off even though my car's missing wheels!  Why didn't this work on the wolf at the beginning when my car was faster?  Is this a mistake in the book?


Anyway, at 13:43, I drive as fast as possible.  Perhaps my car magically grew a new set of tires.  The fire is disappearing, suggesting that I drove past it.  But there's a giant tree blocking the highway.


CHOICE #27 is to either drive off the highway to dodge the tree, or try to cross the "carbonized tree" with the car.


The 2nd option gives us another DEATH #3.


"You make impact with the tree trunk.  The car is torn apart.  The windows burst.  You go through the air.  It shouldn't have been like that because you had the seat belt on, but something must have failed, and suddenly, you're flying.  You hit the remains of the tree.  The branches scratch you.  The fire makes impact on your whole body".


My readers will probably see more interesting endings soon.  The way I tend to go through CYOA books is to follow one long route until its possibilities are exhausted, then work backwards to the beginning.




Results So Far


0 Good Endings

4 Deaths

1 Bad Non-Death Ending

0 Neutral Endings

1 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

22 Minutos:  Tibicenas Alternate Endings Dead Ends #2


Let's not fly into a burning tree in CHOICE #27!


At 13:44, I manage to fix the tires, possibly by pulling them out of the road?  ("Reventar" can apparently also mean to "blow out", but it usually means "to burst").


The fire is entering the passenger's side window in the front, and I accelerate.  The car still works, and I don't care that I smell like burned hair.  You could make a drinking game out of the number of times "da igual" appears in this book.


The earthquake happens while I'm driving, and several trees are falling.  The fire is growing bigger behind me, since the rear-view mirror survived.  The earthquake suddenly stops, though some trees keep falling.  "But it seems the danger has ceased".


CHOICE #28 is to either "continue at full speed", or "brake a little for security".  Choosing the former makes me see an "immense black hulk (mole)" on the horizon behind me. 


One tree crashes into the side of the vehicle.  My head its the glass to the side, and the car begins to turn by itself.  CHOICE #29 at 13:46 is to brake, or try to take control of the steering wheel.


Braking makes the car successfully stop.  The engine purrs (ronronear) a bit.  An "enormous column of smoke" comes from the hood, and I feel blood on my temple (sien).    My skull starts to "beat", and blood drops on my shoulder.  I close my eyes and hope the pain ends.


Now fire is coming out of the engine.  I have to escape.  I open the car door and try jump out, but the seat belt stops me.  I take off the seatbelt and. . ."Click here", successfully jump out!


I fall on the pavement and drag myself as much as I can.  The car explodes, and pieces almost hit me.


CHOICE #30 is to either "go on all fours" (ir a gatas), or run.  Let's try the crawling option.


This takes me to a scene where it looks like the demon is about to eat the sun.  CHOICE #31 at 13:49 is to either "throw myself at putting out the fire", or "think about a way of confronting the fire".


The former option takes me to not only a DEATH #3, but identical ending text to the one where "You're winning!  You're winning!" appears.  The latter sends me to CHOICE #17.

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

22 Minutos:  Tibicenas Alternate Endings Part 13


To make up for the previous post where I didn't find new ways to burn to death, here's another DEATH #3 scenario.  I get this one by running instead of going on all fours in CHOICE #30.


"You take off (coger carrerilla), swallow saliva, and run.


You run toward the wall of flames that just formed on the other side of the highway.  It's only a little bit of fire, nothing more.  A sheet (lámina), like paper.  It'll hurt, but you'll reach the other side.  You'll survive.  You're going to do it.  You jump.  Your clothes catch fire".


My reward for this path is a drawing of a small curved road with thin trees to the side and a fire in the background.  Not many paths have pictures apart from the analog watch at the beginning of every minute.


Results So Far


0 Good Endings

4 Deaths

1 Bad Non-Death Ending

0 Neutral Endings

1 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

22 Minutos:  Tibicenas Alternate Endings Part 14


In this episode, we finally have a new officially numbered DEATH!  I find this one by trying to maintain control of the steering wheel in CHOICE #29.


"The car turns, and you keep the steering wheel straight.  But you're going too fast.  The vehicle hits the guardrail and your head makes impact on the glass, tearing it apart.


Everything spins around, and you try to touch your head, attempting to find out how hard the blow was.  Your fingers sink into something viscous that must have been your ear.  Youwant to scream, but instead of that, you vomit.  Then the car stops lowering itself, and you fall into the empty space, onto the trees that are a meter below you."


And then DEATH #2 proper:


"The car explodes, and the steering wheel hits you in the rib cage (caja torácica).  You notice your ribs breaking, hammering your lungs.  It's agony.  You can't even breathe.


But the car is a ball of metal in flames.  You try to open the door, but you don't have the strength.  Your clothes are covered with blood.  Your hands.  Your face.  Your vision dilutes, and is going to go out.


You try to breathe one more time.  Oxygen enters your lungs, but a great quantity of blood accompanies it.  It hurts.  It hurts a lot.  You cough trying to expel the liquid.  You try to save yourself.  You put all your energy into the next breath.


But you can't do it.  You breathe your last (boquear), coughing up blood.  You make a hole so a little more air can enter.  You can do it.  You can manage it.  You don't manage it.  You've died."


ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED:  DEATH #2.


Spanish may not always be a succinct language, but it has a short distinct verb for taking your last breath!



Results So Far


0 Good Endings

5 Deaths

1 Bad Non-Death Ending

0 Neutral Endings

1 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

22 Minutos:  Tibicenas Alternate Endings Part 15


This time, I'll "brake for a bit of security" in CHOICE #28 and find out what happens.


The 2nd earthquake occurs as usual, and the trees "fall like ripe apples".  I speed up just in time to see a tree falling on the pavement where my car was just a short time ago.


CHOICE #32 is to either keep going at full speed, or slow down.


Speeding up leads to a 13:47 where the car stops after going past falling trees.


CHOICE #33 is to either "give up and continue on foot", or "try to start the car".


The latter takes me to another wolf DEATH #1.


"The engine is exhausted, but you don't lose hope.  You try to start the car again.  And again.  And a third time.  It's impossible.  The engine is dead.  The purr is lost, and the smoke turns black and dangerous.


But you don't lose your faith.  You try to start it one more time.  You keep the key in the ignition much longer than normal.  When you hear the sounds of the motor, everything will go well.


It works!  The engine is starting!  You're going to leave this place!


Except that a wolf enters through the passenger side window.  You groan.  It's taken advantage of the engine noise to approach you, and now it's too close.  It bites you."



Results So Far


0 Good Endings

5 Deaths

1 Bad Non-Death Ending

0 Neutral Endings

1 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

22 Minutos:  Tibicenas Alternate Endings Part 16


This ending will go through the other path of CHOICE #33, where I "give up and continue on foot".  Or so I think.


The fire is expanding in every direction.  I don't know where to run.  If there's an action to take, I must do it now.


CHOICE #34 is to either crawl through the areas with less fire, or run and jump between the flames.


The 2nd option takes me to the DEATH #3 page with the highway drawing, and the first sends me to CHOICE #31, which I've already cleared.


Whoops, no ending here!  Time to rewind to CHOICE #26.  Trying to avoid the mysterious sound gives us yet another DEATH #3.


"You begin to maneuver when something large and black comes out of the fire.  At first, you don't understand what's happening, but you quickly see an immense wolf climbing on the hood of the car.


It attacks the glass on the front of the car with its fearsome paws and smashes it into pieces (añico).  The fire enters is if it were liquid.  It embraces you."


Results So Far


0 Good Endings

5 Deaths

1 Bad Non-Death Ending

0 Neutral Endings

1 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

22 Minutos:  Tibicenas Alternate Endings Part 17


Now I'll go all the way back to CHOICE #8 at 13:39 and escape on foot.


I jump over a flaming branch and dodge a burning bush.  But soon the fire surrounds me.  "Great orange walls of fire in an inferno that dries your eyes and burns your skin."  Wolves are everywhere.  My character tries to cry, but the tear ducts are dry.


CHOICE #35 at 13:40 is to either run toward the wall of fire, or confront the wolves.


Option 1 takes me to another DEATH #1.


"One of the flaming walls seems not to be guarded by a wolf, so you swallow what little saliva you have left, you take off, and jump.


A stinging pain travels through your body while you're crossing the fire, trusting that there wasn't a wall behind it.  You're lucky.  There's nothing.


Unfortunately, you're on fire.  You roll trying to put the fire out.  You fight and you slap your arms, intending to remove the fire, and you breathe with relief when you manage to do it.  But you don't breathe for much longer, because a wolf is waiting for you".


Our protagonist finally listens to elementary school fire safety tips!


Results So Far


0 Good Endings

5 Deaths

1 Bad Non-Death Ending

0 Neutral Endings

1 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

22 Minutos:  Tibicenas Alternate Endings Part 18


For this path, I'll confront the wolves in CHOICE #35.


The wolves don't do anything at first, because they can wait for the fire to burn me first.  But one is an exception.  "That creature seems to want to attack you.  You guess it has a red liquid in its lips, and suppose it's from the woman.  It has tasted blood and wants more".


CHOICE #36 is to avoid the wolf, or attack the wolf when it jumps.


Striking the wolf "with all your strength" produces another DEATH #1.


"At the last second, you turn and strike the wolf with all your strength, but the weight of the immense wolf tosses you to the ground.


You haven't even made a scratch, and your hand hurts you horrifically.  Although it doesn't hurt at all in comparison to the bite the wolf gives you."


Results So Far


0 Good Endings

5 Deaths

1 Bad Non-Death Ending

0 Neutral Endings

1 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

22 Minutos:  Tibicenas Alternate Endings Part 19


Choosing to avoid the wolf that tasted blood in CHOICE #36 gives us some new content!


At the last second, I throw myself to the ground, and the wolf enters the fire.  The fire seems to double its size, and the wolf howls.  Then I realize that the wolf impaled itself on a fallen tree!  This gives me the opportunity to run in the opposite direction.


ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED:  "Kill a tibicena".


This takes me to a slight variation of CHOICE #11, so not much to see here.



Rewinding to CHOICE #7 allows me to speed through the fire.  It's another path where a tree is falling.  I "swallow saliva", just like on every other page of this book.  "Tragar saliva" is a phrase I've encountered in some Spanish novel I can't recall. 


CHOICE #37 asks me to either brake and avoid hitting the tree, or dash under it because it's falling slowly.


Braking yields another DEATH #3.


"You brake, but it's not enough.  The tree crashes onto the hood of the car, and fire surrounds you.  You take off the seat belt and try to leave, but the door handle is red-hot (al rojo vivo).  You grab the handle, knowing that the skin on your fingers is going to fall in the process, and you pull to open.  You then jump outside.


Fire is all around you.  You're hyperventilating, and fear inundates you.  You then see that your clothes are burning.  You try to put it out by slapping it with your hands.  You really try.  In fact, you manage to put out the flames on your arm.  But now, you have more on your back.  And your head.  And your other arm. . ."



Results So Far


0 Good Endings

5 Deaths

1 Bad Non-Death Ending

0 Neutral Endings

1 Inconclusive Endings