shakespeherian's Choose Your Own Adventure by Committee #7! May 31, 2013 11:38 AM   Subscribe

What do lights in the sky, the Chelyabinsk meteor, a flood in South Dakota in 1972, a Cowboy Church, and potato scabies all have in common?

I have no fucking clue either! I think maybe aliens? But +Tim Coe, aka MeFi's Own shakespheherian, is threatening to make sense of this madness and HE NEEDS YOUR HELP!

CYOABC#7 starts in earnest on Monday, but we're having fun already speculating what the heck all these cryptic photos mean. Are they context specific? IE, is there a reason Tim is referencing recent major meteor sightings and decades-old floods, or are we to just be thinking about 'lights in the sky' and general weirdness? (I've asked, and Our Beloved Author is being coy.) There's always fun discussion to be had, and the stories themselves are mindblowingly good. Brilliant, evocative prose that's wrapped around dark, deep stories doled out in 1000-word chunks on weekdays seems to be shakes' modus operandi.

Come join me and the rag-tag Committee, composed of some MeFites and some not-MeFites, as we wend our way through what will no doubt be an intriguing story. I've shamelessly promoted these stories before, and they've even showed up on the blue, but we need some fresh blood in the mix. New perspectives! Plus shakes really needs (and totally deserves) the increased readership. Admittedly, this is probably the only reason you'll care to visit G+, but I promise you it is worth the detour.

Everyone is invited, so spread the word! There are no bars to participation-- if you can read, you can vote. Get the vote out!
posted by carsonb to MetaFilter-Related at 11:38 AM (43 comments total) 9 users marked this as a favorite

Wow, I was kind of unclear as to what this is about.

shakespeherian is an author. He writes Choose Your Own Adventure stories. A committee of readers chooses from the options given at the end of each episode, which is posted most weekdays around lunch on G+. It's kind of amazing. A new story is about to start on Monday!
posted by carsonb at 11:41 AM on May 31, 2013 [1 favorite]


I assumed Tim was finally setting himself up as an evangelist of the church of weird.
posted by elizardbits at 11:47 AM on May 31, 2013 [2 favorites]


That's not a totally inaccurate assumption either!

I've participated in the last two CYOABCs and they are very wonderfully weird, and also very fun.
posted by snorkmaiden at 11:52 AM on May 31, 2013


I've participated in the last 3, and seriously they are so so good. I cannot recommend them highly enough. Can someone who's better than me at recommending help me out here?
posted by aubilenon at 11:59 AM on May 31, 2013


I didn't get in on the last one, but hey, may as well use Google Plus for something. I don't connect my real name to my handle, but rest assured I'll be there.
posted by Rustic Etruscan at 12:02 PM on May 31, 2013


Each one is an incredible ride. He's really, really good at this. It's like a mesmerising combo of Dungeons & Dragons, Choose Your Own Adventure, serial novel, a lateral thinking puzzle and something else I can't articulate...you guys really have to get in on this.
posted by Cobalt at 12:09 PM on May 31, 2013 [1 favorite]


I forgot about this! Thanks for the reminder--I just joined up. Maybe this will be the thing that reminds me to actually use G+.
posted by theatro at 12:23 PM on May 31, 2013


More people come play! These are hella fun!
posted by immlass at 12:29 PM on May 31, 2013


Neat - very neat - and all, but how isn't this a self-link and against the guidelines?

It's not on the blue.
posted by jaduncan at 12:32 PM on May 31, 2013


Is this like the 'what do these things have in common' feature that Ken Jennings publishes in the Parade magazine that comes with the Sunday newspaper?
posted by Cranberry at 12:34 PM on May 31, 2013


how isn't this a self-link and against the guidelines?

How do you mean self-link? I am not shakespeherian (LET THE RUMORS BEGIN) and I don't write the stories. I do participate in the discussions after each story, however I believe this is akin to playing the game one recommends others play by linking to it on the front page. Blue or Gray, I believe I'm within the guidelines here. If I'm mistaken, please do let me know.
posted by carsonb at 12:50 PM on May 31, 2013


Would someone with experience doing this take a moment and just let everybody now exactly what they need to do to participate? What time on Monday? Dish all the details in detail so anybody that wants to join in will be able to. Sounds like great fun.
posted by QueerAngel28 at 12:51 PM on May 31, 2013


Yes, what QueerAngel28 said. I've been poking around the community/shakespherian page but I'm still not sure what participation looks like. Details would be helpful!
posted by Tevin at 12:53 PM on May 31, 2013


If I don't come back from Chicago this week

you will know why.
posted by The Whelk at 12:54 PM on May 31, 2013 [1 favorite]


(also there is a reason I give Tim a chance to read anything I do before showing it to other people - He's got a great eye for action and plot as well as syntax and grammar. Go read the stories, they're wonderful.)
posted by The Whelk at 12:56 PM on May 31, 2013


On the left sidebar, click through to CYOABC 6. That will give you a good idea of what the game looks like. Basically, stories, with a choice at the end, you vote with a comment to see what happens next.
posted by donnagirl at 12:56 PM on May 31, 2013


I'm in, under my real name which is not very far off at all from this username.
posted by kimberussell at 1:03 PM on May 31, 2013


If you want to join in the fun, join the CYOABC G+ community. Each weekday starting June 3, shakespeherian will post a new episode of the story there, with some options at the end. If you've joined the community, G+ will notify you of this according to your preferences. Anyway, read the story and write comments about what we should be doing or what you think is going on or whatever.
posted by aubilenon at 1:03 PM on May 31, 2013


Plus G+ really can be fun!
posted by ChuraChura at 1:06 PM on May 31, 2013


I've been poking around the community/shakespherian page but I'm still not sure what participation looks like. Details would be helpful!

I'm 90% sure that the way G+ works is that you have to 'join' the community in order to comment on anything there. Once you've joined, you will get automatic notifications (both the little red G+ notification thing that's on every Google site and also an email, which you may find annoying) when a new item is posted. You can turn off these notifications on the lefthand sidebar if you like.

Also on the lefthand sidebar are Categories Of Topics or whatever you want to call them. Everything related to the previous story is under CYOABC 6, for example. Everything related to the new one will be under CYOABC 7. Every everything will post to the front page of the community thing.

When a new chapter goes up, you will (or won't, if you turned it off) get a notification of such. Read the thing. At the end will be a choice to choose. Leave a comment stating your choice by letter. You don't have to do any more than that, but there's more fun to be had if you explain your reasoning. You can change your mind later, just leave a new comment saying so. Comment as much as you like. Have discussions with your community members. You may get someone else to change their mind.

The following morning I'll tally the votes and write the next chapter and post it. I'll give a link to it so you can get there easily. I'll also say which choice had the most votes. Most votes wins.

Also: I'm not a cheat. I'd like you to trust me. The reality of the narrative doesn't change based on your choice-- only the actions of your character depend on that (and, consequently, what your character influences). If you choose B and there's a lion behind the door, the lion was still behind the door if you'd chosen A.

There's a story occurring. You guys get to steer your character through it and you can influence that story. I'll play you straight.
posted by shakespeherian at 1:08 PM on May 31, 2013 [4 favorites]


Thanks! Can't wait to see how this plays out, it sounds like a lot of fun.
posted by Tevin at 1:13 PM on May 31, 2013


for myself, i turned off notifications because i dont like getting the emails, but since i comment on every single episode, and since tim updates each episode with a link to the next one, and since g+ notifies you when someone else comments on a post you've commented on, I still get the red box notification. which i like.
posted by carsonb at 1:19 PM on May 31, 2013


[SPOILER] *Psssst! Don't choose B. There's a lion behind the door!
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 1:29 PM on May 31, 2013


I regretfully dropped out of the last one because my life got crazy busy for a while there, but I'm fresh and ready for No. 7.
posted by invitapriore at 2:05 PM on May 31, 2013


I'll play you straight.

I think this is the first time you've said this without any qualification, sir, which makes me itchy.
posted by carsonb at 2:26 PM on May 31, 2013


I'm in, it looks fun!
posted by Room 641-A at 2:34 PM on May 31, 2013


I'll play you straight.

I think this is the first time you've said this without any qualification, sir, which makes me itchy


Yeah, I think he's actually saying he's going to straight play you.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 2:37 PM on May 31, 2013


This does not mean I will not fuck with you.
posted by shakespeherian at 3:14 PM on May 31, 2013


Just remembered I had a Gmail account for my MeFi account. Just joined the community!
posted by Rustic Etruscan at 3:26 PM on May 31, 2013


nthing the acclaim! I will be back for 7, and I hope to bring some new converts with me.
posted by Iridic at 3:26 PM on May 31, 2013


You know what? Just gonna use my actual G+ account.
posted by Rustic Etruscan at 3:27 PM on May 31, 2013


OH YES YES PLEASE YES I HAVE WAITED LONG DAYS AND NIGHTS YES.

... I mean, I'm in.
posted by Elsa at 3:34 PM on May 31, 2013


As an aside, whenever I see the +Name notation, I think of them as graft-chimaeras like +Laburnocytisus. Is it just me?
posted by Talkie Toaster at 4:06 PM on May 31, 2013


The best ending is where you find out your sister is your dad
posted by Renoroc at 7:09 PM on May 31, 2013


If you couldn't tell from my enthusiasm when making the original post on the blue, I think Tim/Shakespeherian's CYOABCs are great and y'all should come and read/play/argue.
posted by juv3nal at 4:35 AM on June 1, 2013


I'm in. If I want to turn off the emails but just have the red box to notify updates, what setting do I click?
posted by arcticseal at 7:24 AM on June 1, 2013


arcticseal:
To turn off Community notifications, go to the CYOABC page and look under the title box, upper right. There's a little bell icon there, click it to adjust your notification preferences.

Then just make sure you vote every day! As long as you get a comment in on each episode, G+ will activate the red box notification whenever someone comments after you. +Tim Coe adds a link to each new episode from the previous ep as soon as the new one is published.
posted by carsonb at 10:58 AM on June 1, 2013 [1 favorite]


Shoot, meant 'upper left' instead of 'upper right'.
posted by carsonb at 4:57 PM on June 1, 2013


Yay!
posted by oomny at 9:21 AM on June 2, 2013


Hmmm, potato scabies.... /Homer Simpson
posted by y2karl at 5:34 PM on June 2, 2013


It has begun!
posted by carsonb at 8:04 AM on June 3, 2013


I'm intrigued by the early appearance of goo.
posted by arcticseal at 3:48 PM on June 4, 2013


I'm intrigued by the early appearance of goo.

I can't believe I'm doing this, but...that's what she said, being icily polite.
posted by jaduncan at 3:51 PM on June 4, 2013 [1 favorite]


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