#Someone Else's Story

[ekp0133f]

Svetlana's right. We all could be choosing no choices whatsoever. And I will! Or won't. Who knows, really.

[love-little-lotte]

i wanna watch the chess concert* sooooo bad 😭

*solea pfeiffer's someone else's story, lena hall's nobody's side, solea and lena's i know him so well

[manonamora-if-reviews]

Someone Else's Story by E. Joyce

============= Links

Play the game See other reviews of the game See other games by E. Joyce

============= Synopsis

Naples, 1973. The local Camorra are embroiled in a struggle against Russian mobsters trying to horn in on their territory. The boss thinks Katya Goncharova knows something, and Sofia has been ordered to find out what it is. But does she want to?

============= Other Info

Someone Else's Story is a Twine (SugarCube) game submitted to the Goncharov Game Jam.

Status: Completed Genre: Unreality, Goncharov

CW: unreality, implied organised crime

============= Playthrough

First Played: Dec 2022 Last Played: 1-Sept-2023 Playtime: around 30min Rating: 4 /5 Thoughts: How good of a honeypot will you be?

============= Review

Told from the point-of-view of Sofia, Someone Else's Story takes a look at the start of the relationship between two side characters: Sofia and Katya, two women linked to big characters whose actions will drive the "story"'s plot. Spanning a conversation, you were tasked to extract information from the lovely newcomer. Will you managed without her noticing?

Spoilers ahead. It is recommended to play the game first. The review is based on my understanding/reading of the story.

Someone Else's Story is a fairly short game mixing choices, to drive the conversation forward, and hypertext*, to provide additional contextual information to the scene or about Sofia's state of mind. Each choice provide variation in the next screen, with some even adding an option to the choice-list. The combination of all choices made throughout the game will determine how the conversation between you and Katya ends.

To get information from Katya, you must ask the right questions, in the correct manner. Though you have multiple choice available to you, from flirty to pushy, the type of questions asked may tick Katya that something is up, or may just confuse her. She will comment on the matter, before ending the conversation and leaving for the night. You do not learn, however, whether how successful you were at your task. Though, as Katya warns, when one is this expendable, does it truly matter? (kinda yes... i always want to know how well i did.)

The game raises an interesting point, hinted by its title. Though you are the main character of this game, this short story, Katya may tell you that you are just a pawn in someone else's story. You may drive the plot in this beat, but someone - your boss - is pushing you to this point in time, requesting things from you to further his story. You may down the line have a relationship with Katya (not in-game), but it will still be framed around other more important players - your struggles being a continuation of theirs.

Still, the illusion of agency still hods, even after replays. You may not be a major player, but the game makes you feel like your actions actually matter in this story, that they actually may change the course of the night. Even if, ultimately, it won't - Katya will always try to change the subject, or look at her watch, signalling the end of the conversation. Your efforts don't feel in vain.

While the game will mention a few important characters to the main lore or themes, the strongest one emanating from this entry is the concept of time. You are limited in time to find information for your boss about Goncharov before he potentially makes a move, to extract information from Katya during the party, before time inevitably cuts your effort short - when the watch strikes "twelve". But there is maybe a more ominous limitation from Katya's final remark: the time left before you will get hurt (if you continue snooping, that is).

*Another entry in the game jam, Vespertine, used a similar interactive element, though more abundantly.

[twinegardening]

Someone Else's Story by E. Joyce [IFDB]

Naples, 1973. The local Camorra are embroiled in a struggle against Russian mobsters trying to horn in on their territory. The boss thinks Katya Goncharova knows something, and Sofia has been ordered to find out what it is. But does she want to?

[girlzoot]

I shrugged, irritated to have been sucked into someone else’s story. —Neil Gaiman/Bitter Grounds/Fragile Things

[salzsee-e]

Josh groban_ someone else's story _Chess

Ten and Tentoo ambushed me and now I can't get them or this song out of my head

[pen-of-roses]

Do y'all ever think about how cool it is that art inspires other art inspires other art inspires other art in an endless cycle

[lgbtlunaverse]

There's a version of the "don't go grocery shopping while hungry" rule specifically for writers where you should never under any circumstances be allowed to touch your draft within 3 hours of reading a really good story. Because sometimes when you read something great your head goes "fuck this is so much better than my stuff I should make that more like THIS instead!" Look at me. That's the devil talking and you should close the document NOW.

[chloesimaginationthings]

The death of Vanessa and the birth of Vanny in FNAF

(Inspired by this art by Yuto Sano)

[egophiliac]

roll out the red carpet guys we're going to the SHAFTLANDS

[bixels]

Scary Sunset.

I'm concepting things way outta order in this story, but I'm sure you can piece things together. Context is for a storybeat where, after defeating and capturing Adagio (thus having all three sirens in her possession), Sunset enacts her revenge plot to release the sirens on Canterlot as Thea discovers she's been manipulated. In a confrontation, the two scuffle and fight over the siren orbs while Sunset struggles with her conflicting wants and emotions.

[seafoamsol]

8/4 is Perceptor Day!

Be careful not to shake the cage; the denizens will get very scared.

[ambrosiagourmet]

This is just a smaller observation that will hopefully someday be part of a larger analysis on Kabru's view of Laios & how Laios impacts him...

But I think it really interesting that Kabru surrenders something for Laios twice, and that these moments are inversions of each other.

The first time, Kabru gives up his life to maintain his control. He changes the course of the entire story with this action, and is willing to die to achieve that. Kabru is (supposedly) entrusting the future to Laios, but he is still very much the primary actor in the overall narrative. He is still the one choosing what the story should be.

The second time, however, Kabru gives up his control to keep hold of something personal and selfish (in the way of dungeon meshi selfishness - it is a good thing to keep this desire. It small piece of what makes him a living creature). He steps aside to let Laios choose the way forward. He surrenders narrative agency for personal agency... not changing the story, but changing himself.

[lotus-pear]

insufferable ex partners (don't be like dazai kids moisturize ur skin this cold season)

[lucidmagic]

Repeat after me:

The first draft just needs to exist

The second draft needs to be functional

The third draft needs to be effective

The first draft just needs to exist

The second draft needs to be functional

The third draft needs to be effective

The first draft just needs to exist

The second draft needs to be functional

The third draft needs to be effective

Remember, the second and third can't happen if you don't have something to work with. Your first draft will always be shit compared to your third, but at least it exists. The worst first draft is an unfinished one. The best first draft is a just completed one.

You read books/stories not in their first draft form-- only in their finished form (third, fourth, sometimes fifteenth draft). So stop comparing your first draft with a final one.

So, just write--you can make it better later. Perfectionism is the greatest weight a creator can carry.

[thedreadvampy]

Losing my shit about this article in which a transphobic Tory was so busy panicking about existing in the vicinity of a Trans that she almost certainly misheard "jeans" as "penis" and decided that not only was this a problem with the other woman, but also that the world must be informed of this pressing danger.

"a trans woman! I had to stand directly behind her....I thought, 'this is going well', I'm handling The Situation fine'..."

translated: I saw a tall woman with broad shoulders. How would I get out of this alive? I thought. she has a PENIS. PENIS PENIS PENIS. through some force of PENIS I mean will I managed to PENIS behave normally towards her. My hands were PENIS PENIS PENIS shaking as I tried to dry them. summoning up all my PENIS courage I said 'dryer's crap innit'. she turned to me and said " yeah I'm just goiPENIS PENIS PENIS"

It's been a week and I'm still shaking. This proves trans women are the problem and I'm not weird. I'm fine. It's fine. If you think about it I'm the hero hePENIS!!!!!

very this