Line #16 WebOriginal/TheOtherWorld


1	->''"The War of the Witch is over. Mankind has finally lost. The free world has fallen. Over the course of this near decade, I have seen so much. I have seen the dead conquer the living, I have seen cities filled with life burn to ash in hours, I saw men made of iron cry, I saw hardcore atheists drop to their knees and beg for help from a God they never believed in, I saw armies of countless soldiers swept away like dust in the wind, I have seen nations fall. The world I knew is gone."''
2	-->-- '''Protagonist's ancestor''', a thousand years before the events of the story
3
4	''The Other World'' is a companion story in a series of {{Gamebook}} stories by an author known to the public as "Kiel_Farren" and it was created on Website/ChooseYourStory, a free website allowing anyone to publish their own, (also free,) stories for everyone to play and for any other member to critique.
5
6	The game revolves around the reader's character, as expected. The reader's story incarnation is introduced as a young, teenage "mortal drone," which is the title given to any human slave under the rule of [[BigBad The High Witch Queen]] [[HotWitch Vidia Hecate.]] Vidia, who has made herself immortal using magic, rules all of the human race after a 10 year war that ended in all the survivors surrendering to her. That was now a thousand years ago, and the world is still fully under her control.
7
8	As a slave, designated to the task of farming, your job is simple: Gather grain, spend time with your parents, hide the fact that you're literate because literacy among slaves who do not need to read and write for their designated job is an offense punishable by death, and try not to die.
9
10	Unfortunately, that last task becomes a lot harder once Aureus Ager, the city of your birth, is burned to the ground. If you manage to make it out alive, you become a fugitive from the law for the rest of your days.
11
12	This is part of Kiel Farren's "horror series" and is the second installment. The known titles are:
13
14	* Literature/AGameOfLifeAndDeath
15	* WebOriginal/DevilsChess
16	* WebOriginal/InTheDark
17	* WebOriginal/TempleOfFate
18
19	The story was unpublished from Website/ChooseYourStory by the author after his exit from the site, along with Literature/AGameOfLifeAndDeath. As far as the site knows, the author hasn't published it anywhere else, thereby making it a lost work.
20	----
21
22	!!''The Other World'' provides examples of:
23	* AGodAmI: There's a lot in the game to suggest that the witch fancies herself a god.
24	* BigBad: The High Witch Queen, no question/
25	* BitterSweetEnding: [[spoiler: Any real ending that isn't just a game over.]]
26	* BlackComedy: Depends on your taste in comedy, but you could see a few scenes this way.
27	* ButThouMust: You really don't have much of a choice here, though arguably you get one about midway through the game.
28	* ChildhoodFriendRomance: If you've played the first game, you probably immediately thought that Lilia was going to be this and ... [[spoiler: you were probably at least a little shocked that she was killed off the third day into the game.]]
29	* CrapsackWorld: The entire world is practically a death camp in every way.
30	* DeathOfAChild: The first death in the entire game, of a very long list, is a baby boy who is beheaded in front of you and his mother by one of the city guards. From there, the author kills off a four year old little boy, and then an ENTIRE CITY, including three more children (ages 3, 5, and presumably 12) that your character knows, one of which is their best friend.
31	* DisproportionateRetribution: A thief steals from the witch's private stock. You assist the thief to get away. In retaliation, the witch queen [[spoiler: has your entire city BURNED TO THE GROUND and kills EVERYONE INSIDE, except you, since you presumably escaped.]]
32	* ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin: Arguably true, since this is another version of the previous story and... well, if you can stretch your suspension of disbelief to cover the hints of this being an alternate dimension ... it works.
33	* FeaturelessProtagonist: Played straight, but you do get to choose a gender.
34	* {{Gorn}}: There's quite a bit of nasty imagery provided in the first chapter of the slaughter at Aureus Ager.
35	* GrandTheftMe: Poor, poor [[spoiler: Layne and Hannah / Gabriel.]]
36	* HeroicBSOD: Witnessing the [[spoiler: horrific deaths of your fellow slaves]] is enough to give you one, if only briefly, before your drive to survive takes over.
37	* IdiotBall: Not all of the guards are terribly bright, but then again, being undead creatures, some are literally brainless.
38	* ImAHumanitarian: The Witch. While not really mentioned in the game, she's been known in the previous game to eat people and to consume human blood.
39	* KickThemWhileTheyAreDown: Thieves can steal items from you in Serratis forest, which sucks because you've just lost [[spoiler: your home, your family, your best friend... ]] and you're wounded. Losing your bread, water, or weapon is just salt in the wound.
40	* MagicIsEvil: Played straight for the most part, considering the {{BigBad}} is the only one with notable magic powers here.
41	* MeaningfulName: Everyone in the journal has a name that either refers to truth, storytelling, writing, or strength of character.
42	* MurderByCremation: A particularly nasty one, at that.
43	* NiceJobBreakingItHero: If you think about it, the [[spoiler: burning of Aureus Ager is actually your fault. If you never saved Nicole / Nicholas, then the witch would've never gotten the idea that your city was rebellious, and she would've never ordered that it be burned down.]]
44	* RitualMagic: Alluded to in the historical records.
45	* TakeOverTheWorld: And [[BigBad she]] succeeded, too.
46	* TakeAThirdOption: You've got a few, if you know where to look.
47	* TheChosenOne: Your character appears to be this. [[spoiler: Yes ... but no.]]
48	* TheLegendOfChekhov: The ancestors' journal has plenty of these.
49	* TrialAndErrorGameplay: Possesses shades of this.
50	* VillainWorld: In its most horrible form. The BigBad has ruled utterly unopposed for a thousand years, and the former world is all but forgotten by humanity (save a few).
51	* ViolenceIsTheOnlyOption: Played straight.
52	* WhatTheHellHero: You're given the option to do three really awful things during the [[spoiler: burning of your city]] and, unsurprisingly, your character's moral compass prevents them from actually doing one of them ... but the other two are allowed, with repercussions.
53	* WhatTheHellPlayer: Your character's guilt over the aforementioned actions acts as this.

Context WebOriginal / TheOtherWorld