Let's Play Cinders, A Fairy Tale you can join Options

[Nihilistic One]

Just do it.

[oneluckyduck]

Do it~

[TheSpaih]

Do it.

[Yaoi Huntress Earth]

Cinders: This place is creepy. Must be all the spite collected in the walls throughout the years. It sure makes me feel uneasy as if she will jump out of the cupboard at anytime. Alright, let's have a look around. This place sure looks like a cell in a monastery, there were many more items when Father was still alive. If people define themselves with the object around them, Carmosa must be an empty shell.

I'll just check the desk...old papers, a shopping list, a receipt for the dresses. She wasn't kidding, they are expensive. Here it is: 'I give and bequeath all of my residence and estate. I, the undersigned declare in the case of my death, my wife is to become...' So Carmosa is the rightful owner of the house, that's not good. 'If my wife is unable to perform her duties as the read of the household, all rights will go to my prime daughter.' That should be it. It's not as good as I hoped, but it can turn out to be quite useful. I better go see Madame Ghede; I hope she's not in trouble with the townsfolk again.

---

Cinders: Madame Ghede, are you here? I've made up my mind, I know what I want to do.

Ghede: Calm down, child. There's no need to hurry, I was expecting you anyway.

Cinders: I guess the villagers are right, you are clairvoyant.

Ghede: Or I just know the masquerade is coming and I saw Carmosa in town.

Cinders: So you know that Carmosa wants her daughters to attend the ball to increase her standing. And that she wants to keep me at home to do all the cleaning.

Ghede: I figured that she'd fear that you'd upstage her daughters.

Cinders: I still want to go. I'm sick and tired of people telling me what to do all the time. I am going to show everyone what I'm made of. I want to see their faces when "poor little Cinders" comes in and steals their thunder.

Ghede: So how do you plan to make this change?

Cinders: I will need a little help, but I have two plans of action: I could try to escape town or try to take over the house from Carmosa.

Ghede: You could. Why limit yourself and become queen?

Cinders: I could do that, too. Since I'm going to the ball, why not try to win the prince's heart? I can see you smirking, but I am serious about this.

Ghede: It just does my heart good to see you so dedicated, Cinders. So what is your choice?

[ToxAff]

Get the damn house back first, then we'll see.

[oneluckyduck]

Go for the Prince.
I want to see how it follows the story, and it seems that taking the house would be difficult.

[TheSpaih]

Take it back!

[Nihilistic One]

Go for the prince.

[Yaoi Huntress Earth]

I have an idea. I'll make two separate saves, one for the prince and the reclaim option, and show the results for both. I'll start with the prince option. As I always do, I'll be cutting this the best I can to avoid it running too long.

Cinders: If I'm going to change my life, I might as well aim for the top. I hope the prince is as interesting and promising as everyone says, because his heart is going to go to a certain girl.

Ghede: Frankly, you sound pretty confident.

Cinders: Frankly? To tell you the truth, I'm a bit scared how this will work. Besides, what good is fleeing town going to do? While getting the residence back from Carmosa sounds great, I doubt it's possible. That's just the kind of woman she is and even I have to respect that. So the ball might be my only option.

Ghede: Oh the young and their love of drama and "last chances".

Cinders: Maybe it is a silly dream; I don't even have a dress.

Ghede: That's the least of your problems, I have one that I wore when I was your age and trust me, I melted many hearts with it. I'll have it cleaned in time for the ball and pull some strings to have someone get you into the palace.

Cinders: I-- I'm really grateful.

Ghede: Don't worry about it. I made a promise to your mother, remember?

---

Cinders: I'm home and no one is back. It's pretty sad when you're wishing not to see your family. But I have to wonder, can a normal girl like me attract the prince? Am I that special or attractive or am I just crazy? Who knows, maybe he's a spoiled brat who tortures animals. But there's no time for what ifs, I've made my decision.

The next few scenes are the other characters going over their lives like the prince wondering if he'll be a good leader and find the right wife, Sophia saying how their ill-fitting dresses are a metaphor for their inability to fit their mother's ideals and finally Carmosa worrying about making a better life for her daughters (who by noble standards are "getting old") with this interesting line...



Carmosa: ... It's no good thinking about things like that before I go to sleep. (Translate this and the pic as you will, there has been a theory or two among the fans.)

---

Next day...

Perrault: Six additional guards at the entrance which makes it 65 and two more following the prince dressed as guests. At least the masks will allow the guards to blend in as well as every assassin, vagabond and villain who wants the prince dead. This is going to be a long night. I guess I'll just have to watch the prince closely. On the other hand, I'm being let go. He says it's the age of politics, I doubt people will change so quickly. My code of honor may be a thing of the past, but I will continue on.

--
See if you can guess the shadows.


Perrault: Isn't this what you chosen to support? The monarch is the one who sets the tone for the country. Didn't you want it to be a political arena.

Basil: Politics over war, yes. But this game of appearances disgusts me as much as you. Politics for the good of progress and people is what I want.

Perrault: When the rules of our forefathers were abandoned, honor was disregarded and rules become gray and flexible, this becomes a world where the two-faced win.

Basil: That isn't entirely true. What will happen is that the people will have a voice and be empowered. There may be some disadvantages, but it is a goal worth fighting for.

I personally never had a problem with the separate sleeves style that Sophia has.


Carmosa: You'll get the chance to be royalty.

Sophia: I'm really not so certain...

Gloria: Of course we do!

Carmosa: This isn't the attitude that will win you a better life. Nothing in this world is given to you and it will require hardships, discomfort and sacrifice. Do you think I'm going to let my daughters settle for some smaller nobility or some soldier? Only idiots aim low. Each of you will go over to the prince, introduce yourself and get him to dance. And I'm sure you'll do fine, you are my daughters after all.

Sophia and Gloria: ....

---

Basil: So I'll just try to enjoy myself, any advice?

Perrault: I'm not sure, but there is a very pretty coming your way.

Basil: She looks as astounding and has a dignified air to her. *goes over to Gloria* Good evening, mysterious beauty. Are you enjoying yourself?

Gloria: Why thank you. This ball is so lovely.

Basil: I'm sure they are since half of them have plans of their own.

Gloria: But-- Do you really think that's true? I haven't talked to a lot of the guests, but I believe they have the kingdom's best interests at heart.

Basil: Maybe we can just chat? What do you think about the music?

Gloria: It's heavenly my prince. I don't know much about music, but it seems like an excellent choice.

Basil: Why don't you pick the topic?

Gloria: But I don't know what you like. Oh, I did it again. I'm sorry.

Basil: Don't bother--I mean, worry, don't worry. Would you please excuse me? *Gloria leaves* This is going to be a long night.

---

Sophia: Good evening your grace. That is the right title, isn't it?

Basil: I wouldn't worry about it, I've never understood all the subtitles myself.

Sophia: I must be lucky then since I never cared about them, either.

Basil: Really? That's odd for a girl of your standing.

Sophia: And with an ambitious mother, they're pretty hard to over look. She even had us wear these dresses. But we all have our roles and tasks to play in life. After all, a single night can change the fate of many.

Basil: So are you here because of her?

Sophia: Yes, because I am a good girl who will play her part.

Basil: In that case, would you believe my reason for being here isn't that different than yours. In my case, my oppressive parent is in spirit.

Sophia: I knew the wine tasted funny. But if you're like me and had a parent like Mother, it wouldn't phase you. But such a silly thing politeness is and honesty is not.

Basil: You're a very original woman, you know that? I'm glad I met you.

Sophia: I assume the correct response would be, "thank you your highness" and blush. Don't get me wrong, you're nicer than I thought you'd be, but I didn't come here because I wanted to chat with you and I could care less about ruling. If you were a normal guy, I'd gladly invite you over, but you're not. Goodnight and have a nice ball. *Sophia leaves*

Basil: What the? And I was really starting to like her. (Oh Sophia, I liked you two together.)



Perrault: Wait, is that? She looks familiar.

Cinders: Good evening your highness and you, too, captain.

Perrault: I'll leave you two alone.

Cinders: Judging by the look on your face, I see that you're not enjoying yourself.

Parrault: And what else have you noticed?

Cinders: I figured that reading a person's character and motivations is a crucial skill.

It does go good for Cinders (she purposely leaves one of her shoes behind so she'll be easier to recognize) and I wanted to show this nice pic of them dancing. I just don't want this to get too long.


A few hours earlier...

Ghede: It's you, what do you want?

Remmy: Nothing, I have everything I need. I just wanted some information on that pet project of yours. Especially that girl you helped.

Ghede: She is none of your business and I'd advise you to stay away from her.

Remmy: Even with the small yet crucial part I played in her personal drama? A good supporting actor I must say.

Ghede: Alright, you had your part, but it doesn't matter now. If you must know, everything is going well and I will keep my promise to her mother.

Remmy: That's a tad unlike the Ghede I know, bending this girl's path to your whim as if she was a doll. So much for the "independence" you keep preaching. It must be hard to wait for people to make up their minds when you're in a hurry to leave.

Ghede: I know what you're doing and it won't work. That decision and its consequences are her's to bear. She is free from her mother and can start her own life.

Remmy: You don't think she can keep up that stout pose for long, do you? We all know what will happen when her crutches disappear with no Carmosa to blame or mysterious allies to look up to. But you fulfilled your promise so your concise is clear.

Ghede: Begone snake! I need to pack and will leave soon.

Remmy: Yes, run. Show us the strong, independent spirit you are. You'll run out of cities one day.

---
THE ENDING

Narration: As in the stories of old, Cinders wits and charm got her the heart of the future king



Feared and hated by the people and the court, she was unable to provide the prince with the support he needed to push forth his reforms. Her senseless and decadent rule goes down in history as one of the core reasons for the upcoming bloody revolution.


The hardships in her life had taught her to trust no one, but herself. She makes her own decisions without any help from advisers. Court life fully absorbs the young queen and she loses contact with her old family. From what Cinders heard, after her stepmother's defeat, they live their lives in seclusion away from the rest of noble society. Years later, Cinders and her sister meet at Carmosa's funeral and not a single word is exchanged.

Say your peace (I'm sure this ending will bring some stuff up) and I will post the other ending later today.

This post has been edited by Yaoi Huntress Earth: Jul 28 2012, 09:09 AM

[Master of AFTER]

Gonna catch up with the story later today, but I just want to say again really quickly that the art in this game is absolutely gorgeous.

[Yaoi Huntress Earth]

It's definitely some of the best art I've seen in an interactive story game. Here's what will happen in the "take over" ending. Basically, Cinders' idea to help with the financial situation is to convince Tobias to loan/invest some money to her which she will use to improve the family. She rejects the prince's offer (via Perrault) for marriage to manage the family.

Narrator: Cinders manages to drastically change her life and re-takes the residence from Lady Carmosa. She starts a new era for herself and her family.

For years, Cinders comes to rely on Carmosa for support and advice. Carmosa dies at an old age, finally happy to see her family prosper.


She leverages the impression she made at the ball to put her family back on the map as one of the most influental noble houses in the kingdom. Her family gains wealth and importance through careful rule and manipulation, making them a force to be reckoned with.


Gloria eventually marries into a rich merchant family and finally free of Carmosa becomes a respectable host of her own house. Cinders never meets the love of her life. Eventually, she's forced into a common-sense marriage with the heir of another noble house. Their relationship is pretty happy and respectful, but devoid of any deep feelings.

Thanks for playing along. I'm almost done with getting all the endings and have to get the three last bad endings (where you fail to kill Carmosa and die in prison). All of the four main ones have mix-and-match variants (how well you did, who ended up with, your allies).