Having completed the elaborate ritual he'd found in a very old book, Wert started a new thread on CYOC, hoping he wouldn't regret it.
According to the book, the ritual was devised by a coven of witches, hundreds of years ago, who'd been trapped by a terrible snowstorm in a small cave. They needed to find a way to survive, but their magic was limited to changing others. None wanted to be left as they were to freeze or starve, but they also knew they couldn't trust the others to change them and not end up stuck as a result, or cut off from their own powers. Eventually, they settled on the creation of a powerful spell, wherein they would all be granted the power to change each other freely, so long as they followed the rules.
The ritual embues a story with a special sort of contract magic. Whoever begins to then tell the story falls under its effects, and remains at the story's mercy for as long as it is told. Others can continue the story once it has begun, but they too then fall under the influence of any changes it may bring about.
First, while such a story can change nearly anything about those who tell it, it can never change a teller's true name (although it can certainly compel them to use and respond to another), and it can never completely prevent a teller from continuing to tell the story.
Second, no tellers can use the story to change themselves. A teller of course could narrate the truth of what they were doing, and indeed, to tell such a story without ever describing what one is doing would be quite difficult, but one is compelled to be truthful about their own actions, and still can only cause changes in others by speaking or writing them into being.
Finally, no teller can truly compel another to continue the story as they would have it. While one could certainly warp another teller's mind, fundamentally changing their personality and drives, the same protections to keep a teller able to continue also ensure at least enough free will to tell the story as they wish to.
All of this seemed reasonable enough to Wert. He wasn't trapped in a cave, but he did feel stuck in his own way. He lived alone in a drafty appartment, getting fatter and balder every year, wearing the same threadbare T-shirt for days at a time, and periodically poking around sites like CYOC looking for a way to spice things up. If this ritual actually worked, it would certainly do the trick. He just hoped there was someone out there who wouldn't abuse the power and was just as willing to be subjected to it.