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Time for an EXCEEDINGLY POOR IDEA. Give me a genre and a flash rule!
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Jul 7, 2015 21:27
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Cronodoculous posted:Yeah, you might as well give me a flash rule too, let's gently caress this poo poo up. Your flash rule is: Food. You are out of it. It always seems to happen in these genres, so why not? SolusLunes posted:Time for an EXCEEDINGLY POOR IDEA. Your genre is Cheerful Fantasy. Think Slayers, Dragon Half or Those who Hunt Elves for some inspiration. Your flash rule is that one of your heroes has a curse! Though it's less of a curse and more of a cause for hijinks.
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Jul 8, 2015 13:48
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Seems as good a time as any. Give me a Genre and Flash Rule.
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Jul 8, 2015 22:05
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Justin_Brett posted:Seems as good a time as any. Give me a Genre and Flash Rule. Your genre is Body Horror, where the flesh is clay and the monsters are grotesque mockeries of life itself. Parasyte, Guyver, and most works by Junji Ito, like Uzumaki or Gyo, will be your inspiration. Your flash rule is that your story has to take place in a crowded area. A mall, a train station, somewhere with a lot of people.
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Jul 9, 2015 05:47
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Just for clarification, are we writing new characters for the genre or about the characters from a show or whichever? I need to know before starting my horrible fanfiction.
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Jul 9, 2015 05:55
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Jamfrost posted:Just for clarification, are we writing new characters for the genre or about the characters from a show or whichever? I need to know before starting my horrible fanfiction. You can write fanfiction or brand new material, as long as it's within the genre. Remember that fanfic still has to describe it's characters, in case your audience hasn't seen that example before, as well. Otherwise you might lose readers new to the subject.
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Jul 9, 2015 06:00
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Double-posting to let everyone know that it's the last day for sign-ups. We still have genres to cover and prizes to award, so come on down!
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Jul 12, 2015 06:09
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Ah, what the hell... Hit me up with a Genre and a Flash Rule. I want to get back into writing again anyhoo.
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Jul 12, 2015 12:51
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Oh man, I thought we were due today the same as befores. Guess I am glad I don't have to finish this till Wednesday. E: Hey, where is the shametars for the dodgers? I don't wanna have to make em cause I will be an rear end and bad at pictures.
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Jul 12, 2015 19:49
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JamieTheD posted:Ah, what the hell... Hit me up with a Genre and a Flash Rule. I want to get back into writing again anyhoo. You genre is Badass Swordsmen. Where lots of people sigh and draw their katanas, have clunkily-translated (or awesome-sounding untranslated) names for their attacks and every movement makes that awesome 'sching' sound. Samurai 7, Rurouni Kenshin, Samurai Champloo are good places to start. You flash rule is that your story cannot take place in the feudal era. Hypha posted:Oh man, I thought we were due today the same as befores. Guess I am glad I don't have to finish this till Wednesday. I put it in the judgement post that last week didn't have any losers or count-outs, due to it being the July 4 weekend. Though Dr. Idle didn't even post, so he might be getting a shametar-ing. Do you have the file for that .gif you currently have? I could probably photoshop his head where yours is. Also EDIT:  Sign-ups are closed! The wheel of fate is turning!Remember that you have until Midnight on Wednesday to work on your stories, so take your time and make it as good as you can. J.A.B.C. fucked around with this message at 06:41 on Jul 13, 2015 |
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Jul 12, 2015 22:44
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I forgot when I signed up that I had to go away for a couple of days. Heading back home tomorrow and I should be able to pull something together but I'm pretty sure that I'll be gunning for that losertar.
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Jul 13, 2015 13:03
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KING KUKKAN KURASSHA! GUNZAIODOHZAN DENSETSU (1500 Words) Explosions dotted the darkness of space as two massive forces clashed in an incredible final battle, a loud end to the war that lasted countless decades, or at least felt that way. The two forces facing off here were the Dakku Empire, and the Forces of Ritou, confronting each other in a battle of insane proportions that only a few brave souls dared to spectate from a distance with sunglasses and large buckets of popcorn. Jetting into this clash from a far-off distance is a massive, shiny red and grey mech made of titanium, holding a platinum revolver so gigantic it could blow an entire country away in its right hand, and wearing a ten-gallon hat that could cover a large continent. Its left hand was pitch black, bearing a purple diamond marking on its palm, containing the power to crush an entire star system. This mech was none other than the legendary Kūkan Kurasshā, Gunzaiodoh! And in its cockpit was Kotaro Amuro, the rising martial artist, super giant robot pilot and aspiring baker! To go into his history of adventures would take nearly two dozen pages, and the simplified version still goes over the word count. Kotaro had recently developed a habit of talking to his robot as if it was a person or something, which really weirded people out. "Alright 'Zaio, think we should head left through the Gunzaiodoh-hunting armada, or right through the field of pretty rainbow stars?" Kotaro paused. "You wanna fly through the right? Ah, I shouldn't have asked for your opinion, we're going left! No complaining!" Gunzaiodoh quickly rocketed to the left path. Kotaro should probably have chosen the field of pretty rainbow stars, as taking this path they would have to fly through seven intense gambits of death, with the nearest burger join with a drive-thru at the end. Gunzaiodoh rocketed through the first of 24 rings. All the rings in front of them began to glow, and a timer started ticking down. Kotaro heard an informative voice from Gunzaiodoh's radio. "Bad news, Kotaro! You've gotta move quickly! Once that timer finishes counting down, the rings will shoot out an electric current that will overload Gunzaiodoh!" A look of concern came over Kotaro's face. What happened next would be something that would be chronicled in every record of history... but not this one. Gunzaiodoh approached the center of the battlefield, Kotaro took a bite out of the large cheeseburger with pickles in his hands, and Gunzaiodoh awkwardly held an extremely large milkshake in its open hand. "Look, Gunzaiodoh," said Kotaro, "All I'm saying is that... Vanilla is fine. Strawberry's fine, too. But, just... Combining the two? I can't accept that." There was a pause. "Okay, you don't like Pickles, I don't like unholy combinations. Let's just call it even for now." They came under fire. Kotaro dropped his burger on the floor of the cockpit in surprise, and nearly choked on the piece he was currently swallowing. "*COUGH!* *COUGH!!!* Agh... drat! These Dakku mechs are everywhere!" yelled Kotaro, who was trained in the art of excellent observational skills. "Let's deal with 'em quickly, eh, Gunzaio?" Gunzaiodoh dodged and weaved, smoke trailing from its revolver as it fired at opponents left and right, carefully trying to maintain its grasp on its milkshake. One robot attempted to punch Gunzaiodoh in the face, but Gunzaiodoh headbutted its fist, using the two-dozen piece shattering technique to shatter the opponent's arm into two-dozen pieces. Another robot tried to grab Gunzaiodoh's right arm, but was splashed with a giant milkshake. Gunzaiodoh tossed the cup away, disappointed. "Is that the best you can throw at us?!" Kotaro yelled. If you listened closely, you could faintly hear a soldier shouting "Yeah!" The moment Kotaro yelled this, almost two billion enemy soldiers warped in, as well as seven-hundred nuclear missiles, and three anti-matter particle bombs, from all directions. It was them. The Dakku Empire's feared PPRNSC. "Hah! That's more like it! LET'S GO! GUNZAIODOH!!! DAKKU EMPIRE!!! WE'LL BLAST YOU OUT OF THE STARS!!!" Gunzaiodoh grabbed all three bombs, dodging more volleys of beam fire in the process. It lobbed the bombs deep into the enemy ranks, and as the nuclear missiles approached, it fired a shot from its revolver that, miraculously, bounced every missile into every other missile, knocking them all into the anti-matter bombs, causing them to detonate and annihilate the enemy forces. Kotaro had just disproven a long-debated theory on the merits of round numbers in war with a few thousand nuclear explosions. "Sorry, Gunzaio. I know you hate it, but sometimes ya just gotta kill a few billion evil robots." Kotaro said to Gunzaiodoh. Kotaro scanned the area around him, and spotted A Distortion in Space Time. Very simple, finding Distortions in Space Time, once you learned the essentials of finding Distortions in Space Time, which was that Distortions in Space Time quite often looked like Distortions in Space Time. "Here we are, Gunzaiodoh. Time to finish this." Slowly, Gunzaiodoh charged up for a super-powered attack, and Kotaro yelled at the top of his voice. Gunzaiodoh itself did not approve of the following action, but it wasn't the guy in the cockpit who yelled a lot, so it didn't get a say. "JIKKU KATTA!!!!" A blade of energy started beaming from Gunzaiodoh's open hand, which it quickly sliced through the Distortion in Space Time, cutting a massive hole to another dimension. "GUNZAIODOH!!! WE'RE GOING IN!!! WE'RE COMING FOR YOU, DAKKUNIS!!!!" Gunzaiodoh flew into the hole to Another Dimension. Another Dimension was pitch dark and blindingly bright. Truly, Another Dimension was a very unsafe place for those with a history of epilepsy. Eventually, the wild flickering ended. Then, Gunzaiodoh was left in a dark, featureless void. Everything was silent. Suddenly, Kotaro heard something. He looked back, and was faced with a small army of familiar robots, one with a mustache, one with a car for a head, one with shiny fingers and so on. Kotaro's face became a look of shock, and the slightest bit of terror. "Well, poo poo. I'm pretty sure that counts for a few cases of copyright infringement. Oh well, then... we don't have a choice! GUNZAIODOH!!! LET'S GO!!!!" After a while, Kotaro and Gunzaiodoh finally got through the last of the army of super giant robots when finally, Lord Dakkunis showed himself. He was giant, clad in a large, black robe obscuring much of his body, wearing a grey mask, and on top of it, a very silly blue hat. As he approached, he began to laugh villanously, and unsheathed a dark energy blade. "You have been a thorn in my side for long enough, Gunzaiodoh Warrior... Now, I will destroy you, and with you, the universe!" Kotaro and Gunzaiodoh had lost the energy needed to continue fighting. They were defenseless against Dakkunis. "D-drat..." said Kotaro. Gunzaiodoh started getting up on his own. "Whoa... G-Gunzaiodoh...? What are you doing?" Gunzaiodoh raised a fist into the air. A bolt of lightning struck, and his final transformation began. In a flash of light and a long, high-budget animation, Gunzaiodoh had transformed into his ultimate form: KING KUKKAN KURASSHA, GUNZAIODOHZAN!!!! "HAH! HERE WE GO, 'ZAIO!!!" yelled Kotaro excitedly. "Hmm...! So you've finally unlocked your ultimate power, I see! This will be an interesting battle, indeed!!!" said Dakkunis. Gunzaiodohzan pulled the trigger of its revolver, which caused it to turn into a massive rainbow laser beam sword. UNSPEAKABLY INCREDIBLE things happened, like cats and dogs falling from the sky, acidic rain, and a combination of the two. In the end, Dakkunis was at the very far end of the area, with his beam sword out. He menacingly yelled at Kotaro and Gunzaiodohzan. "IT IS TIME FOR US TO END THIS, GUNZAIODOHZAN WARRIOR!!! IF I MUST DIE HERE, I WILL TAKE YOU AND THE MULTIVERSE WITH ME!!!!" Kotaro yelled at the very top of his voice. "GUNZAIODOHZAN!!! LET'S GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!" Gunzaiodoh brought back out its beam sword and charged at Dakkunis. As the energy blade pierced into Gunzaiodohzan, there was blinding light everywhere. Kotaro could only open his eyes long enough to see that Gunzaiodoh's energy blade had pierced straight through Dakkunis's chest, and sliced up through his head. Kotaro smirked, and spoke his semi-final words. "Well, Gunzaio... At least we saved the omniverse together... It was nice knowin' you, robot." Gunzaiodohzan responded. "For once, I'm able to agree with you on something, Kotaro..." Then, Kotaro spoke his final words. "Haha, yeah. Wait, you actually CAN talk?" There was a massive explosion. And then it all ended. The Dakku forces on the other side all exploded, and the Forces of Ritou won. It was all thanks to Kotaro and Gunzaio. They held a funeral for the brave heroes. Some say that, on that night, when you looked at the stars, you could see an image of Kotaro himself, charging into battle inside Gunzaiodoh, with nothing but a cheeseburger with pickles in his hands, and a Chocolate Strawberry milkshake in the cup holder. The Colonel fucked around with this message at 07:05 on Jul 15, 2015 |
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Jul 15, 2015 05:43
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The Colonel posted:KING KUKKAN KURASSHA! GUNZAIODOHZAN DENSETSU (2080 Words) Word count maximum is 1,500 or Over 9,000. Not between those. Since submissions are still open, I'll allow an edit.
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Jul 15, 2015 06:14
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Understood, I've edited it down wherever I felt that I could.
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Jul 15, 2015 07:06
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A Tango Over Titan Sam kicked open the door to the bounty office and shoved her quarry in. “Hey there! Long time no see! Maybe a bit too long, enh?” She smirked at the bounty officer on duty, which was completely lost on him when he neglected to look up from his monitor. “Heh... eh... hmph.” She pointed to a bench against the wall, and her bounty sat down and rested his bound hands on his lap. Sam made her way to the counter and leaned her elbow on it. “So how's it going, uh...” She leaned out to spy the name placard affixed to the front of the counter, and then back in. “Bill!” It really had been a while, hadn't it. “I've got a real catch this time. He's been making waves from here to The Belt, you'll be glad to get him behind bars. And I'll be glad to get that bounty!” She raised her hand to her mouth to mock whisper to the officer. “To be honest, I could use the dosh, I ran out of shoes to eat a week ago, and I've started cooking up socks.” She waggled her eyebrows at the desk jockey, who continued to stare at his monitor. Sam cleared her throat and cocked her head at him. “Well? I haven't got all-” The officer pointed a pen grasped in his pudgy hand at the prisoner Sam had brought in, who was still slumped in the bench. “Name,” The officer grunted. “Huh? Oh, him, uh... lemme just...” Sam pulled out her datapad and scrolled through a few listings before she found it. “Here we go. Grell Tamzarian. PID is 140-2387-009. Bounty is a swank three hundred thousand. Bet you're wondering how I caught him, right? Well I just got this pair of facial recognition goggles, real fancy, all the features, and th-” “No.” The officer interjected. “No? No what?” “We already gots one.” “You already gots one what?” The officer pointed his pen at the prisoner again. “Grell.” Sam's gaze returned to her bounty, who was still busy studying the bare concrete floor. “Uh, there's just the one, sir. That's him right there. How can you already have one?” The officer turned his monitor to face Sam and tapped his pen on a mugshot. “Booked last week. Shipped off to MaxSec. Bounty don't say nothing about more than one.” Sam peered at the monitor, then back at her quarry, who was now staring at the monitor too. Aside from a painful looking black eye on the mugshot, they were identical. “So then, what do I do with mine?” Sam inquired. He turned the monitor back and gave a lazy shrug. “Can't leave him here, though.” Sam turned to face her meal ticket, now stamped “VOID”. She sighed, and her stomach gurgled in shared disappointment. “Up.” Grell stood up, his eyes still fixed on monitor's backside. Sam stared at his face, and he turned to meet her gaze. “You've got a lot of explaining to do, pal.” She nodded to the door and he trudged through it. Outside, Sam tapped Grell on the shoulder, and he turned around. “So what was that? You got an identical twin?” “No.” “Doppleganger?” “No.” “Professional impersonator?” “No.” “Mass produced cyborg?” “No.” “Clone?” “I don't know.” Sam frowned. “Well if the bounty on you is no good anymore, I might as well let you go. I should get back to the dry dock, I think I forgot to pay the meter.” She produced a key from her boot and started for Grell's bindings, but was interrupted. “Wait. You have ship?” “Well yeah what kinda bounty hunter doesn't have a ship? She's a real beauty too, runs like a drea-” “You need bounty. I need answers. The person I worked for. Big bounty.” Grell pointed at Sam's datapad in her pocket. “May I?” “Uh, sure. How big are we talking, here?” Sam handed over her datapad. Grell manipulated the screen deftly despite his bound wrists and handed it back. “Woah, Vetterlund? You could have just said so, she's one of the biggest names...” Sam scrolled down and her eyes went wide. “That is a lot of zeroes.” Sam looked up from the pad. “You said you work for her, why go turncoat now?” “Money dried up. Was her best agent. Best in the Outer Worlds. Crimes show up on my blotter. I didn't do 'em. Someone's patsy? Looked into things. Found out where my orders were coming from. Looked for passage. Got cold-cocked with a stun baton.” Grell squinted hard at Sam on the last part, and gestured for the datapad again. “So why should I trust you? And why should you trust me?” Grell handed her back the datapad, now displaying an orbital pattern over Titan. “Don't, yet. Once we get there. Then we trust. Keeping these until then.” Grell brought his wrists in front of his face, displaying the bindings still there. Sam screwed up her face. This wasn't the best situation, but neither was going hungry on this backwater until she lucked into another bounty. “Alright.” They walked off towards the docks. They reached Titan a few hours later after a quick trip through the Gate. Grell's coordinates were correct; Sam quickly found what they were pointing at: a small orbital platform. No ships were docked, and no life readings came up on the scan. It could be empty, or it could be shielded. Either way, the AI was giving her clearance to dock, and it would be rude to decline such a polite invitation. She made her way back to the cargo hold and told Grell the news. “Might not find a bounty.” Grell frowned. “Might find something else.” “Well come on, let's at least find out what's inside.” They made their way through the airlock, the station was pressurized, no need for a suit. It didn't seem abandoned, but there was certainly no activity. Sam stopped inside a cold dark room, the largest on the scans, and approached a terminal. “Let's see if we can't find out what's going on here.” Red light filled the room, revealing two long rows of tanks covered in condensation. Grell approached one carefully and wiped away the moisture, his handcuffs clinking against the surface. The dew cleared, revealing Grell's reflection in the glass. Except the reflection didn't recoil in horror when Grell realized what he was looking at. Sam piped up and called to Grell. “Alright I've put everything I could find on my datapad, we can take a look later back in the ship. Lemme just-” An alarm sounded and white flashes of light lit the room. Sam turned away from the console and yelled at Grell over the din, “Hey, that wasn't me, don't look at me like that!” Grell tensed up and charged towards Sam in a sprint. She let loose an unsteady yelp and dove to the ground as Grell barreled past her and tackled someone to the ground. Sam heard a sickening crack as she got to her feet and tried to make sense of the situation. Alive Grell was standing over Dead Grell. Dead Grell was holding a blaster, which Alive Grell kicked to the side. Dead Grell's neck should not be bent like that. Alive Grell held his cuffs out in front of him. “Trust me now: we need to leave.” Sam unlocked his cuffs quickly and nodded. She took off in a sprint down the hall with Grell chasing after her. Halfway back to the airlock Sam skidded to a halt, and Grell almost fell over on her. “I noticed this on the way in! Help me!” Sam ducked into a side room off the main corridor and grabbed one end of a large box marked “RATIONS.” Grell shook his head, but grabbed the whole box around the middle and started dashing down the hall again. Sam followed after him and smacked the button to close the airlock once they were in the ship. She kept running all the way to the cockpit and quickly detached from the station. They were a thousand klicks out when the station broke apart. It wasn't a big pretty explosion, but anything on board would soon enter Titan's atmosphere and disintegrate. Grell joined her in the cockpit with a handful of “NUTRIENT BAR: ORANGE FLAVOR.” He handed a couple to Sam. “Well, at least we won't get scurvy, right?” She chuckled. “And don't worry about that guy back there,” Sam mumbled through a mouthful of nutrient bar, “that counts as suicide, they can't book you on that.” They set course for Saturn Gate and planned their next move. Word Count: 1499
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Jul 15, 2015 08:51
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Well under the word count, first time, and got a bit more distracted than I should have. Obsolete – 747 words. “So it's come to this...” The rain, tears of the gods, slid down Tengen's grim countennance. The tears of gods and man mixed, before he looked at his opponent. She stood in the street, her sword at her hip: Senna. Her voice rang soft, like faraway bells, and if she cried also, Tengen could neither see nor sense it. “Yes, Tengen. We could have chosen, but the time for choice passed long ago. Whenever you're ready.” The skies wept, as the warriors waited. Thunder rolled, and the streetlights flickered. In that moment, both swords were drawn, a mutual song of steel, and the liquid beat of hurried footsteps in the rain marked the beginning of a song; a duet. The final duet. They met between two parked SUVs, and as their blades clashed, Tengen noted how different they had become. Once, she had used the uchigatana, like his own, but now, her blade was thinner, double edged, basket hilted. The rapier. His blade slid down to the hilt, and, pushing away, he leapt to the air. She would follow. She had to. Wind-Parts-The-Curtains was met with River-Flowing-Eastward, into a Slanted Rockslide, itself met with a Dragon Rising. They fell into the rhythm, their swords blazing under the streetlamps, on and off as they danced to the music of death so well. A summer day, sitting in the park outside the courthouse. Senna was laughing, and she punched him in the shoulder. “What, you've never kissed a girl before? One would think you were an expert, the way you talk!” He blushed, but raised his head, and grasped her face, planting his lips to hers. The moment went on forever. Tengen dived as a street light threatened to crush him, deflecting his opponent's thrust almost lazily, and considered. Senna was not fighting to win. There was something else here. “Have you considered the blade, Tengen? Really considered it?” His face screwed up in consternation, and the shoulder of his jacket was split as his concentration wavered. So, he thought... A test. “The blade” deflect, riposte “is not merely a tool for death, as others have” BACKSTEP, swing “noted. Those skilled in its use can guard,” parry, Dragon Rising, block, block, RIPOSTE “ can stun with the hilt, the flat. It is an expression of control.” All this time, the fight continued. Senna rejoindered, not only with her sword, but words. “But a gun, Tengen, is more efficient. Why not use those?” Backstepping wildly, Tengen wondered what was happening. And then... An opening. A wide opening. Even as he mistrusted, he brought both hands to the hilt, raised it, brought it down, to Senna's temple. She collapsed. Tengen sighed. He would live another day, it seems. “The Onken Zaibatsu is displeased with you, Tengen” Where once stood Senna the lover in his memory, there was now the Judge. They had gone their separate ways, and in those days... The files. So many people, judged by a system that cared nothing for their problems, their personhood. Only results. Here, a woman whose Personality Index had deviated from her job. Exiled. There, a man whose only flaw was in customers what they needed, no extras, no cold sales. Unemployed. He knew Senna had seen them. In a sense, that's why they were here. He struck the woman he had once loved, the final obstacle to freedom, perhaps just for him, perhaps for others. And he ran. He looked down at Senna's prone form. “Because the sword is pure. Because it requires focus. Because the law demands no ranged weaponry in Corporate territory. But mostly, because I'm an old fool who still believes in symbols.” He began to turn away, and gasped. Looked down. He had grown a steel spike from his chest. Double edged, it was the mirror of Senna's blade. And he would not live long. He could hear a voice, a familiar voice, not from the body in front of him, but at his ear. “Yes, Tengen. You are an old fool. You still believe in honour. Efficiency, in this day and age, is what is necessary to do things.” Senna. But Senna was... Too late, he noticed the seam at the back of “Senna's” neck, the blinking wireless indicator. She had never turned from him once, and he never questioned it. Stupid. As all went black, he heard his epitaph. “Unlike you, Tengen, I have no wish to be... So Obsolete.”
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Jul 15, 2015 19:25
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I messed up and ran out of time, so I didn't get to the meat of things. Feel free to shame avatar me if you feel I've earned it, but here's what I came up with. “Hey, Shin.” The snoring continued. “C’mon. Wake your rear end up.” It actually seemed to get louder, like some kind of self defense mechanic for the lazy. Fine by him. Taking one hand off the steering wheel, Abe took hold of the night-stick next to his chair and swung it down. He didn’t need to look to see Shin’s foot jerk away to the side. “I’m up, geez,” the unkempt man muttered as he rose in the van’s passenger seat, blinking at the sun coming through the windshield. He looked like someone who’d had a bad night, a bad day, and a bad week. His dirty-blonde hair was messy, eyelids bloodshot, and clothes wrinkled. Your typical office layabout, in other words, but Abe didn’t think laziness was his only problem. Shin was still a young man, but there were older ones who took better care of themselves than he seemed to. “At my old job they’d at least try a few times before getting the stick out, y’know.” He smacked his lips. “I need a-” Abe pointed to the cup holders, where a cup of coffee was simmering on his partner’s side. The next few seconds had an indescribable noise. He sipped his own drink, a bottle of tea. “You should get off that stuff, you know. It’s bad for you.” Shin sniffed dismissively. “Don’t talk about what’s ‘good’ for me. For some reason I had a hard time sleeping last night. Wonder who’s fault that is, huh?” “You’d rather not know?” While the light ahead was red, grinding traffic to a halt, Abe looked out over the crowded sidewalk, looking casual but searching hard for the right signs. Compared to the former desk jockey next to him, he was more physically fit, more handsome, and just seemed more together in general. His black eyes, the same color as his hair, watched the pedestrians with the air of someone used to it. Another slurp. “You bet. Locking my door at night to keep people from breaking in was pretty nice.” Abe shook his head. “They’d have come for you anyway, sooner or later.” “Maybe, but we both know how far down the list I’d be. I’m a later rather than sooner guy, if you hadn’t noticed.” And how would you react when later came? Abe avoided asking the question, because in fairness there was really no way to predict something like this. He’d been certain the people who had contacted him were pranksters until he had seen the evidence. You couldn’t deny that, no matter how much you wanted to. A significant portion of the people the average person would see in day-to-day life weren’t, in fact, people at all: they were a lifeform wearing the appearance of one, like a suit. They or Them was the best title their group had come up for them, actually. A simple code name, but one that kept anyone not in the know blessedly ignorant. If the fact of their existence didn’t cause riots, how they assumed a human appearance would. It started with the person feeling a tiny pin-prick, like from a mosquito bite. That would be what they’d chalk it up to, and think no more on it. In broad terms, that was true: They began life as a tiny organism no bigger than the insect, and they were certainly after your bloodstream. That was what gave it the quickest access to your cells, which it would begin spreading through and rewriting. They were a careful species, and wouldn’t do anything major right away. Slowly, over the course of several days, they’d gain control over the limbs and arms of the person they’d entered. For the time being, the thing would use them to do whatever its ‘host’ wanted, to avoid arousing suspicion. There was only so long it could carry out these actions without them noticing, of course, and eventually the unlucky person would notice what was happening to them. That was when their limbs refused to move them toward a doctor’s office, or anyone else who could detect the parasite inside them. If someone asked if anything was wrong, they’d hear their own voice say that no, everything was fine. The brain always went last. From that point on, all the real owner of the body could do was sit and watch it go about their day to day life, while every last cell that made them who they were was erased. The process, already painful when it reached your vital organs, was excruciating for the brain. Most people didn’t last long before snapping entirely, if they got that far. Once They ensured the host couldn’t blow their cover, they’d usually begin to experiment. They had perfect control over their cells, and could mold them like clay into almost any shape imaginable, including many you wouldn’t want to. They had one odd quirk to their behaviour, though: they’d only choose to infect physically ideal victims. Weight-lifters, joggers, sports players. Even people who were just handsome or beautiful. It made sense - those were people who could rise high in society, and it was far less likely they’d come under suspicion by performing or acting differently than they normally did. Someone like Shin wouldn’t even be considered, and as for himself...Abe looked down at the brace around his left leg. People changed their self-image all the time, but no-one recovered from something like that. He was safe, at least from being infected. No-one was completely safe at the moment.
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Jul 16, 2015 04:42
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Ryuu's Game - 465 words Prince Ryuu sighed and fidgeted, He’d never been so bored! It seemed nothing would entertain The blinded little lord. He’d pinched the servants and the guards And kicked his father’s hounds But even in these favoured games No joy at all was found. “So what to do?” Prince Ryuu shrieked “I know! I’ve just the thing! Call all the boys together, Let our tournament begin!" The serving boys were rounded up And brought out to the yard, A great ring was chalked on the ground, The stones were greased with lard. Ryuu proclaimed “The time has come, To find out who’s the best! On this slippery field you’ll find You’re in for quite a test! The gem I hold here in my hand Is victory’s reward, So fight, my friends, and slip and slide So I won’t be so bored!” Tetsuo, the young and small, Was shoved into the ring “You have the joy of being first, Now let the fight begin! Remember though,” Ryuu explained, “I have been blind since birth, So shout out your attacks Before you strike, now, prove your worth!” Tetsuo never fought before, He was so shy and meek - But that tiny jewel could feed His family for a week! And so he dodged the first boy’s fist The greased stone was too slick, His opponent fell and raised his hands When Tetsuo yelled “Low kick!” The others could not hit him, Couldn't land a single blow, They’d tire and Tetsuo would shout And strike, and down they’d go. At last he faced the largest boy, Who shouted “Lunge attack!” He bulled forward and caught Tetsuo And flung him on his back. “Stomp!” the brute cried out, “Foot stomp!” Tetsuo tried to retreat A foot lashed out and caught his chin, He crumpled in a heap. Time seemed to slow for Tetsuo, As he struggled to rise, If he did not get up and fight, He wouldn't win the prize. The large boy thought that he had won, He heard Tetsuo roar, He turned as Tetsuo's "Flying punch!" Thundered across his jaw. He staggered, puzzled as his eyes crossed And rolled up inside his head, He fell down in a boneless sprawl - Tetsuo had won instead! Tetsuo was brought before Ryuu, The whole court held its breath, "Well done, Tetsuo, you've fought quite well, But the fights aren't finished yet! Throat punch! Groin kick!" cried Ryuu But Tetsuo stepped aside, Ryuu screamed and fell down hard, His blows both sailed wide. "Well fine!" Spat Ryuu, turning red, "I guess the prize is yours! Now help me up, you peasant, Or I'll see that you're whipped raw! This really was quite good, you know, This tournament was fun! All of you come back tomorrow, We're going to hold another one!"
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Jul 16, 2015 05:16
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Thank Christ that's over with. Probably not the best theme to try poetry with but there was no way I was going to manage a higher word count in the time I'd left myself.
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Jul 16, 2015 05:20
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Can't Let Go (443 words) With a twist of the wrist, I’m drenched with pure light. I take on a form that’s ready to fight. My spear has a reach that’s without a match. It pierces my foes and kills by the batch. I work with a team. They’re stupid, but strong. To me they act nice. We don’t get along. I rather they just let me be all alone. At least they can fight, despite their kind tone. At the end of the day, when all is at rest. I escape to my home with relief in my chest. No parents or “friends” to make me feel used. No shadows of death to leave me so bruised. Just me and the one who’s taken my heart. No distractions at all to keep us apart. The girls have no clue of the boy that I love, But as soon as I sit, a scream from above! I leave in a flash while shouting, “Goodbye!” Two jumps and I’m there. I land with a sigh. The others are here with magic unleashed. “I’m busy right now so move quick, capiche?” They move with the grace of a used up old car, But managed to knock the shade up quite far. That’s when I close in with disdain for my foe And run him through hard with one mighty blow. The girls are all smiles and cheer with delight, But I don’t care much for them or the fight. I quietly sink back into the night To see if my beau was doing all right. And there he is sitting in the very same spot. He knows me so well that we’ve never fought, But since we first met, he’s been acting so shy. He doesn’t say much, but ooo what a guy. Gently grabbing his hand, I feel his cold skin. I wrap us up tight to keep the heat in. It was when we first met. He was under attack. I wasn’t strong then, but I fought the shade back. I took him back home to save what was left. Magic and stitches with movements so deft, Kept him in one piece. ‘Twas love at first sight. Only he could keep my flames all alight. My purpose was clear. My steps had a goal. My power turned great. I knew my own soul. But under this sheet with the one I adore, I’d let the world go and ask nothing more. A scream from below. My magic reacts. To keep my love safe, it’s now I must act. With a twist of the wrist, I’m drenched with pure light. I take on a form that’s ready to fight.
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Jul 16, 2015 05:59
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Grrr-Krishnakk posted:Thank Christ that's over with. Probably not the best theme to try poetry with but there was no way I was going to manage a higher word count in the time I'd left myself. I feel your relief. Time should stop disappearing so fast (and that's with the contest having a longer duration this week). Edit: Something that everyone should be exposed to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkVYHUMCCwc Jamfrost fucked around with this message at 06:04 on Jul 16, 2015 |
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Jul 16, 2015 06:00
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To Love a Metal Man (1499 words) I have had many men trespass through my river before, but no man such as this. Instead of tanned hide and pelted fur, he wore shirts of vibrant colour, cross hatched with bold scarves of intricate beadwork. Other men would move silently but he clanged and rattled, with kettles ringing like bells along his backpack. His sweat and the mid morning sun conspired to give his face a polished bronze finish, broken by his soot black beard and long hair. No man in my lands ever had a beard and I caught myself staring at it. I looked for a weapon, a reason to fear instead of awe but I saw no club, bow or spear. From his back swung what I would learn is a musket but he did not reach for it when he noticed my presence. Most importantly of all, he did not cower like most men but smiled and greeted me warmly when I emerged from the woods on the far shore. So it was that this Metal Man would seek to ford my crossing. I had caught him halfway through and he struggled to keep his footing while his eyes remained transfixed upon me. His inattention allowed mistress water to have her way and he toppled into the clear water with a bang. I could only laugh as the Metal Man flailed comically to contain his iron ducks. Slowly, I wadded into the water after him. His face struck into alarm and he struggled heartily to regain his composure and pots in equal measure. Mistress water though would not be interrupted and he was still on his hands and knees when I came upon him. There, totally helpless before me, he sputtered words in magical foreign tongues, scrambling backwards to undo his crossing. I grabbed his shoulders with both of my hands and leaned into inspect him. He smelt strongly of smoke with hints of flowers and there, caressed by the gentle water and sun, I kissed him lightly on the forehead. Drawing him up, I lead my stunned metal man to the far shore, and into my heart. For many days and nights ,we were companions. He would sing to me all day as we travelled and I would bring him the wealth of the forest every night to feast. He was a merchant of sorts, with wares forged from far. For kettles and blades, he hoped to trade for the pelts of beaver from the people. I myself had no great love being among the people, the feeling being mutual, but for my love I would go. Alas, I felt like he did not share the same feelings. We would always be on opposite sides of the fire and he would always keep his distance from me when walking. Love, like a river, only flowed one direction between us. By the fifth day, I had tracked down the village of the people. The forest gave way to a large clearing filled with log longhouses and the smell of cooking meat. I bade the metal man good luck and stayed in the shade of the trees as he approached. His visit was not unexpected, the Metal Man was hardly silent. The men of the people met him with caution and curiosity, weapons present but not at the ready. From every space upon the metal man's body, metal tools and cookery flowed like sap from a wounded tree upon colourful blankets. With grand gestures and booming intonations, he paraded his wares past his impromptu marketplace. At first, the performance was greeted with great enthusiasm but in haggling, things turned sour. With puckered faces, the men laid the metal down and walked away. Behind them, like does in the meadow, the women approached. Before the Metal Man could even start, the blankets were stripped bare, and pots and pans crashed and clanged through many simultaneous hands. Water was flung into the kettles and axe heads tasted wood all throughout the village as all the women "borrowed" the metal goods. The Metal Man hurried from camp site to camp site, trying to recollect his livelihood. The women, with wistful frowns, clutched tightly their new treasures and stared at the men for rescue. Only then, did pelts materialize into the stranger's hands. Not all treasures clutched were metal though. The people did not wear beards, and the women touched and played endlessly with the Metal man's face. One even briefly pecked him on the lips, turning to laugh as the Metal Man smiled. When I kissed him, he did not smile and he allowed so many so close. They crowded around him in their sleek buckskin dresses. I had no beautiful dresses, no elegant long legs and hair, I never got to hold the Metal Man like some dared to now. Compared to them I was down-right ugly. Well, I will show them ugly. Enraged, I bolted from the shade towards the village. Alarm and panic spread throughout the village when I breached its perimeter, women scrambling for shelter and men for weapons. For the crowd around the Metal Man though, they heard the cries too late. Like a stone thrown into a pond, I plowed into the throng of women, swinging wildly through tears and curses. Though I lunged and thrashed at those beautiful legs and dresses, they danced away from me and the herd scattered before I could sink my teeth into anyone. In the now empty field, I looked for my love but I couldn't see him in the chaos. The men then finally caught up to me and I fled with arrows and spears nipping at my heels till I crashed into the safety of the brush. In the quiet of the forest, I licked my wounds and took stock. I was virtually unharmed, save for a long metal knife blade in my arm. It was smooth and easy to remove though, I had suffered far worse, and I preceded to track down my Metal Man. It took only an hour to track him down, but I was shocked what I found. In the deep woods, I found him with the women who kissed him first. He had a special treasure for her, a small box that when opened, played beautiful music. Present in hand, she kissed him much harder and ran off back towards the village, giggling. I gripped my newfound blade tightly, I had to end this, all of this, and I knew exactly how. I stalked her through the trees till she hit a small clearing, then with blade in hand, I charged the pathetic vixen. She screamed and tried to run but I was much faster than her. I could have easily ended her life right there with just my hands but I needed to use the blade. Metal blades could only come from the Metal Man and for me, he needed to stay far away from that village. I left the blades crudely sticking in her neck as I walked off, feeling incredibly satisfied. I returned to my love later that evening, finding him by a roaring fire cooking dinner. He was bemused by the events earlier that day and seemed to scold me, but I paid him little mind. We lounged by the fire, just as always.Tonight though, we were greeted by men dressed in war shirts and covered with paint.. The men produced the blood tinged blade I had used and shouted anger at the Metal Man. He held his hand up and attempted to calm them but was struck. I felt his blood hit my face and I moved to wipe it from my eyes. Apparently, the men didn't notice me before in the shadows cast by the flame and stood there stunned as I drew myself to my full height, towering over them. They had come with spears and arrows but I wouldn't need anything to handle this. The first man lost his jugular in the first swing. A spear swung wide and I bite into an arm as it past, crushing bone. An arrow caught my eye, so I found its sender and beat his head into the earth. A club would break a rib, so I would break a spine. I would trade all my flesh, if but to save my love's life. As quickly as it started, the only things left standing were me and the Metal Man. I however, would not be standing long and toppled over on to the soft earth, the taste of blood thick in my throat. Through tears, the Metal Man was right beside me and cradled my head in his lap. I tried to tell him I was sorry for all that I did but all I could do was stare mournfully into his starry eyes. There, under the moon light, he lightly caressed my face, kissed me gently repeatedly on my nose and sang me ragged songs till the night took everything away. Hypha fucked around with this message at 06:37 on Jul 16, 2015 |
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Jul 16, 2015 06:34
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J.A.B.C. posted:You genre is Badass Swordsmen. Where lots of people sigh and draw their katanas, have clunkily-translated (or awesome-sounding untranslated) names for their attacks and every movement makes that awesome 'sching' sound. Samurai 7, Rurouni Kenshin, Samurai Champloo are good places to start. I was red-texted this, so I of course do not have the file. Always wear red text avatars with pride. (He left Jho's tail on, so shameful)
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Jul 16, 2015 06:55
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Sorry I wasn't around to call it earlier, but I wanted to give some people the time to post in case they ran out of time. But Submissions are Closed. I'll be re-reading your stuff and making my decisions in the near future! Thanks to all of you who participated, and I can't wait to read some more anime. EDIT: The Time of Judgement is Upon you! First off: SolusLunes is our only no-show this week! I'll need to find that original image and post his face on that Space Marine. Somehow. TheColonel: I think I see what you were trying to do with your story here, by having small bit after bit working with an episodic nature, but it feels janky and cluttered. Though you do get points for making it as over the top as possible, I'd suggest focusing more on one episode next time, so you can space out your dialog and make it read better. Cronodoculous: I'm not sure what to do with this story. A part of me wants you to flesh it out, so we can see what kind of world they're living in, and another part of me wants you to trim it down and focus on the action stuff. It's really conflicting. JamieTheD: I liked this one. It reads like an action scene, with smoothness and enough detail to give me an idea of what was going on, but not enough to clutter it up. Good job. Justin_Brett: You explain 'Them', but nothing happens in this story. You just have these guys talking, then explaining the parasites, then explaining why your MC won't get infected. No big twist, no climax, no resolution. It goes nowhere. Grrr-Krishnakk: The poetry is kind of clunky, but you get your point across with a rich man's Fight Club. Jamfrost: Did...did I just read about a magical girl falling in love with a doll? Because it should have been a body pillow for greater anime effect. Kidding, but I did like it. It was cute, it used the flash-rule well and didn't come out as creepy about it. Hypha: Break up your paragraphs. For the love of all that is holy, break up your paragraphs. Because with those massive walls of text it's easy to lose the fact that a merchant is being stalked by a river beast/god/something or other. So, judgements: JamieTheD, come on down for your three games! Jamfrost, Congrats on the HM! Grr-Krishnakk, Cronodoculous keep up the effort. You'll get it next time. TheColonel, for the honor of making the most over-the-top parody ever, you don't lose. But for losing me with your story structure, you get a DM. Hypha, your idea was alright and you worked with the flash rule well enough, but your paragraph structure pushed you into DM territory. Justin_Brett, you wear the crown of Shame this time around. Welcome to the losertar club. I'll be posting the next prompt in a few days. Congrats, and reach me on Steam! J.A.B.C. fucked around with this message at 08:46 on Jul 17, 2015 |
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Jul 16, 2015 18:47
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I humbly accept your judgment. I felt the same way when I finished. I had it at around 1600 with an abrupt ending, and had to go cut more out when I saw you slap down The Colonel for going over 1500. The middle section kinda lacks any punch. Now I'm reworking it in my head and thinking of all the extra words I could have if I cut this or that, heh.
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Jul 17, 2015 11:09
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gently caress yeah, didn't lose 
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Jul 17, 2015 11:26
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A body pillow, of course! I could've written in some hugging and bedding jokes. By the way, I watched some of Madoka Magica for research and wow, that anime became dark real fast.
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Jul 17, 2015 11:49
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I really couldn't agree with that criticism more. What happened with my story was that I started writing it and had a much less over the top, shorter version of that as the intro, but as I wrote the first chapter I found it to be even more messy than what I've submitted now and the pacing didn't feel right and even if it did, I really loving hated what I had written because I had a terrible idea of how I wanted to write the characters or the plot progression and no time left to really work it out in my head because I didn't spend as much time working on it as I should. I decided to expand on the intro and make that instead and ultimately liked the end product more than what I was originally doing, but yeah, I'm not proud of the story structure. What I'm trying to say is, I blame this all on a recent lack of time to watch G Gundam possibly due to the universe conspiring against me. The Colonel fucked around with this message at 16:48 on Jul 17, 2015 |
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Jul 17, 2015 16:44
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I'll try to do better next time. I would have had them run into one after that, but as I said I ran out of time.
Justin_Brett fucked around with this message at 17:16 on Jul 17, 2015 |
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Jul 17, 2015 17:09
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Games are out, prompt is done, and it's time to go for another round, folks! This week's prompt is Independence. Being yourself in a sea of others, striking out on your own even when the chips are down. Or doing something that might not be seen as the normal, going against the conventional wisdom to creates something special. Sign-ups close: Midnight on Sunday, July 26. Submissions Close: Midnight on Wednesday, July 29. Word Count: 1,300 Games to be won: Assassin's Creed 4 Gunpoint The Long Dark Surgeon Simulator Minimal One Finger Death Punch: Anime Holdovers: Hyperdimension Neptunia 1&2 Carpe Fulgur Collection 100% Orange Juice Storytelling holdovers: Long Live the Queen Oddworld Collection Fallout: NV Crime holdovers: Shadow Warrior Payday 2 Prospectors: Jamfrost: You're trying to make your own legacy Cronodoculous deathbagel J.A.B.C. fucked around with this message at 06:45 on Jul 24, 2015 |
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Jul 20, 2015 06:48
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I'm in with a flash rule.
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Jul 20, 2015 06:53
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I'm in.
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Jul 20, 2015 07:25
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Actually gonna sit this one out and catch up on some other stuff. Will be around for the next round though!
Grrr-Krishnakk fucked around with this message at 15:23 on Jul 21, 2015 |
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Jul 20, 2015 22:55
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Sure, why not. I'll try! I could use a losertar!
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Jul 24, 2015 01:10
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Finally done with that crazy week!Jamfrost posted:I'm in with a flash rule. You're trying to make your own legacy, stepping out of the shadows of your predecessors.
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Jul 24, 2015 06:45
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A Truant Wizard Finally, I was rid of them. The damnable teachers constantly looking over my shoulder, tut-tutting me, holding me back. The damnable classmates always pestering me, ratting me out, interrupting my experiments. Most of all, the damnable Grand Magus who always seemed to be just around the nearest corner, throwing me in detention, confiscating my tomes. I needn't worry about them now, though. Soon they'd all know just how wrong they were to hold me back at Junior Novice for the last six seasons. I trudged through the forest. The snow was halfway up my shins and even my thickest cloak wasn't enough to keep the cold out. In a small clearing I stopped to collect my thoughts. I crossed the creek a few minutes ago, I should be able to see the tower by now. I pulled my cloak tighter. If this drat chill won't go away I could at least do something about it. A simple fire conjuration spell should do the trick. Pyra Manifestum was the words, but I read in an upper level book that if you change the suffix to -aga you get a spell that's three times as powerful. Novices aren't allowed to use anything greater than first level spells, and that was strictly enforced. Finally I'd be able to flex my might a bit. “Pyraga Manifestum!” I shouted while waggling my fingers. Pyra produced a small flame, large enough to warm your hands on. I expected a slightly larger flame to appear. Instead, the ground cracked open in front of me and a large flaming hand burst out. I took a step back. Out came another hand, then both of them pulled a creature of fire up through the cracked earth. A bound fire elemental? Stupendous! Perhaps I was meant to be a summoner after all. I adjusted my gaze upward to look the elemental in its face-ish place and grinned. “Elemental, hear me! I command you to, erm, stand right there.” I popped off my gloves and held my hands up closer to the creature's flaming body. “RETH KALIMUS.” The creature said, although it was more of an elaborate sizzle than speech. Uh oh. That's right. Elementals spoke their own language, and had to be commanded in that tongue. Okay, think back, Ancient Languages with Master Inimus. I thought hard, but couldn't remember any of it... how often did I even bother to show up to that class? I cleared my throat and took a step back. “Uh, yes... Reth Kalimus!” A bluff, but these elementals weren't terribly smart, right? “RETH KALIMUS TORRON.” The creature raised an arm and an enormous fireball shot off and exploded a nearby tree. “No! No Reth Kalimus!” The elemental ignored me and exploded a few more trees. Flaming tinder landed in the snow. This was quickly getting out of hand. I probably couldn't kill a third level summon outright, but I could stop it for a bit with a banishing spell. I pointed at the elemental and shouted “Temporus Intent!” Did it work? The great flaming beast had stopped moving, but it wouldn't last long. I took off in a sprint. Soon I was standing in the shadow of the tower, in front of its grand wooden doors. Entering, I found myself in a large open hall lined with columns. The inside geometry seemed a bit different from the outside, but magical architects tend to take liberties with reality. There, at the opposite end of the hall, I spied what I had come for. Just a pile of rubble now, but it had once been a grand summoning portal, smack dab on top of one of the strongest leylines in the region. I barred the tower doors behind me and strode toward the end of the hall with a determined smirk on my face. Once at the end, I removed the bag from my shoulder and took out the object that had brought me here: a pristine portal keystone that I'd nicked from the Grand Magus' desk. He'd been shouting at me for quite some time about (and I quote:) “The Danger Posed to the School and its Inhabitants by Possessing Illegal Alchemical Ingredients” when he was called away by his secretary to deal with a rampaging filth abomination in the trophy hall. My goodness, how convenient. A bit of time in the library informed me as to what I had gotten my hands on, and a bit more time found me a place to put it to use. It was time to do what I'd come out here to do, far away from the others. I placed the keystone atop the pile of rubble and began the incantation. Or, I was going to. I knew I wrote down the words here somewhere... I rummaged through my backpack until I found it. I stood up, cleared my throat, and started reading aloud. “Oh great beings from beyond the veil! Manifest yourselves in my realm so that I may pay homage!” Immediately, the keystone floated upwards, glowing a pale green. It hung in the air as the other stones on the ground also started to rise, forming an arch with the keystone at the top. Once all the stones had gone into place, the archway burst open with an opaque swirl of green and white light. “Yes, I've done it!” I shouted. Then I waited. Nothing was coming through. Wasn't something supposed to come through? From the direction of the tower doors I heard a sound like the popping of a champagne cork. Dammit, not again. I turned to face the doors and saw my worst fears realized. The Grand Magus stood there, still sparkling from the after effects of teleportation, his fists clenched to white. “YOU'VE GONE TOO FAR THIS TIME. THIS IS GROUNDS FOR EXPULSION.” He stomped forward, still shouting. “Once I close this portal we're going to pack you up and ship you back to your parents, you hear me you little shi-” Something dark streaked past the edge of my vision and struck the Grand Magus in the chest. An inky black tendril had burst from the portal and skewered him right through his heart. I froze in place with my jaw open wide. The tendril lifted the Grand Magus into the air then slammed him down again. I turned back to the portal to see more tendrils slowly coming out of the portal. This was not good. I must have misidentified the keystone, I was sure this was going to open a portal to Ary'krish, the Plane of Air. This was no being of air I'd ever seen. I ducked behind a column and started making my way towards the entrance, hoping not to gain the thing's attention. I was halfway down the hall when a noise caught my attention. It sounded far off, as if it were coming from outside. “reth kalimus Reth Kalimus RETH KALMIUS!” The tower doors exploded off their hinges as the fire elemental burst inside. “Reth Kalimus Torron!” I yelled towards it, and the fire creature rushed towards the portal, glowing brighter and brighter: it was going super-critical. The tentacles attempted to stop it but recoiled in pain when they touched the elemental's blazing hot surface. I dove to the ground as an enormous explosion rocked the tower. I could feel my body leave the ground and my vision went to white, then black. I awoke later in the school infirmary. The teachers seemed to think I had stumbled upon the Grand Magus doing something illicit. He, being dead, couldn't say otherwise. I was off the hook. They advanced me to Junior Apprentice. Well... I guess I could stick around a little while longer. Word Count: 1300
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Jul 29, 2015 12:46
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Until the End 750 words Since I was child from a time so long ago. I wanted to help people out and teach them what I know. “Boo-boos need some cleaning with a bandage to protect.” “If you’re feeling really sick then you should go get checked.” And so I grew into a lad who studied people’s health. My parents had my gratitude for parting with their wealth. I planned to pay back every cent by blazing past the norm Because the system put in place was asking for reform. Illness had a mighty hold on those that we held dear. It stole so many futures and preyed upon our fear. With that in mind I listened to what the teachers said. My many books on medicine were worn and often read. I memorized so many names, I almost wrecked my mind. I carried on. I needed to or risk falling behind. I needed everything I learned to further my career And soon I was a resident, training in high gear. I treated many people and helped them with their pain. Checking vitals was a breeze. I didn’t have to strain. I also spent some time in labs to understand disease. Both medicine and research would not be done with ease. But even with the latest tech, our progress was too slow. Viruses could change with haste and cancer still could grow. The doctors and the researchers did try their very best. I couldn’t stay without results and set out on a quest. I bought a place and filled it with technology and hope. The size of my experiments could only grow in scope. I thought that I could start with pills or make some kind of drink. Nothing worked. Just failure and ample time to think. I dreamed about the enemy and cells that misbehaved. I reached out to the cure for which I greatly craved. Then I woke and tried once more to remedy our ills. Immune systems became my work and offered many thrills, Especially when what I did was modify my own. I wanted to bestow on us the power to dethrone The sicknesses that dared to take the ones we love away. From within we could fight back and live another day. My peers saw value in my work and utilized it well, But maladies were here to stay. Anyone could tell. Some parents still had faces that were overcome by grief. They buried their own children, a pain with no relief. The treatment costs were far too high. The masses had no chance. I had to think of something else for medicine’s advance. My tired eyes still had resolve. My health was also great. I had the time to figure out the way to change our fate. I needed something easy to spread across mankind. A virus meant to fight disease, a thought that crossed my mind. I went even smaller and settled on machines. The kind so small that they could go and rearrange our genes. I had them working with my cells and different types of death. I had Ebola on the ropes, breathing its last breath. Cancer didn’t stand a chance. It knew defeat at last. Diseases seemed to be, this time, a relic of the past. I had to know if it would work and used myself again. “Don’t be grey goo.” I prayed while ending with, “Amen!” Blinking lights and humming sounds only made me tense. Then suddenly, the needles pierced with pain that grew intense. Opening my eyes I saw a world that could be strong, But with me and only me, something did go wrong. I didn’t know it at the time and gave my gift to all. “Longer, healthy, happy lives. Humanity can’t fall.” People lived for centuries and populations boomed, But longer lives meant less to share and soon the world was doomed. War broke out and missiles flew. Atoms split, what could we do? People needed food to live. And soon we all were through. The dirt and oceans did survive. And cockroaches did too. I wondered how I did survive and thought this to be true. “Apparently, I cannot die because of what I made. I tested on myself too much, my body can’t degrade.” There’s no one left. Just only me. Everybody’s gone. I sit here waiting for the end, cursing every dawn. Eventually, I’ll know the joy that comes with lasting rest. The sun will die and so will I. I think that’s for the best.
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Jul 30, 2015 06:13
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I uh... have some concerns about the health of GamerDome. You think it needs a nap, J.A.B.C.? The more competitors, the better, I think.
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Jul 30, 2015 06:15
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Jamfrost posted:I uh... have some concerns about the health of GamerDome. You think it needs a nap, J.A.B.C.? The more competitors, the better, I think. Yeah, it's a shame more people didn't sign up. I had a lot of fun writing this week.
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Jul 30, 2015 06:28
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| # ? Apr 20, 2024 02:40 |
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Submissions closed! Thanks for participating! Also Jamfrost posted:I uh... have some concerns about the health of GamerDome. You think it needs a nap, J.A.B.C.? The more competitors, the better, I think. Yeah, that might be for the best.
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Jul 30, 2015 06:41
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